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Walking on Eggs: The Astonishing Discovery of Thousands of Dinosaur Eggs in the Badlands of Patagonia
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About Walking On Eggs: The Astonishing Discovery Of
Product Description Two renowned paleontologists describe the discovery of a vast cache of unhatched dinosaur eggs in the remote badlands of Patagonia and their investigation into the meaning of the seminal discovery, interweaving their field adventures with an illuminating look at the groundbreaking techniques of modern-day paleontology. 25,000 first printing. Amazon.com Review In November 1997, paleontologists Luis Chiappe and Lowell Dingus came across a remarkable find on the cold plains of southern Argentina: a dinosaur nesting ground, where some ancient but unknown species deposited tens of thousands of eggs that never hatched. Their work, as they recount in this memoir of discovery, thus had many components: among other matters, Chiappe and Dingus needed to determine the creatures that had left their offspring in the Patagonian sandstone, how many millions of years ago they had done so, and what had happened to prevent the eggs from hatching in the first place. Finding the answer to the first occupies much of Chiappe and Dingus's account, as they compare their evidence against similar finds in Spain and the Gobi. Determining the second affords the authors a chance to discuss newly developed dating techniques, including DNA analysis--which caused overly enthusiastic reporters to announce that the authors were on the brink of cloning sauropods from long-dead embryos. ("We do not know nearly enough about how DNA works," the authors write, to pull off such a feat.) Finally, their reconstruction of the ancient environment of Patagonia offers clues for how the unlucky eggs had come to be buried in prehistoric mud. A spirited book about how paleontologists make and test hypotheses and go about their fieldwork, this makes a fine addition to any dinosaur buff's collection. --Gregory McNamee From Publishers Weekly In 1997, paleontologists Chiappe and Dingus (Discovering Dinosaurs) led an expedition into the remote reaches of Patagonia. Just days into the excursion, the archeologists discovered the remains of a nesting site for a sauropod, a large, four-legged, thick-necked, vegetarian, semi-aquatic dinosaur. Dating back about 80 million years, the giant rookery was strewn with thousands of broken and unhatched fossilized eggs. Besides providing science long-sought proof that sauropods were egg-laying creatures, this field of prehistoric eggs also yielded the first fossils of embryonic dinosaur skin. Although the authors furnish detailed geological and paleontological background information, they write without scientific jargon, fortunately for lay readers. Through the mostly conversational narrative, an intriguing story unfolds that offers insights into the mysteries surrounding this astounding archeological find. When were these eggs laid? What was the ancient geological environment? The climate? What destroyed the nests and eggs? Which predators hunted these local sauropods? The authors take the reader on a tour of deductive and inductive reasoning in order to establish plausible answers to these complex questions. This fascinating description of the vicissitudes of a successful dig from the exhilaration of an extraordinary skeletal find and the mundane minutiae that dominate a paleontologist's life in the field to the overwhelming and fleeting media response makes the reader feel like a member of the mission. 8 pages b&w photos; 24 line drawings. Agent, Edite Kroll and Samuel Fleishman, Literary Artists Representatives. (June)Forecast: Media generated by a touring exhibit of dinosaur eggs will help draw attention to this book. The exhibit will run from May to October at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, before traveling over the next three years to natural history museums in Mesa, Ariz.; Chicago; Atlanta; Berkeley, Calif.; and Portland, Ore. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Simply and directly, as they recount their recent expeditions to Patagonia in Argentina, Chi
