The Last of Its Kind - Gísli Pálsson | Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize Conversations

最后的同类 - Gísli Pálsson | 英国皇家学会特里维迪科学图书奖对话

New Scientist Podcasts

科学

2024-10-05

18 分钟
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The great auk was a flightless bird which was last spotted in Iceland in 1844. It is the subject of the book The Last of Its Kind: The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction. Written by Gísli Pálsson, an Icelandic anthropologist and academic, the book offers vital insights into the extinction of the species through accounts from the Icelanders who hunted them.  Pálsson is on the shortlist for the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize. In the lead up to the winner’s announcement, New Scientist books editor Alison Flood meets all six of the shortlisted authors. In this conversation, Pálsson recounts how British ornithologists John Wolley and Alfred Newton travelled to Iceland in search of great auk specimens, only to find the birds had already vanished. He also explores the origins of the term "extinction" and shares his personal motivations for telling the story of the great auk. The winner of the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize will be announced on the 24th October. You can view all of the shortlisted entries here: https://royalsociety.org/medals-and-prizes/science-book-prize/  To read about subjects like this and much more, visit https://www.newscientist.com/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Hello, I'm Alison Flood, books editor for New Scientist.

  • This is a series of interviews with the authors shortlisted for this year's Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, which celebrates the best popular science writing from around the world.

  • We're talking to each of the six writers up for the prize.

  • I'm one of the judges for the award and I'm here today to speak to Gisli Paulsen about his book, the Last of Its Kind, which is subtitled the the Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction.

  • We judges said it tackles a huge topic, human induced extinction, from a surprising and intimate perspective, with the case of the great auk becoming a microcosm for what we know today as a tragically widespread plight.

  • It is, we said, well documented, well written and powerful, bringing together personal accounts and historical records.

  • And it reframes the topic of extinction in a moving and profoundly sad way by its focus on this one fascinating species.

  • Kisli, hi and welcome.

  • Hi.