{"title":"Michael J. Benton","description":"Michael J. Benton is Head of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. He has written some fifty books, ranging from children's dinosaur and palaeontology books to standard textbooks.","products":[{"product_id":"dinosaurs-new-visions-of-a-lost-world-paperback","title":"Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDinosaurs are not what you thought they were--or at least, they didn't look like you thought they did. In this new visual guide to the world of the dinosaurs, world-leading paleontologist Michael J. Benton shows how rapid advances in technology and amazing new fossil finds have changed the way we see these extinct beasts forever. Stunning new illustrations by paleoartist Bob Nicholls display the latest and most exciting scientific discoveries in vibrant color.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom \u003cem\u003eSinosauropteryx\u003c\/em\u003e, the first dinosaur to have its color patterns identified--a ginger-and-white striped tail--by Benton's team at the University of Bristol in 2010, to recent research on the surprising mixed feathers and scales of \u003cem\u003eKulindadromeus\u003c\/em\u003e, this is one of the first books to include this cutting-edge scientific research in paleontology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach chapter focuses on a particular extinct species, featuring a specially commissioned illustration that brings to life the latest scientific breakthroughs, with accompanying text exploring how paleontologists have determined new details, such as the patterns on skin and thecolors of feathers of animals that lived millions of years ago. This visual compendium surprises and challenges everything you thought you knew about what dinosaurs looked like and how they lived.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51376899915999,"sku":"9780500298046","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/ueNnLyYl8u9780500298046.webp?v=1789228903"},{"product_id":"the-history-of-life-a-very-short-introduction-paperback","title":"The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eHere is the extraordinary story of the unfolding of life on Earth, told by Michael J. Benton, a world-renowned authority on biodiversity. Ranging over four billion years, Benton weaves together the latest findings on fossils, earth history, evolutionary biology, and many other fields to highlight the great leaps that enabled life to evolve from microbe to human--big breakthroughs that made whole new ways of life possible--including cell division and multicellularity, hard skeletons, the move to land, the origin of forests, the move to the air. He describes the mass extinctions, especially the Permian, which obliterated 90% of life, and he sheds light on the origins of human beings, and of the many hominids that went before us. He ends by pointing out that studying the past helps us to predict the future: what happens if the atmosphere warms by 5 degrees? What happens if we destroy much of the biodiversity on Earth? These things have happened before, Benton notes. We need only look to the distant past to know the future of life on Earth. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Series: \u003c\/strong\u003eCombining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, \u003cstrong\u003eVery Short Introductions\u003c\/strong\u003e offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51379092553951,"sku":"9780199226320","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/lO6C2tnULY9780199226320.webp?v=1789268544"},{"product_id":"introduction-to-paleobiology-and-the-fossil-record-paperback","title":"Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book presents a comprehensive overview of the science of the history of life. Paleobiologists bring many analytical tools to bear in interpreting the fossil record and the book introduces the latest techniques, from multivariate investigations of biogeography and biostratigraphy to engineering analysis of dinosaur skulls, and from homeobox genes to cladistics.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll the well-known fossil groups are included, including microfossils and invertebrates, but an important feature is the thorough coverage of plants, vertebrates and trace fossils together with discussion of the origins of both life and the metazoans. All key related subjects are introduced, such as systematics, ecology, evolution and development, stratigraphy and their roles in understanding where life came from and how it evolved and diversified.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnique features of the book are the numerous case studies from current research that lead students to the primary literature, analytical and mathematical explanations and tools, together with associated problem sets and practical schedules for instructors and students.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNew to this edition\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe text and figures have been updated throughout to reflect current opinion on all aspects\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eNew case studies illustrate the chapters, drawn from a broad distribution internationally\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eChapters on Macroevolution, Form and Function, Mass extinctions, Origin of Life, and Origin of Metazoans have been entirely rewritten to reflect substantial advances in these topics\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThere is a new focus on careers in paleobiology\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book presents a comprehensive overview of the science of the history of life. Paleobiologists bring many analytical tools to bear in interpreting the fossil record and the book introduces the latest techniques, from multivariate investigations of biogeography and biostratigraphy to engineering analysis of dinosaur skulls, and from homeobox genes to cladistics. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll the well-known fossil groups are included, including microfossils and invertebrates, but an important feature is the thorough coverage of plants, vertebrates and trace fossils together with discussion of the origins of both life and the metazoans. All key related subjects are introduced, such as systematics, ecology, evolution and development, stratigraphy and their roles in understanding where life came from and how it evolved and diversified. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnique features of the book are the numerous case studies from current research that lead students to the primary literature, analytical and mathematical explanations and tools, together with associated problem sets and practical schedules for instructors and students. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNew to this edition \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe text and figures have been updated throughout to reflect current opinion on all aspects\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eNew case studies illustrate the chapters, drawn from a broad distribution internationally\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eChapters on Macroevolution, Form and Function, Mass extinctions, Origin of Life, and Origin of Metazoans have been entirely rewritten to reflect substantial advances in these topics\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThere is a new focus on careers in paleobiology\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51379343753439,"sku":"9781119272854","price":131.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/vmnQ9587Sv9781119272854.webp?v=1789272395"},{"product_id":"extinctions-how-life-survives-adapts-and-evolves-paperback","title":"Extinctions: How Life Survives, Adapts and Evolves - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eExtinctions\u003c\/em\u003e lays out the latest scientific understanding of mass extinction on our planet. Cutting--edge techniques across biology, chemistry, physics, and geology have transformed our understanding of the deep past, including the discovery of a previously unknown mass extinction. This compelling evidence, revealing a series of environmental crises resulting in the near collapse of life on Earth, illuminates our current dilemmas in exquisite detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeginning with the oldest, paleontologist Michael J. Benton takes us through the \"big five\" die outs: the Late Ordovician, which set the evolution of the first animals on an entirely new course; the Late Devonian, apparently brought on by global warming; the cataclysmic End--Permian, also known as the Great Dying, which wiped out over 90 percent of all life on Earth; the newly discovered Carnian Pluvial Event; and the End-Cretaceous asteroid. He examines how global warming, acid rain, ocean acidification, erupting volcanoes, and meteorite impact have affected conditions on Earth, and how life survived, adapted, and evolved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBenton's expert retelling of scientific breakthroughs in paleobiology is illustrated throughout with photographs of fossils and fieldwork, and artistic reconstructions of prehistoric environments. In \u003cem\u003eExtinctions\u003c\/em\u003e, readers will learn about the revolutionary new tools used to uncover ancient extinction events and processes in forensic detail. As today's climate scientists and political leaders grapple to understand these processes and our planet enters the sixth great extinction, these insights from the past may hold the key to survival.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51379362005215,"sku":"9780500298633","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/LIA4dO4pVb9780500298633.webp?v=1789272415"},{"product_id":"dinosaur-behavior-an-illustrated-guide-hardcover","title":"Dinosaur Behavior: An Illustrated Guide - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA stunningly illustrated guide to these extraordinary creatures from a world-renowned paleontologist\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePaleobiology has advanced from a speculative subject to a cutting-edge science. Today, researchers are applying the latest forensic technologies to the fossil record, revealing startling new insights into the lives of dinosaurs. This illustrated guide explores the behavior, evolution, physiology, and extinction of dinosaurs, taking readers inside the mysterious world of these marvelous animals. With specially commissioned illustrations by Bob Nicholls, \u003ci\u003eDinosaur Behavior\u003c\/i\u003e explains how the dinosaurs lived and courted, fought and fed, signaled and interacted with each other, and much more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures a wealth of breathtaking illustrations throughout\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOffers new perspectives on the prehistoric world inhabited by dinosaurs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSheds light on how dinosaurs actually looked, how they moved, and how fast they ran\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExplains the feeding habits of carnivores, herbivores, scavengers, and solitary hunters\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiscusses sight, hearing, smell, spatial orientation, and intelligence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrings to life the social behavior of dinosaurs, from mating and parenting to herd dynamics and migration\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTakes readers behind the scenes of the latest, most thrilling discoveries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51379441729759,"sku":"9780691244297","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/nx8kIgnzWE9780691244297.webp?v=1789272514"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/michael-j-benton.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}