BONES, ROCKS AND STARS: THE SCIENCE OF WHEN THINGS HAPPENED

the long version

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.