Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It | 
panIRL bookclub pick. The ocean IS a brilliant abyss! However, the structure of the book didn‘t work and as a result I won‘t remember much, except for the crabs that eat slimy strings of bacteria, bone eating worms, and the polychaete female who houses dwarf males in her body.
Any reader of this book won‘t need the conservation & preservation message.
pickAccording to Helen Scales, the ocean deep is far from the abyssal wasteland we think it is. As sperm whales plunge thousands of feet down to chase giant squid, exquisitely beautiful bioluminescent jellies sift through inky black water as deep sea octopuses, gigantic isopods and hairy-armed yeti crabs trundle along the undulating ocean bottom, inhabiting dark trenches and hydrothermal vents (purported to be the beginnings of all cellular life).
pickHelen Scales is a marine biologist who reveals the denizens of the deepest oceans in this marvelous book. She sucks you in with engaging writing about fascinating creatures, then reminds you of the importance of protecting rather than exploiting these deep oceans and their marvelous life forms. Highly recommend.
pickAnyone else hooked by an audiobook when it‘s read by the author? This is a hot contender for best random-stack read/listen of the year.
#ocean #nonfiction #sea #animals #climatechange #science #womenofscience #helenscales
I‘ve got another book tube video up, talking about physio, a new puppy and seven books. Meanwhile, Frida the cat makes herself comfortable in front of the camera. https://youtu.be/Z3hteMLwM6s
pickThe first part of this audiobook, read by the author, is about the amazing creatures that live in the deepest part of our watery planet. New discoveries are made on each research trip. Then she goes on to talk about plans to harvest deep sea fish (for fish meal, mostly used for pet food) and to mine the seabed for minerals; and how devastating that will likely be—to all life, not just ocean life. Informative, important… and depressing.
Various deep sea fish are among the blackest in the world [and] have around the same reflectance as the human-engineered material called Vantablack.
(Image from internet)
The formation of abyssal nodules is one of the slowest known geological processes. It takes 10 million years for a nodule to grow from the size of a pea to a golf ball.
...the octopus had eaten the most nutritious parts, the stomach and gonads, but had held on to the remaining stinging tentacles, perhaps to use as a weapon.
(internet photo)
“Tissues made of jelly or gelatine, a thin mix of water & the protein collagen, constitute a simple way of making a body. It's efficient to operate because it floats & comes with a low metabolic cost. Jelly-based creatures take an energy-saving approach to life, cutting their need to feed & raising their chances of survival in the hungry expanses of the deep.”
This is SUCH beautiful writing (1/2)
pickHelen Scales is a trained marine biologist writing on the wonders of the deepest parts of our oceans, the industrialization that threatens them, and what we can do to protect the last unexplored places on our planet.
This has a ton of info! Like, so much, it read like a textbook. But everything was helpfully explained in footnotes, and there was a personal note as Scales speaks about her own experiences. Made me want to research more. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
Getting some reading done while I wait for the surprise flat tire to get repaired. 😂
I went grocery shopping this morning, because there is literally no one there on a Tuesday morning.
And the bakery in the back had these amazing honey cream cookies stocked! They haven‘t had them for two years! 😭😭
I bought two boxes. Now, to make them last. 😅
