THE RISE & FALL OF DINOSAURS: A New History of a Lost World | Steve Brusatte, Harper Collins, 404p.
If it weren’t for toddler’s questions, I doubt I’d have read this book, which means this delightful tome is just another blessing from my children. Brusatte, a paleontologist, writes an accessible tome that opens up the world of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.
The story sometimes serves as an autobiographical lens into recent discoveries and the greats in his field who went before. Elsewhere, it takes long but colorful detours to explain the process of carbon dating, fossil excavation, and geological sub-strata inquiry. Brusatte unloads with passion the details of all forms of theropods, from living birds to the bipedal carnivorous hunters of the Mesozoic Era - who knew they were related! I am still blown away looking at birds and understanding they are directly descended from dinosaurs; ornithology now seems interesting.
The author is humble, admitting that we don’t know why dinosaurs survived extinction at the end of the Triassic but flourished and dominated in the next two periods. Where confidence is justified, the author is resolute. Where the humility of science dictates, Brusatte is appropriately unassuming, providing explanations for competing theories.
Thankfully, the book devotes an entire chapter to the rockstar of yonder years: Tyrannosaurus Rex. Anything with a set of jaws 5 feet long, 50 teeth, and enough snapping power to crunch a car requires attention. His fictional account of a pack of T-Rexes hunting a gaggle of Triceratops is spellbinding.
Yes, the dinosaurs are mostly extinct (their DNA lives on in modern species - “life finds a way”), but they reigned for 150 million years. We could learn a lot about survival from such success.
The book has a challenging vocabulary for those who are not paleontologists. Outside of the scientific nouns, it's unencumbered and a fascinating reintroduction to the wondrous world of dinosaurs. While I won’t be able to answer all the “whys” I get, I’ll get a few more rounds down the rabbit hole thanks to this impressive book.