Showing titles in Biology

To date, more than a million insect species have been described, with probably at least another 5-8 million species waiting in the wings for a name. Insects are a fascinatingly diverse and beautiful spectrum of animals. They range in size from the tiny parasitic wasp, measuring a mere 139µm, to the aptly named Titan beetle, which can reach lengths of up to 17cm. They can be found on all continents of the world, from the Sahara Desert to the frozen wastes of Antarctica. While no insects live beneath the waves, the intrepid sea skaters skim the surface of some of the world's oceans.

Las ideas más peregrinas tienen hoy que adoptar una vestidura "científica" para obtener credibilidad. No son ahora extrañas las "pruebas" de abducciones extraterrestres o de poderes telepáticos o los "documentos" que respaldan que el Holocausto nunca ocurrió. Schermer se interna en ese mundo de profetas y visionarios, fundamentalistas religiosos e "historiadores" racistas, y nos ofrece un análisis de sus credos y métodos, que desmonta pieza a pieza, aplicando nada más que el pensamiento científico.

Was ist Leben? Und was bedeutet die Antwort auf diese Frage für die Herausforderungen, denen sich die Menschheit heute gegenübersieht - Klimawandel, Pandemien und Artensterben? Paul Nurse erhielt den Nobelpreis dafür, gezeigt zu haben, wie lebende Zellen funktionieren. In seinem so klar wie elegant verfassten Buch synthetisiert er auf wenigen Seiten sämtliches Wissen darüber, was es heißt, am Leben zu sein. Schritt für Schritt erläutert Nurse die fünf revolutionären Ideen, die der Biologie zugrunde liegen - die Zelle, das Gen, Evolution durch natürliche Selektion, das Leben als Chemie und das Leben als Information.

Honey bees get all the press, but the fascinating story of North America's native bees - an endangered species essential to our ecosystems and food supplies - is just as crucial. Our Native Bees is the result of Paige Embry's yearlong quest to learn more about these forgotten, yet fundamental, creatures. Through interviews with farmers, gardeners, scientists, and bee experts, Embry explores the importance of native bees and focuses on why they play a key role in gardening and agriculture.

Siroccos, Santa Anas, chinooks, monsoons...the wind has as many names as moods. Few other forces have so universally shaped the lands and waters of the earth, the plants and animals, the patterns of exploration, settlement, and civilization. Few other phenomena have exerted such a profound influence on the history and psyche of humankind. Wind touches all of us every day of our lives, yet remarkably little has been written about it except as a component of the weather.

In Methusaleh's Zoo, Steven Austad tells the stories of some extraordinary animals, considering why, for example, animal species that fly live longer than earthbound species and why animals found in the ocean live longest of all. Austad—the leading authority on longevity in animals—argues that the best way we will learn from these long-lived animals is by studying them in the wild.

Verglichen mit anderen Erdbewohnern dauert ein Menschenleben nur einen Wimpernschlag: Kalifornische Redwoods können fünftausend Jahre alt werden, einige Quallenarten kehren ihren Alterungsprozess um und manche Bakterien sind sogar unsterblich. Molekularbiologe Nicklas Brendborg nimmt die Leser:innen mit in die entlegensten Winkel der Welt und die modernsten Forschungslabors; unterwegs zu den ältesten Menschen, zu Zombiezellen und zu Experimenten, die unsere grundlegenden Vorstellungen vom Leben auf den Kopf stellen.

From ants scurrying under leaf litter to bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are everywhere. Three out of every four of our planet's known animal species are insects. In The Insect Crisis, Oliver Milman dives into the torrent of recent evidence that suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential crisis in its remarkable 400-million-year history.

‘What is it like to be a bat?’, the philosopher Thomas Nagel famously asked concerning consciousness. For biologist Martin Stevens, the question forms the starting point of an exploration of animal senses. In this enthralling account, we learn not only of the wonder of animal senses, but how they work and how scientists go about investigating them. And, throughout, we consider how these senses came to be.

Morange covers everything from the first cell theory to the origins of the concept of ecosystems, and offers perspectives on areas that are often neglected by historians of biology, such as ecology, ethology, and plant biology. He highlights the contributions of technology, the important role of hypothesis and experimentation, and the cultural contexts in which some of the most breathtaking discoveries in biology were made. Unrivaled in scope and written by a world-renowned historian of science, A History of Biology is an ideal introduction for students and experts alike.

If you have a taste for honey or an adventurous side, maybe you have thought of becoming a beekeeper. What would you really be in for, though? Is it really a job, or is it a fun way to get your own honey? Well, it's really both. Being a beekeeper is a lot of work, but it also has a lot of benefits. Anyone can do it, as long as they know to be prepared. You can't just wake up one day and decided to be a beekeeper and start immediately, without knowing what you are doing.

De plus en plus, des percées déroutantes redéfinissent la biologie. Le fondateur de la chaîne YouTube DirtyBiology s'en fait l'écho et propose des informations impertinentes et instructives sur les gènes, la vie ou l'évolution.

Spontaneous generation of living organisms - life arising without progenitor or seed - was a common belief in the time of Aristotle. Over the next 2,000 years, support for spontaneous generation slowly retreated to its final stronghold: spontaneous formation of the first living organism.

As one of the most beautiful and intriguing birds found in nature, hummingbirds fascinate people around the world. The lightest birds in the sky, hummingbirds are capable of incredible feats, such as flying backwards, diving at speeds of 61 MPH, and beating their wings more than 60 times a second. Miraculous creatures, they are also incredibly vulnerable when they first emerge from their eggs. That’s where Brenda Sherburn comes in. With tenderness and patience, she rescues abandoned hummingbirds and nurses them back to health until they can fly away and live in the wild.

Are you a clueless reptile owner who knows nothing about the history of reptiles? Do you want to bond with your reptile and learn more about their ancestors, what they are truly capable of and how they became our adorable and trustworthy companions? Be fascinated by amazing facts about reptiles as it relates to their biology, their history, incredible records and even their significance in mythology and religions all over the world. Tickle your brain by playing this audiobook for a smooth uninterrupted narration by a professional narrator.

Presenters Becky Ripley and Emily Knight mull over a multitude of bewildering and brain-teasing questions as they try to make sense of what we humans are all about - with a little help from some other species. What can the swirling patterns in a starling murmuration tell us about the way our ideas spread? Can ants teach us anything about avoiding a pandemic? And how could a brainless single-cell slime mould help to solve our trickiest problems?

Race has provided the rationale and excuse for some of the worst atrocities in human history. Yet, according to many biologists, physical anthropologists, and geneticists, there is no valid scientific justification for the concept of race. To be more precise, although there is clearly some physical basis for the variations that underlie perceptions of race, clear boundaries among "races" remain highly elusive from a purely biological standpoint.

John Tyler Bonner, one of our most distinguished and insightful biologists, here challenges a central tenet of evolutionary biology. In this concise, elegantly written book, he makes the bold and provocative claim that some biological diversity may be explained by something other than natural selection. With his customary wit and accessible style, Bonner makes an argument for the underappreciated role that randomness - or chance - plays in evolution.

Experience a refreshing adrenaline rush on this NPR guided tour of the ultimate in outdoor fun: Whether whitewater rafting on the Hudson River, mountain climbing in the Himalayas, kayaking in Alaska, airboarding in Oregon's Cascade mountains, or bungee jumping in Australia, each story is an amazing sound adventure - and a great escape. The NPR Sound Treks series brings the outdoors to life with outstanding audio documentaries, stories, and commentary from the NPR archives.

Most of us think of bugs as pesky creatures we squish under our shoes or bat away with our hands. Under the microscope of Sue Hubbell’s keen eye emerges an exciting world we rarely take the time to see. Author of A Country Year, Hubbell writes regularly for The New Yorker, Smithsonian, and Discover magazines, bringing to her delightful essays the practical veracity of a gentlewoman farmer, and the style and élan of an eccentric who has found her bliss.