Grave Secrets of Dinosaurs Soft Tissues and Hard Science

by MANNING, PHILLIP

• ISBN13: 9781426203848
• ISBN10: 1426203845
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-20
• Publisher: National Geographic

Summary

Two years ago Dr. Phil Manning was contacted by Tyler Lyson about a new dinosaur find. Tyler had found the fossil remains of a dinosaur. When Phil got to see the fossil remains for the first time, both he and Tyler knew they had an animal that could change the way dinosaurs were viewed. This dinosaur belonged to an elite group of fossils. This was a dinosaur mummy! While Jurassic Park brought dinosaurs to life through models and animation, here the nuts and bolts of science are deployed to piece together the evidence of a past life. Drawing upon the cutting edge techniques developed by the dinosaur mummy team, Manning takes the reader on a chronological tour of the handful of dinosaur mummies that have teased the scientific community for 100 years. In 1908 the first remarkably preserved dinosaur mummy was discovered and excavated by the legendary Sternberg's, palaeontological aristocracy in their own right. Discoveries of dinosaurs with soft-tissue structures from Italy to China, and from the USA to Patagonia will recount our increasing knowledge and understanding of these remarkable fossils. Last and most important, Manning reveals the soft tissues and hard science behind this splendid new find from the Late Cretaceous Badlands of North Dakota. Manning chronicles the progress of the international team of scientists brought together to excavate, record, analyse, and interpret this incredible find.

Author Biography

Phillip Manning teaches vertebrate paleontology and evolution at the University of Manchester (U.K.). He has built up an international reputation for his work on dinosaur trackways and biomechanics.