Seasons of Life: The Annual Rhythms That Enable Living Things to Survive and Thrive

Seasons of Life: The Annual Rhythms That Enable Living Things to Survive and Thrive

by Leon Kreitzman (Author), RussellFoster (Author)

Synopsis

The natural world is full of rhythms. How do birds know when to return to their nesting grounds? What effect do the seasons have on our wellbeing, and how does the season in which we are born affect our subsequent life chances? How did humans get the idea that there were seasons 50,000 years ago? "Seasons of Life" explains why the seasons occur, the impact of seasonal change and how organisms have evolved to anticipate these changes. For although we mask the effects of seasonal changes by warming our homes, lighting our nights, preserving foods and storing water, we cannot hide from them.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Publisher: Profile Books
Published: 04 Jun 2009

ISBN 10: 1861979142
ISBN 13: 9781861979148
Book Overview: The new world of chronobiology is popular science at its most exciting: understanding how the seasons regulate the life of every human, plant and animal on Earth.

Media Reviews
A must-read for anyone who has ever looked up at a migrating skein of geese and wondered how do they know...? * New Scientist *
With their new book Foster and Kreitzman have produced a tantalizing account of most of the relevant facts of what has been nicknamed 'Nature's contraceptive'. This reflects the key function of seasonal organization. Thousands of species across the globe, including the tropics, employ seasonality to turn off reproduction at times of year when low food supply is expected and individual fitness is better served by waiting patiently for the next season. The Seasons of Life is a joy to read, and a compelling text on the importance of seasonality in the evolution of life on earth. * Nature *
Author Bio
Russell G. Fosteris Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and a leading expert on the neuroscience of biological time. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society. Leon Kreitzman is a writer and broadcaster, a widely respected futurologist, and author of The 24 Hour Society. In Rhythms of Life, also published by Profile, Russell Foster and Leon Kreitzman introduced the science of chronobiology and circadian rhythms to the general public. Their influential book was a finalist for the Galileo science book prize in Padua and short-listed for the US independent publishers science book award. Rhythms of Life has been published in the UK, USA, Italy China, Japan, Taiwan