Graham Shields is professor of geology at University College London. He lives in London, UK.
“Born of Ice and Fire is engagingly and fluently written and is an authoritative, detailed overview of a highly complex and interdisciplinary subject.”—Rachel Wood, chair of Carbonate Geoscience, University of Edinburgh “Graham Shields takes us on a worldwide tour, presenting the latest geological evidence about the Precambrian period and investigating how stark physical conditions like a lack of oxygen and a world covered in ice established the first life on Earth.”—Mike Benton, University of Bristol “Born of Ice and Fire is a fresh take on the mystery that most vexed Darwin: the seemingly sudden appearance of animal life in Cambrian strata. Graham Shields explores Earth’s evolving biogeochemical system and the extreme ice age that ushered in a brave new oxygen-rich world.”—Marcia Bjornerud, author of Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World