Bill Schutt

The authors of Hell's Gate and The Himalayan Codex deliver their third high-octane thriller--a riveting blend of science, history, and suspense featuring zoologist and adventurer Captain R. J. MacCready."Looks like Schutt and Finch are filling the void left by the passing of Michael Crichton."--James Cameron, director/writer/explorerThough the fighting has stopped and Hitler is vanquished, a dangerous new war between America and the Soviet Union has begun. Invaluable in defeating the Nazis, accidental crypto-zoologist R. J. MacCready and Yanni Thorne, an indigenous Brazilian and expert in animal behavior, are working for the Pentagon once again. Sent to a mysterious Greek island in a remote corner of the Mediterranean, they are investigating rumors about a volcanic spring with "miraculous" healing properties that the locals say is guarded by sea monsters from ancient legends.The islanders believe that, like Fatima, the spring is a gift from God. To the Greek Orthodox Church, it is a sign of a deadly evil foretold in apocalyptic texts. Alongside French and Chinese researchers--men who share their strange, blood-stained past--Mac and Yanni discover that the volcanic spring's undersea plumes release an exotic microbe that can transform life with astonishing speed. To find the source of the Volcanic spring, Mac and Yanni must find a way to neutralize "the Dragons of Revelation"--a fearsome aquatic species also known as "Kraken," which are preventing the scientists from exploring deep beneath the sea's surface. Mutating at an astonishing pace, the Kraken have evolved into a chillingly high alien intelligence. As the race to possess the "miracle" microbe heats up, tensions between geopolitics, religion, and ordinary scientists confronted with the unknown escalate into chaos. Mac and Yanni know all too well that one wrong choice can easily set in motion a biological chain reaction that will reach across the decades to enhance--or destroy--everything that lives.

"Fascinating . . . Surprising entertainment, combining deep learning with dad jokes . . . Schutt] is a natural teacher with an easy way with metaphor."--The Wall Street Journal In this lively, unexpected look at the hearts of animals--from fish to bats to humans--American Museum of Natural History zoologist Bill Schutt tells an incredible story of evolution and scientific progress. We join Schutt on a tour from the origins of circulation, still evident in microorganisms today, to the tiny hardworking pumps of worms, to the golf-cart-size hearts of blue whales. We visit beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their blood, which has properties that can protect humans from deadly illnesses. We learn that when temperatures plummet, some frog hearts can freeze solid for weeks, resuming their beat only after a spring thaw. And we journey with Schutt through human history, too, as philosophers and scientists hypothesize, often wrongly, about what makes our ticker tick. Schutt traces humanity's cardiac fascination from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, who believed that the heart contains the soul, all the way up to modern-day laboratories, where scientists use animal hearts and even plants as the basis for many of today's cutting-edge therapies. Written with verve and authority, weaving evolutionary perspectives with cultural history, Pump shows us this mysterious organ in a completely new light.

A journey into the heartbeat of life on Earth. Millennia ago, when we first began puzzling over the mysteries of the human body, one organ stood out as vital. The heart was warm, it was central, and it moved as it pumped blood. The ancient Egyptians treated it with reverence, mummifying it separately from the body so that the soul inside it could be weighed. Aristotle believed that it was the seat of consciousness. Over the centuries, science has dispelled the myths, but our fascination with the heart has endured. From the origins of circulation, still evident in some microorganisms today, to the enormous hearts of blue whales, we journey with Bill to beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their life-saving blood, and under the sea to learn about the world's most natural antifreeze, flowing through the veins of icefish. And we follow him through human history, too, as scientists hypothesize wrongly and rightly about what is arguably our most important organ, ultimately developing the technologies that have helped us study the heart--and now, in the most cutting-edge labs, the tools that will help us regenerate it. Deeply researched and engagingly told, Pump is a fascinating natural history sure to be loved by readers of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson.

A journey into the heartbeat of life on Earth. Millennia ago, when we first began puzzling over the mysteries of the human body, one organ stood out as vital. The heart was warm, it was central, and it moved as it pumped blood. The ancient Egyptians treated it with reverence, mummifying it separately from the body so that the soul inside it could be weighed. Aristotle believed that it was the seat of consciousness. Over the centuries, science has dispelled the myths, but our fascination with the heart has endured. From the origins of circulation, still evident in some microorganisms today, to the enormous hearts of blue whales, we journey with Bill to beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their life-saving blood, and under the sea to learn about the world's most natural antifreeze, flowing through the veins of icefish. And we follow him through human history, too, as scientists hypothesize wrongly and rightly about what is arguably our most important organ, ultimately developing the technologies that have helped us study the heart--and now, in the most cutting-edge labs, the tools that will help us regenerate it. Deeply researched and engagingly told, Pump is a fascinating natural history sure to be loved by readers of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson.

A journey into the heartbeat of life on Earth. Millennia ago, when we first began puzzling over the mysteries of the human body, one organ stood out as vital. The heart was warm, it was central, and it moved as it pumped blood. The ancient Egyptians treated it with reverence, mummifying it separately from the body so that the soul inside it could be weighed. Aristotle believed that it was the seat of consciousness. Over the centuries, science has dispelled the myths, but our fascination with the heart has endured. From the origins of circulation, still evident in some microorganisms today, to the enormous hearts of blue whales, we journey with Bill to beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their life-saving blood, and under the sea to learn about the world's most natural antifreeze, flowing through the veins of icefish. And we follow him through human history, too, as scientists hypothesize wrongly and rightly about what is arguably our most important organ, ultimately developing the technologies that have helped us study the heart--and now, in the most cutting-edge labs, the tools that will help us regenerate it. Deeply researched and engagingly told, Pump is a fascinating natural history sure to be loved by readers of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson.

The authors of Hell's Gate and The Himalayan Codex deliver their third high-octane thriller--a riveting blend of science, history, and suspense featuring zoologist and adventurer Captain R. J. MacCready."Looks like Schutt and Finch are filling the void left by the passing of Michael Crichton."--James Cameron, director/writer/explorerThough the fighting has stopped and Hitler is vanquished, a dangerous new war between America and the Soviet Union has begun. Invaluable in defeating the Nazis, accidental crypto-zoologist R. J. MacCready and Yanni Thorne, an indigenous Brazilian and expert in animal behavior, are working for the Pentagon once again. Sent to a mysterious Greek island in a remote corner of the Mediterranean, they are investigating rumors about a volcanic spring with "miraculous" healing properties that the locals say is guarded by sea monsters from ancient legends.The islanders believe that, like Fatima, the spring is a gift from God. To the Greek Orthodox Church, it is a sign of a deadly evil foretold in apocalyptic texts. Alongside French and Chinese researchers--men who share their strange, blood-stained past--Mac and Yanni discover that the volcanic spring's undersea plumes release an exotic microbe that can transform life with astonishing speed. To find the source of the Volcanic spring, Mac and Yanni must find a way to neutralize "the Dragons of Revelation"--a fearsome aquatic species also known as "Kraken," which are preventing the scientists from exploring deep beneath the sea's surface. Mutating at an astonishing pace, the Kraken have evolved into a chillingly high alien intelligence. As the race to possess the "miracle" microbe heats up, tensions between geopolitics, religion, and ordinary scientists confronted with the unknown escalate into chaos. Mac and Yanni know all too well that one wrong choice can easily set in motion a biological chain reaction that will reach across the decades to enhance--or destroy--everything that lives.

The authors of Hell's Gate and The Himalayan Codex deliver their third high-octane thriller--a riveting blend of science, history, and suspense featuring zoologist and adventurer Captain R. J. MacCready."Looks like Schutt and Finch are filling the void left by the passing of Michael Crichton."--James Cameron, director/writer/explorerThough the fighting has stopped and Hitler is vanquished, a dangerous new war between America and the Soviet Union has begun. Invaluable in defeating the Nazis, accidental crypto-zoologist R. J. MacCready and Yanni Thorne, an indigenous Brazilian and expert in animal behavior, are working for the Pentagon once again. Sent to a mysterious Greek island in a remote corner of the Mediterranean, they are investigating rumors about a volcanic spring with "miraculous" healing properties that the locals say is guarded by sea monsters from ancient legends.The islanders believe that, like Fatima, the spring is a gift from God. To the Greek Orthodox Church, it is a sign of a deadly evil foretold in apocalyptic texts. Alongside French and Chinese researchers--men who share their strange, blood-stained past--Mac and Yanni discover that the volcanic spring's undersea plumes release an exotic microbe that can transform life with astonishing speed. To find the source of the Volcanic spring, Mac and Yanni must find a way to neutralize "the Dragons of Revelation"--a fearsome aquatic species also known as "Kraken," which are preventing the scientists from exploring deep beneath the sea's surface. Mutating at an astonishing pace, the Kraken have evolved into a chillingly high alien intelligence. As the race to possess the "miracle" microbe heats up, tensions between geopolitics, religion, and ordinary scientists confronted with the unknown escalate into chaos. Mac and Yanni know all too well that one wrong choice can easily set in motion a biological chain reaction that will reach across the decades to enhance--or destroy--everything that lives.

The authors of Hell's Gate and The Himalayan Codex deliver their third high-octane thriller--a page-turning blend of science, history, and suspense featuring zoologist and adventurer Captain R. J. MacCready."Looks like Schutt and Finch are filling the void left by the passing of Michael Crichton."--James Cameron, director/writer/explorerThough the fighting has stopped and Hitler is vanquished, a dangerous new war between America and the Soviet Union has begun. Invaluable in defeating the Nazis, accidental crypto-zoologist R. J. MacCready and Yanni Thorne, an indigenous Brazilian and expert in animal behavior, are working for the Pentagon once again. Sent to a mysterious Greek island in a remote corner of the Mediterranean, they are investigating rumors about a volcanic spring with "miraculous" healing properties that the locals say is guarded by sea monsters from ancient legends.The islanders believe that, like Fatima, the spring is a gift from God. To the Greek Orthodox Church, it is a sign of a deadly evil foretold in apocalyptic texts. Alongside French and Chinese researchers--men who share their strange, blood-stained past--Mac and Yanni discover that the volcanic spring's undersea plumes release an exotic microbe that can transform life with astonishing speed. To find the source of the Volcanic spring, Mac and Yanni must find a way to neutralize "the Dragons of Revelation"--a fearsome aquatic species also known as "Kraken," which are preventing the scientists from exploring deep beneath the sea's surface. Mutating at an astonishing pace, the Kraken have evolved into a chillingly high alien intelligence. As the race to possess the "miracle" microbe heats up, tensions between geopolitics, religion, and ordinary scientists confronted with the unknown escalate into chaos. Mac and Yanni know all too well that one wrong choice can easily set in motion a biological chain reaction that will reach across the decades to enhance--or destroy--everything that lives.

"Surprising. Impressive. Cannibalism restores my faith in humanity." --Sy Montgomery, The New York Times Book Review For centuries scientists have written off cannibalism as a bizarre phenomenon with little biological significance. Its presence in nature was dismissed as a desperate response to starvation or other life-threatening circumstances, and few spent time studying it. A taboo subject in our culture, the behavior was portrayed mostly through horror movies or tabloids sensationalizing the crimes of real-life flesh-eaters. But the true nature of cannibalism--the role it plays in evolution as well as human history--is even more intriguing (and more normal) than the misconceptions we've come to accept as fact. In Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History, zoologist Bill Schutt sets the record straight, debunking common myths and investigating our new understanding of cannibalism's role in biology, anthropology, and history in the most fascinating account yet written on this complex topic. Schutt takes readers from Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains, where he wades through ponds full of tadpoles devouring their siblings, to the Sierra Nevadas, where he joins researchers who are shedding new light on what happened to the Donner Party--the most infamous episode of cannibalism in American history. He even meets with an expert on the preparation and consumption of human placenta (and, yes, it goes well with Chianti). Bringing together the latest cutting-edge science, Schutt answers questions such as why some amphibians consume their mother's skin; why certain insects bite the heads off their partners after sex; why, up until the end of the twentieth century, Europeans regularly ate human body parts as medical curatives; and how cannibalism might be linked to the extinction of the Neanderthals. He takes us into the future as well, investigating whether, as climate change causes famine, disease, and overcrowding, we may see more outbreaks of cannibalism in many more species--including our own. Cannibalism places a perfectly natural occurrence into a vital new context and invites us to explore why it both enthralls and repels us.

"Bill Schutt and J. R. Finch are two of the best adventure writers to hit the scene in a long time " --Clive Cussler, #1 New York Times bestselling authorIt is 1946, and the world is rebuilding itself from the war's devastating ashes. R. J. MacCready is headed for the Himalayas to examine some recently discovered mammoth bones--a mission that may help him put the loss of his friend and colleague Bob Thorne behind him.Arriving in Asia with the bright and fearless Yanni Thorne, his friend's widow and now his invaluable assistant, Mac learns the bones are only a cover story. He's actually been sent there to investigate an ancient codex allegedly written by Pliny the Elder, a fascinating text filled with revelatory secrets. The Roman naturalist claimed to have discovered a new race of humans, a divergent species that inspired the myths of the Yeti and is rumored to have the ability to accelerate the process of evolution. If Pliny's assertions are true, this seemingly supernatural ability holds unlimited potential benefits--and unlimited potential for destruction.Charged with uncovering more about this miracle species, Mac sets off into the remote mountain valleys of Tibet, known to the locals as the Labyrinth, using the codex as his guide. As he plunges deeper into the unknown, the more certain it appears that Mac and the associates who join his odyssey may not make it out alive.

"A witty, scientifically accurate, and often intensely creepy exploration of sanguivorous creatures." --San Francisco Chronicle For centuries, blood feeders have inhabited our nightmares and horror stories, as well as the shadowy realms of scientific knowledge. In Dark Banquet, zoologist Bill Schutt takes us on a fascinating voyage into the world of some of nature's strangest creatures-the sanguivores. Using a sharp eye and mordant wit, Schutt makes a remarkably persuasive case that blood feeders, from bats to bedbugs, are as deserving of our curiosity as warmer and fuzzier species are-and that many of them are even worthy of conservation. Enlightening and alarming, Dark Banquet peers into a part of the natural world to which we are, through our blood, inextricably linked. "Dark Banquet is an amazing account of all those creatures that most of us consider really creepy But author Bill Schutt doesn't, and actually embraces these critters and their bloodthirsty lifestyles. It's great to see such wonderful animal research in a reader-friendly form. After finishing the book, you'll have a lot to discuss at your next dinner party "--Jack Hanna, director emeritus, Columbus Zoo, and host of television's Emmy Award--winning series Into the Wild " A] passionate defense of bloodsuckers from the leech to the candiru."--Discover