An Immense World
How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
by Ed Yong
What a delight!
I am a longtime fan of Ed Yong. He is one of my favorite popular science authors. I have loved his first book, “I contain multitudes”, but for years I was also following his writing in The Atlantic. His painstaking COVID coverage was brilliant and eye-opening. I remember how frank he was about the cost of spending almost two years immersed in such a harrowing topic, and how he announced that he will take a few months off to finish his book, on which he worked when the pandemic struck. And here it is, a perfect break from grim tales of the many dark months.
The subject of animal senses is as fascinating as bacteria, on which he focused in his first book (though I think Yong could make any topic interesting). He takes readers on a breathtaking tour, sharing his discoveries and his amazement with the natural world. He has an unrivaled ability to explain complicated scientific facts in a comprehensive and engaging manner. And his writing is so warm and funny — I always appreciate a good pun and he doesn’t miss any opportunity to make one.
You will find here answers to many questions you may have been asking yourself, such as “how does a dog’s sense of smell works” or “are other animals see the same colors as we”. But Yong also answers questions that you would never think to ask, and these are the best parts. One of my favorite new, mind-boggling facts that I have learned from this book is that animals see at different speeds — so according to a turtle we humans are buzzing around like busy bees, and to a bee — we are sluggish as turtles.
Many thanks to the publisher, Random House, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
