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The Evolution of a Natural Miracle
Basic Books
August 2012
On Sale: July 31, 2012
352 pages ISBN: 0465028780 EAN: 9780465028788 Kindle: B004X85FGE Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
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.
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