Vero Beach, FL – Dr. Edith Widder’s childhood dream of becoming a marine biologist was almost derailed in college when complications from a surgery gone wrong caused temporary blindness. A new reality of shifting shadows drew her fascination to the power of light.
Now an internationally renowned deep-sea explorer with a resume that includes filming the giant squid in its natural habitat for the first time ever, an Explorers Club Citation of Merit and a MacArthur Fellowship, Widder will release her memoir Below the Edge of Darkness July 27.
Widder, founder of Treasure Coast-based ORCA, the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, uses her book to reflect on her journey exploring light and life in the deep sea.
Her writing unites her passion in oceanic bioluminescence, a little-explored scientific field within Earth’s last great frontier: the deep ocean. Below the Edge of Darkness takes readers deep into our planet’s oceans as Widder pursues her questions about one of the most important and widely used forms of communication in nature. In the process, she reveals hidden worlds and a dazzling menagerie of behaviors and animals, from microbes to leviathans, many never before seen or, like the legendary giant squid, never before filmed in their deep-sea lairs.
Widder’s bioluminescence expertise has been integral in understanding the health of the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem. One of the first to sound the alarm on the deterioration of the estuary, Widder’s concern for the lagoon, which serves as the nursery for many open ocean dwellers, has led her to become a leading advocate and thought leader for applying scientific methods to furthering marine conservation.
With accolades from legendary explorers such as James Cameron, Widder’s Below the Edge of Darkness shows readers how pushing boundaries expands worlds, allowing discovery and wonder to follow.