Dinosaur lives

About this book

Celebrated paleontologist Jack Horner examines the enormous impact dinosaurs have on our own lives, from block buster films like Jurassic Park and The Lost World (for which Horner was technical adviser) to his cutting-edge research on how dinosaurs evolved, which throws light on how all species - humans included - arise and die out. Dinosaur Lives also explores the deep emotional effects of the search for knowledge. Horner takes us with him into the field as he braves the elements (and an occasional flock of attacking pelicans) to uncover vast fossil beds that reveal the communal lives and deaths of dinosaurs. He shares the thrill of discovery, the subtler delight that comes with intellectual achievement, and the sadness that attends the death of his best friend and partner in countless digs. Horner then transports us from the timeless realm of fieldwork to the laboratory, where recent technological innovations - many pioneered by Horner - have transformed our understanding of how dinosaurs grew up, raised their young, socialized with their kin, survived environmental disasters, and evolved over the course of millions of years. Here he offers new evidence and arguments regarding the major dinosaur controversies of the day: Were they hot-blooded or cold-blooded? Did they give rise to modern birds? Were they decimated by a gigantic meteor 65 million years ago? Ultimately, he offers a provocative new way to think about life on Earth, including our own condition and fate.