Reading

Just finished "The Ancestor's Tale" by Richard Dawkins. Another excellent read: the idea of tracing the evolution of life through a pilgrimage back in time really worked for me. It would be great to see a documentary version bringing to life some of the examples.

Of course, the sci-fi nerd in me is also fascinated by the idea of literally going back in time (in steps of steadily increasing length) to witness the earlier stages. The quote from Richard Fortey (p. 461) captures this idea: "I can imagine standing upon a Cambrian shore in the evening... Apart from the whistle of the breeze and the crash and suck of the breakers, it is completely silent, and nothing cries in the wind..."