Synopsis
In Sentient, Jackie Higgins assembles a menagerie of zoological creatures – from land, air, sea and all four corners of the globe – to understand what it means to be human.
'Spellbinding . . . More than any other book, [Sentient] has made me think differently about the world this year.' – Financial Times Best Books of the Year
The peacock mantis shrimp can throw a punch that can fracture aquarium walls.
The great grey owl can hear many decibels lower than the human ear.
The star-nosed mole’s miraculous nose allows it to catch worms in as little as 120 milliseconds.
In Sentient we also meet the four-eyed spookfish and its dark vision, the vampire bat and its remarkable powers of touch, as well as the common octopus, the Goliath catfish and the duck-billed platypus. Each zoological marvel illustrates the surprising sensory powers that lie within us and enables us to engage with the world in ways we never knew possible.
'Lyrical and lucid . . . Higgins makes popular science accessible.' – Observer
Details
12 May 2022
9781529030815Reviews
The first rule of popular science is to reveal the wonder and mystery of the world. For that reason, Sentient, written by photographer and wildlife film-maker Jackie Higgins, is my personal pick of the yearSimon Ings, New Scientist Best Books of the Year
Spellbinding . . . More than any other book, [Sentient] has made me think differently about the world this year.Alec Russell, Financial Times Best Books of the Year
Higgins makes popular science accessible.Saskia Baron, Observer
Jackie Higgins’s eye-opening account of the often bizarre or superhuman sensory systems of other animals, from Hades-dwellers to Arctic owls.Steven Poole, Telegraph Best New Science Books
