Best of
Earth

1996

The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top: A Book About Volcanoes


Joanna Cole - 1996
    Frizzle's class is having a hard time putting together a giant globe of the world. A piece is missing...an island so new it hasn't been discovered yet! Before they know it, the kids are beneath the oceans's surface, exploring an underwater volcano. Join the class as they learn about volcanoes.

In Search of Nature


Edward O. Wilson - 1996
    Wilson has scrutinized animals in their natural settings, tweezing out the dynamics of their social organization, their relationship with their environments, and their behavior, not only for what it tells us about the animals themselves, but for what it can tell us about human nature and our own behavior. He has brought the fascinating and sometimes surprising results of these studies to general readers through a remarkable collection of books, including The Diversity of Life, The Ants, On Human Nature, and Sociobiology. The grace and precision with which he writes of seemingly complex topics has earned him two Pulitzer prizes, and the admiration of scientists and general readers around the world.In Search of Nature presents for the first time a collection of the seminal short writings of Edward O. Wilson, addressing in brief and eminently readable form the themes that have actively engaged this remarkable intellect throughout his career.""The central theme of the essays is that wild nature and human nature are closely interwoven. I argue that the only way to make complete sense of either is by examining both closely and together as products of evolution.... Human behavior is seen not just as the product of recorded history, ten thousand years recent, but of deep history, the combined genetic and cultural changes that created humanity over hundreds of thousands of years. We need this longer view, I believe, not only to understand our species, but more firmly to secure its future.The book is composed of three sections. ""Animal Nature, Human Nature"" ranges from serpents to sharks to sociality in ants. It asks how and why the universal aversion to snakes might have evolved in humans and primates, marvels at the diversity of the world's 350 species of shark and how their adaptive success has affected our conception of the world, and admonishes us to ""be careful of little lives""-to see in the construction of insect social systems ""another grand experiment in evolution for our delectation.""The Patterns of Nature"" probes at the foundation of sociobiology, asking what is the underlying genetic basis of social behavior, and what that means for the future of the human species. Beginning with altruism and aggression, the two poles of behavior, these essays describe how science, like art, adds new information to the accumulated wisdom, establishing new patterns of explanation and inquiry. In ""The Bird of Paradise: The Hunter and the Poet,"" the analytic and synthetic impulses-exemplified in the sciences and the humanities-are called upon to give full definition to the human prospect.""Nature's Abundance"" celebrates biodiversity, explaining its fundamental importance to the continued existence of humanity. From ""The Little Things That Run the World""-invertebrate species that make life possible for everyone and everything else-to the emergent belief of many scientists in the human species' possible innate affinity for other living things, known as biophilia, Wilson sets forth clear and compelling reasons why humans should concern themselves with species loss. ""Is Humanity Suicidal?"" compares the environmentalist's view with that of the exemptionalist, who holds that since humankind is transcendent in intelligence and spirit, our species must have been released from the iron laws of ecology that bind all other species. Not without optimism, Wilson concludes that we are smart enough and have time enough to avoid an environmental catastrophe of civilization-threatening dimensions-if we are willing both to redirect our science and technology and to reconsider our self-image as a species.In Search of Nature is a lively and accessible introduction to the writings of one of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century. Imaginatively illustrated by noted artist Laura Southworth, it is a book all readers will treasure."

Legacy from the Stars


Dolores Cannon - 1996
    This is our legacy and our heritage. In the history of the cosmos Earth is a young planet. Our souls on the other hand have been around forever and will continue to be around forever. Thus Earth is not our only home. We have lived many lives in unusual environments before deciding to journey here and learn the lessons of Earth. After our schooling is completed on this planet we will journey onward to discover new worlds to explore. The memories of these soul journeys are recorded in our subconscious and in hypnotherapist Dolores Cannon shows that they can be retrieved through regressive hypnosis. She reports dramatic cases where the subjects relived other lifetimes in strange environments-inhabitants of other planets.

The Sawtooth Wolves


Jim Dutcher - 1996
    

Thanksgiving Address: Greetings To The Natural World


John Stokes - 1996
    

Noah's Wife: The Story of Naamah


Sandy Eisenberg Sasso - 1996
    Take two of every kind of living plant....Work quickly. The rains begin tomorrow."From award-winning author Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, a new story which lights our spiritual imaginations.When God tells Noah to bring the animals of the world onto the ark, God also calls on Naamah, Noah's wife, to save each plant on Earth.Entrusted with this task, Naamah sets off to every corner of the world, discovering a fabulous array of growing things, and gathering seeds, bulbs, cuttings, spores, and roots. She fills a room on the ark with every type of plant--from amaryllis, soybeans, and wheat to lilies, moss, and even dandelions. Then, after 40 long days and nights on the ark, the most important part of Naamah's work begins.In this new story, based on an ancient text, Naamah's wisdom and love for the natural harmony of the earth inspires us to use our own courage, creativity, and faith to carry out Naamah's work today.

Cephalopod Behaviour


Roger T. Hanlon - 1996
    They are considered to be the most highly evolved marine invertebrates and possess elaborate sense organs, large brains and complex behavior. This book examines such behavior, summarizing field and laboratory data from a wide variety of sources in the first comprehensive account of the life of cephalopods in their natural habitats. This book surveys the way cephalopods find prey and escape predators, how they reproduce, how they learn, and how they communicate using complex body patterns. Throughout, the volume emphasizes the gaps in our knowledge in the hope of stimulating more biologists to study these beautiful and fascinating animals. Researchers in animal behavior, marine biology, and neuroscience will find the subject matter especially appealing.

Rocks & Fossils


David Roots - 1996
    Clear, accessible format, charts, diagrams, field tips, practical pointers, and historical profiles.

A Seed Grows (My First Look at)


Pamela Hickman - 1996
    In A Seed Grows, follow the growth of a plant, from a peek inside a sprouting seed to the harvest of the fruit. The book suggests ways parents and children can explore nature without disturbing it."