| Description |
xi, 182 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm |
| Contents |
The ever-changing calendar -- A hero in a dark age -- The forged cloth of Turin -- The pyramids and the bear's groin -- The volcano that shook Europe -- The Mandate from Heaven -- The coming of the ice -- The lost worlds -- And then there was one -- The hole in the ground -- Towards the limits of time -- Epilogue: Time's up for creationism |
| Summary |
What is the Turin Shroud? When were the Pyramids built? Where are the branches on the human family tree? Why did the dinosaurs die out? How did the Earth take shape? With questions like these, says Chris Turney, time is of the essence. And understanding how we pinpoint the past, he cautions, is crucial to putting the present in perspective and planning for the future. In eleven chapters, each focusing on a famous dating controversy (from the existence of King Arthus to the last Ice Age), Turney reveals the legwork behind the headlines. Drawing on years of professional experience, most recently with the celebrated "Hobbit" skeleton of Indonesia, Turney explains how written records, carbon, pollen, tree rings, constellations and DNA sequencing can help archaeologists, palaeontologists and geologists to "tell the time". We ignore or misunderstand these techniques and their results at our peril, he concludes. -- from dust jacket |
| Notes |
Formerly CIP. Uk |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 168-175) and index |
| Subject |
Paleontology -- Methodology.
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Geochronometry.
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Archaeology -- Methodology.
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Time measurements.
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Radiocarbon dating.
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Luminescence.
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Geological time.
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Historical geology.
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Chronology, Historical.
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Archaeological dating.
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Earth sciences -- Popular works.
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| SUBJECT |
Earth (Planet) -- Age.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85040428
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| Genre/Form |
Popular works.
|
| LC no. |
2006040954 |
| ISBN |
1403985995 |
|
9781403985996 |
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