Supernavigators

In his new release, Supernavigators, Barrie asks a tough question: How do animal and humans find their way around?

To answer this, Barrie looks at different animal species such as butterflies, bees, fish, birds, ants, and beetles, and discusses in detail the complex ways each approach navigational challenges. Be it long-range migration, or a red ant's attack on a black ant hole a few yards away, observation and memory appear to be just as important in the animal world as it is to humans.

The structure for Supernavigators is set up in non-map vs map-based navigation and Barrie addresses how humans changing relationship with the world due to rapid technological advancements is affecting our innate navigational skills. He states that "machine vision" is still in its infancy, and while GPS is a convenient tool, it still cannot compete with a human's mental map and visual memory that has evolved over thousands over years.

As a parent of a "Navigator," I was not sure what to expect with this text, it is definitely a bit dry in places and not a book that I would encourage many families to use for real-aloud time, but there is very interesting information that can be highlighted and used in lessons for a variety of subjects and themes.

A most noteworthy addition I would like to point out is that Barrie uses his conclusion to touch on the issue of the herbicide glyphosate and how it weakens navigational abilities in animals and wipes out entire populations of our most essential pollinators. Habitat loss and climate change are the current biggest threats to animals (and humans) and we have a responsibility to do what is right by them since we have created these problems. By taking the time to learn more about these animals and see how connected we all are to each other, we make the task of protecting our planet and all which thrives here an essential and immediate priority.

An interesting book exploring the subject of animal navigation. Although the author is not a scientist himself, he has a great knack for explaining the work of the scientists clearly and without jargon. While much has been learned about this fascinating subject, much still needs to be discovered.