About this item
Millennia ago, when we first began puzzling over the mysteries of the human body, one organ stood out as vital. The heart was warm, it was central, and it moved as it pumped blood. The ancient Egyptians treated it with reverence, mummifying it separately from the body so that the soul inside it could be weighed. Aristotle believed that it was the seat of consciousness. Over the centuries, science has dispelled the myths, but our fascination with the heart has endured. From the origins of circulation, still evident in some microorganisms today, to the enormous hearts of blue whales, we journey with Bill to beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their life-saving blood, and under the sea to learn about the world's most natural antifreeze, flowing through the veins of icefish.
About the Author
Bill Schutt (@BillSchuttBooks and billschutt.com) is a vertebrate zoologist, author and Emeritus Professor of Biology at Long Island University. Bill's new book, "Pump: A Natural History of the Heart" has already garnered great reviews from Publisher's Weekly (starred review) , The Wall Street Journal, Booklist, Library Journal and elsewhere. Readers can purchase Pump wherever books are sold.Schutt's last non-fiction book, "Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History" (Algonquin) examines the phenomenon of cannibalism in nature and among humans. With great reviews from The New York Times (Editor's Choice) , Boston Globe, Publisher's Weekly, Scientific American and The New Yorker, "Cannibalism" was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon and was a Choice Awards finalist. "Cannibalism" was illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne, renowned artist and Schutt's long-time friend and AMNH colleague. Schutt is currently finishing up his first solo novel and is also working on a new popular science book about teeth. Schutt's first book, "Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures" garnered rave reviews from the likes of E.O. Wilson and the New York Times. The Library Journal and Amazon.com both named Dark Banquet one of the "Best books of 2008". Additionally, Barnes and Noble selected "Dark Banquet" for its 2008 "Discover Great New Writers" program.Bill's first novel, "Hell's Gate", (w/ J.R. Finch) was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in 2016. "Hell's Gate" is the first in a historical-science thriller trilogy featuring R.J. MacCready, the Indiana Jones of zoology. "Hell's Gate" received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews and counts James Cameron, Alice Cooper, Clive Cussler, and James Rollins as fans.Book two in the R.J. MacCready Trilogy "The Himalayan Codex" hit bookshelves in June 2017 with a starred review in Publisher's Weekly, and the "The Darwin Strain" was published in 2019. Bill Schutt was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island. After graduating from Lindenhurst High School, he attended Southampton College before graduating from C.W. Post with a BA in Biology. Schutt then attended SUNY Geneseo where he earned a Master's Degree in Biology. Schutt enrolled at Cornell University under the mentorship of John W. Hermanson where he began studying various aspects of anatomy, evolution, and behavior in bats. Initially, Schutt investigated the passive digital lock, a ratchet-like mechanism that allows some bats to hang for extended periods of time without muscle fatigue. Gradually, Bill became more involved in the study of vampire bats - their anatomy, evolution, behavior, and especially, their ability to move efficiently on the ground. Schutt maintained a colony of vampire bats at Cornell for three year