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Dinosaurs have been a fascination of mine since I was a boy. That seems to be true for many young boys and girls. I loved asking my guest on this episode of the City Voice podcast, paleontologist Steve Brusatte, for his opinion of who wins in a sprinters death race. Gold medal Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt or T-Rex. Back to my fascination with Dinos...Fast forward to the 1993 release of the original Jurassic Park movie. It seems that in the 25 years or so since the premiere of Jurassic Park we have a crop of passionate young men and woman that have become paleontologists and entered into other "Dino related" fields. Coincidence? Aaah no. Steve Brusatte agrees Jurassic Park had a major influence. He also gives credit to charismatic and brilliant giants in the field like Dr. Robert Bakker. Bakker actually was a Jurassic Park consultant in the 90's. That's when I had a number of brief opportunities to work with him and learn that Dinos might have had wings and that they might be warm-blooded. Since that time Brusatte has found Dinos with feathers among the fifteen dinosaurs he has named. In fact, he says T. Rex likely had a kind of feathers. We talk about the T. Rex evolutionary line and whether that line connects with alligators and lizards or the Mocking Bird outside my house. Steve Brusatte is the author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, A New History of a Lost World. He is also a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh. A graduate of University of Chicago and Columbia University. He writes for Scientific American and is the resident paleontologist for the BBC's walking with dinosaurs. Brusatte says, "this is the Golden Age of Dinosaurs" about one new species a week is being found. How amazing is that? After reading The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs I believe Brusatte's work has the potential to inspire would-be new Dino Hunters and feed curious minds everywhere. For me, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs was a fascinating and enjoyable read and conversation about Earth, Dinosaurs, how MOST of them became extinct, and what we can learn from it all. Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe to City Voice and share with your friends. SHOW LINKS Want the book? The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, A New History of a Lost World