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New Scientist: Instant Expert
This is Planet Earth: Your ultimate guide to the world we call home
The Earth as you've never seen it before.
The ancient Greeks called it Gaia; the Romans Terra. We know it simply as Earth, the planet we call home. And what a planet it is.
Formed around 4.6 billion years ago from the debris of the big bang and long-dead stars, at first it was nothing special, but somehow it evolved to become the most amazing place in the known Universe. The only living planet we know of, it also has a very unusual moon, a remarkably dynamic surface, a complex atmosphere and a deeply mysterious interior.
This is Planet Earth is dedicated to the wonders of planet Earth. Its past is long and dramatic and its future shrouded in mystery. Yet despite centuries of research, only now are we starting to understand Earth's complexity.
The ancient Greeks called it Gaia; the Romans Terra. We know it simply as Earth, the planet we call home. And what a planet it is.
Formed around 4.6 billion years ago from the debris of the big bang and long-dead stars, at first it was nothing special, but somehow it evolved to become the most amazing place in the known Universe. The only living planet we know of, it also has a very unusual moon, a remarkably dynamic surface, a complex atmosphere and a deeply mysterious interior.
This is Planet Earth is dedicated to the wonders of planet Earth. Its past is long and dramatic and its future shrouded in mystery. Yet despite centuries of research, only now are we starting to understand Earth's complexity.
- GenresScienceNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2022
32 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 5, 2023
Brilliant for all round knowledge about the earth.
May 2, 2024
Rating: 56%
January 27, 2025
Introduction
"Earth is an astounding place. You might not think so as you look out the window and think how ordinary everything seems. But study it closely, as scientists do, and you discover amazing things; things you may find hard to believe. At turns, the planet has been a red-hot blob of molten rock and a giant snowball. The Arctic once basked in tropical temperatures and the entire Mediterranean Sea dried up only to be refiled by mother of all floods."
I liked the writing style of this book, captivating, informational, yet easy to understand. As it's my field of study, I knew most of the things in this book already, therefore I could judge if it was well explained or not. Some things were, some were unnecessary stretched out, some were just mentioned without any explanation at all.
"Research to answer many of our questions is under way right now and new findings, observations and models are being made all the time. What we think we know is constantly being challenged by that new evidence. And so scientists' stories change."
What I was glad was mentioned in the beginning is the never changing fact that science is ever changing. It's one of my favorite facts about science, and unfortunately one, that is one of the most difficult to explain to people who have trust issues when it comes to science.
Even though I knew a lot, I still learned a lot. I learned that apparently 40% of cloud condensation nuclei are biological in origin, that lighting flashed are five times as hot as the surface of the Sun, that ocean garbage patches are an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, that summit of Mount Everest is made out of marine limestone and so much more.
And while the book was very USA centered, with most of the geographical examples being in North America, I was happy that all of the temperatures were in degrees Celsius and all of the distances were in the metric system.
Finally, my favorite explanation would be that the oil, gas and mineral deposits were made by plate tectonics, that squashed them and baked them to just the right degree.
I'm looking forward to reading more Instant Expert books by New Scientist.
"Earth is an astounding place. You might not think so as you look out the window and think how ordinary everything seems. But study it closely, as scientists do, and you discover amazing things; things you may find hard to believe. At turns, the planet has been a red-hot blob of molten rock and a giant snowball. The Arctic once basked in tropical temperatures and the entire Mediterranean Sea dried up only to be refiled by mother of all floods."
I liked the writing style of this book, captivating, informational, yet easy to understand. As it's my field of study, I knew most of the things in this book already, therefore I could judge if it was well explained or not. Some things were, some were unnecessary stretched out, some were just mentioned without any explanation at all.
"Research to answer many of our questions is under way right now and new findings, observations and models are being made all the time. What we think we know is constantly being challenged by that new evidence. And so scientists' stories change."
What I was glad was mentioned in the beginning is the never changing fact that science is ever changing. It's one of my favorite facts about science, and unfortunately one, that is one of the most difficult to explain to people who have trust issues when it comes to science.
Even though I knew a lot, I still learned a lot. I learned that apparently 40% of cloud condensation nuclei are biological in origin, that lighting flashed are five times as hot as the surface of the Sun, that ocean garbage patches are an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, that summit of Mount Everest is made out of marine limestone and so much more.
And while the book was very USA centered, with most of the geographical examples being in North America, I was happy that all of the temperatures were in degrees Celsius and all of the distances were in the metric system.
Finally, my favorite explanation would be that the oil, gas and mineral deposits were made by plate tectonics, that squashed them and baked them to just the right degree.
I'm looking forward to reading more Instant Expert books by New Scientist.
February 26, 2023
NewScientist will make you an instant expert by explaining the basic principles of mostly geology, oceanology and weather patterns. You will see how all processes on Earth are interconnected and you just can't have one without the other. Additionally, the contributors to this publication present several geo-engineering schemes to avert the climate change, none of which would, sadly, work on a global scale to such an extent so as to leave any tangible impact. What I found really interesting was how experts are trying to mark the dawn of anthroposcene in geological terms, that is, by finding a well-preserved record of human presence and activity on Earth, such as sediments of plastic.
November 10, 2019
Good chapter which is very important on the climate disaster
December 30, 2022
down to earth
So many fascinating ideas and beautiful details. I didn’t know about the solid iron core the size of the moon or the underwater rivers
So many fascinating ideas and beautiful details. I didn’t know about the solid iron core the size of the moon or the underwater rivers
March 3, 2024
I enjoyed this books, which is circa two-thirds geology and one-third ecology in content. I learnt a lot, which is always a good result.
February 6, 2025
Very good read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews