"If you stand in one place, eventually everyone will pass by" I had an Onondaga, Chief Bill, stay with a friend and I for a couple of months, back in high school days. He used to say that man has stepped on every patch of earth, that is one reason why, if you think you do not know your way in the woods, you are not alone. That friend, he is now 72, is writing a book on Chief Bill. Thanks for the tip on thin air, I just ordered the book. Best, Leland Leland R. S. Torrence Leland Torrence Enterprises and the Guild 17 Vernon Court, Woodbridge, CT 06525 Office: 203-397-8505 Fax: 203-389-7516 Pager: 860-340-2174 Mobile: 203-981-4004 E-mail: [log in to unmask] www.LelandTorrenceEnterprises.com _____ From: The Listserv that makes holes in Manhattan schist for free! [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cuyler Page Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 11:54 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [BP] sedimentary rock was some other thing Regarding the current Subject Line and the little while ago discussion of fossils in NYC building stones, I just finished "Out Of Thin Air" by Peter D. Ward. He proposes a new theory linking evolutionary patterns of life forms with the changing oxygen levels in the earth's atmosphere, as observed through earth's geological history. One of the last chapters deals with the formation of limestone and the critters it is made of, and how enormously many there were and why they are not any more. This book is a slightly dense read, but goes a lot faster if you just don't worry about the difference between a Halobia and a Monotis, but just accept them as upper Cretaceous clams whose piled up billions turned to thick layers of rock over time. Somehow, his populous style of presenting his academic theory made biology come alive for me, probably because of his dedicated total focus being on one thing, oxygen. It is sort of like, "If you stand in one place, eventually everyone will pass by." By following the necessary limits and functions of oxygen as a chemical and as a driver of energy in living things, and by looking at the earth's long term shifting geologic and atmospheric situation, and by looking at how all the various organic things known to have lived on earth have dealt with their oxygen necessities for collection of it, thriving survival, adaptation, motion, coping with atmospheric heat or low atmospheric oxygen or high atmospheric oxygen, etc., etc., I found an enormous new awareness of the connection between my lungs and the development of a tiny internal pump millions of years ago by the common ancestor I share with the little clams happy in the salt water below the bridge I walk over each day. A very interesting read that even made me better appreciate the complex story behind the fossils in the building stones you were discussing. Looking out the window now, the landscape and the critters all appear in a vital new active and progressive aspect. This book creates a big-time ecological awareness, not tree hugging (although that might be nice and is perhaps all I have to hug at the moment). Based on an enormous amount of research, the fine print References for this book fill 22 pages. Puts a whole new spin on how we got here, and makes a pretty convincing argument for the focus on oxygen. Basically, low oxygen levels allowed fewer species to survive but promoted greater diversity among new ones trying to cope. Higher oxygen levels promoted larger size in existing species but fewer new ones. All based on the rock record and fossils. You rock guys have been very much in my mind while reading this. cp in bc -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>