Spying on Whales

Spying on Whales PDF

Author: Nick Pyenson

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2019-06-25

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0735224587

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

“A palaeontological howdunnit…[Spying on Whales] captures the excitement of…seeking answers to deep questions in cetacean science.” —Nature Called “the best of science writing” (Edward O. Wilson) and named a best book by Popular Science, a dive into the secret lives of whales, from their four-legged past to their perilous present. Whales are among the largest, most intelligent, deepest diving species to have ever lived on our planet. They evolved from land-roaming, dog-sized creatures into animals that move like fish, breathe like us, can grow to 300,000 pounds, live 200 years and travel entire ocean basins. Whales fill us with terror, awe, and affection--yet there is still so much we don't know about them. Why did it take whales over 50 million years to evolve to such big sizes, and how do they eat enough to stay that big? How did their ancestors return from land to the sea--and what can their lives tell us about evolution as a whole? Importantly, in the sweepstakes of human-driven habitat and climate change, will whales survive? Nick Pyenson's research has given us the answers to some of our biggest questions about whales. He takes us deep inside the Smithsonian's unparalleled fossil collections, to frigid Antarctic waters, and to the arid desert in Chile, where scientists race against time to document the largest fossil whale site ever found. Full of rich storytelling and scientific discovery, Spying on Whales spans the ancient past to an uncertain future--all to better understand the most enigmatic creatures on Earth.

Fathoms

Fathoms PDF

Author: Rebecca Giggs

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: 2020-07-28

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 198212069X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Winner of the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Finalist for the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction * Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award A “delving, haunted, and poetic debut” (The New York Times Book Review) about the awe-inspiring lives of whales, revealing what they can teach us about ourselves, our planet, and our relationship with other species. When writer Rebecca Giggs encountered a humpback whale stranded on her local beachfront in Australia, she began to wonder how the lives of whales reflect the condition of our oceans. Fathoms: The World in the Whale is “a work of bright and careful genius” (Robert Moor, New York Times bestselling author of On Trails), one that blends natural history, philosophy, and science to explore: How do whales experience ecological change? How has whale culture been both understood and changed by human technology? What can observing whales teach us about the complexity, splendor, and fragility of life on earth? In Fathoms, we learn about whales so rare they have never been named, whale songs that sweep across hemispheres in annual waves of popularity, and whales that have modified the chemical composition of our planet’s atmosphere. We travel to Japan to board the ships that hunt whales and delve into the deepest seas to discover how plastic pollution pervades our earth’s undersea environment. With the immediacy of Rachel Carson and the lush prose of Annie Dillard, Giggs gives us a “masterly” (The New Yorker) exploration of the natural world even as she addresses what it means to write about nature at a time of environmental crisis. With depth and clarity, she outlines the challenges we face as we attempt to understand the perspectives of other living beings, and our own place on an evolving planet. Evocative and inspiring, Fathoms “immediately earns its place in the pantheon of classics of the new golden age of environmental writing” (Literary Hub).

War of the Whales

War of the Whales PDF

Author: Joshua Horwitz

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-07

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 1451645015

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Documents the efforts of crusading lawyer Joel Renolds and marine biologist Ken Balcolm to expose a covert U.S. Navy sub detection system that caused whales to beach themselves, an effort that challenged Ken's loyalties and pitted them against powerful military adversaries.

The Whale

The Whale PDF

Author: Philip Hoare

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2011-02-08

Total Pages: 482

ISBN-13: 0061976202

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

From his childhood fascination with the gigantic Natural History Museum model of a blue whale, to his abiding love of Moby-Dick, to his adult encounters with the living animals in the Atlantic Ocean, the acclaimed writer Philip Hoare has been obsessed with whales. The Whale is his unforgettable and moving attempt to explain why these strange and beautiful animals exert such a powerful hold on our imagination.

Liar & Spy

Liar & Spy PDF

Author: Rebecca Stead

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

Published: 2012-08-07

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0375899537

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The instant New York Times bestseller from the author of the Newbery Medal winner When You Reach Me: a story about spies, games, and friendship. The first day Georges (the S is silent) moves into a new Brooklyn apartment, he sees a sign taped to a door in the basement: SPY CLUB MEETING—TODAY! That’s how he meets his twelve-year-old neigh­bor Safer. He and Georges quickly become allies—and fellow spies. Their assignment? Tracking the mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the apartment upstairs. But as Safer’s requests become more and more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: how far is too far to go for your only friend? “Will touch the hearts of kids and adults alike.” —NPR Winner of the Guardian Prize for Children’s Fiction Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more!

Sightings

Sightings PDF

Author: Brenda Peterson

Publisher: National Geographic

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780792241027

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In this powerful collection of "Sightings, " award-winning Native American author Hogan teams up with acclaimed novelist Peterson to document the serene beauty, mystery, and controversy surrounding gray whales as they migrate from Alaska to Mexico. 16-page full-color photo insert.

A Whale's World

A Whale's World PDF

Author: Nicholas Read

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Published: 2018-08-28

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13: 1459812751

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A Whale’s World follows a pod of spy-hopping orcas as they explore the ecosystems of the Great Bear Sea while hunting for their next meal. Past rocky shores and through kelp forests, they observe foraging wolves, hungry grizzly bears, curious black bears, graceful fin whales, splashing porpoises, slippery seals and other members of the Pacific coastal food web. The book gives readers a fun introduction to the many ways that marine and land animals interact with their environments and with each other.

Listening to Whales

Listening to Whales PDF

Author: Alexandra Morton

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2008-12-30

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 0307487547

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In Listening to Whales, Alexandra Morton shares spellbinding stories about her career in whale and dolphin research and what she has learned from and about these magnificent mammals. In the late 1970s, while working at Marineland in California, Alexandra pioneered the recording of orca sounds by dropping a hydrophone into the tank of two killer whales. She recorded the varied language of mating, childbirth, and even grief after the birth of a stillborn calf. At the same time she made the startling observation that the whales were inventing wonderful synchronized movements, a behavior that was soon recognized as a defining characteristic of orca society. In 1984, Alexandra moved to a remote bay in British Columbia to continue her research with wild orcas. Her recordings of the whales have led her to a deeper understanding of the mystery of whale echolocation, the vocal communication that enables the mammals to find their way in the dark sea. A fascinating study of the profound communion between humans and whales, this book will open your eyes anew to the wonders of the natural world.

CRISPR

CRISPR PDF

Author: Yolanda Ridge

Publisher: Annick Press

Published: 2020-09-08

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 177321425X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

We can change the world with gene editing—but should we? CRISPR stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. If it sounds complicated, it is—but it’s also one of the most powerful ways we can shape the future. And it’s poised to completely upend the way we think about science. Author Yolanda Ridge tackles this topic in a friendly and accessible tone, with two introductory chapters covering the basics of DNA and gene editing before taking readers through the ways that this ground-breaking science could affect them by potentially: • eliminating diseases like malaria and cancer, • improving the stability of our food supply, and • helping to manage conservation efforts for threatened animals and environments. But all of these possible advancements come with risks, the biggest being that the consequences are unknown. Chapters end with “Stop, Go, Yield” sections encouraging readers to consider the pros and cons of using CRISPR. “Cutting Questions” give readers the opportunity to further reflect on the ethics of the science. CRISPR is a game changer. This important book, with detailed scientific illustrations, brings much needed clarity to a topic that will affect readers for generations to come. *A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Beluga

Beluga PDF

Author: Pierre Béland

Publisher: Lyons Press

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A very powerful chronicle of the St. Lawrence River Beluga whales which were hunted to near extinction until given legal protection in 1979, and are now quite literally dying from pollution. Beland (senior research scientist, St. Lawrence National institute of Ecotoxicology) describes the Beluga history, how they live now, the pollution threats to them, and ways in which this kind of tragedy can be prevented in the future, although it looks like it's too late for the Beluga; thus the volume also serves as their elegy. Includes color photographs. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR