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A review by bookish_spoonie
Tapestries of Life: Uncovering the Lifesaving Secrets of the Natural World by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
4.0
4 Stars
Tapestries of Life looks into the relationship between humans and nature. It looks into how we need nature to survive but also how nature inspires us. It also looks into a few devastating and mindless ways in which we are ruining the natural environment and the species that live in it.
Did you know that we are one of 10 million species on earth, but that only 1.5 million of these species have been named? Think of how crazy it is that all the damage to all those 10 million species has been done by ONE species...humans.
This book is split up nicely into 10 brilliant chapters, each of which is incredibly interesting and holds no repetition.
I especially found the chapter on medicine in nature both amazing and horrifying. I was shocked to learn that to this day, we use the blue blood of horseshoe crabs (which are hung up and drained in labs like blood bags) to find bacteria within syringes and other medical implements. That these remarkable prehistoric looking animals that have been alive for millions of years are now endangered due to the impact of humans is a heartbreaking fact. I was VERY pleased to learn that we have now found a synthetic way of doing the job of this bacteria finding blue blood and that it will be able to be used within a few years.
That is obviously a very sad way in which we use nature for our own gain but there are also lots of fascinating and harmless ways we interact too. For instance, the front of the bullet trains in Japan were modelled off the streamlined way in which a kingfisher's beak enters water.
The book is well balanced and bursting with interesting facts and useful information. I have learnt a lot and really enjoyed reading it. The writing is both useful yet engaging which is a hard balance to get in nature books. I will definitely read this author's books again (Her Insects book is actually sat on my TBR cart!).
It is obvious that we cannot live without nature but nature is certainly better off without us and this book shows us all the ways we have come to rely on the natural world.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in learning about our relationship with nature.
Please note that I was gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Tapestries of Life looks into the relationship between humans and nature. It looks into how we need nature to survive but also how nature inspires us. It also looks into a few devastating and mindless ways in which we are ruining the natural environment and the species that live in it.
Did you know that we are one of 10 million species on earth, but that only 1.5 million of these species have been named? Think of how crazy it is that all the damage to all those 10 million species has been done by ONE species...humans.
This book is split up nicely into 10 brilliant chapters, each of which is incredibly interesting and holds no repetition.
I especially found the chapter on medicine in nature both amazing and horrifying. I was shocked to learn that to this day, we use the blue blood of horseshoe crabs (which are hung up and drained in labs like blood bags) to find bacteria within syringes and other medical implements. That these remarkable prehistoric looking animals that have been alive for millions of years are now endangered due to the impact of humans is a heartbreaking fact. I was VERY pleased to learn that we have now found a synthetic way of doing the job of this bacteria finding blue blood and that it will be able to be used within a few years.
That is obviously a very sad way in which we use nature for our own gain but there are also lots of fascinating and harmless ways we interact too. For instance, the front of the bullet trains in Japan were modelled off the streamlined way in which a kingfisher's beak enters water.
The book is well balanced and bursting with interesting facts and useful information. I have learnt a lot and really enjoyed reading it. The writing is both useful yet engaging which is a hard balance to get in nature books. I will definitely read this author's books again (Her Insects book is actually sat on my TBR cart!).
It is obvious that we cannot live without nature but nature is certainly better off without us and this book shows us all the ways we have come to rely on the natural world.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in learning about our relationship with nature.
Please note that I was gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.