Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction

The popularity of dinosaurs seems never ending, fuelled by films such as Jurassic Park and documentaries (Walking with Dinosaurs). But how much do these popular programmes really tell us about the recent scientific discoveries and the latest research into the world of the dinosaur? This is the first book to tell the general reader about what's really happening now in dinosaur research. It tells the story behind the exciting scientific discoveries that have built up a picture of how dinosaurs looked, what they ate, how they moved and interacted with each other. This new approach to this subject involves the combination of many areas of science (eg. anatomy, cosmology, physics, mechanics and engineering design) to piece together the evidence of how animal/plant life evolved on earth, and why it did in the way that it did. David Norman also talks about the part that informed speculation and luck play in major discoveries. Starting with ancient myths of dinosaur-like monsters (dragons) and the history of the discovery of dinosaurs, he goes on to discuss the evolution of Dinosaurs and the many different techniques used to understand them, including the latest virtual reality animation sequences and engineering design analysis.