During the first Congressional hearing on the IPCC report on human-induced climate change in 2007 Republican Representative Dana Rohrabacher floated a rather unusual idea. Citing warmer global climates of the distant past, like that which dominated the Eocene about 56 to 34 million years ago, Rohrbacher implied that the current warming trend was just the symptom of a natural phenomenon. If past warming events were triggered by unknown causes, Rohrabacher suggested "dinosaur farts" as the cause of the Eocene hothouse, then perhaps present rises in temperatures had nothing at all to do with human activities.
For years anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming critics have claimed that what we are going through now is just part of a cycle that has been going on for millions of years. It's not our fault and there's nothing we can do to stop it, they say, so we might as well kick back with some umbrella drinks and enjoy the endless summer. This logic might comfort politicians with oil company money lining their pockets, but it just isn't so. As paleontologist Donald Prothero points out in his forthcoming book (due out in late June), Greenhouse of the Dinosaurs, studying the climates of the past only bolsters the case that humans are altering the global environment in dramatic ways.
As the old uniformitarian saying goes "The present is the key to the past", but the converse is also true. By studying ancient climates and environments we can learn something about how the gases in the atmosphere, the constant shifting of the continents, and the paths of ocean currents influence the atmosphere. Fossils of extinct plants and animals also provide windows into these lost worlds, and while the triggers of ancient climate change might be debated these traces allow us to better understand how our planet has evolved.
The traditional way to tackle such a large (and relevant) subject would be to tell the story by the earth's chronology, starting during the Cretaceous "greenhouse of the dinosaurs" and working towards the present. This approach would be fitting of titles like Prothero's own After the Dinosaurs, but in his newest book he takes a different tack. In the tradition of Edwin Colbert's A Fossil Hunter's Notebook, G.G. Simpson's Attending Marvels, and W.B. Scott's Some Memories of a Paleontologist, Prothero's book delivers scientific information through autobiography. During the course of the book we encounter new scientific techniques, leading academics, and debates just in the order Prothero did.
The advantage of this technique is that it makes the book much more personal. Despite the widespread interest in global climate change there are few people who would want to sit down with a by-the-numbers explication of paleoclimates. Prothero's method is much more entertaining, but it makes some key points difficult to follow. At times it feels more like a straight autobiography than an autobiography meant to highlight scientific discoveries. Careful attention is required, and readers who want to know of paleontology's relevance to discussions about modern climate change may want to skip to the penultimate chapter of the book first and then start from the beginning.
Arguably the most important chapter of Prothero's book, however, has little to do with ancient climates. In the last chapter he lays out a no-nonsense assessment of what it takes to become a paleontologist, and this especially important during a time when job opportunities for paleontologists are shrinking. It is a romantic profession, scores of children dream of digging up fossils for a living, but only a minuscule fraction of those enthralled children ever become paleontologists. Even of those who publish papers and conduct research, few get to turn paleontology from a job or hobby into a full-blown career. It is not a career path to be taken on a whim.
No doubt Prothero's words will break a few hearts, but not everyone should feel dismayed. For those who truly need to become paleontologists, those who feel they have no other path to the fulfillment of their dreams, there is some hope. Becoming a paleontologist is by no means easy, but passion is an integral part of profession.
Admittedly there are some parts of the book (like the section on paleomagnetism) that drag and others (the section on the end-Cretaceous extinction) that seem to wander far afield of the book's main premise, but this is forgivable. Prothero has not only given us another popular summary of why paleontology is important for the public to understand but a personal narrative of debate and discovery. Whether you are looking to understand the evolution of earth's climate or gain an insider's view into the profession of paleontology, Greenhouse of the Dinosaurs is well-worth picking up.
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I've constantly wondered what is paleontology today? In ignorance, I've always thought there were too many people, in specific fields at least, that is--similar to what I would think of Egyptian archeology. At least growing up, it always seemed that everyone wanted to grow up and study dinosaurs or Egypt, never anything else in either field. I think the problem is that people often don't know what to do with these two fields. Talking to people who don't look at news at all involving paleontology think that all you do is dig up dinosaurs and that eventually you'd run out.
As an undergraduate, I constantly want to try archeology or geology (at my college, there's absolutely nothing to do here for paleontology--like most colleges, we're getting rid of our geology department and molding it in with environmental and geographical studies, and there would be no hope of paleontology), but am never sure exactly what out there is to do. Growing up in my hometown, which has a greatly active archeology department, I now know there are things like experimental or any other more 'interesting' fields in archeology.
I think it's probably a lack of publicity and what you can do with it. People will always look at certain fields with purpose--such as medicine, but when people think of geology, they just think of rocks.
There is nothing special about paleontology compared to almost every other area of scientific research in terms of career opportunities. There are very few permanent positions in virtually any field of research. Scientific research as a profession 'evolved' out of the hobbies of wealthy country gentlemen. Look at Darwin, for instance. His father paid for his trip on the Beagle and his wife's fortune financed his life-long research. Does anyone seriously think he could have achieved what he did if he actually had to work for a living at the same time?
What is the smaller mammal in front of the brontothere and the dinoceratan on the cover of the book? *Titanoides*?
Johannes; I think you were right. Unfortunately my copy was an uncorrected proof that did not have a caption, so I can't tell for sure.
Sigmund; Things are hard all over for scientists right now, but I do think paleontologists have it worse. There are only a handful of positions available, and as Prothero notes many colleges are doing away with their paleo programs when old professors die or pass away. Add to that the fact that paleontology receives very, very little funding from the NSF and you have a situation where only the tiniest fraction of students can ever hope to be professional paleontologists. Things are tough in other disciplines, but I think the hardships being faced by paleontology are more severe than those in biomedical sciences and the like.
LK; That is part of the problem, and it goes beyond public perception. Since paleontology might not have direct applications to improving human welfare it often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to funding. Since we're out of the age of the independently wealthy paleontologist, this means very few people can ever actually become paleontologists.
I have two of Prothero's books, he's an excellent writer, and I'm sure his latest volume will be a great read. And not to point out the obvious Brian, but Rohrbacher's an idiot! Yes, climate has changed repeatedly over time due to geological forces, but nearly all reputable scientists agree, the present-day global warming is a result of human activity. (I love the "dinosaur farts" theory of global warming in the early Eocene. Since dinosaurs had been extinct 10 million years by that time, those farts would have lost their potency, I would think.) Oh, and I'm one of the countless people who wanted to be a paleontologist when they grew up. I guess I'll have to settle for being a well-informed wanna be!
Does the book cover any Mesozoic climates?
Hi @ LK,
Though this might seem silly, if you're interested in really following your dreams of becoming a paleontologist, pursue a hobby of natural history and an interest in anatomy/ecology. Try to integrate and speak with people in the biology department, not the geology department. The reality is, you're more likely to find post-graduate employment in biology departments and med schools then you will in pursuing a geology-based paleo track.
Remember, as John Hutchinson has so excellently nailed down in his recent paper ("The evolutionary continuum of limb function from early theropods to birds" - *), there should not be a gap between "paleontological" and "neontological" research... we should be striving to understand fossil life in a biological context...
So to be blunt, if one is really serious about becoming a paleontologist, it's a wise idea to head for biology. Don't forget the important points of geology, but when it comes to really studying an organism and getting into how it lives/breathes/moves/etc, Biology (and its child fields) is the answer.
Warmest Regards,
* - http://www.rvc.ac.uk/AboutUS/Staff/jhutchinson/Publications.cfm
@AngryPoptart12
In talking with my father, a geologist himself, he mentioned that there are two general branches of geology--the more flexible and the more scientific. When he was in college, or more so grad school, he studied geology, but grew to work for the government (environmental department) and oil companies. A friend of mine is also interested in geology, but went to a technical school in South Dakota; it's much more hard core than what my father took. My friend is more likely to have a PhD, while my father never needed to go that far. I would assume that this would work similarly in other fields like paleontology.
I have a large interest, in general, on how things work, so I'd be interested in the broad spectrum of paleontology--speculation on what the animal I'm studying would act like, eat, etc. I could easily work that interest into neontology or biology and certainly archeology.
My college has hailed itself to be great for med students (it's near Baltimore, so often a lot of the students go to Johns Hopkins), although I am completely unsure about other biology. I'll have to look more into these fields!
@LK, if you're interested in paleontology, I don't recommend working for an oil company. ;(
Since you're near John Hopkins, that's quite the advantage.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/FAE/Faculty.htm
Just don't forget, paleontology is the biology of fossil animals. When biology isn't brought into use properly, you're just waving your arms about a bunch of rocks...
@AngryPoptart12
Talking to my father, he mentioned that the geology field he worked in was really boring. I'll have to keep in mind to include biology in more--unlike my friend, I'm less enamoured about rocks than she is.
Thanks for the link. I may look into UMD. At the moment I'm at UMBC, but I know that a lot of the minors we have, there's a major for it at UMD. (Such as astronomy--although we have some neat classes on astrobiology.) Although hopefully I wouldn't have to switch colleges entirely.
Thanks to all of you for the kind comments. I hope you will all find the book enjoyable when it comes out next week.
In answer to a few comments: yes, the small pantodont in the middle is Titanoides, and it will say so on the dust jacket flap.
In regards to shifting to biology and not geology: a lot of vertebrate paleontologists have done that for years, but they are still a tiny minority of positions compared to the number of geology positions. Something else to be aware of: biology for many years now is shifting away from "whole-organism" topics (evolution, ecology, anatomy, etc.) toward the micro-dominated fields of cellular and molecular biology, which is MUCH better funded and bigger now, and growing fast. Many departments (like ours at Occidental) have virtually lost their organismal biology program that was once a centerpiece (and we still have huge collections in the Moore Lab of priceless mammal and bird specimens). Others (like UC Berkeley) have formalized the schism, so that the organismal biologists have split off from the cell-molecular biologists and formed their out "Dept. of Integrative Biology" (which has also swallowed the paleontologists, who get no geology training whatsoever). Some of this is briefly discussed in my final chapter, but I welcome you to read it for yourself before forming your judgments about what career path makes sense for you. If you are naturally drawn to biology, that's probably a better path, even if there are few programs any more that teach the fundamental courses you need. Geology is a better chance for employment, but few programs have enough paleo and soft-rock geology to give you the background you need. Not an easy choice, as I say in the book!
Many, many of the folks I know that are in the formative years of graduate school or postdocs are becoming more involved in integrating the molecular side of biology with paleo, doing essentially what people refer to as "evo-devo". If one really wants to be involved in the way paleontology is developing in a biological way, this is certainly a wise path.
But, I'd advise that if anyone is more interested in vertebrate morphology without the genetics, there are plenty of graduate schools connected with medical school anatomy programs that will allow you to take human gross anatomy and assist in teaching. I know it seems like a stretch, but MANY (maybe most) vertebrate paleontologists I know that are not worrying about job scarcity or loss in these bad economic times are those working at medical school Anatomy depts.
Medical schools can simply pay a PhD less than they would have to pay an MD or DO (which could make more in practice), and need a group of faculty to teach human anatomy to their students. Teaching human anatomy is not rocket science (we all mostly study vertebrate anatomy anyways), and if one can make sure to take human gross anatomy with medical students and get some experience teaching it, the job opportunities are WAY more numerous. The journals Clinical Anatomy and Anatomical Record have been publishing about the "impending crisis in medical education", referring to the lack of trained anatomists teaching in medical school. That is partly because fewer doctors can afford jobs like this, and most biologists today lack the anatomical background to teach. My advice is, take advantage of that vacancy, and supply that demand.
Plus, it sure is an added benefit to be in a department with other like-minded vertebrate morphologists, instead of alone in a department of gel-jocks that don't appreciate organismal biology.
Lastly, I cannot wait to read this book!!!
L.K.,
Maryland has a strong program in both Geology (my department) and Astronomy. There is some "cross-fertilization" between them: for example, we have planetary geologists (meteoricists) in Geology. Depending on your interests, we also have some strong work in geobiology (the study of the interaction between microbiota and their non-living environment).
And--at least at the undergraduate level--we have some good courses in paleontology...
You can always do both, I got a ms in anatomy and a phd in geology, and have taught both geology and human anatomy. I prefer teaching geology since you get outside and do more field work, and it is less stinky.
Many university's have slashed their science departments, and museums, which previously employ most paleontologists have been heavily impacted by the economic down turn since they rely on trusts funds and donations. Research grants in paleontology are hard to come by too.
I'm currently employed in the growing field of paleontology resource management, working with various land agencies. Undoubtly the biggest sector of professor paleontologists, especially in places like California.
thanks all
ou can always do both, I got a ms in anatomy and a phd in geology, and have taught both geology and human anatomy. I prefer teaching geology since you get outside and do more field work, and it is less stinky.
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