"According to fossils that have been found, insects have been living on Earth for more than 400 million years! That means they were around before the dinosaurs and long before humans walked on Earth. How do scientists know this? They study the different kinds of impressions left in rock from these amazing prehistoric creatures. Readers have a chance to see photographs of these finds up close in this book, alongside accessible text that explains the...

"A millipede the size of a basketball player? A pit-bull-sized scorpion? It's hard to believe, but such mega-critters once lived on our planet. In this peek into prehistory, award-winning science writer Helaine Becker introduces us to nine of these terrifying giants. You'll discover when and where they lived, how they grew to their mega-sizes and what (thankfully!) caused their extinction. On each spread, a highly realistic illustration shows us what...

Examines the phenomenon of organisms trapped in amber, a sticky resin produced by coniferous trees. Discusses the attempts of scientists to extract from amber fossils the DNA of creatures from the distant past.