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  • The Cosmic Oasis: The Remarkable Story of Earth's Biosphere

    The Cosmic Oasis by Williams, Mark; Zalasiewicz, Jan;

    The Remarkable Story of Earth's Biosphere

      • GET 10% OFF

      • The discount is only available for 'Alert of Favourite Topics' newsletter recipients.
      • Publisher's listprice GBP 23.99
      • The price is estimated because at the time of ordering we do not know what conversion rates will apply to HUF / product currency when the book arrives. In case HUF is weaker, the price increases slightly, in case HUF is stronger, the price goes lower slightly.

        11 461 Ft (10 915 Ft + 5% VAT)
      • Discount 10% (cc. 1 146 Ft off)
      • Discounted price 10 315 Ft (9 824 Ft + 5% VAT)

    11 461 Ft

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    Availability

    Estimated delivery time: In stock at the publisher, but not at Prospero's office. Delivery time approx. 3-5 weeks.
    Not in stock at Prospero.

    Why don't you give exact delivery time?

    Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.

    Product details:

    • Publisher OUP Oxford
    • Date of Publication 23 June 2022

    • ISBN 9780198845874
    • Binding Hardback
    • No. of pages288 pages
    • Size 240x160x27 mm
    • Weight 488 g
    • Language English
    • Illustrations 8 black and white images
    • 273

    Categories

    Short description:

    Apparently alone in the Universe, the Earth glows bright with life, a cosmic oasis of biodiversity. This book considers life on Earth, and human interactions with it culminating in our domination of the living world, and asks what we have learnt about our biosphere, the risks it faces, and how we might become stewards of the life around us.

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    Long description:

    Alone in the known universe the Earth glows bright with life, a unique cosmic oasis of biodiversity which is now under threat from our own actions.

    The Earth is a unique as a living planet, a cosmic oasis drifting in the vastness of barren space. It is strikingly and obviously different from our nearest heavenly neighbours, the Moon, Venus and Mars, in its thin skin of biology, extending from the surface for a few kilometres into the crust, and for a few tens of kilometres into the air. But how did this remarkable abundance and diversity of life arise? How has life survived over the enormous time frame of Earth's history? And does it continue to flourish now, especially with the growing pressure for space from humans?

    The Cosmic Oasis examines life on Earth, from our earliest interactions with animals and plants to our absolute domination of biology. It follows our developing understanding of life's origins, its remarkable complexity, and its interactions with the air, oceans and land. It also shows how patterns of diversity across the surface of the planet evolved, and how humans are now homogenising these, degrading both biodiversity and the space in which life can exist. Within this overall trend of loss there are some remarkable examples of survival, from the beneficial relationships between the gelada monkeys and wolves of the Ethiopian highlands, and the people and brown howler monkeys of Porte Allegre in Brazil, to interactions between you and your gut microbiome. Thoughout, the authors ask what these interactions can teach us about building a better relationship with nature, and consider how we might become stewards, rather than destructive exploiters, of the life around us.

    This book tells an interesting story about our understanding of the natural world. A straightforward discussion of interesting facts about nature, liberally punctuated with historical background and comment, it is easy and enjoyable to read.

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    Table of Contents:

    Earthrise
    A spadeful of Earth
    The planet in a garden
    The lost worlds of the giants
    A bonfire like no other
    The bite in your hamburger
    Mirror to the world
    No country for wild apes
    Index

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