An Orchard Invisible
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An Orchard Invisible
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Author : Jonathan Silvertown
language : en
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Release Date : 2009-08-01
An Orchard Invisible written by Jonathan Silvertown and has been published by University of Chicago Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2009-08-01 with Science categories.
The story of seeds, in a nutshell, is a tale of evolution. From the tiny sesame that we sprinkle on our bagels to the forty-five-pound double coconut borne by the coco de mer tree, seeds are a perpetual reminder of the complexity and diversity of life on earth. With An Orchard Invisible, Jonathan Silvertown presents the oft-ignored seed with the natural history it deserves, one nearly as varied and surprising as the earth’s flora itself. Beginning with the evolution of the first seed plant from fernlike ancestors more than 360 million years ago, Silvertown carries his tale through epochs and around the globe. In a clear and engaging style, he delves into the science of seeds: How and why do some lie dormant for years on end? How did seeds evolve? The wide variety of uses that humans have developed for seeds of all sorts also receives a fascinating look, studded with examples, including foods, oils, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals. An able guide with an eye for the unusual, Silvertown is happy to take readers on unexpected—but always interesting—tangents, from Lyme disease to human color vision to the Salem witch trials. But he never lets us forget that the driving force behind the story of seeds—its theme, even—is evolution, with its irrepressible habit of stumbling upon new solutions to the challenges of life. "I have great faith in a seed," Thoreau wrote. "Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." Written with a scientist’s knowledge and a gardener’s delight, An Orchard Invisible offers those wonders in a package that will be irresistible to science buffs and green thumbs alike.
Demons In Eden
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Author : Jonathan Silvertown
language : en
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Release Date : 2008-08
Demons In Eden written by Jonathan Silvertown and has been published by University of Chicago Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2008-08 with Biography & Autobiography categories.
Jonathan Silvertown here explores the astonishing diversity of plant life in regions as spectacular as the verdant climes of Japan, the lush grounds of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, the shallow wetlands and teeming freshwaters of Florida, the tropical rainforests of southeast Mexico, and the Canary Islands archipelago, whose evolutionary novelties--and exotic plant life--have earned it the sobriquet "the Galápagos of botany." Along the way, Silvertown looks closely at the evolution of plant diversity in these locales and explains why such variety persists in light of ecological patterns and evolutionary processes. In novel and useful ways, he also investigates the current state of plant diversity on the planet to show the ever-challenging threats posed by invasive species and humans. This paperback edition will include an entirely new chapter on the astonishing diversity of plant life in the Western Cape of South Africa that focuses on fynbos, a vegetation endemic to the Cape. Bringing the secret life of plants into more colorful and vivid focus than ever before, Demons in Eden is an empathic and impassioned exploration of modern plant ecology that unlocks evolutionary mysteries of the natural world. "Jonathan Silvertown has a knack for explaining complex biological concepts in an accessible and engaging way. He deftly uses analogy and example to illustrate his discussions, and often waxes lyrical in his descriptions."--Viveka Neveln, American Gardener "Jonathan Silvertown's enthusiasm for scientific sleuthing is infectious."--Sara Alexander, Science "A delightful series of vignettes about plant diversity and evolutionary biology. . . . It is evident that Jonathan Silvertown is a scientist who can communicate complex scientific ideas to the general public. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice
Dinner With Darwin
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Author : Jonathan Silvertown
language : en
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Release Date : 2017-09-05
Dinner With Darwin written by Jonathan Silvertown and has been published by University of Chicago Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-09-05 with Cooking categories.
A “delectably erudite” study of how natural selection has shaped the foods we eat: “This intricate scientific banquet is a marvelous read: bon appétit.” —Nature What do eggs, flour, and milk have in common? They form the basis of waffles, of course, but these breakfast staples also share an evolutionary function: eggs, seeds (from which we derive flour by grinding), and milk have each evolved to nourish offspring. Indeed, ponder the genesis of your breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and you’ll soon realize that everything we eat and drink has an evolutionary history. Dinner with Darwin is a multicourse meal of evolutionary gastronomy, a tantalizing tour of human taste that helps us understand the origins of our diets and the foods that have been central to them for millennia—from spices to spirits. A delectable concoction of coevolution and cookery, gut microbiomes and microherbs, and both the chicken and its egg, it reveals that our recipe cards and restaurant menus don’t just contain the ingredients for culinary delight. They also tell a fascinating story about natural selection and its influence on our plates—and palates. Digging deeper, Jonathan Silvertown’s repast includes entrées into GMOs and hybrids, and looks at the science of our sensory interactions with foods and cooking—the sights, aromas, and tastes we experience in our kitchens and dining rooms. As is the wont of any true chef, he packs his menu with eclectic components, dishing on everything from Charles Darwin’s intestinal maladies to taste bud anatomy and turducken. Our evolutionary relationship with food and drink stretches from the days of cave dwellers to contemporary crêperies and beyond, and Dinner with Darwin serves up scintillating insight into the entire awesome span. With a wit as dry as a fine pinot noir and a vast cache of evolutionary knowledge, Silvertown whets our appetites—and leaves us hungry for more. “The book left me feeling as if I had attended a dinner party, where foodies, historians, and scientists mingled, sharing vignettes on various food-related topics.” —Science
The Pecan
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Author : James McWilliams
language : en
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Release Date : 2013-10-01
The Pecan written by James McWilliams and has been published by University of Texas Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-10-01 with Nature categories.
Traces the historical and cultural paths of the pecan, while weaving American history, agricultural history, and science into the story.
Food And World Culture
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Author : Linda S. Watts
language : en
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Release Date : 2022-08-23
Food And World Culture written by Linda S. Watts and has been published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2022-08-23 with Cooking categories.
This book uses food as a lens through which to explore important matters of society and culture. In exploring why and how people eat around the globe, the text focuses on issues of health, conflict, struggle, contest, inequality, and power. Whether because of its necessity, pleasure, or ubiquity, the world of food (and its lore) proves endlessly fascinating to most people. The story of food is a narrative filled with both human striving and human suffering. However, many of today's diners are only dimly aware of the human price exacted for that comforting distance from the lived-world realities of food justice struggles. With attention to food issues ranging from local farming practices to global supply chains, this book examines how food’s history and geography remain inextricably linked to sociopolitical experiences of trauma connected with globalization, such as colonization, conquest, enslavement, and oppression. The main text is structured alphabetically around a set of 70 ingredients, from almonds to yeast. Each ingredient's story is accompanied by recipes. Along with the food profiles, the encyclopedia features sidebars. These are short discussions of topics of interest related to food, including automats, diners, victory gardens, and food at world’s fairs. This project also brings a social justice perspective to its content—weighing debates concerning food access, equity, insecurity, and politics.
The Profit Of The Earth
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Author : Courtney Fullilove
language : en
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Release Date : 2017-04-18
The Profit Of The Earth written by Courtney Fullilove and has been published by University of Chicago Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-04-18 with Science categories.
While there is enormous public interest in biodiversity, food sourcing, and sustainable agriculture, romantic attachments to heirloom seeds and family farms have provoked misleading fantasies of an unrecoverable agrarian past. The reality, as Courtney Fullilove shows, is that seeds are inherently political objects transformed by the ways they are gathered, preserved, distributed, regenerated, and improved. In The Profit of the Earth, Fullilove unearths the history of American agricultural development and of seeds as tools and talismans put in its service. Organized into three thematic parts, The Profit of the Earth is a narrative history of the collection, circulation, and preservation of seeds. Fullilove begins with the political economy of agricultural improvement, recovering the efforts of the US Patent Office and the nascent US Department of Agriculture to import seeds and cuttings for free distribution to American farmers. She then turns to immigrant agricultural knowledge, exploring how public and private institutions attempting to boost midwestern wheat yields drew on the resources of willing and unwilling settlers. Last, she explores the impact of these cereal monocultures on biocultural diversity, chronicling a fin-de-siècle Ohio pharmacist’s attempt to source Purple Coneflower from the diminishing prairie. Through these captivating narratives of improvisation, appropriation, and loss, Fullilove explores contradictions between ideologies of property rights and common use that persist in national and international development—ultimately challenging readers to rethink fantasies of global agriculture’s past and future.
Proverbs Within Cognitive Linguistics
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Author : Sadia Belkhir
language : en
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Release Date : 2024-06-15
Proverbs Within Cognitive Linguistics written by Sadia Belkhir and has been published by John Benjamins Publishing Company this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2024-06-15 with Language Arts & Disciplines categories.
The volume presents an innovative set of researches featuring theoretical and practical discussions of the proverb in cognition and culture. To date, there seems to be a need for state-of-the-art research into this subject matter. This volume aims at responding to this need. The chapters contribute, from a Cognitive Linguistics interdisciplinary perspective, to the existing body of literature on the proverb. The book begins with a first part containing three chapters concerned with theoretical discussions of proverbs in cognition and culture. The three chapters in the second part ponder proverbs within a cognitive-cross-cultural perspective. The third part of the volume includes three chapters that deal with the proverbs of individual languages and cultures. The three chapters in the fourth part study proverbs and/or related phenomena from a cognitive and cultural perspective: snowclones, idioms, and proverbial phrases. This book will be of interest to academics interested in proverbs within a cognitive linguistic framework and to scholars in the areas of language studies, applied linguistics, language teaching and learning, and Cognitive Linguistics in general, and to those researchers who wish to refine their knowledge about the cognitive activities featuring proverb use and their interaction with sociocultural contextual variables.
Why Conserve Nature
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Author : Stephen Thomas Trudgill
language : en
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Release Date : 2022-02-24
Why Conserve Nature written by Stephen Thomas Trudgill and has been published by Cambridge University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2022-02-24 with Business & Economics categories.
A philosophical discussion about the meanings of nature which can give rise to our motivations to conserve nature.
What We Sow
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Author : Jennifer Jewell
language : en
Publisher: Hachette UK
Release Date : 2023-09-19
What We Sow written by Jennifer Jewell and has been published by Hachette UK this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2023-09-19 with Nature categories.
An insightful, personal, and timely exploration into the wonderful world of seeds. In What We Sow, Jennifer Jewell brings readers on an insightful, year-long journey exploring the outsize impact one of nature's smallest manifestations—the simple seed. She examines our skewed notions where "organic" seeds are grown and sourced, reveals how giant multinational agribusiness has refined and patented the genomes of seeds we rely on for staples like corn and soy, and highlights the efforts of activists working to regain legal access to heirloom seeds that were stolen from Indigenous peoples and people of color. Throughout, readers are invited to share Jewell's personal observations as she marvels at the glory of nature in her Northern California hometown. She admires at the wild seeds she encounters on her short daily walks and is amazed at the range of seed forms, from cups and saucers to vases, candelabras, ocean-going vessels, and airliners. What We Sow is a tale of what we choose to see and what we haven't been taught to see, what we choose to seed and what we choose not to seed. It urgently proves that we must work hard to preserve and protect the great natural diversity of seed.