Spirals in Time - The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells

'A rewarding glimpse of another world' THE GUARDIAN Seashells are the sculpted homes of a remarkable group of animals: the molluscs. These are some of the most ancient and successful animals on the planet, and they have fascinating tales to tell. Spirals in Time charts the course of shells through history, from the first jewelry and the oldest currencies through to their use as potent symbols of sex and death, prestige and war, not to mention a nutritious (and tasty) source of food. In this book, Helen Scales leads us on a journey into the realm of these undersea marvels. She goes in search of everything from snails that 'fly' underwater to octopuses accused of stealing shells and giant mussels with golden beards.Shells are also bellwethers of our impact on the natural world. The effects of overfishing and pollution are, of course, serious concerns, but perhaps more worrying is ocean acidification, which causes shells to simply melt away. Spirals in Time urges you to ponder how seashells can reconnect us with nature, and heal the rift between ourselves and the living world. One of the books of the year - Nature, Guardian, The Economist, The Times

About the author

Helen Scales is a marine biologist, writer and broadcaster. Her stories of the ocean appear in various publications including National Geographic Magazine, the Guardian and New Scientist. Among her books are the Guardian bestseller Spirals in Time, which was nominated for the Royal Society of Biology Book Award, New Scientist book of the year Eye of the Shoal, and The Brilliant Abyss.

Helen teaches at Cambridge University, is scientific advisor to the marine conservation charity Sea Changers, and divides her time between Cambridge, England and the French coast of Finistère.

@helenscales / helenscales.com

Product details

• Authors: Helen Scales, Scales Helen
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 07.04.2016
• EAN: 9781472911384
• ISBN: 978-1-4729-1138-4
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 128 mm x 196 mm x 26 mm
• Subjects: Guides > Nature > Nature guide; Humanities, art, music > Art > General, dictionaries; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Zoology; Muschel, popular science, Social & cultural history, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Marine Biology, NATURE / Animals / Marine Life, Social and cultural history, Marine Biology, Wildlife: aquatic creatures: general interest, Marine biology; Seashells; Under the sea; Molluscs, Molluscs (malacology)