About this item
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.
About the Author
Dr. Thor Hanson is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Switzer Environmental Fellow, and an award winning author and biologist. His books include HURRICANE LIZARDS AND PLASTIC SQUID, BUZZ, FEATHERS, THE TRIUMPH OF SEEDS, and THE IMPENETRABLE FOREST, as well as the children's favorite BARTHOLOMEW QUILL. He has received numerous accolades for his work, including the John Burroughs Medal, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, and three Pacific Northwest Book Awards. Hanson's many media appearances have included Fresh Air and Science Friday on NPR, and he co-hosted the PBS Nature series, American Spring Live. He lives with his wife and son on an island in Washington State. Visit his website at www.thorhanson.net. (Author photo by Kathleen Ballard Photography.)
