Paperback, 464 pages
English language
Published June 29, 2022 by The Bodley Head Ltd.
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving only a tiny sliver of an immense world. This book welcomes us into previously unfathomable dimensions - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.
We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth's magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and humans that wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile's scaly face is as sensitive as a lover's fingertips, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision.
We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking …
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving only a tiny sliver of an immense world. This book welcomes us into previously unfathomable dimensions - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.
We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth's magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and humans that wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile's scaly face is as sensitive as a lover's fingertips, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision.
We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries which lie unsolved.
Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the threads of scent, waves of electromagnetism and pulses of pressure that surround us. Because in order to understand our world we don't need to travel to other places; we need to see through other eyes.
Ed se embarca en intentar llevarnos a entender lo que sabemos hoy sobre cómo sienten las diferentes especies animales el mundo. Lo hace de manera divertida, picando nuestra curiosidad. Un gran libro que nos abre la mente a la pregunta: ¿Si queremos comunicarnos con otras especies, por que no las que están aquí mismo en la tierra?
A very dense read because it’s so packed with startling facts, but definitely worth the investment in time. This is really an extraordinary book.
I’ve loved everything Yong writes, and this is no exception. I read nonfiction out loud to my partner, and he writes in a way that flows very smoothly off the tongue
Will change the way you see the world, and can't help but make you appreciate just how magnificent all the species who share the world with us are.
What a fabulous book. Everyone should read it.
Will change the way you see the world, and can't help but make you appreciate just how magnificent all the species who share the world with us are.
This was utterly fantastic. It's the kind of book that reminds you that there is so much mystery and wonder in the world and so much that we still do not know. The structure was very forgiving, moving from senses that are easier to imagine to sense humans don't have, and in the case of magnetoreception, don't even really understand. The pop culture references were pretty great, too. How can I not love a book that makes a totally pertinant reference to Toph Beifong? I highly recommend the audiobook version. The author really nails it with a dynamic reading that also manages to be calming without being boring.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the natural world and different perceptions of reality. Just be aware that there is a chapter on pain. It talks about the ethical implications of causing harm to study pain, but by its nature, it discusses …
This was utterly fantastic. It's the kind of book that reminds you that there is so much mystery and wonder in the world and so much that we still do not know. The structure was very forgiving, moving from senses that are easier to imagine to sense humans don't have, and in the case of magnetoreception, don't even really understand. The pop culture references were pretty great, too. How can I not love a book that makes a totally pertinant reference to Toph Beifong? I highly recommend the audiobook version. The author really nails it with a dynamic reading that also manages to be calming without being boring.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the natural world and different perceptions of reality. Just be aware that there is a chapter on pain. It talks about the ethical implications of causing harm to study pain, but by its nature, it discusses some things that an animal lover might find hard to listen to. It's an important chapter, but not integral to the book, if you're not up for it when you read.
