The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World, Or, How to Build a Dinosaur

Like Dinosaur Lives (reviewed above), this entertaining look at the viability of the cloning portrayed in Michael Crichton's two dinosaur novels (and, by extension, Spielberg's films) is keyed to the release of the movie version of The Lost World. The major premise of Jurassic Park--that dinosaurs could be recreated from bits of their DNA that has been preserved in ancient blood-sucking insects fossilized in bits of amber--doesn't seem all that far-fetched, especially given the recent scientific successes in sheep duplication. Here, in a chatty but rigorous manner, DeSalle, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History, and Lindley, an editor at Science News, do a commendable job of looking at all aspects of dinosaur life, matching what is known with what Crichton's two novels and the film of Jurassic Park portray. Along the way they present, in an understated manner, much information about the life sciences, from genetic engineering to animal physiology, and from animal behavior to ecology. They also explain that both Crichton and Spielberg have taken considerable license with their science, and they convincingly demonstrate that recreating a dinosaur will be a nearly impossible feat. This book doesn't compete with Horner and Dobb's more substantial work so much as complement it, and quite nicely too. Illustrations. (June)