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Book SynopsisMillion Dollar Maths is an invaluable guide to the straightforward and outlandish mathematical strategies that can make you rich. ____________How can you turn $1000 into $1 million? What is the best way to beat the lottery odds? When is the best time to take out a loan?How did one group of gamblers bet on hole-in-ones to win £500,000? How can maths help you set up a successful tech start-up? What about proving the Goldbach Conjecture for $1 million?Learn the techniques for growing your everyday finances, as well as the common mistakes to avoid. Discover the skills, both fair and foul, that offer an additional edge when investing and gambling. And discover why we often misunderstand probability and statistics - with troubling financial costs. From making the most of special offers to utilising the power of exponential growth in your investments; from the art of card counting, to inventing the next Google, Million Dollar Maths is the quintessential primer to the myriad ways maths and finance intersect.Trade ReviewGreat fun. A clear, original and highly readable account of the curious relationship between mathematics and money. * Professor Ian Stewart – author of Significant Figures *A lively crash course in the mathematics of gambling, investing, and managing. Hugh Barker makes deep ideas fun and profitable. * William Poundstone – author of How to Predict the Unpredictable *Table of Contents1: The Power of Exponential Growth 2: Beating the Casino 3: Gambling Systems and Strategies 4: The Successful Investor 5: Hacking, Cracking and Gaming the System 6: Designing the Next Google 7: Use Maths to Improve Your Performance 8: Proving the Impossible

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Book SynopsisArtificial intelligence has long been a mainstay of science fiction and increasingly it feels as if AI is entering our everyday lives, with technology like Apple's Siri now prominent, and self-driving cars almost upon us.But what do we actually mean when we talk about 'AI'? Are the sentient machines of 2001 or The Matrix a real possibility or will real-world artificial intelligence look and feel very different? What has it done for us so far? And what technologies could it yield in the future?AI expert Yorick Wilks takes a journey through the history of artificial intelligence up to the present day, examining its origins, controversies and achievements, as well as looking into just how it works. He also considers the future, assessing whether these technologies could menace our way of life, but also how we are all likely to benefit from AI applications in the years to come.Entertaining, enlightening, and keenly argued, this is the essential one-stop guide to the AI debate.

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Book SynopsisKeep your feet on the ground and experience the night sky to the fullest by exploring planets, satellites, and constellations with this all-inclusive reference guide to space. 100 Things to See in the Night Sky, Expanded Edition is full of information on the many amazing things you can see with a telescope, or just your naked eye! From shooting stars to constellations and planets to satellites, this book gives you a clear picture of what you can see on any given night. Learn about the celestial bodies that have captured people’s imaginations for centuries, with specific facts alongside traditional myths and beautifully illustrated photographs and star charts that will help you know where to look for the best view. With this illuminating guide, you’ll enjoy hours of stargazing, whether you’re travelling, camping, sitting in your back garden, or simply flipping through the beautiful images in this book. Trade Review“Mesmerizing.” —Sierra“[Regas’s] book points to an unexpected source of entertainment, and even solace, in the skies above … As the world roils, the stars spin on.” —The Washington Post “The photographs are fabulous, and the charts are informative.” —Books for Young Readers“A handy field guide for the best stargazing experience.” —Book of the Day“A perfect companion book for any child who enjoys marveling at the stars.” —Cincinnati Family Magazine“The ultimate stargazing book … this beautifully illustrated guide details everything you need to know.” —RV Life

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Book Synopsis'Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?' remains the most curious and most enduring of all metaphysical mysteries. Moving away from the narrower paths of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking, the celebrated essayist Jim Holt now enters this fascinating debate with his broad, lively and deeply informed narrative that traces all our efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. With sly humour and a highly original personal approach Holt takes on the role of cosmological detective. Suggesting that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God and the Big Bang, he tracks down, among others, an eccentric Oxford philosopher, a Nobel Laureate physicist, a French Buddhist monk, and John Updike just before he died, to pursue this cosmic puzzle from every angle. As he pieces together a solution - while offering useful insights into time, consciousness, and eternity - he sheds fascinating new light on the meaning of existence. A New York Times bestseller on first publication, this new paperback edition provides a much-needed new take on history's greatest conundrum, in the vein of previous bestsellers like Michael Brooks' 13 Things that Don't Make Sense.Trade ReviewWhy Does The Word Exist? is more fun than a book this serious has any right to be. Holt has written a metaphysical page-turner and a triumph of intellectual liveliness. -- Rebecca Goldstein, author of 36 Arguments for the Existence of GodThere is no more entertaining, sure-footed, and witty guide to the big questions that we must all ponder than Jim Holt. Join him * Daily Beast *Praise for Stop Me If You've Heard This: 'Sweet, witty and intelligent ... I only wish that, unlike a good joke, it was longer. -- William Leith * Guardian *If Jim Holt's deft and consuming "Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story" has anything to tell us, it's that such a comment is less about literary riffing than deep philosophy. * LA Times *Holt brings both complexity and clarity to his subject ... it does what real science writing should: It helps us feel the fullness of the problem. * Vulture *There is no more entertaining, sure-footed, and witty guide to the big questions that we must all ponder than Jim Holt. Join him. * The Daily Beast *It's philosophy of a high level, pursued in an unusual and personal manner, and it's a pleasure to follow along with the author as he tells a fascinating and thought-provoking story. -- Peter Woit, Department of Mathamatics, ColumbiaHumorous yet deeply profound * New Scientist *There's no denying the pleasures to be had from tagging along as Holt soars away into the heavens of our cosmic enigmas ... a wonderful book * Daily Express *An elegant and witty writer...I can imagine few more enjoyable ways of thinking than to read this book -- Sarah Bakewell, author of How to LiveWhat is special about Why Does the World Exist? is that Holt and the experts he talks to apply humour, good sense and a dose of incredulity and wonder to the problem * Independent *An eclectic mix of theology, cutting-edge science (of the cosmological and particle-physics variety) and extremely abstract philosophising, rendered (mostly) accessible by Mr Holt's facility with analogies and clear, witty language * Economist *

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Book SynopsisYou are surrounded by stickiness. With every step you take, air molecules cling to you and slow you down; the effect is harder to ignore in water. When you hit the road, whether powered by pedal or engine, you rely on grip to keep you safe. The Post-it note and glue in your desk drawer. The non-stick pan on your stove. The fingerprints linked to your identity. The rumbling of the Earth deep beneath your feet, and the ice that transforms waterways each winter. All of these things are controlled by tiny forces that operate on and between surfaces, with friction playing the leading role. In Sticky, Laurie Winkless explores how friction shapes both the manufactured and natural worlds, and describes how our understanding of surface science has given us an ability to manipulate stickiness, down to the level of a single atom. But this apparent success doesn't tell the whole story. Each time humanity has pushed the boundaries of science and engineering, we've discovered that friction still hTrade ReviewI am in awe of Laurie Winkless: of her ability to take something as seemingly plain as a tire, as overlooked as the dimples on a golf ball, and produce from it a surprising, fascinating narrative, one that effortlessly reveals the astonishing science of the world around us. * Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Fuzz *An absolutely wild ride ... bright and interesting. [Sticky] is a book for the 2020s ... truly great popular science for anyone who wants to know more about how we interact with our world -- young or old, beginner or experienced scientist. * Nature *Through a wide range of topics, including some that are likely to be less well known, Sticky offers readers an insider’s guide to the secret science of surfaces. * Science *A beautifully-written, utterly fascinating book that had me glued throughout. Like the very best science writing, Sticky helps you see the world from a different perspective. I couldn't recommend it more. * Angela Saini, science journalist and author *If you’ve ever wondered why some glues work better than others, or been puzzled why there are so many different types of car tire, or been amazed at the ease in which a gecko can run up the wall, then this wonderful book is for you. * Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters *The excellence of [Sticky] shines through. Stickiness may not be something that we often think of as a science issue, but Winkless both shows how interesting it can be, and also how much there is still to learn in this topic that affects all our everyday lives. * Brian Clegg, PopScienceBooks *An enthusiastic exploration of how surfaces interact. * Nature *Table of ContentsHello 1 To Stick or Not to Stick 2 A Gecko’s Grip 3 Gone Swimming 4 Flying High 5 Hit the Road 6 These Shaky Isles 7 Break the Ice 8 The Human Touch 9 Close Contact Further Reading Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisOur fates lie in our genes and not in the stars, said James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA. But Watson could not have predicted the scale of the industry now dedicated to this new frontier. Since the launch of the multibillion-dollar Human Genome Project, the biosciences have promised miraculous cures and radical new ways of understanding who we are. But where is the new world we were promised? Now updated with a new afterword, Genes, Cells and Brains asks why the promised cornucopia of health benefits has failed to emerge and reveals the questionable enterprise that has grown out of bioethics. The authors, feminist sociologist Hilary Rose and neuroscientist Steven Rose, examine the establishment of biobanks, the rivalries between public and private gene sequencers, and the rise of stem cell research. The human body is becoming a commodity, and the unfulfilled promises of the science behind this revolution suggest profound failings in genomics itself.Trade ReviewFascinating, lucid and angry. -- Steven Poole * Guardian *On my must-read list! Genes, Cells, Brains ... the rundown on the hype. -- Margaret AtwoodWhatever else we may need for the public understanding of science, we certainly do need the facts contained in this book. The Roses show how rapidly the ideal of disinterested scientific research has been evaporating since Mammon has been welcomed into the laboratory. Immense and still increasing profits have been made by people who have repeatedly promised various holy grails-discoveries expected to arise from genetic and cerebral research-but comparatively little of real use has emerged from that quarter. In particular, Genes, Cells and Brains shows how the recent expansion of the neurosciences, which was widely hailed as the dawn of a new psychiatry, has actually had little effect. Plainly this research has done little to check the steadily continuing increase in mental illness. Altogether, this is a rather blood-curdling but fascinating book and a much-needed alarm call! -- Mary Midgley, author of Animals and Why They MatterGenes, Cells and Brains is an angry book. It is also an important one ... contains wonderful descriptions of the science behind the new biology. -- W. F. Bynum * Times Literary Supplement *While I generally turn down requests for an endorsement of a book, I must make an exception for the superb analysis of a very important topic by Hilary Rose and Steve Rose. Genes, Cells and Brains refutes with authority the extravagant claims that everything that ails us will be cured by modern molecular and cellular biology. They show that despite the self-serving hype produced by both academic and entrepreneurial science, we still do not understand how the brain works nor can we avoid the thousand shocks that flesh is heir to. -- Richard Lewontin, author of The Triple HelixA scathing account of the failure of recent projects in biology to provide significant new knowledge ... the Roses provide thought-provoking and interesting contrasts to the secular, neoliberal view that predominates at present. * Nature *Rose and Rose provide incisive analyses of the successes of the new biology at improving corporate profits while failing to do much to improve human health. This is a valuable therapy for all of us suffering from the inflated promises and huge costs of the new biology, and a splendid resource for reinvigorating the Radical Science Movement in today's global political economy. -- Sandra Harding, UCLA Professor and author of The Science Question in FeminismGenes, Cells and Brains offers a complex, compelling picture of the social and political challenges emerging around biotechnological investment, promise and hype. -- Maureen McNeil, Professor and Associate Director, Cesagen: ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of GenomicsI have just started Genes, Cells and Brains and I can hardly put it down. What clarity and insights, what history and up to the minute perceptiveness. And what brilliant and unpretentious writing. I think this is an important book. -- Sian Ede, Director of the Gulbenkian FoundationWhat brilliant and energetic warriors Hilary Rose and Steven Rose have been! Reading this book is to visit the innumerable battlefields on which they have fought over half a century. The battle cries have now softened into gentler irony, but the pace of the writing is superb. Anybody who wants an incisive and radical perspective on the excessive claims made for human genome project, sociobiology, neurosciences, or human discrimination against other humans, should read this book. -- Patrick Bateson, author (with Peter Gluckman) of Plasticity, Robustness, Development and Evolution[The Roses] unwind the myriad assumptions about technology as the engine of improvement in our lives and offer a powerful argument against the sociopolitical machinery behind these dream disciplines. -- Michael Thomsen * The Daily Beast *[Hilary Rose and Stephen Rose] unwind the myriad assumptions about technology as the engine of improvement in our lives and offers a powerful argument against the sociopolitical machinery behind these dream disciplines. -- Michael Tomsen * The Daily Beast *The authors (professors emeriti of sociology and neuroscience at, respectively, Bradford U. and the Open U., England) place contemporary developments in the biotechnosciences of genomics, regenerative medicine, and the neurosciences (the 'genes, cells, and brains' of their title) within the context of the global neoliberal economy and culture of the 21st century. * Book News *[Genes, Cells and Brains is] a detailed and acerbic history of 20th-century genetics: its uneasy dance in and out of the arms of eugenics, its stumbles on the envisioned road to decoding and commodifying human nature, and its upstaging-after the Human Genome Project disappointed hopes for disease cures-by neuroscience, which, in turn, has fallen short of its promises to find and fix the psyche in the brain. * The Scientist *

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Extinction is a natural process. In geological time there have been several periods of mass extinction. One of these periods is unfolding right now but all the evidence suggests that current extinction rates are between a hundred and a thousand times greater than the background rate. To put this in to context, a quarter of all known mammalian species is at risk. The current extinction crisis is unique, because it is caused by the impact of one species, humans, on all others. This acceleration of species loss, and the much more widespread reductions in the populations of many species, is not merely a tragedy in aesthetics, it is also a threat to the quality of human life, indeed to the entire human enterprise. Biodiversity, the diversity of life, is not only fascinating and beautiful, it is the engine of all the world''s natural cycles, and the source of many of the resources on which humanity depends. Concern about biodiversity conservation is, therefore, not merely the preoccupation of a few enthusiastic naturalists - it is the lifeline business of everybody. In this Very Short Introduction, David Macdonald introduces the concept of biodiversity and the basic biological processes that it involves - evolutionary, ecological, and behavioral. He considers the various threats to biodiversity, their impacts, and some of the solutions to the problems; concluding by considering the future of biodiversity conservation.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1: What is biodiversity, and why does it matter? 2: What's the problem? 3: What is the purpose of biodiversity conservation? 4: Invasive species 5: Wildlife trade 6: Zoonotic disease 7: Human wildlife conflict and coexistence 8: Climate change 9: Who pays, and how? 10: Restoring the balance - what next?

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Book SynopsisAn offbeat guided tour of the Universe, focusing on weird and wonderful facts.Astrophysicist Dr Jillian Scudder knows more than most of us what a surreal place the Universe can be. In this light-hearted book she delves into some of the more arcane facts that her work has revealed, and tells us how we have actually managed to discover these amazing truths.Did you know: the galaxy is flatter than a credit card; supermassive black holes can sing a super-low B flat; it rains iron on a brown dwarf, and diamonds on Neptune; you could grow turnips on Mars if its soil weren't full of rocket fuel; the Universe is beige, on average; Jupiter's magnetic field will short-circuit your spacecraft - and, of course, the Milky Way smells of rum and raspberries.Trade Review[An] entertaining romp ... Armchair astronomers will come away with a renewed sense of wonder at the strangeness of the universe. * Publishers Weekly *Aiming to intrigue general readerships about astrophysics, The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries is full of the energy and excitement of discovery. * Foreword Reviews *

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Book SynopsisA Guardian Science Book of the Year 2022 ‘When science hits the headlines, Fiona Fox ... is at the heart of the action’ Financial Times ‘This is how to talk about science’ Justin Webb Do you remember the ‘Climategate’ email leak? Or the ‘Frankenfood’-style headlines about the perils of GM foods? What about the time the government sacked its own science advisor for challenging drug laws? Beyond the Hype takes us behind the scenes of some of the most contentious stories in science over the past two decades. From animal research and genetically modified foods to hybrid embryos and a global pandemic, it demonstrates the vital importance of scientists talking to the media – and warns of the damage to public understanding when scientists are silenced on the defining issues of our times PRAISE FOR BEYOND THE HYPE ‘The way the media covers science stories and breakthroughs has never been more important or relevant . . . This book should be recommended reading’ Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of The Life Scientific ‘The pandemic has repeatedly shown the vital necessity for accurate reporting of science . . . Fox provides some riveting stories about the ups and downs of this continuing struggle.’ David Spiegelhalter, author of The Art of Statistics ‘Engaging, illuminating, important’ Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism ‘A vivid account of how journalists and scientists interact’ David Willetts, former Minister for Universities and Science ‘A lively insider’s account’ Times Literary Supplement ‘A candid inside account . . . [Fox] reveals how frontline science can be just as messy, complex and feudal as any political drama.’ Anjana Ahuja, co-author of Spike: The Virus Versus the PeopleTrade Review‘A lively insider’s account’ Times Literary Supplement ‘When science hits the headlines, Fiona Fox ... is at the heart of the action’ Financial Times ‘This is how to talk about science’ Justin Webb ‘A candid inside account . . . [Fox] reveals how frontline science can be just as messy, complex and feudal as any political drama.’ Anjana Ahuja, co-author of Spike: The Virus Versus the People ‘The way the media covers science stories and breakthroughs has never been more important or relevant . . . This book should be recommended reading’ Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of The Life Scientific ‘The pandemic has repeatedly shown the vital necessity for accurate reporting of science . . . Fox provides some riveting stories about the ups and downs of this continuing struggle.’ David Spiegelhalter, author of The Art of Statistics ‘Engaging, illuminating, important’ Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism ‘A vivid account of how journalists and scientists interact’ David Willetts, former Minister for Universities and Science

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Book SynopsisAn immersive and fascinating journey into deep time, charting the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana througha billion years of Earth's history.Gondwana' is a mystery of geological history; a lost supercontinent and a place woven into the consciousness of all who inhabit its scattered fragments. Today, the people who live in Africa, South America, India, Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Arabia spend their lives walking around on what's left of Gondwana. But what was life like when it was whole?The Road to Gondwanatraces the steps science took to find Gondwana, and the evolutionary journey of Gondwana itself. Our tour guide on this journey is Glossopteris an extinct tree that dominated the supercontinent for 50 million years, before vanishing in the most devastating event ever to strike life on this planet, the Permian mass extinction.Thisis a story about deep time and the challenges that face those who venture there. It's about the importance of imagination in science, and the reasons that the journey towards understanding is sometimes more important than the destination.

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Book SynopsisThink of a number between one and ten.No, hang on, let's make this interesting. Between zero and infinity. Even if you stick to the whole numbers, there are a lot to choose from - an infinite number in fact. Throw in decimal fractions and infinity suddenly gets an awful lot bigger (is that even possible?) And then there are the negative numbers, the imaginary numbers, the irrational numbers like pi which never end. It literally never ends.The world of numbers is indeed strange and beautiful. Among its inhabitants are some really notable characters - pi, e, the "imaginary" number i and the famous golden ratio to name just a few. Prime numbers occupy a special status. Zero is very odd indeed: is it a number, or isn't it?How Numbers Work takes a tour of this mind-blowing but beautiful realm of numbers and the mathematical rules that connect them. Not only that, but take a crash course on the biggest unsolved problems that keep mathematicians up at night, find out about the strange and unexpected ways mathematics influences our everyday lives, and discover the incredible connection between numbers and reality itself.ABOUT THE SERIESNew Scientist Instant Expert books are definitive and accessible entry points to the most important subjects in science; subjects that challenge, attract debate, invite controversy and engage the most enquiring minds. Designed for curious readers who want to know how things work and why, the Instant Expert series explores the topics that really matter and their impact on individuals, society, and the planet, translating the scientific complexities around us into language that's open to everyone, and putting new ideas and discoveries into perspective and context.

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Book SynopsisTestosterone is neither the biological essence of manliness nor even the “male sex hormone.” It doesn’t predict competitiveness or aggressiveness, strength or sex drive. Rebecca Jordan-Young and Katrina Karkazis pry testosterone loose from more than a century of misconceptions that undermine science while making social fables seem scientific.Trade ReviewA beautifully written and important book. The authors present strong and persuasive arguments that demythologize and defetishize T as a molecule containing quasi-magical properties, or as exclusively related to masculinity and males. -- Linda Roland Danil * Los Angeles Review of Books *A critique of both popular and scientific understandings of the hormone, and how they have been used to explain, or even defend, inequalities of power. * The Observer *A deeply researched and thoughtful book that adds a fresh perspective to a growing body of work aiming to debunk myths about hormones. * Nature *In [the authors’] hands, testosterone provides fruitful ground for understanding what it means to be human, not as isolated physical bodies but as dynamic social beings. -- Erika Lorraine Milam * Science *Eye-opening…Readers interested in the messiness of the relationship between hormones and behavior, and willing to consider that science can be far from neutral and objective, will find high-density food for thought in [this] stimulating work. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Given the increasing attention to these issues, the book’s auspicious timing and deeply researched foundations are already having a huge effect on an important cultural conversation today. * TechCrunch *Jordan-Young and Karkazis tear through influential studies, ripping apart notions such as that high levels of testosterone help businessmen make the risky deals that win fortunes…Fascinating. -- Jessica Hamzelou * New Scientist *Karkazis and Jordan-Young seek to expose several false narratives about their subject…Testosterone is an extended exercise in myth busting. * Outside *Debunks common myths about the functions and foibles of testosterone. -- Mary Rosillo * Cooper Square Review *A refreshing counternarrative to the urban legends that have muddied the waters between fact and fiction…A powerful testament to the continued need for an interdisciplinary dialogue surrounding the study of sex hormones. -- Wendy Kline * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *A fascinating attempt to cast doubt on some of the more popular ideas about testosterone, but the book is really more about the messy complexity of science itself, and how science interacts with the wider culture and is shaped by it. -- Robert Stirrups * The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology *Tells not only a more accurate story about testosterone but also an infinitely more interesting one…An excellent book. -- Lisa Wade * Men and Masculinities *Offers an intricately researched and fresh illustration of testosterone’s narrative, one that has been long overdue for a makeover…Testosterone is insightful scholarship for critical researchers and an approachable read for enthusiasts. -- Anna Posbergh * Sociology of Sport Journal *It’s stimulating fun when the assumptions and interpretations of scientific findings must undergo major revision. It’s more than just fun when that revisionism concerns a subject rife with sociopolitical implications with a history of doing harm. Jordan-Young and Karkazis ably take on this task with respect to the perpetual misinterpretation of what testosterone has to do with behavior, a subject at the intersection of masculinity, gender, aggression, hierarchy, race, and class. This subtle, important book forces rethinking not just about one particular hormone, but about the way the scientific process is embedded in social context. -- Robert M. Sapolsky, author of BehaveWith Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography, we can add testosterone folklore to the mythology claiming that biology determines our character, behavior, and status. Jordan-Young and Karkazis brilliantly show how a wide range of popular beliefs and scientific research about testosterone support dangerous gender, race, and class stereotypes that blame biological differences for inequalities of power. They compel us to think more critically not only about T, but also, more broadly, about the fraught relationship between biology and social identity. -- Dorothy Roberts, author of Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-First CenturyA brilliant book. With a rare combination of meticulous scholarship and page-turner style, Jordan-Young and Karkazis unravel, dissect, and ultimately explode the traditional story of testosterone. This book provides a revelation on every page, and readers will finish with a far richer understanding of the complexities of both testosterone and science. -- Cordelia Fine, author of Testosterone Rex: Myths of Sex, Science, and SocietyTestosterone: An Unauthorized Biography shines an urgently needed light on our collective, troubling myth-making about a hormone blamed for everything from male aggression to unfair advantage in athletic competition. Through rigorous analysis and a transcendent examination of cultural narratives, it not only reexamines and challenges some of our core beliefs about T; it also traces the way bias about gender is foundational to the science used to uphold those narratives. Eye-opening, accessible, and intelligent, this book will change the way you think about masculinities, race and class, and maybe even your own body. -- Thomas Page McBee, author of Amateur: A Reckoning with Gender, Identity, and MasculinityTestosterone science does not mix well with biases, social preconceptions, and politics of all sorts. Jordan-Young and Karkazis provide a thoughtful overview of testosterone myths—their deep roots and grave consequences. -- John P. A. Ioannidis, Stanford UniversityEveryone knows that testosterone is what makes men men, and too much testosterone is what makes some men toxic—or is it? In this timely and urgent book, Jordan-Young and Karkazis take us on a roller-coaster ride through what we know, what we think we know, and what we need to know about that most quixotic of substances: testosterone. -- Sari van Anders, Queen’s University

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Book SynopsisWho is the ''Devil''? And what is he due? The Devil is anyone who disagrees with you. And what he is due is the right to speak his mind. He must have this for your own safety''s sake because his freedom is inextricably tied to your own. If he can be censored, why shouldn''t you be censored? If we put barriers up to silence ''unpleasant'' ideas, what''s to stop the silencing of any discussion? This book is a full-throated defense of free speech and open inquiry in politics, science, and culture by the New York Times bestselling author and skeptic Michael Shermer. The new collection of essays and articles takes the Devil by the horns by tackling five key themes: free thought and free speech, politics and society, scientific humanism, religion, and the ideas of controversial intellectuals. For our own sake, we must give the Devil his due.Trade Review'Michael Shermer is our most fearless explorer of alternative, crackpot, and dangerous ideas, and at the same time one of our most powerful voices for science, sanity, and humane values. In this engrossing collection, Shermer shows why these missions are consistent: it's the searchlight of reason that best exposes errors and evil.' Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress'This is a rather difficult book for me to blurb, given that an entire chapter is devoted to criticizing my claims about pragmatic truth vis-à-vis scientific truth. However, Dr. Michael Shermer is a very clear thinker, and the kind of skeptic that is always necessary to ensure that public thought, scientific and otherwise, maintains a certain clarity. He's a passionate advocate of free speech, for this and many other reasons - to the point of entitling his new book Giving the Devil His Due, which is devoted to many worthwhile topics, but to free speech above all. Despite our disagreements, this is a necessary book for our times. Read it. And thank God and the powers that be that you have the right to do so.' Jordan B. Peterson, University of Toronto, and author of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos'Michael Shermer is a fearless defender of free speech, open inquiry, and freedom of thought and conscience, including - and especially - for those with whom he disagrees. Giving the Devil His Due is one of the strongest bulwarks against the tyranny of censorship that I have read.' Nadine Strossen, New York University, former President of the ACLU, and author of Hate: Why We Should Resist it with Free Speech, Not Censorship'… a detailed roadmap for thinking well and clearly about interesting and challenging ideas. This vivid, erudite, broad, and deep collection of essays is marvelously written - so much so that, as you finish one essay, you cannot resist starting the next. And the range - from ancient civilizations to the colonization of Mars, from free speech on campus to gun control in cities - is as astonishing as it is engaging.' Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, Ph.D, author of Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society'As always, Michael Shermer is hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and brilliant. The fascinating essays in this wide-ranging book will make you think - and then rethink.' Amy Chua, Yale University, and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations'Michael Shermer is the voice of reason, and this is a book of his best essays - the ones we most need to read to understand the madness of our time and to imagine a more reasonable future. The range of questions Shermer addresses and the breadth of his knowledge make this book a delight to read.' Jonathan Haidt, New York University, author of The Righteous Mind, and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind'Giving the Devil His Due is a treasure trove for lovers of the humanities and society at large as viewed through the perspective of scholarly minds, treatises, and essays. It's marvelously ripened and full of wonderful tales… ' Robert Hunziker, Counterpunch'A powerful case is made here for why free speech is the best way to drive out bad ideas and fake news.' The Times'A collection of skilful elucidations of academic ideas.' Christopher Silvester, The Critic'Each essay is well crafted to provoke thoughtful reflection and amply referenced for those who wish to dig deeper into each topic … However, for any reader new to scepticism, Giving the Devil his Due would be an auspicious place to start.' Don Carpenetti, Chemistry WorldTable of ContentsIntroduction. Who is the Devil and what is he due?; Part I. The Advocatus Diaboli: Reflections on Free Thought and Free Speech: 1. Giving the Devil his due: why freedom of inquiry and speech in science and politics is inviolable; 2. Banning evil: in the shadow of the Christchurch massacre, myths about evil and hate speech are misleading; 3. Free speech even if it hurts: defending Holocaust denier David Irving; 4. Free to inquire: the evolution-creationism controversy as a test case in equal time and free speech; 5. Ben Stein's blunder: why intelligent design advocates are not free speech martyrs; 6. What went wrong? Campus unrest, viewpoint diversity, and freedom of speech; Part II. Homo Religiosus: Reflections on God and Religion: 7. E pluribus unum for all faiths and for none; 8. Atheism and liberty: raising consciousness for religious skepticism through political freedom; 9. The curious case of Scientology: is it a religion or a cult?; 10. Does the Universe have a purpose?; 11. Why is there something rather than nothing?; Part III. Deferred Dreams: Reflections on Politics and Society: 12. Another dream deferred: how identity politics, intersectionality theory, and tribal divisiveness are inverting Martin Luther King, Jr's dream; 13. Healing the bonds of affection: the case for classical liberalism; 14. Governing mars: lessons for the red planet from experiments in governing the blue planet; 15. The Sandy Hook effect: what we can and cannot do about gun violence; 16. On guns and tyranny; 17. Debating guns: what conservatives and liberals really differ on about guns (and everything else); 18. Another fatal conceit: the lesson from evolutionary economics is bottom-up self-organization, not top-down government design; Part IV. Scientia Humanitatis: Reflections on Scientific Humanism: 19. Scientific naturalism: a manifesto for Enlightenment humanism; 20. Mr Hume: tear. Down. This. Wall.; 21. Kardashev's types and Sparks' law: how to build civilization 1.0; 22. How lives turn out: genes, environment, and luck – what we can and cannot control; Part V. Transcendent Thinkers: Reflections on Controversial Intellectuals: 23. Transcendent man: an elegaic essay to Paul Kurtz – a skeptic's skeptic; 24. The real hitch: did Christopher Hitchens really keep two sets of books about his beliefs?; 25. The skeptic's chaplain: Richard Dawkins as a fountainhead of skepticism; 26. Have archetype – will travel: the Jordan Peterson phenomenon; 27. Romancing the past: Graham Hancock and the quest for a lost civilization.

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Book SynopsisSince the early 1990s, advances in toxicology have allowed scientists to detect traces of adulterant substances in everyday products – even down to parts per billion concentrations. We can now detect the presence of harmful ingredients at levels so low that they actually cause no harm. Nonetheless, we get scared. We are now able to overreact to harmless, negligible sources of contamination and flock to ‘natural’, ‘organic’ and ‘chemical-free’ alternative products at elevated prices instead. This urge is driven in part by a set of interesting psychological quirks called the naturalness preference or biophilia. While exposure to many aspects of nature improves our physical and mental wellbeing, marketers are taking advantage of our naturalness preference by selling us ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ products with no functional advantage, sometimes to the detriment of the environment, and that have the unfortunate added effect of peddling a fear of conventional products that do not make such natural connotations. This fear of chemicals, exaggerated by marketers, has led some of us to seek nature in the form of expensive consumer product, which offer almost none of the benefits of spending time outdoors in real nature (which is free of charge). We thus chase nature in the wrong form. We feel guilt, anxiety and mental stress from being coaxed into paying a hefty premium price for "natural" products that are neither safer nor more effective than conventional ones, and forget to appreciate real nature in the process. This book explores the history of chemical fears and the recent events that amplified it. It describes how consumers, teachers, doctors, lawmakers and journalists can help make better connections with the public by telling stories that are more engaging about chemistry and materials science. Written in a sympathetic way, this book explains both sides of the argument for anyone with an interest in science.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Yearning for Nature; The Natural Delusion; The Naturalness Preference; Chemistry, Chemicals and Chemists; Bad Reputations; Chemophobia as a Weapon; Fighting Chemophobia; Earthrise

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2018 BRAGE PRIZE''[T]his lovely book. An enjoyable sweep through topics ranging from respiration to space exploration -solid science presented in an engagingly human way'' Andrew Crumey, author of The Great Chain of Unbeing''Perfect popular science . . . not just a well-written story about the elements, but a book about being human in the world today''Åsmund H. Eikenes, author of Splash: A History of Our BodiesWe all know that we depend on elements for survival - from oxygen in the air we breathe to carbon in the molecular structures of all living things. But we seldom appreciate how, say, phosphorus holds our DNA together or how potassium powers our optic nerves enabling us to see.Physicist and award-winning author Anja Røyne takes us on an astonishing journey through chemistry and physics, introducing the building blocks from which we humans - and everything else in the world - are madeTrade Review[T]his lovely book. An enjoyable sweep through topics ranging from respiration to space exploration -solid science presented in an engagingly human way. -- Andrew Crumey, author of The Great Chain of Unbeing

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Book SynopsisThe Mesozoic era ranged from 240 million to 65 million years ago. In British Mesozoic Fossils 365 species from this period are classified and illustrated with accurate line drawings. This new edition has been fully revised and updated, reflecting advances in our understanding of the fossil record over the past years.

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Book SynopsisPublished amid a firestorm of controversy in 1859, this is a book that changed the world. Reasoned and well-documented in its arguments, it offers coherent views of natural selection, adaptation, the struggle for existence, survival of the fittest, and other concepts that form the foundation of evolutionary theory.

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Book SynopsisInstant Engineering pulls together all the pivotal engineering theories and discoveries into one concise volume. Each page contains a discrete 'cheat sheet', which tells you the most important facts in bite-sized chunks, meaning you can become an expert in an instant. From Archimedes to Elon Musk, from screws and pulleys to the steam engine, and from the canal boat to the space rocket, every key figure, theory or term is expressed in succinct and lively text and graphics. Perfect for the knowledge hungry and time poor, this collection of graphic-led lessons makes engineering interesting and accessible. Everything you need to know – and more – is here. Table of ContentsAC vs DC • Air ships • Othmar Ammann • Andre Marie Ampere • Amps • Arch • Archimedes • Richard Arkwright • Baron William George Armstrong • Ove Arup • Charles Babbage • John Bardeen • Frank Barnwell • Sir Joseph Bazalgette • Beam • Alexander Graham Bell • Karl Benz • Tim Berners-Lee • Henry Bessemer • Bicycles • Bioengineering • Forrest Bird • Bridges • Sergei Brin • James Brindley • Walter Houser Brattain • Isambard Kingdom Brunel • Cameras • Canals • Cannon • Capacitor • Sadi Carnot • Sir John Charnley • Maxwell James Clerk • Clocks • Column • Computers • Control • Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton • Leonardo da Vinci • Gottlieb Daimler • Dams • Charles de Coulomb • Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti • Lee De Forest • Rudolf Diesel • Thomas Edison • Gustav Eiffel • Willem Einthoven • Elasticity • Electric light • Electricity supply • Electromagnetic waves • Energy • Michael Faraday • Farm equipment – tractor, thresher, etc • Roy Fedden • Enrico Fermi • Reginald Fessenden • John Ambrose Fleming • Henry Ford • Baronet Sir John Fowler • Robert Goddard • Wilson Greatbatch • Gunpowder, guns & revolvers • Sir William Halcrow • William Harris • Heavier than air aeroplanes • Heinrich Hertz • Stanley Hooker • John Hopps • Charles Hufnagel • Information Technology • Internal combustion engine • Jet engine • Jobs Steve • James Joule • Fazlur Kahn • Kilby Jack • John Logie Baird • Robert Maillart • Guglielmo Marconi • Mechanics • Christian Menn • Gordon Moore • Samuel Morse • Elon Musk • Thomas Newcomen • Robert Noyce • Georg Simon Ohm • Ohm's Law • Nicolaus Otto • Larry Page • Sir Charles Parsons • Plough • Sir Alfred Pugsley • Pulleys • Pumps • Railway • William Macquorn Rankine • Reinforced Concrete • Resistor • Osborne Reynolds • Risk • Roads • Robots • Rockets • John Roebling • Thomas Savery • Jorg Schlaich • Ships • William Bradford Shockley • Sir Alec Skempton • Skyscraper • Slab • John Smeaton • Social media • Soil mechanics and foundations • Sound recording • Steam engine • Steel • George Stephenson • Robert Stephenson • Surveying • Sustainability • Joe Sutter • Joseph Wilson Swan • Thomas Telford • Karl von Terzaghi • Nicola Tesla • Thermodynamics • Toilets • transistors • Richard Trevithick • Truss construction • Turbine • typesetting • Valve • Michel Virlogeux • Virtual work • Alessandro Volta • Volts • Wernher Von Braun • Vulnerability • Sir Barnes Wallis • War Machines (ancient) • Waste disposal • Water power • Water supply • James Watt • Weapons (modern) • Weaving & spinning • Sir Frank Whittle • Windmills • Work • Wilbur Wright • Orville Wright • Writing • Olegierd Zienkiewicz.

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Book SynopsisStress is not in your head, it''s in your heart - this is the key to peak performance that Dr Leah Lagos, an internationally known expert in biofeedback and sport and performance psychology, wants us to know. In this book, she shares with readers for the first time the same program that she uses with top athletes, CEOs, business leaders - anyone who wants and needs to perform at their best. What makes her scientifically proven ten-week programme unlike any other is that she recognises the link between heart rhythms and stress to create specific, clinically tested breathing techniques that allow you to control your body''s physical response to stress. She pairs this training with cognitive-behavioural exercises to offer a two-tiered protocol for strengthening health and performance, enabling readers to respond more flexibly to stressful situations, let go of negative thoughts and emotions, and ultimately be more focused and confident under pressure.********************** ''Dr. Leah Lagos is an extraordinary being. I''ve never known a greater empath . . . The vast majority have described the experience as some version of life changing, and I''ve been blown away by the immense performance benefits.'' Josh Waitzkin, author of The Art of Learning and the real-life inspiration behind the film Searching for Bobby Fischer''This is a step-by-step owners manual for the human body...Her holistic and data-driven protocols fit athletes and laymen equally well. Now get into your body and breathe.'' Scott Carney, New York Times best-selling author of What Doesn''t Kill Us''If you can control your emotions and attention, you can navigate whatever happens in life with your full range of abilities. It doesn''t take years of yoga and meditation. Dr Lagos teaches you how to tap a powerful tool anyone can use in daily life.'' Adam Robinson, New York Times best-selling author of Cracking the SAT

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Book SynopsisA cutting-edge science book in the style of Fermat's Last Theorem' and Chaos' from an exciting and accessible new voice in popular science writing.Bio-inspiration is a form of engineering but not in the conventional sense. Extending beyond our established and preconceived notions, scientists, architects and engineers are looking at imitating nature by manufacturing ''wet'' materials such as spider silk or the surface of the gecko''s foot.The amazing power of the gecko''s foot has long been known it can climb a vertical glass wall and even walk upside down on the ceiling but no ideas could be harnessed from it because its mechanism could not be seen with the power of optical microscopes. Recently however the secret was solved by a team of scientists in Oregon who established that the mechanism really is dry, and that it does not involve suction, capillary action or anything else the lay person might imagine. Each foot has half a million bristles and each bristle ramifies into hundredsTrade Review‘[Forbes has] An easy style and an innocence of jargon, and he treads softly on his scientists’ dreams. Forbes prefers the term “bio-inspiration” to “biomimetics”. The aim is not slavishly to imitate nature, but to learn from it to develop our own solutions to engineering problems. And he is surely right to pounce now, before inspiration turns to perspiration. He has succeeded splendidly.’ Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Independent ‘The book is a witty blend of anecdote and analysis.’ Rita Carter, Daily Mail ‘[Forbes] provides an illuminating discussion of the evolution of visual systems and the emergence of contemporary understandings of the nature of light.’ Dr Brendan Kelly, Sunday Business Post

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2022 Marsh Book of the Year AwardA long-awaited volume in the New Naturalist series examining the trees of Britain.Trees are immensely valuable. They give shape to our lives with wood, the material that makes our homes, our books, our belongings; they nourish us with the air we breathe and the fruits we eat; and they sustain us, with their shade and the comfort of their presence. They are also fascinating they are the biggest and oldest living organisms on the planet and are essential components of many of the landscapes of Britain. Trees have been vital in determining the ecology of our planet as well as the development of human cultures and communities, yet how much do we really understand about them?How do trees live? How do they fit into their environments? Why are they so important to ecosystems on earth, and to us? And what does the future hold for trees? Can they solve the problems of climate change by absorbing enough carbon dioxide, and would we run out of oxygeTrade Review‘Wow, what a book. Perfect or almost perfect.’ Mark Cocker ‘It was a pleasure to look through the pages and find a wide range of informative and legible photographs, diagrams and graphs, all of which scored highly in terms of conveying information and looking attractive … I recommend this book as a good read and a valuable addition to your bookshelves. It does just what New Naturalists should do and it is very clearly written.’ Mark Avery ‘It is so full of pertinent and useful information that it has taken days to get through its comprehensive, well-written and informative text. With so much emphasis now given to woods, forests and forestry, it is astonishing how little most ecologists and foresters actually know about trees as individuals – we are nearly all, I suspect, cheerfully ignorant of the biology of trees! With the publication of Peter Thomas’s excellent New Naturalist edition, however, there is no longer any excuse to remain unaware of these organisms and their complex life histories … Trees is very well illustrated, with both diagrams and photographs presented in an engaging and useful fashion … An excellent and comprehensive book, and highly recommended for all those professionally involved in trees, concerned about trees, or wishing simply to understand more about trees.’ Jonathan Spencer, British Wildlife magazine ‘Anyone with the slightest interest in trees should buy and read this book. But be warned; you will find it impossible to put down. In fact even if you think you have no interest in trees, read it anyway, and you may discover that you do.’ Ken Thompson, The Niche magazine ‘The New Naturalist Series has the stated aim “to interest the general reader in the wildlife of Britain by recapturing the inquiring spirit of the old naturalists”, and here they have produced a book of great beauty and tangible quality.’ The Linnean

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Book SynopsisA funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps' DAVE GOULSON, author of SILENT EARTHThere may be no insect with a worse reputation than the wasp, and none guarding so many undiscovered wonders.Where bees and ants have long been the darlings of the insect world, wasps are much older, cleverer and more diverse. They are the bee's evolutionary ancestors flying 100 million years earlier and today they are just as essential for the survival of our environment. A bee, ecologist Professor Seirian Sumner argues, is just a wasp that has forgotten how to hunt.For readers of Entangled Life, Other Minds and The Gospel of Eels, this is a book to upturn your expectations about one overlooked animal and the wider architecture of our natural world.With endless surprises, this book might teach you about the wasps that spend their entire lives sealed inside a fig, about stinging wasps, about parasitic wasps, about wasps that turn cockroaches into living zoTrade Review‘Sumner's tale is thrilling, warm and scholarly in equal measure, and brilliantly repairs the reputation of wasps – most beautiful and wonderful as they truly are’Adam Rutherford, author of How to Argue with a Racist ‘A book I never knew I needed that is an absolute delight to read … Finally, a cure for our irrational fear of this unfairly demonised insect … A book that draws us in to the strange beauty of what we so often run away from’Robin Ince ‘If you’ve ever wondered “why do wasps exist?” you must read this book. There is so much more to them than you ever imagined. A funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps’Dave Goulson, author of Silent Earth ‘I thought I knew about wasps – I was wrong … A tremendously good read that left me buzzing with excitement and reminded me why I became an entomologist’George McGavin ‘Sometimes the most perfect books are those that shine a light on surprising, neglected subjects. Endless Forms is just such a book. Summer writes lucidly and entertainingly about this most fascinating of creatures’Will Storr ‘You also shouldn’t miss Endless Forms … which explains why you shouldn’t, on any account, go squashing these remarkable creatures to a pulp … [A] marvellous, revelatory natural history’Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice ‘Contains splendidly vivid descriptions of modern techniques of entomological heredity and genomics, as well as insect-scale neuroscience … it would be a tetchy soul who did not begrudgingly admire them a bit more’Telegraph ‘Sumner’s vivid enthusiasm for wasps is contagious … with every animated description of the daily lives of a wasp family, my prejudices melt away’Guardian ‘Sumner is an exuberant guide to the world of wasps and may even persuade you not to whack the next one you find in your kitchen’Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisAt only nineteen years old Vitalik Buterinpublished a visionary paper outlining the ideas behindwhat would become Ethereum. He proposed to take whatBitcoin did for currency â to end the central control ofgovernments and corporations â and apply it to societyas a whole. Now, less than a decade later, Ethereumis the second-most-valuable cryptocurrency and hasopened the gates for the extraordinary new world ofNFT artworks, virtual real estate in the metaverse anddecentralised autonomous organisations. The essays in Proof of Stake reveal Buterin as a lively,creative thinker, relentlessly curious and adventurousin exploring the fascinating social, economic and politicalpossibilities of his invention, and will guide futuregenerations of Ethereumâs community of radicalsand builders.

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Book SynopsisThat we say we don’t want rude politicians, but we vote for them anyway? Or that rude language can sway a jury in a criminal case? Adam Grant author of Originals, Give and Take, Option B*This book was originally published under the title, I Can’t Believe You Just Said That.Trade ReviewA brilliant book -- Jon RonsonA very funny and wise book about the blatant rudeness that surrounds us. Danny Wallace on top form -- Matt HaigA meaty cry for human decency, wrapped in a deliciously hilarious hot dog bun. I plan to read it again and then force-feed it to my neighbour, my mother, and my college roommate. If you care about people and enjoy a good laugh, I politely encourage you to read this book. Immediately. -- Adam Grant, author of 'Originals'Hilarious * GQ *Danny Wallace, author, actor, and comedian, wrote the rudeness manifesto itself. * VICE.com *His [Danny Wallace’s] research on the psychology of rudeness can give us key insights as to what's going on right now and what we can do to become more empathetic * Psychology Today *A brilliant book -- Jon RonsonA very funny and wise book about the blatant rudeness that surrounds us. Danny Wallace on top form * Matt Haig *A meaty cry for human decency, wrapped in a deliciously hilarious hot dog bun. I plan to read it again and then force-feed it to my neighbour, my mother, and my college roommate. If you care about people and enjoy a good laugh, I politely encourage you to read this book. Immediately. -- Adam Grant, author of 'Originals'Hilarious * GQ *

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Book SynopsisSunday Times Science Book of the Year 2011.We are poised on the edge of discovery in particle physics (the study of the smallest objects we know of) and cosmology (the study of the largest), and when these breakthroughs come, they will revolutionise what we think we know about the universe, and the modern world.Lisa Randall guides us through the latest ideas, charting the thrilling progress we have made in understanding the universe from Galileo and Newton to Einstein and the Large Hadron Collider and the search for the Higgs boson. Yet it''s about more than just physics - Randall explains how we decide what questions to ask; how risk, beauty, creativity and truth play a role in scientific thinking; and how answering the big questions will ultimately tell us who we are and where we came from.Trade ReviewLisa Randall is hugely gifted... Full of passion and jaw-dropping facts... Fascinating -- Doug Johnstone * Independent on Sunday *An impressive study...essential reading for anyone interested in science -- Christopher Potter * Sunday Times *Dazzling ideas... Read this book today to understand the science of tomorrow -- Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor and author of How the Mind WorksScience has a battle for hearts and minds on its hands... How good it feels to have Lisa Randall's unusual blend of top flight science, clarity, and charm on our side -- Richard Dawkins, author of The God DelusionIn this fascinating book, Lisa Randall, professor of theoretical physics at Harvard, explains the experimental research at the LHC and the theories that try to anticipate what they will find -- Manjit Kumar * Independent *

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Book SynopsisAre you optimistic or pessimistic? Glass half-full or half-empty? Do you look on the bright side or turn towards the dark? These are easy questions for most of us to answer, because our personality types are hard-wired into our brains. As pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox has discovered, our outlook on life reflects our primal inclination to seek pleasure or avoid dangerinclinations that, in many people, are healthily balanced. But when our ''fear brain'' or ''pleasure brain'' is too strong, the results can be disastrous, as those of us suffering from debilitating shyness, addiction, depression, or anxiety know all too well.Luckily, anyone suffering from these afflictions has reason to hope. Stunning breakthroughs in neuroscience show that our brains are more malleable than we ever imagined. In Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, Fox describes a range of techniquesfrom traditional cognitive behavioural therapy to innovative cognitive bias retraining exerTrade ReviewEvery day I send my kids out the door to school with this admonition, ‘you can choose to be happy.’ More often than not, they roll their eyes, but in Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain Elaine Fox (no relation) offers a scientific argument for my contention. After much research, and in comprehensive, but comprehensible detail, Professor Fox provides a mental map to the sunny side of the street. For optimists and pessimists alike, this fascinating book is a must read. * Michael J. Fox *'Every experience you have, from the most trivial to the most significant, alters the brain. Elaine Fox offers scientifically based advice about how to make the most of this, how to be in charge of changing your brain for the better. * Joseph LeDoux, author of The Emotional Brain and Synaptic Self *Drawing on a host of studies in neurobiology and genetics, as well as evolutionary and behavioral psychology, Fox explores the struggle between the parts of the brain associated with fear and pessimism and those associated with pleasure and optimism…. Fox introduces readers to many new concepts from experimental psychology and recent research on neuroplasticity and neurogenesis…. [A] welcome, if intellectually demanding, introduction to a key area of brain research. * Publishers Weekly *A psychologist looks at the influence that outlook – a tendency toward optimism or pessimism – can play in shaping the events in our lives…. An insightful addition to the self-help bookshelf. * Kirkus Reviews *Fox constructs an elegant narrative from neuroimaging results, her clever psychology experiments, and the interaction of genetics and environment. -- Steven Poole * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSusan Greenfield is a leading neuroscientist based at the Laboratory of Pharmacology, Oxford. In 1994 she was the first woman to give the annual Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. She is the presenter for BBC2's Brain Story.

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Book SynopsisPaul Davies'' The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life? gets to the heart of what makes the universe tick - and what makes our place in it so special. It''s not too hot, it''s not too cold, and its forces act together in a way that''s just right: why does the universe seem so perfectly tailor-made for life to exist? Paul Davies, one of the world''s most acclaimed science writers, shows how everything from the humble carbon atom to the speed of light and the laws of physics themselves interact. He asks: is there a theory of everything within our grasp? If there was a big bang, what happened before it? Is there on universe or many? Could we exist within an endless time loop? ''This is popular science as home to the really big questions''  Independent Books of the Year ''Beautifully judged''  Guardian ''Britain''s most eminent cosmologist ... Davies is effortle

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Book SynopsisNathan Wolfe is the Lorry I. Lokey Visiting Professor in Human Biology at Stanford University and Director of Global Viral Forecasting, a pandemic early warning system which monitors the spillover of novel infectious agents from animals into humans. Wolfe has been published in or profiled by Nature, Science, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Economist, Forbes and many others. Wolfe was the recipient of a Fulbright fellowship in 1997 and was awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) International Research Scientist Development Award in 1999 and the prestigious NIH Director's Pioneer Award in 2005.Trade ReviewNathan Wolfe is saving the world from near-inevitable pandemic ... a kick-ass book -- Mary Roach, author of StiffAn excellent piece of scientific gothic, rich in descriptions of the threat we face from emerging viruses ... thought-provoking * Nature *Part autobiography, part warning ... enthralling * BBC Focus *Quietly terrifying ... It's hard not to feel a bit feverish at times while reading * Boston Globe *Wolfe has an important story to tell and as a virologist at the forefront of pandemic forecasting, he is the perfect person to tell it. He explains the science clearly and never stoops to sensationalism - the evidence of our increasing vulnerability to pandemics speaks for itself * Guardian *The world's most prominent virus hunter * New Yorker *The plague-ridden future imagined by this authoritative, measured, yet gripping book is extremely alarming * Sunday Times *A good place to start preparing for what might come * New Humanist *

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Book SynopsisA thrilling journey through the recent discoveries in astronomy that point to our cosmic significanceIn The Copernicus Complex, the renowned astrophysicist and author Caleb Scharf takes us on a cosmic adventure like no other, asserting that the age-old Copernican principle is in need of updating. When Copernicus proposed that the Earth was not the fixed point at the center of the known universe (and therefore we are not unique), he set in motion a colossal scientific juggernaut, forever changing our vision of nature. But the principle, Scharf argues, has never been entirely true-we do live at a particular time, in a particular location, under particular circumstances. By bringing together the latest discoveries in cutting-edge astronomy, Scharf shows how many aspects of our cosmic home are genuinely unique, and reveals what it means for our quest to determine whether we are alone in the universe.Trade ReviewMind-blowing stuff . . . An original and gripping look at the universe and our place in it . . . I am pleased to report that this book, which aims to show us our place in the grand scheme of things, will not make you lose your marbles. However it may, to use the parlance of a bygone era, blow your mind a bit. In one four-page period, my marginal notes went from "!" to "!!" to "!!!" . . . A mind-expanding book . . . You won't be quite the same after reading it -- Nicholas Lezard * Guardian *The Copernicus Complex delivers its argument with comparable clarity, insight and humour. There is much to enjoy along the way, including a compelling account of the extraordinary diversity of planetary systems we now know to exist * Telegraph *The Copernicus Complex addresses a perennial mystery: the cosmic significance (or perhaps the insignificance) of life on Earth. Caleb Scharf summarizes current debates on how life began and how pervasive it is, explaining how our perspective has been changed by the recent discovery that there are millions of Earth-like planets in the Milky Way. He sets his theme in a historical context, writing in an engaging and accessible style -- Sir Martin Rees, author of Just Six Numbers and From Here to InfinityA tantalising approach to the mysteries of the universe -- Peter Forbes * Independent *[A] witty, adroitly marshalled treatise on human significance -- Robin McKie * Observer *An intoxicating collection of questions answered with other questions, and startling discoveries that make creation even more mysterious . . . Books such as these remind us that we are lucky to be here at all, and even luckier to be here now * Guardian *How reasonable is it to think that we are alone in the vast expanses of space? And how significant is life on Earth on the Universal (or multiversal) scale? These are the questions that astrobiologist Caleb Scharf addresses intelligently and comprehensively in his beautifully written The Copernicus Complex * Nature *

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times and Financial Times Book of the YearWhat happens in our brains when we wake up, savour a meal or a glass of wine, walk the dog, stare at a screen, daydream or sleep? World-renowned neuroscientist Susan Greenfield draws on her own pioneering research to illuminate the mystery of consciousness, and how our brains make us who we are. ''Offers tantalising clues to the universe inside our heads'' Rob Kingston, Sunday Times, Science Books of the Year''One of the few brain researchers making a serious effort to investigate the rich continuum of conscious thoughts and feelings that underlie every moment of our waking lives'' Clive Cookson, Financial Times''An illuminating, engrossing journey'' Nature''Her writing is clear, sharp, devoid of difficult jargon and chatty. The brain''s complexity comes across vividly'' Anil Ananthaswamy, New ScientistTrade Review[Greenfield is] often described as the foremost female scientist in Britain, but is one of the best of any gender, anywhere, at getting complicated ideas across * Independent on Sunday *

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Book Synopsis''Brilliant. You won''t find a clearer, more engaging guide to what we know (or would like to know) about the universe and how it is put together'' Bill BrysonCelebrated physicist and global bestselling author Paul Davies tells the story of the universe in thirty cosmological conundrumsIn the constellation of Eridanus there lurks a cosmic mystery. It''s as if something has taken a huge bite out of the universe, leaving a super-void. What could be the culprit? A super massive black hole? Another, bigger universe? Or an expanding vacuum bubble, destined to envelop and annihilate everything in existence?Scientists now understand the history of our universe better than the history of our own planet, but they continue to uncover startling new riddles-the hole in the universe being just one. In this electrifying book, award-winning physicist Paul Davies walks us through the puzzles and paradoxes that have preoccupied cosmologists from ancient Greece to the present day. Laying bare the audacious research that has led us to mind-bending solutions, Davies reveals how we might begin to approach the greatest outstanding enigmas of all.Trade ReviewBrilliant. You won't find a clearer, more engaging guide to what we know (or would like to know) about the universe and how it is put together. -- Bill Bryson * author of The Body: A Guide for Occupants *Paul Davies gives us a thought-provoking, fascinating, and delightful journey through some of the big questions that have perplexed and tantalized scientists throughout history. These are the questions and paradoxes that have stumped and teased history's greatest minds. What happened before the beginning? What is the meaning of the universe? Are there other universes? -- Michio KakuPaul Davies brings his customary lucidity to a survey of some of the most fascinating and puzzling aspects of our universe, simultaneously educating us about its vertiginous wonders and giving us a real sense of science's questions as it confronts and explores them and wrestles with their mystery. It is an absorbing and stimulating read, one of the best of its kind. -- A.C. Grayling * author of The Frontiers of Knowledge *Compelling ... Davies excels in succinctly addressing the cosmological conundrums that haven't received as much attention as dark matter, dark energy, what triggered the big bang and the fate of the universe * Forbes *A whistle-stop tour of the biggest mysteries that cosmologists are investigating today ... a fun way of making sure you're all caught up on where cosmology is at today * Physics World *What's Eating the Universe? is a veritable feast for curious minds. Davies, a polymath and lyrical writer, masterfully tackles all the big questions ranging from why this Universe to the meaning of life and the significance of the present moment-a whirlwind journey through ideas that have shaped our understanding of the cosmos and its constituents. -- Priyamvada Natarajan * author of Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos *A great introduction for readers new to physics ...Lessons in cosmology and astrophysics abound in this enthusiastic primer * Publishers Weekly *Understanding theoretical physics is a daunting task, but What's Eating the Universe?is here to guide readers through the field. Each chapter is short-less than 10 pages-but jargon-free and full of information ... Regardless of the reader's prior physics knowledge, the book provides an accessible introduction to cosmology * Physics Today *What's Eating the Universe? is Paul Davies at his very best. He brings a lifetime of experience in explaining mysteries of space and time to offer thought-provoking essays on deep questions in bite-sized, easily digestible chunks. There is no better overview of the advances made by cosmologists in recent decades. -- John Gribbin * author of Six Impossible Things: The ‘Quanta of Solace’ and the Mysteries of the Subatomic World *A delightful account of the cutting edge of modern cosmology. He is truly exceptional at explaining all of this in his inimitable style--let's say 'astropoetry' -- Simon Mitton, University of CambridgeA whistle-stop tour of the major questions in contemporary cosmology -- Philip Ball, author of Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different

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Book SynopsisHow does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures'' brains? Is the human brain still evolving? In this fascinating book, Michael O''Shea provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research, and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind. Chapters tackle subjects such as brain processes, perception, memory, motor control and the causes of ''altered mental states''. A final section discusses possible future developments in neuroscience, touching on artificial intelligence, gene therapy, the importance of the Human Genome Project, drugs by design, and transplants. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade Review'O'Shea writes with real enthusiasm.' * The Guardian *Table of Contents1. Mind and brain: what's the problem? ; 2. Let's get physical ; 3. Sight, sound, and imagination ; 4. "Last week's potatoes!" ; 5. Perception to action ; 6. Altered states of mind ; 7. Where do we go from here?

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Book SynopsisHistories you can trust.The first part of the book tells the story of science in both East and West from antiquity to the Enlightenment: from the ancient Mediterranean world to ancient China; from the exchanges between Islamic and Christian scholars in the Middle Ages to the Chinese invention of gunpowder, paper, and the printing press; from the Scientific Revolution of sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe to the intellectual ferment of the eighteenth century.The chapters that follow focus on the increasingly specialized story of science since end of the eighteenth century, covering experimental science in the laboratory from Michael Faraday to CERN; the exploration of nature, from intrepid Victorian explorers to twentieth century primatologists; the mapping of the universe, from the discovery of Uranus to Big Bang theory; the impact of evolutionary ideas, from Lamarck, Darwin, and Wallace to DNA; and the story of theoretical physics, from James Clark Maxwell to Quantum Theory and beyond. A concluding chapter reflects on how scientists have communicated their work to a wider public, from the Great Exhibition of 1851 to the internet in the early twenty-first century.Trade ReviewA fabulous series of essays from more than a dozen science historians that show science interacting with and being influenced by culture and society. Morus and company succeed in showing science as a product of human culture, not a phenomenon apart from it. * Publishers Weekly *This book successfully shows for a general audience that science is culture and that "science"-singular-has never existed...chapeau for a beautiful andnuanced comprehensive history of science. * Floor Haalboom, Erasmus M C Rotterdam andUtrecht Univ, Isis Journal of the History of Science Society *This book is both conventional and not, sweeping yet focused, and really fun to read as both a reference source and as a piece of world history. * New Books in Science podcast *Table of Contents1: James Evans: Science in the Ancient Mediterranean World 2: Donald Harper: Science in Ancient China 3: Sonja Brentjes: Medieval Science in the West and Middle East 4: Dagmar Schaefer: Science in the Medieval East 5: John Henry: The Scientific Revolution 6: Jan Golinski: Enlightenment Science 7: Iwan Rhys Morus: Experimental Cultures 8: Amanda Rees: Exploring Nature 9: Robert Smith: Mapping the Universe 10: Peter Bowler: The Meaning of Life 11: Matthew Stanley: Theoretical Visions 12: Charlotte Sleigh: Communicating Nature

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Book SynopsisThe book explores the surprising connections between the study of the universe on the largest scales, and the physics of the infinitely small, and investigates the extraordinary potential of multi-messenger astronomy to provide answers to the key questions of fundamental physics and thus revolutionise our understanding of the universe.Trade ReviewThe author lets his enthusiasm for the subject and its research enterprises shine through, which is an excellent feature * Dave Pike, The Observatory *Particularly timely, and of great appeal to a wide readership from the professional scientist to the intelligent layperson * Professor Sir James Hough, University of Glasgow *A timely, engrossing, witty yet scholarly work, this book is essential reading for anybody interested in the cutting edge of cosmology. Prof. Bertone is an expert guide with the rare gift of presenting complex ideas in an accessible, original and compelling way. An armchair journey to the limits of the known universe and beyond! * Professor Roberto Trotta, Imperial College London and International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) *This is an excellent book that will convey to the lay public the excitement of recent discoveries that are bringing us novel and even revolutionary insights about the nature of the cosmos we inhabit * Professor Abhay Ashtekar, Director of the Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry at Pennsylvania State University *A clear and readable account of humanity's fascination with the cosmos, from ancient times to the Nobel prizewinning observation of gravitational waves. Explains the triumphs and crises of current theories of the origin and structure of the universe in simple, accessible terms. Enjoyable and informative * Professor Ian Stewart FRS, author of Calculating the Cosmos *An intriguing blend of cosmic mysteries and observational probes, with a delightfully accessible approach * Joseph Silk, Homewood Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University *A lively introduction to the newly emerging field of multi-messenger astronomy, outlining the certainties and possibilities as well as the intriguing open questions - a must-read for young minds who want to venture into this new and exciting journey of cosmic exploration * Priyamvada Natarajan, astrophysicist and author of Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos *With equal parts flair and sophistication, Bertone takes us on an incredible tour of our universe's greatest mysteries. The language is at times so evocative you might forget you're actually learning something! * Dan Hooper, Head of the Theoretical Astrophysics Group, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago *In this charming book, Gianfranco Bertone considers puts cutting-edge ideas -- black holes, dark energy, inflationary cosmology -- into their proper context as part of humanity's ongoing quest to understand the universe. Wonderfully written, Tale of Two Infinities manages to illuminate cosmic vistas while never losing sight of the human perspective * Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime *The detection of gravitational waves in 2015 was just the beginning. The insatiably curious seeking context and some sense of the promise of these new starry messengers should look no further. Gianfranco Bertone is a sure guide, and A Tale of Two Infinities is an engaging tour * Jim Baggott, author of Quantum Reality *The recent developments in Cosmology have shown that the infinitely big (the Universe) and the infinitely small (fundamental forces and particles, structure of spacetime at the microscopic, subatomic level) have never been so close to each other. Physicists studying both "infinities" ask the same questions and look for the same answers. The reader will feel comfortably cradled between these two infinities. The text manages to present the latest, on-going "revolution" brought about by the recent direct detection of gravitational waves in a simple way yet respecting and reflecting the deep meaning of it. Enjoy! * Licia Verde, ICREA professor, Instituto de Ciencias del Cosmos (ICC), University of Barcelona *Table of ContentsThe architecture of the cosmos 9 Spheres of heaven Dark foundations Cosmic inferno Stories of a certain Gravity Queen of the cosmos The order of heaven The most beautiful theory The new messengers Gravitational waves Einstein's last gift Ghost Particles Black Holes Phenomenology of the absurd Quantum effects Upcoming waves Dark Matter Halos, streams, and lenses New Physics New portals Dark Energy Possible explanations Quantum origins The future Quantum genesis In the beginning Inflation Primordial waves

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Book SynopsisMicroscopy is a dynamic area of science, incorporating both basic classroom microscopes and sophisticated research style instruments that can be driven by light, electrons, or X-rays. The rate of advance in the area over the last 50 years has led to a number of technological advances. In this Very Short Introduction Terence Allen, an established expert on microscope techniques, describes the scientific principles behind the main forms of microscopy, and the exciting new developments in the field. Focusing on the main underlying principles, and introducing the power of what is achievable today using microscopes, Allen demonstrates how microscopy impinges on almost every aspect of our daily lives; from medical diagnosis to quality control in manufacture. Beginning with a brief history of the early stages of microscopy development, Allen then concludes with a comprehensive account of the diverse spectrum of microscopy available today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThe author has succeeded, in his turn, in fulfilling the requirements and goals behind the idea of writing a very short introduction about microscopy. Every chapter in his book is stimulating to anyone curious about microscopy. I invite you to read Microscopy: A very short Introduction by Terence Allen. * Ahmed A. Al-Tabbakh, Contemporary Physics *Table of Contents1. Microscopy and the discovery of a new world ; 2. A spectrum of microscopies ; 3. Light microscopy- from Abbe to superresolution ; 4. Identifying what we see- from FISH to quantum dots ; 5. Electron microscopy-The dawn of atomic resolution ; 6. The Electron microscopy of surfaces- scanning electron microscopy ; 7. Microscopy and nanotechnology- magnification by other routes ; 8. The impact of microscopy ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisHumans are rather weak when compared with many other animals. We are not particular fast and have no natural weapons. Yet Homo sapiens currently number nearly 7.5 billion and are set to rise to nearly 10 billion by the middle of this century. We have influenced almost every part of the Earth system and as a consequence are changing the global environmental and evolutionary trajectory of the Earth. So how did we become the worlds apex predator and take over the planet? Fundamental to our success is our intelligence, not only individually but more importantly collectively. But why did evolution favour the brainy ape? Given the calorific cost of running our large brains, not to mention the difficulties posed for childbirth, this bizarre adaptation must have given our ancestors a considerable advantage. In this book Mark Maslin brings together the latest insights from hominin fossils and combines them with evidence of the changing landscape of the East African Rift Valley to show how all tTrade ReviewThis book offers far more than a palaeoanthropological cocktail with a twist ... In synthesising the most recent research in palaeoanthropology and giving the ecology of our ancestors a climatological twist, Maslin has produced a book that is fascinating, humbling and informative. * Adrian Barnett, New Scientist *Impressively in-depth and well-explained mix of encyclopaedic information... There is an amazing amount of information packed into this surprisingly slim book. * Chris Fitch, Geographical *Palaeoclimatologist Mark Maslin delves into deep time to trace humanity's rise to geological hegemony. Examining early hominin finds in East Africa, he spotlights three stages (bipedalism in Australophithecus, a jump in brain size in Homo erectus and Homo sapiens' arrival some 195,000 years ago) and the roles of climate change, celestial mechanics and plate tectonics in their emergence. Ultimately, he theorizes that 'climate pulses' in the Rift Valley, in which hyper-arid conditions alternated with the formation of vast lakes, helped to drive the evolution of the big hominin brain. * Nature *Anyone who reads The Cradle of Humanity will certainly be enlightened about this awe-inspiring journey. * Andrew Robinson, Current World Archaeology *Understanding the emergence of our species from the unique landscapes of East Africa is one of the great scientific challenges. Mark Maslin takes us on an exhilarating intellectual journey, encompassing geology, astronomy, climate science and evolutionary biology, to argue that the unique landscape and ever-changing climate of the East African Rift Valley were instrumental in catalysing the emergence of a civilisation on our planet. I'm left with a dizzying feeling of our good fortune to be here at all, and a powerful sense of our responsibility, as Maslin notes, to earn our species name: "Wise"." * Professor Brian Cox *As we confront rapid, major changes in the earth's climate today, it is imperative we understand how past climate change made us who we are. This fast-paced book vividly tells the story of how and why shifting environments have been driving human evolution ever since our earliest beginnings in Africa, and why those changes matter. * Daniel E Lieberman, Harvard University, author of Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease *An interesting and novel take on the subject ... a superb and highly recommended book that convincingly argues how the happenstance conditions in East Africa shaped us and our forebears. * Leon Vlieger, NHBS *A powerful, gripping account of how the dynamic earth shaped human evolution... With impressive ease, Maslin packs a tremendous amount of knowledge into a flowing narrative, making the point that special conditions for a number of species of tropical apes on the African continent eventually turned out to be luck... A tour de force through Earth's history and a timely reminder of just how lucky we are to be here at all. * Peter C. Kjærgaard, Director and Professor, Natural History Museum of Denmark *In this tale of mountains, monsoons, and meteorites, climate and ocean currents, Maslin masterfully puts human evolution into context, and shows how the earth and its environments have shaped us. * Professor Alice Roberts, anthropologist, author, and broadcaster *Table of Contents1: In the Beginning 2: Early Human Evolution 3: Tectonic and Climate 4: Cradle of Humanity 5: Global Climate Change 6: Celestial Mechanics 7: African Climate Pulses 8: The Social Brain 9: Future of Humanity 10: The story so far Further Reading

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Book SynopsisHumans are rather weak when compared with many other animals. We are not particularly fast and have no natural weapons. Yet Homo sapiens currently number nearly 7.5 billion and are set to rise to nearly 10 billion by the middle of this century. We have influenced almost every part of the Earth system and as a consequence are changing the global environmental and evolutionary trajectory of the Earth. So how did we become the worlds apex predator and take over the planet? Fundamental to our success is our intelligence, not only individually but more importantly collectively. But why did evolution favour the brainy ape? Given the calorific cost of running our large brains, not to mention the difficulties posed for childbirth, this bizarre adaptation must have given our ancestors a considerable advantage. In this book Mark Maslin brings together the latest insights from hominin fossils and combines them with evidence of the changing landscape of the East African Rift Valley to show how all these factors led to selection pressures that favoured our ultrasocial brains. Astronomy, geology, climate, and landscape all had a part to play in making East Africa the cradle of humanity and allowing us to dominate the planet.Trade ReviewThis book offers far more than a palaeoanthropological cocktail with a twist ... In synthesising the most recent research in palaeoanthropology and giving the ecology of our ancestors a climatological twist, Maslin has produced a book that is fascinating, humbling and informative. * Adrian Barnett, New Scientist *Impressively in-depth and well-explained mix of encyclopaedic information... There is an amazing amount of information packed into this surprisingly slim book. * Chris Fitch, Geographical *Palaeoclimatologist Mark Maslin delves into deep time to trace humanity's rise to geological hegemony. Examining early hominin finds in East Africa, he spotlights three stages (bipedalism in Australophithecus, a jump in brain size in Homo erectus and Homo sapiens' arrival some 195,000 years ago) and the roles of climate change, celestial mechanics and plate tectonics in their emergence. Ultimately, he theorizes that 'climate pulses' in the Rift Valley, in which hyper-arid conditions alternated with the formation of vast lakes, helped to drive the evolution of the big hominin brain. * Nature *Anyone who reads The Cradle of Humanity will certainly be enlightened about this awe-inspiring journey. * Andrew Robinson, Current World Archaeology *Understanding the emergence of our species from the unique landscapes of East Africa is one of the great scientific challenges. Mark Maslin takes us on an exhilarating intellectual journey, encompassing geology, astronomy, climate science and evolutionary biology, to argue that the unique landscape and ever-changing climate of the East African Rift Valley were instrumental in catalysing the emergence of a civilisation on our planet. I'm left with a dizzying feeling of our good fortune to be here at all, and a powerful sense of our responsibility, as Maslin notes, to earn our species name: "Wise"." * Professor Brian Cox *As we confront rapid, major changes in the earth's climate today, it is imperative we understand how past climate change made us who we are. This fast-paced book vividly tells the story of how and why shifting environments have been driving human evolution ever since our earliest beginnings in Africa, and why those changes matter. * Daniel E Lieberman, Harvard University, author of Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease *An interesting and novel take on the subject ... a superb and highly recommended book that convincingly argues how the happenstance conditions in East Africa shaped us and our forebears. * Leon Vlieger, NHBS *A powerful, gripping account of how the dynamic earth shaped human evolution... With impressive ease, Maslin packs a tremendous amount of knowledge into a flowing narrative, making the point that special conditions for a number of species of tropical apes on the African continent eventually turned out to be luck... A tour de force through Earth's history and a timely reminder of just how lucky we are to be here at all. * Peter C. Kjærgaard, Director and Professor, Natural History Museum of Denmark *In this tale of mountains, monsoons, and meteorites, climate and ocean currents, Maslin masterfully puts human evolution into context, and shows how the earth and its environments have shaped us. * Professor Alice Roberts, anthropologist, author, and broadcaster *Table of Contents1: Introduction2: Early Human Evolution3: Tectonics and Climate4: Cradle of Humanity5: Global Climate Change6: Celestial Mechanics7: African Climate Pulses8: The Social Brain9: The Future of HumanityFurther ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisHow animals behave is crucial to their survival and reproduction. The application of new molecular tools such as DNA fingerprinting and genomics is causing a revolution in the study of animal behaviour, while developments in computing and image analysis allow us to investigate behaviour in ways never previously possible. By combining these with the traditional methods of observation and experiments, we are now learning more about animal behaviour than ever before.In this Very Short Introduction Tristram D. Wyatt discusses how animal behaviour has evolved, how behaviours develop in each individual (considering the interplay of genes, epigenetics, and experience), how we can understand animal societies, and how we can explain collective behaviour such as swirling flocks of starlings. Using lab and field studies from across the whole animal kingdom, he looks at mammals, butterflies, honeybees, fish, and birds, analysing what drives behaviour, and exploring instinct, learning, and culture. Looking more widely at behavioural ecology, he also considers some aspects of human behaviour.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThis slim volume ... is packed full of facts, photographs, diagrams, and helpful graphs. Wyatt's writing is clear and concise, and the content is comprehensively referenced ... This is a fine book that will undoubtedly entertain and educate a broad readership. I highly recommend this book to anyone with even a marginal interest in animal behaviour. This work will be of interest to students of biology, researchers and non-specialists alike. * Billy Mills, New Nature *concise, informative and insightful introduction to the fascinating world of animal behaviour * Mark Greener, Fortean Times *read Wyatt's compelling introduction before you watch the next nature documentary. Itll deepen and widen your understanding and appreciation of these beautiful stories. If you're sitting comfortably, Wyatt's book is a great place to begin. * Mark Greener, Fortean Times *written in a very clear and engaging way, which should certainly stimulate general readers to explore animal behaviour in some depth. * Mark Briffa, Animal Behaviour *Bird watchers should take note of this book. Amateur entomologists should take note of it as well. Quite simply, if you spend any time at all observing, contemplating, or taking any notice whatsoever of the activities of animals, animal behavior is a subject about which you should have at least basic understanding... And as with so any subjects, a Very Short Introduction is a uperb place to begin. * The Well-read Naturalist *Table of ContentsREFERENCES; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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Book SynopsisWhen humanity first glimpsed planet Earth from space, the unity of the system that supports humankind entered the popular consciousness. The concept of the Earth''s atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, soil, and rocks operating as a closely interacting system has rapidly gained ground in science. This new field, involving geographers, geologists, biologists, oceanographers, and atmospheric physicists, is known as Earth System Science. In this Very Short Introduction, Tim Lenton considers how a world in which humans could evolve was created; how, as a species, we are now reshaping that world; and what a sustainable future for humanity within the Earth System might look like. Drawing on elements of geology, biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, Lenton asks whether Earth System Science can help guide us onto a sustainable course before we alter the Earth system to the point where we destroy ourselves and our current civilisation.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsREFERENCES; INDEX

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Book SynopsisIn humans, the perception of odours adds a fourth dimension to life, from the scent of flowers, the aroma of foods, and all the subtle smells in the environment. But how many types of odours can we distinguish? Why do we like the food we like? Which are the most powerful odorants, and how well does the human sense of smell perform compared with that of a dog or a butterfly? The sense of smell is highly complex, and such complexity discouraged scientists for a long time, leaving the world of smell in an atmosphere of mystery. Only recently, thanks to the new tools furnished by molecular biology and neuroscience, are we beginning to answer these questions, uncovering the hidden secrets of our sense of smell, and decoding the language used by most animals to communicate. In this book, Paolo Pelosi, one of the leading figures in the development of the science of olfaction, recounts how the chemical alphabet behind smell has been pieced together over the past three decades. Drawing on anecdTrade ReviewLeaving no stone unturned, Pelosi provides an overview as broad as it is deep, covering the history of the science of olfaction and also how the sense of smell works in diverse organisms from worms to insects to rodents to birds to humans. [...] The author does an excellent job of showcasing how our knowledge of the sense of smell has been gained through research across vastly different scientific disciplines, from chemistry to molecular biology and genetics to neuroscience and ecology. * William B. Walker III, The Quarterly Review of Biology *This is fascinating science and one that will intrigue different levels of readersgeneral, scientists, or practitioners. The language of the book is intended for the general reader; Pelosi effectively communicates the science to those with minimal background in chemistry or biology, even when the subject includes a few chemical names or drawings of molecules. * P. W. Baures, CHOICE *a fascinating exploration at the interface between science and a particular form of qualia. * Network Review *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; PART ONE - SMELLS AND MOLECULES; PART TWO - MESSENGERS OF SEX AND DANGER; PART THREE - PROTEINS AND SMELLS; PART FOUR - AT THE EDGE OF THE IMAGINATION; CONCLUSION; REFERENCES; INDEX

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Book SynopsisAn isotope is a variant form of a chemical element, containing a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. Most elements exist as several isotopes. Many are stable while others are radioactive, and some may only exist fleetingly before decaying into other elements.In this Very Short Introduction, Rob Ellam explains how isotopes have proved enormously important across all the sciences and in archaeology. Radioactive isotopes may be familiar from their use in nuclear weapons, nuclear power, and in medicine, as well as in carbon dating. They have been central to establishing the age of the Earth and the origins of the solar system. Combining previous and new research, Ellam provides an overview of the nature of stable and radioactive isotopes, and considers their wide range of modern applications. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsPREFACE: AT HOME WITH THE BEILBYS; EPILOGUE; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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