Dinosaurs were the undisputed rulers of a very long period in the history of our planet; and even today, millions of years after their mass extinction, they amaze and fascinate us with their appearance and their proportions. But how did dinosaurs really live, what did they eat, and what differences existed between their families?
Carving a timeline through the aeons of evolution that have taken place before our time on Earth, Deep Time explores the evidence that exists beneath our feet, in our museums, in the skies and surrounding us every day, which can help us to make sense of the great age of our world.
Darwin’s theory of evolution was for more than a century dogged by a major problem: the evidence proving the connections between the main groups of organisms was nowhere to be found. By the 1970s this absence of ‘transitional fossils’ was hotly debated; some palaeontologists wondered if these ‘missing links’ had been so quick that no trace of them was left. However, during the past three decades fossils of walking whales from Pakistan, feathered dinosaurs from China, fish with feet from the Arctic Circle, ape-like humans from Africa, and many more bizarre creatures that fill in crucial gaps in our understanding of evolution have all been unearthed. The first account of the hunt for evolution’s ‘missing links’, Written in Stone shows how these discoveries have revolutionised palaeontology, and explores what its findings might mean for our place on earth.
A fascinating exploration of the world's worst mass extinction - and how it shaped all subsequent life on our planet
In The Secret Life of Bones, Brian Switek frames the history of our species through the importance of bone from instruments and jewellery, to objects of worship and conquest from the origins of religion through the genesis of science up to today.
"Paleontology meets pop culture in a talented young author's journey into the lives of dinosaurs Dinosaurs haunt museum halls, stomp across movie screens, and adorn just about any product you can name. Despite groundbreaking discoveries, the dinosaurs of our childhood are entrenched in our minds, and new science struggles to overcome the inaccurate monsters of Jurassic Park. In My Beloved Brontosaurus, the brilliant dinosaur fanatic Brian Switek investigates the tension between dinosaurs as scientific objects and pop-culture icons as he introduces us to the latest theories in paleontology, from how dinosaurs had sex to what colors they were and just how they got so big. To understand why they died--after 150 million years of success--we need to know how they lived. With infectious enthusiasm, Switek explains that these giant beasts left behind a wealth of information in their bones--and it's only by piecing together these clues that we can begin to understand ourselves. After all, our furry little ancestors lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs. Switek visits excavation sites, museums, and high-tech labs to question what we've long held true about these creatures, weaving in stories from his obsession with dinosaurs that started when he was knee-high to a Stegosaurus. Endearing, surprising, and essential to our understanding of our place on Earth, My Beloved Brontosaurus is a book that science buffs and dinosaur fans will cherish for years to come"-- Provided by publisher
“A provocative and entertaining magical mineral tour through the life and afterlife of bone.” —Wall Street Journal Our bones have many stories to tell, if you know how to listen. Bone is a marvel, an adaptable and resilient building material developed over more than four hundred million years of evolutionary history. It gives your body its shape and the ability to move. It grows and changes with you, an undeniable document of who you are and how you lived. Arguably, no other part of the human anatomy has such rich scientific and cultural significance, both brimming with life and a potent symbol of death. In this delightful natural and cultural history of bone, Brian Switek explains where our skeletons came from, what they do inside us, and what others can learn about us when these artifacts of mineral and protein are all we've left behind. Bone is as embedded in our culture as it is in our bodies. Our species has made instruments and jewelry from bone, treated the dead like collectors' items, put our faith in skull bumps as guides to human behavior, and arranged skeletons into macabre tributes to the afterlife. Switek makes a compelling case for getting better acquainted with our skeletons, in all their surprising roles. Bridging the worlds of paleontology, anthropology, medicine, and forensics, Skeleton Keys illuminates the complex life of bones inside our bodies and out.
The life story of the deep sea and its ancient creatures. Deep Water explains how this unique and largely unexplored habitat came into being, what lives there and why, how it has evolved and what the future will bring in this dark and mysterious environment.
Discover the most dangerous carnivores that ever roamed the Earth in this exciting and action-packed exploration of Prehistoric Predators, featuring a unique cover that feels like dinosaur-skin! The biggest baddies of the prehistoric world -- the carnivores -- come alive in Prehistoric Predators. From favorites like T-Rex and Giganotosaurus, to the ferocious Spinosaurus and terrifying Megalodon, the stunning full-color illustrations from renowned paleoartist Julius Csotonyi make these dangerous creatures spring to life on each page. Bursting with fascinating facts written by National Geographic contributor Brian Switek, dynamic artwork, and a unique dino-skin textured cover, this is the perfect book for dinosaur lovers of every age!
Koho by nefascinovali dinosauři? Nad těmito podivnými plazy žasneme od chvíle, kdy se poprvé ukázalo, že jejich fosilie jsou kostmi tvorů z dávné minulosti. Dinosauři vládli miliony let pravěkému světu. A nyní, další miliony let po jejich masovém vyhynutí, stále vládnou naší představivosti. Jak ale dinosauři žili, čím se živili, jak se pohybovali a jaké byly rozdíly mezi jejich různými skupinami? Na tyto otázky i na mnohé další odpovídá u 72 konkrétních dinosaurů Riley Black, odbornice na fosilie a konzultantka filmové série Jurský svět. Nechybí ani úvod do jednotlivých pravěkých období vývoje dinosaurů a průvodce jejich různými skupinami. Autorem úžasných ilustrací je Riccardo Frapiccini, který spojil své fotografické, technické a kreslířské dovednosti, aby vytvořil originální obrázky, jež představují dávno ztracené druhy tak, jako by stály čtenáři tváří v tvář. Tato knížka nabízí výsledky nejnovějších výzkumů přístupnou a čtivou formou, která osloví všechny čtenáře bez ohledu na jejich věk. Určena je každému, koho fascinují dinosauři. A to jsme my všichni.
