Biography: science, technology and medicine Books

Book SynopsisL. Ron Hubbard exposed the brutal truth of a psychiatric chemical onslaught, the likes of which this world has never seen. This, then, is the story of 21st century cultural wastage. Also detailed is Mr. Hubbard s clear and understandable solution to all chemical toxins, with the Purification Program and the worldwide network of Narconon rehabilitation centers. Narconon is the by far most successful drug rehabilitation program, with the maximum percentage of those who never revert to drugs again. This volume covers L. Ron Hubbard's development and discoveries, as well as a history of its organizations, that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives by getting them off of drugs permanently.

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Book SynopsisIn this very special story of transcendent revelations and global repercussions, track the full course of L. Ron Hubbard's scientific horticultural discoveries. Explore his research, articles and personal notes-never before published, and yet which had everything to do with his greater breakthroughs and insights into life itself.

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Book SynopsisNobel laureate Tu Youyou won the 2015 prize for Medicine/Physiology for the discovery of artemisinin, a drug therapy for malaria that has saved millions across the globe.This book traces the path of discovery beginning with Chairman Mao's 1964 instruction to Chinese researchers to find a cure for malaria, a disease that plagued the military and civilians alike in endemic regions. It chronicles the years of painstaking research to find effective anti-malarial drugs, and how an entry in a collection of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions gave Tu Youyou the clue which led her to successfully extract artemisinin from the plant, Artemisia annua.Gathering together information from a variety of sources including first-hand accounts, this book describes the contributions of the many organisations, scientists, doctors and countless others who played a part in the process of discovery and clinical testing. It also provides insights into the challenges of carrying out such an extensive research project with limited resources during the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution. An inspirational read for young scientists.Includes the translation of Professor Tu Youyou's 2015 Nobel Lecture.

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Book SynopsisThe story of Galileo's daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, as told through her letters to her father. A companion to the bestselling Galileo's Daughter, the letters are edited and introduced by Dava Sobel.Trade Review‘Sobel is a stunning talent that continues to sparkle and interest us all as much as the subjects she writes about.’ Guardian

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Book SynopsisIn 1991, Doug Tompkins abandoned his comfortable life in San Francisco and flew 6,500 miles south to a shack in Patagonia. Instead of the Golden Gate Bridge, Tompkins stared out the window at Volcano Michinmahuida, blanketed in snow and prowled by mountain lions. Shielded by waterfalls and wilderness, the founder of such groundbreaking companies as Esprit and The North Face suddenly regretted the corporate capitalism from which he had profited from years. As a CEO he had caused much pollution and, “made things nobody needed.” Now, he declared, it was time to reverse the damage to the planet, and maybe even himself. In A Wild Idea, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Jonathan Franklin tells the incredible true story of Douglas Tompkins, who became one of the primary founders of our modern conservation and land protection movement. Piloting his small plane, Tompkins explored the uninhabited lands of Patagonia and gaped at the singular beauty: active volcanoes, forests never logged, rivers never dammed—all so undisturbed, so exquisitely designed. Could he protect this wild beauty? For the ensuing quarter century, that dream— that obsession—became his life. Only in death did it become his legacy.

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Book SynopsisAn acclaimed business historian provides a fascinating glimpse into the minds, lives, and strategies of seven extraordinary CEOs, including George Eastman, Thomas Watson, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie, who successfully mastered cutting-edge technology and created lasting corporate empires. ReprintTrade ReviewOne of the top ten business books of 2001 -- Business Week "From Richard Tedlow's insightful group portrait of seven American entrepreneurs...a rough formula for titanhood can be deduced." -- Atlantic Monthly

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Book SynopsisJacquard''s Web is the story of some of the most ingenious inventors the world has ever known, a fascinating account of how a hand-loom invented in Napoleonic France led to the development of the modern information age. James Essinger, a master story-teller, shows through a series of remarkable and meticulously researched historical connections (spanning two centuries and never investigated before) that the Jacquard loom kick-started a process of scientific evolution which would lead directly to the development of the modern computer. The invention of Jacquard''s loom in 1804 enabled the master silk-weavers of Lyons to weave fabrics 25 times faster than had previously been possible. The device used punched cards, which stored instructions for weaving whatever pattern or design was required; it proved an outstanding success. These cards can very reasonably be described as the world''s first computer programmes. In this engaging and delightful book, James Essinger reveals a plethora of eTrade ReviewJacquard's web is a special book that explains more than the connections between loom and computer: it presents a fascinating history of talented and creative people developing and inventing the tools of progress. * Chris Arney, Mathematical Reviews *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; 1. The engraving that wasn't ; 2. A better mouse-trap ; 3. The son of a master weaver ; 4. The emperor's new clothes ; 5. From weaving to computing ; 6. The difference engine ; 7. The analytical engine ; 8. A question of faith and funding ; 9. The lady who loved the Jacquard loom ; 10. A crisis with the American census ; 11. The first Jacquard looms that wove information ; 12. The birth of IBM ; 13. The Thomas Watson phenomenon ; 14. Howard Aiken dreams of a computer ; 15. IBM and the Harvard Mark 1 ; 16. Weaving at the speed of light ; 17. The future ; Index

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Trade ReviewA colorful and lively account of this history-making scientific adventure. * Kirkus Reviews *Handsomely illustrated with sketches and paintings made by Darwin and others associated with the Beagle, this is an excellent introduction to the events that led 20 years later to On the Origin of the Species. * Publishers Weekly *A comprehensive and detailed account of Charles Darwin's five- year global voyage of discovery.... Greatly enhanced by helpful maps, recent photographs, relevant illustrations, and arresting color plates. * Library Journal *There is a real need for an account like this that brings together all aspects of the Beagle voyage in chronological order, and which adds (as this does) information from the archival records that is interesting and relevant, while still letting Darwin's pleasant character and his animated appreciation of what he was seeing emerge. Scrupulously balanced, accurate, and informative, this book reads wonderfully well. * Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place *Altogether, Keynes has succeeded in providing a rich and even sumptuous perspective on one of the great scientific adventures shaping the modern age. This is a story to which everyone can relate * a story that portrays an amiable and industrious young man who increasingly surprises himself (and us all) by his remarkable ability to ask the right questions, and ultimately to relate the disparate facts of a humble observer to a grand and revolutionary vision of the evolution of life on earth. Keynes's fascinating account of Darwin's Wanderjahre, and the momentous consequences of this youthful adventure for the history of science, is a real winner.Frank J. Sulloway, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives *An absolutely splendid read that is at once engaging and informative, filled with the minutiae of science history not found anywhere else, as well as the biggest ideas in all of science. Evolutionary theory is one of the half dozen most important ideas in the history of western thought, and Keynes brings to light the fermentation of Darwin's vision of that dangerous idea during his five-year voyage. * Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and the author of The Borderlands of Science and In Darwin's Shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russel Wallace *

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Book SynopsisImagine you are fluent in a magical language of prophecy, a language so powerful it can accurately describe things you cannot see or even imagine. Einstein''s Heroes takes you on a journey of discovery about just such a miraculous language--the language of mathematics--one of humanity''s most amazing accomplishments. Blending science, history, and biography, this remarkable book reveals the mysteries of mathematics, focusing on the life and work of three of Albert Einstein''s heroes: Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and especially James Clerk Maxwell, whose work directly inspired the theory of relativity. Robyn Arianrhod bridges the gap between science and literature, portraying mathematics as a language and arguing that a physical theory is a work of imagination involving the elegant and clever use of this language. The heart of the book illuminates how Maxwell, using the language of mathematics in a new and radical way, resolved the seemingly insoluble controversy between Faraday''s idTrade ReviewOpen-minded students will come away from reading Einstein's Heroes with a newfound appreciation of the role of scientific inquiry and insight in the larger human enterprise-and hopefully, will acquire a hankering to 'take to the field' themselves. * The Mathematical Association of America *Arianrhod's achievement is to so masterfully combine history, biography, and mathematics as to absorb and enlighten even the mathematically maladroit. * Booklist *Arianrhod is an infectiously enthusiastic writer, keen for her audience both to admire Einstein's heroes and to understand their contributions to fundamental mathematical physics. * Nature Physics *An intriguing blend of science, history, and biography.... Arianrhod's well-written, fascinating discussion of intertwined topics not usually presented in one book aimed at general readers is highly recommended. * Library Journal (starred review) *Offers readers an engaging intellectual exercise combining physics, language, mathematics, and biography. * Science News *A thrilling story.... Arianrhod is an easy author to like, and not simply for the clarity of her narrative. She brings out the human side of the scientists. She also is a student of imaginative prose: Her explication of a novel by the Australian David Malouf helps introduce ideas about mathematics, and she quotes the poet William Blake to crystallize a thought about Maxwell.... Scientists' quest for knowledge is exhilarating to Arianrhod, and she conveys that to the reader. * bloombergnews.com *On one level, Robyn Arianrhod's Einstein's Heroes is about the crowning achievement of classical physics * James Clerk Maxwell's understanding of electricity, magnetism, and light. But on another level, Arianrhod adeptly examines a much deeper idea: why is mathematics the language of nature and how do physicists tap the hidden power of numbers to understand the physical world? Einstein's Heroes does an admirable job of explaining the strange allure that mathematics holds over the scientists who so dramatically altered the way we look at the universe.Charles Seife, New York University, author of Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea *With exceptional skill, Arianrhod makes her subject clearly understood through metaphor, example, and story. She has given us a treasure - a combination of history, biography, and essay that clearly shows how and why the language of mathematics is essential to imagination in modern physics. Her unique book deserves high praise and should be read by anyone who enjoys science writing at its best. * Science and Spirit *

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Book SynopsisWilliam Osler was born in a parsonage in backwoods Canada on July 12, 1849. In a life lasting seventy years, he practiced, taught, and wrote about medicine at Canada''s McGill University, America''s Johns Hopkins University, and finally as Regius Professor at Oxford. At the time of his death in England in 1919, many considered him to be the greatest doctor in the world. Osler, who was a brilliant, innovative teacher and a scholar of the natural history of disease, revolutionised the art of practicing medicine at the bedside of his patients. He was idolised by two generations of medical students and practitioners for whom he came to personify the ideal doctor. But much more than a physician, Osler was a supremely intelligent humanist. In both his writings and his personal life, and through the prism of the tragedy of the Great War, he embodied the art of living. It was perhaps his legendary compassion that elevated his healing talents to an art form and attracted to his private practiceTrade Review"A dutiful social historian, Bliss inquires into Osler's sensitivity to issues of ethnicity, class, and gender." -- Ronald L. Numbers, Science"Most readers will welcome a biography that is both more manageable in scope and more up to date in its assessment not merely of Osler but also of the bustling and creative medical world of the 19th and early 20th centuries in which he practiced. For a generation of readers whose shared values are so different from Osler's, William Osler: A Life in Medicine is certain to generate a new appreciation of the man and his remarkably diverse achievements."--Gary B. Ferngren, PhD, New England Journal of Medicine"Bliss gives a well-paced and intellectually fascinating account of Osler's life. He pins down the significant moments in a spectacularly diverse career as a physician and teacher of medicine who did original research on, among other subjects, the components of blood, and wrote in 1892 The Principles and Practice of Medicine, perhaps the most widely read and admired medical textbook of its time."--The New York Review"This beautifully written detailed account however will no doubt become the classic... True, but this excellent and very readable biography does credit to a great and caring physician and I think Sir William would have been proud of it."--Emery Review"A well-told, enjoyable, enlightening--and much needed-- biography of a giant of medical practice and education...A first-rate biography of a towering medical figure." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Medical historian Bliss has written the authoritative modern biography of the 19-century Canadian physician William Osler...This volume replaces Harvey Cushing's two volume tribute, The Life of William Osler (1956) as the definitive text in the field. Highly recommended...essential."--Library Journal (starred review)"Thoroughly documented, this is a biography that is pleasurable to read and deserving of a place in virtually every public, college, and medical library."--Booklist"Eminently readable.... This is the sort of writing that has the air of coming easily off the pen, in spite its scholarly documentation and the enormous wealth of research and erudition hidden between its lines.... A fascinating story about a fascinating man."--Sherwin B. Nuland, The New Republic"Bliss adroitly captures the turn-of-the-century emergence of modern medicine, which Osler gracefully dominated."--Science News"An excellent, readable biography written by a true scholar of medical history who knows his man and his material intimately."--Journal of the American Medical Association"Medical historian Michael Bliss' William Osler is a big, sturdy, readable account of Osler's life and the medical advances that were made in his lifetime, a period the author calls 'the age of bacteriology'"--Washington Times"Bliss succeeds where Cushing [Osler's first biographer, The Life of Sir William Osler 1925] failed: he engages the reader from the first page. By the last page the reader understands why Osler has generated a century-old awe and affection that shows no signs of dimming. Meticulously researched and crisply written; an excellent book that will educate a variety of audiences."--Choice"In his handsome new biography Michael Bliss portrays Osler as the living embodiment of the ideal 19th century physician. Bliss's book is more accessible for the modern general reader, compared to Cushing's earlier two-volume biography. Bliss deliberately subjects Osler's personal life and attitudes to more searching scrutiny. To his own surprise, he finds no blot or stain on his subject's character." -- Steve Sturdy"... this biography is a monumental accomplishment. Osler openly avowed a duty to 'knit together the generations of physicians by honoring the great men of the past in acts of 'filial piety'(p. 249). Bliss has made an outstanding and eminently readable contribution to this endeavor, as well as to the scholarly study of the history of medicine."--American Historical Review"It will be an undoubted classic for many years...Bliss's book splendidly champions Osler's compassionate approach to medicine and will surely remain the classical account of one of the most important physicians of the past 100 years."--The Royal Society Notes and RecordsMay 2002"...this biographu is a monumental accomplishment."--American Historical ReviewTable of ContentsPreface: On Doing an Osler Autopsy ; 1. English Gentlemen with American Energy ; 2. Learning to See: Student Years ; 3. The Baby Professor ; 4. The Best Men: Philadelphia ; 5. Starting at Johns Hopkins ; 6. We All Worship Him ; 7. The Great American Doctor ; 8. Leaving America ; 9. A Delightful Life and Place ; 10. Sir William ; 11. All the Youth and Glory of the Country ; 12. Never Use a Crutch ; 13. Osler's Afterlife

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Book SynopsisDorothy Wrinch, a complicated and ultimately tragic figure, is remembered today for her much publicized feud with Linus Pauling over the shape of proteins, known as the cyclol controversy. Pauling emerged victorious and is now seen as one of the 20th century''s greatest scientists. History has proven less kind to Wrinch. Although some of Wrinch''s theories did not pass the test of time, her contributions to the fields of Darwinism, probability and statistics, quantum mechanics, x-ray diffraction, and computer science were anything but inconsequential. Wrinch''s story is also the story of the science of crystals and the ever-changing notion of symmetry fundamental to that science.Drawing on her own personal relationship with Wrinch as well as the papers archived at Smith College and elsewhere, Marjorie Senechal explores the life of this brilliant and controversial figure in I Died for Beauty. This biography provides a coherent biographical narration, a detailed account of the cyclol controversy, and a personal memoir of the author''s relationship with Wrinch. Senechal presents a sympathetic portrait of the life and science of a luminous but tragically flawed character.Trade ReviewIt is tremendous that Senechal has excavated this story. She offers a gripping portrait of an era and of a scientist whose complications acquire a tragic glamour. It is a cautionary tale for which we must supply the moral ourselves. * Philip Ball, Nature *Table of Contentsnot yet available

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Book SynopsisArchie Carr, one of the greatest biologists of the twentieth century, played a leading part in finding a new and critical role for natural history and systematics in a post-1950s world dominated by the glamorous science of molecular biology. With the rise of molecular biology came a growing popular awareness of species extinction. Carr championed endangered sea turtles, and his work reflects major shifts in the study of ecology and evolution. A gifted nature writer, his books on the natural history of sea turtles and their habitats in Florida, the Caribbean, and Africa entertained and educated a wide audience. Carr''s conservation ethic grew from his field work as well as his friendships with the fishermen who supplied him with many of the stories he retold so engagingly. With Archie Carr as the focus, The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles explores the evolution of the naturalist tradition, biology, and conservation during the twentieth century.Trade Review"Davis is successful in capturing what Archie Carr meant to people like me and I think anyone else similarly touched by Carr will enjoy this book. There are messages in his life for everyone interested in biology or conservation." -- The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 83 "In this book, you will come to know, as I did during the exciting years when I was his student and friend, a unique and inspiring scientist. Frederick Davis has beautifully captured the intertwined personal, public, and scientific lives of the extraordinary person who -- if anyone deserves the title -- really was the man who saved sea turtles." --David Ehrenfeld, Professor of Biology at Rutgers University and founding editor of Conservation Biology "Archie Carr aficionados will be perpetually grateful that their hero left such a rich heritage of both published writings and fifty years of correspondence with many of the leading naturalists of the 20th century. His fans will now be equally grateful to Fritz Davis for distilling this monumental wealth of data and anecdote, much of it little known, into what will surely be recognized as the definitive biography of the man."--Peter C. H. Pritchard, Director, Chelonian Research Institute "Archie Carr was a pioneering conservation biologist, an inspiring educator, a gifted nature writer, and a passionate advocate for endangered wildlife. No one has done more to unravel the mysteries of sea turtles or more to rescue these beleaguered creatures from the brink of extinction. This deeply researched biography brings to life the enduring legacies of an important but now largely forgotten figure who not only made fundamental scientific discoveries but also conveyed a sense of nature's wonder to a broader public."--Mark V. Barrow, Jr., Associate Professor of History, Virginia Tech "Faculty and advanced students in both herpetology and conservation biology will greatly appreciate this book's thoroughness."CHOICE "Davis gives us a picture of what it meant to be a naturalist in the twentieth century, and he ties Carr to the long tradition of naturalists going back to Linnaeus. But he does a lot more. He ties natural history to ecology, environmental science, and conservation biology. Carr is a perfect subject for doing this, and the book gives a wonderful picture of how closely these subjects are interrelated."-- Paul Farber, Professor of History of Science, Oregon State UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction ; Parallel Paths in Nature ; Dear Dr. Barbour ; Exploring Tropical Ecology in Honduras ; Study and Conservation of Sea Turtles ; The Ecology and Migrations of Sea Turtles ; In Africa on Ulendo ; "And for the turtles!" International Conservation Efforts ; Further Results of Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Biology ; Home to Florida ; Conclusion

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling, award-winning author of 1491 and 1493—an incisive portrait of the two little-known twentieth-century scientists, Norman Borlaug and William Vogt, whose diametrically opposed views shaped our ideas about the environment, laying the groundwork for how people in the twenty-first century will choose to live in tomorrow's world. In forty years, Earth's population will reach ten billion. Can our world support that? What kind of world will it be? Those answering these questions generally fall into two deeply divided groups--Wizards and Prophets, as Charles Mann calls them in this balanced, authoritative, nonpolemical new book. The Prophets, he explains, follow William Vogt, a founding environmentalist who believed that in using more than our planet has to give, our prosperity will lead us to ruin. Cut back! was his mantra. Otherwise everyone will lose! The Wizards are the heirs of Norman Borlaug, whose research, in effect,

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThe amazing story of one of the greatest math problems of all time and the reclusive genius who solved itIn the tradition of Fermat’s Enigma and Prime Obsession, George Szpiro brings to life the giants of mathematics who struggled to prove a theorem for a century and the mysterious man from St. Petersburg, Grigory Perelman, who fi nally accomplished the impossible. In 1904 Henri Poincaré developed the Poincaré Conjecture, an attempt to understand higher-dimensional space and possibly the shape of the universe. The problem was he couldn’t prove it. A century later it was named a Millennium Prize problem, one of the seven hardest problems we can imagine. Now this holy grail of mathematics has been found.Accessibly interweaving history and math, Szpiro captures the passion, frustration, and excitement of the hunt, and provides a fascinating portrait of a contemporary noble-genius.

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Book SynopsisThe classic intellectual autobiography of a great theoretical physicist

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