Science Ecology

As global rates of plant and animal extinctions mount, anxieties about the future of the earth's ecosystems are fueling ever more ambitious efforts at conservation, which draw on Western scientific principles to manage species and biodiversity. In Revenant Ecologies, Audra Mitchell argues that these responses not only ignore but also magnify powerful forms of structural violence like colonialism, racism, genocide, extractivism, ableism, and heteronormativity, ultimately contributing to the destruction of unique life forms and ecosystems.

In this fascinating follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Wilderness Warrior, acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley offers a riveting, expansive look at the past and present battle to preserve Alaska’s wilderness. Brinkley explores the colorful diversity of Alaska’s wildlife, arrays the...

Beneath the waves lies a world of color, motion, and mystery—and few creatures embody it better than the lobster. Known to most as a luxury meal or a symbol of coastal life, the real lobster is something far greater: an ancient survivor, an expert engineer of the seafloor, and one of the ocean’s most perfectly adapted creatures. In The Lobster Files, author Calven Hurstin invites listeners to dive deep into the secret life of this remarkable crustacean, exploring its biology, behavior, and extraordinary story of endurance.

The monumental statues of Easter Island, both so magisterial and so forlorn, gazing out in their imposing rows over the island’s barren landscape, have been the source of great mystery ever since the island was first discovered by Europeans on Easter Sunday 1722. How could the ancient people who inhabited this tiny speck of land, the most remote in the vast expanse of the Pacific islands, have built such monumental works?

Species Interactions is a clear, engaging introduction to how life holds together. Written for listeners with no prior background, it reveals the everyday logic behind the living world—how species compete for resources, how predators and prey shape each other, and how microbes, plants, and animals form partnerships that make survival possible.

The vivid account of a world-leading conservationist’s efforts to find, study, and protect snow leopards, revealing the challenges facing a beautiful, fragile world in the midst of a major transition Snow leopards have a special grip on the human imagination, a symbol of the mysteries that...

For more than twenty-five years, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould wrote a column called "The View of Life" for Natural History magazine. More than thirty entries from that column comprise this collection, which covers topics from dinosaurs to baseball and nearly everything in between related to natural history and evolution.

Late in 2013, snowy owls started showing up in places no one expected to find them - including Florida. What had caused so many of these majestic birds to leave their Arctic home and fly to southern Canada and the United States? Scientists quickly began working to find out. Author Sandra Markle brings together firsthand reports from the scientists involved along with stunning photographs of the owls to explain this rare event, known as an irruption.

How functional medicine leverages systems biology and epigenetic science to treat the microbiome and reverse chronic disease. Each body is a system within a system—an ecology within the larger context of social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental factors. This is one of the lessons of epigenetics, whereby structural inequalities are literally encoded in our genes.

The bestselling and Sibert Honor–winning creators of The Book of Turtles brings us the true story of a snapping turtle’s extraordinary journey—and the amazing conservationists who helped give him a second chance. This feel-good story about beating the odds is complete with inspiring back...

Janisse Ray grew up in a junkyard along US Highway 1, hidden from Florida-bound vacationers by the hedge at the edge of the road and by hulks of old cars and stacks of blown-out tires. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood tells how a childhood spent in rural isolation and steeped in religious fundamentalism grew into a passion to save the almost vanished longleaf pine ecosystem that once covered the South.

From the award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of Cod and Salt, To Catch a Fish is an entertaining and beautifully written illustrated collection of essays that explore a lifetime fascination with fishing. For as long as there have been humans, there have been humans trying to catch...

A lyrical exploration of the world’s wildest, most forbiddingly remote places—and the humans who have always been there, by an award-winning and critically acclaimed writer From the blacksand beaches of Iceland, to river crossings deep in the Amazon jungle, to the barren beauty of Antarctica...

If you're fascinated by the world of ants and want to build thriving colonies, HowExpert Guide to Ant Farming is the ultimate resource for starting ant colonies, understanding ant behavior, and designing the perfect habitats and formicariums. Whether you’re a beginner, a dedicated hobbyist, an educator, or an entrepreneur, this step-by-step guide will equip you with essential knowledge, techniques, and strategies to successfully build, maintain, and expand your ant farm.

Angst vor Überflutungen, Schuldgefühle wegen des letzten Urlaubsfluges, Wut über die Untätigkeit der Regierungen: Wir begegnen der ökologischen Krise mit einem ganzen Bündel an Emotionen – und das ist gut so, sagt die Psychotherapeutin Katharina van Bronswijk. Angst, Trauer und Wut sind gesunde Reaktionen auf essenzielle Bedrohungen wie Klimawandel und Massenaussterben. Wir brauchen sie, um Motivation für Veränderung zu entwickeln und gesellschaftliche Normen zu hinterfragen.

Dawn and dusk – those fleeting, half-lit hours – are when the ordinary becomes extraordinary. In THE SECRET WORLD OF TWILIGHT, author and smallholder Sally Coulthard invites us into this magical in-between realm, where seductive night-blooming flowers open, secretive mammals stir, giant moths reign and fantastical sea creatures ride the tide. Blending natural history, folklore and memoir, Coulthard reveals twilight as a vital, liminal force: one that has inspired awe for millennia and still has the power to illuminate our daily lives.

Winner Take All is about the commodity dynamics that the world will face over the next several decades. In particular, it is about the implications of China’s rush for resources across all regions of the world. The scale of China’s resource campaign for hard commodities (metals and minerals) and soft commodities (timber and food) is among the largest in history.

For many people, ecosystems may be a remote concept, yet we eat, drink, breathe and interface with them in every moment of our lives. In this engaging textbook, ecosystems scientist Dr. Mark Everard considers a diversity of "everyday things", including fascinating facts about their ecological origins: from the tea we drink, to the things we wear, read, and enjoy, to the ecology of communities and space flight, and the important roles played by germs and "unappealing creatures" such as slugs and wasps.

Brought to you by Penguin. Wildfires burning dozens of houses in London suburbs. Downpours so severe they can drown people trapped in basements. Record heatwaves paralysing our railways and hospitals. This sounds like fiction but it isn’t. The climate is turning far more hostile than many...

For the last three billion years or so, life on Earth was shaped by natural forces. Evolution tended to happen slowly, with species crafted across millennia. Then, a few hundred thousand years ago, along came a bolshie, big-brained, bipedal primate we now call Homo sapiens, and with that, the Earth’s natural history came to an abrupt end. We are now living through the post-natural phase, where humans have become the leading force shaping evolution. This audiobook considers the many ways that we’ve altered the DNA of living things and changed the fate of life on earth.