Science Ecology

The secret stories of what leaves mean - and what they mean to us. Leaves are one of nature's marvels. We watch them turn red in Autumn, make medicine from them, invent folklore around them, and mark the passing of time by them. But how do they grow? Why are they the shapes they are? What makes...

Why Elephants Cry is a fascinating frolic through the literature and evidence surrounding the use of unusual behavior of animals to measure and predict the environment. The role of animals, from the smallest ant to the biggest elephant, as predictors of environmental changes is framed around the climate crisis, which highlights the increasingly important part that animals will have to play in the future. Renowned biologist Professor John T. Hancock collects anecdotal stories and myths along with scientific evidence, demonstrating that observation of animals can be of tangible use.

Emetto più CO2 se mangio carne bovina biologica, polli da allevamento intensivo, frutti di mare o un trancio di pesce spada? È davvero utile adottare alveari di api o finanziare aziende o associazioni che piantano alberi in giro per il mondo? Ogni giorno la nostra vita è riempita da una serie di dilemmi etici e morali che assomigliano molto a queste domande. Ormai, infatti, abbiamo tutti gli strumenti per capire che ogni nostro comportamento produce un impatto sul pianeta. Eppure, nonostante questa consapevolezza, spesso ci sentiamo impotenti di fronte ai mille problemi che la crisi ambientale ci pone di fronte quotidianamente.

Imminent Domains: Reckoning with the Anthropocene invites listeners to join a contemplation of survival—our own, and that of the elements that surround us. Using research, lyric prose, and first-hand experiences, Alessandra Naccarato addresses fundamental questions about our modern relationship to nature amidst depictions of landscapes undergoing dramatic transformation. Naccarato offers not blanket answers about our future, but rather myriad ways to find our own, individual response to an imminent question.

So begins this lively collection of essays by acclaimed filmmaker and novelist Priyanka Kumar. Growing up at the feet of the Himalayas in northern India, Kumar took for granted her immersion in a lush natural world. After moving to North America as a teenager, she found herself increasingly distanced from more than human life and discouraged by the civilization she saw contributing to its destruction. It was only in her twenties, living in Los Angeles and working on films, that she began to rediscover her place in the landscape-and in the cosmos—by way of watching birds.

River of Lakes weaves together the biological, cultural, anthropological, archaeological, and ecological aspects of the St. Johns, capturing the essence of its remarkable history and intrinsic value as a natural wonder.

Deer have been an important part of the world that humans occupy for millennia. They're one of the only large animals that can thrive in our presence. In the twenty-first century, our relationship is full of contradictions: We hunt and protect them, we cull them from suburbs while making them an icon of wilderness, we see them both as victims and as pests. But there is no doubt that we have a connection to deer: in mythology and story, in ecosystems biological and digital, in cities and in forests.

Twenty meters below water, the oceanographer François Sarano came face to face with a five-and-a-half-meter great white shark. Seduced by the gentle elegance of this majestic creature, Sarano experienced a profound sense of affinity with her as they swam side by side, shoulder to shoulder, eye to eye, cutting a single figure through the ocean depths. It was an experience which made him realize the depth of our ignorance of the lives of sharks, leading him to become a passionate advocate for their protection.

Säugetiere trauern und sie tricksen; sie sind einfühlsam, lernen und kommunizieren oft auf hohem Niveau. Sie freuen und sie ärgern sich - mit denselben Reaktionen von Körper und Gehirn wie bei uns Menschen. Tiere haben eine Persönlichkeit. Was unterscheidet uns eigentlich noch von ihnen? Und was können wir von ihnen lernen? Norbert Sachser, einer der weltweit führenden Tierverhaltensforscher, präsentiert darüber seine eigenen, bedeutenden Forschungen und insgesamt den letzten Stand des Wissens.

This book is the story of a remarkable bird, the golden-collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus) of Panama. Males of this species perform one of the most elaborate, physically complex, and noisy courtship displays of any animal on the planet. Barney A. Schlinger delves into the specialized neurons, muscles, bones, and hormonal systems underlying the manakin's unique courtship behavior, creating a rich life-history account that integrates field observations and evolutionary biology with behavioral ecology, anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and general ornithology.

More than one hundred species of kingfishers brighten every continent but Antarctica. Not all are fishing birds. They range in size from the African dwarf kingfisher to the laughing kookaburra of Australia. This first book to feature North America's belted kingfisher is a lyrical story of observation, revelation, and curiosity in the presence of flowing waters.

Сначала Земля представляла собой негостеприимное чужеродное место: на планету непрерывно обрушивались потоки химических веществ, она была покрыта бурлящими океанами, а ландшафт формировали непрекращающиеся извержения вулканов. Посреди этого буйства стихий и катастроф и началась жизнь. Похожие на мыльные пузырьки первые клетки с дерзкой отвагой бросили вызов безжизненному миру.

A plastic box with a lightbulb attached may seem like an odd birthday present. But for ecologist Tim Blackburn, a moth trap is a captivating window into the world beyond the roof terrace of his London flat. Whether gaudy or drab, rare or common, each moth ensnared by the trap is a treasure with a story to tell. In The Jewel Box, Blackburn introduces these mysterious visitors, revealing how the moths he catches reflect hidden patterns governing the world around us.

Když se v roce 1956 budoucí slavná Elsa narodila, byla už Joy Adamsonová známou ochránkyní zvířat. Lvíče nešťastnou náhodou spolu se svými dvěma bratry přišlo o matku a manželé Adamsonovi je zachránili a vychovali. Lvy poslali do evropské zoologické zahrady a Elsa zůstala s nimi. Byť se u nich měla skvěle a dávali jí v rámci možností velkou svobodu a volnost, snažili se přesto v Else rozvinout její přirozené lovecké instinkty tak, aby později mohla žít nezávisle, protože byli přesvědčeni, že zvířata ze zajetí mají být vrácena do volné přírody.

Hemos leído sobre la importancia del agua y del oxígeno para nuestra vida, pero ¿qué sucede con la luz? En particular la iluminación artificial. También hemos leído sobre los cambios sociológicos que implicó dominar la oscuridad de la noche, pero ¿qué sucede con la forma en que iluminamos los espacios que habitamos? ¿Qué efectos tienen en nosotros los distintos tipo de iluminación artificial? Con un tono personal y fuertemente documentado, Anna Levin nos invita a conocer cómo nos afectan los distintos tipos de iluminación.

Today there is no place on Earth that does not harbor invasive exotic species. Invasive plants and animals can be found on every continent, including Antarctica, and within all waterbodies, including all oceans. This Very Short Introduction provides a clear definition of an invasive species, and considers the myriad ways they are moved around the globe, and the ecological, social, and economic impacts they often impose.

Birds are a joy and solace in troubled times, as well as a reminder of past experiences and a symbol of hope for the future. For centuries, they were also seen as a source of food, feathers, and even fuel, and being so numerous many were persecuted as pests. When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of change. No other group of animals has had such a complex relationship with humankind.

Hitzejahre, klirrende Kälte, Sturmfluten: Eindrucksvoll zeigt Ronald D. Gerste, wie langfristige Klimaveränderungen und einzelne Wetterereignisse sich auf die Gesellschaften und die Kulturen der Menschheit auswirkten und sogar den Verlauf der Geschichte beeinflussten.

Once upon a time, a burnt-out Claire Dunn spent a year living off the grid in a wilderness survival program. Yet love and the possibilities of human connection drew her back to the city, where she soon found herself as overscheduled, addicted to her phone and lost in IKEA as everyone else. Given all the city offered - comfort, convenience, community and opportunity - she wanted to stay. But to do so, she'd have to learn how to rewild her own urban soul. Now, Claire swims in city rivers, forages in the suburbs and explores many other practices to connect to the world around her.

For centuries, the West has produced stories about the future in which humans use advanced science and technology to transform the Earth. Michael Rawson uses a wide range of works that include Francis Bacon's New Atlantis, the science fiction novels of Jules Verne, and even the speculations of think tanks like the RAND Corporation to reveal the environmental paradox at the heart of these narratives: the single-minded expectation of unlimited growth on a finite planet.