Download the New Releases Audiobooks in Science & Technology, Biology

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Title: The Private Lives of Birds

Subtitle: A Scientist Reveals the Intricacies of Avian Social Life

Author: Bridget Stutchbury

Narrator: Mary Kane

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

Biologist Bridget Stutchbury takes listeners along on her escapades as a bird detective, stalking subjects through the woods for hours, taking blood samples from nestlings for DNA analysis, and mounting miniature tracking devices on tiny backs. She captures several young white-and-brown male purple martins and paints them the darker color of mature males to see if the painted youngsters are more successful than their unaltered peers in wresting away nest sites from older males. They are!

The Private Lives of Birds is a treasure trove of fascinating insights into bird behavior. But understanding the social lives of birds does much more than slake our curiosity. Aware that many birds will not occupy an area unless other birds are already there, biologists used mirrors and two-dimensional cutouts to lure Atlantic puffins to establish colonies off the coast of Maine, getting curious puffins to visit the site and linger long enough to encounter a live bird. As Stutchbury says, "Trying to save birds without understanding what makes them tick is a shot in the darkbirds are highly social, and their social needs are at least as important as their physical needs."

Members Reviews:

Might as well have been read by a computer.

Story was interesting but ruined by the uninspired, monotone narration. With a different narrator, this would be worth while but as it was I could not finish it.

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Title: Because the Cat Purrs

Subtitle: How We Relate to Other Species and Why It Matters

Author: Janet Lembke

Narrator: Celeste Lawson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

We share our lives, for better or worse, with a multitude of animals: white-tailed deer and white-tailed eagles, hens and wrens, frogs and guppies, and, last but hardly least, bugs and bacteria. For the most part, we drift along separately, with neither man nor animal affecting the other's way of life. Sometimes, however, we fall in love - as in the case of the cat in the title - or otherwise encounter our animal neighbors in ways that change both of us. Lembke challenges her listeners to consider the idea that all creatures are conscious, with the ability to make choices, exercise awareness, and seek pleasure while shunning pain.

Rarely has a book of natural history covered such a broad range of subjects, from the everyday bargains we make with our pets and other domestic creatures to descriptions of bungee-cord snail sex and the purpose of a honeybee's sting. Lembke explores the evolution of her subjects, and draws on literature and myth to paint gorgeous, wide-ranging portraits of everyday (and more unusual) encounters, such as that of a gardener and a groundhog, or a chicken egg and Augustus Caesar's wife. This is a sensitive and timely appraisal of how we treat the creatures we share our planet with - and how we ought to. It is a book that no lover of intelligent writing about the natural world will want to miss.

Editorial Reviews:

Janet Lembke's essays are part poetry, part psychological investigation, and part love letter. Lembke's treatise on animals explores the companionship and affinity so many of us experience with our non-human friends. These anecdotes range from the historical to the scientific, all of them angling toward the importance of this interspecies relationship. Celeste Lawson's performance of Lembke's work is light and accessible. Her gentle tone accentuates the compassion that fills Lembke's words.

Members Reviews:

Naturalist illuminates some backyard mysteries

Naturalist Lembke's essays on the hidden lives of everyday creatures focus on our interaction with them, most often as pets, pests or sustenance.

The brief title essay (also the source of the book's irresistible cover) discusses the evolution of the house cat from Egyptian times, when it was deified and mummified, to the untamability even today of certain feral cats and the much studied but still unsolved mystery of the purr.

She explores the lives and the perpetual gardener's battle against groundhogs, deer and slugs (and no, she does not provide the long-sought solution), profiles animals that serve as pets or food, such as chickens and turtles, and recounts backyard dramas like the hunt of a resident hawk and the ice-laden crash of a red maple.

Each encounter inspires rumination on the creatures' history, biology, folklore and daily existence. We learn about the disgusting and efficient glory of hermaphroditic slug sex, the life cycle of carpenter bees, and the cruelty of using have-a-heart traps on woodchucks for whom transportation to a territory not their own is a death sentence as certain as a bullet.

Lembke also profiles the people who dedicate themselves to studying or caring for some of these creatures, like Suzanne, whose turtles have the run of the house and who scratch on the sliding glass door to go out.

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Title: Animal Happiness

Subtitle: A Moving Exploration of Animals and thier Emotions--from Cats and Dogs to Orangutans and Tortoises

Author: Vicki Hearne

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-13-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

A New York Times Notable Book of 1994! Highly respected author, philosopher, and animal trainer Vicki Hearne offers a treasure trove of animal anecdotes, all written in her unique and poetic style. Through entertaining stories about cats, horses, an ornamental carp, a scorpion, and tortoises, Hearne focuses on how each of these various creatures experiences happiness in its own special way. She takes issue with Ludwig Wittgenstein on lions and language, discusses the naming of pets, and considers the process of mourning a loved dogs death.

Editorial Reviews:

Cassandra Campbell proves a lovely, lively performer in this engaging audiobook about the wonderful world of animals, and their simultaneously foreign and familiar internal lives.

Written by beloved poet and philosopher Vicki Hearne, who in her lifetime worked jobs from animal trainer all the way to Yale professor, Animal Happiness: A Moving Exploration of Animals and Their Emotions - from Cats and Dogs to Orangutans and Tortoises is an eloquent, elegant treatise on the role of animals in our lives and lore. Campbells soft, empathetic voice provides the perfect delivery of Hearnes moving anecdotes about the deep love and reliance which humans feel for their dogs, cats, fish, and rats, and every other strange and wonderful creature in between.

Members Reviews:

Grossly Mis-represented!

What disappointed you about Animal Happiness?

From the description I expected interesting animal stories...however, about halfway through, the author gets all analytical and spends hours expounding on the author James Thurber and very little about his dogs. It's confusing, mis-leading and ridiculous and BORING!!! I want my money back!

Has Animal Happiness turned you off from other books in this genre?

Certainly from other books by this author.

Which character as performed by Cassandra Campbell was your favorite?

The animals, of course.

You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The initial animal stories are good, until the author gets all "existential".

Any additional comments?

Can I have a credit for the amount I paid?

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Title: Murmurs from the Deep

Subtitle: Scientific Adventures in the Caribbean

Author: Gilles Fonteneau

Narrator: Robin Bloodworth

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-25-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

A scientific expedition into unknown parts of the Caribbean to study the tectonic plates of the region answers the intriguing question: Is there a language of fish?

As fascinating as it is scientifically revealing, Murmurs from the Deep sheds new light on the ever-mysterious underwater world.

Editorial Reviews:

Gilles Fonteneau's Murmurs from the Deep examines the underwater world, looking at the language of fish. Based on Fonteneau's own fieldwork, this audiobook is significant in its field. Robin Bloodworth's performance is particularly compelling. His deep voice handles distinct characters and accents seamlessly as well as any foreign words he comes across. Listening to Bloodworth is a real treat. His tone is both dramatic and intense. Together, these two have collaborated to present an audiobook that is as illuminating as it is captivating.

Members Reviews:

Interesting Story - Splendid Narration

Where does Murmurs from the Deep rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I gave this one highest marks across the board. It's not the absolute best book I've listened too, but I enjoyed every bit of it.

What other book might you compare Murmurs from the Deep to and why?

This ranks with other ecology/zoology travel books and studies. If you enjoy books involving scientists doing their animal study thing, then this is a great book to pick up. It's also a great listen/read to anyone that is enamored with oceanography and the water world.

Any additional comments?

This wasn't a deep book per-say. It was an interesting book and engaging one though. Each chapter kind of read like its own story, and I enjoyed each little vignette. I picked up a few new tidbits about ocean life, volcanology, and oceanography within the story. Anyone that likes travels writing and animals will most likely love this book.

Robin Bloodworth's narration was spot on. He articulated very well, and kept me engaged throughout.

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Title: Life before Birth and A Time to Be Born

Author: Peter W. Nathanielsz

Narrator: Peter W. Nathanielsz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-31-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

The most valuable investment any society makes is in its children, the next generation. The more we learn about the fetus the better we are able to understand the problems and abnormalities that can occur during development.

Dr. Peter Nathanielsz, the first to demonstrate that the fetal brain delivers the signals that start the process of birth, reviews the recent explosion of information on fetal development during the second half of pregnancy. How genes store the blueprint for fetal development is explained, as well as the intricacies of the development and function of the major organ systems, the placenta, lungs, heart, and brain.

Listeners will be fascinated by the answers to such questions as: How does the fetus start the birth process? Why does the fetus make breathing movements? What are the functions of the placenta, the only truly throw-away organ? Can the fetus tell the time? How does the maternal lifestyle affect the fetus? Do prenatal events predispose to sudden infant death syndrome?

For 30 years, Dr. Peter Nathanielsz has researched the mysteries of fetal development. Life before Birth asks how we can improve the quality of fetal life and prepare the next generation for the challenges that lie ahead. It is a fascinating insight into a period of development through which we ourselves have passed. This book is for all those who marvel at the remarkable competence of the new baby whose cry signifies "I am here."

Members Reviews:

Great approachable intro to in utero life & physio

Where does Life before Birth and A Time to Be Born rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

For an approachable science book, very high.

Any additional comments?

This is essentially an introduction to fetal physiology, neurology, etc., focusing on the aspects that would be more interesting to a general audience. Nice balance between facts and digestability. The material is likely dated since the book is so old now, but much appears to be still relevant.

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Title: The Brain: Bolinda Beginner Guides

Author: Ammar al-Chalabi, R. Shane Delamont, Martin Turner

Narrator: Richard Aspel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-27-12

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

It has been remarked that if the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldnt. Commencing with a brief history of neuroscience, from the ancient practice of drilling holes in the head to relieve headaches to the latest results from MRI and CT scans, this accessible guide sets out to explore exactly what we do know about the brain.

Including the most up-to-date research on the cerebral processes behind a wide array of human activity - from our capacity for language to how we remember - this lively and entertaining introduction assumes no previous scientific knowledge and offers a tantalising glimpse into mans most complex organ.

Editorial Reviews:

Neuroscience is a topic as complex as the brain itself, but this audiobook from renowned neurologists and scientists Ammar al-Chalabi, R. Shane Delamont, and Martin Turner does an excellent job at distilling this expansive field into a concise, listenable audiobook primer. Prolific and charismatic audiobook performer Richard Aspel lends his rich and character-filled voice to this reading, infusing this scientific topic with interest and humor. Beginning with a history of the human brain and moving into a discussion of how it evolved, how it works, its anatomy, and the science surrounding observing the brain, this is a multifaceted and in-depth investigation of humanity's most important organ.

Members Reviews:

New and in good condition

I don't remember if I bought this directly from Amazon, an individual Seller/Company on Amazon but the condition of the book was as described. I enjoyed this book that was required for class and the new information it gave me. If I knew the wonders of science and the medical area I may have chosen that as my educational route when I entered college.

It was very helpful for me in gaining a better understanding of what my son was dealing with as ...

It was very helpful for me in gaining a better understanding of what my son was dealing with as a result of his stroke.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book

Being an epileptic I loved reading into the works, mysteries and the myths of the brain. This book reveals a lot of knowledge and is a true beginners guide. It has some large language (per se) you may have to look up a word or two, but if you're getting this book in the interest of neurology you should already know them all.

Great for a first read on the brain

Great for a first read on the brain. Easy to understand and well thought out!

Arrived as promised and well packed. Thanks!!

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Title: Evolution: Bolinda Beginner Guides

Author: Burton Guttman

Narrator: Dave Ferguson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-31-12

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

Covering everything from fossilised dinosaurs to intelligent apes, this is an accessible guide to one of the most important scientific theories of all time. Burt Guttman assumes no prior scientific knowledge on the part of the listener, and explains each of the key ideas and concepts, including natural selection, genetics, and the evolution of animal behaviour, in a lively and informative way.

Looking ahead to the future of evolutionary theory, and assessing its possible implications for the way we understand morality, human nature, and our place in the world, this audiobook provides the perfect starting point for understanding what evolution is and why it matters.

Editorial Reviews:

Dave Ferguson's animated narration of Evolution makes this a captivating audio experience. The listener feels smarter just by listening! Burton Guttman's information is thorough and his aim is clear: He wants the listener to use this "beginner's guide" as a gateway into the vast world of evolution scholarship. The audio provides key information for understanding the history and influence of evolution theory, genetics, and animal behavior. It is an invaluable guide for those who have not previously studied the subject, and a refreshing reminder for those who have.

Critic Reviews:

"A clear, accessible and authoritative guide to the theory of evolution. Another book in this excellent series that explains the necessary background to understanding evolution. (Scientific and Medical Network)

Members Reviews:

Evolution

I read this over a year, on and off, so bear this in mind as you read my humble review. On the whole, it's a more than decent introduction to evolution. It is written in the context of protecting science against unscientific movements, although that much is only obvious from the first chapters and last one; the rest is solely dedicated to biology.

I've enjoyed reading this, even though I'll admit that once specialised terms pile up, I'm quickly out of my depths. For anyone willing to study this stuff thoroughly, I'd recommend being able to see what those things look like to be able to have some mental image of what we're talking about. There are some illustrations in the book, but it could have (should have?) used more. Other than that, the writing flows nicely and remains interesting throughout the book. (That said, they could justify the text, format-wise; I'm not used to seeing uneven right margins in printed books, but that's a minor issue.)

A good introduction to a very interesting phenomenon.

A good beginning guide

Burt Guttman's book is a good introduction to the topic of evolution. He's especially adept at stripping evolutionary theory of many of its most common misconceptions--such as "survival of the fittest," a newer idea often wrongly attributed to Darwin, or the notion that evolution is a ladder leading inexorably to "higher" forms of life. I honestly struggled at times with some of the writing--particularly in the area of genetics--but overall Guttman makes the subject approachable and understandable.

I didn't find any of the condescension that troubled the previous reviewer. It is true that Guttman spends a fair bit of time comparing and contrasting evolutionary thinking with creationist thinking. I appreciate his writing in that area.

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Title: Countryside Birds

Subtitle: An Audio Guide to Bird Sounds of the British Countryside

Author: The British Library

Narrator: Cookie Weymouth

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-12

Publisher: The British Library

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

The British countryside is renowned for its natural beauty and diverse wildlife and any walk, whether it be in woodland, wetland or open country, is always accompanied by the varied songs and calls of our birdlife. This identification guide presents the sounds of 65 species that call the British countryside home, from songbirds such as the Yellowhammer, Skylark and Reed Warbler to game birds such as the Pheasant and Red-legged Partridge and birds of prey such as the Kestrel and Buzzard.

Each track includes a spoken introduction giving the name of the species. Track listing:

Members Reviews:

An evocative, enjoyable listen

What made the experience of listening to Countryside Birds the most enjoyable?

Just listening to the songs of the birds

What was one of the most memorable moments of Countryside Birds?

hearing waders and other birds found away from woodland

Which character as performed by Cookie Weymouth was your favourite?

lapwing, curlew, blackbird, nuthatch, though not performed by cookie

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but I was taken in by the atmosphere

Any additional comments?

If you love listening to the sounds of different birds, this is a great book. There may be no story, but there doesn't need to be.

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Title: Coastal Birds: An Audio Guide to Bird Sounds of the British Coastline

Author: The British Library

Narrator: Cookie Weymouth

Format: Original Recording

Length: 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-26-12

Publisher: The British Library

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

Learn how to identify the voices of 50 coastal birds with this fascinating audio guide from the British Library. Species that are regularly found along the shores of the British Isles have been selected and include a range of seabirds, waders, wildfowl, and even a couple of songbirds.

Some species such as the Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover are permanent residents on the British coastline and can been seen throughout the year. Others, such as the Puffin, Storm Petrel, and Arctic Tern only return to these shores for a limited time in order to breed. For certain species such as the Knot and Turnstone, British waters offer a safe haven in which they can see out the winter before heading back to more northerly nesting grounds in the spring.

Coastal Birds presents a comprehensive collection of vocalisations that can be used during any visit to the coast. We hope that being able to identify these birds by voice will add to your enjoyment of the beautiful British coastline and the wide variety of species that can be seen and heard there. Each track includes an announcement giving the name of the species.

Track listing:

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Title: Bioterror and Biowarfare: Bolinda Beginner Guides

Author: Malcolm Dando

Narrator: Dave Courvoisier

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-30-12

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Science & Technology, Biology

Publisher's Summary:

Bolinda Beginner Guides presents a study from a leading professor of international security on the international state of biological agents, and the reality of chemical warfare in the modern world.

Against an uneasy political backdrop of failed agreements and legal loopholes, along with the worrying growth of biological and chemical agents around the world, biological warfare has become a real concern for anyone worried about a future of war and terrorism. Exploring the entire spectrum of chemical and biological threats, Malcolm Dando explains the effectiveness of different agents, and describes the potential attack scenarios. Covering the history of biowarfare development programmes around the world, he also discusses what we know of current programmes, in places such as Iraq, the US, and South Africa.

Editorial Reviews:

Malcolm Dando, renowned professor of international security and the state of biological agents, is indisputably an expert in his field, but this entry-level primer on the history of bio-warfare isnt bogged down by esoteric terms and a deluge of scientific facts; rather, it offers an accessible analysis of the effects of certain agents as well as an insiders perspective on regimes past and present who have boasted chemical arsenals.

Dave Courvoisiers pleasant, convivial tone makes this weighty subject matter palatable to all audiences, making for an entertaining and rewarding listen.