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Feathers : the evolution of a natural miracle / Thor Hanson.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : Basic Books, 2012, c2011.Description: xvi, 336 p. : ill., map ; 22 cmISBN:
  • 9780465028788 (pbk.)
  • 0465028780 (pbk.)
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 679.47 HAN
Contents:
A natural miracle -- The Rosetta Stone -- Heat shields, gliders, and insect scoops -- The Yixian Formation -- How to catch a muttonbird -- Keeping warm -- Staying cool -- Ground-up or tree-down? -- A feathered hammer -- The perfect airfoil -- The birds of paradise -- A feather in her cap -- Give us those nice bright colors -- Of murres and muddlers -- The mighty Penna -- The featherless head -- A debt of wonder -- An illustrated guide to feathers -- Feathers and conservation.
Summary: A biologist presents the natural history of feathers, applying the findings of paleontologists, ornithologists, biologists, engineers, and art historians to answer questions about the origin of feathers, their evolution, and their uses throughout the ages.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode
Standard Loan LSAD Library Main Collection 679.47 HAN (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 39002100466243

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

As seen on PBS's American Spring Live, one of America's great nature-writers explores the magic and science of feathers



Feathers are an evolutionary marvel: aerodynamic, insulating, beguiling. They date back more than 100 million years. Yet their story has never been fully told. In Feathers , biologist Thor Hanson details a sweeping natural history, as feathers have been used to fly, protect, attract, and adorn through time and place. Applying the research of paleontologists, ornithologists, biologists, engineers, and even art historians, Hanson asks: What are feathers? How did they evolve? What do they mean to us?



Engineers call feathers the most efficient insulating material ever discovered, and they are at the root of biology's most enduring debate. They silence the flight of owls and keep penguins dry below the ice. They have decorated queens, jesters, and priests. And they have inked documents from the Constitution to the novels of Jane Austen.



Feathers is a captivating and beautiful exploration of this most enchanting object.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-317) and index.

A natural miracle -- The Rosetta Stone -- Heat shields, gliders, and insect scoops -- The Yixian Formation -- How to catch a muttonbird -- Keeping warm -- Staying cool -- Ground-up or tree-down? -- A feathered hammer -- The perfect airfoil -- The birds of paradise -- A feather in her cap -- Give us those nice bright colors -- Of murres and muddlers -- The mighty Penna -- The featherless head -- A debt of wonder -- An illustrated guide to feathers -- Feathers and conservation.

A biologist presents the natural history of feathers, applying the findings of paleontologists, ornithologists, biologists, engineers, and art historians to answer questions about the origin of feathers, their evolution, and their uses throughout the ages.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Author's Note (p. ix)
  • Acknowledgments (p. xi)
  • Preface (p. xiii)
  • Introduction: A Natural Miracle (p. 1)
  • Evolution
  • Chapter 1 The Rosetta Stone (p. 13)
  • Chapter 2 Heat Shields, Gliders, and Insect Scoops (p. 29)
  • Chapter 3 The Yixian Formation (p. 43)
  • Chapter 4 How to Catch a Muttonbird (p. 61)
  • Fluff
  • Chapter 5 Keeping Warm (p. 83)
  • Chapter 6 Staying Cool (p. 101)
  • Flight
  • Chapter 7 Ground-Up or Tree-Down? (p. 117)
  • Chapter 8 A Feathered Hammer (p. 131)
  • Chapter 9 The Perfect Airfoil (p. 141)
  • Fancy
  • Chapter 10 The Birds of Paradise (p. 157)
  • Chapter 11 A Feather in Her Cap (p. 175)
  • Chapter 12 Give Us Those Nice Bright Colors (p. 195)
  • Function
  • Chapter 13 Of Murres and Muddlers (p. 213)
  • Chapter 14 The Mighty Penna (p. 233)
  • Chapter 15 The Featherless Head (p. 247)
  • Conclusion: A Debt of Wonder (p. 263)
  • Appendix A An Illustrated Guide to Feathers (p. 275)
  • Appendix B Feathers and Conservation (p. 281)
  • Notes (p. 283)
  • Bibliography (p. 301)
  • Image and Quotation Credits (p. 319)
  • Index (p. 325)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Thor Hanson works as a conservation biologist and has studied Central American trees and songbirds, nest predation in Tanzania, and the grisly feeding habits of African vultures. The author of The Impenetrable Forest, Hanson lives with his wife and son on an island in Washington State.

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