The Dinosaurs Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting History
£11.20£12.30 (-9%)
‘I defy anyone who is, like me, a non-scientist to read it and not feel a sense of wonder’ Tom Holland, Guardian
Startling new fossil finds are the lifeblood of modern palaeobiology. Giant sauropod dinosaur skeletons from Patagonia, dinosaurs with feathers from China, and even a tiny dinosaur tail in Burmese amber – complete down to every detail of its filament-like feathers, skin, bones and mummified tail muscles – inspire awe in a global audience enthralled by the idea of these great creatures walking the earth. Dinosaurs are of perennial interest to all ages, as illustrated by the huge range of dino-themed films, books and live attractions, from the enduring popularity of the Jurassic Park franchise to the success of London’s immersive ‘Dinosaurs in the Wild’ experience.
In the past twenty years, dinosaur study has changed from natural history to testable science. New technologies have revealed secrets locked in the bones in a way nobody predicted – we can now work out the colour of dinosaurs, their bite forces, speeds and parental care as well as how they came to die out.This groundbreaking book illustrates how science has replaced speculation and how our understanding of dinosaurs and their world hascompletely changed. The subject has never been so vigorous, has never changed so fast, and has never been so attractive to so many.
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (6 Feb. 2020), Thames and Hudson Ltd |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 320 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0500295530 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0500295533 |
| Dimensions | 12.95 x 2.54 x 19.81 cm |
by William C. Trimmer Jr.
I bought this for my older brother (he is around 20), and he read the whole thing. I also read a little portion at the front to make sure it was the right sort of content before buying, and I was a little interested too! Definitely worth the money and just detailed enough for older readers without getting too complex.
by Jens Guld
There was a time when dinosaurs were known from the bones they left behing, That has not changed very much but the bone are beginning to tell lots of new stories. this book is full of them.
by ELH Lafferty
I saw another reviewer in another publication describe this book as frustrating and I can understand why he said that. Benton delivers a mixture of gripping, easy to understand information and quite arcane dinoscience (and science in general) that is way over my head. As an interested layperson who wants to know what the current situation in dinoscience land is I feel I have been given too many diagrams and explanations that are more targeted to serious students of this subject and perhaps also to Benton’s colleagues. I have mixed feelings about the number of times he mentions the names of colleagues and former students who have become colleagues. I like that he gives them due recognition, but I (as a reader) don’t have to see their names 5 to 10 times. Notwithstanding those drawbacks I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
by MR S.
The book is wonderful. As a longtime dinosaur enthusiast, I recommend it highly. However, the book arrived with several invading insects in the package.I was able to place the book in a hot car to kill both bugs and possible eggs due to a heatwave in our area that week. I strongly suggest that the British warehouse be checked as soon as possible. Sorry for not getting this information to you sooner.
by Rebecca Jenkins
Gave this as a gift to my father (we both love dinosaurs), and despite being a painfully slow reader, he devoured this book in a month! I picked it out on a whim based on the title, topic, cover and reviews, and apparently that worked as he said it was fascinating. The right blend of scientific insight with companionable tone that kept it from being a dry read – informative without being dull, perfect!
by D J Webb
Rather heavy going. Keeps going on somewhat about his research.
by ELH Lafferty
Picture this: a ginger feathered dinosaur with a striped orange and white tail perched in a tree like the Cheshire Cat of his time – or dashing across the landscape like Road Runner dressed in modish cowboy-trousers of black, white and red. Is this an early bird of paradise? and how might a T-Rex compare with a six-tonne chicken?
Whatever you think you know about dinosaurs from your childhood, it’s time to update! Dinosaurs have changed a lot in the last ten years – or our understanding of them at least – and world expert Benton crams fifty years of smart thinking applied to old speculation between the covers, tracking dinosaur science’s move from natural history to testable scientific discipline. Both new fossils and new technologies offering computational models in macroevolution and inferences from an evolutionary tree across geological timescales have added to the data-rich detail available to paleobiologists. From teeth to terrain, lessons from engineering and electromicroscopy have also enhanced our understanding of dinosaurs for the twenty-first century.
This overview of the rocky road to our current understanding of these giant lizards (and other animals) pulls together research and commentary from scientists around the globe with differing specialisms to offer a modern identity parade drawn from both lush and arid environments of the earth over 200 million years when dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes roamed the earth. It’s well illustrated with black-and-white dinosaurs and their key points every few pages and a couple of sets of coloured plates, and its persuasively pieced together by a leading paleontologist. Presented with precision, this book both details the past including the occasional light-hearted anecdote, and looks ahead to future research with a spirit of open-mindedness.
by broad spectrum music lover
Popular science it may be, but the constant name dropping and reference to researchers, scientists and student made for a tedious read. There is much to learn and enjoy in this book, but the style takes away the enjoyment of learning.