When deformed frogs-many with missing legs or eyes, footless stumps, or misshapen jaws-began to emerge from Minnesota wetlands, alarm bells went off. What caused such deformities? Pollution? Ultraviolet rays? Biological agents? And could the mysterious cause also pose a threat to humans? Former government biologist Judy Helgen provides an inside view of a highly charged environmental issue that continues to spark controversy among scientists, politicians, and government agencies. Book jacket.
The widespread appearance of frogs with deformed bodies has generated much press coverage over the past decade. Frogs with extra limbs or digits, missing limbs or digits, or misaligned appendages raise an alarming question: "Are deformed humans next?" Taking a fresh look at this disturbing environmental problem, this reference provides a balanced overview of the science behind the malformed frog phenomenon. Bringing together data from ecology, parasitology, and other disciplines, Michael Lannoo considers the possible causes of these deformities, tells which frogs have been affected, and addresses questions about what these malformations might mean to human populations. Featuring high-quality radiographic images, Malformed Frogs suggests that our focus should be on finding practical solutions, a key component of which will be controlling chemical, nutrient, and pesticide runoff into wetlands.
In the tradition of "The Hot Zone" comes an explosive investigation into a global catastrophe in the making. Moving from America's swamps and wetlands to laboratories and government back rooms, Souder dramatically reveals the warning implicit in an outbreak of mutated frogs, explaining the importance of the amphibians to our fragile ecosystems and suggesting what their possible extinction means to the habitability of the planet for all species, including the human race.
In this Pulitzer Prize–finalist biography, the author of Mad at the World examines the little-known life of the man behind the well-known bird survey. John James Audubon is renowned for his masterpiece of natural history and art, The Birds of America, the first nearly comprehensive survey of the continent’s birdlife. And yet few people understand, and many assume incorrectly, what sort of man he was. How did the illegitimate son of a French sea captain living in Haiti, who lied both about his parentage and his training, rise to become one of the greatest natural historians ever and the greatest name in ornithology? In Under a Wild Sky this Pulitzer Prize finalist, William Souder reveals that Audubon did not only compose the most famous depictions of birds the world has ever seen, but he also composed a brilliant mythology of self. In this dazzling work of biography, Souder charts the life of a driven man who, despite all odds, became the historical figure we know today. “A meticulous biography and a fascinating portrait of a young nation.”—San Francisco Chronicle “As richly endowed and densely packed as the forests of Audubon’s day.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Deftly weaves together the story of the self-taught artist and naturalist…with the development of scientific inquiry in the early years of the republic and the lives of ordinary Americans as the new nation spilled westward over the mountains from the Eastern seaboard.”—Los Angeles Times
Documents in comprehensive detail a major environmental crisis: rapidly declining amphibian populations and the disturbing developmental problems that are increasingly prevalent within many amphibian species.
--Winner, Red Dot Book Awards 2009-2010, Junior Category-- This diary began as Mum’s New Year’s resolution to get me to write. She told me to write when I am doing my big business. “Five to eight minutes max!” she said. “I don’t want you to develop piles!” And so my writing in the bathroom began. My entries started with the boring old stuff…then Mum got this new job as a writer and, following her around, I got to do fun stuff, like ogle at deformed frogs, see into the future with a fortune-telling parrot and wow at a life-sized F1 car made of chocolate! That’s how I got more interesting things to write about. Plus, I had to deal with an EVIL bully who was tormenting me at school…thank goodness for my best friends, Alvin and Anthony, we rallied against the bully and got through the year with lots of adventures and good fun!
"The frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts that inhabit North America, numbering nearly 300 species, represent immense variation in form, habitat, distribution and ecology. This volume discusses the diversity of these animals in relation to the historical geography of the North American continent and portrays all of the formally recognized amphibian species to be found in the United States and Canada within a geographical context. Each species is presented with a color photograph, an account of its range, habitat and conservation status, and an up-to-date, full color range map that depicts its known occurrences in relation to the topography of the landscape. This volume reflects the enormous growth in interest about amphibians and increased intensity of scientific research into their biology and distribution that has occurred during the past two decades"--
Analyzing the startling 1995 discovery of frog mutations around the globe, the author discusses the scientific attempt to identify the cause of this problem, which could be an early warning of major environmental catastrophe.
