Ward, Ashley – The Bell Bookshop

Sensational

Emma — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

‘A future classic of popular science’ Mail on Sunday’A dazzling account’ Financial Times’Absorbing, surprising and at times profound. After reading this, reality will never be quite the same’ Dave GoulsonOur senses are how we navigate the world: they help us recognise the expressions on a loved one’s face, know whether fruit is ripe by its smell, or even sense a storm approaching through a sudden drop in air pressure. It’s now believed that we may have as many as fifty-three senses – and we’re just beginning to expand our knowledge of this incredibly extensive palette.Sensational is a mind-bending look at how our brains shape our experience of the world, marshalling the latest discoveries in science to explore the dazzling eyesight of the mantis shrimp, the rich inner lives of krill, and the baffling link between geomagnetic fields and canine bowel movements. Blending biology and neuroscience, Ward reveals that understanding our senses may hold the key to understanding the origins of human behaviour – from why we kiss to our varied music tastes.

The social lives of animals

Emma — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

‘Any writer who can evoke the existential sadness of a lonely cockroach, or make krill thrilling, or describe a snorkelling colleague being engulfed in a “gargantuan cetacean bum detonation” is a real gift to science communication … thought-provoking’ GuardianEverything you ever wanted to know about how animals live together, and what that means for usSome animal societies hold a mirror up to the human world: elephants hold funerals for departed family members. Pinyon jays run collective creches. Rats will go out of their way to help a cold, wet stranger. Other lifestyles can seem intensely alien. Take locusts, surging over the land in their millions, unable to slow down for a moment because the hungry ranks behind will literally bite their legs off if they don’t stay one step ahead (actually, you might know a few people like that). But no matter how offputting an animal might be, behavioural scientist Ashley Ward can usually find something worth celebrating. Travelling the world from the Serengeti to the frozen Antarctic ocean, with stops in the muddy fields and streams of his native northern Yorkshire, he brings his curious eye and infectious humour right down to their level. The result is a world-expanding, myth-busting tour of some of nature’s greatest marvels, in delightfully broad-minded company.

Sensational

Emma — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

‘A future classic of popular science’ Mail on SundayWhy do women have a better sense of smell than men?Has the iPhone changed how we touch? Does the Danube really look blue when you’re in love?Our senses are at the heart of how we navigate the world. They help us recognise the expressions on a loved one’s face, know whether fruit is ripe by its smell, or even sense a storm approaching through a sudden drop in air pressure. It’s now believed that we may have as many as fifty-three senses – and we’re just beginning to expand our knowledge of this incredibly extensive palette.In Sensational, Ashley Ward embarks on an expedition through the ways we experience the world, marshalling the latest advancements in science to explore the dazzling eyesight of the mantis shrimp, the rich inner lives of krill and the baffling link between canine bowel movements and geomagnetic fields. Unlocking the incredible power of our senses may hold the key to mysteries like why we kiss, how our brain dictates our taste in music and how a dairy-rich diet strained Euro-Japanese relations. Blending biology and cutting-edge neuroscience, Sensational is a mind-bending look at how our brains shape the way we interpret the world.

The Social Lives of Animals

Emma — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000