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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:The Tapir's Morning Bath: Mysteries of the Tropical Rain Forest and the Scientists Who Are Trying to Solve Themby Elizabeth Royte
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:One hundred and fifty years ago, Charles Darwin asked how a rain forest could contain so many species: "What explains the riot?" The same question occupies the scientists who toil on Panama's Barro Colorado Island today. Tropical and steamy, these six square miles comprise the best-studied rain forest in the world, a locus of scientific activity since 1923. In The Tapir's Morning Bath, Elizabeth Royte weaves together her own adventures on Barro Colorado with tales of researchers struggling to parse the intricate workings of the rain forest, the most complicated natural system on the planet. Through the lens of the field station, she also traces the history of modern biology from its earliest days of collection and classification through the decline of the naturalist to the days of intense niche specialization and rigorous scientific quantification. As Royte counts seeds and sorts insects, collects monkey dung and radiotracks bats, she begins to wonder: what is the point of such arcane studies? The world over, rain forests are rapidly disappearing and species are going extinct. While humanizing the scientists in the field, she explores the tension between their research and the reality of a world that may not have time for the answers. Review:"Intriguing... a finely drawn chronicle of fieldwork, with an appealing moral edge." Kirkus Reviews Review:"An excellent overview of the need for tropical research... an excellent book for all libraries." Library Journal Review:
"Royte is a remarkable writer... a perfect guide. The book is a charmer; I loved it." The New York Times Book Review Review:
"By turns comic and poetic, delivers the pleasures of a meandering excursion... the act of observing is its own reward." The New Yorker Synopsis:An engaging portrait of a community of biologists, The Tapir's Morning Bath
is a behind-the-scenes account of life at a tropical research station that
"conveys the uncertainties, frustrations, and joys of (scientific) field
work" (Science). On Panama's Barro Colorado Island, Elizabeth Royte works
alongside the scientists — counting seeds, sorting insects, collecting
monkey dung, radiotracking fruit bats — as they struggle to parse the
intricate workings of the tropical rain forest. While showing the human
side of the scientists at work, Royte explores the tensions between the slow pace of basic research and the reality of a world that may not have time to wait for answers. About the AuthorElizabeth Royte is a contributing writer for Outside magazine. She has written for the New York Times Magazine, Harper's, National Geographic, Smithsonian, The New Yorker, and Rolling Stone. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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