The Truth About Animals

Mary Roach meets Bill Bryson in this "surefire summer winner" (Janet Maslin, New York Times), an uproarious tour of the basest instincts and biggest mysteries of the animal world Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we've still got a long way to go. Whether we're seeing a viral video of romping baby pandas or a picture of penguins "holding hands," it's hard for us not to project our own values--innocence, fidelity, temperance, hard work--onto animals. So you've probably never considered if moose get drunk, penguins cheat on their mates, or worker ants lay about. They do--and that's just for starters. In The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke takes us on a worldwide journey to meet everyone from a Colombian hippo castrator to a Chinese panda porn peddler, all to lay bare the secret--and often hilarious--habits of the animal kingdom. Charming and at times downright weird, this modern bestiary is perfect for anyone who has ever suspected that virtue might be unnatural.

Maxwell Eaton III's The Truth About Bears is a lighthearted nonfiction picture book, filled with useful facts about bears that will make you laugh so hard you won’t even realize you’re learning something!

'Endlessly fascinating.' - Bill Bryson 'Eye-opening, informative and very funny!' - Chris Packham 'Well-informed and downright funny' - Richard Dawkins History is full of strange animal stories invented by the brightest and most influential, from Aristotle to Disney. But when it comes to understanding animals, we've got a long way to go. Whether we're watching a viral video of romping baby pandas or looking at a picture of penguins 'holding hands', we often project our own values - innocence, abstinence, hard work - onto animals. So you've probably never considered that moose get drunk and that penguins are notorious cheats. In The Unexpected Truth About Animals Zoologist Lucy unravels many such myths - that eels are born from sand, that swallows hibernate under water, and that bears gave birth to formless lumps that are licked into shape by their mothers - to show that the stories we create reveal as much about us as they do about the animals. Astonishing, illuminating and laugh-out-loud funny.

Discover the secrets and myths about animal intelligence. Are animals just as smart as humans? How do they learn? What are their instincts? Do they have feelings?

Takes a close look at what we dislike about each of 10 unpopular animals, and then presents the flip side: these very same animals are often smart, helpful to humans and the environment, or inspiring to scientists.

Discover the secrets and myths about animal senses. From the simplest amoeba to the brightest ape, learn the simple truths about how animals operate.

While conducting studies intended to unlock the secret workings of the animal mind, the author finds herself drawn into the spiritual and mystical world of her subjects. Through interspecies telepathic communication, she unravels the mystery of the powerful bond between animals and humans and its connection with the divine. She explains the scientific and metaphysical research that supports her work, but more importantly tells a moving and enlightening story about the power of love, why we are here, and where evolution is leading us.

This is a comprehensive book that analyses the scientific evidence linking tobacco smoking to disease and premature death, as well as the political motivations that have led to the anti-smoking movement becoming so large. The book explores all aspects of tobacco smoking, including: smoking trends among social classes; detection bias and its impact on diagnosis; and examines in depth the evidence linking smoking to specific diseases; how attitudes towards smoking have changed over time from being used medicinally to being the scourge of society; and how and why tobacco smoking has the negative status it does today. It objectively dissects the politics and science of smoking trends and issues, looking at vital, complex components that are often overlooked. A must-read for smokers and non-smokers alike, Smoke Screens: The Truth About Tobacco is a controversial work that challenges one of the most widely accepted beliefs of our time.