Bibliograph

Spineless, the science of jellyfish and the art of growing a backbone, Juli Berwald ; illustrations by Rachel Ivanyi

Type

Label

Spineless, the science of jellyfish and the art of growing a backbone, Juli Berwald ; illustrations by Rachel Ivanyi

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-325) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Spineless

Nature of contents

bibliography

Responsibility statement

Juli Berwald ; illustrations by Rachel Ivanyi

Sub title

the science of jellyfish and the art of growing a backbone

Summary

Jellyfish have been swimming in our oceans for well over half a billion years, longer than any other animal that lives on the planet. They make a venom so toxic it can kill a human in three minutes. Made of roughly 95 percent water, some jellies are barely perceptible virtuosos of disguise, while others glow with a luminescence that has revolutionized biotechnology. Yet until recently, jellyfish were largely ignored by science, and they remain among the most poorly understood of ocean dwellers. More than a decade ago, Juli Berwald left a career in ocean science to raise a family in landlocked Austin, Texas. But then jellyfish drew her back to the sea. Recent, massive blooms of billions of jellyfish have clogged power plants, decimated fisheries, and caused millions of dollars of damage. Driven by questions about how overfishing, coastal development, and climate change were contributing to a jellyfish population explosion, Juli embarked on a scientific odyssey. She traveled the globe to meet the biologists who devote their careers to jellies, hitched rides on Japanese fishing boats to see giant jellyfish in the wild, raised jellyfish in her dining room, and throughout it all marveled at the complexity of these alluring and ominous biological wonders

Classification