Blue Machine

How the Ocean Shapes Our World

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Blue Machine

By: Helen Czerski

Narrated by: Helen Czerski

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

FINANCIAL TIMES 2023 HIGHLIGHT

All of the Earth's ocean, from the equator to the poles, is a single engine powered by sunlight - a blue machine.

In a book that will recalibrate our view of this defining feature of our planet, physicist Helen Czerski dives deep to illuminate the murky depths of the ocean engine, examining the messengers, passengers and voyagers that live in it, travel over it, and survive because of it. From the ancient Polynesians who navigated the Pacific by reading the waves to permanent residents of the deep such as the Greenland shark that can live for hundreds of years, she explains the vast currents, invisible ocean walls and underwater waterfalls that all have their place in the ocean's complex, interlinked system.

Timely, elegant and passionately argued, The Blue Machine is one of the biggest stories ever told. The understanding it offers is crucial to our future. Drawing on years of experience at the forefront of marine science, Helen Czerski captures the magnitude and subtlety of this complex force, showing us the thrilling extent to which we are at the mercy of this great engine.

Biological Sciences

Biology

Earth Sciences

Ecosystems & Habitats

Nature & Ecology

Outdoors & Nature

Science

Polar Region

Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

In this captivating and urgently-needed book, Czerski weaves a wonderful, watery spell, entwining spectacular science with poetic awe as she expertly guides readers through the workings of a vast, unfamiliar world. Moving and thrilling, The Blue Machine tells us about the seas but also makes us care: an epic love story that captures the ocean's beating heart. (Jo Marchant, author of Cure and The Human Cosmos)

I love Helen Czerski's writing, and this is her richest work yet - as clear as springwater, yet as filled with fascinating things as the ocean itself. (Sarah Bakewell, author of How to Live and Humanly Possible)

JUNE BOOK OF THE MONTH: 'Physicist Helen Czerski offers a very different perspective on the ocean in her revelatory book... Published ahead of World Ocean Day on 8th June, it unlocks a treasure chest of enthralling stories; from the navigators of ancient Polynesia, and the marvels of plankton, to John Steinbeck's Cannery Row and the copious tears cried by turtles. (Caroline Sanderson)

Most relevant

I listen to a lot of science audiobooks and this really stands out. All sorts of interesting information I have never come across and would really like to know more.
Thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, thanks very much and more please.