Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.91 (860 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0198795920 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-01-13 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
An excellent read!! * David B. Instead, Dave Norman's book is a tour de force on the latest research on these terribly great reptiles, much of it by himself. Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction is anything but. Weishampel, Senior Editor, The Dinosauria *
Much of his research work has concentrated on the anatomy, biology, and evolution of ornithischian dinosaurs. David Norman is a palaeontologist based at the University of Cambridge. David is a best-selling author and has been awarded prizes for some of his books, many of which are intended to introduce science to audiences through the use of dinosaurs as a starting point; he has also been an advisor on various television programmes, notably for Sir Dav
How much do we really know about them, and to what extent can their remains inform us about ancient worlds, and indeed about the history of our planet?In this Very Short Introduction David Norman discusses how dinosaurs were first discovered and interpreted, and how our understanding of them has changed over the past 200 years. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Yet dinosaurs (or more precisely non-avian dinosaurs) last trod the Earth 65 million years ago. He looks at some of the amazing discoveries that have enabled us to gain new and unexpected insights into dinosaurs as animals with natural histories and behaviors, and considers some of the biggest questions in dinosaur biology, such as the implications of them having warm blood. In many respects dinosaurs present us with one of the ultimate forensic challenges: they comprise the fragmentary remains of creatures that died many tens of millions of years ago, rather than just recently, or a few tens of years ago, which is the problem usually faced by forensic pathologists. Norman also shows how research u
"more of an introduction to paleontology or palaeobiology" according to W.N. Hixon. As a kid you read books about dinosaurs, and they focus on interesting species, depicting the interactions of a dinosaur with its environment, of predatory with prey, or of the various dinosaurs within a herd. This is not that kind of book. I think it would have been more aptly entitled, "The Study of Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction," because that is really what you get. Dr. Norman focuses on the different processes involved in and the struggles associated with the study of dinosaur remains. You come away with a strong . A great scientific book. A very interesting book. I've read this book 3 times.. Roy A. Patchell said Excellent Introduction. This book presents the scientific evidence about dinosaurs and covers the discoveries and controversies surrounding the subject. It is a bit longer than most of the other books in the OUP "Very Short Intro" series at over 160 pages. The author begins with the history of thought on dinosaurs. In the 19th century, they were generally considered slow, cold-blooded reptiles. More recently, they have come to be seen as active, probably warm-blooded, more bird-like creatures. Norman presents both sides of the numerous controversie