The Hidden Universe: Adventures in Biodiversity
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-06 08:54:03
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexandre Antonelli
- ISBN：1529109167
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Summary
We don't know what we've got until it's gone。。。
This brief， lucid book by the Director of Science at Royal Botanical Gardens takes you on an unforgettable tour of the natural world， showing how biodiversity - the rich variety of life in the world and in our own backyards - provides both the source and the salvation of our existence。 Combining inspiration stories and the latest scientific research， Alex Antonelli reveals the wonders of biodiversity at a genetic， species and ecosystem level - what it is， how it works， and why it's the most important tool in our battle against climate change。
A deeper understanding of biodiversity has never been more important， as the slow violence of habitat loss has put the fate of almost one-fifth of all species on Earth at risk of extinction in the coming decades。 These building blocks of life form a network that underpins almost every aspect of our lives， providing invaluable sources of food， medicine， fibre， clothing， building material and more。 With simplicity and clarity， The Hidden Universe shows you not only what's at stake， but what can be done （and is already being done） to protect and restore biodiversity around the world。 It marks the arrival of a bold new voice in popular science。
This brief， lucid book by the Director of Science at Royal Botanical Gardens takes you on an unforgettable tour of the natural world， showing how biodiversity - the rich variety of life in the world and in our own backyards - provides both the source and the salvation of our existence。 Combining inspiration stories and the latest scientific research， Alex Antonelli reveals the wonders of biodiversity at a genetic， species and ecosystem level - what it is， how it works， and why it's the most important tool in our battle against climate change。
A deeper understanding of biodiversity has never been more important， as the slow violence of habitat loss has put the fate of almost one-fifth of all species on Earth at risk of extinction in the coming decades。 These building blocks of life form a network that underpins almost every aspect of our lives， providing invaluable sources of food， medicine， fibre， clothing， building material and more。 With simplicity and clarity， The Hidden Universe shows you not only what's at stake， but what can be done （and is already being done） to protect and restore biodiversity around the world。 It marks the arrival of a bold new voice in popular science。
Reviews
Dervla
，
I had high hopes for this book， purely because the author is Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens。 However there were quite a few problems with this book。 It was littered with boring personal anecdotes， tedious and unnecessary laudations of the author’s colleagues and notable scientists （has he heard about footnotes？） that took the place of meaningful commentary and were a hindrance to the flow of this popular science book。 And in places， he comes across as boastful and bragging abou I had high hopes for this book， purely because the author is Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens。 However there were quite a few problems with this book。 It was littered with boring personal anecdotes， tedious and unnecessary laudations of the author’s colleagues and notable scientists （has he heard about footnotes？） that took the place of meaningful commentary and were a hindrance to the flow of this popular science book。 And in places， he comes across as boastful and bragging about the ‘fantastic， amazing’ things he has done ‘which brought national and international praise’ lol （is this book then aimed at current or potential donors？）。In addition， having read a number of popular science books aimed at the average non-scientific reader， this one brought nothing new。 The facts he assembles are well known and familiar to anyone who regularly reads the Guardian。 I was excited to get to the last section， about what we can do to solve the biodiversity crisis， loss of ecosystems and climate change， but again it was perfectly generic。 If you have read nothing on this topic， about avoiding beef and long haul flights， buying second hand， you might find this book interesting。 Otherwise， I would avoid it。 。。。more
Dennis
，
I’m sorry to not give a higher rating to a book on the subject which has been the dominant concern of the second half of my life。 It’s a book which activated a lot of sadness while reading， but I didn’t lower my rating for that; I think grief is part of what we need to feel about what we’ve done to life on Earth。The first section of the book gives a solid overview of what biodiversity is， looking at the aspects of species， genes， evolution， functions， and ecosystems。 Throughout the book， it’s cl I’m sorry to not give a higher rating to a book on the subject which has been the dominant concern of the second half of my life。 It’s a book which activated a lot of sadness while reading， but I didn’t lower my rating for that; I think grief is part of what we need to feel about what we’ve done to life on Earth。The first section of the book gives a solid overview of what biodiversity is， looking at the aspects of species， genes， evolution， functions， and ecosystems。 Throughout the book， it’s clear that the author respects the natural world， and we share many values。It was a single but very large omission which made the book lose credibility with me， and lowered my rating。 I got to the end of the book and was so amazed the topic hadn’t been broached that I searched the book to be sure I hadn’t somehow missed it。Habitat loss is listed as the major cause of the loss of biodiversity， and the doubling of the human population over fifty years is listed as the driving force， directly and indirectly。 But rather than take on the issue directly， the author only writes that we need to change the results of it， such as how we produce food。The final chapter titled “What Can We Do？” acknowledges that we must change our lifestyle radically and substantially， and offers suggestions。 There are many good ones on areas such as diet and transportation which I’ve long tried to live by。 The author suggests that people consider not having pets， but doesn’t suggest they consider not having children。 The first step in saving biodiversity is decreasing human population。 Based on human preference for short term gain over long term stability， and the deterioration and denial I’ve seen during my life， I don’t believe the necessary changes are going to happen voluntarily。 But to not even be willing to face the issue guarantees they won’t。As to another major factor in the loss of biodiversity， the U。S。， the country which has done the most to cause climate change， is currently quickly going backward in all ways possible and the right-wing supreme court and one senator have made it more difficult to fight climate change。 I have no confidence that current political and economic systems will accomplish or even attempt what is needed。 The author acknowledges that we have failed so far， but hopes that will change。Thanks to University of Chicago Press and NetGalley for the advance copy to review。 。。。more
Charlotte Fay
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An absolutely splendid book。 I thoroughly enjoyed it。 As someone who in September will be starting a Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Degree it was a very useful resource and I believe should be provided to all secondary school children to read and perhaps study。 If we are to make a difference then we need to be teaching these things from a young age。 A beautiful book that I will indeed purchase in paperback when it comes out。
Ana W
，
The best science communicators can communicate a lot of science in way that is both interesting and easy to understand。 That’s exactly what Alexandre Antonelli has done in this wonderful book。 He explores the vast variety of living things， why that diversity is important， and how humans are diminishing biodiversity。 In the second half of the book he delves into what we can do to protect biodiversity both as a society and as individuals。 I feel like this is in immensely important book because it The best science communicators can communicate a lot of science in way that is both interesting and easy to understand。 That’s exactly what Alexandre Antonelli has done in this wonderful book。 He explores the vast variety of living things， why that diversity is important， and how humans are diminishing biodiversity。 In the second half of the book he delves into what we can do to protect biodiversity both as a society and as individuals。 I feel like this is in immensely important book because it so clearly lays out importance， problems， and solutions related to biodiversity。 Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest opinion。 。。。more
J Earl
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