"From the author of 1491--the best-selling study of the pre-Columbian Americas--a deeply engaging new history that explores the most momentous biological event since the death of the dinosaurs. More than 200 million years ago, geological forces split apart the continents. Isolated from each other, the two halves of the world developed totally different suites of plants and animals. Columbus's voyages brought them back together--and marked the beginning...

Bryson takes readers on a tour of his house, a rural English parsonage, showing how each room has figured in the evolution of private life. Explores the ways in which homes reflect history, from a bathroom's revelations about medicine and hygiene to a kitchen's exposure of the stories of trade and nutrition.

"This exciting volume presents the work and research of the Rivers of the Anthropocene Network, an international collaborative group of scientists, social scientists, humanists, artists, policy makers, and community organizers working to produce innovative transdisciplinary research on global freshwater systems. In an attempt to bridge disciplinary divides, the essays in this volume address the challenge in studying the intersection of biophysical...

After Mikhail Gorbachev signaled the end of the Cold War, he brought together hundreds of the worlds leading thinkers to confront the most daunting challenge of all times. Together they embark on a determined search for a safe passage into the next century. On the Edge is a riveting tale of the greatest crisis ever to threaten the human race. This emotional documentary wrestles with the combined impacts of our teeming human population coupled with...

After local leaders launched a crusade to end the slaughter of Trinidad’s thousand-pound leatherback turtles, the turtles were transformed from shark bait to tourist attraction. Now Trinidad’s beaches support 80 percent of the entire Caribbean’s leatherbacks and nearby villages make a great living catering to the visitors.

"Interweaves the science and history of the powerful refrigerant (and dangerous greenhouse gas) Freon with a haunting meditation on how to live meaningfully and morally in a rapidly heating world"--

Presents information about cars, including the history of cars, different types of cars, car parts, the impact of cars on the environment, and cars of the future.

"Over the past five hundred years, North Americans have increasingly turned to mining to produce many of their basic social and cultural objects. From cell phones to cars and roadways, metal pots to wall tile and even talcum powder, minerals products have become central to modern North American life. As this process has unfolded, mining has also indelibly shaped the natural world and North Americans' relationship with it. Mountains have been honeycombed,...

"From hunting and gathering to GMOs and ultraprocessed foods, this expansive tour of human history rewrites the story of our species--and points the way to a better future"--

Tourism is a huge global industry which is having a major impact on the economy, culture and environment of many different countries. Five films explore examples from across the world.