Explains how self-organizing systems, from crystals to human societies, share collective memories that influence their form and behavior • Includes new evidence and research in support of the theory of morphic resonance • Explores the major role that morphic resonance plays not just in animal instincts and cultural inheritance but also in the larger process of evolution • Shows that nature is not ruled by fixed laws but by habits and collective memories In this fully revised and updated edition of The Presence of the Past, Cambridge biologist Rupert Sheldrake lays out new evidence and research in support of his controversial theory of morphic resonance and explores its far-reaching implications in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and sociology. His theory proposes that all self-organizing systems, from crystals to human society, inherit a collective memory that influences their form and behavior. This collective memory works through morphic fields, which organize the bodies of plants and animals, coordinate the activities of brains, and underlie conscious mental activity. Sheldrake shows how all human beings draw upon and contribute to a collective human memory and that even our individual recollections depend on morphic resonance rather than physical storage in the brain. He explores the major role that morphic resonance plays not just in animal instincts and cultural inheritance, such as religion and ritual, but also in the larger process of evolution, which Sheldrake shows to be more an interplay of habit and creativity than a mere “survival of the fittest.” Offering a replacement for the outdated, mechanistic worldview that has dominated biology since the nineteenth century, Sheldrake’s new understanding of life, matter, and mind shows that rather than being ruled by fixed laws, nature is essentially habitual. And because memory is inherent in nature, he explains, in order to survive successfully for generations to come, we will have to give up our old habits of thought and adopt new ones: habits that are better adapted to life in a world living in the presence of the past--as well as the presence of the future.

"An essential document of our time." —Charles D’Ambrosio, author of Loitering In search of answers and action, the award-winning poet and essayist Lisa Wells brings us Believers, introducing trailblazers and outliers from across the globe who have found radically new ways to live and reconnect to the Earth in the face of climate change We find ourselves at the end of the world. How, then, shall we live? Like most of us, Lisa Wells has spent years overwhelmed by increasingly urgent news of climate change on an apocalyptic scale. She did not need to be convinced of the stakes, but she could not find practical answers. She embarked on a pilgrimage, seeking wisdom and paths to action from outliers and visionaries, pragmatists and iconoclasts. Believers tracks through the lives of these people who are dedicated to repairing the earth and seemingly undaunted by the task ahead. Wells meets an itinerant gardener and misanthrope leading a group of nomadic activists in rewilding the American desert. She finds a group of environmentalist Christians practicing “watershed discipleship” in New Mexico and another group in Philadelphia turning the tools of violence into tools of farming—guns into ploughshares. She watches the world’s greatest tracker teach others how to read a trail, and visits botanists who are restoring land overrun by invasive species and destructive humans. She talks with survivors of catastrophic wildfires in California as they try to rebuild in ways that acknowledge the fires will come again. Through empathic, critical portraits, Wells shows that these trailblazers are not so far beyond the rest of us. They have had the same realization, have accepted that we are living through a global catastrophe, but are trying to answer the next question: How do you make a life at the end of the world? Through this miraculous commingling of acceptance and activism, this focus on seeing clearly and moving forward, Wells is able to take the devastating news facing us all, every day, and inject a possibility of real hope. Believers demands transformation. It will change how you think about your own actions, about how you can still make an impact, and about how we might yet reckon with our inheritance.

In an experiment that occurred some forty years ago, Henry M.'s memory was stolen from him during a highly controversial operation performed to cure his epilepsy. Part poetic reflection and philosophical meditation, part popular science and investigative journalism, Memory's Ghost is an unforgettable journey into the mysteries of the human mind.

Explains how human memory works, describes the biological structure of the brain, and discusses amnesia, memory lapses, and examples of emotional memory

Nature is full of fleeting wonders. This breathtaking collection of nature photography reveals rare creatures, transports us to distant landscapes, and captures uncommon moments of drama and beauty in the natural world. From a heart-pounding shot of the Wildebeest Migration to a glimpse of the elusive Pampas cat, each image tells a story about the diversity and grandeur of life on earth. Bold, surprising, and jaw-droppingly beautiful, these photographs are all winners of the California Academy of Sciences' BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition. With more than 100 photographs and captions explaining the scientific phenomena and photographic techniques behind each picture, this book will captivate nature lovers, science enthusiasts, photographers, and adventurers.

A valuable resource for anyone interested in the development of memory. This text discusses the development of long-term memory, including autobiographical memory, and argues that memory is an adaptive mechanism for the development and survival of humans and non-human animals.

What are the defining characteristics of memory? What determines what is remembered and how much it is emphasized? In Context Is Everything, Susan Engel explores how the place, company, purpose, and situation--the context of the recollection--profoundly affects the essence and experience of a memory. Beginning with memory's most intimate setting--an exchange between a mother and a small child--Engel explores memory's function in such varied circumstances as a trial, a therapy session, the construction of our public persona, and the formulation of an autobiography. Blending vivid anecdotes with the startling findings of memory research, Engel examines the implications of context and purpose for memory, including one's motivation to remember and the strength or quality of the memory itself. She traces the trajectory of a memory from the moment of conception in the mind, through its social realization, and back to the owner, settling in his or her repertoire of the past. And she looks at memory as fodder for history--what is the basis for what we know and pass on? Beautifully written and filled with fresh insights on such contested issues as recovered memory and remembered testimony, Context Is Everything is both an informative and engaging read.

Whether in a Garden Journal or on a Golden Age Card, images of flowers and the natural world make everything pretty. And these pictures, with their classic beauty, are the loveliest of all. Cherubic children, right out of the Victorian age, sit sweetly in their gardens. Bouquets of pansies, a big sunflower, and gathered primroses decorate vintage labels. A smiling angel stands by a basket filled with wildflowers. Use them in your own creative way, or try any of the charming ideas from the gallery of projects.

A tribute to nature’s influence on the creative process, Bog Tender is a stunning memoir that explores nature and the act of writing, and where the two intersect. Accomplished fiction author George Szanto lives and writes on a bog that cuts his property in two. Rather than filling in the wetland, he has embraced it as a site of inspiration. Pieced together in 12 chapters—one for each month of the year—this enchanting narrative explores how Szanto’s writing process is affected by the bog’s transformations throughout the seasons. Through each chapter, the author searches for the moments of greatest consequence to him, from his parents’ escape from Hitler’s Vienna to his time spent studying in Germany, and from meeting his future wife and becoming a parent, to his adventures in Mexico. Set in a place where city is left behind for rural space, Bog Tender is about home and the intricate connections that evolve under and above the water.

Record your encounters with nature in this fantastic, interactive book Kids can write about and draw the plants and animals they see. They can paste photos, postcards and feathers found on the ground. Plus, there's great info to learn about nature.