This is the author’s debut book that reflects on his passion for the neuroscience of human memory. His work is recounBiological forces of human memory
This is the author’s debut book that reflects on his passion for the neuroscience of human memory. His work is recounted with enthusiasm especially on his interactions with his patients in a clinical setting. Each chapter is a testament to the importance of neurobiological and neuropsychological research that sheds light on how our past shapes our current reality. There are hidden forces of memory behind our perception of the present. There is also a discussion of how memories are integrated with the memory of others. Humans have episodic memory for specific events or experiences, and semantic memory of facts and derived knowledge. Memory is not a unitary process, but it is due to specific regions of brain working together: The hippocampus and surrounding medial temporal lobe structures are primarily responsible for the episodic memory and retrieval. Memory provides us with a storehouse of knowledge and past experiences that we can draw upon to solve problems and navigate new challenges in an ever-changing world. The author also argues that forgetting isn't a failure of memory, but it is a mechanism that allows our brains to prioritize information that helps us navigate and make sense of the world. Thus, making mindful choices in the present to curate a set of memories to move forward into the future.
Memory, in its various forms across different organisms, has significant evolutionary implications. The ability to retain and utilize information about past experiences for survival and adaptation in changing environments. In terms of evolution, memory may be a product of natural selection, where organisms that possess memory-related capabilities have a competitive advantage over those that do not. In animals, memory allows for the retention of knowledge about food sources, predators, mating opportunities, social interactions, and communication. This knowledge improves an individual's chances of survival, reproduction, and success of their species. For example, mammals coexisted with dinosaurs for over 150 million years. They evolved from a group of reptiles called therapsids during the Mesozoic Era (225 million years ago): Part of their successful survival is due to the memory capabilities that provided them competitive advantages over dinosaurs.
The author could have devoted a separate chapter about the memories in non-human species. Insects with simple nervous systems have demonstrated memory capabilities: Honeybees remember the location of food sources and communicate this information to their hive mates through complex dances. Fruit flies and ants can remember specific routes or locations. Octopuses have advanced nervous systems and complex behaviors. They learn from experience, remember solutions to problems, and recognize individual humans. They have the ability to navigate mazes, solve puzzles, manipulate objects, and use simple tools. They have a single centralized brain located in their head and clusters of neurons known as ganglia distributed throughout their body which perform information processing independently without the participation of brain. The mechanisms of memory formation are an evolutionary process, and it is interesting to relate complex humans’ system with other species.
The author is a psychologist who has investigated how individuals acquire, retain, and recall information by examining factors such as attention, perception, and rehearsal strategies. It is rather an insecure feeling for many neurologists and psychologists like him with the emerging field of plant neurobiology that do not have nervous system, but evidence has been presented in peer reviewed journals to demonstrate that plants have a memory. One of the confounding aspects of this book is the title. “Why we remember” rather than “How we remember.” Science can answer the latter, the former is a harder question to answer since that requires the details of evolutionary challenges presented to the species before humans. ...more
Trying to understand the mental experience of others is a philosophical, physical, and neurobiological challenge. Experiences aDo bees have feelings?
Trying to understand the mental experience of others is a philosophical, physical, and neurobiological challenge. Experiences are inherently subjective; hence it is hard to know how others experience the realities of life. For example, we know the complete genome of a laboratory mouse, but we do not know what it is like to be a mouse. In this book, the author examines the nervous system, navigational, and learning abilities of bees and tries to find if they have consciousness, and how does it compare to that of human consciousness. The human brain has eighty-six billion neurons, but insects get by with a lot fewer. The honeybee has about one million neurons, and the tiny wasp (Megaphragma mymaripenne) lives with fewer than 10,000 neurons. How does a bee with a small brain produce highly sophisticated behavior? Apparently, the size does not limit their behavioral sophistication because they are wired for efficient information storage and retrieval
Bees see different colors than humans, they are sensitive to light, magnetic and electric fields. Thus, they perceive and respond to information that humans do not experience. For example, bumblebees may use minor changes in the electrostatic patterns of flowers to assess which ones have been recently drained by other bees. They also learn to recognize human faces and spatial structures which is significant evolutionary behavior considering their brains are small and lack the specialized module that humans use for facial recognition. The author paints a remarkable picture of bee behavior and psychology in which he argues that bees have sophisticated emotions resembling optimism, frustration, playfulness, fear, and other traits commonly associated with mammals. He observes that bees are sentient and can suffer like advanced life forms as a conviction that creatures without a backbone have rights too.
The author’s style of writing and narrating his scientific arguments are engaging by connecting one chapter to the next in a continuous manner. One fact that haunts me is the consciousness debate which needs to address physical (theoretical physics) and philosophical implications and not merely neurobiological and evolutionary attributes. Consciousness is most fundamental like matter and energy. Another surprising thing is that Insect biologists have also been advancing the rights for bees and wasps just as humans and other mammalian species have. ...more
In this book, neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky argues that we have no free will and that such choices are determinThe science of spontaneity and freedom
In this book, neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky argues that we have no free will and that such choices are determined by factors that are beyond our control. We live in a deterministic universe where all events are determined by an initial state and laws of nature. The events of the remote past are not under our control, and the human brain registers a decision long before an individual consciously decides to do so. Many unconscious factors play a role in making free will non-existent.
The author makes a good argument for determinism which means everything in the universe is preordained. No matter how thinly you slice a particular situation or an event or an action, you will find that each unique biological state is caused by a unique state that preceded it. And if you want to understand things, you need to break these two states down to their component parts and figure out how each component comprising “Just-Before-Now” gave rise to each piece of “Now.” This is how the universe works. But what if that isn't the case? What if some moments aren't caused by anything preceding them? What if some unique “Now” can be caused by multiple, unique “Just-Before-Now events” The science of reductionism by breaking it down each state to its component parts is futile. Because in the world of chaos theory, emergent phenomenon, and quantum physics, indeterminacy is ever present, it defies reductionism. Hence, determinism is not compatible with free will, in essence a neuron has no apparent cause for an action of a free will. It turns out that we are at present through the scheme of biological evolution and have emerged to the current state. We had no control over our history.
The author presents his arguments well in the middle chapters, and the last two chapters focus more on the sociology of how the lack of free will affect humanity. It is interesting to read another book also published in 2023 is, “Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will by Kevin J. Mitchel makes an opposite argument stating that we have free will and it is conferred by the transition of matter (non-life) to highly self-organized and self-regulating entities (life) during biological evolution.
Humans and dinosaurs co-exist in the cartoon world of the Flintstones. In a similar fashion, the mammalian ancestors shared their The extinct mammals
Humans and dinosaurs co-exist in the cartoon world of the Flintstones. In a similar fashion, the mammalian ancestors shared their history with the Tyrannosaur Rex and related dinosaurs before the K-Pg mass extinction sixty-six million years ago. Some of these mammalian species included placental mammals that survived the catastrophic extinction. The surviving mammalian species, after the catastrophic event, rapidly diversified which was spurred on by the death of dinosaur predators, and emerging environmental factors that offered new opportunities.
Two groups of animals existed in the late carboniferous period, between 320 and 315 million years ago, they were synapsids and sauropsids. The sauropsids are ancestral reptiles and some of these species evolved into birds. and synapsid evolved into mammalian species. The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event is the mass extinction of most plant and animal species on the planet about sixty-six million years ago when the Chicxulub impactor, a plummeting asteroid or comet, seven miles long, hit the planet that brought an abrupt and calamitous end to most species. The evolution of mammals’ centers on the shapes of the teeth, the evolution of the middle ear bones, fur, hair, warm-bloodedness, and proportionally larger brains than reptiles of similar size. Mammals could chew food, and hunt carefully. They had mouse-like earflaps for detecting sound that provided advantage, helping them avoid predators and communicate with one another in new ways for competing and caregiving. These changes increased brain size. Not only did more grey matter help them learn information from the senses, but they could also compute emerging behaviors. Their teeth also helped in digging. The mammalian ability to feed underdeveloped offspring on milk increased the survival of litter.
Bipedalism is the basic adaptation of the hominid which is responsible for skeletal changes. The earliest hominin species, and non-bipedal knuckle-walkers (the gorillas, and chimpanzees), evolved from a common ancestor, Sahelanthropus or Orrorin species, about six million years ago. The bipedal hominin species underwent further evolution into the Homo Sapiens who are around 250, 000 years.
The author briefly discusses the revolution in methodologies and new techniques in the field of paleobiology that estimated the origins of ancient mammalian species. Fossil records and ancient skeletons are the principal sources for studying the history living species, but now they compute enormous datasets of bone shapes, and estimate the form and function mathematically, similar to the methods used in evaluating the strength of building materials. This technique has helped paleobiologists learn the evolutionary history of mammals. There has been a radical transformation in the science of extinct life. The anatomy of various species is put together and predicted how animals emerged into distinct groups. My only gripe about this book is that discussions in some chapters are not stimulating, and there are no photographs and few illustrations....more
Parasites are usually described in negative terms, often as blood suckers, freeloaders, scroungers, flunkies, and deadbeatDiversity in living systems
Parasites are usually described in negative terms, often as blood suckers, freeloaders, scroungers, flunkies, and deadbeats. In this book, the authors describe how parasites evolve by focusing on three kinds of parasites: the nematodes, the flat worms or platyhelminths, and the thorny-headed worms. These are endoparasites that live and thrive inside their hosts. The scientific data obtained with regards to parasite-host relationships between trematodes and snails, and tapeworms and whales makes an interesting read. Geohelminths manipulate and suppress their hosts' immune systems enabling them to reduce inflammation and decrease the likelihood that the host can expel them. It is also interesting to learn how species of parasitic helminth evolved independently to its specific lifestyle using a wide choice of hosts. Recently, scientists using an artificially streamlined version of Mycoplasma mycoides, a parasitic bacterium found in the guts of goats, synthetically eliminated 41 percent of its genes leaving all but the most essential sequences, which produced free-living cells without the need for a host tissue. Genetic drifting plays an important role in evolutionary mechanisms.
The authors suggest deforestation, loss of native habitats and global warming may destroy the ecosystem that includes parasites-host relationship. But no scientific data is presented to show global warming has a direct impact on this relationship. This is a short book of 224 pages, in many sections, the discussion is insufficient and not stimulating. ...more
Avian migration is the seasonal movement, often between north and south, and between breeding and wintering grounds. The Arctic TerLiving in the wind
Avian migration is the seasonal movement, often between north and south, and between breeding and wintering grounds. The Arctic Tern holds the long-distance migration record for birds, traveling between Arctic and Antarctica each year. Some species like albatrosses circle the planet flying over the southern oceans. Bird migrations also include altitudinal migrations on mountains such as the Andes and the Himalayas. This is a unique natural phenomenon that allows birds to stitch the continents together in almost an immeasurable endurance. What makes these living beings so good at mapping great distances that human beings cannot do without advanced scientific instruments?
Recent studies have shown that birds visualize the magnetic field of earth through the physical phenomenon of quantum entanglement that allows them to build a map in the bird's eye with the geomagnetic fields during its migration. Photosynthesis by plants, and bird migration are the only two biological processes that involve quantum mechanics in a direct manner.
The author and his team travels around the world like Alaska, South America, India, Australia, and China studying the uniqueness of these species. He also observes that migration carries high costs in predation, mortality, and the destruction of habitats by environmental changes brought about by humans. The book lacks pictures, I wished the author could have considered including the photographs of some of these unique birds in their natural environment. ...more
This book is a little outdated since it was published in 1999. Significant advances have been made in the last two decades A ghost in the living cell
This book is a little outdated since it was published in 1999. Significant advances have been made in the last two decades in the fields of astrobiology, biological evolution, paleobiology, physics and philosophical arguments about the origin of life. Nevertheless, Paul Davies is still one of the leading scientists who is still active in this field. In this book, he addresses basic questions about life such as, is life a byproduct of the laws of physics? And consequently, life could evolve elsewhere in the cosmos, perhaps on earthlike planets. If they exist, do they evolve toward greater complexity and intelligence? What were the earliest mechanisms when molecules (in disorganized state) assembled to form complex molecules (organized structures) that assembled to form a living cell (highly organized self-regulating structure). Molecules (Non-life) becoming self-regulating living cells (life) is creating order from disorder that appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics. But life doesn't break this law. It merely creates a local low-entropy system by shifting excess entropy to its environment along with other waste products thus increasing the entropy in the universe.
Some physicists believe that laws of nature are rigged to favor life, and consciousness is probably an integral part of the spacetime fabric that contains matter and energy. This idea depends on the properties of the four fundamental forces of nature, and with a slight tinkering of the nuclear forces, the universe would have little or no carbon, and hence no life. This is known as "the anthropic principle," According to this, our existence is a dicey affair, a consequence of some happy coincidences in the underlying mathematical structure of the universe. This principle has been criticized by many biologists and physicists which the author discusses in some detail.
Physicist Fred Hoyle suggested that life may have come from comets that showered earth with viruses, which may have helped to evolve life on earth. But author Paul Davies speculates that life came from another planet like Mars. Chapter 8 is devoted to the issue of Martian meteorites like ALH84001 containing fossil Martian microbes. Since then, due to the efforts by NASA, we have learnt that there is still no evidence of any form of life on Mars, but mere speculations. Research on extra-solar planets and life elsewhere in the solar system has revealed Saturn’s moon Enceladus has a subsurface ocean, and it may be coated with complex organic molecules that could be stepping-stones to life. Jovian moons, Europa, and Ganymede are also known to have oceans that may harbor primitive forms of life.
The book, despite the fact it is dated, still has great ideas that you will find interesting. ...more
This is a basic manual for gardeners interested in knowing about the biology of plants. This book is by no means illuminating, nNot a definitive guide
This is a basic manual for gardeners interested in knowing about the biology of plants. This book is by no means illuminating, not very technical but offers some peripheral view of plant life. This is written for gardeners and plant enthusiasts with no college courses to their credit. You will find some basic information about seeds, flowers, roots, and leaves; like what happens to a seed after it is planted? How do plants survive? And how do they reproduce? The author has quite simple answers to complex plant processes. I did not learn anything new than what I already knew. I rated this book three stars for nice photographs, they are very professional and colorful. ...more
This is a short book of 143 pages, well-written, reads fast, and it is extremely illuminating. This book is written for a layperson aWhat makes life?
This is a short book of 143 pages, well-written, reads fast, and it is extremely illuminating. This book is written for a layperson and should interest readers interested in the biological and philosophical nature of life. Erwin Schrodinger’s book with the same title published in 1944, generated profound thoughts, and this book takes us to the next level as more knowledge is available now.
A living cell has unique properties with complex biochemical mechanisms for its independent existence, generating energy (metabolism), and reproduction. How does chemistry give rise to biology? What could have led the first replicating molecules up such a path? The author proposes five unique ideas for life to emerge in the cosmos. With a framework of laws of physics operating in cosmos, the physical structure of a cell, the biomolecule that holds the genetic information (hereditary), biological evolution by natural selection, well-coordinated biochemical reactions and the information contained in a biological cell. The ability of life to evolve through natural selection and a hereditary system that exhibits variability is essential for organisms. Cells must be bounded, physical entities, separated from, but in communication with their environments. These characteristics of biological life invoke a physicality of life that excludes computer programs (artificial intelligence), and cultural entities like economy, technology, and cities which also evolve but not the same as a living cell.
Viruses cycle between being alive, when chemically active and reproducing in host cells, and not being alive when existing as chemically inert viruses outside a cell. The gut microbes exist independently in humans and other animals that affect the physiology and neurobiology of their hosts. The mitochondria that produce cellular energy were entirely separate bacteria but entered the living cell to permanently reside during the biological evolution. Most primitive microscopic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), photosynthesize and capture their own nitrogen, and the archaea get all their energy and chemical raw materials from volcanically active hydrothermal vents deep below on the seafloor. All living organisms, to various degrees, are interdependent with their environment and other species.
The way life couples complex polymer chemistry with linear information storage is a compelling principle. But one thing that the author doesn’t consider is consciousness and how it operates in life forms. Erwin Schrodinger argued in his book that an undiscovered physical law would explain life completely. That was a time when little was known about biological consciousness. Consciousness is not found in physics formulas but becomes necessary in the interpretation of quantum reality. The consciousness and spacetime are emerging phenomenon when matter and energy act according to the laws of physics. But the desire (consciousness) to survive, reproduce and avoid danger for its own existence operates in most primitive life forms. In fact, some plant biologists argue that plants also have consciousness despite the fact that they don’t have a brain or network of neurons (nervous system). There are academic journals that publishes biological papers in the field of plant neurobiology and plant cell communication ...more
The last day of the dinosaurs began as any morning during the Spring season 66.043 million years ago in the Northwestern statesThe day dinosaurs died
The last day of the dinosaurs began as any morning during the Spring season 66.043 million years ago in the Northwestern states of the Unted States. Tanis is part of the heavily studied Hell Creek Formation, a group of rocks spanning four states renowned for significant fossil discoveries from the Upper Cretaceous (Cretaceous era;100.5–66 million years ago) and lower Paleocene (Paleocene era; 66-56 million years ago). Tanis is a significant site because it recorded the events 15 minutes after the impact of the giant seven-mile-wide Chicxulub asteroid in palaeobiological detail. This impact which struck the Gulf of Mexico wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs.
Tanis resides in the state of North Dakota about 2,000 miles from the impact site in the Gulf of Mexico. The globe burned with wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, and seismic waves ravaged life at Tanis. The life at Tanis was entombed in sediment by seismic waves that was travelling at 11,000 miles per hour. These fossils were recently discovered and first reported in New Yorker Magazine in March 2019. The fossils of sturgeon and paddlefish hold the key which had small particles stuck in their gills. These are the glass spherules of molten rock kicked out from the impact site in the Gulf of Mexico that then fell back across the planet. The Tanis fishes breathed these particles as they were thrown out of the river as the big surge dismantled and disoriented the entire ecosystem with tens of miles on the land from the river. On this Earth-shattering day, sulfur ejected by the asteroid blocked all sunlight. The atmosphere turned acidic due to sulfuric acid and the oceans became unhabitable. The planet was plunged into darkness for decades, and temperatures dropped dramatically.
The Western Interior Seaway was a large inland sea that existed from the early Late Cretaceous to earliest Paleocene, splitting the continent of North America into two landmasses, Laramidia to the west and Appalachia to the east. Tanis in North Dakota was the northern end of the seaway where the catastrophic events occurred.
The author is a well-known journalist covering the paleontological significance of the death and destruction caused on the same day of the asteroid impact. There are numerous blogs and even discussions on TV about fossil evidence on the last day of the dinosaur. This book reads effortlessly despite the lack of illustrations and photographs in this book. Parts of book material has already appeared in Smithsonian Magazine. ...more
The emergence of human social organization in the evolutionary biology appears to be a unique phenomenon. Societies existed amThe dawn of human nature
The emergence of human social organization in the evolutionary biology appears to be a unique phenomenon. Societies existed among numerous species and humans, but the capability of communication with spoken language is unique to Homo Sapiens. The author observes that in each individual, altruism (the belief and practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others) was needed at a lower level of biological organization to re go one step ahead in generations. He refers to a group selection in which evolution acts on a whole group rather than on individuals, and in particular the concept of eusociality, which he calls that the highest level of organization of sociality that is characterized by cooperative brood care (including care of offspring from other individuals), overlapping generations within a colony of adults, and a division of labor into reproductive and non-reproductive groups. The division of labor creates specialized behavioral groups within an animal society which are referred to as 'castes'. Eusociality is distinguished from all other social systems because individuals of at least one caste usually lose the ability to perform at least one behavior characteristic of individuals in another caste. The author provides examples like grandmother helpers, gay people, and monastics, he suggests that human society owes a debt of gratitude to “postmenopausal grandmothers” and “childless homosexuals” for societal organization or eusociality. His theory is purely speculative that suggest a single gene is responsible for altruism, and advanced social behavior is due to complexity of the human gene networks. The author provides little biological basis for his speculation. ...more
The authors address specific issues regarding the rise of consciousness, language, self-awareness, and civilization. EvenHow life makes conscious mind
The authors address specific issues regarding the rise of consciousness, language, self-awareness, and civilization. Even in most basic forms of life, the cellular “chaos” where diverse type of molecules assembles to form life, and how self-awareness work from microbes to humankind. The book scales the steps of the mind’s complexity chapter by chapter, from simple functions to human beings trying to create artificial intelligence and super minds. The basic idea is that mind is an activity that is not an airy concept but seated in the human brain that react to our environment by taking outside stimuli, comparing them with internal concepts, and seeing how well they match up. This is referred to as “Resonance” by neurobiologist Stephen Grossberg, and it is widely used in this book. The authors suggest that human mind is at the apex. Humans do well in developing language, do advanced mathematical calculations, and interpret mathematical formulas to the workings of cosmos. But they don’t have sixth sense that many migrating birds have, which use earth’s magnetic field and the position of Sun for navigation. Does that make migrating birds more intelligent?
According to physicist Geoffrey West who proposes the universal law of Scaling, which he applies to all complex systems like living cell, cities, and corporations. They all are self-supporting and obeys an evolutionary scheme that incorporate an underlying “consciousness.” But the complexity that arises when matter (non-living) transitions to living matter (living cell) by caging a set of biomolecules in a highly organized manner appears to contradict the second law of thermodynamics. In this scenario, less information creates more information, disorder becomes order, non-living matter becomes living where the newly created entity becomes independent and self-regulating that becomes aware of surviving, adapting, growing, and multiplying itself. Consciousness seems to pervade the living cell that continues to adapt and evolve.
Despite evolution's selection of adaptive behaviors, the human behavior is self-defeating, says the authors. The strange arguments presented in this book for tolerance of racial minority groups is somewhat confounding. I was confused by the title of the book which I thought was going to discuss about statistical thermodynamics in the operation of “consciousness.” But the book is disappointing which describes conscious mind in terms of human brain. ...more
Ancient relics such as fossils, stone tools, bones, footprints, genetic and hereditary information contained in DNA shed ligAncient history of humans
Ancient relics such as fossils, stone tools, bones, footprints, genetic and hereditary information contained in DNA shed light on human ancestors. In few decades, a substantial amount of new evidence suggests origins and the demise of several closely related hominin species that lived in the last seven millions years. Modern humans are new kids on the block who are around for only about 200,000 years on a planet that created life 3.8 billion years ago. The palaeobiological and genetic studies have shown that the origins of modern human beings included interactions with other species like Neanderthals and Denisovans before they went extinct. Hominin species evolved in response to the numerous challenges of nature and selection pressures. Almost all species of hominin are now extinct except for Homo sapiens. Many of extinct species are now known from fossil remains, Homo Neanderthalensis (the Neanderthals), Denisovans, Homo Erectus, Homo Habilis, Homo Ergaster, and various species of Australopithecus. Hominins are distinguished from other primates from their erect posture, bipedal locomotion, larger brains, and behavioral characteristics such as specialized tool use and communication. The living primates most closely related to hominins today are Chimpanzees and Bonobos.
This book is essentially a monograph of history and archaeology of hominin species, and it features numerous colored images of closely related species and the paleoenvironments that included many modern-day wild animals. Their adventures invite us to think about becoming a human species and speculate on the natural section pressures on gene evolution on several dimensions. The reconstructions of extinct hominin species from their anatomical and skeletal remains tell the evolutionary history.
There is a lot to learn about how hominin species and their habitats. Next time, when you are in New York City and If you have time, I recommend visiting the Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins at the American Museum of Natural History and look at the exhibits. It features four life-sized tableaux of Homo Ergaster, Homo Erectus, Neanderthals, and Cro-Magnons in its natural habitat. ...more
Microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, archaea, protozoa, algae, and viruses are too small but they have tremendous impact on our lLiving with microbes
Microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, archaea, protozoa, algae, and viruses are too small but they have tremendous impact on our lives. The wilds of the human microbiome, where for thousands of years, bacterial and human cells existed in a peaceful symbiosis and in equilibrium to foster healthier bodies. The dialogue between the gut and the brain has been recognized by ancient healing traditions such as Ayurvedic medicine in ancient India, which is confirmed by the recent studies that show the microbes in the human body communicate with mind from the gut. Our personality may be shaped by your microbiome, the lack of biodiversity can make one sick which is supported by an old proverb, “you are what you eat.” Because diet has a profound effect on both physical and mental health. Most of the body’s immune system is in the gut, so pathology and dysfunction in the gut and imbalanced gut flora can cause neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disease.
This book will fascinate you about the intriguing world of good and bad bugs discussed in three sections. In the first part, the author discusses friendly microbes responsible for our current oxygen-rich environment that supports life and how they are our intimate bodyguards in making our very existence possible. The second part deals with infectious microbes that can harm us, and the final section is a futuristic story of how we can harness the power of microbes to make us healthier and safer. In this book you learn that most microbes are beneficial to humans, animals, and plants, but the belief that germs are our mortal enemies-hasn't changed. A vast majority of germs are either harmless or genuinely essential to human health. This book is written for a casual reader with very little scientific data. There are several books available in bookstore that is creative and generate enthusiasm and curiosity to learn more about microbes than this book....more
An incomplete and inaccurate graphic history of life
Teaching kids to impart knowledge relies on project-based learning (PBL), graphic illustrations, An incomplete and inaccurate graphic history of life
Teaching kids to impart knowledge relies on project-based learning (PBL), graphic illustrations, video materials and other tools. After reading this book with the star-studded “positive” comments from Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Natalie Portman, we learn that a good marketing strategy works for sales, but not for knowledge to be gained.
It is an exciting journey through ancient times to discover the images, paintings, habitats, and pottery, left by our ancestors. But historical evidence for our ancestry also comes from paleo-biological studies of fossils. Interweaving recent discoveries, maps, and illustrations. Evolution tells the story of our origins. This book is narrated with an inquisitive child, an educator, a cop, and author Harari about our origins. There are several instances of inaccuracy and unscientific facts in this book, the examples are: Only homo sapiens can change their social system, and behavior in all animals is determined by their genetic system; homo sapiens had a cognitive revolution that made them different from other animals; and humans are still adapted to hunter-gather lifestyle. The last few pages are devoted to boring narratives of Diprotodons, the largest marsupials whose extinction was brought about by humans.
This book which brings life in 245 pages of illustrations miss out on critical historical facts. For example, there were five mass extinctions of life on the planet including the last event called the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that occurred 66 million years ago. This wiped-out dinosaurs, and it was critical in creating geophysical conditions for the rapid evolution of mammals. The book barely mentions the relationship between humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans. There is genetic evidence for interbreeding with at least four archaic hominin species that included Neanderthals and Denisovans. The continental drift in the late Triassic Period (which lasted from approximately 251 million to 199.6 million years ago), the supercontinent of Pangea fragmented, and the continents began to move away from one another to the current structure creating new opportunities for species evolution.
The book has several cases of cultural insensitivities. The story is supposed to be narrated by a character referred to as Professor Saraswati, apparently referring to Hindu Goddess Saraswati of knowledge and learning who is depicted as a fat Indian lady with a large tilak on the forehead. The book also refers to birth of Christianity and Islam but do not refer to Hinduism, the oldest faith in the world. The earliest hymns of the sacred scriptures of Rig-Veda were written in 1700 B.C.E. They not only connect mankind to worshiping God, but also represent some of the finest poetry ever written in an ancient language....more
This book explores the beneficial effects of the symbiotic fungi in the soil. Mycorrhizal fungi are microscopic organisms that partnerMycelium Running
This book explores the beneficial effects of the symbiotic fungi in the soil. Mycorrhizal fungi are microscopic organisms that partner with root systems of plants and sequester carbon in much more meaningful ways than human “carbon offsets” will ever achieve. Most of these soil fungi support plant health in elegant ways. They boost green immune function in plants and community-wide networking that forms the basis of ecosystem resiliency. The mycelium’s digestive power and its uses in the decomposition of toxic wastes and pollutants, remove pathogens from agricultural watersheds, control insect populations, and enhance the health of our forests. This book is at the intersection of social science, natural science, and humanities. The author reveals a range of things that goes in the soil of the forests that are ecologically relevant. It does not go into much biology or evolutionary issues but offers a broad range discussion about the beneficial effects of fungi. ...more
Vatsyayana’s Kama Sutra is one of the greatest classics written about erotica that deals with the human component of sexual The wild side of wildlife
Vatsyayana’s Kama Sutra is one of the greatest classics written about erotica that deals with the human component of sexual pleasure in the most sensual way possible. Luckily, this is possible only for humans because sex in animal kingdom is wild, mysterious and extremely challenging. It could even be very violent. The author discusses the tactics of courting, seduction, and the difficulties in the mechanics of animal sex.
Nature is intense and could be aggressive in its evolutionary challenges. The blue whale's penis weights around 400 lbs. and it could be between 8 to 12 feet long. Such a heavy weaponry seems dangerous but not so much for its own species. The female ducks have evolved corkscrew vaginas to stop unwanted advances of male ducks. The females of blanket octopus may reach 2 m (6.6 ft) in length, but the males are about 2.4 cm. The weight ratio is at least 10,000:1 and can reach as much as 40,000:1. Sexual cannibalism is common among most predatory species of mantises. It is observed that male-female encounters result in male being devoured by female during fertilization and is still able to continue the sperm deposit successfully!
Author Carin Bondar is fascinating and amusing in her narratives. The reader will find that animal intercourse is not a fun experience. In fact, it is not so much about enjoying, but it is about the reproduction and survival of its species. ...more
In this dazzling rehash, author Stephen Brusatte tells the story of dinosaurs; their origins, evolution, diversity, habitaDino’s in the Jurassic park
In this dazzling rehash, author Stephen Brusatte tells the story of dinosaurs; their origins, evolution, diversity, habitats and their cataclysmic extinction. This is a captivating narrative that engages the reader till the end of the book. Highly readable and well researched about dinosaurs, and life in late cretaceous era (100 – 66 million Years). The book investigates the events after planet was hit by 6.5-mile-long asteroid (Chicxulub meteorite) at the speed of 67,000 miles per hour, 65.5 million years ago. The fossils from this event are preserved all over the planet, and the author is one of the leading paleontologist in this field.
During the cretaceous period, the planet was largely one supercontinent called Pangea, but it had started to split into several fragments. Europe and Asia were still globed together, and they were linked to North America by a series of islands. But what made dinosaurs big? They had to eat and digest vast quantities of food, they had to grow fast, must be able to breathe very efficiently, and shed excess body heat. This process was enabled by their unique anatomy and body plan that included a highly efficient lung more related to a birdlike lung because many bones of the chest cavity had big openings. There were many air sacs that extended throughout their body that helped lungs to take in enough oxygen to stoke their metabolism.
During the final 20 million years of the Cretaceous era, tyrannosaurs flourished, ruling the river valleys, lakeshores, flood plains, forests, and deserts of North America and China. Colossal tyrannosaurs never seemed to gain a foothold in Europe or the southern continents, where other groups of large predators prospered, but in North America and China, species of tyrannosaurs were unrivaled. They had become the transcendent terrors that fire our imaginations. The species of Tyrannosaurus Rex was not a global but existed only in North West of United States. On that fateful morning 66 million years ago, when a pack of T. Rexes woke up on what would go down as the final day of the Cretaceous Period, all seemed normal in their kingdom, the same as it had been for two millions of years but ended in a cataclysmic event. ...more
Highway to Hell Creek; the discovery of the remnants of Jurassic park
In this dazzling rehash, author Steve Brusatte tells the mesmerizing story of diHighway to Hell Creek; the discovery of the remnants of Jurassic park
In this dazzling rehash, author Steve Brusatte tells the mesmerizing story of dinosaurs; their origins, evolution, diversity, habitats and their cataclysmic extinction. This is a captivating narrative that engages the reader till the end of the book. Highly readable and well researched that interest readers focused in ancient history this planet, dinosaurs, and life in late cretaceous era (100 – 66 million Years). The book describes immediate events after planet was hit by 6.5-mile-long asteroid (Chicxulub meteorite), at the speed of 67,000 miles per hour, 65.5 million years ago. The fossils from this event are preserved all over the planet, which gives a grim picture. It simply demonstrates that life on earth is susceptible to the wrath of nature. This was the sixth extinction of life in 4.5 billion history of the planet, and it was colossal, cosmic and catastrophic. How did life witness this? The author describes in detail as what may have happened immediately before and after the greatest hit in the recent history of our planet. Although this has been discussed on several TV shows on Nat Geo, Discovery, PBS and Science channels by geophysicists, astronomers and paleontologists, it is interesting to read from the point of a paleontologist who studies dinosaurs with passion. In fact, it is common in recent days to read about the discovery of new species of dinosaurs, birds and mammals from this event. One of the goldmines for finding the lost species is Hell Creek, Montana where treasure trove of fossils is preserved. It is a mixing of fossil carcasses and a layer of glass tektites from meteorite hit with impact impressions deposited minutes to hours after the apocalypse.
The Hell Creek Formation in the Upper Great Plains of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota were laid down by ancient rivers and streams as they traveled from the Rocky Mountains in the west toward the east before emptying into a large interior seaway that bisected North America during the latest Cretaceous period. Due to rise in sea-level in the Late Cretaceous, North America was bisected by a seaway stretching from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico. The states of NM, AZ, CO, SD, ND and MT were buried under water in a shallow sea that ran from Mexico to NW Canada. At that time the states of CA, OR, WA and ID were on the West and the rest of United States were on the east. The Hell Creek rocks preserve the remains of dinosaurs after Chicxulub meteorite struck into the ocean in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The death and destruction of the most iconic dinosaurs include Tyrannosaurus Rex, the three horned dinosaur, Triceratops, the duckbilled dinosaur, Edmontosaurus, and the tank-like armored dinosaur, Ankylosaurus. The fossils also include; crocodiles, lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs, salamanders, fishes, plants and mammals.
At this time, the planet was largely one supercontinent called Pangea, but it had started to split into several fragments. Europe and Asia were still globed together, and they were linked to North America by a series of islands. But what made these animals to become big? They had to eat and digest vast quantities of food, they had to grow fast, must be able to breathe very efficiently, and shed excess body heat. This process was enabled by their unique body plan that included a highly efficient lung more related to a birdlike lung because many bones of the chest cavity had big openings. There were many air sacs that extended throughout their body that helped lungs to take in enough oxygen to stoke their metabolism.
During the final 20 million years of the Cretaceous, tyrannosaurs flourished, ruling the river valleys, lakeshores, flood plains, forests, and deserts of North America and China. Colossal tyrannosaurs never seemed to gain a foothold in Europe or the southern continents, where other groups of large predators prospered, but in North America and China, species of tyrannosaurs were unrivaled. They had become the transcendent terrors that fire our imaginations. The species of Tyrannosaurus Rex was not a global but existed only in North West of United States.
On that fateful morning 66 million years ago, when a pack of T. Rexes woke up on what would go down as the final day of the Cretaceous Period, all seemed normal in their Hell Creek kingdom, the same as it had for two millions of years. Forests of conifers and ginkgoes stretched to the horizon, interspersed with palms and magnolias. The distant churn of a river, rushing eastward to empty into the great seaway that lapped against western North America. For the last several weeks, the more perceptive of the T. Rexes may have noticed a glowing orb in the sky, far off in the distance and a hazy ball also had a fiery rim. The orb would appear and disappear for hours. As it appeared again, it was bigger, its shine illuminating much of the sky to the southeast in a cloudy psychedelic mist. Then a flash. No noise, only a split-second flare of yellow that lit up the whole sky, disorienting the animals for a moment. As they blinked their eyes back to focus, they noticed that the orb was now gone. Moments later, and then they were blindsided. Another flash, but this one far more vengeful. The rays lit the morning air in a fireworks display and burned into their retinas. In fact, no noise at all. By now, the birds and flying raptors had stopped chirping, and silence hung over Hell Creek. The calm lasted for only a few seconds. Next, the ground beneath their feet started to rumble and shake, and then flew like waves; pulses of energy were shooting through the rocks and soil, the ground rising and falling as if a giant snake were slithering underneath. Everything not rooted into the dirt was thrown upward; then it crashed down, and then up and down again, the Earth's surface was acting like a trampoline. Everything within a radius of about six hundred miles from the Yucatan Peninsula of modern-day Mexico was annihilated, and vaporized. For several years, the Earth turned cold and dark because of soot, sulfur, sulfuric acid and rock dust in the atmosphere that blocked out the sun. The darkness brought severe winter for years that only the hardiest of animals could survive. The rains were highly acidic that wiped out much of marine species. Here and there, species of lizards, crocodiles, turtles, birds and rat-size mammals made it but with lots of duress under the fury of nature. Hell-Creek was turned to Hell that reverberated in rest of the world....more
Animals make use of a range of navigational cues, including the sun, earth's magnetic field, olfaction and vision. BThe animal instinct for migration
Animals make use of a range of navigational cues, including the sun, earth's magnetic field, olfaction and vision. Birds such as the Arctic tern, insects such as the monarch butterfly and fish such as the salmon regularly migrate thousands of miles to and from their breeding grounds. Monarch butterfly employs an internal clock, calendar, compass, and map to commence and measure the two-thousand-mile annual journey to Mexico with a very tiny brain. The homing pigeon depend on a global positioning system (GPS) to let them know where they are. Avian migratory behavior is a well-studied phenomenon in biology and the author could have presented some scientific basis for this deportment. I am disappointed, this is just a description of animal migratory behavior without any discussion of biological basis. This is disengaging and fail to motivate readers. ...more
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