The Sixth Extinction


Book Description

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In The Sixth Extinction, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction, including the Panamian golden frog, staghorn coral, the great auk, and the Sumatran rhino. Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.




The Guardians - Book 2


Book Description

The Guardians - Book 2 continues the story about the human race fighting to survive another extinction event caused by an alien race known as the Tyrax. The Tyrax first tried to wipe the human race off the face of the planet by using a nanobiotechnology weapon to terraform Earth for their own unique DNA makeup. Earth survived with the help of a friendly alien race from Latar who sent a Guardian to watch over Earth five hundred years ago. His name is Òmon and he helps prepare the human race for the eventual invasion of the Tyrax and teaches humans how to fight back. In Book 2 the Tyrax have returned to finish the job with a large warship fleet and a new weapon they call the Destroyer. It is a large asteroid that will do more damage to the biosphere than the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago. To prevent this new extinction event, Òmon returns with more Guardianships to defend Earth from the Tyrax attack. Brandon Cole, Mike Wolinsky, Lizzy Rollins, Paul Ballard, Manco Cusi, Amaru Tupac and all the other human recruits from centuries past join forces with the new 28th Space Strike Force to battle the Tyrax warships in the Asteroid Belt. The space battle is devastating to both sides and thousands of lives are lost in Earth’s desperate struggle for survival. The defenders do all they can to try and stop the asteroid from destroying Earth. Saving the human race, Earth and the solar system from Tyrax colonization is just the first step in the war with the Tyrax. Out of necessity, humans must become the new Guardians of the galaxy if they wish to overcome and defeat this cruel and merciless race of alien beings.




The Guardians - Book 3


Book Description

Earth Defense Forces capture several Tyrax prisoners during the Asteroid Belt Space Battle and learn an awful truth about what the Tyrax are planning next. They are developing a brand new weapon to use against Earth; a weapon so powerful it can destroy whole planets with one or two bombs. The Tyrax are building a large particle accelerator to create an antimatter weapon to use against Earth. The first opponent to build the weapon will win this Galactic Space War between good and evil alien races. Back on Earth, the world is trying to recover from the damage the Destroyer Weapon Asteroid caused in Greenland and Northern Europe from meteorite fragments. The Tyrax have attempted to destroy Earth and all humans on the planet twice now. It is time for the Latarans, its Alliance Partners and Earth to go on the offensive with new weapons, recapture lost space territories and push the Tyrax back to their dwarf galaxy. New characters come to life in this book who are part of the newly formed Space Marine Expeditionary Unit training for land assaults on alien planets. A giant struggle ensues to save Òmon’s home world called Delton from Tyrax warships. Soon follows a final Victory or Death space battle to end the Galactic Space War once and for all. The destruction caused by antimatter missiles is almost beyond comprehension and will be used as a deterrent to war for generations to come.




Marvel's Avengers: The Extinction Key


Book Description

The official prequel to Marvel's Avengers from Marvel, Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix, with an exclusive adventure that leads into the game itself. The official prequel to the blockbuster action video game Marvel's Avengers, written by bestselling author Greg Keyes. The game is being developed by Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montréal, Nixxes, and published by Square Enix. It will be released September 4, 2020 for PlayStation 4, Xbox, Stadia, and PC. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, and the Hulk. Earth's Mightiest Heroes have assembled to face world-class threats whenever and wherever they might appear. They are the AVENGERS. Yet some threats transcend the ages. Centuries ago, a never-before-seen group of heroes gathered as the Avengers of their ancient era to fight the Zodiac, foes who wielded unimaginable arcane energies channeled through a mysterious Key. The resulting battle devastated vast swaths of the planet. The Key was lost and the Zodiac went into hiding, influencing world events from the shadows, waiting for the stars to align to usher in their return. When strange beings exhibiting the traits of the twelve astrological signs appear in the 21st century, the Avengers again answer the call to assemble. But when this modern team of heroes are forced to divide their efforts, each encounter leads to their opponents gaining strength. Once again, the hunt is on for the Extinction Key...and if the Avengers don't find it, our world will be lost.




Atlas of the world's languages in danger of disappearing


Book Description

Close to half of the 6,000 languges spoken in the world are doomed or likely to disappear in the foreseeable future. The disappearance of any language is an irreparable loss for the heritage of all humankind. This new edition of the Atlas, first published in 1996, is intended to give a graphic picture of the magnitude of the problem and a comprehensive list of languages in danger.




Threat to the Spotted Owl


Book Description

In the ancient forests of North America lives a nocturnal hunterthe spotted owl. With its keen eyesight and hearing, it listens and watches for prey. From western Canada to Mexico, and in the states between these two countries, wildlife biologists are observing and counting spotted owls. Once abundant in number, this flying predators days on earth may be limited if changes arent made. In this book, read about out how this owl lives, what threats it faces, and what scientists and activists are doing to help it. Then find out what you can do to help save this threatened bird.




Threat to the Bengal Tiger


Book Description

Before the 1900s, hundreds of thousands of wild tigers roamed Southeast Asia. Their beauty, fierceness, and intelligence inspired fear and awe in their human neighbors. These peoples gave the tiger starring roles in folktales and mythology. Human fascination with tigers continues. Unfortunately, the tiger may not survive in the wild much longer. Researchers estimate that fewer than 2,500 tigers remain in their natural habitat. As the human population explodes in Southeast Asia, the wild tiger population pays the price. Can the wild tiger be saved by its only natural enemy, people?




Endangered


Book Description

The acclaimed wildlife photographer presents “a powerful visual record of threatened animals and ecosystems facing the harshest of challenges” (The Guardian, UK). In Endangered, the result of an extraordinary multiyear project to document the lives of threatened species, acclaimed photographer Tim Flach explores one of the most pressing issues of our time. Traveling around the world—to settings ranging from forest to savannah to the polar seas to the great coral reefs—Flach has captured stunning images of endangered animals and their disappearing ecosystems. Among Flach’s subjects are primates coping with habitat loss, big cats in a losing battle with human settlements, elephants hunted for their ivory, and numerous bird species taken as pets. With eminent zoologist Jonathan Baillie providing insightful commentary on this ambitious project, Endangered unfolds as a series of vivid, interconnected stories that pose gripping moral dilemmas, unforgettably expressed by more than 180 of Flach’s incredible images.




UTOPIAS - Book 1


Book Description

Utopias is a megacity and the capital of the United Americas Continent. The year is 2199. The effects of climate change have brought human beings to the point of extinction. With the help of sentient androids created to fix the environment, humans, called Primes, have been sleeping in cryonic sleep chambers for 100 years waiting to wake up. That time has finally arrived with unexpected consequences. Utopias is the name of the great megacity that stretches from St. Louis to Chicago to Milwaukee and is the Capital of the United Americas Continent (UAC). There are only nineteen of these large megalopolises left in the UAC, which is comprised of the former countries of Canada, United States, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Outside these megacities lie the Wilderness Areas where nature has finally been restored from global environmental disaster that nearly caused human extinction. It was not easy and it took thousands of sentient androids like Citizen Steven and Citizen Kendra to accomplish it. The year is 2199. It has been one hundred years since the remaining billion or so humans in the world have seen the light of day. They survived near extinction from the effects of climate change with the help of androids they created. The humans, called Primes, are still sleeping in millions of cryonic sleep chambers hidden in deep underground bunkers around the world waiting for the time when the world is healed enough to let them wake up. That time has arrived. During this time, the androids have become more human-like than even their creators had imagined. The androids live and work peacefully in the megacities and things are running smoothly until the militant humans that survived the Dark Years and live in the Wilderness Areas decide it’s time to take back control of the megacities and the country for themselves. Soon, the fighting with human militants in the Wilderness Areas escalates out of control and the whole country is at War. What looked so promising to the Primes upon waking up after one hundred years of cryosleep becomes a near nightmare as President Carlos tries to stop the war with the androids in the megacities and prepare for even bigger problems with the Primes now waking up across the seas in Eurasia. It seems creating the androids to fix the world’s environment to prevent human extinction is now the least of the Primes’ new problems.




Nextinction


Book Description

The Boids are back in town ... The follow-up to the award-winning EXTINCT BOIDS, this book features more of the incredible art of cartoonist Ralph Steadman. This time the focus is not on the birds that are gone, but the ones that there's still time to save. These are the 192 Critically Endangered birds on the IUCN Red List, species such as the Giant Ibis, the Kakapo, the Sumatran Ground-cuckoo and the iconic Spoon-billed Sandpiper – these, along with a number of classic Steadman creations such as the Unsociable Lapwing, are the NEARLY-EXTINCT BOIDS. Woids are again by author, conservationist and film-maker Ceri Levy. Together, Ceri and Ralph are THE GONZOVATIONISTS.