Sentient

Muy interesante y bien escrito

A very informative book based on a clever idea : writing about human senses by comparing them with those of animals with specific abilities such as the peacock mantis shrimp with eyes that can see many more colour nuances than ours (but a brain unable to treat the information) or migrating birds having an amazing sense of direction. One animal epitomizes the sense that is dealt with in each chapter.The writing style feels lively, alternating careful descriptions with examples and occasional anecdotes or quotes from scientists the author met. Things are carefully explained with a nicely varied vocabulary. Besides the book's main subject I also enjoyed perceiving the enquiring mind and the creativity required by scientific research (to devise tools and experiments that can measure senses that are more refined than ours, for instance).Even though some points or concepts can feel a bit more difficult to grasp, esp. when complex devices are used for observations, Ms Higgins describes things in a very accurate, progressive way. However, I wish the publisher had inserted a few pictures and diagrams (ex: human inner ear and our sense of balance or the earth’s magnetic field to which migrating animal seems to be sensitive). I occasionally had to surf for illustrations while reading.I’m afraid Picador made a couple of inadequate choices in order to save on costs for the 2021 printed edition. There is a rich section with final notes but no numbers in the text that would allow easy, effective cross-referencing, for instance. However, even without proper access to the final notes and references the book is definitely worth reading!We obviously have many more than the five senses listed by Aristotle. You’ll find out about some of them in this book.

Dass Buch ist nicht nur unterhaltsam geschrieben, sondern beleuchtet auch interessante Facetten der Zoologie, die auch für den Menschen relevant sind. Nicht nur für Biologen!

I'm a real fan of the 'popular zoology' genre, and I usually have one of these on the go. 'Other Minds' is a recent highlight, and 'Beyond Words: How animals think and feel'. 'Death at Seaworld' was a particular favourite of mine due to the fascinating insights into orca natural habits. And so it was that I picked up 'Sentient'...I'm not yet finished, but I felt I had to write something down here to record how much I am enjoying this excellent book. I imagine the trick with making zoology writing accessible is to somehow balance observation of our human experience of the animals, and our insights into their lives, with the scientific exploration that ultimately provides the meat in the sandwich. Jackie Higgins is the magician who has fully mastered this trick, and can perform it again and again without the audience ever figuring it out.We start with the crowd-pleasing mantish shrimp, the serial-monogamist hero of a hundred thousand youtube videos, fighting it out on those sub-aquatic mean streets to bring home food for his oversized gf. But what's that? The shrimp is not just a tough guy, he also sees in colours that are unimaginable to the human mind. The author expands in detail on why we can assume that this thinking man's crustacean, armed with a paintbrush, would have a sensibility for colour that would crush Turner or Monet.I recommend this book and hope you will enjoy it as much as I am.

A must read - absolutely wonderful .A fascinating and incredibly inspiring book that catches the poetry and romance of science . Absolutely loved reading it , so beautifully written , and so much to learn about us and all the incredible senses we unconsciously rely on daily, definitely the best and most fascinating book I have read this year.Working in movie and script writing - this was as effortless and enjoyable as watching a film.Also -it is such a beautiful made book - wonderful illustrations , a perfect gift for someone who you love . A book to endlessly return to and treasure for years . Couldn’t recommend more . It is a gem .