Ebook {Epub PDF} Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson

 · Feathers are an evolutionary marvel: aerodynamic, insulating, beguiling. They date back more than 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 Brand: Basic Books.  · In the book Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle, author Thor Hanson builds on these common denominators of human experience to take his readers on a broad-ranging tour of what experts know about (and how we make use of) feathers. From basic research about bird biology and the evolutionary origins of feathers to falconry, couture, and Author: Frances C. James.  · 'Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle' by Thor Hanson is a great read. A lot of little fluff which adds up, chapter by chapter, into a surprisingly attractive, colorful tail of history, biology and science. I think nesting for a few days with this book hatches more curiosity than any desire for throwing rotten eggs/5().

Feathers are an evolutionary marvel: aerodynamic, functional, beguiling. Their story begins in the Jurassic and leads through the development of flight, fluff, and high fashion. This is a sweeping natural history of a common object with uncommon abilities to flutter, protect, adorn, attract, insulate, and more. Feathers are miracles of structure and function, according to Hanson's careful and insightful examination. This is a well-researched book with references to science, history, evolution, and culture. It is a good book for the general reader with no formal training in biology or ornithology, and makes the subject appealing and exciting. With elegance and wit, Thor Hanson captures not only their awesome esthetics, but also the astonishing evolution, historical and cultural impact, and sheer wonder of avian plumage. Rendered in exquisite detail with delicate touch, like a feather-painting of old, this is the best kind of natural history—quilled by a real field biologist who is.

Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson - review. Peter Forbes marvels at one of evolution's most astonishing achievements. Image extrapolated from a feathered dinosaur fossil. Hanson, T. Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle. Basic Books, New York. Langley, N. Africa’s emptying skies. World Birdwatch 33 (2), Prum, R. O. Hanson also explores the history of ornithology and our changing view of bird evolution. He also gets into our history of exploiting birds and their feathers for commercial profit when the demands of fashion out weighed our common sense, surely not our proudest endeavor.