Hanson featured in Wall Street Journal for Feathers
I arrived late to the April 1 luncheon at the American Museum of Natural History where Thor Hanson, a conservation biologist, received the 2013 John Burroughs Medal for his book, "Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle." My understanding is that his acceptance speech was something of a barn burner, at least as speeches about feathers go.
Feathers are one of those things that, unless you're a bird, or a Las Vegas showgirl—a genus Mr. Hanson studied and interviewed for his award winner, and with a perfectly straight face, from everything I could deduce when we met shortly after the lunch ended—you probably haven't given much thought to lately.
However, if you'll allow me the presumption of speaking for more than just myself, things were different when we were younger. Our fascination with the ground and objects to be discovered there was much better established. Part of the reason, obviously, is that we were closer to it. But I think the other reason is that we were more open to the weird and miraculous.
