{"product_id":"a-natural-history-of-the-future-9781399800136","title":"A Natural History of the Future","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver the past century, our species has made unprecedented technological innovations with which we have sought to control nature. In \u003ci\u003eA Natural History of the Future\u003c\/i\u003e, biologist Rob Dunn argues that such efforts are futile. We may see ourselves as life''s overlords, but we are instead at its mercy. In the evolution of antibiotic resistance, the power of natural selection to create biodiversity, and even the surprising life of the London Underground, Dunn finds laws of life that no human activity can annul. When we create artificial islands of crops, dump toxic waste, or build communities, we provide new materials for old laws to shape. Life''s future flourishing is not in question. Ours is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Natural History of the Future\u003c\/i\u003e sets a new standard for understanding the diversity and destiny of life itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRob Dunn sketches an arresting vision of this relentless natural world\u003c\/b\u003e . . . If we want to know what's coming, then, we would be well advised to familiarize ourselves with them, Dunn argues. To that end, \u003cb\u003ehis book functions as a helpful crash course in ecology and, as the title implies, an augur of sorts\u003c\/b\u003e -- The New York Times Book Review\u003cbr\u003e[A] lucid discussion . . . Dunn's \u003cb\u003eabsorbing\u003c\/b\u003e analysis advocates making the most of the few certainties we have -- Scientific American\u003cbr\u003eEven if we could halt fossil fuel emissions tomorrow, we would still need to make some big changes. Evolutionary biologist Rob Dunn's timely new book . . . is a guide to this complex problem and offers palatable solutions . . . \u003cb\u003ea clear and important read\u003c\/b\u003e -- Mary Ellen Hannibal, Science\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003estimulating\u003c\/b\u003e exploration . . . The author avoids the usual implausible how-to-fix-it conclusion . . . Instead, he offers a book that is less doomsday prophecy and more \u003cb\u003eexcellent\u003c\/b\u003e primer on ecology and evolution. \u003cb\u003eAn imaginative, sensible education for those concerned with the fate of the Earth\u003c\/b\u003e -- Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003efascinating, shocking, and inspiring\u003c\/b\u003e guide to the future by \u003cb\u003eone of the most creative and eloquent biologists of our time\u003c\/b\u003e. Dunn's book is \u003cb\u003epacked full of insight \u003c\/b\u003efrom the latest scientific discoveries about the wonders and troubles of the living Earth -- David George Haskell, author of The Forest Unseen\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003etimely, thought-provoking analysis\u003c\/b\u003e, delivered in the affable prose that has become Dunn's hallmark -- Thor Hanson, author of Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid\u003cbr\u003eSpeciations in weird urban habitats, viruses chasing hosts around the globe, and the greatest challenge life on Earth has faced for two million years: \u003cb\u003ethis is the fascinating and sobering ecology of the Anthropocene\u003c\/b\u003e -- Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFive stars\u003c\/b\u003e . . . it makes the reader think, and there are some truly fascinating ideas about the way species interact with their environment . . . \u003cb\u003eA useful and timely book\u003c\/b\u003e -- Brian Clegg, Popular Science\u003cbr\u003eRob Dunn steers our attention toward the biota under our noses as part of a broader project to explicate the circumstances that prompt new life forms, and adaptive behaviors, to appear . . . The biodiversity and versatility on display in the animal kingdom of which we are part have lots to teach us. \u003cb\u003eTo remain at home in the world, we too will need to change\u003c\/b\u003e -- The Atlantic\u003cbr\u003e[Dunn argues] people can help mitigate the effects of climate change by valuing \"the rest of life\" outside humanity, as well as heeding the lessons that other life has to teach. \u003cb\u003eThoughtful and accessible, this deserves a wide readership\u003c\/b\u003e -- Publishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003eIn forecasting future ecology, Dunn enlists biological laws to predict what likely lies ahead for life on our planet, including us . . . \u003cb\u003eDunn engagingly explains biogeography, inventive intelligence, and speedy evolutionary reaction to changing conditions\u003c\/b\u003e -- Tony Miksanek, Booklist","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49371870921047,"sku":"9781399800136","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781399800136.jpg?v=1730154872","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/a-natural-history-of-the-future-9781399800136","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}