The subject matter is breath taking but it's not an easy read. The subject matter lies at the confluence of geology, paleontology, earth science, genetics, and archaeology and thus there were, for me, a blizzard of new words to (try to) remember. The book succeeds though in revealing the amazing "explosion" of complex life forms "suddenly" found at the start of the Cambrian period, more than half a billion years ago. The book describes the high level genetic components which match very different, modern animals. Scientists
represent these associations in what's introduced as "The Tree of Life" diagram. I will order one or two more copies to share with friends.
