Fires of Life: Endothermy in Birds and Mammals

A groundbreaking argument on how warm-bloodedness – arguably the most important innovation in vertebrate evolution – developed in birds and mammals

This pioneering work investigates why endothermy, or “warm-bloodedness”, evolved in birds and mammals, despite its enormous energetic costs.  Arguing that single-cause hypotheses to explain the origins of endothermy have stalled research since the 1970s, Barry Gordon Lovegrove advances a novel conceptual framework that considers multiple potential causes and integrates data from the southern as well as the northern hemisphere.  Drawing on palabeontological data; research on extant species in places like the Karoo, Namaqualand, Madagascar, and Borneo; and novel physiological models, Lovegrove builds a compelling new explanation for the evolution of endothermy.  Vividly narrated and illustrated, Fires of Life stages a groundbreaking argument that should prove provocative and fascinating for specialists and lay readers alike.