The Time Nature Keeps

The Time Nature Keeps

The Time Nature Keeps is not just through a clock. Time and events are also recorded by the fossils in the earth, the rings inside a tree, and the earwax of a whale.

Just as we perceive time moving slower when in a stressful situation, animals and insects perceive time differently than we do. A cat feels time moves 1.4 times slower than we feel it. Dogs are even slower perceivers at two times our perception speed. But house flies take the record because time moves 6.8 times slower for them, which is great since they only live a few weeks on average. Many marine animals feel time passing faster than humans. A Blacknose Shark sense of time is 2.2 times faster than ours and a Leatherback turtle is a comparatively brisk 2.7 faster.

The book is filled with a treasure trove of little facts like these. For example, pollution caused an English moth to change colors. When the pollution was reduced, the moth’s descendants returned to their original color. The book uses illustrations and timelines very effectively as in the graphic showing how, and why, a dog-sized creature evolved into the modern-sized horse. While it was comforting to see that non-human-caused global warming impacted the Earth multiple times in the past, it was shocking to see that even now between 30 and 150 species become extinct every day!

If you like science, nature or learning unusual facts you may never need or use again, pick up a copy of The Time Nature Keeps. It makes for an entertaining read or a great coffee table book. 4 stars!

Thanks to The Experiment and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

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