This volume pays homage to Alfred North Whitehead’s (1861-1947) profound lecture and essay entitled “Nature Alive,” which was one of his most mature expressions of his process-relational metaphysics – a holistic conceptual framework that renders vivid the dynamic character of the natural world and the intrinsic purposiveness, selective agency, and creativity of living organisms. Inspired by, but not beholden to, Whitehead’s process metaphysical “lens,” the contributors to this volume bring a multiplicity of philosophical orientations to the table in challenging the mechanistic and reductionistic neo-Darwinian paradigm that is still dominant today in the life sciences. Mechanistic neo-Darwinism views nature and living organisms as “machines,” namely, as networks of externally related and linear causal “switches,” “dials,” “levers,” “pulleys,” and “gears,” that are “at the ready” for technological and biotechnological manipulation. Seeking a conceptual framework and a language that are more adequate to the study of the natural world and of living creatures than the mechanistic orientation, the contributors to this volume explore several of the “New Frontiers of Biology,” which are areas of biology whose findings to some extent go beyond the explanatory confines of the Modern Synthesis of natural selection and genetics. Most notably, emergence theory, the theory of organic selection, epigenetics, homeostasis, chronobiology, and autopoiesis research can provide us with key insights that can assist us in explaining how living agents emerged, including the evolutionary origins of mentality, consciousness, and mind. Moreover, attention to the “New Frontiers of Biology” can serve to “re-enchant” our understanding of the natural world and to prevent ecological devastation, through a restoration to objectivity of notions such as “intrinsic purposiveness,” “selective agency,” “creativity,” and “intrinsic value.”

This title explores the incredible array of extinct creatures chosen by David Attenborough in his film 'Natural History Museum Alive 3D'. Each chapter investigates the stories and myths surrounding the discovery of these priceless specimens and reveals the surprising true stories behind their journey to the museum's display cabinets.

Experience the thrilling adventures in wildlife conservation from "the Indiana Jones of Biology" (Entrepreneur) in this action-packed and educational memoir filled with danger and intrigue. Very few individuals can truthfully say that their work impacts every person on earth. Forrest Galante is one of them. As a wildlife biologist and conservationist, Galante devotes his life to studying, rediscovering, and protecting our planet’s amazing lifeforms. Part memoir, part biological adventure, Still Alive celebrates the beauty and determined resiliency of our world, as well as the brave conservationists fighting to save it. In his debut book, Galante takes readers on an exhilarating journey to the most remote and dangerous corners of the world. He recounts miraculous rediscoveries of species that were thought to be extinct and invites readers into his wild life: from his upbringing amidst civil unrest in Zimbabwe to his many globetrotting adventures, including suspenseful run-ins with drug cartels, witch doctors, and vengeful government officials. He shares all of the life-threatening bites, fights, falls, and jungle illnesses. He also investigates the connection between wildlife mistreatment and human safety, particularly in relation to COVID-19. Still Alive is much more than just a can’t-put-down adventure story bursting with man-eating crocodiles, long-forgotten species rediscovered, and near-death experiences. It is an impassioned, informative, and undeniably inspiring examination of the importance of wildlife conservation today and how every individual can make a difference.

Explains what plants need to survive, the basic parts of a plant, and the stages in a plant's life cycle.

Inspired by women’s struggles for the protection of nature as a condition for human survival, award-winning environmentalist Vandana Shiva shows how ecological destruction and the marginalization of women are not inevitable, economically or scientifically. She argues that “maldevelopment”—the violation of the integrity of organic, interconnected, and interdependent systems that sets in motion a process of exploitation, inequality, and injustice—is dragging the world down a path of self-destruction, threatening survival itself. Shiva articulates how rural Indian women experience and perceive ecological destruction and its causes, and how they have conceived and initiated processes to arrest the destruction of nature and begin its regeneration. Focusing on science and development as patriarchal projects, Staying Alive is a powerfully relevant book that positions women not solely as survivors of the crisis, but as the source of crucial insights and visions to guide our struggle. From the Trade Paperback edition.