Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction

The popularity of dinosaurs seems never ending, fuelled by films such asJurassic Park and documentaries (Walking with Dinosaurs). But how much do thesepopular programmes really tell us about the recent scientific discoveries andthe latest research into the world of the dinosaur?This is the first book to tell the general reader about what's really happeningnow in dinosaur research. It tells the story behind the exciting scientificdiscoveries 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 subjectinvolves the combination of many areas of science (eg. anatomy, cosmology,physics, mechanics and engineering design) to piece together the evidence of howanimal/plant life evolved on earth, and why it did in the way that it did. DavidNorman also talks about the part that informed speculation and luck play inmajor discoveries. Starting with ancient myths of dinosaur-like monsters(dragons) and the history of the discovery of dinosaurs, he goes on to discussthe evolution of Dinosaurs and the many different techniques used to understandthem, including the latest virtual reality animation sequences and engineeringdesign analysis.

David Norman is Director of the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Reader in Vertebrate Palaeobiology, and Odell Fellow in Natural Sciences, at Christ's College, Cambridge.