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Abominable Science!

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A captivatingly illustrated general-interest book confronting the persistent myths of cryptozoology.
  • 06 August 2013
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Throughout our history, humans have been captivated by mythic beasts and legendary creatures. Tales of Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness monster are part of our collective experience. Now comes a book from two dedicated investigators that explores and elucidates the fascinating world of cryptozoology.

Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero have written an entertaining, educational, and definitive text on cryptids, presenting the arguments both for and against their existence and systematically challenging the pseudoscience that perpetuates their myths. After examining the nature of science and pseudoscience and their relation to cryptozoology, Loxton and Prothero take on Bigfoot; the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, and its cross-cultural incarnations; the Loch Ness monster and its highly publicized sightings; the evolution of the Great Sea Serpent; and Mokele Mbembe, or the Congo dinosaur. They conclude with an analysis of the psychology behind the persistent belief in paranormal phenomena, identifying the major players in cryptozoology, discussing the character of its subculture, and considering the challenge it poses to clear and critical thinking in our increasingly complex world.

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Price: $120.00
Pages: 432
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Publication Date: 06 August 2013
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9780231153201
Format: Hardcover
BISACs: SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects, SCIENCE / Paleontology, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / General, SCIENCE / Research & Methodology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology, SCIENCE / Natural History
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Loxton and Prothero have written what may well be the most important work to date on cryptozoology, taking its rightful place in the annals of skeptical literature in particular and scientific literature in general. Abominable Science! is the defining work on cryptozoology of our generation.
Donald R. Prothero is a Research Associate in Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He has taught college geology and paleontology for 40 years at institutions such as Columbia University, Vassar College, Knox College, and Pierce College, and currently at Cal Poly Pomona. For 27 years, he was Professor of Geology at Occidental College in Los Angeles and Lecturer in Geobiology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He earned his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in geological sciences from Columbia University. He is the author of over 300 scientific papers published in leading journals and over 30 titles in geology, paleontology and evolutionary biology.

Foreword, by Michael Shermer
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Cryptozoology: Real Science or Pseudoscience?
2. Bigfoot: The Sasquatch
3. The Yeti: The Abominable Snowman
4. Nessie: The Loch Ness Monster
5. The Evolution of the Sea Serpent: From Hippocamp to Cadborosaurus
6. Mokele Mbembe: The Congo Dinosaur
7. Why Do People Believe in Monsters? The Complexity of Cryptozoology
Notes
Index