The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms

by Amy Stewart, Heather Henderson (Narrated by)

Overview

They destroy plant diseases. They break down toxins. They plough the earth. They transform forests. They’ve survived two mass extinctions, including the one that wiped out the dinosaur. Not bad for a creature that’s deaf, blind, and spineless. Who knew that earthworms were one of our planet’s most important caretakers? Or that Charles Darwin devoted his last years to studying their remarkable achievements? Inspired by Darwin, Amy Stewart takes us on a subterranean adventure. Witty, offbeat, charming, and ever curious, she unearths the complex web of life beneath our feet and investigates the role earthworms play in cutting-edge science—from toxic cleanups to the study of regeneration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611748680
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	04/17/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged; 6.5 hours
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

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Read an Excerpt

8 Bizarre Facts About Earthworms

The earthworm may be small, spineless, and blind, but its impact on the ecosystem is profound. Now, thanks to Amy Stewart, author of THE EARTH MOVED, earthworms of the world can stand a little taller.

• Worms' ancestors date back over 250 million years. They survived two mass extinctions, including the one that killed the dinosaurs.
• There are over 4,500 species of earth worms and many more species have not yet been identified and cataloged.
• Worms are hermaphrodites. To mate, they line up head to tail and can stay that way for several hours.
• If you cut a worm in half, you will not get two worms; however, the end that contains the head will usually grow a new tail.
• Charles Darwin played the piano for worms, to see how they react to different notes. He breathed on them with various scents on his breath to see how they would react to different smells.
• A giant earthworm in the Pacific Northwest measures two or three feet long and secretes a mucus that smells just like lilies.
• An ordinary nightcrawler lives about five years. Giant Australian worms live over twenty years.
• Earthworms have been used as bioindicators to identify soil pollutants. They have also been fed pollutant-degrading bacteria, which they carry far below ground in pollution clean-up projects.

  Who knew?

Editorial Reviews

Stewart’s fascination with her subject is infectious, her writing as simple and sleek as the earthworm itself.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle

Using Darwin’s research as a starting point, [Stewart] delves into their incredible abilities and offers useful tips for the green thumbs in her audience.”
—Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

"You know a book is good when you actually welcome one of those howling days of wind and sleet that makes going out next to impossible”
—The New York Times

From the Publisher

"You know a book is good when you actually welcome one of those howling days of wind and sleet that makes going out next to impossible”
—The New York Times

The New York Times