Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-248) and index.

In this book, the author explores the causes and effects of ice ages that have gripped our planet throughout its history, from the earliest known glaciation - nearly three billion years ago - to the twenty-first century. Following the development of scientific ideas about these dramatic events, the author traces the lives of many of the characters who have contributed to the evolving understanding of how ice ages come about. As it explains how the great Pleistocene Ice Age has shaped the Earth's landscape and influenced the course of human evolution, this book provides a look at how science is done, how the excitement of discovery drives scientists to explore and investigate, and how timing and chance play a part in the acceptance of new scientific ideas. -- Jacket.

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