Download or read book Seeds of Extinction written by Bernard W. Sheehan and published by Omohundro Institute and University of North Carolina Press. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seeds of Extinction: Jeffersonian Philanthropy and the American Indian

Download or read book Eating to Extinction written by Dan Saladino and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2022-02-01 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice What Saladino finds in his adventures are people with soul-deep relationships to their food. This is not the decadence or the preciousness we might associate with a word like “foodie,” but a form of reverence . . . Enchanting." —Molly Young, The New York Times Dan Saladino's Eating to Extinction is the prominent broadcaster’s pathbreaking tour of the world’s vanishing foods and his argument for why they matter now more than ever Over the past several decades, globalization has homogenized what we eat, and done so ruthlessly. The numbers are stark: Of the roughly six thousand different plants once consumed by human beings, only nine remain major staples today. Just three of these—rice, wheat, and corn—now provide fifty percent of all our calories. Dig deeper and the trends are more worrisome still: The source of much of the world’s food—seeds—is mostly in the control of just four corporations. Ninety-five percent of milk consumed in the United States comes from a single breed of cow. Half of all the world’s cheese is made with bacteria or enzymes made by one company. And one in four beers drunk around the world is the product of one brewer. If it strikes you that everything is starting to taste the same wherever you are in the world, you’re by no means alone. This matters: when we lose diversity and foods become endangered, we not only risk the loss of traditional foodways, but also of flavors, smells, and textures that may never be experienced again. And the consolidation of our food has other steep costs, including a lack of resilience in the face of climate change, pests, and parasites. Our food monoculture is a threat to our health—and to the planet. In Eating to Extinction, the distinguished BBC food journalist Dan Saladino travels the world to experience and document our most at-risk foods before it’s too late. He tells the fascinating stories of the people who continue to cultivate, forage, hunt, cook, and consume what the rest of us have forgotten or didn’t even know existed. Take honey—not the familiar product sold in plastic bottles, but the wild honey gathered by the Hadza people of East Africa, whose diet consists of eight hundred different plants and animals and who communicate with birds in order to locate bees’ nests. Or consider murnong—once the staple food of Aboriginal Australians, this small root vegetable with the sweet taste of coconut is undergoing a revival after nearly being driven to extinction. And in Sierra Leone, there are just a few surviving stenophylla trees, a plant species now considered crucial to the future of coffee. From an Indigenous American chef refining precolonial recipes to farmers tending Geechee red peas on the Sea Islands of Georgia, the individuals profiled in Eating to Extinction are essential guides to treasured foods that have endured in the face of rampant sameness and standardization. They also provide a roadmap to a food system that is healthier, more robust, and, above all, richer in flavor and meaning.

Download or read book The Ghosts Of Evolution written by Connie Barlow and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-08-05 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new vision is sweeping through ecological science: The dense web of dependencies that makes up an ecosystem has gained an added dimension-the dimension of time. Every field, forest, and park is full of living organisms adapted for relationships with creatures that are now extinct. In a vivid narrative, Connie Barlow shows how the idea of "missing partners" in nature evolved from isolated, curious examples into an idea that is transforming how ecologists understand the entire flora and fauna of the Americas. This fascinating book will enrich and deepen the experience of anyone who enjoys a stroll through the woods or even down an urban sidewalk. But this knowledge has a dark side too: Barlow's "ghost stories" teach us that the ripples of biodiversity loss around us now are just the leading edge of what may well become perilous cascades of extinction.

Download or read book The Heathen School written by John Demos and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2014-12-02 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Award-winning historian John Demos tells the astonishing and moving story of a unique missionary project, which probes the very roots of American identity. Near the start of the nineteenth century, as the United States looked outward to the wider world, a group of eminent Protestant ministers devised a grand scheme for gathering the rest of mankind into the redemptive fold of Christianity and "civiization." Its core element was a special school for "heathen youth" drawn from all parts of the earth, and, especially, the native nations of North America. If all went well, graduates would return to join similiar projects in their respective homelands. For some years, the school prospered, indeed became quite famous. However, when two Cherokee students courted and married local women public resolve and fundamental ideals were put to a severe test.

Download or read book Endangered Wildlife and Plants of the World written by Marshall Cavendish Corporation and published by Marshall Cavendish. This book was released on 2001 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A reference encyclopedia providing information on endangered wildlife and plants throughout the world.

Download or read book The Plant Messiah written by Carlos Magdalena and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2017-06-01 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Passionate, forthright and enthusiastic, Carlos Magdalena is a world-renowned horticulturist - known both for his charisma and his conservation work. The Plant Messiah follows Carlos' dreams and disappointments; from his days as a school boy in the death throes of General Franco's Fascist dictatorship, to his advent as The Plant Messiah at the forefront of conservation, backed by the reputation and resources of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and enthused by the potential that lies beyond. The book discloses for the first time the details behind his 'codebreaking' exploits and the secret stories behind his work; his genius, lateral thinking and steadfast belief that everything is possible.

Download or read book Seeds written by Carolyn Fry and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-04-05 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the magnificence of a towering redwood to the simple elegance of a tiny dandelion, seed-bearing plants abound on planet Earth. The sheer diversity of plants thriving today is largely thanks to the evolution of the seed, as this made plants resilient to environmental changes by enabling them to await optimum conditions for growth before springing to life. In a time of declining biodiversity, studying seeds is now helping scientists preserve this plant diversity for future generations. With Seeds, Carolyn Fry offers a celebration of these vital but unassuming packages of life. She begins with a sweeping tour through human history, designed to help us understand why we should appreciate and respect these floral parcels. Wheat, corn, and rice, she reminds us, supply the foundations of meals eaten by people around the world. Countless medicines, oils, clothing materials, and building supplies are available only because of the versatility and variety of seed-bearing plants. Fry then provides a comprehensive history of the evolution of seeds, explaining the myriad ways that they have adapted, survived, and thrived across the globe. Delving deeper into the science of seeds, she reveals the fascinating processes of dormancy, reproduction, germination, and dispersal, and showcases the estimable work conservationists are doing today to gather and bank seeds in order to prevent species from going extinct. Enriched by a stunning array of full-color images, Seeds offers a comprehensive exploration of some of the most enduring and essential players in the natural world.

Download or read book The Adventures of Johnny Butterflyseed written by Tarisa Parrish and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Save the monarch butterflies! Johnny Butterflyseed and his fairy friend, Raven Silverwing, embark on a mission to save the rapidly disappearing butterflies. They enlist the help of Queen Venus Goldwing and her kingdom of monarchs to educate and inspire kids to become butterfly farmers. At first, Johnny faces his own internal struggle with self-doubt and fear in his ability to make a difference, but then soon develops a mindset that allows him to not only get started, but also make progress one day at a time. Through challenge after challenge, Johnny learns that he is not alone in his mission and that there are many people who want to help. Together, Johnny, Raven, and Queen Venus educate thousands of children on becoming butterfly farmers. “The monarch butterfly is in peril and spiraling downward. Our children will determine whether the monarch makes a comeback or becomes one of North America’s rarest butterflies. It is vitally important that children are aware of the problems that monarchs face and how we can all help—even children. This delightful book does exactly that and should be on the bookshelf of every child! Tarisa Parrish has seamlessly woven fact with fiction to create a story of importance, charisma, and hope for monarch butterflies in the future.” —Dr. David G. James, Associate Professor of Entomology, Department of Entomology, Washington State University

Download or read book Southwestern Rare and Endangered Plants written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Gone written by Michael Blencowe and published by Aurum Press. This book was released on 2022-04-05 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gone is a fascinating and timely illustrated narrative exploring the lively tales of eleven extraordinary extinct species from around the globe––sharing an enlightening story of extinction and conservation for today.

Download or read book Extinctions in the History of Life written by Paul D. Taylor and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-11-11 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Extinction is the ultimate fate of all biological species - over 99 percent of the species that have ever inhabited the Earth are now extinct. The long fossil record of life provides scientists with crucial information about when species became extinct, which species were most vulnerable to extinction, and what processes may have brought about extinctions in the geological past. Key aspects of extinctions in the history of life are here reviewed by six leading palaeontologists, providing a source text for geology and biology undergraduates as well as more advanced scholars. Topical issues such as the causes of mass extinctions and how animal and plant life has recovered from these cataclysmic events that have shaped biological evolution are dealt with. This helps us to view the biodiversity crisis in a broader context, and shows how large-scale extinctions have had profound and long-lasting effects on the Earth's biosphere.

Download or read book Endangered Species Bulletin written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Endangered Species Technical Bulletin written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Endangered Species Oversight written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Library of Congress Subject Headings written by Library of Congress and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 1492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Seed Dispersal and Frugivory written by Douglas John Levey and published by CABI. This book was released on 2002 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides information on the historical and theoretical perspectives of biodiversity and ecology in tropical forests, plant and animal behaviour towards seed dispersal and plant-animal interactions within forest communities, consequences of seed dispersal, and conservation, biodiversity and management.

Download or read book Evolutionary Biology written by Mitchell B. Cruzan and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-09-11 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many of the characteristics that distinguish plants from other living organisms can be traced to their bacterial origin early in the history of life. These features-such as a multicellular haploid life stage, prevalent hermaphroditism, self-fertilization, and general dependence on biotic and abiotic vectors for reproduction-stem directly from the plant's ability to obtain energy from the sun. This novel mode of energy capture had far-ranging implications for plant evolution. It not only fueled the tremendous diversification of life on Earth that followed, but also had far-ranging implications for the evolution of photosynthetic microorganisms and eventually for land plants. Understanding the evolutionary processes for the proliferation and diversification of plants requires an appreciation of their unique biological features. While the processes of mutation, selection, genetic drift, and gene flow remain the same for both plants and animals, there are specific characteristics of plants that modify the way their evolution is implemented. Unique traits of plants affect everything from the fate of mutations, through exposure to selection in a haploid life phase, to the distribution of genetic variation within populations, and ultimately the rates and patterns of diversification. This book examines the origins of the unique evolutionary features of plants, as well as their implications for evolutionary processes. Author Mitchell B. Cruzan provides contemporary discussion of subjects including population genetics, phylogeography, phylogenetics, ecological genetics, and genomics. The book fills a need for modern coverage of these topics, all of which are essential to a wide range of advanced courses in plant biology.