Dinosaurs Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution in Paleontology

by Michael J. Benton

Overview

In this fascinating and accessible overview, renowned paleontologist Michael J. Benton reveals how our understanding of dinosaurs is being transformed by recent fossil finds and new technology.

Over the past twenty years, the study of dinosaurs has transformed into a true scientific discipline. New technologies have revealed secrets locked in prehistoric bones that no one could have previously predicted. We can now work out the color of dinosaurs, the force of their bite, their top speeds, and even how they cared for their young.

Remarkable new fossil discoveries—giant sauropod dinosaur skeletons in Patagonia, dinosaurs with feathers in China, and a tiny dinosaur tail in Burmese amber—remain the lifeblood of modern paleobiology. Thanks to advances in technologies and methods, however, there has been a recent revolution in the scope of new information gleaned from such fossil finds.

In Dinosaurs Rediscovered, leading paleontologist Michael J. Benton gathers together all of the latest paleontological evidence, tracing the transformation of dinosaur study from its roots in antiquated natural history to an indisputably scientific field. Among other things, this book explores how dinosaur remains are found and excavated, and how paleontologists read the details of dinosaurs’ lives from their fossils—their colors, their growth, and even whether we will ever be able to bring them back to life. Benton’s account shows that, though extinct, dinosaurs are still very much a part of our world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500295533
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	05/12/2020
Series:	The Rediscovered Series
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	83,614
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Michael J. Benton OBE is head of the world-leading Palaeobiology Research Group at the University of Bristol. He has written more than fifty books, including Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World, Dinosaurs Rediscovered, and When Life Nearly Died.

Table of Contents

Introduction: How Scientific Discoveries are Made 8

Chapter 1 Origin of the Dinosaurs 21

Chapter 2 Making the Tree 52

Chapter 3 Digging Up Dinosaurs 85

Chapter 4 Breathing, Brains and Behaviour 106

Chapter 5 Jurassic Park? (Or Not…) 133

Chapter 6 From Baby to Giant 154

Chapter 7 How Did Dinosaurs Eat? 186

Chapter 8 How Did They Move and Run? 215

Chapter 9 Mass Extinction 254

Afterword 286

Appendix: Extinction Hypotheses 290

Further Reading 294

Illustration Credits 309

Index 310

Editorial Reviews

"Benton's prose is a model of science writing—energetic without being hyperactive, illustrative without loosing a swarm of irritating metaphors, alive to the reader's curiosity without pandering to the reader's ignorance."

The New York Review of Books

"A highly valuable resource for anyone with a serious interest in dinosaurs and an enjoyable read… The book is fertile ground for students and experts interested in paleontology."

The Quarterly Review of Biology

"I defy anyone who is, like me, a non-scientist to read it and not feel a sense of wonder."

The Guardian

"In Dinosaurs Rediscovered, Michael J. Benton, a professor at the University of Bristol, takes us through what he calls a ‘scientific revolution’ in his field of paleontology. It is a fascinating story, and Mr. Benton tells it both expertly and entertainingly. . . . Mr. Benton’s deeply engaging book instructively shows us, yet again, how advances in technology have converted mere speculation into testable science."

Wall Street Journal

03/18/2019

In this insightful survey, Benton (When Life Nearly Died), a University of Bristol paleontology professor, looks at how dinosaurs might have lived, lauding the many advances made in paleontology since the 1970s. Findings about dinosaur intelligence, for example, indicate that though dinosaurs’ brains were “actually pretty tiny,” they could have “shown complex behaviour around mate choice.” Benton also considers diet, and the question of whether various creatures were herbivores or carnivores, as can be indicated by tooth shape, stomach contents, and even fossilized feces. Going behind the scenes, Benton takes readers through expeditions and museum laboratories. His view of how dinosaurs are depicted in films and TV should particularly appeal to general audiences; he laments that 2018’s Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom didn’t show any dinosaurs with feathers, as are now thought to have adorned some species. He also highlights how computational digital modeling aids both special effects artists (in more realistically depicting dinosaurs than in the older films that used “stop-motion photography, or... lizards sporting cardboard crests and spikes”) and scientists (in more authoritatively estimating dinosaurs’ speed, gait, and posture). This enjoyable primer will leave layreaders with a new appreciation for how far modern science has come in understanding “long-dead animals, represented now by skeletons and isolated bones.” With 120 illus. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"In Dinosaurs Rediscovered, Michael J. Benton, a professor at the University of Bristol, takes us through what he calls a ‘scientific revolution’ in his field of paleontology. It is a fascinating story, and Mr. Benton tells it both expertly and entertainingly. … Mr. Benton’s deeply engaging book instructively shows us, yet again, how advances in technology have converted mere speculation into testable science."

The Wall Street Journal

"I defy anyone who is, like me, a non-scientist to read it and not feel a sense of wonder."

The Guardian - Tom Holland