| Greenpeace to appeal Tokyo Two sentence Greenpeace says it will appeal the conviction of two Japanese anti-whaling protesters who were convicted of stealing a box of whale meat yesterday. abc.net.au |
Birdbooker Report 136 | GrrlScientist Compiled by an ardent bibliophile, this is a weekly report about nature, science and history books that have been newly published in North America and the UKBooks to the ceiling, Books to the sky,My pile of books is a mile high.How I love them! How I need them!I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. ~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books. Compiled by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, the Birdbooker Report is a long-running weekly report listing the wide variety of nature, natural history, ecology, animal behaviour, science and history books that have been newly released or republished in North America and in the UK. The books listed here were received by Ian during the previous week, courtesy of these various publishing houses. New and Recent Titles: Pyle, Robert Michael. Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year. 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hardbound: 558 pages. Price: $27.00 U.S. [Amazon UK: £15.76; Amazon US: $21.60]. SUMMARY: Part road-trip tale, part travelogue of lost and found landscapes, all good-natured natural history, Mariposa Road, tracks Bob Pyle's journey across the United States as he races against the calendar in his search for as many of the 800 American butterflies as he can find.Like Pyle's classic Chasing Monarchs [Amazon UK; Amazon US], Mariposa Road recounts his adventures, high and low, in tracking down butterflies in his own low-tech, individual way. Accompanied by Marsha, his cottonwood-limb butterfly net; Powdermilk, his 1982 Honda Civic with 345,000 miles on the odometer; and the small Leitz binoculars he has carried for more than thirty years, Bob ventured out in a series of remarkable trips from his Northwest home.From the California coastline in company with overwintering monarchs to the Far Northern tundra in pursuit of mysterious sulphurs and arctics; from the zebras and daggerwings of the Everglades to the leafwings, bluewings, and border rarities of the lower Rio Grande; from Graceland to ranchland and Kauai to Key West, these intimate encounters with the land, its people, and its fading fauna are wholly original. At turns whimsical, witty, informative, and inspirational, Mariposa Road is an extraordinary journey of discovery that leads the reader ever farther into butterfly country and deeper into the heart of the naturalist.IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: Fans of Pyle's other works should like this title. Thompson III, Bill. Identifying and Feeding Birds. 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Paperback: 246 pages. Price: $14.95 U.S. [Amazon UK: £8.72; Amazon US: $10.76]. SUMMARY: This readable, friendly guide is intended for bird watchers and non–bird watchers alike—for anyone who wants to enjoy nature right in his or her own backyard.The longtime editor of Bird Watcher's Digest magazine and author of numerous books on birds, Bill Thompson III has been feeding and watching birds for forty years. He has tried everything, and here he shares what he's learned so that readers can avoid mistakes and skip right to successful bird feeding. He also debunks common myths about bird feeding: Does feeding birds stop them from migrating? Will birds starve if you leave your feeders empty after the birds have come to rely on them?In an easygoing and lighthearted style, seven chapters cover all the elements needed to attract birds to a backyard (food, water, shelter) and address special cases and problems (keeping bees out of the hummingbird feeder, preventing birds from flying into windows, and much more). The final chapter profiles the 130 species that are most common at backyard feeders in North America. No separate field guide is needed; it's all right here—everything a beginner needs to know to attract birds and then figure out what kind they are.IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: A good general introduction on these subjects, but the eastern bias will limit its usefulness in western North America. Ungar, Peter S. Mammal Teeth: Origin, Evolution, and Diversity. 2010. Johns Hopkins University Press. Hardbound: 304 pages. Price: $95.00 U.S. [Amazon UK: £47.03; Amazon US: $77.69]. SUMMARY: In this unique book, Peter S. Ungar tells the story of mammalian teeth from their origin through their evolution to their current diversity.Mammal Teeth traces the evolutionary history of teeth, beginning with the very first mineralized vertebrate structures half a billion years ago. Ungar describes how the simple conical tooth of early vertebrates became the molars, incisors, and other forms we see in mammals today. Evolutionary adaptations changed pointy teeth into flatter ones, with specialized shapes designed to complement the corresponding jaw.Ungar explains tooth structure and function in the context of nutritional needs. The myriad tooth shapes produced by evolution offer different solutions to the fundamental problem of how to squeeze as many nutrients as possible out of foods. The book also highlights Ungar's own path—breaking studies that show how microwear analysis can help us understand ancient diets.The final part of the book provides an in—depth examination of mammalian teeth today, surveying all orders in the class, family by family. Ungar describes some of the more bizarre teeth, such as tusks, and the mammal diversity that accompanies these morphological wonders.Mammal Teeth captures the evolution of mammals, including humans, through the prism of dental change. Synthesizing decades of research, Ungar reveals the interconnections among mammal diet, dentition, and evolution. His book is a must read for paleontologists, mammalogists, and anthropologists.IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: I think dentists will like to read this book too! You can read the early Birdbooker Reports in the archives on my former ScienceBlogs site, and Ian now has his own website, The Birdbooker Report, where you can read his synopses about newly published science, nature and animal books.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
In vitro UK pioneer Edwards wins medicine Nobel By KARL RITTER and MALIN RISING 2010-10-04T15:22:10ZSTOCKHOLM (AP) -- Robert Edwards of Britain won the 2010 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for developing in vitro fertilization, a breakthrough that has helped millions of infertile couples have children but also ignited an enduring controversy with religious groups.... hosted.ap.org |
Killer of Aspen Slows, but Worries About a Beloved Tree Remain Tree lovers and scientists felt the impact of the die-off in the West, but sudden aspen decline appears to have stabilized. feeds.nytimes.com |
Fuel Lines of Tumors Are New Target Approaches include depriving tumor cells of energy and boosting their energy to enable cell suicide. feeds.nytimes.com |