Bones of Contention: The Archaeopteryx Scandals

I agree with the other reviewer. "Bones of Contention" by Paul Chambers may actually be *the* best popular science book ever written! I've read the 2003 paperback edition, the one subtitled "The Fossil that Shook Science". Chambers is a former palaeontologist and employee of the Natural History Museum of London. He has also been involved in BBC's popular series "Walking with Dinosaurs". Clearly, he is also a very able writer. The first part of this book reads like a detective story, and the rest also contains its fair share of scandal and suspense. The style is lively, informative and (often) fast-paced. You could probably read this book from cover to cover in just a few days. And no, you don't need to know anything about the subject before you start reading. Chambers will fill you in, trust me. So what is the subject, then? Most of the book is about Archaeopteryx, or rather about the scandals and intrigues surrounding the fossils of this primordial bird ever since the first was discovered in 1861. It seems that scandals keep erupting around these fossils on a semi-regular basis! In the last chapters, Chambers also mentions some recent fossil birds from China, and the controversy surrounding those. The first Archaeopteryx fossil was discovered by an unknown mineworker in the German town of Solnhofen in 1861. He quite simply stole the fossil and gave it to a black market dealer, who apparently offered the poor worker some cheap medicines in return. The dealer, Carl Häberlein, eventually managed to sell the fossil for an extortionate price to the British Museum. Well, actually, the Museum didn't want to buy it, thinking the price to high, but the notorious palaeontologist Richard Owen embezzled the money from the Museum's funds, buying it anyway! Owen then blamed the deal on a hapless assistant, who had been stupid enough to sign all letters to the dealer with his own name. In 1876, a second fossil of the strange creature was discovered, also in Solnhofen. By a strange co-incidence, it found its way to Ernst Häberlein, the son of the black market dealer Carl, who had sold the first fossil to Owen! Häberlein junior was more honest than his father, buying (and selling) the fossil legally. This specimen eventually ended up in the Humboldt Museum in Berlin. In a later chapter, we are taken forward in time, to the 1980's, when Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe, two otherwise respected astronomers, claimed that the two Archaeopteryx fossils are forgeries, and part of a vast, Darwinian conspiracy. Naturally, such far-fetched claims pretty much destroyed Hoyle's and Wickramasinghe's reputation, and the British Musuem even revoked their permission to study the Archaeopteryx fossil. Of course, there is no proof for their wild assertions. However, the 1990's saw a real scandal, when National Geographic magazine massively promoted a fossil of a flying dinosaur from China that turned out to be a rather crude hoax. "Bones of Contention" also mention

I found Bones of Contention to be a fascinating read; for a popular science book, it was an incredible page turner! Paul Chambers writes about science with the verve of a great mystery writer. This book documents the discovery of this incredible half dinosaur-half bird. The discovery of Archaeopteryx in the 1860's, shook the worlds of science, religion and society. Discovered soon after the publication of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species," this little dino-bird represented the first concrete evidence of a "transitional" fossil. Was it a dinosaur with wings, or a very strange bird? This strange fossil would also set into motion some of the fiercest rivalries in the history of science! However, this story about bird and dinosaur fossils is really a human story that focuses on the people who made the discoveries. Learn about the strange characters involved with this bird: Sir Richard Owen, who's obsession with this strange fossil would also lead to his eventual downfall. Thomas Huxley, Darwin's bulldog would use Archaeopteryx to demonstrate his own unique take on bird evolution. The stranger than fiction story about father and son, Carl and Ernst Haeberlein, who both managed to find themselves in possession of these amazing fossils! There is a chapter dedicated to the true story about the infamous Archaeoraptor hoax, and learn about the claims that Archaeopteryx is a forgery, (and you will also discover how these claims are ridiculous, and are absolutely false!) I would recommend this book, to anyone interested in dinosaurs, history of science, creationist claims, and bird evolution.