"As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise.""--

"Bears have always held a central place in our collective memory, from Indigenous folklore and Greek mythology to nineteenth-century fairytales and the modern toy shop. But as humans and bears come into ever-closer contact, our relationship nears a tipping point. Today, most of the eight remaining bear species are threatened with extinction. Some, such as the panda bear and the polar bear, are icons of the natural world; others, such as the spectacled...

Climate influences the features of the landscape, what farmers can grow, where people live, and the type of houses they build. But what happens when the climate changes abruptly and dramatically, not as part of a natural process of change but because of human activity? The result is more frequent and stronger extreme weather events such as heat waves, storms, torrential rain, raging winds, and hurricanes. This fascinating book uses case studies to...

"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"--

Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people -- regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity -- are mesmerized by baby animals, and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons? We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy. Increasingly,...

Surveys the early history of Africa, from the origin of humanity, through the blossoming of the continent, to the conquest of Africa by the Romans.

Explores the cause of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, their effects on the environment, and what is being done to lessen the devastation they cause.

"A squirrel in the garden. A rat in the wall. A pigeon on the street. Humans have spent so much of our history drawing a hard line between human spaces and wild places. When animals pop up where we don't expect or want them, we respond with fear, rage, or simple annoyance. It's no longer an animal. It's a pest. At the intersection of science, history, and narrative journalism, Pests is not a simple call to look closer at our urban ecosystem. It's...

Publisher's description: Renowned scientist and author Steve Jones reveals the mysteries of maleness and arrives at a startling conclusion: men are actually the second sex. Beginning with what men consider the "prince of chromosomes" -- Y -- Jones delves into the latest research on what makes a man. He explores hormones, hair loss, and the hydraulics of erections. We learn that estrogen, the so-called female hormone, is critical in male puberty and...