Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves

James Nestor

ISBN 10: 0547985525 / ISBN 13: 9780547985527

Edité par Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. N° de réf. du vendeur G0547985525I4N00

Synopsis :

An Amazon Best Book of 2014

While on assignment in Greece, journalist James Nestor witnessed something that confounded him: a man diving 300 feet below the ocean’s surface on a single breath of air and returning four minutes later, unharmed and smiling.

This man was a freediver, and his amphibious abilities inspired Nestor to seek out the secrets of this little-known discipline. In Deep, Nestor embeds with a gang of extreme athletes and renegade researchers who are transforming not only our knowledge of the planet and its creatures, but also our understanding of the human body and mind. Along the way, he takes us from the surface to the Atlantic’s greatest depths, some 28,000 feet below sea level. He finds whales that communicate with other whales hundreds of miles away, sharks that swim in unerringly straight lines through pitch-black waters, and seals who dive to depths below 2,400 feet for up to eighty minutes—deeper and longer than scientists ever thought possible. As strange as these phenomena are, they are reflections of our own species’ remarkable, and often hidden, potential—including echolocation, directional sense, and the profound physiological changes we undergo when underwater. Most illuminating of all, Nestor unlocks his own freediving skills as he communes with the pioneers who are expanding our definition of what is possible in the natural world, and in ourselves.

Revue de presse: A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice An Amazon Best Book of the Month

Scientific American Recommended Read

iTunes Top 20 Books of the Month

“The deeper the book ventures into the ocean, the more dramatic and unusual the organisms therein and the people who observe them...Through [Nestor's] eyes and his stories, it’s a journey well worth taking.” — David Epstein, New York Times Book Review

"Put Deep at the top of your reading list. This book will do for the oceans what Cosmos did for space. It's mind-bending, intrepid, and inspiring."
— Po Bronson

 "We’ve all seen documentary footage of strange deep-sea creatures, trundling along a hazy ocean floor, maybe even glowing in the dark. But how much do we really know about these ecosystems, and how much have we forgotten about our own profound connection to the ocean? With verve and humor, the author describes his own risk-taking attempts to understand the ocean's ancient secrets and future potential and the daring and brilliant people who have dedicated their lives to probing deeper ... [Nestor's] writing is sharp, colorful, and thrilling ... Bring[s] the ocean to life from a research perspective as well as a human one. An adventurous and frequently dazzling look at our planet's most massive habitat."
— Kirkus

"A thrilling account, made timely by the rapidly changing state of earth’s most expansive environment." — Publishers Weekly
"The deeper the book ventures into the ocean, the more dramatic and unusual the organisms therin and the people who observe them...through his eyes and his stories, it’s a journey well worth taking."--New York Times Book Review "Nestor is crisp with his fun, seafaring facts; he is sober with his sprinkling of environmental bulletins. The book never preaches, and it’s a zippy read."--Los Angeles Times

"Put Deep at the top of your reading list. This book will do for the oceans what Cosmos did for space. It's mind-bending, intrepid, and inspiring."
— Po Bronson

"With a 'wow' on every page, and brimming with vivid portraits, lucid scientific explanations, gripping (and funny) first-person accounts, and urgent facts about the ocean’s endangerment, Nestor’s Deep is galvanizing, enlightening, and invaluable."
— Booklist, starred review

"We’ve all seen documentary footage of strange deep-sea creatures, trundling along a hazy ocean floor, maybe even glowing in the dark. But how much do we really know about these ecosystems, and how much have we forgotten about our own profound connection to the ocean? With verve and humor, the author describes his own risk-taking attempts to understand the ocean's ancient secrets and future potential and the daring and brilliant people who have dedicated their lives to probing deeper ... [Nestor's] writing is sharp, colorful, and thrilling ... Bring[s] the ocean to life from a research perspective as well as a human one. An adventurous and frequently dazzling look at our planet's most massive habitat."
— Kirkus

"A thrilling account, made timely by the rapidly changing state of earth’s most expansive environment." — Publishers Weekly

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice An Amazon Best Book of the Month

Scientific American Recommended Read

iTunes Top 20 Books of the Month

“The deeper the book ventures into the ocean, the more dramatic and unusual the organisms therein and the people who observe them...Through [Nestor's] eyes and his stories, it’s a journey well worth taking.” — David Epstein, New York Times Book Review

"Put Deep at the top of your reading list. This book will do for the oceans what Cosmos did for space. It's mind-bending, intrepid, and inspiring."
— Po Bronson

 "We’ve all seen documentary footage of strange deep-sea creatures, trundling along a hazy ocean floor, maybe even glowing in the dark. But how much do we really know about these ecosystems, and how much have we forgotten about our own profound connection to the ocean? With verve and humor, the author describes his own risk-taking attempts to understand the ocean's ancient secrets and future potential and the daring and brilliant people who have dedicated their lives to probing deeper ... [Nestor's] writing is sharp, colorful, and thrilling ... Bring[s] the ocean to life from a research perspective as well as a human one. An adventurous and frequently dazzling look at our planet's most massive habitat."
— Kirkus

"A thrilling account, made timely by the rapidly changing state of earth’s most expansive environment." — Publishers Weekly
"The deeper the book ventures into the ocean, the more dramatic and unusual the organisms therin and the people who observe them...through his eyes and his stories, it’s a journey well worth taking."--New York Times Book Review "Nestor is crisp with his fun, seafaring facts; he is sober with his sprinkling of environmental bulletins. The book never preaches, and it’s a zippy read."--Los Angeles Times"Fascinating, informative, exhilarating book, and, I wager, it will at the very least have you testing how long you can hold your breath."--Wall Street Journal

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice An Amazon Best Book of the Month

Scientific American Recommended Read

iTunes Top 20 Books of the Month

“The deeper the book ventures into the ocean, the more dramatic and unusual the organisms therein and the people who observe them...Through [Nestor's] eyes and his stories, it’s a journey well worth taking.”
— David Epstein, New York Times Book Review

"Nestor is crisp with his fun, seafaring facts; he is sober with his sprinkling of environmental bulletins. The book never preaches, and it’s a zippy read."
—Los Angeles Times"Fascinating, informative, exhilarating book, and, I wager, it will at the very least have you testing how long you can hold your breath."
—Wall Street Journal

"Put Deep at the top of your reading list. This book will do for the oceans what Cosmos did for space. It's mind-bending, intrepid, and inspiring."
— Po Bronson

"We’ve all seen documentary footage of strange deep-sea creatures, trundling along a hazy ocean floor, maybe even glowing in the dark. But how much do we really know about these ecosystems, and how much have we forgotten about our own profound connection to the ocean? With verve and humor, the author describes his own risk-taking attempts to understand the ocean's ancient secrets and future potential and the daring and brilliant people who have dedicated their lives to probing deeper ... [Nestor's] writing is sharp, colorful, and thrilling ... Bring[s] the ocean to life from a research perspective as well as a human one. An adventurous and frequently dazzling look at our planet's most massive habitat."
— Kirkus

"A thrilling account, made timely by the rapidly changing state of earth’s most expansive environment." —Publishers Weekly

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice An Amazon Best Book of the Month Scientific American Recommended Read iTunes Top 20 Books of the Month Christian Science Monitor Editors' Pick: 10 Best Books of July BBC Book of the Week The Week Book of the Week “The deeper the book ventures into the ocean, the more dramatic and unusual the organisms therein and the people who observe them...Through [Nestor's] eyes and his stories, it’s a journey well worth taking.” — David Epstein, New York Times Book Review  

"Fascinating, informative, exhilarating book, and, I wager, it will at the very least have you testing how long you can hold your breath."

—Wall Street Journal "An engaging exploration of the depths of the world's oceans and the human connection to the rapidly changing world below. This is popular science writing at its best." —Christian Science Monitor "Rich and illuminating ... A passionate celebration of the possible and the unproven ... [Deep] will certainly enrich the thinking of anyone planning to spend time at the beach." —Independent (UK) "Truly breathtaking ... Nestor gets right in with the competitors and rogue scientists who are unearthing mysteries of the deep and its inhabitants that we can't even imagine, in a book that's engaging and eye-popping." —Esquire "Nestor is crisp with his fun, seafaring facts; he is sober with his sprinkling of environmental bulletins. The book neverpreaches, and it’s a zippy read." —Los Angeles Times "Freediving, the sport that harnesses the mammalian dive reflex to survive deep plunges, can be a boon for marine researchers, avers James Nestor. We meet a salty cast of them, such as the 'aquanauts' of Aquarius, a marine analogue of the International Space Station submerged off the Florida Keys. Equally mesmeric are Nestor's own adventures, whether spotting bioluminescent species from a submarine in the bathypelagic zone, or freediving himself — and voyaging into humanity's amphibious origins in the process." —Nature (UK) "Put Deep at the top of your reading list. This book will do for the oceans what Cosmos did for space. It's mind-bending, intrepid, and inspiring." —Po Bronson "With verve and humor, the author describes his own risk-taking attempts to understand the ocean's ancient secrets and future potential and the daring and brilliant people who have dedicated their lives to probing deeper ... [Nestor's] writing is sharp, colorful, and thrilling ... Bring[s] the ocean to life from a research perspective as well as a human one. An adventurous and frequently dazzling look at our planet's most massive habitat." — Kirkus "A thrilling account, made timely by the rapidly changing state of earth’s most expansive environment." —Publishers Weekly

An Amazon Best Book of the Month

Scientific American Recommended Read

iTunes Top 20 Books of the Month

“The deeper the book ventures into the ocean, the more dramatic and unusual the organisms therein and the people who observe them...Through [Nestor's] eyes and his stories, it’s a journey well worth taking.” — New York Times Book Review

"Put Deep at the top of your reading list. This book will do for the oceans what Cosmos did for space. It's mind-bending, intrepid, and inspiring."
— Po Bronson

"With a 'wow' on every page, and brimming with vivid portraits, lucid scientific explanations, gripping (and funny) first-person accounts, and urgent facts about the ocean’s endangerment, Nestor’s Deep is galvanizing, enlightening, and invaluable."
— Booklist, starred review

"We’ve all seen documentary footage of strange deep-sea creatures, trundling along a hazy ocean floor, maybe even glowing in the dark. But how much do we really know about these ecosystems, and how much have we forgotten about our own profound connection to the ocean? With verve and humor, the author describes his own risk-taking attempts to understand the ocean's ancient secrets and future potential and the daring and brilliant people who have dedicated their lives to probing deeper ... [Nestor's] writing is sharp, colorful, and thrilling ... Bring[s] the ocean to life from a research perspective as well as a human one. An adventurous and frequently dazzling look at our planet's most massive habitat."
— Kirkus

"A thrilling account, made timely by the rapidly changing state of earth’s most expansive environment." — Publishers Weekly

"Put Deep at the top of your reading list. This book will do for the oceans what Cosmos did for space. It's mind-bending, intrepid, and inspiring." — Po Bronson
"The ocean, journalist Nestor reminds us, is “the final unseen, untouched, and undiscovered wilderness.” It is also a frontier extremely difficult to explore. The pressure is so intense, at 30 feet down our “lungs collapse to half their normal size.” Yet Nestor watches divers descend to 300 feet without scuba gear at a freediving competition. Alarmed (the consequences can be dire) and intrigued, Nestor sets out to learn about the allure and best purpose of freediving as “a tool to help crack the ocean’s mysteries,” thus launching an exceptionally dramatic and revelatory inquiry. As he begins training as a freediver, in spite of his fears, Nestor learns about our body’s remarkable “amphibious reflexes,” instantaneous physical
transformations used for centuries by pearl divers. Now innovative and daring marine explorers use freediving to swim among sharks, dolphins, and whales. Their mind-blowing discoveries about how these denizens of the deep navigate and communicate in the watery dark are matched by findings that prove that we, too, can practice echolocation and orient ourselves via our innate magnetic sense of direction, natural abilities our ancestors used long before maps and GPS. With a “wow” on every page, and brimming with vivid portraits, lucid scientific explanations, gripping (and funny) first-person accounts, and urgent facts about the ocean’s endangerment, Nestor’s Deep is galvanizing, enlightening, and invaluable."--Booklist, STARRED review
"Nestor (Get High Now (without drugs), 2009, etc.) takes readers around the world as he explores the ocean’s mysterious and revealing depths—and what the deep might reveal about mankind’s origin and future.We’ve all seen documentary footage of strange deep-sea creatures, trundling along a hazy ocean floor, maybe even glowing in the dark. But how much do we really know about these ecosystems, and how much have we forgotten about our own profound connection to the ocean? With verve and humor, the author describes his own risk-taking attempts to understand the ocean's ancient secrets and future potential and the daring and brilliant people who have dedicated their lives to probing deeper. Take free diving, for example: Historical accounts suggest that humans have been diving hundreds of feet deep for centuries, with no equipment and holding just one breath of air. Our bodies are capable of withstanding the crushing pressure in deep water, and we have a built-in instinct called the “master switch of life” that activates to give human bo...

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What...
Éditeur : Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date d'édition : 2014
Reliure : Hardcover
Etat : Very Good
Etat de la jaquette : No Jacket