The Camel's Nose: Memoirs of a Curious Scientist - Hardcover

Schmidt-Nielsen, Knut

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1559635126 ISBN 13: 9781559635127

Publisher: Island Pr, 1998

Synopsis

"It has been said that the primary function of schools is to impart enough facts to make children stop asking questions. Those with whom the schools do not succeed become scientists." So begins Knut Schmidt-Nielsen in his autobiography "The Camel's Nose," a fascinating reflection on his life and more than forty years of studies and adventures in locations ranging from the Sahara Desert to the Arctic Circle.One of the world's most prominent animal physiologists, Schmidt-Nielsen has throughout his career sought answers to seemingly simple questions: How can camels go for days without drinking? Do marine birds drink seawater? Why don't penguins' feet freeze? How do animals find food and water in the desert? By asking questions about the animals around us, we learn more about who we are, and the answers Schmidt-Nielsen discovered have not only helped us understand animals, but have provided us with insight into fundamental principles of life and survival.In "The Camel's Nose," Schmidt-Nielsen relates the story of his life and work, interweaving tales of his childhood in Scandinavia and his personal and professional struggles in the United States with first-hand accounts of field work in Africa, Australia, and around the globe. He recounts how he sought out peculiar problems of animal form and function and details his remarkable discoveries. He also provides a glimpse into the personal life of a world-renowned scientist, from the rewards and difficulties of growing up in a family of scientists to the challenges of his early career to the redeeming power of love later in life."The Camel's Nose" reveals a passionate curiosity for seeking out and finding answers. The reader is fortunate toshare in Schmidt-Nielsen's lifelong quest and to be given an inside look into the life of a scientist who has witnessed the better part of a century of breathtaking discovery and change.

About this title

From the Author:

A scientist's life and his work with interesting animals
I think you will find this book fascinating, but instead of trying to summarize it, I should like to quote from a recent review in DISCOVER magazine:

The author's research is amazingly accessible. The bulk of his work concerns how animals adapt to difficult environments, which is where the camel comes in. How can it go so long without drinking water? Lungfish, air-breathing freshwater dwellers of the Amazon, spend their lives underwater but have to surface for air, or they will drown. How does a frog, with its thin porous skin, live in salt water?

Most of the author's research expeditions could easily qualify as adventure travel. He bargains with Saharan nomads for camels, raises a small desert fox, a fennec, in his pocket; eats locusts, ostrich eggs, baked anaconda, and develops an embarrassing taste for durian, the notoriously stinky South Asian fruit.

In the Amazon, he and colleagues adopt a friendly capybara, a semiaquatic rodent the size of a small pig. "Cappy lived in the kitchen and around the dining table" writes Schmidt-Nielsen. "He liked to eat crackers, bananas, sugar cane, mosquito nets, shirts, and other valuables."

The review ends by stating that the author's explanations of his research are clear and entertaining and also that he is remarkaboy frank about his personal life.

Synopsis:

Written by one of the world's most prominent animal psychologists, this volume is a reflection on more than 40 years of studies and adventures in locations ranging from the Sahara Desert to the Arctic Circle.

About this edition

• Publisher: Island Pr
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1559635126
• ISBN 13: 9781559635127
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 319