Books in Scientists in the Field Series series

On remote Codfish Island off the southern coast of New Zealand live the last ninety-one kakapo parrots on earth. These trusting, flightless, and beautiful birds—the largest and most unusual parrots on earth—have suffered devastating population loss.Now, on an island refuge with the last of the species, New Zealand’s National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to restore the kakapo population. With the help of fourteen humans who share a single hut and a passion for saving these odd ground-dwelling birds, the kakapo are making a comeback in New Zealand.Follow intrepid animal lovers Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop on a ten-day excursion to witness the exciting events in the life of the kakapo.

Human beings have always looked at the heavens and asked: Are we alone? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What is that life like? Unfortunately, people can’t actually travel to other solar systems. Even the closest stars are too far away to visit. Today, astrophysicists such as Jill Tarter are looking for other ways to search for extraterrestrial life. Jill is the director of Project Phoenix at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. SETI stands for “Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.” Twice a year, Jill and her team travel to the mountains of Puerto Rico where they use the world’s largest radio telescope to examine nearby stars. They search the sky, listening for radio signals that, if found and verified, would provide strong evidence that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe.Author Ellen Jackson and photographer Nic Bishop introduce us to a dedicated scientist and her thrilling, rigorous, and awe-inspiring work in the field.

Marine biologists help preserve our oceans and the habitats and creatures that call them home. By observing how sea creatures behave and how they connect with the environment through research, testing, and tagging, marine biologists try to save endangered species to make sure they are here for everyone to enjoy for generations to come! This title will allow students to see that science involves the use of tools to observe and measure things.• Content sidebars• Maps• Text based questions• Bold keywords with phonetic glossary

Scientists in the Field .s.s. to the extreme!When Paul Flaherty goes to work, he climbs into a four-engine WP-3D Orion turboprop plane and heads directly into the eye of a hurricane. Miles below, Hazel Barton’s job in microbiology takes her to the depths of the world’s most treacherous caves. And on the other side of the topsoil, way, way above the forest floor, Stephen Sillett passes his days (and sometimes his nights) in the canopies of the tallest trees on earth. Welcome to the work—and worlds—of extreme scientists. From hurricanes to caves to the crowns of towering redwoods, these scientists battle some of the earth’s most intense conditions in order to save lives, preserve species, and help us to better understand the way our planet works.

It looks like a bear, but isn’t one. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey— but isn’t a monkey, either. It has a belly pocket like a kangaroo, but what’s a kangaroo doing up a tree? Meet the amazing Matschie’s tree kangaroo, who makes its home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guinea’s cloud forest. And meet the amazing scientists who track these elusive animals.

Without honey bees the world would be a different place. There would be no honey, no beeswax for candles, and, worst of all, barely a fruit, nut, or vegetable to eat. So imagine beekeeper Dave Hackenburg’s horror when he discovered twenty million of his charges had vanished. Those missing bees became the first casualties of a mysterious scourge that continues to plague honey bee populations today. In The Hive Detectives, Loree Griffin Burns profiles bee wranglers and bee scientists who have been working to understand colony collapse disorder, or CCD. In this dramatic and enlightening story, readers explore the lives of the fuzzy, buzzy insects and learn what might happen to us if they were gone.

- 2012 Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book- 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book- ALA Notable Children's Book - NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book - 2012In the sprawling African scrub desert of Etosha National Park, they call her "the mother of all elephants." Camouflaged and peering through binoculars, Caitlin O'Connell--the American scientist who traveled to Namibia to study African elephants in their natural habitat--could not believe what she was seeing. As the mighty matriarch scanned the horizon, the other elephants followed suit, stopping midstride and standing as still as statues. The observation would be one of many to guide O'Connell to a groundbreaking discovery!

With powerful and rare photographs by Jim Brandenburg, Once a Wolf explores the long, troubled relationship between humans and wolves. The book traces the persecution of the wolf throughout history and also reveals the role scientists have played in wolf preservation. The work of scientists can often seem mysterious and intimidating to the nonscientist. No longer! Introducing an exciting perspective on the important work of scientists in all areas of research and study. Scientists in the Field show people immersed in the unpredictable and dynamic natural world, making science more accessible, relevant, and exciting to young readers. Far from the research laboratory, these books show first-hand adventures in the great outdoors - adventures with a purpose. From climbing into a snake den with thousands of slithering snakes to tracking wolves, readers experience the thrill of discovering the unknown.

Slaughtering elephants for their ivory; shooting bears for their gall bladders; capturing sea turtles for soup. In the name of vanity, fashion, and greed, man stalks and kills wild animals -- and gets away with it, even when it is clearly against the law. But now scientists have a way to catch and convict poachers. In a laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, they analyze clues to link suspects to crimes. In words and pictures, this book tells a poignant story and reveals how science can indeed save the day.