{"product_id":"flying-dinosaurs-how-fearsome-reptiles-became-birds-9780231171786","title":"Flying Dinosaurs: How Fearsome Reptiles Became Birds","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe discovery of stunning, feathered dinosaur fossils coming out of China since 2006 suggest 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 modern birds. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMixing colorful portraits with news on the latest fossil findings and interviews with leading paleontologists in the United States, China, Europe, and Australia, John Pickrell explains and details dinosaurs' development of flight. This special capacity introduced a whole new range of abilities for the animals and helped them survive a mass extinction, when thousands of other dinosaur species that once populated the Earth did not. Pickrell also turns his journalistic eye toward the stories behind the latest discoveries, investigating the role of the Chinese black market in trading fossils, the controversies among various dinosaur hunters, the interference of national governments intent on protecting scientific information, and the race to publish findings first that make this research such a dynamic area of science.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJohn Pickrell is an award-winning science writer and the editor of \u003ci\u003eAustralian Geographic\u003c\/i\u003e magazine. He has worked in London, Washington, D.C., and Sydney for numerous publications, including \u003ci\u003eNew Scientist\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eScience\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eScience News\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCosmos\u003c\/i\u003e. He has been a finalist for the Australian Museum's Eureka Prizes three times, has won an Earth Journalism Award, and has been featured in the 2011 and 2014 editions of \u003ci\u003eThe Best Australian Science Writing\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50503150797074,"sku":"9780231171786","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_903d49cf-6b95-489d-8f89-77e0127ce6c1.jpg?v=1730783932","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/flying-dinosaurs-how-fearsome-reptiles-became-birds-9780231171786","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}