Free Speech Radio 99.5fm

When they met, Shannon and Anthony were immediately enamored by each other. Shannon can recall leaving that encounter and immediately calling her mother to tell her she had met someone special. Anthony did the same. During that meeting, a client of Anthony's had asked whether he had told her about his turtles. He played it off, trying to avoid scaring her away so soon. She would find out soon enough, but even with full disclosure, Shannon never knew exactly what she was signing up for.

The pastime of a spouse can have a considerable impact on a family. When that interest becomes something the person fully dedicates their life to, the effects are sure to be felt by all. And why shouldn't they be? Turtles are the most endangered group of vertebrates on the planet and they need all the help they can get in every sense. Educating the public, helping build and operate non-profit organizations, assisting with field research, and breeding critically endangered animals in captivity are all in a day's work.

Turtles have created a fulfilling and rewarding life for Anthony, personally and professionally. They have also brought him closer to Shannon. At times, however, turtles have pushed the two of them apart. Every relationship takes work, some more than others. While each couple has their own struggles, Anthony and Shannon take that to unique extremes.

The puzzling lack of evidence for the peculiar but widespread belief that birds have no sense of smell irked evolutionary biologist Danielle Whittaker. Exploring the science behind the myth led her on an unexpected quest investigating mysteries from how juncos win a fight to why cowbirds smell like cookies. In The Secret Perfume of Birds?part science, part intellectual history, and part memoir?Whittaker blends humor, clear writing, and a compelling narrative to describe how scent is important not just for birds but for all animals, including humans.

Whittaker engagingly describes how emerging research has uncovered birds' ability to produce complex chemical signals that influence their behavior, including where they build nests, when they pick a fight, and why they fly away. Mate choice, or sexual selection?a still enigmatic aspect of many animals' lives?appears to be particularly influenced by smell. Whittaker's pioneering studies suggest that birds' sexy (and scary) signals are produced by symbiotic bacteria that manufacture scents in the oil that birds stroke on their feathers when preening. From tangerine-scented auklets to her beloved juncos, redolent of moss, birds from across the world feature in Whittaker's stories, but she also examines the smelly chemicals of all kinds of creatures, from iguanas and bees to monkeys and humans.

Readers will enjoy a rare opportunity to witness the twisting roads scientific research can take, especially the challenging, hilarious, and occasionally dangerous realities of ornithology in the wild. The Secret Perfume of Birds will interest anyone looking to learn more about birds, about how animals and humans use our senses, and about why it can sometimes take a rebel scientist to change what we think we know for sure about the world?and ourselves.