Rise of the Dragon
Readings from Nature on the Chinese Fossil Record
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9780226284903
Rise of the Dragon
Readings from Nature on the Chinese Fossil Record
Over the past decade, fossil finds from China have stunned the world, grabbing headlines and changing perceptions with a wealth of new discoveries. Many of these finds were first announced to English speakers in the journal Nature.Rise of the Dragon gathers together sixteen of these original reports, some augmented with commentaries originally published in Nature’s "News and Views" section.
Perhaps the best known of these new Chinese fossils are the famous feathered dinosaurs from Liaoning Province, which may help end one of the most intense debates in paleontology—whether birds evolved from dinosaurs. But other finds have been just as spectacular, such as the minutely preserved (to the cellular level) animal embryos of the 670 million-year-old Duoshantuo phosphorites, or the world’s oldest known fish, from the Chengjiang formation in southwestern Yunnan Province.
Rise of the Dragon makes descriptions and detailed discussions of these important finds available in one convenient volume for paleontologists and serious fossil fans.
Perhaps the best known of these new Chinese fossils are the famous feathered dinosaurs from Liaoning Province, which may help end one of the most intense debates in paleontology—whether birds evolved from dinosaurs. But other finds have been just as spectacular, such as the minutely preserved (to the cellular level) animal embryos of the 670 million-year-old Duoshantuo phosphorites, or the world’s oldest known fish, from the Chengjiang formation in southwestern Yunnan Province.
Rise of the Dragon makes descriptions and detailed discussions of these important finds available in one convenient volume for paleontologists and serious fossil fans.
276 pages | 30 halftones, 42 line drawings, 24 tables | 6 x 9 | © 2002
Biological Sciences: Anatomy, Biology--Systematics, Evolutionary Biology, Natural History, Paleobiology, Geology, and Paleontology
Earth Sciences: Paleontology
Table of Contents
Foreword: Zhe-Xi Luo
Introduction
1. Three-Dimensional Preservation of Algae and Animal Embryos in a Neoproterozoic Phosphorite
Shu-Hai Xiao, Yun Zhang, and Andrew H. Knoll
Nature 391, 553-558 (1998)
2. Animal Embryos in Deep Time
Stefan Bengtson
Nature 391, 529-530 (1998)
3. A Pipiscid-like Fossil from the Lower Cambrian of South China
De-Gan Shu, S. Conway Morris, Xing-Liang Zhang, Liang Chen, Y. Li, and J. Han
Nature 400, 746-749 (1999)
4. An Early Cambrian Craniate-like Chordate
Jun-Yuan Chen, Di-Ying Huang, and Chia-Wei Li
Nature 402, 518-522 (1999)
5. Lower Cambrian Vertebrates from South China
De-Gan Shu, Hui-Lin Luo, S. Conway Morris, Xing-Liang Zhang, S.-X Hu, Liang Chen, J. Han, Min Zhu, Y. Li, and L.-Z Chen
Nature 402, 42-46 (1999)
6. Catching the First Fish
Philippe Janvier
Nature 402, 21-22 (1999)
7. A Primitive Fossil Fish Sheds Light on the Origin of Bony Fishes
Min Zhu, Xiao-Bo Yu, and Philippe Janvier
Nature 397, 607-610 (1999)
8. Something Fishy in the Family Tree
Per Erik Ahlberg
Nature 397, 564-565 (1999)
9. An Exceptionally Well-Preserved Theropod Dinosaur from the Yixian Formation of China
Pei-Ji Chen, Zhi-Ming Dong, and Shuo-Nan Zhen
Nature 391, 147-152 (1998)
10. Feathers, Filaments and Theropod Dinosaurs
David M. Unwin
Nature 391, 119-120 (1998)
11. A Therizinosauroid Dinosaur with Integumentary Structures from China
Xing Xu, Zhi-Lu Tang, and Xiao-Lin Wang
Nature 399, 350-354 (1999)
12. A Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur with a Filamentous Integument from the Yixian Formation of China
Xing Xu, Xiao-Lin Wang, and Xiao-Chun Wu
Nature 401, 262-266 (1999)
13. Two Feathered Dinosaurs from Northeastern China
Quiang Ji, Philip J. Currie, Mark A. Norell, and Shu-An Ji
Nature 393, 753-761 (1998)
14. When Is a Bird Not a Bird?
Kevin Padian
Nature 393, 729-730 (1998)
15. A Diapsid Skull in a New Species of the Primitive Bird Confuciusornis
Lian-Hai Hou, Larry D. Martin, Zhong-He Zhou, Alan Feduccia, and Fu-Cheng Zhang
Nature 399, 679-682 (1999)
16. A Chinese Triconodont Mammal and Mosaic Evolution of the Mammalian Skeleton
Qiang Ji, Zhe-Xi Luo, and Shu-An Ji
Nature 398, 326-330 (1999)
17. At the Roots of the Mammalian Family Tree
Timothy Rowe
Nature 398, 283-284 (1999)
18. A New Symmetrodont Mammal from China and Its Implications for Mammalian Evolution
Yao-Ming Hu, Yuan-Qing Wang, Zhe-Xi Luo, and Chuan-Kui Li
Nature 390, 137-142 (1997)
19. Biostratigraphy of New Pterosaurs from China
Shu-An Ji, Qiang Ji, and Kevin Padian
Nature 398, 573 (1999)
20. Palaeobiology: A Refugium for Relicts
Zhe-Xi Luo
Nature 400, 23-25 (1999)
21. A Refugium for Relicts?
Makoto Manabe, Paul M. Barrett, and Shinji Isaji
Nature 404, 953 (2000)
22. Cretaceous Age for the Feathered Dinosaurs of Liaoning, China
Carl C. Swisher III, Yuan-Qing Wang, Xiao-Lin Wang, Xing Xu, and Yuan Wang
Nature 400, 58-61 (1999)
Supplementary Information
Contributors
Index
Introduction
1. Three-Dimensional Preservation of Algae and Animal Embryos in a Neoproterozoic Phosphorite
Shu-Hai Xiao, Yun Zhang, and Andrew H. Knoll
Nature 391, 553-558 (1998)
2. Animal Embryos in Deep Time
Stefan Bengtson
Nature 391, 529-530 (1998)
3. A Pipiscid-like Fossil from the Lower Cambrian of South China
De-Gan Shu, S. Conway Morris, Xing-Liang Zhang, Liang Chen, Y. Li, and J. Han
Nature 400, 746-749 (1999)
4. An Early Cambrian Craniate-like Chordate
Jun-Yuan Chen, Di-Ying Huang, and Chia-Wei Li
Nature 402, 518-522 (1999)
5. Lower Cambrian Vertebrates from South China
De-Gan Shu, Hui-Lin Luo, S. Conway Morris, Xing-Liang Zhang, S.-X Hu, Liang Chen, J. Han, Min Zhu, Y. Li, and L.-Z Chen
Nature 402, 42-46 (1999)
6. Catching the First Fish
Philippe Janvier
Nature 402, 21-22 (1999)
7. A Primitive Fossil Fish Sheds Light on the Origin of Bony Fishes
Min Zhu, Xiao-Bo Yu, and Philippe Janvier
Nature 397, 607-610 (1999)
8. Something Fishy in the Family Tree
Per Erik Ahlberg
Nature 397, 564-565 (1999)
9. An Exceptionally Well-Preserved Theropod Dinosaur from the Yixian Formation of China
Pei-Ji Chen, Zhi-Ming Dong, and Shuo-Nan Zhen
Nature 391, 147-152 (1998)
10. Feathers, Filaments and Theropod Dinosaurs
David M. Unwin
Nature 391, 119-120 (1998)
11. A Therizinosauroid Dinosaur with Integumentary Structures from China
Xing Xu, Zhi-Lu Tang, and Xiao-Lin Wang
Nature 399, 350-354 (1999)
12. A Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur with a Filamentous Integument from the Yixian Formation of China
Xing Xu, Xiao-Lin Wang, and Xiao-Chun Wu
Nature 401, 262-266 (1999)
13. Two Feathered Dinosaurs from Northeastern China
Quiang Ji, Philip J. Currie, Mark A. Norell, and Shu-An Ji
Nature 393, 753-761 (1998)
14. When Is a Bird Not a Bird?
Kevin Padian
Nature 393, 729-730 (1998)
15. A Diapsid Skull in a New Species of the Primitive Bird Confuciusornis
Lian-Hai Hou, Larry D. Martin, Zhong-He Zhou, Alan Feduccia, and Fu-Cheng Zhang
Nature 399, 679-682 (1999)
16. A Chinese Triconodont Mammal and Mosaic Evolution of the Mammalian Skeleton
Qiang Ji, Zhe-Xi Luo, and Shu-An Ji
Nature 398, 326-330 (1999)
17. At the Roots of the Mammalian Family Tree
Timothy Rowe
Nature 398, 283-284 (1999)
18. A New Symmetrodont Mammal from China and Its Implications for Mammalian Evolution
Yao-Ming Hu, Yuan-Qing Wang, Zhe-Xi Luo, and Chuan-Kui Li
Nature 390, 137-142 (1997)
19. Biostratigraphy of New Pterosaurs from China
Shu-An Ji, Qiang Ji, and Kevin Padian
Nature 398, 573 (1999)
20. Palaeobiology: A Refugium for Relicts
Zhe-Xi Luo
Nature 400, 23-25 (1999)
21. A Refugium for Relicts?
Makoto Manabe, Paul M. Barrett, and Shinji Isaji
Nature 404, 953 (2000)
22. Cretaceous Age for the Feathered Dinosaurs of Liaoning, China
Carl C. Swisher III, Yuan-Qing Wang, Xiao-Lin Wang, Xing Xu, and Yuan Wang
Nature 400, 58-61 (1999)
Supplementary Information
Contributors
Index