In this chapter, Kolbert discusses the history of studying fossils, and how the findings of then unidentified and unknown fossils created the foundation for the belief in extinction. At the time, many well known and highly-credited scientists did not believe in extinction, greatly noted in Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus: the only kind of animal are ones that they saw exist and roam about. However, when paleontologist from around the world tried to identify the bones belonging to the American Madstoon, no animal they saw was a match, extinction was an idea that seemed to explain the occurence, a plausible one for Georges Curvier, who are one of the first to coin the term, and popularise it in France. Despite the opposition of many of Cuvier's fellow researchers, he continued to discover different extinct species, and gave a plausible explanation as to what no one else could explain, something others couldn’t do.
On page 41,Kolbert introduced another belief Cuvier has with “Cuvier opposed the concept of evolution, or transformisme as it was known in Paris at the time, and he tried- generally, it seems, successfully-to humiliate any colleagues who advanced the theory”. Intriguing to Kolbert is the fact that someone who introduced something so revolutionary in science, and a brilliant man no doubt, could not believe in something that would only fortify his idea of extinction, as clearly those animals failed to adjust and evolve to survive. This connects to the APES theme that science is a process.While so much progress is being made in one area of science, another, very similar topic still can be subject to rejection since it poses beliefs out of the comfort of what many believed in that time. Advancements in science is not linear and it depends on a collective of individuals to bring about a revolutionary idea, then for the world to decide if it chooses to believe in it and continue on further.
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