Cynthia Barnett is an environmental journalist whose latest book, The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans, is a natural and cultural history of seashells and the animals that build them. She is also the author of Mirage, Blue Revolution, and Rain: A Natural and Cultural History, longlisted for the National Book Award. Her stories appear in National Geographic, The Atlantic, and many others. She teaches environmental journalism at the University of Florida.