Fossil Food by Grant Allen (1892)
The novel Fossil Food by Grant Allen tells the story of a group of scientists who discover a way to extract nutrients from fossils and use them to create food. The book explores the ethical implications of this discovery, as well as its potential impact on society and the environment.
By Grant Allen · First published 1892 · Genre: Science, Non-fiction, Educational · 5,760 words
First lines
There is something at first sight rather ridiculous in the idea of eating a fossil. To be sure, when the frozen mammoths of Siberia were first discovered, though they had been dead for at least 80,000 years (according to Dr. Croll's minimum reckoning for the end of the great ice age), and might therefore naturally have begun to get a little musty, they had nevertheless been kept so fresh, like a sort of prehistoric Australian mutton, in their vast natural refrigerators, that the wolves and bears greedily devoured the precious relics for which the naturalists of Europe would have been ready gladly to pay the highest market price of best beefsteak. Those carnivorous vandals gnawed off the skin and flesh with the utmost appreciation, and left nothing but the tusks and bones to adorn the galleries of the new Natural History Museum at South Kensington. But then wolves and bears, especially in Siberia, are not exactly fastidious about the nature of their meat diet.
What this Textopian page supports
Fossil Food is listed on Textopian as an essay by Grant Allen, dated 1892 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Essay
- Author: Grant Allen
- Date: 1892 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Science, Non-fiction, Educational, History, Humor
- Length: 5,760 words
- Structure: 1 section, 43 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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- Work identity for Fossil Food by Grant Allen
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Genres
- Science — The book explores geological and scientific concepts related to fossilization and the formation of salt deposits.
- Non-fiction — The content is factual and informative, discussing real-world phenomena and historical geological events.
- Educational — The book provides detailed explanations of natural processes, making it suitable for educational purposes.
- History — It delves into the historical aspects of geological formations and the evolution of the Earth's surface.
Tags
fossils · food · science · paleontology · nutrition · history · evolution · geology · environment · sustainability · agriculture · diet