martin

Tracking the Golden Isles

August 13, 2020

For those who have ever read any of his previous books, such as “Dinosaurs Without Bones” or “The Evolution Underground,” who have ever attended his lectures, or heard an interview with him, Prof. Anthony J. Martin needs no introduction. Renowned for his pioneering work in ichnology, as well as for bringing the very subject of trace fossils to the attention of the wider audience of amateur naturalists, his knowledge of the subject is as expansive as his enthusiasm for it is delightfully ebullient.

Going Beneath the Surface

June 24, 2018

We’ve all heard the old saying; whenever someone is embarrassed or fearful to the point where all hope seems lost, “I just want to crawl into a hole and die.” However when you think about it, this saying makes little sense. After all, the point is to get away from the problem, hence crawling into […]

The Evolution Underground

June 2, 2018

You know the phrase. When you’ve been particularly embarrassed and feel particularly vulnerable, or perhaps when the stresses of job, family life, or the world in general have simply become overwhelming and you just can’t cope any longer, from your lips, perhaps quietly, emerges “I just want to crawl in a hole and die.”

Cheats and Deceits

December 15, 2015

If you’ve studied natural history for very long, you’ve likely by now noticed that a wide variety of plants and animals have the appearance of things much different than what they themselves actually are; caterpillars that look like snakes or hoverflies that look like bees, for example. While it’s fairly obvious that such deceptive traits would be valuable for a range of reasons, how did they come about in the first place? And for that matter, what do such deceptions mean in regard to evolution and adaptation?