Friedrich Merz becomes Germany’s new chancellor and Mark Carney in the White House

Tim Birkhead's "The Great Orc" tells the story of the great auk, a flightless bird driven to extinction by human actions. The book details the auk's abundance in the past, its decline due to hunting for meat and feathers, and the final demise of the species in Iceland. It explores the role of early ornithologists in collecting specimens, inadvertently contributing to the bird's extinction. Furthermore, the book examines the enduring fascination with great auk relics, such as eggs and feathers, which command high prices among collectors. Ultimately, the book serves as a cautionary tale about human impact on the natural world and the importance of conservation.