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Nature and Science April 2020
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Welcome Back to the Nature & Science Newsletter! This month we are focused on ebooks and e-magazines. (There are a few audiobooks on the list.) The ebooks are available from the Blue Ridge Download Consortium and Hoopla. Magazines are available from RBDigital. |
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No one is too small to make a difference
by Greta Thunberg
"The groundbreaking speeches of Greta Thunberg, the young climate activist who has become the voice of a generation, including her historic address to the United Nations".
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The body : a guide for occupants
by Bill Bryson
The award-winning author of A Short History of Nearly Everything presents an engaging head-to-toe tour of the human body that shares anecdotal insights into its functions, ability to heal and vulnerability to disease. Illustrations. Available as both an ebook and audiobook.
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Nature & Walking
by Ralph Waldo Emerson & Henry David Thoreau
Together in one volume, Emerson's Nature and Thoreau's Walking, is writing that defines our distinctly American relationship to nature.
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The stranger in the woods : The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
by Michael Finkel
Documents the true story of a man who endured an isolated existence in a tent in the Maine woods, never speaking with others and surviving by stealing supplies from nearby cabins, for twenty-seven years, and illuminates the reasons behind his solitary life. Availale as both an ebook and audiobook.
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Book titles from Hoopla. Search for science and nature movies in Hoopla too! |
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Rise of wolf 8 : witnessing the triumph of Yellowstone's underdog
by Rick Mcintyre
A renowned wolf researcher and gifted storyteller, in this first book in a bold new trilogy, presents the extraordinary account of Wolf 8, who was brought to Yellowstone National Park from Canada in 1995, and how he adjusted to his fellow wolves and new surroundings. Illustrations. Maps.
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Supernavigators : exploring the wonders of how animals find their way
by David Barrie
Draws on interviews with leading behavioral scientists and observations collected through newly developed research tools in a tour of the cutting-edge science of animals with astonishing navigation talents, from butterflies and birds to reptiles and whales. 20,000 first printing.
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Prairie : a natural history
by Candace Sherk Savage
Stunningly presented illustrations capture the beautiful and haunting vistas of North America's central grasslands, as well as sidebars illuminating a wide variety of species, and other aspects of natural history and tales of successful conservation projects.
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Leaving Earth : Space Stations, Rival Superpowers And The Quest For Interplanetary Travel
by Robert Zimmerman
Drawing on his vast store of knowledge about space travel and modern history, as well as hundreds of interviews with cosmonauts, astronauts, and scientists, Zimmerman has superbly captured the exciting story of space travel in the last half of the twentieth century. "Leaving Earth" tells that story, and is required reading for space and history enthusiasts alike who wish to understand the context of the space exploration renaissance taking place now, in the twenty-first century.
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Rainforest : Dispatches from Earth's Most Vital Frontlines
by Tony Juniper
Rainforests have long been recognized as hotspots of biodiversity--but they are crucial for our planet in other surprising ways. Not only do these fascinating ecosystems thrive in rainy regions, they create rain themselves, and this moisture is spread around the globe. Rainforests across the world have a powerful and concrete impact, reaching as far as America's Great Plains and central Europe. In Rainforest: Dispatches from Earth's Most Vital Frontlines, a prominent conservationist provides a comprehensive view of the crucial roles rainforests serve, the state of the world's rainforests today, and the inspirational efforts underway to save them. In Rainforest, Tony Juniper draws upon decades of work in rainforest conservation. He brings readers along on his journeys, from the thriving forests of Costa Rica to Indonesia, where palm oil plantations have supplanted much of the former rainforest. Despite many ominous trends, Juniper sees hope for rainforests and those who rely upon them, thanks to developments like new international agreements, corporate deforestation policies, and movements from local and Indigenous communities. As climate change intensifies, we have already begun to see the effects of rainforest destruction on the planet at large. Rainforest provides a detailed and wide-ranging look at the health and future of these vital ecosystems. Throughout this evocative book, Juniper argues that in saving rainforests, we save ourselves, too. This book was featured in an earlier newsletter, but here you can access the ebook.
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Magical experiments : scientific amusements to entertain and instruct
by Tom Tit
"A rare book that feels equally of its time and timeless, this collection of vintage magazine articles presents simple hands-on experiments that seem as much like parlor tricks as they do scientific discoveries. The illusions introduce a range of principles, including centrifugal force, magnetism, and atmospheric pressure. Employing such common household items as corks, bottles, eggs, and soap, the feats are delightfully easy to conduct. More than 150 experiments, each accompanied by a charming period engraving, promise to amuse and astonish viewers. Stunts include making an egg waltz and a banana peel itself, balancing a plate on the point of a needle and a cup of coffee on a knife blade, changing water into wine and back again, and scores of other exploits. Created by French engineer and science educator Arthur Good, these experiments are regarded as the foundations of the modern approach to science education"
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Shaped by Snow : Defending the Future of Winter
by Ayja Bounous
Defending the Future of Winter. Skier and debut author Ayja Bounous explores threats to the winters and watershed in the face of climate change and the far–reaching impacts of a diminishing snowpack on the American West-not only from ecological and economic perspectives, but also in regard to emotional and psychological health, as she realizes how deeply her personal relationships are tied to the snow–covered mountains of Utah's Wasatch rangeook Annotation
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What Do Animals Think and Feel? : An Investigation into Emotion and Behavior
by Karsten Brensing
Book AnnotatiIn What Do Animals Think and Feel?, the biologist Karsten Brensing has something astonishing to tell us about the animal kingdom: namely that animals, by any reasonable assessment, have developed the sophisticated systems of social organization and behaviour that human beings call 'culture'. Dolphins call one another by name and orcas inhabit a culture that is over 700,000 years old. Chimpanzees wage strategic warfare, while bonobos delight in dirty talk. Ravens enjoy snowboarding on snow-covered roofs, and snails like to spin on hamster exercise wheels. Humped-back whales follow the dictates of fashion and rats are dedicated party animals. Ants recognize themselves in mirrors and spruce themselves up before they return home. Ducklings can pass complicated tests in abstract thinking. Dogs punish disloyalty, though they are also capable of forgiveness if you apologize to them. Brensing draws on the latest scientific findings as well as his own experience working with animals, to reveal a world of behavioural and cognitive sophistication that is remarkable similar to our own.on
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Nerve : adventures in the science of fear
by Eva Holland
The award-winning Outside correspondent illuminates how fears and phobias play a key role in both staying and feeling alive, exploring what high-risk activities and cutting-edge research reveal about universal existential questions.
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Ecological Footprint : Managing Our Biocapacity Budget
by Mathis Wackernagel
The only metric that tracks how much nature we have – and how much nature we use Our economy is running a Bernie Madoff-style Ponzi scheme with the planet. We use future resources to run the present, using more than Earth can replenish. Like any such scheme, this works for a limited time, followed by a crash. Avoiding ecological bankruptcy requires rigorous resource accounting - a challenging task, but doable with the right tools. Ecological Footprint accounting, first introduced in the 1990s and continuously developed, continues to be the only metric that compares overall human demand on nature with what our planet can renew - its biocapacity - and distils this into one number: how many Earths we use. Ecological Footprint provides a complete introduction, covering: Footprint and biocapacity accounting Data and key findings for nations Worldwide examples including businesses, cities, and countries Strategies for creating regenerative economies Whether you're a student, business leader, future-oriented city planner, economist, or have an abiding interest in humanity's future, Footprint and biocapacity are key parameters to be reckoned with and Ecological Footprint is your essential guide.
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Overrun : dispatches from the Asian carp crisis
by Andrew Reeves
Intelligent investigative writing meets experiential journalism in this important look at one of North America's most voraciously invasive species. Politicians, ecologists, and government wildlife officials are fighting a desperate rearguard action to halt the onward reach of Asian Carp, four troublesome fish now within a handful of miles from entering Lake Michigan. From aquaculture farms in Arkansas to the bayous of Louisiana; from marshlands in Indiana to labs in Minnesota; and from the Illinois River to the streets of Chicago where the last line of defense has been laid to keep Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, Overrun takes us on a firsthand journey into the heart of a crisis. Along the way, environmental journalist Andrew Reeves discovers that saving the Great Lakes is only half the challenge. The other is a radical scientific and political shift to rethink how we can bring back our degraded and ignored rivers and waterways and reconsider how we create equilibrium in a shrinking world. With writing that is both urgent and wildly entertaining, Andrew Reeves traces the carp's explosive spread throughout North America from an unknown import meant to tackle invasive water weeds to a continental scourge that bulldozes through everything in its path.
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Dinosaurs the grand tour : everything worth knowing about dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops
by Keiron Pim
"Now completely revised and updated: a compendium of more than 300 dinosaurs, their key anatomy, geology, and history at a glance"Everything Worth Knowing About Dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops. We live in a golden age of archaeological discovery-the perfect time to dig into the spectacular world of dinosaurs. From Aardonyx, a lumbering beast that formed a link between two‑ and four‑legged dinosaurs, to Zuniceratops, who boasted a deadly pair of horns, Dinosaurs-The Grand Tour, Second Edition details everything worth knowing about more than 300 dinosaurs. The important discoveries and gory details touch on topics from geology, anatomy, and evolution to astronomy and even Native American and Chinese myth. Fascinating facts abound: Giganotosaurus was longer, two tons heavier, and had bigger jaws than T. Rex. The poison‑spitting Dilophosaurus from Jurassic Park wasn't actually venomous at all. Because of its bizarre single‑clawed hands, scientists now believe Mononykus was a prehistoric ancestor of the anteater !Illustrations on virtually every page, true to the latest findings, bring these prehistoric creatures to life in all their razor‑sharp, long‑necked, spiny, scaly glory.
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Several magazines with science or nature articles are available from RBDigital. Mother Earth News, Popular Science and Outside magazine are in this collection for you to enjoy. Both National Geographic and Smithsonian have special Earth Day issues! |
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