The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants
Karen Bakker
(Author)
Description
An amazing journey into the hidden realm of nature's sounds
The natural world teems with remarkable conversations, many beyond human hearing range. Scientists are using groundbreaking digital technologies to uncover these astonishing sounds, revealing vibrant communication among our fellow creatures across the Tree of Life. At once meditative and scientific, The Sounds of Life shares fascinating and surprising stories of nonhuman sound, interweaving insights from technological innovation and traditional knowledge. We meet scientists using sound to protect and regenerate endangered species from the Great Barrier Reef to the Arctic and the Amazon. We discover the shocking impacts of noise pollution on both animals and plants. We learn how artificial intelligence can decode nonhuman sounds, and meet the researchers building dictionaries in East African Elephant and Sperm Whalish. At the frontiers of innovation, we explore digitally mediated dialogues with bats and honeybees. Technology often distracts us from nature, but what if it could reconnect us instead? The Sounds of Life offers hope for environmental conservation and affirms humanity's relationship with nature in the digital age. After learning about the unsuspected wonders of nature's sounds, we will never see walks outdoors in the same way again.Product Details
Price
$33.00
$30.69
Publisher
Princeton University Press
Publish Date
October 18, 2022
Pages
368
Dimensions
6.1 X 9.3 X 1.4 inches | 1.63 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780691206288
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Karen Bakker (1971-2023) was a professor at the University of British Columbia and earned her PhD from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She received numerous awards throughout her career, including an Annenberg Fellowship (Stanford University), a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Radcliffe Fellowship (Harvard University).
Reviews
"meticulously researched and colorfully presented ... the first [book] to integrate so many dimensions of the field in a way that is accessible to nonexperts. It is a wonderful mix of animal ecology, narratives of sciencedoing, futurism, and accounts of Indigenous knowledge that is as interdisciplinary as the field itself."---Benjamin Gottseman, Science
"Bakker's well-researched stories showcase the mysterious communication styles of whales, elephants, turtles, corals, plants, and bees as told by the scientists who care enough to listen. These scientific breakthroughs couldn't come at a better time..."---Krystal Vasquez, Sierra
"Bakker ladles academic research liberally onto the reader in short, spare sentences that build up to a comprehensive whole. Her deep knowledge is worn lightly throughout the book, so that you never feel overwhelmed."---Chris Stokel-Walker, New Scientist
"I couldn't put [The Sounds of Life] down....a fascinating and forward-looking book"---Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today
"A fascinating account of a rapidly advancing understanding of the sonic world that binds life together on this planet."---Graeme Gourlay, DIVE Magazine
"The Sounds of Life is a charming and timely book, packed with stories of remarkable, eye-opening (and ear-opening?) discoveries."---Hilary Lamb, Engineering and Technology
"Bakker is talking about the extension of our experience and our understanding and our sympathy in ways not possible before the advent of digital technology"---John Wilson, First Things
"Bakker's book is full of stories of wonder and curiosity about the world of sound that constantly surrounds humanity."-- "Mongabay"
"This is a fascinating and surprising look at how the natural world teems with remarkable conversations, many beyond human hearing range. . . .a great read"---Lorraine Connelly, The Countryman
"Bakker's well-researched stories showcase the mysterious communication styles of whales, elephants, turtles, corals, plants, and bees as told by the scientists who care enough to listen. These scientific breakthroughs couldn't come at a better time..."---Krystal Vasquez, Sierra
"Bakker ladles academic research liberally onto the reader in short, spare sentences that build up to a comprehensive whole. Her deep knowledge is worn lightly throughout the book, so that you never feel overwhelmed."---Chris Stokel-Walker, New Scientist
"I couldn't put [The Sounds of Life] down....a fascinating and forward-looking book"---Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today
"A fascinating account of a rapidly advancing understanding of the sonic world that binds life together on this planet."---Graeme Gourlay, DIVE Magazine
"The Sounds of Life is a charming and timely book, packed with stories of remarkable, eye-opening (and ear-opening?) discoveries."---Hilary Lamb, Engineering and Technology
"Bakker is talking about the extension of our experience and our understanding and our sympathy in ways not possible before the advent of digital technology"---John Wilson, First Things
"Bakker's book is full of stories of wonder and curiosity about the world of sound that constantly surrounds humanity."-- "Mongabay"
"This is a fascinating and surprising look at how the natural world teems with remarkable conversations, many beyond human hearing range. . . .a great read"---Lorraine Connelly, The Countryman
