An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us (THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER)
- Downloads：4314
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-14 02:16:51
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Ed Yong
- ISBN：1847926088
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
**AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK**
**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**
'Wonderful， mind-broadening。。。 a journey to alternative realities as extraordinary as any you'll find in science fiction' The Times， Book of the Week
'Magnificent' Guardian
Enter a new dimension - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals。
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。
'A stunning achievement - steeped in science but suffused with magic'
Siddhartha Mukherjee， author The Emperor of All Maladies
'Magnificent - an unbelievably immersive and mind-blowing account of how other animals experience our world'
Peter Wohlleben， author of The Hidden Life of Trees and The Inner Life of Animals
'A delightful sensory experience: to see the world through the touch-vision of a scallop， to taste through the feet of a mosquito and hear through the feet of an elephant'
Gaia Vince， author of Transcendence
**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**
'Wonderful， mind-broadening。。。 a journey to alternative realities as extraordinary as any you'll find in science fiction' The Times， Book of the Week
'Magnificent' Guardian
Enter a new dimension - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals。
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。
'A stunning achievement - steeped in science but suffused with magic'
Siddhartha Mukherjee， author The Emperor of All Maladies
'Magnificent - an unbelievably immersive and mind-blowing account of how other animals experience our world'
Peter Wohlleben， author of The Hidden Life of Trees and The Inner Life of Animals
'A delightful sensory experience: to see the world through the touch-vision of a scallop， to taste through the feet of a mosquito and hear through the feet of an elephant'
Gaia Vince， author of Transcendence
Reviews
Kat
，
This is so fucking good。 Yong is a deft and funny writer， with a lot of empathy and curiosity that comes through on the page。 I found myself frequently moved to tears by the poignancy of how different creatures experience the world。 Jumping spiders can see the moon！
Anita Norton
，
Fascinating informative book。 It is science-based， so be prepared to read all the “why and how’s”！
Ada
，
***what sucked me in***Episode 436 of the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish。Not only was Ed Yong a lovely guest on the show but the episode ended with the recommendation "。。。if you like these kinds of facts。" （paraphrasing here）。And when I went to add this I saw that the reviews were pretty positive about the things that are important to me。 ***what sucked me in***Episode 436 of the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish。Not only was Ed Yong a lovely guest on the show but the episode ended with the recommendation "。。。if you like these kinds of facts。" （paraphrasing here）。And when I went to add this I saw that the reviews were pretty positive about the things that are important to me。 。。。more
Caroline
，
Another long， charming， accessible foray into the incredible variety of natural life。 Yong visits scientists around the world who are exploring how different living beings experience and relate to their--and our shared--environs。 Their curiosity and devotion to their work is inspiring。 Starting with senses that humans have， such as smell， taste， sight and hearing， Yong reveals that even animals close to us such as pet dogs， experience things quite differently than we do--from the range of light Another long， charming， accessible foray into the incredible variety of natural life。 Yong visits scientists around the world who are exploring how different living beings experience and relate to their--and our shared--environs。 Their curiosity and devotion to their work is inspiring。 Starting with senses that humans have， such as smell， taste， sight and hearing， Yong reveals that even animals close to us such as pet dogs， experience things quite differently than we do--from the range of light perceived to what serve as sensory organs and where they are located on the body。 He proceeds to tactile senses， and then to sensitivity to electric fields and even magnetic fields。 Finally， he makes a plea for humans to be mindful of the devastating effects on other living beings caused by our relentless creation of unnatural light and noise and obstruction of other modes of communication and orientation that are as destructive as industrial emissions to life on earth as we have known it。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Mattila
，
Geek out on how much of the world we're missing compared to other species。 Probably better as a NatGeo/Discovery series for 10 year olds， but a good thing to contemplate while on drugs or watching the sunrise。 Geek out on how much of the world we're missing compared to other species。 Probably better as a NatGeo/Discovery series for 10 year olds， but a good thing to contemplate while on drugs or watching the sunrise。 。。。more
Northumberland
，
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 but a tiny sliver of an immense world。 This book welcomes us into a previously unfathomable dimension--the world as it is truly perceived by other animals。
Denton
，
I really wanted to love An Immense World。 Ed Yong is a national treasure writing about a fun and interesting topic - what could go wrong？ Unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me because of its sheer scale。 There's a huge volume of material inside， but all at a quite shallow level。 The total effect is more akin to a book of random trivia， instead of a cohesive argument。I found myself frequently wanting Ed to focus more on how we'd learned all these amazing things about animals， instead of its pri I really wanted to love An Immense World。 Ed Yong is a national treasure writing about a fun and interesting topic - what could go wrong？ Unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me because of its sheer scale。 There's a huge volume of material inside， but all at a quite shallow level。 The total effect is more akin to a book of random trivia， instead of a cohesive argument。I found myself frequently wanting Ed to focus more on how we'd learned all these amazing things about animals， instead of its primary focus on the learnings themselves。 It was initially a minor preference， but over the course of hundreds， if not thousands， of facts it started to grind on me。 Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are？ by Frans de Waal is a similar book that handled this distinction better， though of course has its own separate flaws。 。。。more
Ben
，
Occasionally a bit of a challenge as an audiobook， but overall some stellar science。 If you have any interest in biology or animals， this is eye-opening。
The Inquisitive Biologist
，
An Immense World explores how animals perceive their world and is a sensory revelation that had me so utterly captivated I did not want it to end。 Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2022。。。 An Immense World explores how animals perceive their world and is a sensory revelation that had me so utterly captivated I did not want it to end。 Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2022。。。 。。。more
Emi
，
Although I may never truly know what it’s like to be a bat， Ed Yong paints an intriguing speculative picture。 It’s a refreshing read！ I definitely need to reread it。
karo mckaig
，
In awe。 Yong’s work is masterful and poetic。 A beautiful reminder that my own humanity is but a sliver of the vast life experienced around me。
Dave
，
"An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us" by Ed Yong， is without a doubt one of the best science books I have read。 5 （plus） stars！ The book is interesting， easy to read， and makes scientific principles understandable。 Most important to me， Ed Yong opens up large vistas of heretofore unknown （to me） amazing abilities animals have to perceive and interact with their world。 We all tend to view animals through our anthropomorphic prism。 A huge mistake， which Yong make "An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us" by Ed Yong， is without a doubt one of the best science books I have read。 5 （plus） stars！ The book is interesting， easy to read， and makes scientific principles understandable。 Most important to me， Ed Yong opens up large vistas of heretofore unknown （to me） amazing abilities animals have to perceive and interact with their world。 We all tend to view animals through our anthropomorphic prism。 A huge mistake， which Yong makes clear throughout the book。 This is a scientific book which should interest even the most science-phobic reader。 I highly recommend it！ 。。。more
Brad
，
What an unbelievable feat of research。 I wonder how long it took to research and write this。 Yong is a terrific writer and goodness gracious， is this book comprehensive！ And that is kind of a problem - this book is SO comprehensive and detailed it's EXHAUSTING。 The final chapter， which points out the damage humans have done with light and noise pollution， is really wonderfully written， but by the time you get to that point in the book YOU'RE EXHAUSTED！ By the time I was halfway through this book What an unbelievable feat of research。 I wonder how long it took to research and write this。 Yong is a terrific writer and goodness gracious， is this book comprehensive！ And that is kind of a problem - this book is SO comprehensive and detailed it's EXHAUSTING。 The final chapter， which points out the damage humans have done with light and noise pollution， is really wonderfully written， but by the time you get to that point in the book YOU'RE EXHAUSTED！ By the time I was halfway through this book it became a marathon effort to plow through each page and each chapter。 I probably would have （and maybe SHOULD have） just given up on this at some point， thinking "Okay， I get it， I get it already！" It sounds like I am being pretty negative about this book， which is not my intent。 It really is a terrific book。One last very silly criticism - it seems like 75% of the pages have footnotes; quite often multiple footnotes， and after awhile it got kinda irritating。 I'd turn the page， and sure enough， there's another asterisk， so I'd have to interrupt the flow of the prose， read what Yong added at the bottom of the page， and then find where I left off。 I think the majority of these footnotes could have been incorporated into the body of the text， but had all those words been reproduced in the "regular" sized font of the main text， it might have added another 75 pages！ 。。。more
Joseph Adelizzi， Jr。
，
This book by Ed Yong is full of interesting information。 I wish I had total recall to share Yong’s explanations of the numerous physiological constructs various species use to perceive the world。 I don’t， plus you’d be better off just reading his fine work rather than listening to me struggle to recall all the details。At the end of this fun and informative read Yong makes a very important point concerning humanity’s impact on the planet。 Sure there are the obvious deleterious byproducts of our a This book by Ed Yong is full of interesting information。 I wish I had total recall to share Yong’s explanations of the numerous physiological constructs various species use to perceive the world。 I don’t， plus you’d be better off just reading his fine work rather than listening to me struggle to recall all the details。At the end of this fun and informative read Yong makes a very important point concerning humanity’s impact on the planet。 Sure there are the obvious deleterious byproducts of our advances， i。e。， carbon emissions， plastics and other hardy garbage， deforestation， and forced extinctions to name a few。 However Yong also points out the less obvious harmful effects our cravings for convenience and comfort have on our eathmates who perceive the world through much different mechanisms than we do。 He raises our awareness about light pollution and noise pollution which dramatically and surprisingly， at least to the uninitiated like me prior to reading An Immense World， greatly alter an ecosystem。 Noise and light pollution cause various species to avoid an area， putting into motion a chain-reaction which ultimately can make the area uninhabitable for other dependent species。 The earth is basically a closed system wherein every action has an equal and opposite reaction。 If we flood the earth with light or noise or carbon emissions then the earth is going to react in an equal and opposite manner。 And when the earth reacts we may find that our little niche is “suddenly” uninhabitable。 。。。more
Scott Kardel
，
An Immense World is a fascinating read。 This amazing look at how various animals sense the world is certainly one of the best science books of the year。
Amy
，
NF355 pagesA different view of the powerful， enlighteninglife of the world around us。
Javier Gzz F
，
Explorando los sentidos de los animales。 El mundo es diferente para cada especie y cada estimulo se percibe diferente。 Desde vista， olfato， sabor， tacto， escucha hasta la echo localización de ballenas y murciélagos， magnetorecepción de tortugas marinas y pájaros， electrocelción de tiburones y anguilas， propriocepción， etc。 （no solo existen los 5 sentidos）Te metes un poquito al mundo de diferentes animales y como cada uno ha evolucionado ciertas habilidades para adaptarse al mundo， al mismo tiemp Explorando los sentidos de los animales。 El mundo es diferente para cada especie y cada estimulo se percibe diferente。 Desde vista， olfato， sabor， tacto， escucha hasta la echo localización de ballenas y murciélagos， magnetorecepción de tortugas marinas y pájaros， electrocelción de tiburones y anguilas， propriocepción， etc。 （no solo existen los 5 sentidos）Te metes un poquito al mundo de diferentes animales y como cada uno ha evolucionado ciertas habilidades para adaptarse al mundo， al mismo tiempo adaptándose e influenciándolo。 Te hace ver como todo esta conectado y como hay tantas cosas que no sabemos。 Definitivamente te despierta la curiosidad。 。。。more
Lynn
，
This is a fascinatingly detailed account of the many and varied ways that different animals experience the world。 the author explores how almost every creature has its own "Umweld" or world expereince， and none is quite like our own。 Every page seems to bring a new surprise。 However， it was so detailed that I couldn't read it in the allotted time from the library （and so in demand that I couldn't renew it） that I bought a copy。 However， it weas worth it and two family members want to borrow it。 This is a fascinatingly detailed account of the many and varied ways that different animals experience the world。 the author explores how almost every creature has its own "Umweld" or world expereince， and none is quite like our own。 Every page seems to bring a new surprise。 However， it was so detailed that I couldn't read it in the allotted time from the library （and so in demand that I couldn't renew it） that I bought a copy。 However， it weas worth it and two family members want to borrow it。 。。。more
Allison
，
After reading several glowing reviews in publications I trust， I was eager to read An Immense World for myself。 I am a great fan of books and programs that see Man as a part of the natural world， not a superior life form。 The focus of this book is to educate the reader to all the senses and abilities that birds， insects， reptiles， and other mammals use to survive， many of which are not part of the human toolkit。 We have always acknowledged that other creatures may see better， run faster and use After reading several glowing reviews in publications I trust， I was eager to read An Immense World for myself。 I am a great fan of books and programs that see Man as a part of the natural world， not a superior life form。 The focus of this book is to educate the reader to all the senses and abilities that birds， insects， reptiles， and other mammals use to survive， many of which are not part of the human toolkit。 We have always acknowledged that other creatures may see better， run faster and use other senses we share with greater finesse。 But until recently even scientists took for granted that our senses were of a higher order than the rest of the animal kingdom。 It was hard to comprehend that， for instance， senses like echolocation and the response to electricity enable other life forms to experience their world in ways that we can’t。Shifting the focus from Man encourages the reader to see the miracle of each creature and it’s place in the world。 The author presents this concept early and reinforces it throughout the book。。 Each chapter deals with a different sense and is heavily footnoted。 In addition， an extensive bibliography is included。 I could easily see this book as the text for a university course。 There were so many research studies included that my inadequate human brain was on overload。 As it was， it took about a month for me to plow through to the end。 If you love reading the findings of scientists in the field， this book will satisfy you。 For me， I found it top heavy with research detail and I was just glad I wasn’t expected to take an exam at the end。 。。。more
Kendra
，
My NF pick for this summer。
Kishore Hari
，
"This is a story of diversity， not superiority"I was immediately hooked by Ed Yong's thesis。 We've explored the extraordinary sense world of animals through our limited world-view， defining animals senses through our own and applying comparisons where they made no sense。 This Umwelt-ian world that unfurled over the 13 chapters was captivating and challenging。 We meet many animals that are commonplace in pop science writing - the star nosed mole， all the bats， leafcutters ants， and more。 But we g "This is a story of diversity， not superiority"I was immediately hooked by Ed Yong's thesis。 We've explored the extraordinary sense world of animals through our limited world-view， defining animals senses through our own and applying comparisons where they made no sense。 This Umwelt-ian world that unfurled over the 13 chapters was captivating and challenging。 We meet many animals that are commonplace in pop science writing - the star nosed mole， all the bats， leafcutters ants， and more。 But we get many more examples and some of the senses described were downright alien: ultraviolet sight， magnetic visualizations， and pressure sensors activated by movement。 Echolocation in a human as illustrated by the amazing Daniel Kish！ And I haven't even mentioned the really strange "skin teeth" or Insane Clown Posse reference。 The entire books flows in the Ed's lyrical structure。 Easy to understand level setting， extraordinary observation， supporting quotes from a diverse set of experts。 For a relatively lengthy book， it moves quickly given the digestible structure。 And I （continue to） applaud Ed for the commitment to diverse sourcing clearly on display in this book。However， the story is relentless。 Example after example fill the chapters to the brim， leaving me with a muddy recollection of any particular story。 I wouldn't be surprised if there were more than 500 examples of different animals and senses referenced。 I found the areas where he allowed the story to breath and slow down - Daniel Kish's story for example- to be more memorable and impactful。Still， the larger thesis carries the book to the conclusion - one of deep appreciation and conservation。 Ed is one of greatest science journalists of our time and he tackles the immense world with his typical dedication and aplomb。 A can't miss delight for his hardcore fans and eye opening adventure for those new to his writing。 。。。more
Katharine Rudzitis
，
I’ve never learned so many cool facts I wanted to share or appreciated the other senses animals have in quite this way before。 An excellent book。
Laura Hoffman Brauman
，
A fundamental fact from my grade school years was the existence of 5 senses。 Yong shines a light on just how limited （and incorrect） that fact is in this fascinating look at the animal world and the senses that they use to experience the world around them。 So much of how we think about animals’ experience of the world is within a framework of our own way of experiencing the world - we think about seeing with our limitations of color， space， light， etc。 This is a highly dense science book， but it A fundamental fact from my grade school years was the existence of 5 senses。 Yong shines a light on just how limited （and incorrect） that fact is in this fascinating look at the animal world and the senses that they use to experience the world around them。 So much of how we think about animals’ experience of the world is within a framework of our own way of experiencing the world - we think about seeing with our limitations of color， space， light， etc。 This is a highly dense science book， but it was absolutely a compelling read。 If you like books that make you constantly want to tell the person next to you about the fascinating fact you just learned， then this is a must read。 And the last chapter - perfection。 You will never look at the natural world the same way after Yong “opens your eyes” to all the ways the world is experienced。“To perceive the world through other senses is to find splendor in familiarity and the sacred in the mundane。” 。。。more
Scott Buchanan
，
A fascinating look at how animals sense and gather information from their surroundings。 As humans we are biased towards vision， but other animals use smell， touch， taste， electrical and magnetic fields， and many others to make sense of their world; to eat and avoid being eaten。 Yong’s examples， some familiar some not， illustrated this very well。 He also showed how we humans are making things more difficult for our animal neighbors through light， sound， and odor pollution。 This book made me look A fascinating look at how animals sense and gather information from their surroundings。 As humans we are biased towards vision， but other animals use smell， touch， taste， electrical and magnetic fields， and many others to make sense of their world; to eat and avoid being eaten。 Yong’s examples， some familiar some not， illustrated this very well。 He also showed how we humans are making things more difficult for our animal neighbors through light， sound， and odor pollution。 This book made me look at the world a little differently and appreciate the diversity of senses that are used by animals。 When you take your dog for a walk and seems to be sniffing everything， he is gathering information with his nose just like you do with your eyes。 Don’t deny him that， even if you don’t understand it。 。。。more
Joshua
，
This is a deep dive into the idea of the umwelt -- the specific way that different creatures perceive the world around them。 That means that it is first and foremost a book full of interesting facts about animals。 Poisonous snakes， for instance， bite and inject venom into a mouse while simultaneously imprinting their smell onto their memory。 Then they let the victim run off to die where it wont scratch them。 After a few minutes they follow the smell and eat safely。 Elephants can communicate with This is a deep dive into the idea of the umwelt -- the specific way that different creatures perceive the world around them。 That means that it is first and foremost a book full of interesting facts about animals。 Poisonous snakes， for instance， bite and inject venom into a mouse while simultaneously imprinting their smell onto their memory。 Then they let the victim run off to die where it wont scratch them。 After a few minutes they follow the smell and eat safely。 Elephants can communicate with one another through ground vibrations。 Seals locate fish in the water by "feeling" them remotely with their whiskers。 （Sea lions just use their eyes。） Certain spiders tune their webs to sense the kind of food they want to eat; if they get hungrier they tighten its strings so that they'll feel the vibrations of small bugs getting caught that are only worth the energy to hunt if calories are hard to come by。 But if you take a non-hungry spider and put it onto a hungry spider's web， it'll go after bugs so small it'd ignore them on its own web。 So the web doesn't just help the spider sense prey， it essentially makes the decision of what it should eat。 Etc。 etc。 etc。 This is useful fare if you hang out with a seven-year old a lot， and I am straining to keep as many of them in my brain as possible to break them out as party tricks going forward。 A long list of animal facts is a perfectly good formula for a book， but this goes beyond that to more existential questions。 There's the mystery of whether animals develop the ability to sense things because they exist， or whether things come into existence because animals have the ability to sense them。 （Yong makes a compelling case for the latter， meaning that the physical world is actually created by the act of perceiving it， which is mind-blowing stuff。） He also argues that sentience itself evolved as a way for beings to tell when they were sensing things their own bodies were doing vs。 sensing things happening in the outside world that their bodies were experiencing。 Didn't try to talk all this out with the kid quite yet， but we'll get there。 。。。more
Gary tuttle
，
Fascinating book， very scientific。
Yasaman
，
An impressive， enthusiastic， and nonetheless very readable/listenable survey of the very broad topic of the sensory experiences of living things。 Yong's writing is accessible， and the structure of the book keeps the topic from being too overwhelming。 Yong himself reads the audiobook， and he's pleasantly enthusiastic。[2022 READING CHALLENGE: A HARD-HITTING INVESTIGATIVE REPORT] An impressive， enthusiastic， and nonetheless very readable/listenable survey of the very broad topic of the sensory experiences of living things。 Yong's writing is accessible， and the structure of the book keeps the topic from being too overwhelming。 Yong himself reads the audiobook， and he's pleasantly enthusiastic。[2022 READING CHALLENGE: A HARD-HITTING INVESTIGATIVE REPORT] 。。。more
Andrea
，
Ed Yong is one of my favorite science writers and this book did not disappoint！ He contextualizes the science well and strikes a wonderful balance between profiling the scientists and diving into the science。 I loved learning about the many different senses of animals。 The book made me pause and think about perception and our impact on the natural world。
JJR
，
Fantastic book。 I was skeptical at first， but as I started to read this was both interesting and well-written。 I was especially impressed when reading about the senses that we share with animals （vision， hearing， smell） and to what extremes they are taken — absolutely mind blowing。 This book will give you a new perspective on life around you， and I highly recommend it。Only reason why I’ve not given it 5 stars is that I was a bit overloaded with facts by the end — I think it’s a good idea to read Fantastic book。 I was skeptical at first， but as I started to read this was both interesting and well-written。 I was especially impressed when reading about the senses that we share with animals （vision， hearing， smell） and to what extremes they are taken — absolutely mind blowing。 This book will give you a new perspective on life around you， and I highly recommend it。Only reason why I’ve not given it 5 stars is that I was a bit overloaded with facts by the end — I think it’s a good idea to read this book in pieces， treating each chapter as a ‘book’ on its own and reading something else in between。 。。。more
Tanglebones
，