Charles Darwin was driven to distraction by plant spirals, growing so exasperated that he once begged a friend to explain the mystery “if you wish to save me from a miserable death.” The legendary naturalist was hardly alone in feeling tormented by these patterns. Plant spirals captured the gaze of Leonardo da Vinci and became Alan Turing’s final obsession. This book tells the stories of the physicists, mathematicians, and biologists who found themselves magnetically drawn to Fibonacci spirals in plants, seeking an answer to why these beautiful and seductive patterns occur in botanical forms as diverse as pine cones, cabbages, and sunflowers.

Do Plants Know Math? takes you down through the centuries to explore how great minds have been captivated and mystified by Fibonacci patterns in nature. It presents a powerful new geometrical solution, little known outside of scientific circles, that sheds light on why regular and irregular spiral patterns occur. Along the way, the book discusses related plant geometries such as fractals and the fascinating way that leaves are folded inside of buds. Your neurons will crackle as you begin to see the connections. This book will inspire you to look at botanical patterns-and the natural world itself-with new eyes.

Featuring hundreds of gorgeous color images, Do Plants Know Math? includes a dozen creative hands-on activities and even spiral-plant recipes, encouraging readers to explore and celebrate these beguiling patterns for themselves.

‘Extraordinary’ Merlin Sheldrake

‘A must-read’ New Scientist

‘Enthralling’ George Monbiot

‘Brilliant’ Philip Hoare

Wildlife filmmaker Tom Mustill had always liked whales. But when one breached onto his kayak, nearly killing him, he became obsessed.

This book traces his extraordinary investigation into the deep ocean and the cutting-edge science of animal translation.

What would it take to speak with a whale? Are we ready for what they might say?

MORE PRAISE FOR HOW TO SPEAK WHALE

‘One of the most exciting and hopeful books I have read in ages’ SY MONTGOMERY, AUTHOR OF THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS

‘A narrative that will expand your concept of language and deepen your understanding of the many ways there are to be alive ? It left me inspired’ MERLIN SHELDRAKE, AUTHOR OF ENTANGLED LIFE

‘A must-read ? a hugely engaging personal story of a journey into the future of human-animal communication facilitated by delving into its past’ NEW SCIENTIST

‘Fascinating and deeply humane’ GRETA THUNBERG

‘A rich, enthralling, brilliant book that opens our eyes and ears to worlds we can scarcely imagine’ GEORGE MONBIOT, AUTHOR OF REGENESIS

‘Tantalizing ? Think how transformative it would be if we could chat with whales about their love lives or their sorrows or their thoughts on the philosophy of language’ ELIZABETH KOLBERT, NEW YORKER

A thrilling investigation into the pioneering world of animal communication, where big data and artificial intelligence are changing our relationship with animals forever

In 2015, wildlife filmmaker Tom Mustill was whale watching when a humpback breached onto his kayak and nearly killed him. After a video clip of the event went viral, Tom found himself inundated with theories about what happened. He became obsessed with trying to find out what the whale had been thinking and sometimes wished he could just ask it. In the process of making a film about his experience, he discovered that might not be such a crazy idea.

This is a story about the pioneers in a new age of discovery, whose cutting-edge developments in natural science and technology are taking us to the brink of decoding animal communication – and whales, with their giant mammalian brains and sophisticated vocalisations, offer one of the most realistic opportunities for us to do so. Using ‘underwater ears,’ robotic fish, big data and machine intelligence, leading scientists and tech-entrepreneurs across the world are working to turn the fantasy of Dr Dolittle into a reality, upending much of what we know about these mysterious creatures. But what would it mean if we were to make contact? And with climate change threatening ever more species with extinction, would doing so alter our approach to the natural world?

Enormously original and hugely entertaining, How to Speak Whale is an unforgettable look at how close we truly are to communicating with another species – and how doing so might change our world beyond recognition.