{"product_id":"the-amber-forest-a-reconstruction-of-a-vanished-world-9780691028880","title":"The Amber Forest: A Reconstruction of a Vanished World.","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn Jurassic Park  amber fossils provided the key to bringing dinosaurs back to life. Scientists in the movie extracted dinosaur blood from mosquitoes preserved for millions of years in amber--hardened tree resin--and used the bloods DNA to revive the creatures that terrified audiences around the globe. In this book  George and Roberta Poinar use amber for a similar act of revival--only they bring back an entire ecosystem. The Poinars are world leaders in the study of amber fossils and have spent years examining the uniquely rich supply that has survived from the ancient forests of the Dominican Republic. They draw on their research here to reconstruct in words  drawings  and spectacular color photographs the ecosystem that existed on the island of Hispaniola between fifteen and forty-five million years ago. The result is the most accurate picture scientists have yet produced of any tropical forest of the past.  The specimens examined by the Poinars reflect ambers extraordinary qualities as a medium for preservation. Millions of years ago  countless plants  invertebrates  and small vertebrates were trapped in the sticky resin that flowed from the trees of ancient forests and  as that resin hardened into translucent  golden amber  they were preserved in almost perfect condition. Samples analyzed and illustrated here include a wide range of insects and plants--many now extinct--as well as such vertebrates as frogs  lizards  birds  and small mammals. There are even frozen scenes of combat: an assassin bug grappling with a stingless bee  for example  and a spider attacking a termite. By examining these plants and animals and comparing them to related forms that exist today  the authors shed new light on the behavior of these organisms as well as the environment and climate in which they lived and died.  The Poinars present richly detailed drawings of how the forests once appeared. They discuss how and when life colonized Hispaniola and what caused some forms to become extinct. Along the way  they describe how amber is formed  how and where it has been preserved  and how it is mined  sold  and occasionally forged for profit today. The book is a beautifully written and produced homage to a remarkable  vanished world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45280148979765,"sku":"ByrdShop_0691028885","price":27.65,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780691028880.jpg?v=1780623113","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-amber-forest-a-reconstruction-of-a-vanished-world-9780691028880","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}