The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Species

The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Species PDF Author: Marianne Taylor
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 026204448X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
Souvenirs of the planet: Ten (and a half) life forms, each of which explains a key aspect of life on Earth. If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on earth, which would they be? This is the thought-provoking premise of Marianne Taylor's The Story of Life in 10 and a Half Species. Each life forms explains a key aspect about life on Earth. From the sponge that seems to be a plant but is really an animal to the almost extinct soft-shelled turtle deemed extremely unique and therefore extremely precious, these examples reveal how life itself is arranged across time and space, and how humanity increasingly dominates that vision. Taylor, a prolific science writer, considers the chemistry of a green plant and ponders the possibility of life beyond our world; investigates the virus in an attempt to determine what a life form is; and wonders if the human—“a distinct and very dominant species with an inevitably biased view of life”— could evolve in a new direction. She tells us that the giraffe was one species, but is now four; that the dusky seaside sparrow may be revived through “re-evolution,” or cloning; explains the significance of Darwin's finch to evolution; and much more. The “half” species is artificial intelligence. Itself an experiment to understand and model life, AI is central to our future—although from the alien visitor's standpoint, unlikely to inherit the earth in the long run.

The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Species

The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Species PDF Author: Marianne Taylor
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 026204448X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
Souvenirs of the planet: Ten (and a half) life forms, each of which explains a key aspect of life on Earth. If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on earth, which would they be? This is the thought-provoking premise of Marianne Taylor's The Story of Life in 10 and a Half Species. Each life forms explains a key aspect about life on Earth. From the sponge that seems to be a plant but is really an animal to the almost extinct soft-shelled turtle deemed extremely unique and therefore extremely precious, these examples reveal how life itself is arranged across time and space, and how humanity increasingly dominates that vision. Taylor, a prolific science writer, considers the chemistry of a green plant and ponders the possibility of life beyond our world; investigates the virus in an attempt to determine what a life form is; and wonders if the human—“a distinct and very dominant species with an inevitably biased view of life”— could evolve in a new direction. She tells us that the giraffe was one species, but is now four; that the dusky seaside sparrow may be revived through “re-evolution,” or cloning; explains the significance of Darwin's finch to evolution; and much more. The “half” species is artificial intelligence. Itself an experiment to understand and model life, AI is central to our future—although from the alien visitor's standpoint, unlikely to inherit the earth in the long run.

The Story of the World in 100 Species

The Story of the World in 100 Species PDF Author: Christopher Lloyd
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1408876388
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418

Get Book Here

Book Description
The author of What on Earth Happened? offers a radical new look at the story of Earth, seen through the prism of the living things that have had the greatest impacts on the planet.

Strange New Species

Strange New Species PDF Author: Elin Kelsey
Publisher: Owlkids
ISBN: 9781897066317
Category : Biology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
A look at the new species of animals and plant that scientists discovered around the world, including a monkey the size of a finger, a whale nobody has ever seen, and many more.

Tamed

Tamed PDF Author: Alice Roberts
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473538831
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book Here

Book Description
**'A masterpiece of evocative scientific storytelling.' BRIAN COX** **'Will appeal to fans of Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens'. Mail on Sunday ** The extraordinary story of the species that became our allies. Dogs became our companions Wheat fed a booming population Cattle gave us meat and milk Maize fuelled the growth of empires Potatoes brought us feast and famine Chickens led us to wonder about tomorrow Rice promised us a golden future Horses gave us strength and speed Apples travelled with us HUMANS TAMED THEM ALL For hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors depended on wild plants and animals to stay alive – until they began to tame them. Combining archaeology and cutting-edge genetics, Tamed tells the story of the greatest revolution in human history and reveals the fascinating origins of ten crucial domesticated species; and how they, in turn, transformed us. In a world creaking under the strain of human activity, Alice Roberts urges us to look again at our relationship with the natural world – and our huge influence upon it. AN ECONOMIST AND MAIL ON SUNDAY 'BOOK OF THE YEAR' 2017

A Gap in Nature

A Gap in Nature PDF Author: Tim Fridtjof Flannery
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
ISBN: 9780871137975
Category : Extinct animals
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Get Book Here

Book Description
A short description of the extinct animal along with a color drawing.

How Birds Live Together

How Birds Live Together PDF Author: Marianne Taylor
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691231923
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Get Book Here

Book Description
A beautifully illustrated exploration of the ways birds cohabit Featuring dramatic and delightful wild bird colonies and communities, How Birds Live Together offers a broad overview of social living in the avian world. From long-established seabird colonies that use the same cliffs for generations to the fast-shifting dynamics of flock formation, leading wildlife writer Marianne Taylor explores the different ways birds choose to dwell together. Through fascinating text, color photos, maps, and other graphics, Taylor examines the advantages of avian sociality and social breeding. Chapters provide detailed information on diverse types of bird colonies, including those species that construct single-family nests close together in trees; those that share large, communal nests housing multiple families; those that nest in tunnels dug into the earth; those that form exposed colonies on open ground and defend them collectively, relying on ferocious aggression; those that live communally on human-made structures in towns and cities; and more. Taylor discusses the challenges, benefits, hazards, and social dynamics of each style of living, and features a wealth of species as examples. Showcasing colonies from the edge of Scotland and the tropical delta of the Everglades to the Namib Desert in Africa, How Birds Live Together gives bird enthusiasts a vivid understanding of avian social communities.

My Scrapbook of the Story of Life (by Professor Genius)

My Scrapbook of the Story of Life (by Professor Genius) PDF Author: QA international Collectif QA international Collectif
Publisher: Québec Amerique
ISBN: 2764409028
Category : Evolution (Biology)
Languages : en
Pages : 68

Get Book Here

Book Description


Species

Species PDF Author: Robert Andrew Wilson
Publisher: Bradford Books
ISBN: 9780262232012
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 325

Get Book Here

Book Description
Drawing on the perspectives of prominent researchers from anthropology, botany, develop- mental psychology, the philosophy of biology and science, protoevolutionary biology and the philosophy of biology and science, protozoology, and zoology, provides some focus on general claims about and views of species. DLC: Species--Philosophy.

Sydney Brenner's 10-on-10: The Chronicles Of Evolution

Sydney Brenner's 10-on-10: The Chronicles Of Evolution PDF Author: Shuzhen Sim
Publisher: Wildtype Books
ISBN: 9811197164
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Get Book Here

Book Description
Humans now wield a greater influence on the planet than any other species in history, and human-developed technologies like genetic engineering and artificial intelligence stand poised to overtake biological evolution. Just how did we arrive at this unique moment in human history, 14 billion years after the birth of the universe Sydney Brenner's 10-on-10: The Chronicles of Evolution brings together 24 prominent scientists and thinkers to trace the story of evolution through ten logarithmic scales of time. Through expert insights, this unique volume considers how humans found our place in the cosmos, and imagines what lies ahead.Published by Wildtype Books and distributed by World Scientific Publishing Co.

Survival

Survival PDF Author: Julie E. Czerneda
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
ISBN: 1101010878
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 423

Get Book Here

Book Description
Biologist Mackenzie Connor is charged with protecting the human race after a devastating alien invasion in this first book in the Species Imperative science fiction series Herself a biologist, Julie E. Czerneda has earned a reputation in science fiction circles for her ability to create beautifully crafted, imaginative, yet believably realized alien races. In Survival, the first novel in her new series, Species Imperative, she draws upon this talent to build races, characters, and a universe which will draw readers into a magnificent tale of interstellar intrigue, as an Earth scientist is caught up in a terrifying interspecies conflict. Senior co-administrator of the Norcoast Salmon Research Facility, Dr. Mackenzie Connor, Mac to her friends and colleagues, was a trained biologist, whose work had definitely become her life. And working at Norcoast Base, set in an ideal location just where the Tannu River sped down the west side of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast was the perfect situation for Mac. She and fellow scientist Dr. Emily Mamani were just settling in to monitor this year's salmon runs when their research was interrupted by the unprecedented arrival of Brymn, the first member of the alien race known as the Ohryn to ever set foot on Earth. Brymn was an archaeologist, and much of his research had focused on a region of space known as the Chasm, a part of the universe that was literally dead, all of its worlds empty of any life-forms, though traces existed of the civilizations that must once have flourished in the region. Brymn had sought out Mac because she was a biologist -- a discipline strictly forbidden among his own people -- and he felt that through her expertise she might be able to help him discover what had created the Chasm. But Mac had little interest in alien races and in studies that ranged beyond Earth, and as politely as she was capable of, she tried to make it clear that she was unwilling to abandon her own work. However, the decision was soon taken out of her hands when a mysterious and devastating attack on the Base resulted in the abduction of Emily, and forced Mac to flee for her life with Brymn and the Earth special agents who were escorting him. Suddenly, it appeared that Earth itself might be under attack by the legendary race the Ohryn called the Ro, the beings they thought might be the destructive force behind the Chasm. Cut off from everything and everyone she knew, Mac found herself in grave danger and charged with the responsibility of learning everything she could that might possibly aid Earth in protecting the human race from extinction...