In this addition to the critically acclaimed Scientist in the Field series, Dorothy Patent follows the scientists trying to put a stop to a gruesome disease before it's too late.Tasmanian devils are dying at an alarming ratefrom a type of tumor that appears to be contagious. What scientists are learning while researching the Tasmanian devil has potential to affect all animals, and even humans, as they learn more about how to prevent and hopefully eradicate certain genetic diseases. In 1995, adeadlydiseasebegansweeping acrossthe Australian island state ofTasmania,killing every infected Tasmanian devil.The disease moved so fast that some scientists feared the species would be wiped out in the wildwithin a few decades. Where did this disease, named Devil Facial Tumor Disease, come from? What caused ita virus, bacteria, or something else? How did it pass from one devil to another?What could be done to fight it? When author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent learned of the race to save the devil from her friend, Australian geneticist Jenny Graves, shefelt compelled to travelto Australia to learnfirsthandfrom scientists what they were finding out about these iconic Tasmanian animalsand what they were doing to helpit from disappearing in the wild. Follow Dorothy as she takes readers on a fascinating journey into the Australian mainland and Tasmania, visiting parks and wildlife refuges and joining geneticist, ecologists, and other researchers as they work tirelessly to save Tasmania's unique icon.

Dog lovers everywhere will enjoy this insightful, adorable, and fact-filled photographic picture-book exploration of why dogs really are a man''s best friend.It''s no secret that people and pups are best friends. But did you know that this special bond dates back tens of thousands of years? During that time, we have only grown closer. Now cutting-edge science is helping us learn why we''re so perfect together. Brain-imaging machines show how simply seeing you makes your dog''s brain light up in its reward center. And blood samples reveal how just a touch or a gaze between two devoted friends releases helpful hormones that de-stress both pooch and person. In fact, we really speak each other''s language--using pointing, barking, touch, and body movement.Dogs make our lives better in so many ways. They keep us safe, rescue us in disasters, and guide us when we can''t see. But a dog''s most important job is to be its person''s best friend. And as we learn more about the similarities of people and our four-legged friends, it''s clear we are truly made for each other."By the time you finish this book, you''re ready to add a dog to your family." --Huffington Post

Pikas, tiny rabbit relatives living high in the mountains, serve as an entry point toward understanding theconsequences of climate change.Pikas can’t live in temperatures higher than 77 degrees F. As the Earth’s temperature rises, pikas must keep movinghigher and higher up the mountains to find a cooler climate in which to live. Everything is connected in the naturalworld. As the pikas livable habitat decreases, the lives of hawks, falcons, pine martins, foxes and the many othercreatures that prey upon pikas are affected.If you are looking for an easily understandable introduction to the consequences of climate change, this is the book foryou. Glorious photographs and a well-organized text reveal the key role pikas play in the alpine ecosystem. Helpfuldiagrams demonstrate the food web that includes this tiny mammal and other plants and animals, also threatened by thechanging climate. A glossary, map and list of actions kids can take to help decrease climate change are also included.Free, downloadable activities can be found on the publisher's website.

Did you know that beaver ponds provide habitat for hundreds if not thousands of life forms?Using their extremely strong teeth, beavers chop down trees to build a dam. The dam creates a pond that is habitat foreverything from algae to giant moose. After creating the pond, the beavers build a lodge. The lodge is sometimes used byother animals besides beavers. Muskrats may live inside the lodge either with or without the beavers, or geese may buildtheir nest atop the lodge. The dam itself is used as a bridge to cross the water by deer, ducks or any other number ofcreatures. The pond is home to numerous life forms. Lily pads grow in the pond and frogs sit on lily pads to catchflies.Learn about the pivotal role beavers play in making all of this life possible. Gorgeous photos and inviting text make ATHOME WITH THE BEAVER: THE STORY OF A KEYSTONE SPECIES a must have for young naturalists hoping to learn more about theinterconnectedness of life.Other Books in the Series: AT HOME WITH THE GOPHER TORTOISE: THE STORY OF A KEYSTONE SPECIES, AT HOME WITH THEPRAIRIE DOG: THE STORY OF A KEYSTONE SPECIES

In this groundbreaking, exceptionally researched installment of the award-winning Scientists in the Field series, discover how lizards rapidly adapt to life in the Caribbean islands, allowing scientists to study Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection in real time. Award-winning author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent joins forces with scientists/filmmakers Neil Losin and Nate Dappen, whose work is detailed in the Smithsonian Channel documentary “Laws of the Lizard,” to explore how the small but mighty lizards we call “anoles” are used by scientists to study basic principles of evolution and ecology. Travel with the team to Florida and the Caribbean as they research how anoles followed similar but independent evolutionary paths on the four major islands of the Greater Antilles (Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba). So while anoles on different islands may look like close relatives, they often are not! This is Darwin's principle of natural selection at work.And it makes anoles the perfect subjects for experiments that study how animals adapt to new challenges—such as climate change—in this exciting and timely addition to a celebrated series.

In this addition to the critically acclaimed Scientist in the Field series, Dorothy Patent follows the scientists trying to put a stop to a gruesome disease before it's too late.Tasmanian devils are dying at an alarming ratefrom a type of tumor that appears to be contagious. What scientists are learning while researching the Tasmanian devil has potential to affect all animals, and even humans, as they learn more about how to prevent and hopefully eradicate certain genetic diseases. In 1995, adeadlydiseasebegansweeping acrossthe Australian island state ofTasmania,killing every infected Tasmanian devil.The disease moved so fast that some scientists feared the species would be wiped out in the wildwithin a few decades. Where did this disease, named Devil Facial Tumor Disease, come from? What caused ita virus, bacteria, or something else? How did it pass from one devil to another?What could be done to fight it? When author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent learned of the race to save the devil from her friend, Australian geneticist Jenny Graves, shefelt compelled to travelto Australia to learnfirsthandfrom scientists what they were finding out about these iconic Tasmanian animalsand what they were doing to helpit from disappearing in the wild. Follow Dorothy as she takes readers on a fascinating journey into the Australian mainland and Tasmania, visiting parks and wildlife refuges and joining geneticist, ecologists, and other researchers as they work tirelessly to save Tasmania's unique icon.

Dog lovers everywhere will enjoy this insightful, adorable, and fact-filled photographic picture-book exploration of why dogs really are a man''s best friend.It''s no secret that people and pups are best friends. But did you know that this special bond dates back tens of thousands of years? During that time, we have only grown closer. Now cutting-edge science is helping us learn why we''re so perfect together. Brain-imaging machines show how simply seeing you makes your dog''s brain light up in its reward center. And blood samples reveal how just a touch or a gaze between two devoted friends releases helpful hormones that de-stress both pooch and person. In fact, we really speak each other''s language--using pointing, barking, touch, and body movement.Dogs make our lives better in so many ways. They keep us safe, rescue us in disasters, and guide us when we can''t see. But a dog''s most important job is to be its person''s best friend. And as we learn more about the similarities of people and our four-legged friends, it''s clear we are truly made for each other."By the time you finish this book, you''re ready to add a dog to your family." --Huffington Post

Pikas, tiny rabbit relatives living high in the mountains, serve as an entry point toward understanding theconsequences of climate change.Pikas can’t live in temperatures higher than 77 degrees F. As the Earth’s temperature rises, pikas must keep movinghigher and higher up the mountains to find a cooler climate in which to live. Everything is connected in the naturalworld. As the pikas livable habitat decreases, the lives of hawks, falcons, pine martins, foxes and the many othercreatures that prey upon pikas are affected.If you are looking for an easily understandable introduction to the consequences of climate change, this is the book foryou. Glorious photographs and a well-organized text reveal the key role pikas play in the alpine ecosystem. Helpfuldiagrams demonstrate the food web that includes this tiny mammal and other plants and animals, also threatened by thechanging climate. A glossary, map and list of actions kids can take to help decrease climate change are also included.Free, downloadable activities can be found on the publisher's website.

Did you know that beaver ponds provide habitat for hundreds if not thousands of life forms?Using their extremely strong teeth, beavers chop down trees to build a dam. The dam creates a pond that is habitat foreverything from algae to giant moose. After creating the pond, the beavers build a lodge. The lodge is sometimes used byother animals besides beavers. Muskrats may live inside the lodge either with or without the beavers, or geese may buildtheir nest atop the lodge. The dam itself is used as a bridge to cross the water by deer, ducks or any other number ofcreatures. The pond is home to numerous life forms. Lily pads grow in the pond and frogs sit on lily pads to catchflies.Learn about the pivotal role beavers play in making all of this life possible. Gorgeous photos and inviting text make ATHOME WITH THE BEAVER: THE STORY OF A KEYSTONE SPECIES a must have for young naturalists hoping to learn more about theinterconnectedness of life.Other Books in the Series: AT HOME WITH THE GOPHER TORTOISE: THE STORY OF A KEYSTONE SPECIES, AT HOME WITH THEPRAIRIE DOG: THE STORY OF A KEYSTONE SPECIES

In this groundbreaking, exceptionally researched installment of the award-winning Scientists in the Field series, discover how lizards rapidly adapt to life in the Caribbean islands, allowing scientists to study Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection in real time. Award-winning author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent joins forces with scientists/filmmakers Neil Losin and Nate Dappen, whose work is detailed in the Smithsonian Channel documentary “Laws of the Lizard,” to explore how the small but mighty lizards we call “anoles” are used by scientists to study basic principles of evolution and ecology. Travel with the team to Florida and the Caribbean as they research how anoles followed similar but independent evolutionary paths on the four major islands of the Greater Antilles (Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba). So while anoles on different islands may look like close relatives, they often are not! This is Darwin's principle of natural selection at work.And it makes anoles the perfect subjects for experiments that study how animals adapt to new challenges—such as climate change—in this exciting and timely addition to a celebrated series.