Few aspects of American military history have been as vigorously debated as Harry Truman's decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. In this carefully crafted volume, Michael Kort describes the wartime circumstances and thinking that form the context for the decision to use these weapons, surveys the major debates related to that decision, and provides a comprehensive collection of key primary source documents that illuminate the behavior of the United States and Japan during the closing days of World War II. Kort opens with a summary of the debate over Hiroshima as it has evolved since 1945. He then provides a historical overview of thye events in question, beginning with the decision and program to build the atomic bomb. Detailing the sequence of events leading to Japan's surrender, he revisits the decisive battles of the Pacific War and the motivations of American and Japanese leaders. Finally, Kort examines ten key issues in the discussion of Hiroshima and guides readers to relevant primary source documents, scholarly books, and articles.

The fossil record on Mesozoic mammals has expanded by orders of magnitude over the past quarter century. New specimens, some of them breathtakingly complete, have been found in nearly all parts of the globe at a rapid pace. Coupled with the application of new scientific approaches and techniques, these exciting discoveries have led to profound changes in our interpretation of early mammal history. Mesozoic mammals have come into their own as a rich source of information for evolutionary biology. Their record of episodic, successive radiations speaks to the pace and mode of evolution. Early mammals were small, but they provide key information on the morphological transformations that led to modern mammals, including our own lineage of Placentalia. Significant and fast-evolving elements of the terrestrial biota for much of the Mesozoic, early mammals have played an increasingly important role in studies of paleoecology, faunal turnover, and historical biogeography. The record of early mammals occupies center stage for testing molecular evolutionary hypotheses on the timing and sequence of mammalian radiations. Organized according to phylogeny, this book covers all aspects of the anatomy, paleobiology, and systematics of all early mammalian groups, in addition to the extant mammalian lineages extending back into the Mesozoic.

Around 210 million years ago, life on Earth experienced sweeping changes. Many archaic reptiles and mammalian predecessors became extinct and were replaced by dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, mammals, and essentially all of the major modern vertebrate groups except the birds. This period of change, which took place over a period of approximately five to ten million years, ushered in the beginning of the 'Age of Dinosaurs,' a period that lasted 160 million years to the end of the Cretaceous 65 million years ago. In the past decade, paleontologists have come to know a great deal more about this crucial interval of time. New discoveries, ideas, and insights from scientists in many related- disciplines have created new paradigms about the beginning of the 'Age of Dinosaurs.' What were the animals that preceded the dinosaurs like? How did the dinosaurs originate, and what do we know of their early history? Was their ascent tied to evolutionary innovations, global climatic and ecological changes, or just chance factors? How do paleontologists decide about the evidence preserved in the fossil record, and what areas now require major thought and reevaluation? In this book, 31 specialists in the paleontology of this era consider these and other questions related to Late Triassic and Early Jurassic times - the beginning of the 'Age of Dinosaurs,' its fauna, flora, climate, stratigraphic relationships, and major evolutionary changes. The book is divided into sections on background, Late Triassic taxa and faunas, changes across the boundary, Early Jurassic taxa and faunas, and major macroevolutionary patterns. This comprehensive volume is richly illustrated and is intended for students and professionals in the areas of paleontology, evolutionary biology, geology, and vertebrate zoology. Introductory and summary chapters are provided to acquaint the non-specialist with the issues and the setting of this interval of time in which the ancestral components of the modem fauna, as well as the Dinosauria, first appeared to rule the Earth.

A complete guide to dinosaur tracking. A popular science book on dinosaur footprints and what they reveal about dinosaurs and their habitats.

About the Book: What is reality? What is clarity? How to shape human life and wellbeing? These three are the most fundamental, eternal, and universal questions of humankind. Human life is an intrinsic organic unity of all three questions and their dimensions. Purposeful and joyful living is impossible without deep understanding of this organic unity which is mainly controlled and influenced by intrinsic laws or phenomena— the invisible driving force of human reality and flow of life. The essence of clarity: clear, clean, and neutral understanding of reality. Clarity creates value and shapes better life. Stupidity destroys value and sucks life. Stupidity is the source of all human miseries in individual's life, society, country, and the world at large. Clarity is the secret power to transform humankind. For the first time in history, this book has tried specifically and exclusively to explain, and highlight the essence, relevance, and significance of intrinsic laws to discover the power of clarity to shape mind, better life, and human wellbeing—health, happiness, and contentment This book is timeless, universal, relevant, and extremely useful for all people across the cultures and countries of the world for profound clarity to ensure living rightly and completely.

Be brave as you meet the most incredible creatures to ever walk the Earth in this top-selling book. The ultimate visual encyclopedia introduces a huge variety of record-breaking dinosaurs in mind-blowing detail. Dinosaurs: A Visual Encyclopedia charts the entire history of life on our planet, from the very first life forms through the range of prehistoric creatures and the diverse species of the Ice Ages. This curious mixture of the weird and wonderful is shown in stunning expert-verified reconstructed images alongside fascinating fact files and additional information about habitat, diet, and behavior. You might already be able to tell your Tyrannosaurus Rex from Triceratops, but have you ever seen horse-eating birds and millipedes the size of crocodiles? Then look no further. Other topics such as evolution, fossilization, and climate change are explored in-depth to build up a complete picture of the dinosaur era. Dinosaur fans and fossil hunters, what are you waiting for?

Publisher description

This book synthesises the growing body of evidence which suggests that modern-day birds have evolved from theropod dinosaurs of prehistoric times. The author argues that the ancestor-descendant relationship can also be reversed.

Introduces the names and characteristics of dinosaurs, along with recent discoveries that shed new light on the way dinosaurs may have lived.

This Walking with Dinosaurs Encyclopedia is filled with facts about the dinosaurs from the movie as well as facts about the world the dinosaurs inhabited and theories about their rise and fall. With full-colour images from the film and photos of paleontologists at work, this encyclopedia is a must-have item for Walking with Dinosaurs fans. The original TV series, Walking with Dinosaurs, had 70 million viewers and the long-running live stage show has sold 7 million tickets. The long-awaited 3D motion picture comes out this December, and is sure to thrill fans.