Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a

Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone

"A book full of wonders"Â â€”Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk

"Witty, insightful. . . .The story of jellyfish. . . is a significant part of the environmental story. Berwald's engaging account of these delicate, often ignored creatures shows how much they matter to our oceans' future."Â â€”New York Times Book ReviewÂ

Jellyfish have been swimming in our oceans for well over half a billion years, longer than any other animal that lives on the planet. They make a venom so toxic it can kill a human in three minutes. Their stingâ€”microscopic spears that pierce with five million times the acceleration of gravityâ€”is the fastest known motion in the animal kingdom. Made of roughly 95 percent water, some jellies are barely perceptible virtuosos of disguise, while others glow with a luminescence that has revolutionized biotechnology. Yet until recently, jellyfish were largely ignored by science, and they remain among the most poorly understood of ocean dwellers.

More than a decade ago, Juli Berwald left a career in ocean science to raise a family in landlocked Austin, Texas, but jellyfish drew her back to the sea. Recent, massive blooms of billions of jellyfish have clogged power plants, decimated fisheries, and caused millions of dollars of damage. Driven by questions about how overfishing, coastal development, and climate change were contributing to a jellyfish population explosion, Juli embarked on a scientific odyssey. She traveled the globe to meet the biologists who devote their careers to jellies, hitched rides on Japanese fishing boats to see giant jellyfish in the wild, raised jellyfish in her dining room, and throughout it all marveled at the complexity of these alluring and ominous biological wonders.

Gracefully blending personal memoir with crystal-clear distillations of science, Spineless is the story of how Juli learned to navigate and ultimately embrace her ambition, her curiosity, and her passion for the natural world. She discovers that jellyfish science is more than just a quest for answers. Itâ€™s a call to realize our collective responsibility for the planet we share.
Country USA
Manufacturer Riverhead Books
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 0735211264_used
ReleaseDate 2017-11-07
EANs 9780735211261

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Riverhead Books
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	0735211264_used
ReleaseDate	2017-11-07
EANs	9780735211261

Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone

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