In the 1970s, he sent two prize students, Tim Plowman and Wade Davis, to follow in his footsteps and unveil the botanical secrets of coca, the notorious source of cocaine, a sacred plant known to the Inca as the Divine Leaf of Immortality.A stunning account of adventure and discovery, betrayal and destruction, One River is a story of two generations of explorers drawn together by the transcendent knowledge of Indian peoples, the visionary realms of the shaman, and the extraordinary plants that sustain all life in a forest that once stood immense and inviolable.

    It's also a book full of entertainment and wonders. In The Song of the Dodo, we follow Quammen's keen intellect through the ideas, theories, and experiments of prominent naturalists of the last two centuries. We trail after him as he travels the world, tracking the subject of island biogeography, which encompasses nothing less than the study of the origin and extinction of all species. Why is this island idea so important? Because islands are where species most commonly go extinct -- and because, as Quammen points out, we live in an age when all of Earth's landscapes are being chopped into island-like fragments by human activity. Through his eyes, we glimpse the nature of evolution and extinction, and in so doing come to understand the monumental diversity of our planet, and the importance of preserving its wild landscapes, animals, and plants. We also meet some fascinating human characters. By the book's end we are wiser, and more deeply concerned, but Quammen leaves us with a message of excitement and hope.

    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."

    In this extraordinary feat of nature writing, we meet ants who harvest crops, raise insects as livestock, build roadways and bridges, embark on nuptial flights, and make war.

    The author also examines the surprising and significant effects of the Fall on the earth itself.It was not until the original writings of Moses and Abraham were restored that modern students of the earth's creation story were in a position to begin assembling the illuminating facts that are resented in this book.For those who enjoy contemplating both the findings of science and the revelations of God, this will be an extremely stimulating and provocative study.Among the questions addressed and answered in this book are:Where did the earth's creation take place? Who participated?Did the creation take 6,000 years or millions of years?How did life begin on the earth? How did it develop?Where did the dinosaurs come from? Why were they here?Did human beings live on the earth before the arrival of Adam and Eve?What really happened in the Garden of Eden?Are there evidences of God's handiwork in the rock record of the earth?Are there answers to the unresolved questions of earth scientists in God's revealed record of the creation?Why did the Fall have such important astronomical and geological implications for the earth?And finally: What we hear in church about the creation doesn't always match wat we learn in school--or does it?

    In terms of numbers, beetles are the most successful creatures on earth: about 350,000 species of beetles have been described since 1758. They range from tiny to gigantic, occupy sundry habitats, and eat everything--plants, animals, and their own remains. An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles provides an engaging look at these magnificent yet poorly understood creatures and highlights the absolutely essential role they play in the dynamics of nearly every terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. And, as this book beautifully demonstrates, the aesthetics of beetle design are amazing. The fantastic colors and shapes of these creatures warrant the gorgeous color photography lavished on them in this book.

    This easy-to-use guide contains brilliant color photographs showing the early growth stages, mature plants and features for positive identification of each weed discussed. Learning to identify unwanted plants around the home, farm or ranch will be much easier with this book published by the Western Society of Weed Science.

    Children need to see the glory of Christ in all of nature, as it reveals God's eternal wisdom and power. Some of the creatures discussed in this book are: Paper Wasps, Spiders, Butterflies, Honey Bees, Beavers, Ants and Tumblebugs.

    In this latest addition to the Crinkleroot series, he offers insights into some special critters known as Lepidoptera. Readers will learn how to identify certain butterflies and moths and discover some interesting facts about their anatomy, the way they sleep, and what they eat. Full color.

    The book explains how to accurately identify horses and donkeys by using colors. It furthers an understanding of the genetic basis of color and contributes to research on specific behavioral characteristics associated with color. The author includes all known color variations of horses throughout the world. The book provides an explanation of genetic mechanisms that determine colors and discusses colors in sequence from less common to more common. Donkey color is addressed in a separate section. This uncomplicated and useful approach to understanding horse and donkey color patterns, as well as the various subtleties that exist, includes more than 100 striking color photographs accompanied by descriptions of both common and unique coat patterns.With new chapters concerning breeds and conservation and on the basic biology of gene selection, as well as new appendices detailing previously undocumented genes in horses and donkeys, this second edition of Equine Color Genetics will appeal to anyone who is a student of the horse. Breeders, veterinarians, faculty and veterinary students and equine science students will find this book a valuable addition to their libraries.

    She left a vast legacy to future scientists through her research, her teaching, and her contributions to the welfare of humankind. She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes, yet upon her death in 1934, Albert Einstein was moved to say, Marie Curie is, of all celebrated beings, the only one whom fame has not corrupted. She was a physicist, a wife and mother, and a groundbreaking professional woman. This biography is an inspirational and exciting story of scientific discovery and personal commitment.Oxford Portraits in Science is an on-going series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world.

    ‘Islands and Images’ describes the Aran Islands themselves; ‘Setting Foot on the Shores of Connemara’, the title-essay, elevates the map-maker’s craft into art; ‘The View from Errisbeg’ integrates the landscapes of Galway Bay, the Burren and Connemara by way of topography, botany and geology; ‘Space, Time and Connemara’, centrepiece to the collection, surveys the archaeology and human geography of the West, its settlement patterns, families, dispersals and privations, its missioners and the modern tide of tourism and mariculture; ‘A Connemara Fractal’ is a fascinating autobiographical digression through Cambridge and the convergences of mathematics, geometry and geology, towards landscape-theory and the Book of Connemara as yet unwritten; ‘Place/Person/Book’ introduces Synge’s masterwork, The Aran Islands; ‘Listening to the Landscape’ takes for its theme the Irish language and placenames as an emanation of the land; ‘Four Threads’ connects four archetypal figures – smuggler, rebel priest, land-agent and wandering rhymer – to their histories in nineteenth century Connemara. Other texts rehearse the potencies of discovery, botanical (Erica mackaiana in Roundstone), archaeological (a Bronze Age quartz alignment in Gleninagh) and personal. Some are anecdotal, some meditative; each is individually conceived as a work of literature. Tim Robinson has been stepping into spacetime since 1972, mapping the unknown by way of the known. With Setting Foot on the Shore of Connemara he captures the numinous in a net of words and images, and creates his own illuminated manual of memory.

    This book covers all the bats and their natural history, with a unique emphasis on how their lives exemplify processes and principles of broad biological relevance. Topics range from their most distinctive features (echolocation, flight) and individual and group behavior, to their modes of reproduction and interaction with other organisms and the environment. No other book covers all this ground with a blend of up-to-date scientific information and fine line illustrations. Professional and amateur naturalists will find this an indispensable reference.

    The New Penguin Dictionary of Geology contains over 7,500 fully updated definitions, making it the most extensive dictionary of the Earth sciences ever produced. It includes a full bibliography of up-to-date works covering all areas of geology. Authoritative and accessible, this new edition will prove invaluable to researcher, student and amateur geologist.

    Almost all ecological and conservation work involves carrying out a census or survey. This practically focussed book describes how to plan a census, the practical details and shows with worked examples how to analyse the results. The first three chapters describe planning, sampling and the basic theory necessary for carrying out a census. In the subsequent chapters international experts describe the appropriate methods for counting plants, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. As many censuses also relate the results to environmental variability, there is a chapter explaining the main methods. Finally, there is a list of the most common mistakes encountered when carrying out a census.

    Subsequent expeditions have unveiled a mind-boggling menagerie of deep-sea fauna with which we are still only marginally acquainted. Richard Ellis recounts the stories of the exploration of the deep sea and brings us face-to-face with these unexpected efflorescences of evolution.

    Extending a centuries-old tradition made popular in the studios of Ehret and Redoute, Ms. Grierson combines the artist's eye for beauty and balance with the botanist's need for accuracy. Native plants of Hawaii are a primary focus of this volume and the reason the Garden invited Ms. Grierson to Kauai for five working visits in the 1970s and 1980s. But the collection also reflects the Hawaiian landscape seen by contemporary residents and visitors alike - with Polynesian and modern agricultural and ornamental plant immigrants now competing with the natives for attention and for space. With his general introduction to the flora of Hawaii and in accompaniments to each painting, botanist Peter Green narrates the interaction of plants and people - through the ethnobotany and legends of the early Hawaiians, the taxonomic research of botanists past and present, and the history that brought such an incredible mix of species to the Islands. A central theme is the interaction of native and introduced plants, with its warnings about the loss of Hawaii's unique natural heritage. A Hawaiian Florilegium is a convergence of fine art, scientific illustration, and botanical history.