
The Brilliant Abyss
Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It
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Narrated by:
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Helen Scales
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By:
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Helen Scales
About this listen
A golden era of deep-sea discovery is underway as revolutionary studies rewrite the very notion of life on Earth and the rules of what is possible. In the process, the abyss is being revealed as perhaps the most amazing part of our planet, its topography even more varied and extreme than its landmass counterpart.
Teeming with unsuspected life, an extraordinary, interconnected ecosystem deep below the waves has a huge effect on our daily lives, influencing climate and weather systems, with the potential for much more—good or bad, depending on how it is exploited. Currently, the fantastic creatures that live in the deep—many of them incandescent in a world without light—and its formations capture and trap vast quantities of carbon that would otherwise poison our atmosphere, and novel bacteria as yet undiscovered hold the promise of potent new medicines. Yet the deep also holds huge mineral riches lusted after by nations and corporations; mining them could ultimately devastate the planet, compounded by the deepening impacts of ubiquitous pollutants and rampant overfishing.
Eloquently and passionately, the author of Spirals in Time and Eye of the Shoal brings to life the majesty and mystery of an alien realm that nonetheless sustains us, while urgently making clear the price we could pay if it is further disrupted.
©2021 Helen Scales (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about The Brilliant Abyss
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Betty O
- 01-29-24
Written by the author and you can hear her love for this so well, you love it too. Aside from the pure magic that is the ocean.
I love how wondrous it all sounds and how easy it was to digest the science.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-30-24
Excellent
Very informative on a lesser known but fascinating topic. Can hear the authors passion in the reading!
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- Ryan Young
- 05-16-24
Skip the last third
The first two thirds or so are a brilliant tour of deep sea life. Scales is a vivid writer with a deep command of her subject. Her enthusiasm is contagious. This is good science writing.
The last third or so is skippable sanctimony and political activism, based mostly on hypotheticals rather than science. Scales has a gift for explaing the *is* of ocean life, but she seems to prefer focusing on the *ought*, or at least her highly ideological version of it.
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- Austin F.
- 11-18-22
Amazing facts about the deep
Climate agenda hokum aside, 95% of this book was amazing facts about the deep ocean.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Michael R. Lyner
- 12-30-21
Illuminating the dark and mostly unknown
This book certainly brought to light for me so many unknown aspects, direct and indirect, of the deep seas.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Susan Myrick
- 03-20-25
Fascinating Book
I learned so much while listening. my son got tired of hearing me tell him facts.
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- Matthew Glikman
- 08-04-22
Interesting information
I found the information fascinating and enjoyed the author's/narrator's passion for the subject. Some of the stuff seemed a little personal at times, but overall, I enjoyed the audio.
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