The Hunt For The Golden Mole

Taking as its narrative engine the hunt for an animal that is legendarily rare, Richard Girling writes an engaging and highly informative history of humankind's interest in hunting and collecting – what prompts us to do this? what good might come of our need to catalog all the living things of the natural world? Girling, named Environmental Journalist of the Years 2008 and 2009, has here chronicled – through the hunt for the Somali golden mole – the development of the conservation movement, the importance of diversity in the animal kingdom, including humankind within this realm, as well as a hard look at extinction. The Somali mole of the title, first descibed in print in a text book published in 1964, had as sole evidence of its existence only the fragment of a jaw bone found in an owl pellet, a specimen that seemed to have vanished as Girling began his exploration. Intrigued by the elusiveness of this creature and what the hunt for the facts of its existence might tell us about extinction, he was drawn to the dusty vaults of museums of natural history where the most rare artifacts are stored and catalogued, as he found himself caught up in the need to track it down. Part quest, part travelog, the book that results not only offers an important voice to the scientific debate about extinction and biodiversity it becomes an environmental call to arms.

Taking as its narrative engine the hunt for an animal that is legendarily rare, Richard Girling writes an engaging and highly informative history of humankind's interest in hunting and collecting – what prompts us to do this? what good might come of our need to catalog all the living things of the natural world? Girling, named Environmental Journalist of the Years 2008 and 2009, has here chronicled – through the hunt for the Somali golden mole – the development of the conservation movement, the importance of diversity in the animal kingdom, including humankind within this realm, as well as a hard look at extinction. The Somali mole of the title, first descibed in print in a text book published in 1964, had as sole evidence of its existence only the fragment of a jaw bone found in an owl pellet, a specimen that seemed to have vanished as Girling began his exploration. Intrigued by the elusiveness of this creature and what the hunt for the facts of its existence might tell us about extinction, he was drawn to the dusty vaults of museums of natural history where the most rare artifacts are stored and catalogued, as he found himself caught up in the need to track it down. Part quest, part travelog, the book that results not only offers an important voice to the scientific debate about extinction and biodiversity it becomes an environmental call to arms.

'A rare and magical book. I didn't want it to end.' Bill Bryson 'A total miracle.' Max Porter 'A witty, intoxicating paean to Earth's wondrous creatures.' Observer 'Rundell's pen is gold-tipped.' Sunday Times ** SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR ** The world is more astonishing, more miraculous and more wonderful than our wildest imaginings. In this passionately persuasive and sharply funny book, Katherine Rundell tells us how and why. A lavishly illustrated collection of the lives of some of the Earth's most astounding animals, The Golden Mole is a chance to be awestruck and lovestruck - to reckon with the beauty of the world, its fragility, and its strangeness. A swift flies two million kilometres in its lifetime. That's far enough to get to the moon and back twice over - and then once more to the moon. A pangolin keeps its tongue furled in a pouch by its hip, a Greenland shark can live five hundred years, a wombat once inspired a love poem.

The workshop brought together experts in genetics, molecular and cellular biology, physiology, engineering, physics, mathematics, audiology and medicine to present current work and to review the critical issues of inner ear function. A special emphasis of the workshop was on analytical model based studies. Experimentalists and theoreticians thus shared their points of view. The topics ranged from consideration of the hearing organ as a system to the study and modeling of individual auditory cells including molecular aspects of function. Some of the topics in the book are: motor proteins in hair cells; mechanical and electrical aspects of transduction by motor proteins; function of proteins in stereocilia of hair cells; production of acoustic force by stereocilia, mechanical properties of hair cells and the organ of Corti; mechanical vibration of the organ of Corti; wave propagation in tissue and fluids of the inner ear; sound amplification in the cochlea; critical oscillations; cochlear nonlinearity, and mechanisms for the production of otoacoustic emissions. This book will be invaluable to researchers and students in auditory science.

Provides a comprehensive reference on animals around the world including their life cycles, predators, food systems, overall ecology, and more.

Detailed articles cover the history, anatomy, feeding habits, social structure, reproduction, territory, and current status of ninety-five mammals around the world.