Determining the precise timing for the evolutionary origin of groups of organisms has become increasingly important as scientists from diverse disciplines attempt to examine rates of anatomical or molecular evolution and correlate intrinsic biological events to extrinsic environmental events. Molecular clock analyses indicate that many major groups

This book represents a discussion between molecular biologists and paleontologists, in which they investigate the significance of competing sources of data, explain the nature of molecular clocks and the fossil record, and attempt to develop compromise models that incorporate conflicting opinions. These are presented as a series of case studies dealing with many of the most important groups of complex organisms. Research scientists and advanced undergraduates across the field of evolutionary biology will find Telling Evolutionary Time: Molecular Clocks and Fossil Record a stimulating volume, bringing new insight and perspective to a thorny debate.