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- The forbidden garden : the botanists of besieged Leningrad and their impossible choice / by Parkin, Simon,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In the summer of 1941, German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad-now St. Petersburg-and began the longest blockade in recorded history, one that would ultimately claim the lives of nearly three-quarters of a million people. At the center of the besieged city stood a converted palace that housed the world's largest collection of seeds-more than 250,000 samples hand-collected over two decades from all over the globe by world-famous explorer, geneticist, and dissident Nikolai Vavilov, who had recently been disappeared by the Soviet government. After attempts to evacuate the priceless collection failed and supplies dwindled amongst the three million starving citizens, the employes at the Plant Institute were left with a terrible choice. Should they save the collection? Or themselves? These were not just any seeds. The botanists believed they could be bred into heartier, disease-resistant, and more productive varieties suited for harsh climates, therefore changing the future of food production and preventing famines like those that had plagued their countrymen before. But protecting the seeds was no idle business. The scientists rescued potato samples under enemy fire, extinguished bombs landing on the seed bank's roof, and guarded the collection from scavengers, the bitter cold, and their own hunger. Then in the war's eleventh hour, Nazi plunderers presented a new threat to the collection ... Drawing from previously unseen sources, award-winning journalist Simon Parkin-who has "an inimitable capacity to find the human pulse in the underbelly of war" (The Spectator)-tells the incredible true story of the botanists who held their posts at the Plant Institute during the 872-day siege and the remarkable sacrifices they made in the name of science"--- Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Brücher, Heinz, 1915-1991.; Ivanov, N. R. (Nikolaĭ Rodionovich); Vavilov, N. I. (Nikolaĭ Ivanovich), 1887-1943.; Vsesoi͡uznyĭ institut rastenievodstva (Soviet Union); Botanical specimens; Botanists; World War, 1939-1945;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- Seeds on ice : Svalbard and the Global Seed Vault / by Fowler, Cary,author.; Tefre, Mari,photographer.; Richardson, Jim,1947 December 5-photographer.;
Includes bibliographical references.Closer to the North Pole than to the Arctic Circle, on an island in a remote Norwegian archipelago, lies a vast global seed bank buried within a frozen mountain. At the end of a 130-meter long tunnel chiseled out of solid stone is a room filled with humanity's precious treasure, the largest and most diverse seed collection ever assembled: more than a half billion seeds containing the world's most prized crops, a safeguard against catastrophic starvation. The Global Seed Vault, a visionary model of international collaboration, is the brainchild of Cary Fowler, renowned scientist, conservationist, and biodiversity advocate. In SEEDS ON ICE, Fowler tells for the first time the comprehensive inside story of how the "doomsday seed vault" came to be, while the breathtaking photographs offer a stunning guided tour not only of the private vault, but of the windswept beauty and majesty of Svalbard and the enchanting community of people in Longyearbyen. With growing evidence that unchecked climate change will seriously undermine food production and threaten the diversity of crops around the world, SEEDS ON ICE offers a personal and passionate reminder that we shouldn't take our reliance on the world of plants for granted--and that, in a very real sense, the future of the human race rides on this frozen and indispensable biodiversity.- Subjects: Svalbard Global Seed Vault.; Biodiversity; Climatic changes; Germplasm resources conservation.; Germplasm resources; Germplasm resources, Plant.; Seed supply.; Seeds;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Results 11 to 12 of 12 | « previous