"It will be difficult for any reader to think about dinosaurs—or birds—in the same ways they had before."— Publishers WeeklyThe discovery of stunning, feathered dinosaur fossils coming out of China in the twentieth century suggests that these creatures were much more bird-like than paleontologists previously imagined. Further evidence—bones, genetics, eggs, behavior, and more—has shown a seamless transition from fleet-footed carnivores to the ancestors of ...

"A tour de force…highlights the odd reptiles that roamed all corners of the earth millions of years ago."— Sydney Morning HeraldFrom the outback of Australia to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the savanna of Madagascar, the award-winning science writer and dinosaur enthusiast John Pickrell embarks on a world tour of new finds, meeting the fossil hunters who work at the frontier of discovery. He reveals the dwarf dinosaurs unearthed by an eccentric Transylv...

Unearthing the recent paleontologial discoveries, this fascinating popular science book shows that birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs. The discovery of the first feathered dinosaur in China in 1996 sent shockwaves through the paleontologial world. Were the feathers part of a complex mating ritual, or a stepping stone in the evolution of flight? And just how closely related is T. rex to a chicken? Award-winning journalist John Pickrell reveals how dinosaurs developed flight and becam...

This popular yearly anthology gives a snapshot of the very best science writing Australia has to offer, including everything from the most esoteric philosophical questions about ourselves and the universe, through to practical questions about the environment in which we live. Now in its eighth year, The Best Australian Science Writing 2018 draws on the knowledge and insight of Australia's brightest authors, journalists, and scientists to challenge perceptions of the world we think we know....

In the early months of 2020, the world’s attention was riveted on Australia, where the nation’s iconic wildlife fought for survival in the face of unprecedented wildfires. Images of koalas drinking from firefighters’ water bottles went viral and became the global face of a catastrophe that would kill as many as three billion animals. Known as the Black Summer, the fire season was responsible for more wildlife deaths and near-extinctions than any other single event in Australian history.

The Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs describes and illustrates over 2,000 varieties. With Over 30,000 color photographs, this encyclopedia is for every naturalist from the novice to the experienced observer.FEATURES:- Information about over 2,000 trees and shrubs. - Over 30,000 color photographs. - Intuitive navigation: navigate from Table of Contents or search for words or phrases. - List of all plants by their common name - List of all plant families by their common name - List of taxono...

This ebook edition does not include illustrations.An awe-inspiring journey through the eons and across the globe, in search of visible traces of evolution in the living creatures which have survived from earlier times and whose stories speak to us of seminal events in the history of life.The history of life on Earth is far older – and far odder – than many of us realise. In ‘Survivors’, acclaimed author Richard Fortey traces this history not through fossil records, but in t...

Alice Roberts has been travelling the world - from Ethiopian desert to Malay peninsula and from Russian steppes to Amazon basin - in order to understand the challenges that early humans faced as they tried to settle continents. On her travels she has witnessed some of the daunting and brutal challenges our ancestors had to face: mountains, deserts, oceans, changing climates, terrifying giant beasts and volcanoes. But she discovers that perhaps the most serious threat of all came from other...

"Michael Benton's splendid book brings back to Earth Science a sense of adventure. . . . It is both a wonderfully good read and a valued reference." —James Lovelock, author of Gaia and Homage to GaiaToday it is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact 65 million years ago that killed half of all species then living. Far less well-known is a much greater catastrophe that took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years a...

From the Master Geek and National Living Treasure"Dr Karl is Australia's incumbent President of Science" The Age"There's no topic on which Dr Karl does not have an interestingly expressed opinion" The Weekly ReviewFrom things that fall from the sky (great green globs!) to the birth of the moon, exploding stars, wooden spaceships, life in deep space, this bird's eye view of the universe takes us all...

This color-illustrated Encyclopedia of dinosaurs introduces over 50 types of dinosaurs. Clearly written and easy to understand text introduces us to the most important of these amazing rulers of our planet Earth which suddenly disappeared about 65 million years ago.The first animals we can recognize as dinosaurs lived about 225 million years ago. To begin with dinosaurs were small animals about a meter long, running on their hind legs. Early dinosaurs were among the first animals t...