Why Dinosaurs Matter

What can long-dead dinosaurs teach us about our future? Plenty, according to world-renowned paleontologist and recent star of BBC show The Day the Dinosaurs Died Dr Kenneth Lacovara, who has discovered some of the largest creatures to ever walk the Earth, including the super-massive Dreadnoughtus.

By tapping into the wonder that dinosaurs inspire, Dr Lacovara weaves together the stories of our geological awakening, of humanity's epic struggle to understand the nature of deep time, the meaning of fossils, and our own place on the vast and bountiful tree of life. Go on a journey, back to when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, to discover how dinosaurs achieved feats unparalleled by any other group of animals. Learn the secrets of how paleontologists find fossils, and explore quirky, but fascinating questions, such as: Is a penguin a dinosaur? How are the tiny arms of T. rex the key to its power and ferocity?

In this revealing book, Dr Lacovara offers the latest ideas about the shocking and calamitous death of the dinosaurs and ties their vulnerabilities to our own.Why Dinosaurs Matter is compelling and engaging - a reminder that our place on this planet is both precarious and potentially fleeting. As we move into an uncertain environmental future, it has never been more important to understand the past.

About the Author

Dr Kenneth Lacovara's discoveries have landed him three times in Discover magazine's '100 Top Science Stories of the Year' and in Time's 'Top Stories of 2014'. Lacovara was named by Men's Journal as one of the 'Next Generation of Explorers' and he is an elected fellow of the prestigious Explorers Club in New York. Lacovara is the founding Dean of the School of Earth Environment at Rowan University and Director of the Rowan Fossil Park. He lives in New Jersey.