Flying Dinosaurs
How Fearsome Reptiles Became Birds
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“It will be difficult for any reader to think about dinosaurs—or birds—in the same ways they had before.”—Publishers Weekly
The discovery of stunning, feathered dinosaur fossils coming out of China in the twentieth century suggests that these creatures were much more bird-like than paleontologists previously imagined. Further evidence—bones, genetics, eggs, behavior, and more—has shown a seamless transition from fleet-footed carnivores to the ancestors of modern birds.
Mixing colorful portraits with news on the latest fossil findings and interviews with leading paleontologists in the United States, China, Europe, and Australia, John Pickrell explains and details dinosaurs’ development of flight. This special capacity introduced a whole new range of abilities for the animals and helped them survive a mass extinction, when thousands of other dinosaur species that once populated Earth did not. Pickrell also turns his journalistic eye toward the stories behind the latest discoveries, investigating the role of the Chinese black market in trading fossils, the controversies among various dinosaur hunters, the interference of national governments intent on protecting scientific information, and the race to publish findings first that make this research such a dynamic area of science.
“Fascinating.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Science journalist Pickrell gathers up the multiple strands of evidence that show how birds are the evolutionary descendants of extinct dinosaurs, laying out the facts in accessible, straightforward prose. With a treasure trove of dinosaur fossils primarily coming from China and Mongolia since the mid-1990s, our understanding and image of dinosaurs have changed dramatically. As Pickrell explains it, dinosaurs were not all the scaly, drab-colored, cold-blooded reptiles that they are so often presented as. Instead, many were festooned with feathers, often in striking patterns and colors. Pickrell aptly demonstrates how scientists determined that feathers were present, what color they likely were, and how they were used behaviorally. We learn that the evidence strongly suggests that many dinosaurs were warm-blooded animals that cared for their young, likely using early feathers as insulation and as mating displays. As dinosaurs first developed the ability to glide and then to fly, their brains became significantly more advanced, thus enabling them to process more complex information. Pickrell also describes both the black market in dinosaur fossils and the production and trade in fossil hoaxes. After digesting all that Pickrell has to offer, it will be difficult for any reader to think about dinosaurs or birds in the same ways they had before.
Customer Reviews
A Very Plausible Tale
This book covers a fascinating story with enough detail to be useful, but not enough to really plug into studies of flight mechanics going on today. For example, the U.S. military is creating drones based upon real biological models for use as weapons. One of these was flying outdoors when it was noticed by a raptor, which attacked and left claw marks on the bio-drone’s plastic body. We may not be able to genetically clone a dinosaur, but is there enough data to be gleaned from the fossil record to engineer an avatar?