Thor Hanson

An original, wide-ranging and carefully researched book ... contains important lessons for humanity. Mark Cocker, The SpectatorA fascinating insight into climate change biology around the globe, as well as in our own backyards.Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is the first major book by a biologist to focus on the fascinating story of how the natural world is adjusting, adapting, and sometimes measurably evolving in response to climate change. Lyrical and thought-provoking, this book broadens the climate focus from humans to the wider lattice of life. Bestselling nature writer Thor Hanson - author of Buzz (a Radio 4 Book of the Week) - shows us how Caribbean lizards have grown larger toe pads to grip trees more tightly during frequent hurricanes; and how the plasticity of squid has allowed them to change their body size and breeding habits to cope with altered sea temperatures. Plants and animals have a great deal to teach us about the nature of what comes next, because for many of them, and also for many of us, that world is already here.

BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEKPopular science at its most accessible: fun, fascinating and full of engaging pen portraits of the scientists and bee enthusiasts he meets in the course of his research Melissa Harrison, GuardianA smooth and accessible account of the insects that provide a significant amount of what we eat, introducing their fascinating diversity of behaviour. A reminder of why bees are wonders that we must protect. Matt Shardlow, BBC Wildlife Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. In Buzz, the award-winning author of Feathers and The Triumph of Seeds takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young. From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. Theyve given us sweetness and light, the beauty of flowers, and as much as a third of the foodstuffs we eat. And, alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing. As informative and enchanting as the waggle dance of a honeybee, Buzz shows us why all bees are wonders to celebrate and protect. Read this book and youll never overlook them again.

A superb natural andcultural history of bees the only such book to celebrate their fulldiversity

Por lo general, la naturaleza suele revelarse como algo fascinante a pesar del cambio climático, pero a veces lo hace, asombrosamente, a causa de él. Algunos lagartos abaniquillos (del género "Anolis"), por ejemplo, han ampliado las almohadillas de los dedos para agarrarse mejor a los arboles debido a la creciente frecuencia de los huracanes. Las poblaciones del calamar de Humboldt van en aumento porque la temperatura elevada del agua altera de tal modo su desarrollo que los pescadores los confunden con otra especie y los devuelven al mar. Las flores silvestres que Thoreau conocio en Walden Pond florecen ahora varias semanas antes en primavera, y hay aves que el jamas contemplo por alli y hoy se han convertido en residentes permanentes porque migran desde el sur a medida que aumenta la temperatura. En Lagartos huracanados y calamares plasticos Thor Hanson explora los extraordinarios medios a traves de los cuales las plantas y animales estan respondiendo a la crisis climatica: moviendose, adaptandose e incluso evolucionando. Este libro es un relato de esperanza, resiliencia y riesgo; un retrato inolvidable del cambio climatico y del enmarañado tejido que conforma la vida: la historia natural fundacional de un tiempo antinatural.