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Why Dinosaurs Matter (TED Books) Hardcover – September 19, 2017

by Kenneth Lacovara (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 190 ratings
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What can long-dead dinosaurs teach us about our future? Plenty, according to paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara, who has discovered some of the largest creatures to ever walk the Earth.

By tapping into the ubiquitous wonder that dinosaurs inspire, 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 profound questions, such as: Is a penguin a dinosaur? And, how are the tiny arms of T. rex the key to its power and ferocity?

In this revealing book, 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 great 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.”
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  1. Part of series
    TED
  2. Print length
    192 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster/ TED
  5. Publication date
    September 19, 2017
  6. Dimensions
    5 x 0.7 x 7 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1501120107
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1501120107
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a dinosaur book with a difference. In lyrical prose Kenneth Lacovara shows how an understanding of the past helps to understand the present. The dinosaurs played no role in the great extinction that ended their era: we, on the other hand, are playing a major part in the extinction that is taking place today. And unless we change our ways, if we continue destroying the natural world, this will lead inevitably to our own extinction. But unlike the dinosaurs we have the power to turn things around."—Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, conservationist, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, and UN Messenger of Peace

"Kenneth Lacovara LOVES Dinosaurs, LOVES science and truly LOVES telling you about it. Few nonfiction writers wield words with more poetic and potent affection for their subject. Ken’s deep scholarship and clear enjoyment of his subject always makes ME feel smarter. A man obsessed not just with his subject matter, but with showing us how looking into our deep past can illuminate our future."—Adam Savage, maker and host of MythBusters

"Majestic, awe-inspiring--and deeply humbling. Kenneth Lacovara reveals how dinosaurs have changed how we understand time, the world, and ourselves."—Dr. Alice Roberts, anatomist and anthropologist, television presenter, author, and professor.

"Kenneth Lacovara challenges our ideas about dinosaurs and shows how the past can shine a light on today’s world. Dinosaurs, it turns out, were not lumbering, old, has-beens. They were the energetic champions of their age. This beautifully written book is simply mind-blowing. You’ll never look at dinosaurs, or think about the past, in quite the same way. Bravo!" —Dara Torres, Five-time Olympic swimmer, twelve-time Olympic medalist, mother, model, TV personality, and speaker.

"This is a great book."—Ira Flatow, host of Science Friday

"The book is great for young adults and curious grown-ups who never got to take that geology or Dinosaurs 101 class in college.” —Laura Geggel, Senior Writer, Live Science

"A dinosaur elegy. A great read! Captures the magic of studying dinosaurs with some beautiful poetic prose.” —Dr. Stephen Brusatte, author, television presenter, and paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh

About the Author

Dr. Kenneth Lacovara has unearthed some of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk our planet, including the super-massive Dreadnoughtus, which at sixty-five tons weighs more than seven T. rex. Through his work, blending exploration with the latest techniques from medicine and engineering, Lacovara portrays dinosaurs as vigorous, competent creatures—the adaptable champions of an age.

Lacovara is sought around the world for his ability to bring the wonders of science and the thrill of discovery to a wide range of audiences. “He’s got a way of illuminating the bigger picture, of somehow turning ‘why’ into wonder. It’s not just that he’s speaking about what happened way back when, but what it might mean for us today.” Says Chris Anderson, Curator of TED.

He has appeared in many television documentaries and his 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.

Kenneth Lacovara is the founder and director of the Edelman Fossil Park of Rowan University in New Jersey. Why Dinosaurs Matter is his first book.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster/ TED; First Edition (September 19, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501120107
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501120107
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.7 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 190 ratings

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Kenneth Lacovara

Kenneth Lacovara

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Dr. Kenneth Lacovara has unearthed some of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk our planet, including the super-massive Dreadnoughtus, which at 65 tons weighs more than seven T. rex. In his quest to understand these titanic creatures that strain the human imagination, Lacovara blends exploration in remote locations across the globe with the latest imaging and modeling techniques from engineering to medicine. When he’s not excavating fossils in far-flung locations, Lacovara applies cutting edge technology to the study of dinosaurs. By using 3D imaging, 3D printing, robotics, and medical modeling techniques, his work is helping to shift our perspective of giant herbivorous dinosaurs from their historic portrayal as hapless lumbering prey to that of fearsome, hulking, hyper-efficient eating machines that deserve our awe and respect.

Lacovara’s TED Talk, “Hunting for dinosaurs showed me our place in the Universe,” was among the Top 10 TED Talks of 2016. “He’s got a way of illuminating the bigger picture, of somehow turning ‘why’ into wonder. It’s not just that he’s speaking about what happened way back when, but what it might mean for us today.” Says Chris Anderson, Curator of TED. Indeed, Dr. Lacovara is sought around the world for his ability to bring the wonders of science and the thrill of discovery to a wide range of audiences. He has appeared in numerous television documentaries and his 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.

In Why Dinosaurs Matter (Simon and Schuster), Lacovara takes readers on a deep dive into Earth history. “As we move into an uncertain environmental future, it has never been more important to understand the past. The lessons written in stone and buried beneath our feet are both profound and urgent.” Lacovara argues that, “only the past provides the broad view that we desperately need to prepare for the future.”

Lacovara led the effort to create the Edelman Fossil Park in New Jersey. Within its quarry, Lacovara and his team are using a rich cache of 65 million year old fossils to solve the mystery of the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Dr. Lacovara holds a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Delaware. At Rowan University he is the founding Dean of the School of Earth & Environment and Director of the Jean & Ric Edelman Fossil Park.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
190 global ratings
Impossible to put down and a gift to everyone fascinated by dinosaurs
5 Stars
Impossible to put down and a gift to everyone fascinated by dinosaurs
I've been looking forward to reading this book for months and it’s even more spectacular than I had hoped it would be. Laced with dry, laugh-out-loud humor and poetic prose that weaves together our history with that of the dinosaurs, this book was the deep dive into the world of dinosaurs that I wanted and needed. It ignited in me my child-like wonder about dinosaurs and science. I’ll admit that I hugged the book when it was done. It’s a delicious tale of survival, triumph, adaptation, struggle, and eventual loss that draws me into expertly crafted novels. Except this is real. This is science, however fantastical it may seem.
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Top reviews from the United States

renea boren
5.0 out of 5 stars Some surprising facts in here - Well written
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2023
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Dinosaurs, despite their extinction, lived far far longer than humans and, by any measure, were very successful in many habitats. Many still exist today in the form of birds.
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KatStet
5.0 out of 5 stars The Past is the Key to Our Future
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
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The father of geology, James Hutton, observed that the past is the key to the future. Much like a modern-day Hutton, Dr. Ken Lacovara takes us on a journey to the ancient past when dinosaurs ruled the land to understand the valuable lessons their evolution and their almost complete extinction can teach about mitigating the Sixth Extinction toward which we are blindly hurtling. Dr. Lacovara writes with clarity, passion and humor to engage us in the exciting path geologists and paleontologists travel to unearth and understand the reign and demise of these rulers of the Mesozoic. He paints a portrait not of lumbering, swamp-bound behemoths ill equipped to cope with a changing world, but rather of vibrant ecosystems where dinosaurs dominated almost every niche with staggering efficiency. After reading Why Dinosaurs Matter, you will never again use “Dinosaur” as a pejorative – they ruled the Earth for over 165 million years, compared to the mere 200,000 years of human existence. Their fate was sealed by an asteroid that they did not see coming and could not stop. Dr. Lacovara poignantly illustrates that humankind has the ability to stave off our own extinction, if we can just learn the lessons of the past.
6 people found this helpful
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BulB
4.0 out of 5 stars A nice over view of current thinking
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2017
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A fun “light” look why Dinosaurs are important in our “modern world” and the lessons we can and should learn from the science of palaeontology. I really enjoyed this book.
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wendyeli
5.0 out of 5 stars A Time Machine in a book
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2019
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I really, really enjoyed reading this book. It was very well written and witty. It flowed seamlessly through the history of what led to the study of paleontology, the characters who championed it and the determination of those who were willing to believe what seemed impossible. I was able to appreciate the vast timeline that hosted these great beasts from their evolution to demise. The picture painted with words of this particular great extinction gave me a comprehension I’d never had before. I especially enjoyed the chapter about the author’s discovery of Dreadnoughtus. I came away with a higher admiration for our passionate explorers who dream and discover. In addition to all the history and science, I found many metaphors for life in the magic of the evolutionary process. When you finish the last page you don’t forget this book and move on. I absolutely recommend Why Dinosaurs Matter for any layperson who wants to learn something new and stretch their understanding of our planet.
3 people found this helpful
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Pony Nurse
5.0 out of 5 stars ALL YOU REALL NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DINOSAURS
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2017
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My wife bought Dr. Lacovara"s book because I volunteer at the Edelman Fossil Quarry in New Jersey. Many times a year, Dr. Lacovara is present when school groups and the public are allowed to dig for 65 million year old fossils. For each group, Dr. Lacovara gives a brief talk explaining why this site is so important. "Why Dinosaurs Matter" is written in the same style as his talks. Easily understandable for any age, Dr. Lacovara explains in 156 small pages what other authors try to relate in 500 or more pages. This is the information and really all the information we who are not scientists need to know to understand why the study of dinosaurs is so important. Al Hagovsky.
7 people found this helpful
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eagseags
3.0 out of 5 stars Might not be the best for people already following paleontology.
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2018
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Who would fail to check out a new book called “Why Dinosaurs Matter.” Not me, so here is my review. The author Kenneth Lacovara is geologist and paleontologist at Rowan University (New Jersey). He is best know for discovering Dreadnoughtus, the largest and most completely known titanosaur (from Argentina).

I am familiar with TED talks, but I did not realize there was a series of TED books (about two dozen of them so far) until I saw “Why Dinosaurs Matter”. These books seem to be written counterparts to the talks.

The book “Why Dinosaurs Matter” is divided into 12 chapters, each covering some aspect of dinosaurs or fossil life in general:
You can think of this as a collection of essays, which can be read in any order. There are some illustrations by Mike Lemanski, but these are purely decorative and convey no real information.

I am of two minds about this book. It is certainly written in a clear, compact, and engaging style (which is expected from TED talks), and it gives a good paleontological and historical perspective to the lay person, which I am assuming is the target audience. On the other hand, for most paleontology enthusiasts most of the material is familiar and the philosophical bits are preaching to the choir. Most of us already appreciate that the common use of the word “dinosaur” to mean “obsolete” is terribly unfair, and we realize that studying ancient life is a good way for human-kind to learn humility, etc. Admittedly, there is some material that is new to me, for instance in the chapter on Dreadnoughtus.

So if you see this book in the library and can read it for free, go ahead and do it. I would buy it only for someone who is not already well-versed in paleontology.
5 people found this helpful
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Evan Boucher
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is important and relevant
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2017
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Ken Lacovara has a way with words that is inviting and passionate. He obviously cares about the subject deeply, and leads the reader in with very approachable, and easy to digest arguments. It helps connect how studying deep time is essential for our current environmental conditions. A very good read, and a must have for any dinosaur fanatics, or anyone working in a scientific field where their friends and family may ask 'Why study that?'
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Relatable. I like books that espouse today’s understandings of the subject, but still circle back to to bring into the fold readers that have read and learned older (and now inaccurate) versions of the history of the earth. Bravo!
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020
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I like books that can explain today’s understandings of the subject, but still circle back to to bring into the fold readers that have read and learned older (and now inaccurate) versions of the history of the earth. This book does that. Bravo!
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Top reviews from other countries

Donato
2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected
Reviewed in Italy on July 15, 2020
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The title is misleading. I bought the book expecting a satisfactory digression about this fashinating and undoubtedly important question, but unfortunately I found little of the sort. The central part of the book deals with the story of paleontology and the paradigm shift concerning the age of the Earth and the nature of fossils. Then the author describes, in an exciting chapter, the discovery of Dreadnoughtus. In all of this pile of information, though, the concept of the importance of dinosauria is never developed. It disappears after the first chapter, never to be reprised till the last chapter.
The book is well written and presents an unusual style. In itself is a nice reading experience. The big flaw is the title. To me it seems as the title chosen was the wrong one. I cannot explain it otherwise.
So I chose the book in the title base and I found myself reading something I did not expect...
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Saurabh
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in India on February 5, 2019
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Good purchase for children
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A book for dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages
Reviewed in Canada on October 18, 2017
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Frankly this book should be in every school. Engaging, well written, thoughtful and broken down in chapters that are easily digestible. A pleasure to read.
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Sian Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars If you love dinosaurs, it's definitely a must read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2018
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I came across this book and immediately bought it because, as a dinosaur enthusiast, I get asked why I like dinosaurs so much and this book helped me pin point why I like them as much as I do. "Why dinosaurs matter" gives clear and easy to understand reasons, evidence and more as to why the exisitence of dinosaur matter in today's world. A good read for sure.
One person found this helpful
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Atul Kshetry
4.0 out of 5 stars well written.
Reviewed in India on April 7, 2019
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Very well written. Besides the paleontological evidence, the palynological evidences etc, the book has an interesting flow & keeps you engrossed vis-a-vis most others on the same subject.
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