Remnants of Ancient Life: The New Science of Old Fossils

"We usually think of fossils as being composed of rock, the original contents of the organisms lost to time. However, this is changing. Due to new technologies scientists are able to access the ancient biomolecules--the pigments, proteins, chemicals, and DNA--that once performed critical roles in organisms and have been preserved accross millions of years. In this book, Dale Greenwalt introduces readers to the new science of ancient biomolecules and what it tells about the lives of long extinct life. Ancient biomolecules, as we learn, give us a whole new view into the past. After an introductory explanation of what biomolecules are (and are not), each chapter treats an ancient biomolecule and what it can teach us about a long-dead organism and how it may have lived.