11 Explorations into Life on Earth: Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution

Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution

by Helen Scales, David Attenborough (Contributor)

The second in a series of books in association with the Royal Institution on their world-renowned Christmas Lectures, this time exploring the secrets of the natural world—with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough. Following on from the success of 13 Journeys Through Space and Time , which took us on a voyage of astronomical discovery through past Christmas Lectures given at the Royal Institution on space and space exploration, this book turns our attention to our own planet and the animals, plants, fish, insects and all the other living things that inhabit it—how they’ve evolved and the vital roles they play in the intricate webs of life on earth. Taking 11 of the most exciting and revealing Christmas Lectures on the natural world given at the Royal Institution, including Sir David Attenborough’s animal-packed Lectures from 1977 and Richard Dawkins’s explosive series on the evolution of life, we take an illuminating look at more than a hundred years of scientific exploration to discover the origins of life on our planet and the mysteries so far uncovered.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Natural History

224 pages, Hardcover

Published November 2, 2017

About the author

In their review of my first book, Poseidon’s Steed, the Economist called me “The aptly named Helen Scales” and I guess they’re right. I do have a bit of a thing about fish (get it?).

Across the airways and in print, I’m noted for my distinctive and occasionally offbeat voice that combines a scuba diver’s devotion to exploring the oceans, a scientist’s geeky attention to detail, a conservationist’s angst about the state of the planet, and a storyteller’s obsession with words and ideas.

I have a Cambridge PhD and a monofin, I’ve drunk champagne with David Attenborough and talked seahorse sex on the Diane Rehm show. I spent four years (on and off) chasing after big fish in Borneo and another year cataloguing marine life surrounding 100 Andaman Sea islands.

These days I write books and articles, I make podcasts and radio, travel the world in search of stories, and do my best to spend as much time as I can in the sea as a scuba diver, free diver and rookie surfer. I’m a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the steering committee for the Museum of Curiosity. I’m also a proud aunt, I sew dresses, grow organic vegetables, put on high heels and dance Argentine tango, play piano, sing in the shower, and make a mess in a printmaking studio.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book summarizes eleven Yule time lectures given at the Royal Institution in the UK by preeminent scientists. Scales does a wonderful job summarizing the lectures, but where this book really does well is to contextualize them. Rather than just appearing as eleven independent lectures, she links together themes (and taxa) across lectures so we can see how some ideas come and go, while other ideas (such as climate change and wildlife conservation) remain a constant throughout the lectures. The only criticism I have of the subject is that of the eleven lectures only one was delivered by a woman (and at that time, Sue Hartley was only the fourth woman to have delivered a lecture). This obviously speaks to a larger problem of diversity in STEM, but that is a conversation to be had elsewhere.

All in all this was an entirely pleasant book to curl up with on a brisk November weekend.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchase 11 Explorations into Life on Earth here for just $6!

This charming edition, with black-and-white photographs and hand-drawn illustrations, is an engaging and illuminating summary of 11 Christmas lectures from the Royal Institution that focus on the natural world. Alongside details of the thought-provoking topics, Helen Scales blends in biographical information of the lecturers and even notes the reactions of the audicence. An inspiring read.

Paul - The Book Grocer

[Honey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have always wished I were young enough to be able to attend the Royal Institution’s Christmas lectures. Thoroughly enjoyed reading through this book of lessons from Christmases past. I’m always eager to learn more about nature, particularly on the connections and parallélisme within zoology and botany, and how this affects our life in the planet. This is yet another wake up call on how we as humans have a big responsibility in continuing equilibrium in nature, and in protecting our home planet. The only sad thing about this is that as we seem to be more conscious of our climate crisis issues, the more issues we gain in the less time we have.

[Zeph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories told over the course of 100 years paint a poignant picture of our increased understanding of the natural environment, and the stark contrast between the tone of the lectures from 1911, focusing on teaching the younger generation, and the lectures from the 2000s which placed much more evidence on conservation. This book highlights how much our view of our planet has changed in the last century, well summarised and with insightful commentary by Helen Scales and accompanied by letters and notes 'from the archive'.

[e · Rating 5 out of 5]

another fascinating read from the ri christmas lecture series. in this one i learned that bees dance to alert their hive of pollen locations, blackbirds sing in different accents, seeds are essentially plant time capsules, fireflies use their own morse-code equivalent for mating, and caterpillar silk is just hardened saliva. we live in a wacky, wonderful world, and there is no better place to read this book than under the sun in the great outdoors.

[Geoff Teale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly entertaining tour of the topics covered by the Christmas Lectures in the domain of biology. Whilst largely a historical artefact, as opposed to a cutting edge view of biology, it still represents a fascinating read. Relatively short, stand-alone chapters made this an idea book to read on my short haul flights this year.

[Marvin Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

也许是读过诸如种子的力量等书籍，这本书面向的观众还是少年儿童。几乎最基本的科普读物。2.5星，仅针对深度。

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice little introduction into 11 of the Royal Institutes Christmas lectures, I'd like to now go and read up on more on each as this left me wanting to know more

[Rosella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cada vez que leo a esta autora, no hay con qué aburrirse. Me puedo tirar horas a leerle sin parar. Un libro increíble y con mucha información, como siempre.

[Duncan Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting introduction to several fields in zoology, botany, and ecology. Whetted my appetite to learn more about the several fields discussed.