Book and media reviews from the journal Science, edited by Valerie Thompson.

Valerie Thompson, Editor

Posts tagged with "Ecology"

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  Wingspan
  Elizabeth Hargrave

  Game Ecology

  When birding meets board games, everyone wins

  1 April, 2019

  For many, the thought of board games may evoke memories of family game nights centered on childhood classics such as Monopoly. However, a relatively recent boom in adult board game enthusiasts has led game designers to explore more diverse themes, including those that model scientific concepts (1, 2). Perhaps, then, it was only inevitable that… Read More
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  In Search of the Canary Tree: The Story of a Scientist, a Cypress, and a Changing World
  Lauren E. Oakes

  Book Ecology

  Even as extinction looms for her subjects, an ecologist maintains hope for a better future

  20 November, 2018

  In the introduction to In Search of the Canary Tree, ecologist Lauren Oakes establishes a hopeful tone for what is, for many who study environmental change, an emotionally taxing topic: “This book is about finding faith… as a force that summons local solutions to a global problem, that helps me live joyfully and choose what… Read More
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  Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter
  Ben Goldfarb

  Book Animal Biology, Ecology

  Recognizing their role in maintaining healthy watersheds, “beaver believers” work to rehab the rodent’s reputation

  23 July, 2018

  Why should we care about beavers? Consider all they do. Beavers convert vegetation to marsh to wetland and back again. They facilitate water storage in ponds and recharge groundwater. Ponds and meadows sculpted by beavers concentrate nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Not only does this create fertile ground, it helps filter agricultural runoff. Beaver-dammed… Read More
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  Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees
  Thor Hanson

  Book Ecology, Entomology

  A charming natural history celebrates the idiosyncrasies of bees and the people passionate about protecting them

  9 July, 2018

  We have bees to thank for some of the better features of our world, from the fruits and vegetables we eat to the world’s flowering plants, which radiated alongside them during the Cretaceous. Nearly 90% of plant species require pollinators (an added benefit for anyone who suffers from wind-borne pollen allergies). Humans even seem to… Read More
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  Where the Wild Coffee Grows: The Untold Story of Coffee from the Cloud Forests of Ethiopia to Your Cup
  Jeff Koehler

  Book Coffee, Ecology, Plant Science

  A wide-ranging natural history illuminates the pleasures and the plight of wild coffee

  20 November, 2017

  The global seed bank in Svalbard, Norway, houses innumerable seeds, cuttings, and germ plasm belonging to hundreds of breadbasket crops such as wheat and rice (1). But at least one famous species is missing: coffee. Like most tropical plants, coffee has a recalcitrant seed—that is, it cannot go dormant to await the right conditions for… Read More
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  Where the Animals Go: Tracking Wildlife with Technology in 50 Maps and Graphics
  James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti

  Book Ecology, Wildlife Tracking

  Observing animal movement has come a long way, thanks to advances in data science and technology

  10 October, 2017

  Animal tracking has been an enduring interest throughout history. Until recently, however, tracking simply meant following the tracks of animals. In the mid-20th century, VHF radio-telemetry revolutionized the way we study the distribution, movement, and home range use of many wide-ranging mammals and birds. What has been colloquially called the “collar ’em and foller ’em”… Read More
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  The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions
  Peter Brannen

  Book Earth Science, Ecology, Extinction

  The Ends of the World

  6 June, 2017

  It’s disconcerting to remember that there are vast eons of geologic history recorded in the rocks just beneath our feet. Peter Brannen begins his surprisingly lyrical investigation of Earth’s mass extinctions on just such a juxtaposition: standing on the Palisades basalt in New Jersey, where a major die-off occurred more than 200 million years ago… Read More
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  Never Out of Season: How Having the Food We Want When We Want It Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future
  Rob Dunn

  Podcast Agriculture, Ecology, Food

  PODCAST: Q&A with Rob Dunn, author of Never Out of Season

  30 March, 2017

  With little regard for pests and pathogens, we increasingly rely on a dwindling diversity of crops to keep us fed. This week on the Science podcast, Jennifer Golbeck interviews biologist Rob Dunn about the risks facing staple food crops and the precarious state of modern food production.   Read More

• Game Climate change, Ecology, Science Education

  A pair of climate-focused board games promises smart fun for gaming enthusiasts

  6 February, 2017

  Board games are growing as a popular hobby in mainstream culture and academic circles, thanks, in part, to the rise of “Eurogames,” which emphasize strategy and individual development over luck and conflict. Given their wide appeal, board games also represent a media form ripe with potential for science education. This review presents two board games… Read More
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  ¡Cuba!
  Ana Luz Porzecanski and Chris Raxworthy, curators

  Exhibition Anthropology, Biodiversity, Ecology

  An immersive exhibition introduces visitors to Cuba’s rich culture and biodiversity

  4 January, 2017

  The passing of Fidel Castro brought renewed popular attention to Cuba, a nation whose turbulent history continues to spark passionate debate. Unlike its political history, however, the vast ecological and cultural richness that thrives in Cuba is relatively lesser known; so, too, is the challenge of conserving these resources in the wake of climate change. Read More