Keys to the Flora of Arkansas by
This comprehensive guide includes taxonomic keys to the families, genera, species, and infraspecific taxa of all the known vascular plants of Arkansas.
Foraging the Ozarks: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods in the Ozarks by
The Ozark Mountains in Missouri and Arkansas have had a long history of foraging, ever since the earliest white settlers came from the Appalachians and survived off what they could find, trap, and hunt. Today, foraging remains a major activity among the outdoor community there, supported in large part by established buyers of local edibles such as ginseng, wild berries, and nuts. Foraging the Ozarks, written by local wilderness expert Bo Brown, highlights about a hundred commonly found edibles in the Interior Highlands, from ubiquitous herbs to endemic species. With sidebars, recipes, helpful tips, and toxin warnings throughout, Foraging the Ozarks is the only guidebook the Ozark outdoor enthusiast will need to pick it, cook it, and eat it.
Rigor Mortis: How Sloppy Science Creates Worthless Cures, Crushes Hope, and Wastes Billions by
An essential book to understanding whether the new miracle cure is good science or simply too good to be true American taxpayers spend $30 billion annually funding biomedical research, but over half of these studies can't be replicated due to poor experimental design, improper methods, and sloppy statistics. Bad science doesn't just hold back medical progress, it can sign the equivalent of a death sentence for terminal patients. In Rigor Mortis, Richard Harris explores these urgent issues with vivid anecdotes, personal stories, and interviews with the top biomedical researchers. We need to fix our dysfunctional biomedical system -- before it's too late.
Inquire Within: Implementing Inquiry- and Argument-Based Science Standards in Grades 3-8 by
Doug Llewellyn’s two big aims with this new edition of Inquire Within? To help you engage students in activities and explorations that draw on their big questions, then build students’ capacity to defend their claims.
Scientific American Environmental Science for a Changing World by
Susan Karr's "Environmental Science for a Changing World 4e" uses an engaging, journalistic approach--real stories about real people--to show students how science works and how to think critically about environmental issues. Each module reads like a single, integrated Scientific American-style article with clear explanations of essential processes and concepts enhanced with beautifully designed infographics.
Pump : a natural history of the heart by
In this lively, unexpected look at the hearts of animals--from fish to bats to humans--American Museum of Natural History zoologist Bill Schutt tells an incredible story of evolution and scientific progress. We join Schutt on a tour from the origins of circulation, still evident in microorganisms today, to the tiny hardworking pumps of worms, to the golf-cart-size hearts of blue whales. We visit beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their blood, which has properties that can protect humans from deadly illnesses. We learn that when temperatures plummet, some frog hearts can freeze solid for weeks, resuming their beat only after a spring thaw. And we journey with Schutt through human history, too, as philosophers and scientists hypothesize, often wrongly, about what makes our ticker tick. Schutt traces humanity's cardiac fascination from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, who believed that the heart contains the soul, all the way up to modern-day laboratories, where scientists use animal hearts and even plants as the basis for many of today's cutting-edge therapies. Written with verve and authority, weaving evolutionary perspectives with cultural history, Pump shows us this mysterious organ in a completely new light.
Hurricane lizards and plastic squid : the fraught and fascinating biology of climate change by
In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, biologist Thor Hanson tells the remarkable story of how plants and animals are responding to climate change: adjusting, evolving, and sometimes dying out. Anole lizards have grown larger toe pads, to grip more tightly in frequent hurricanes. Warm waters cause the development of Humboldt squid to alter so dramatically that fishermen mistake them for different species. Brown pelicans move north, and long-spined sea urchins south, to find cooler homes. And when coral reefs sicken, they leave no territory worth fighting for, so aggressive butterfly fish transform instantly into pacifists.
The genome defense : inside the epic legal battle to determine who owns your DNA by
When attorney Chris Hansen learned that the U.S. government was issuing patents for human genes to biotech companies, his first thought was, How can a corporation own what makes us who we are? Then he discovered that women were being charged exorbitant fees to test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, tests they desperately needed—all because Myriad Genetics had patented the famous BRCA genes. So he sued them.
Jorge L. Contreras, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on human genetics law, has devoted years to investigating the groundbreaking civil rights case known as AMP v. Myriad. In The Genome Defense Contreras gives us the view from inside as Hansen and his team of ACLU lawyers, along with a committed group of activists, scientists, and physicians, take their one-in-a-million case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Contreras interviewed more than a hundred key players involved in all aspects of the case—from judges and policy makers to ethicists and genetic counselors, as well as cancer survivors and those whose lives would be impacted by the decision—expertly weaving together their stories into a fascinating narrative of this pivotal moment in history.
Beloved beasts : fighting for life in an age of extinction by
In the late nineteenth century, humans came at long last to a devastating realization: their rapidly industrializing and globalizing societies were driving scores of animal species to extinction. In Beloved Beasts, acclaimed science journalist Michelle Nijhuis traces the history of the movement to protect and conserve other forms of life. From early battles to save charismatic species such as the American bison and bald eagle to today's global effort to defend life on a larger scale, Nijhuis's "spirited and engaging" account documents "the changes of heart that changed history" (Dan Cryer, Boston Globe).
With "urgency, passion, and wit" (Michael Berry, Christian Science Monitor), she describes the vital role of scientists and activists such as Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson, reveals the origins of vital organizations like the Audubon Society and the World Wildlife Fund, explores current efforts to protect species such as the whooping crane and the black rhinoceros, and confronts the darker side of modern conservation, long shadowed by racism and colonialism.
As the destruction of other species continues and the effects of climate change wreak havoc on our world, Beloved Beasts charts the ways conservation is becoming a movement for the protection of all species including our own.
The joy of sweat : the strange science of perspiration by
Sweating may be one of our weirdest biological functions, but it’s also one of our most vital and least understood. In The Joy of Sweat, Sarah Everts delves into its role in the body―and in human history.
Why is sweat salty? Why do we sweat when stressed? Why do some people produce colorful sweat? And should you worry about Big Brother tracking the hundreds of molecules that leak out in your sweat―not just the stinky ones or alleged pheromones―but the ones that reveal secrets about your health and vices?
Everts’s entertaining investigation takes readers around the world―from Moscow, where she participates in a dating event in which people sniff sweat in search of love, to New Jersey, where companies hire trained armpit sniffers to assess the efficacy of their anti-sweat products. In Finland, Everts explores the delights of the legendary smoke sauna and the purported health benefits of good sweat, while in the Netherlands she slips into the sauna theater scene, replete with costumes, special effects, and towel dancing.
Along the way, Everts traces humanity’s long quest to control sweat, culminating in the multibillion-dollar industry for deodorants and antiperspirants. And she shows that while sweating can be annoying, our sophisticated temperature control strategy is one of humanity’s most powerful biological traits.
Deeply researched and written with great zest, The Joy of Sweat is a fresh take on a gross but engrossing fact of human life.
A world on the wing : the global odyssey of migratory birds by
In the past two decades, our understanding of the navigational and physiological feats that enable birds to cross immense oceans, fly above the highest mountains, or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch has exploded. What we’ve learned of these key migrations―how billions of birds circumnavigate the globe, flying tens of thousands of miles between hemispheres on an annual basis―is nothing short of extraordinary.
Bird migration entails almost unfathomable endurance, like a sparrow-sized sandpiper that will fly nonstop from Canada to Venezuela―the equivalent of running 126 consecutive marathons without food, water, or rest―avoiding dehydration by "drinking" moisture from its own muscles and organs, while orienting itself using the earth’s magnetic field through a form of quantum entanglement that made Einstein queasy. Crossing the Pacific Ocean in nine days of nonstop flight, as some birds do, leaves little time for sleep, but migrants can put half their brains to sleep for a few seconds at a time, alternating sides―and their reaction time actually improves.
These and other revelations convey both the wonder of bird migration and its global sweep, from the mudflats of the Yellow Sea in China to the remote mountains of northeastern India to the dusty hills of southern Cyprus. This breathtaking work of nature writing from Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott Weidensaul also introduces readers to those scientists, researchers, and bird lovers trying to preserve global migratory patterns in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges.
Finding the mother tree : discovering the wisdom of the forest by
"A personal and scientific work on trees, forests, and the author's profound discoveries of tree communication"-- Provided by publisher.Simard illuminates the fascinating and vital truths: that trees are not simply the source of timber or pulp, but are a complicated, interdependent circle of life; that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks by which trees communicate their vitality and vulnerabilities with communal lives not that different from our own. At the center of it all, the Mother Trees: the mysterious, powerful forces that connect and sustain the others that surround them. Born and raised into a logging world in the rainforests of British Columbia, Simard writes of her own journey of understanding who we are and our place in the world, and how the Mother Tree nurtures the forest in the profound ways that families and human societies do. -- adapted from jacket
The sound of the sea : seashells and the fate of the oceans by
"A compelling history of seashells and the animals that make them, revealing what they have to tell us about nature, our changing oceans, and ourselves. Seashells have been the most coveted and collected of nature's creations since the dawn of humanity. They were money before coins, jewelry before gems, art before canvas. In The Sound of the Sea, acclaimed environmental author Cynthia Barnett blends cultural history and science to trace our long love affair with seashells and the hidden lives of the mollusks that make them. Spiraling out from the great cities of shell that once rose in North America to the warming waters of the Maldives and the slave castles of Ghana, Barnett has created an unforgettable account of the world's most iconic seashells. She begins with their childhood wonder, unwinds surprising histories like the origin of Shell Oil as a family business importing exotic shells, and charts what shells and the soft animals that build them are telling scientists about our warming, acidifying seas. From the eerie calls of early shell trumpets to the evolutionary miracle of spines and spires and the modern science of carbon capture inspired by shell, Barnett circles to her central point of listening to nature's wisdom--and acting on what seashells have to say about taking care of each other and our world"-- Provided by publisher.
Mammalian sexuality : the act of mating and the evolution of reproduction by
There are more than 6000 species belonging to twenty-seven orders in the Class Mammalia. Comparative studies of this diverse and magnificent array of extant species provide valuable opportunities to formulate and test hypotheses concerning the evolution of reproduction. This is the first book to explore, in depth and breadth, the complex interrelationships that exist between patterns of mating behaviour and the evolution of mammalian reproductive anatomy and physiology. It focuses upon the role that copulatory and post-copulatory sexual selection have played during the evolution of the monotremes, marsupials and placental mammals, and examines the effects of sperm competition and cryptic female choice upon coevolution of the genitalia in the two sexes. In addition, due weight is also given to discussions of the modes of life of mammals, and to the roles played by natural selection and phylogeny in determining their reproductive traits. -- Provided by publisher.
Curious about nature : a passion for fieldwork by
"Notwithstanding the importance of modern technology, fieldwork remains vital, not least through helping to inspire and educate the next generation. Fieldwork has the ingredients of intellectual curiosity, passion, rigour and engagement with the outdoor world - to name just a few. You may be simply noting what you see around you, making detailed records, or carrying out an experiment; all of this and much more amounts to fieldwork. Being curious, you think about the world around you, and through patient observation develop and test ideas. Forty contributors capture the excitement and importance of fieldwork through a wide variety of examples, from urban graffiti to the Great Barrier Reef. Outdoor learning is for life: people have the greatest respect and care for their world when they have first-hand experience of it"-- Provided by publisher.
Theory of the spread of epidemics and movement ecology of animals : an interdisciplinary approach using methodologies of physics and mathematics by
"Exploiting powerful techniques from physics and mathematics, this book studies animal movement in ecology, with a focus on epidemic spread. Pulmonary syndrome is not only feared in epidemics of recent times, such as COVID-19, but is also characteristic of epidemics studied earlier such as Hantavirus. The Hantavirus is one of the book's central topics. Correlations between epidemic outbreaks and precipitation events like El Niño are analyzed and spatial reservoirs of infection in off-period of the epidemic, known as refugia, are studied. Predicted traveling waves of infection are successfully compared to field observations. Territoriality in scent-marking animals is presented, with parallels drawn with the theory of melting. The flocking and herding of birds and mammals are described in terms of collective excitations. For scientists interested in movement ecology and epidemic spread, this book provides effective solutions to long-standing problems"-- Provided by publisher.
Spatial analysis in field primatology : applying GIS at varying scales by
"Over the last two decades, technological advances in GPS (global positioning devices) and GIS (global information systems) have allowed primatologists to dramatically increase the quantity of spatial location data they can gather in the field, and the complexity of the analyses they can perform on these data. Before 15 years ago, GPS units did not function well in remote locations and/or under dense foliage, thus, they were useless for most field primatologists. In contrast, in the last 15 years, technological advances have made GPS devices functional across the globe and in most environments allowing field researchers to collect detailed spatial data using this technology"-- Provided by publisher.
A tale of two viruses : parallels in the research trajectories of tumor and bacterial viruses by
"In 1965, French microbiologist André Lwoff was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on lysogeny-one of the two types of viral life cycles-which resolved a contentious debate among scientists about the nature of viruses. A Tale of Two Viruses is the first study of medical virology to compare the history of two groups of medically important viruses-bacteriophages, which infect bacteria, and sarcoma agents, which cause cancer-and the importance of Lwoff's discovery to our modern understanding of what a virus is. Although these two groups of viruses may at first glance appear to have little in common, they share uniquely parallel histories. The lysogenic cycle, unlike the lytic, enables viruses to replicate in the host cell without destroying it and to remain dormant in a cell's genetic material indefinitely, or until induced by UV radiation. But until Lwoff's discovery of the mechanism of lysogeny, microbiologist Félix d'Herelle and pathologist Peyton Rous, who themselves first discovered and argued for the viral identity of bacteriophages and certain types of cancer, respectively, faced opposition from contemporary researchers who would not accept their findings. By following the research trajectories of the two virus groups, Sankaran takes a novel approach to the history of the development of the field of medical virology, considering both the flux in scientific concepts over time and the broader scientific landscapes or styles that shaped those ideas and practices"-- Provided by publisher.
Yellowstone wolves : science and discovery in the world's first national park by
"There is perhaps no population of U.S. carnivores better studied than the wolves of Yellowstone. These iconic predators were reintroduced to the park in 1995, having been hunted nearly to the brink of extinction. From 1995 to 1997, 41 wild wolves from Canada and northwest Montana were released in to the park, and in the intervening decades scientists followed their every move-from predation to mating to wolf-pup play. The Yellowstone reintroduction has served as an incredible, one-of-a-kind field experiment: it allows us to witness how the arrival of top predators can change an entire ecosystem, providing a critical window into prey migration, pack composition, trophic effects, and much else. Yellowstone Wolves will be the first synthesis of what these animals have taught scientists, and it comes near the reintroduction program's 25th anniversary. It will also be the most authoritative; it includes contributions from nearly every wolf biologist working in America today. And unlike other recent wolf books that focus on a single aspect of wolf biology, this book moves between scales, including essays on the biology of the individual, the behavior of a pack, population genetics, and ecosystem-wide effects. The essays are framed by discussions of the history of reintroduction, and punctuated by short "guest essays" from luminaries in the wolf community. The book includes a foreword by Jane Goodall, and is supplemented by a 10-part, roughly 75-minute documentary film. The film will be hosted on our website. This book will likely supplant David Mech's Wolves, published by Chicago in 2003"-- Provided by publisher.
The icepick surgeon : murder, fraud, sabotage, piracy, and other dastardly deeds perpetrated in the name of science by
Science is a force for good in the world--at least usually. But sometimes, when obsession gets the better of scientists, they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister. Under this spell, knowledge isn't everything, it's the only thing--no matter the cost. Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science, trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process. The Icepick Surgeon masterfully guides the reader across two thousand years of history, beginning with Cleopatra's dark deeds in ancient Egypt. The book reveals the origins of much of modern science in the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s, as well as Thomas Edison's mercenary support of the electric chair and the warped logic of the spies who infiltrated the Manhattan Project. But the sins of science aren't all safely buried in the past. Many of them, Kean reminds us, still affect us today. We can draw direct lines from the medical abuses of Tuskegee and Nazi Germany to current vaccine hesitancy, and connect icepick lobotomies from the 1950s to the contemporary failings of mental-health care. Kean even takes us into the future, when advanced computers and genetic engineering could unleash whole new sways to do one another wrong. Unflinching, and exhilarating to the last page, The Icepick Surgeon fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of a true-crime tale. With his trademark wit and precision, Kean shows that, while science has done more good than harm in the world, rogue scientists do exist, and when we sacrifice morals for progress, we often end up with neither. -- From dust jacket.
The body factory : from the first prosthetics to the augmented human by
"A graphic novel exploring amputation, revealing details about famous amputees throughout history, the invention of the tourniquet, phantom limb syndrome, types of prostheses, and transhumanist technologies"-- Provided by publisher.
Biology stories : 50 stories for teaching and learning biology by
"Biology Stories: 50 Stories for Teaching and Learning Biology is a great resource for all biology teachers, putting stories in teachers' hands that can be used in class immediately. Tying these memorable stories to the content being taught will keep students engaged and ensure they never forget the concepts"-- Provided by publisher.
How to forage for mushrooms without dying : an absolute beginner's guide to identifying 29 wild, edible mushrooms by
"This is the book for anyone who walks in the woods and would like to learn how to identify just the 29 edible mushrooms they're likely to come across. With Frank Hyman's expert advice and easy-to-follow guidelines, readers will be confident in identifying which mushrooms they can safely eat and which ones they should definitely avoid"-- Provided by publisher.
On the Track of the Elusive Slime Mold by
"The author of this book has spent much of his life collecting and studying slime molds, a fascinating but understudied group of fungus-like organisms. His efforts have taken him to all seven continents and to examples of every major type of terrestrial ecosystem. The book is a chronicle of a lifelong journey that began when the author was a graduate student in a mycology class at Virginia Tech, where he was first introduced to slime molds, and continued on to an academic career that allowed him to become one of the world's leading authorities on these organisms. Along the way, the author has visited many interesting places and has interacted with most of the internationally known experts on slime molds. He the author or coauthor of 12 books and more than 470 book chapters, general interest articles and papers in peer-reviewed journals." -Amazon.
Patient zero : a curious history of the world's worst diseases by
"From the masters of storytelling-meets-science and co-authors of Quackery, Patient Zero tells the long and fascinating history of disease outbreaks -- how they start, how they spread, the science that lets us understand them, and how we race to destroy them before they destroy us. Written in the authors' lively and accessible style, chapters include page-turning medical stories about a particular disease or virus -- smallpox, Bubonic plague, polio, HIV -- that combine "Patient Zero" narratives, or the human stories behind outbreaks, with historical examinations of missteps, milestones, scientific theories, and more. Learn the tragic stories of Patient Zeros throughout history, such as Mabalo Lokela, who contracted Ebola while on vacation in 1976, and the Lewis Baby on London's Broad Street, the first to catch cholera in an 1854 outbreak that led to a major medical breakthrough. Interspersed are origin stories of a different sort--how a rye fungus in 1951 turned a small village in France into a phantasmagoric scene reminiscent of Burning Man. Plus the uneasy history of human autopsy, how the HIV virus has been with us for at least a century, and more"-- Provided by publisher.
Fuzz : when nature breaks the law by
"Join "America's funniest science writer" (Peter Carlson, Washington Post) Mary Roach on an irresistible investigation into the unpredictable world where wildlife and humans meet. What's to be done about a jaywalking moose? A grizzly bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? As New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology. Roach tags along with animal attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller-blasters. She travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter's Square in the early hours before the Pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. Along the way, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature's lawbreakers. Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and mugging macaques, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat" -- Provided by publisher.
The Language of Medicine by
Easily and effectively master medical terminology with Davi-Ellen Chabner's "The Language of Medicine, 12th Edition"! Using Chabner's proven method of learning medical terms by studying them in the context of the human body, this highly-praised and best-selling text helps individuals of all educational backgrounds easily understand and remember important medical terminology by incorporating easy-to-follow explanations, logical and interesting examples, and countless reinforcement exercises. This new twelfth edition also features additional spotlight boxes on high-interest medical topics; updated medical scenario reports, laboratory tests, and clinical procedures; a new mini dictionary; additional in person stories, ADA-compliant resources, and more. No matter where your career path takes you, Chabner s proven method for med term mastery will help keep you grounded. -- From product description
Fishes of Arkansas by
The second edition of Fishes of Arkansas, in development for more than a decade, is an extensive revision and expansion of the first edition, including reclassifications, taxonomic changes, and descriptions of more than thirty new species. An invaluable reference for anyone interested in the state's fish population--from professional ichthyologists, fisheries biologists, and managers of aquatic resources, to amateur naturalists and anglers--this new edition provides updated taxonomic keys as well as detailed descriptions, photographs, and line drawings to aid identification of the state's 243 fish species. There is also much information on the distribution and biology of each species, including descriptions of habitat, foods eaten, reproductive biology, and conservation status. This project and the preparation of this publication was funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Teaching High School Science Through Inquiry and Argumentation by
Teaching High School Science Through Inquiry is one of the few print resources devoted exclusively to developing and enhancing teachers' capacity to teach through scientific inquiry in grades 9-12. The second edition has been revised to include: -More emphasis on developing the prerequisite attitude and mind-set for becoming an inquiry-based teacher -Increased focus on scientific argumentation -Updated list of recommended resources The new edition of this best-seller ensures teachers have an up-to-date resource and solid guidance in integrating scientific argumentation into their lessons, and balancing the theory and practice of implementing an inquiry-based science classroom.
Umiker's management skills for the new health care supervisor by
Today's healthcare supervisors are continually faced with smaller budgets, fewer workers, and greater responsibilities. The seventh edition of Umiker's Management Skills for the New Health Care Supervisor continues to provide valuable information for future healthcare managers and supervisors who must address these challenges daily. Written primarily for those who have little to no management training, Umiker's offers practical suggestions for improving effectiveness, both as a supervisor and as an organization. Ideal for students in undergraduate, community, and career college programs, author Charles R. McConnell maintains Dr. William Umiker's clear, jargon-free writing style.
Fishes of Arkansas by
The second edition of Fishes of Arkansas, in development for more than a decade, is an extensive revision and expansion of the first edition, including reclassifications, taxonomic changes, and descriptions of more than thirty new species. An invaluable reference for anyone interested in the state's fish population—from professional ichthyologists, fisheries biologists, and managers of aquatic resources, to amateur naturalists and anglers—this new edition provides updated taxonomic keys as well as detailed descriptions, photographs, and line drawings to aid identification of the state's 243 fish species. There is also much information on the distribution and biology of each species, including descriptions of habitat, foods eaten, reproductive biology, and conservation status. This project and the preparation of this publication was funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
The mosquito : a human history of our deadliest predator by
Introduction -- Toxic twins: The mosquito and her diseases -- Survival of the fittest: Fever demons, footballs, and sickle cell safeties -- General Anopheles: From Athens to Alexander -- Mosquito legions: The rise and fall of the Roman Empire -- Unrepentant mosquitoes: A crisis of faiths and the Crusades -- Mosquito hordes: Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire -- The Columbian exchange: Mosquitoes and the global village -- Accidental conquerors: African slavery and the mosquito's annexation of the Americas -- The seasoning: Mosquito landscapes, mythology, and the seeds of America -- Rogues in a nation: The mosquito and the creation of Greater Britain -- The crucible of disease: Colonial wars and a new world order -- Unalienable bites: The American Revolution -- Mercenary mosquitoes: Wars of liberation and the making of the Americas -- Mosquitoes of Manifest Destiny: Cotton, slavery, Mexico, and the American South -- Sinister angels of our nature: The American Civil War -- Unmasking the mosquito: Disease and imperialism -- This is Ann: She's dying to meet you : the Second World War, Dr. Seuss, and DDT -- Silent springs and superbugs: The mosquito renaissance -- The modern mosquito and her diseases: At the gates of extinction? -- Conclusion.
Why was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has protected the lives of popes for millennia? Why did Scotland surrender its sovereignty to England? What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution? The answer to all these questions, and many more, is the mosquito. Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this nefarious pest, roughly the size and weight of a grape seed, has been at the frontlines of history as the grim reaper, the harvester of human populations, and the ultimate agent of historical change. As the mosquito transformed the landscapes of civilization, humans were unwittingly required to respond to its piercing impact and universal projection of power. The mosquito has determined the fates of empires and nations, razed and crippled economies, and decided the outcome of pivotal wars, killing nearly half of humanity along the way. She (only females bite) has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion throughout our relatively brief existence. As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have ever known, she has played a greater role in shaping our human story than any other living thing with which we share our global village.
What it's like to be a bird : from flying to nesting, eating to singing -- what birds are doing, and why by
The bird book for birders and nonbirders alike that will excite and inspire by providing a new and deeper understanding of what common, mostly backyard, birds are doing—and why 'Can birds smell?'; 'Is this the same cardinal that was at my feeder last year?';'Do robins 'hear' worms? 'In What It's Like to Be a Bird, David Sibley answers the most frequently asked questions about the birds we see most often. This special, large-format volume is geared as much to nonbirders as it is to the out-and-out obsessed, covering more than two hundred species and including more than 330 new illustrations by the author. While its focus is on familiar backyard birds—blue jays, nuthatches, chickadees—it also examines certain species that can be fairly easily observed, such as the seashore-dwelling Atlantic puffin. David Sibley's exacting artwork and wide-ranging expertise bring observed behaviors vividly to life. (For most species, the primary illustration is reproduced life-sized.) And while the text is aimed at adults—including fascinating new scientific research on the myriad ways birds have adapted to environmental changes—it is nontechnical, making it the perfect occasion for parents and grandparents to share their love of birds with young children, who will delight in the big, full-color illustrations of birds in action. Unlike any other book he has written, What It's Like to Be a Bird is poised to bring a whole new audience to David Sibley's world of birds.
Great Lakes Sea Lamprey by
The stuff of nightmares in both their looks and the wounds inflicted on their victims, sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) are perhaps the deadliest invasive species to ever enter the Great Lakes. At the invasion's apex in the mid-20th century, harvests of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), the lampreys' preferred host fish in the Great Lakes, plummeted from peak annual catches of 15 million pounds to just a few hundred thousand pounds per year--a drop of 98% in only a few decades. Threatening the complete collapse of the fishery, the sea lamprey invasion triggered an environmental awakening in the region and prompted an international treaty that secured unprecedented cooperation across political boundaries to protect the Great Lakes. Fueled by a pioneering scientific spirit, the war on Great Lakes sea lampreys led to discoveries that are the backbone of the program that eventually brought the creature under control and still protects the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world to this day. Great Lakes Sea Lamprey draws on extensive interviews with individuals who experienced the invasion firsthand as well as a trove of unexplored archival materials to tell the incredible story of sea lamprey in the Great Lakes--what started the invasion, how it was halted, and what this history can teach us about the response to biological invaders in the present and future. Richly illustrated with color and black & white photographs, the book will interest readers concerned with the health of the Great Lakes, the history of the conservation movement, and the ongoing threat of invasive species.
Lab of One's Own, A by
A riveting memoir-manifesto from the first female director of the National Science Foundation about the entrenched sexism in science, the elaborate detours women have taken to bypass the problem, and how to fix the system. If you think sexism thrives only on Wall Street or in Hollywood, you haven't visited a lab, a science department, a research foundation, or a biotech firm. Rita Colwell is one of the top scientists in America: the groundbreaking microbiologist who discovered how cholera survives between epidemics and the former head of the National Science Foundation. But when she first applied for a graduate fellowship in bacteriology, she was told, “We don't waste fellowships on women.” A lack of support from some male superiors would lead her to change her area of study six times before completing her PhD. A Lab of One's Own documents all Colwell has seen and heard over her six decades in science, from sexual harassment in the lab to obscure systems blocking women from leading professional organizations or publishing their work. Along the way, she encounters other women pushing back against the status quo, including a group at MIT who revolt when they discover their labs are a fraction of the size of their male colleagues'. Resistance gave female scientists special gifts: forced to change specialties so many times, they came to see things in a more interdisciplinary way, which turned out to be key to making new discoveries in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Colwell would also witness the advances that could be made when men and women worked together—often under her direction, such as when she headed a team that helped to uncover the source of the anthrax used in the 2001 letter attacks. A Lab of One's Own shares the sheer joy a scientist feels when moving toward a breakthrough, and the thrill of uncovering a whole new generation of female pioneers. But it is also the science book for the #MeToo era, offering an astute diagnosis of how to fix the problem of sexism in science—and a celebration of the women pushing back.
Entangled life : how fungi make our worlds, change our minds & shape our futures by
“Merlin Sheldrake's marvelous tour of these diverse and extraordinary life forms is eye-opening on why humans should consider fungi among the greatest of earth's marvels.... Wondrous.”—Time A mind-bending journey into the hidden universe of fungi, “one of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you” (Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk).NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • New Statesman • London Evening Standard • Science Friday When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave. In Entangled Life, the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view, providing an exhilarating change of perspective. Sheldrake's vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the “Wood Wide Web,” to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision. Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life's processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms—and our relationships with them—are changing our understanding of how life works. Praise for Entangled Life “Entangled Life is a gorgeous book of literary nature writing in the tradition of [Robert] Macfarlane and John Fowles, ripe with insight and erudition.... food for the soul.”—Eugenia Bone, Wall Street Journal“[An] ebullient and ambitious exploration... This book may not be a psychedelic—and unlike Sheldrake, I haven't dared to consume my copy (yet)—but reading it left me not just moved but altered, eager to disseminate its message of what fungi can do.”—Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times. -- Provided by database.
Elephants by
What Jane Goodall did for chimpanzees, international ecologist and conservation scientist Hannah Mumby now does for elephants in this compelling, eye-opening account that brings into focus this species remarkably similar to humans--and makes a persuasive argument for saving them. From early childhood, Dr. Hannah Mumby has loved wildlife, especially elephants. Her first wild elephant sighting at twenty-four changed the course of her life. Since then, she has devoted herself to studying these incredible animals and educating humanity about them. Hannahs field work has taken her around the world, where she has studied many elephant groups, including both orphaned elephants and the solitary elephant males. These remarkable animals have so much to teach us, Mumby argues, and Elephants takes readers into their world as never before, revealing a society as complex as the chimpanzees, maybe even humans. Mumby's exploration of elephant culture provides an empathetic, humanistic portrait of these majestic animals, illuminating their personalities, memories, and rich emotional lives. Mumby explains how elephants communicate with one another and demonstrates the connection between memory and trauma--how it affects individual elephants and their interactions with others in their herd. Elephants and humans, Mumby makes clear, are not very different. From emotional bonding to communication, human and elephant experience similarly nuanced lives, and the commonalities she uncovers are both surprising and heartwarming. Elephants is a captivating, deeply moving exploration that offers a new way to look at these pachyderms and ourselves and a persuasive, passionate argument for rethinking our approach to animals and their conservation.
Unnatural Companions by
"Highly compelling...page-turning read" -- TNC's Cool Green Science We love our pets. Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and other species have become an essential part of more families than ever before--in North America today, pets outnumber people. Pet owners are drawn to their animal companions through an innate desire to connect with other species. But there is a dark side to our domestic connection with animal life: the pet industry is contributing to a global conservation crisis for wildlife--often without the knowledge of pet owners. In Unnatural Companions, journalist Peter Christie issues a call to action for pet owners. If we hope to reverse the alarming trend of wildlife decline, pet owners must acknowledge the pets-versus-conservation dilemma and concede that our well-fed and sheltered cats too often prey on small backyard wildlife and seemingly harmless reptiles released into the wild might be the next destructive invasive species. We want our pets to eat nutritionally healthy food, but how does the designer food we feed them impact the environment? Christie's book is a cautionary tale to responsible pet owners about why we must change the ways we love and care for our pets. It concludes with the positive message that the small changes we make at home can foster better practices within the pet industry that will ultimately benefit our pets' wild brethren.
