Popular science Books

Book SynopsisModern physics is heady stuff. It seems that barely a week goes by without some new astounding science story; some revelation about hidden dimensions, multiple universes, the holographic principle or incredible cosmic coincidences. But is it true? What evidence do we have for super-symmetric squarks', or superstrings vibrating in an 11-dimensional space-time? How do we know that we live in a multiverse? How can we tell that the universe is a hologram projected from information encoded on its boundary? Doesn't this sound like a fairy story?In Farewell to Reality Jim Baggott asks whether all that we currently know about the universe is based upon science or fantasy. In addition he wonders whether these high priests of fairy tale physics - such as John Barrow, Paul Davies, David Deutsch, Brian Greene, Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku, Gordon Kane and Leonard Susskind - are the emperor's latest tailors.Praise for Jim Baggott:A shimmering tour d'horizon. Quantum theory may deny us the possibility of properly comprehending physical reality, but Baggott's account is smart and consoling. Kirkus Reviews.Jim Baggott's inspired - and inspiring - idea of presenting the history of quantum physics in terms of 40 key moments works both as an introduction for the uninitiated and as a refresher for anyone who thinks they know the story. John Gribbin.I never read such a good, comprehensive account as Jim Baggott's...highly recommended. A.N. Wilson.The best popular science book of the year to date by far. popularscience.co.ukTrade ReviewPersuasive. * Independent on Sunday *

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Book Synopsis'Through the lens of her personal experience as a poker player, Alex O'Brien reveals the tricks that can help each of us navigate a world beset with uncertainty and misinformation' ANGELA SAINI 'It's thrilling' PHILIP BALL 'Deserves to be widely read' ALOM SHAHA SHORTLISTED FOR THE GLOBAL POKER INDEX AWARDS This is a book about getting to the truth. At the poker table you need certain skills to win. The more Alex O'Brien played competitively, the more she realised those skills are essential in everyday life too. From reading body language to calculating risk, dealing with uncertainty and separating emotion from facts, her toolkit will help you make better decisions and understand what's happening around you. Offering insights from the latest psychology, neuroscience, game theory and more, you'll encounter new ideas and ways of thinking from pioneering researchers and experts in their field. With O'Brien as your guide, you'll learn to see clearly, think carefully and cut through the noise of a complex world.Trade ReviewThrough the lens of her personal experience as a poker player, Alex O'Brien reveals the tricks that can help each of us navigate a world beset with uncertainty and misinformation. I gleaned such useful advice from this heartfelt book - and came away also wanting to learn how to play poker! -- Angela Saini, journalist and author of 'Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong' and 'The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule'The Truth Detective is the kind of timely popular science that captures people's attention and deserves to be widely read -- Alom Shaha, author of Mr Shaha’s Marvellous Machines, Mr Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder and Why Don’t Things Fall Up I was gripped from the outset by The Truth Detective. No doubt because, as a competitive poker player, Alex O'Brien has skin in the game, she has made this exploration of how to read and understand human behaviour thrillingly alive. You might not emerge from the book as a poker champ, but you'll be astonished, enthralled, and - who knows? - even enriched by what you'll learn. -- Philip Ball, broadcaster and author of Bright Earth, Critical Mass, The Modern Myths and How Life WorksNow, more than ever, it is vital that we all think critically about the news we're reading, the media we're consuming, and the opinions being easily thrown around. O'Brien's book takes us back to the basics of such critical thinking with the insightful premise of making decisions when clouded by uncertainty. A brilliant poker player, she brings her experience from the game and shows us how to apply this to everyday life. I will definitely be applying some of the lessons I've learnt! -- Roma Agrawal MBE, engineer, broadcaster and author[The Truth Detective] got me thinking about the life skills we've acquired through playing games... risk is an important skill to learn in life [and the book] explores how the games rules and strategies help us to better navigate the world and make better choices -- Jessica Creighton * BBC Woman's Hour *The Truth Detective is a belter and [the] perfect Christmas present for those awkward relatives who don't want jumpers, mints or Annuals -- Nicholas Booth, former technology editor of The Times and author The Search for Life on MarsEngaging ... Alex O'Brien holds all the aces here [with] first-hand experience at the table and a good grip on the latest science and psychology. Follow suit to boost your odds at winning in that great game we call life -- Roger Highfield, Science Director of The Science Museum and author of Virtual YouA fascinating book that uses poker to discuss philosophy, magic, strategy, cognitive science, game theory, deception, biases, risk management, and much more. Who knew one book could teach you so much about poker and the best scientific research in so many fields? -- Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, New York Times bestselling author of Everybody Lies and Don't Trust Your GutA wise, mind-expanding guide for living in uncertain times. In The Truth Detective, Alex O'Brien draws on her experience at the poker table to provide a whole new lens on the world. A perspective-changing book that will help you make smarter, more informed choices when navigating life's unknowns -- Richard Fisher, author of The Long ViewThe Truth Detective is both a riveting read and a call to action. Alex O' Brien intertwines lessons from the poker table with cutting edge scientific research on human behaviour and the brain, showing us how to understand the world better, and to understand ourselves better. I found myself thinking about The Truth Detective long after I read it. Even if you've never played poker, you will be richly entertained and educated by this beautifully written gem of a book -- Jennifer Shahade, author of 'Chess Queens' and two time US Women’s Chess ChampionFrom the first page to the last, The Truth Detective captivates the reader with a new perspective on an age-old game. Steeped in stories and research, which both inspire and educate, O'Brien has crafted a 'poker book' that belongs on every bedside table, even if you have never played the game. It's that good. And it matters that much -- Erin Lydon * President, Poker Power *I can't imagine a book more perfectly suited to its time than The Truth Detective. The challenge of knowing 'what is the truth' goes far beyond the poker table. By using the game of poker to explore truth and deception, O'Brien makes the topic not just accessible but also truly entertaining. The interviews and well-documented research woven throughout give scientific backbone to a much-needed look at a very important topic. This is an exhortation for us all to be more careful consumers of 'truth'. -- Kara Scott, broadcaster and World Series of Poker anchorCaptivating, gripping and the best book I've read since 'Thinking Fast and Slow' O'Brien doesn't pull any punches, and examining the bluffs we seek and the bullshit we find in life, [she] combines a number of studies, sources and complex thoughts into a case for critical thinking. This is a book that should be read and savoured in full; it pulls many of the great concerns of the day such as AI, climate change, fake news, pandemic issues, and the power of social media into a riveting page turner. As soon as I started reading The Truth Detective I literally couldn't stop ... do someone you love a favour and give them the gift of this book. -- Dara O’Kearney, former ultra runner and author of The Poker Solved SeriesAlex O'Brien picks up where Kenny Rogers left off with this approachable set of essential lessons for opening your eyes to the game that is our society. -- Subhadra Das, author of Civilised: Ten Lies that Made the West

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Book Synopsis'Extremely authoritative. The best book I have read on space travel since Arthur C. Clarke's classic, The Promise of Space.' Marcus ChownIn an era of rapidly developing technology and renewed ambition, the twenty-first century has ushered in an exciting new age of space flight. But what has brought us to this point in our exploration of the universe? And what does the future of space travel hold? From the amazing technology that has enabled us to look beyond the clouds to the possibilities of space tourism, 10 Short Lessons in Space Travel takes a timely look at the essential lessons learned from our voyages into outer space.About the series: The Pocket Einstein series is a collection of essential pocket-sized guides for anyone looking to understand a little more about some of the most relevant science that affects us all in the twenty-first century. Broken down into ten simple lessons and written by leading experts in their field, discover the ten most important takeaways from those areas of science we should all know more about.Trade ReviewA nice, easily digestible read to making your own giant leap into the future. -- Nicholas Booth, co-author of The Search for Life on Mars: The Greatest Scientific Detective Story of All TimeCompact, informative and entertaining – essential reading for any budding astronaut. -- Giles Sparrow, author of Hubble: Window on the UniverseSoon space travel will open itself up to paying members of the public. Parsons' guide is essential reading for would-be astronauts young and old. -- Colin Stuart, author of How to Live in Space

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Book Synopsis'10 Short Lessons in Time Travel lucidly sums up the essential parts of this fascinating subject.' John Gribbin________________________In Ten Short Lessons in Time Travel, Brian Clegg takes us on a fascinating and up-to-date tour of the workings of the universe that suggest the possibility of journeying back and forth through time.Einstein’s special theory of relativity told us that time travel to the future was possible, and later his general theory of relativity showed us that loops in spacetime could exist, meaning that we might be able to bend time backwards, too. But what are the practicalities of making time travel possible? What do we still need to know? How do we deal with paradoxical twists in time – and could quantum physics hold the answer? From the imagination of novelists to current research, 10 Short Lessons in Time Travel is a grand tour of the essential lessons in this game-changing area of physics.About the series: The Pocket Einstein series is a collection of essential pocket-sized guides for anyone looking to understand a little more about some of the most important and fascinating areas of science in the twenty-first century. Broken down into ten simple lessons and written by leading experts in their field, discover the ten most important takeaways from those areas of science you’ve always wanted to know more about.Trade ReviewIn the TV series Dragnet, detective Joe Friday used to say ‘All we want are the facts’. Joe Friday would have loved Brian Clegg’s books. Brian can be relied on to give you the facts, and nothing but the facts, on matters scientific, from the science of the human body to – in this case – the science of time travel. 10 Short Lessons in Time Travel lucidly sums up the essential parts of this fascinating subject. Spacewarps and timewarps are both allowed by Einstein’s general theory of relativity, and both feature here, along with practical hints on how to build a time machine and the pros and cons of freezing yourself to wake up in the distant future. The bottom line is, time travel is theoretically possible, but practically very difficult. But 500 years ago, the same could have been said of heavier-than-air flying machines. -- John Gribbin, author of "Six Impossible Things: The 'Quanta of Solace' and the Mysteries of the Subatomic World"Brian Clegg's guide to the theory and practice of time travel keeps its promise and is a highly enjoyable and informative read. -- Giles Sparrow * BBC Sky at Night Magazine *

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Book SynopsisWhat is really happening in your brain when you use your phone, and how to harness it. We pick up our phones on average 80 times a day, and approximately a quarter of our waking hours are spent in front of a screen. We self-interrupt our work and social lives, forgo sleep, procrastinate important tasks and opt for digital distraction when we’re bored or feel uncomfortable. Worst-case scenario, we’re told phone use is melting our brains, creating a mental health epidemic and machines are taking over the world. But how much of this is true and what can we do about it? NHS neurology doctor and neuroscientist Faye Begeti explains the science behind why we have formed so many fixed and negative habits around our devices. She reflects on both deliberate choices and automatic behaviours, whilst also challenging myths around digital ‘addiction’, the harmfulness of blue light and how dopamine functions in the brain. Rather than recommending a quick-fix digital diet or abstinence – unviable for most people and pointless given the way our brain works – The Phone Fix offers a practical guide, based on neuroscientific techniques, on building supportive digital habits. Begeti shows that technology is not inherently bad or frightening and that by better understanding what is happening in our brains, we can replenish our willpower and improve our focus, forming a healthier relationship with our phones – and therefore the people around us.

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Book Synopsis'"If the chanting stops, he will die. My patient will die." I was certain of this-as certain as someone crouching in an unheated tent sitting on the highest mountain in the world can feel about anything.'Dr Ken Kamler knows what happens when bodies are pushed to their limits. He has been to and studied the world's most inhospitable regions, and seen who survived and who did not. This book leads readers into six different and extreme environments: underwater, water surface, jungle, desert, high altitude and outer space. Telling the stories of his own and others' extraordinary brushes with death, Kamler explores the body's reactions to heat, cold, pressure, starvation, exhaustion and exposure, and reveals its miraculous survival strategies.

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Book SynopsisFive years after returning from his trip around the world on HMS Beagle, the young Charles Darwin became the owner of Down House in Kent, where he moved his growing family, far away from the turmoil and distractions of London. He would live here for the rest of his life. It would become the place where he began work on his masterpiece On the Origin of Species.For almost twenty years he used the garden around him as his laboratory. In the orchard he conducted experiments on pollination. He built a dovecot where he could breed new strains of pigeons that helped him understand the questions of generation. On his daily walk along the sandbank he observed how plants competed for survival. In his heated greenhouse he conducted experiments on orchids and primulas. In solitude he was also able to struggle with the ideas of evolution that had haunted him since his voyage, and give him the courage to publish his revolutionary new ideas. Bringing Darwin's garden to the present day, Boulter unfolds a shining portrait of the formation of one of England's greatest thinkers and his relationship with the place he loved and shows how his experiments that he conducted over 150 years ago are still revealing new proofs and revelations as we continue to search for the origins of life.Trade ReviewAn engaging and fascinating tour through the life and work of Darwin, and what Darwin's legacy means for our view of the world. -- Professor Sir Peter Crane FRS, former Director of Kew GardensAn absorbing book. From the primroses and hot house at Down House [Boulter] leads us on a voyage around not only Darwin's thought, but that of his contemporaries and modern biology. -- Clive Aslet * Sunday Telegraph *A useful primer for anyone wanting an overview of the man and his legacy. * New Scientist *Boulter has been able to show a side of Darwin which will surprise many. * Daily Mail *Fascinating and evocative. * Catholic Herald *

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Book SynopsisIn Curvology, Cambridge Veterinary Anatomist David Bainbridge applies the science of evolutionary biology to women's bodies, to explain why the human female is the only female animal to have curves and how these curves rule our lives, by influencing not only sexual selection but also social hierarchy and self-image. Written in lucid and engaging prose, Bainbridge's unique brand of popular science also draws on illuminating references from zoology, art history, contemporary media culture, and a range of first-person interviews with some actual human women. Offering a level-headed and fresh perspective on a contentious issue, Curvology is a fascinating, controversial, and highly newsworthy read.

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Book Synopsis'Enjoyable' New Scientist'Delightfully well-written, accessible, surprisingly reflective and humorous' Irish Times'Thoughtful' Irish IndependentFrom neurons to nations, Talking Heads is a stunning survey of the science of human connection and communicationWe are social animals and talking is part of what makes us human.But what purpose does conversation serve? In this revelatory tour of talking, neuroscientist Shane O'Mara explores why we communicate, what happens in our brains when we do it, and what it means for us as individuals, groups and societies.How do our thoughts, memories, and conversations change our brains? What does it mean that we spend most of our thinking lives in a five-minute bubble around the present moment? Why does our sense of self solidify with age, even as we grow more forgetful? In what ways do we imagine futures together? And how do our nations begin as conversations?Moving from the personal to the social and ultimately towards a radical new perspective on the defining phenomenon of our times, populist nationalism, this is the story of how conversation builds the worlds around us - and how, together, we can talk our way into a better tomorrow.'Invaluable ... Fascinating' David Crystal, author of Let's TalkTrade ReviewDelightfully well-written, accessible, surprisingly reflecting ... and humorous * Niamh Jiménez, Irish Times *Surprising... intriguing... enjoyable * New Scientist *In this time of digital disconnection, Talking Heads is a reminder of the enduring power of face-to-face interactions and conversations. It is a thoughtful book that might make you watch what you say. * Irish Independent *Talking Heads ... is mostly interested in big-picture questions: how intact memory supports our sociality and binds us into collective beings who share collective memories. ... The point O'Mara is most keen to make in his book is that entities such as nations 'begin as conversations'... O'Mara is an entertaining guide, full of good stories * Times Literary Supplement *O'Mara delves deeply into the ways we use conversations to create our cultures and build entire nations ... There's a lot in it that resonates * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisWe are surrounded by information in the 21st Century: we are bombarded by advertising, attitudes, celebrities, news, wars, fashion, the latest fads... the sheer amount of information we have access to appears untameable, unworkable, and too much to gain sense from unless we pick and choose very carefully. However, our choices are very often made for us as the result of advertising, media companies, the government and popular culture. The results of these choices are called memes, and their impact is shaping not just society but us individually, and on a core level, beyond psychology, personal free will, and even genetics. The very first book on the subject of memes, and how they behave just like viruses, this is an incredible study into the power of communication and "going along with everyone else". Virus of the Mind explains just how we are "infected" by the deliberate shaping of society's attitudes and behaviours - and how we can cure ourselves.

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Book SynopsisMarc Abrahams, the mind behind the internationally renowned Ig Nobel Prizes, is on a mission: to gather the bizarre, the questionable, the brilliant, the downright funny, the profound – everything improbable – from the annals of science research. What’s the best way to slice a ham sandwich, mathematically? What makes Bobs look especially Bob-like? Is the right or left ear better at discerning lies? Could mice be outfitted with parachutes to kill tree snakes?Trade ReviewDelightful... a pleasure to read in the bathroom and in the bedroom, and the kind of book that makes you seem smarter when you share it with friends (just make sure you wash your hands first). --Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational

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Book Synopsis''Aborigines did not cause the extinction of the megafauna . . . and it is unlikely that they have caused the extinction of any element of the fauna and flora.''''If you want to practise control burning in order to protect houses or farms, then do it in the same way as you would use a bulldozer to clear a firebreak, but don''t pretend that you are doing anything but damage to the environment.''''If you commercialise an environmental resource you do so to make money. Don''t pretend that it also benefits the environment.''Spanning fifty thousand years and an entire continent, The Pure State of Nature presents a passionate account of the Australian environment. The myths that abound in popular and scientific writing, the ''theories'' and fancies about the place of humans in the ecology of this vast landmass, are subjected to scrutiny. In particular, the author demolishes the widely accepted orthodoxy about the use of fire by Aborigines and their supposed part in the extinction of the Australian megafauna.From the ruins of those myths The Pure State of Nature offers lessons for the new millennium. In turns provocative, humorous, impassioned and gentle, this is a bold book of ideas about the past and present, a book about how we can shape the future.To The Pure State of Nature Dr David Horton brings many years'' experience as scientist, farmer and archaeologist. Among his publications are Recovering the Tracks and The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia. He now writes and consults from his stud sheep farm in New South Wales.

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Book SynopsisFind the happiness of emptiness. Few things scare us more than inner emptiness. The presumed emptiness of coma or dementia scares us so much that we even sign living wills to avoid these states. Yet as Zen masters have long known, inner emptiness can also be productive and useful. We can reach this state through meditation, concentration, music, or even during sex. In fact, our brain loves emptiness — it makes us happy. Leading brain researcher Niels Birbaumer investigates the pleasure in emptiness and how we can take advantage of it. He explains how to overcome the evolutionary attentiveness of your brain and take a break from thinking — a skill that’s more important than ever in an increasingly frantic world.

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Book SynopsisDrug-resistant bacteria — known as superbugs — are one of the biggest medical threats of our time. Here, a doctor, researcher, and ethics professor tells the exhilarating story of his race to beat them and save countless lives. When doctor Matt McCarthy first meets Jackson, a mechanic from Queens, it is in the ER, where he has come for treatment for an infected gunshot wound. Usually, antibiotics would be prescribed, but Jackson’s infection is one of a growing number of superbugs, bacteria that have built up resistance to known drugs. He only has one option, and if that doesn’t work he may lose his leg or even his life. On the same day, McCarthy and his mentor Tom Walsh begin work on a groundbreaking clinical trial for a new antibiotic they believe will eradicate certain kinds of superbugs and demonstrate to Big Pharma that investment in these drugs can save millions of lives and prove financially viable. But there are seemingly endless hoops to jump through before they can begin administering the drug to patients, and for people like Jackson time is in short supply. Superbugs is a compelling tale of medical ingenuity. From the muddy trenches of the First World War, where Alexander Fleming searched for a cure for soldiers with infected wounds, to breakthroughs in antibiotics and antifungals today that could revolutionise how infections are treated, McCarthy takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride through the history — and future — of medicine. Along the way, we meet patients like Remy, a teenage girl with a dangerous and rare infection; Donny, a retired firefighter with a compromised immune system; and Bill, the author’s own father-in-law, who contracts a deadly staph infection. And we learn about the ethics of medical research: why potentially life-saving treatments are often delayed for years to protect patients from exploitation. Can McCarthy get his trial approved and underway in time to save the lives of his countless patients infected with deadly bacteria, who have otherwise lost all hope?Trade Review‘There might not be another author who so fluidly combines a world-class doctor and researcher's knowledge and experience with a memoirist's sensibility. Matt McCarthy is Siddhartha Mukherjee and David Sedaris rolled into one. Who else but McCarthy could write a dispatch from the front lines of the secret fight for the future of the human race that is not just gripping and illuminating, but also poignant and funny?’ -- Ben Reiter, New York Times bestselling author of Astroball‘Written from the front lines in the battle against resistant microbes, Superbugs will educate and inspire all those concerned about the growing threat to individuals and society. McCarthy offers a fast paced, vivid narrative that grips the reader from the opening pages and never lets go.’ -- Dr. Jerome Groopman, Recanati Professor at Harvard Medical School, and co-author of New York Times bestseller Your Medical Mind‘Superbugs is a riveting look into the world of bacteria and antibiotics. Dr. Matt McCarthy offers a compulsively readable tour through infectious disease. With his characteristic humour and warmth, Dr. McCarthy humanises a fascinating and timely topic that has resonance for us all. In a voice that is thoughtful and honest, punctuated by sharp wit, he reveals the drugs and dilemmas that will impact humanity for years to come. This is a rare and important book.’ -- Daniela Lamas, author of You Can Stop Humming Now‘An amazing informative book that changes our perspective on medicine, microbes and our future’ -- Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies‘A perfect work of popular science. Like Atul Gawande, Matt McCarthy has the magical ability to transmit deeply technical knowledge in a way that makes the reader feel like part of a high-level professional conversation; like Michael Lewis, a gift for the place where big ideas overlap; like Elizabeth Kolbert, a sense of narrative urgency about the state of the present world that makes anything outside its pages seem trivial. Magnificent.’ -- Charles Finch, winner of National Book Critics Circle Award‘Dr. Matt McCarthy … writes about the ‘microscopic miracles’ that lie beneath the soil.’ -- Sarah Berry * Sydney Morning Herald *‘The rise of the superbug has transformed each working hour into a battle to outwit the treatment-resistant bacteria that threaten patients’ lives … In McCarthy’s new book, he explains through the stories of his patients what antibiotic resistance means to every one of us.’ -- Simon Crompton * The Times *‘Intriguing ... This book discusses many big things, along with microscopic ones, and the two combine to provide a valuable insight to a challenge facing us all, whether doctor or patient.’ -- Robin Osborne * GPSpeak *‘It is a fascinating read, enhanced by his detours into medical history ... McCarthy can wring suspense from fungal infection and faculty meetings.’ -- Jenny Nicholls * North and South *‘Mostly heart-breaking, but at times laugh-out-loud funny … Superbugs is an immersive and educational read that combines feelings of futility with a sense of hope at just the right moments.’ -- Anna Kosmynina * COSMOS *‘A riveting insider’s look at the race to find a cure for antibiotic-resistant infections, one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine … The author’s storytelling is at once urgent and empathetic, a compelling combination that leaves readers feeling informed and optimistic. Insightful and honest, McCarthy effectively combines useful information about the latest advances in microbial research with accounts of the best aspects of humanity.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘McCarthy gives an insider’s look at the history of antibiotics and the urgent fight against deadly, drug-resistant bacteria.’ * People *‘Dr. McCarthy offers a glimmer of hope: a new way to both cure and prevent future superbug infections with a single treatment.’ * Christian Broadcasting Network *‘McCarthy weaves the history of the life-saving drugs into a suspenseful account of his own role in a groundbreaking clinical trial.’ * The Boston Globe Magazine *‘It may sound like another sci-fi superhero movie, but physician and author Matt McCarthy warns that the topic of lethal bacteria is not to be taken lightly … McCarthy explains how these pathogens have built up a resistance to our current arsenal of antibiotics.’ * NPR’s All Things Considered *‘Cutting-edge science.’ * Twin Cities Pioneer Press *‘Sheds a lot of light on an issue that should be in the public consciousness.’ * SF Gate *‘Incredibly interesting with a good mix of the scientific and human aspects … McCarthy also goes into the history of antibiotic development and the economics of today’s drug development that limit the research for new antimicrobials … The book is easy to read, and never dull due to the patient interactions. McCarthy explains novel concepts in a simple, easy to understand way.’ * Sam Still Reading *

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Book SynopsisIs lowering your temperature when you have a fever helpful? Do you really need to finish every course of antibiotics? Or could some of the treatments you think are healing you actually be harming you? Medicine has significantly advanced in the last few decades. But while we have learned a lot, we still rely on medical interventions that are vastly out of date and can adversely affect our health. In this game-changing book, infectious-disease expert and Rotavirus vaccine inventor Dr Offit highlights fifteen common medical interventions still recommended and practised by medical professionals, despite clear evidence that they are harmful — including the treatment of acid reflux in babies and the reliance on heart stents and knee surgery. By presenting medical alternatives, Overkill gives patients invaluable information to help them ask their doctors better questions and to advocate for their own health.Trade Review‘A myth-busting book.’ * Daily Mail *‘With ample end notes (50 pages worth) to support challenges he may expect to be forthcoming, this hit-list of medical myths and misguided therapies comes from a highly reputable source - the director of Vaccine Education at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and a professor of vaccinology and paediatrics.’ -- Robin Osborne * GPSpeak *Praise for Bad Advice: ‘In breezy and deceptively conversational prose that often winks with humour, Bad Advice breaks down complex scientific subjects that have been distorted through several cultural lenses’ -- Karen Iris Tucker * The Washington Post *Praise for Bad Advice: ‘Paul Offit is a pediatrician, a vaccine scientist, and one of our foremost explainers of science. In Bad Advice, he distills what he has learned — often the hard way — from standing up for science in the face of bogus theories, quack remedies, and the flat-out denial of empirical fact. Skillfully, Offit uses stories of his many missteps in the treacherous public arena to teach us how to confront pseudoscience effectively. In the process, without noticing, we learn fascinating lessons in the relevant science. A forcefully-written, indispensable book, particularly at the present moment.’ -- Geoffrey Kabat, cancer epidemiologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and author of Getting Risk Right: understanding the science of elusive health risksPraise for Bad Advice: ‘The beauty of mass communication in our free society is also our curse. Information flows so quickly, from so many different sources, that one can't help but be overwhelmed — and too frequently misled. No one has fought harder over the years to educate the public, and to puncture the dangerously false dogmas of pseudoscience, than Paul Offit. Bad Advice is a brilliant extension of his dictate, so aptly stated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, that one is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts. Celebrities and politicians bear the brunt of Offit's elegantly written, often hilarious, pinpoint assaults. But what makes this book truly special is its vision of how science can, and must, be defended against its despoilers. Bad Advice is, in every sense, an essential read.’ -- David Oshinsky, director of the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU School of MedicinePraise for Pandora's Lab: ‘Many dramatic scientific discoveries have lost their gloss or perhaps were never scientific to begin with, as pediatrician Offit shows in this heated denunciation of bad science … In warning the public of pseudoscientific danger, Offit urges the public to examine available data; beware of quick fixes, fads, and charismatic health gurus; and understand that every advance comes at a price.’ * Publishers Weekly *Praise for Pandora's Lab: ‘Pandora's Lab deftly details seven scientific mistakes that have occurred over the last 100 years … Sufficient data exposes the truth when different scientists verify the claims, but this work's examples reveal how this obvious check procedure becomes ignored or bypassed in response to extraordinary hopes, popular movements, and/or by defaulting to one individual.’ * Choice *Praise for Do You Believe in Magic?: ‘Over the last decade [Offit] has become a leading debunker of mass misconceptions surrounding infections and vaccines, and now he is taking on the entire field of alternative medicine, from acupuncture to vitamins.’ * New York Times *Praise for Do You Believe in Magic?: ‘With a fascinating history of hucksters, and a critical chronology of how supplements escaped regulation, Offit cautions consumers not to ‘give alternative medicine a free pass because we’re fed up with conventional medicine.’ His is a bravely unsentimental and dutifully researched guide for consumers to distinguish between quacks and a cure.’ STARRED REVIEW -- Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisAn original graphic novel based on the IVF stories of its husband-and-wife authors and the 1-in-50 couples around the world like them. Conrad and Joanne met in their final year of university and have been virtually inseparable since then. For a while, it felt like they had all the time in the world. Yet now, when they are finally ready to have kids, they find that getting pregnant isn’t always so easy. Ahead of them lies a difficult, expensive, and emotional journey into the world of assisted fertility, where each ‘successful’ implantation is followed by a two-week wait to see if the pregnancy takes. Join Joanne and Conrad, their friends, their family, their coworkers, and a stream of expert medical practitioners as they experience the highs and the lows, the tears and the laughter in this sensitive but unflinching portrayal of the hope and heartbreak offered to so many by modern medicine.Trade Review‘The Jacksons, married educators and parents of two, partner with artist Wild to tell a compassionate story about the struggle to conceive based on their own experiences and interviews with other couples who have dealt with fertility issues … Wild’s loose, fluid, warmly coloured pencil art perfectly complements the script; in swooping curves and simple shapes, she draws emotive characters in domestic settings that look lived-in. Gentle and empathetic, this enters a growing trying-to-conceive graphic medicine genre, recalling Sarah Glidden’s and Lucy Knisley’s work, and offers a touchstone for any reader dealing with IVF.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Full of honesty and vulnerability … Two-Week Wait will appeal to readers of memoir and graphic novels alike.’ -- Adam Ford * Books+Publishing *‘The book demystifies the technical processes of IVF for readers, and tracks the ups and downs … The drawings, by the talented German illustrator Mara Wild, are full of light and air … It is a beautifully drawn, heartfelt, real- feeling examination of the struggle to become parents.’ -- Bernard Caleo * Readings *‘Compelling, harrowing … proof that comics can be much more than superhero stories — they are a dexterous art form that can effectively communicate complex, serious topics.’ -- Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen * The Guardian *‘In this lovely volume, you’ll encounter heartache, hope, humour, and a very true and personal exploration of the physical, emotional, and financial roller-coaster of IVF. You’ll also see the graphic novel form at its finest: where every dot and line has nuance and meaning, and where big ideas and feelings are conveyed with great subtlety through spare, elegant illustrations working hand-in-hand with great dialogue.’ -- Nicki Greenberg‘Readers who have never experienced IVF may find this book educative, while readers who have may be pleased to see their experience reflected with so much empathy.’ -- Kerryn Goldsworthy * Sydney Morning Herald *‘Luke C. Jackson and Kelly Jackson have created a beautiful and gut-wrenching story of infertility, relationships, and hope centred around the two-week period waiting to find out if the implantation resulted in a successful pregnancy … Accompanied with the Jackson’s narrative is Mara Wild’s beautiful illustrations. Wild has drawn in a digital, minimalist style with a simple powder-blue, navy, grey, red, white, and peachy orange colour palette. The simplicity of their illustration style leaves room for emotion to burst off the page. The happiness, pain, love, and dejection that the character’s experience comes across so clearly in Wild’s illustrations; readers will become emotionally invested within the first chapter. Once you pick up Two-Week Wait it’ll be incredibly hard to put it back down again … Two-Week Wait captures many facets of the IVF experience, hence making it an excellent graphic novel to educate people and start a healthy conversation around the highs and lows of IVF. Moreover, the language and illustrations within are very easy to understand and follow, making Two-Week Wait an accessible text which could be used in a high-school-aged educational setting.’ -- Lauren Pratt * Underground Writers *‘The intimate struggles of a husband and wife desperate to become parents might not be universal literary fare, but with millions of couples worldwide attempting conception via IVF, Two-Week Wait will surely, deservedly find sympathetic audiences… an insightful, moving tale.’ -- Terry Hong * Shelf Awareness *‘Readers are taken along their journey through the process, through the anxiety of waiting for answers, and then finding out nope, nothing is clear cut as they thought … I found myself immersed in their story, in their heartache and their joy during the process … I can see just how well the format of a graphic novel can lend itself to all sorts of different stories.’ * pop.edit.lit *‘I really enjoyed Two-Week Wait. I thought it was a well-written book that handled an incredibly sensitive topic very well and did a great job showing how the difficult and expensive process of IVF works … I thought Mara Wild did a great job illustrating the character's emotions and the mental and physical strain that the IVF process puts on them. I liked her use of soft colours and sweeping shapes and lines. She was able to put a lot of emotion into scenes with just the stroke of a pencil. I think this book would be great for couples who are going through IVF or who are considering it.’ -- Marisa Quinn-Haisu * Weekend Notes *‘Anyone looking for the thoughts of someone who has gone through the journey of trying to conceive, infertility testing, of deciding what treatments to pursue, of determining to continue the path, and IVF or is looking for tips on what to do and not to do when talking about infertility and IVF will find a good resource in this book … Mara Wild does a fantastic job at providing context to the story and illustrating the invisible emotions and pain … It gives the reader an empathetic look at the experience. I recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about the infertility and IVF process, especially from a mental health perspective.’ -- Alice Jaggers * Graphic Medicine *‘Two-Week Wait is as much a medical text as it is a depiction of the emotional, corporeal and financial vicissitudes, that are commonplace in patient descriptions of assisted reproductive technologies.’ -- Jennifer Takhar * Graphic Medicine *

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Book SynopsisThis lucid and captivating book takes the reader back to the early history of all the sciences, starting from antiquity and ending roughly at the time of Newton — covering the period which can legitimately be called the “dawn” of the sciences. Each of the 24 chapters focuses on a particular and significant development in the evolution of science, and is connected in a coherent way to the others to yield a smooth, continuous narrative. The at-a-glance diagrams showing the “When” and “Where” give a brief summary of what was happening at the time, thereby providing the broader context of the scientific events highlighted in that chapter. Embellished with colourful photographs and illustrations, and “boxed” highlights scattered throughout the text, this book is a must-read for everyone interested in the history of science, and how it shaped our world today.Trade ReviewTable of ContentsIn the Beginning.- The Athenian Contribution.- From the Ishango Bone to Euclid.- Archimedes - the Giant among the Ancients.- The Healing Art and Its Science.- The Legacy from the Arab World.- The Indo-Arabic Numerals.- The Printing of a Page.- Exploring the 'Seven Seas'.- The First Steps of Modern Medicine.- Making the Earth Move.- The Logarithm - An Unsung Hero.- The Way of the Wanderers.- The Galileo and the Dynamical World.- Affairs of the Heart.- The Weight of the Intangible.- Geometry Without Figures.- Life's Infinite Vaiety: Finding Order in Species.- A Measure of the Heavens.- Calculus Developed in South India.- Story of the Calendar.- And Then All was Light - The Thirst for Power.- Chemistry Comes of Age.

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Book SynopsisThis book addresses a broad community of physicists, engineers, computer scientists and industry professionals, as well as the general public, who are aware of the unprecedented media hype surrounding the supposedly imminent new era of quantum computing. The central argument of this book is that the feasibility of quantum computing in the physical world is extremely doubtful. The hypothetical quantum computer is not simply a quantum variant of the conventional digital computer, but rather a quantum extension of a classical analog computer operating with continuous parameters. In order to have a useful machine, the number of continuous parameters to control would have to be of such an astronomically large magnitude as to render the endeavor virtually infeasible. This viewpoint is based on the author’s expert understanding of the gargantuan challenges that would have to be overcome to ever make quantum computing a reality. Knowledge of secondary-school-level physics and math will be sufficient for understanding most of the text.Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Brief history of quantum computing, starting with the invention of Shor's algorithm (1994).- Introduction to quantum mechanics for pedestrians.- Electron spin as a qubit.- The main ideas and promises of quantum computing.- Current state of the art.

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Book SynopsisThe development of science has been an ideological struggle that lasted over three millennia. At and after the times of the Babylonian Empire, however, the pace of scientific evolution was painfully slow. This situation changed after Copernicus kick-started the Scientific Revolution with his heliocentric theory. Newton’s law of universal gravitation transformed natural philosophy, previously focused on mythology and abstract philosophical thinking, into an orderly and rational physical science. Einstein’s redefinition of space and time revealed a new and central principle of the Universe, paving the way for the huge amounts of energy held deep inside physical matter to be released. To this day, many of the our known physical theories represent an accumulation of changing knowledge over the long course of scientific history. But what kind of changes did the scientists see? What questions did they address? What methods did they use? What difficulties did they encounter? And what kind of persecution might they have faced on the road to discovering these beautiful, sometimes almost mystical, ideas? This book’s purpose is to investigate these questions. It leads the reader through the stories behind major scientific advancements and their theories, as well as explaining associated examples and hypotheses. Over the course of the journey, readers will come to understand the way scientists explore nature and how scientific theories are applied to natural phenomena and every-day technology.Table of Contents Prologue: Our Universe.- Ancient Wisdom and Natural Philosophers.- The Heyday of Greek Astronomy.- The Tumultuous Astronomical Revolution.- The Well-Ordered Newtonian Mechanics.- Special Relativity: Fusing Space and Time.- General Relativity: Describing A Curved Spacetime.- The Course of Scientific Development: Evolution of Thought Across a Millennium.- Further Reading

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Book SynopsisThis open access book explores the amazing similarity between paths taken by people and many other things in life, and its impact on the way we live, teach and learn.Offering insights into the new scientific field of paths as part of the science of networks, it entertainingly describes the universal nature of paths in large networked structures. It also shows the amazing similarity in the ways humans and other – even nonliving – things navigate in a complex environment, to allow readers to easily grasp how paths emerge in many walks of life, and how they are navigated.Paths is based on the authors recent research in the area of paths on networks, which points to the possible birth of the new science of “paths” as a natural consequence ‘and extension) of the science of “networks.”The approach is essentially story-based, supported by scientific findings, interdisciplinary approaches, and at times, even philosophical points of view. It also includes short illustrative anecdotes showing the amazing similarities between real-world paths and discusses their applications in science and everyday life.Paths will appeal to network scientists and to anyone interested in popular science. By helping readers to step away from the “networked” view of many recent popular scientific books and start to think of longer paths instead of individual links, it sheds light on these problems from a genuinely new perspective.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The path is the goal. The essence behind this short sentence is known to many people around the world, expressed through the interpretations of some of the greatest thinkers like Lao-Tze and Gandhi. It means that it is the journey that counts, not the destination. When speaking about such subjective and intangible things, philosophy and religion are some of the only approaches that are addressed. In this book, the authors address this conventional wisdom from the perspective of natural science. They explore a sequence of steps that leads the reader closer to the nature of paths and accompany him on the search for “the path to paths”. Table of Contents1. The Introduction: Long and Winding Roads.- 2. Everybody Loves Roundabouts.- 3. The Forest of Alternative Choices.- 4. Straight to the Point: A Short Chapter about the Shortest Paths.- 5. Finding your Way Through the Maze.- 6. On the Trail of Nature: Collecting Scientific Evidence.- 7. The Universal Nature of Paths.- 8. Amazing Scientific Discoveries: Aspirin, Cattle, Business Communication and others.- 9. Paths to the Way We Live, Teach and Learn.- 10. The Path is the Goal!.

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Book SynopsisEnergy drives the economy, economics informs policy, and policy affects social outcomes. Since the oil crises of the 1970s, pundits have debated the validity of this sequence, but most economists and politicians still ignore it. Thus, they delude the public about the underlying influence of energy costs and constraints on economic policies that address such pressing contemporary issues as income inequality, growth, debt, and climate change. To understand why, Carey King explores the scientific and rhetorical basis of the competing narratives both within and between energy technology and economics. Energy and economic discourse seems to mirror Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion: For every narrative there is an equal and opposite counter-narrative. The competing energy narratives pit "drill, baby, drill!" against renewable technologies such as wind and solar. Both claim to provide secure, reliable, clean, and affordable energy to support economic growth with the most benefit to society, but how? To answer this question, we need to understand the competing economic narratives, techno-optimism and techno-realism. Techno-optimism claims that innovation overcomes any physical resource constraints and enables the social outcomes and economic growth we desire. Techno-realism, in contrast, states that no matter what energy technologies we use, feedbacks from physical growth on a finite planet constrain economic growth and create an uneven distribution of social impacts. In The Economic Superorganism, you will discover stories, data, science, and philosophy to guide you through the arguments from competing narratives on energy, growth, and policy. You will be able to distinguish the technically possible from the socially viable, and understand how our future depends on this distinction. Trade Review1. “In exploring the debate between technological optimism and technological realism, concerning the importance of market forces vs. limits, The Economic Superorganism is a book that will endure in relevance.” --- Joseph Tainter, Professor of Environment and Society, Author of The Collapse of Complex Societies 2. “This book is panoramic in its vision of recasting economic discourse … the book is readable by the scholar and the informed citizen, willing to question the orthodoxy of natural resources management within contemporary economic doctrines.” --- Saleem H. Ali, Blue & Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment, University of Delaware 3. “This book deserves to be widely read by energy and climate scientists, policy makers, reporters, and economists.” --- Richard Heinberg, Author and Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute 4. “This is a must read for those thinking seriously about our future, but be forewarned, you will likely have to rethink your own views.” --- John Day, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, School of the Coast & Environment, Louisiana State University 5. “Carey King indicates the weak points in the narratives of mainstream economics, which hardly cares about fundamental natural laws. The book is well written, and the reader feels the intellectual fire that moves its author. I highly recommend it.” --- Dr. Reiner Kümmel, Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of Würzburg 6. “The Economic Superorganism offers a fresh perspective on the sometimes heated, sometimes myopic policy debate over the feasibility of a green energy transition.” --- David Spence, Baker Botts Chair in Law, the University of Texas at Austin School of Law 7. “Growth-addicted politicians and bureaucrats are running planet Earth on premises and principles drawn from the ecological vacuity of neoliberal economics. As Carey King deftly reveals, this is analogous flying a 787 Dreamliner using the intellectual equivalent of a 1955 Volkswagen Beetle driver’s manual.” --- William Rees, professor emeritus and former director of the School of Community and Regional Planning at University of British Columbia; creator and co-developer of ecological footprint analysis. 8. “The Economic Superorganism provides a refreshing perspective, a wealth of good basic information, and insights into the disagreements and narratives surrounding energy and its role in society.” --- Charles A. S. Hall, Professor Emeritus, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 9. “Carey King has produced a very valuable overview of energy issues, together with their economic, social, general business and financial implications.” --- Professor Michael Jefferson, ESCP Europe Business School, Former Chief Economist, The Royal Dutch/Shell Group10 “The Economic Superorganism is a deep meditation on the facts and fictions around energy, food, economic and climate systems past and future. King has a deductive approach that assumes nothing but intelligence.” --- Raj Patel, Research Professor, University of Texas at Austin 11. “The Economic Superorganism convincingly explains how and why economics must be forced to confront the essential role of energy, fossil or renewable, in industrial civilisation and the dilemmas that poses for our growth-obsessed social system.” --- Professor Steve Keen, Distinguished Research Fellow, Institute for Strategy, Resilience and Security, University College London. Table of ContentsPreface: Why we need to understand the Truthiness of Energy Part I: BackgroundChapter 1: History of Energy, Background of ways of thinking about the future and various people making "truthy" statements.Chapter 2: Story 1: Fossil Fuels: why they are seen as good and badChapter 3: Story 2: Renewable Energy: why it is seen as good and badPart II: The broader perspective within which energy systems resideChapter 4: Other relevant trends of the world (population and demographics, water, land, debt and interest rates, climate - we really are in an unprecedented situation)Chapter 5: Systems thinking and understanding interdependence of world systemsChapter 6: How Macroeconomic modeling works now: World, we have a problem (ignores too many relevant trends, discuss implications of current macroeconomic modeling for low-carbon transition that say anything is possible).Chapter 7: Why the problem with Stories 1 & 2 is the same: Finite Earth, minimum in energy and food costs, overhead, debt, and other trends discussed in this Part 2.Chapter 8: The economists’ delusions and distractions: confidence, political will, technological optimism, “better finance”, etc. These are all part of Story 1 and/or Story 2 (with a little tweak we can just keep going)Part III: The Earth is finite and both Stories (1 = fossil, 2 = renewable) have constraints ignored by most economistsChapter 9: Paying attention to the obvious fact: the Earth is finite, it takes time to change, you need to recognize when this fact is becoming relevant. It is relevant now, independent of climate change. Here is where I discuss that the cost of ``energy and food'' (relative to GDP and incomes) as core resources for humans is behind the two major turning points in post-WW II society: (i) early 1970s, (ii) 2000s (leading to financial crisis)Chapter 10: Why we are shifting to renewables and low-variable cost society (low interest rates, depletion, net energy, size of energy and food sector); Comparing Renewables and Fossil (net energy, fixed vs. variable costs, other systems metrics). This is an expected trend of capitalism (per Karl Marx).Chapter 11: Likely upcoming decisions society will have to consider. Discuss the uncertainties and ideas to look out for. Consumers versus technology. Moving to less ownership and more services. How to think of political governance and accountability. Beware of truthiness.Chapter 12: Metrics, models, and ideas to watch. We need a new set of sound economic principles that are ready for a world of slower/declining growth and unpayable debt. We need to create better macroeconmic models and scenarios since the current macroeconomic approaches (for low-carbon transition) are not feasible.

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Book SynopsisFür Millionen Menschen sind Flugreisen Symbol für Bewegungsfreiheit und Lebensqualität. Doch die Umweltbelastung durch diese Mobiltität ist bereits heute kaum mehr vertretbar und die Problematik wird sich mit zunehmendem Luftverkehr verschärfen. Jürgen Armbruster analysiert die Auswirkungen des Luftverkehrs auf unsere Umwelt und zeigt Perspektiven zur Lösung dieses Problems auf.Table of Contents1 Mobilität kontra Umweltschutz.- Mobilität als neuer sozialer Besitzstand.- Wieviel Mobilität tut uns gut?.- Verkehrspolitik.- Verkehrsverbundsysteme.- 2 Wirtschaftliche Bedeutung des Luftverkehrs.- Entwicklung des Luftverkehrs.- Luftverkehrswirtschaft im Umbruch.- Regionalflugverkehr — die alternative Städteverbindung?.- Luftfracht — der alternative Transportweg?.- Wie wirkt sich der Luftverkehr auf die Volkswirtschaft aus?.- Arbeitsplatz Flughafen.- 3 Landverbrauch durch Flughäfen.- Ökologische Folgen im Flughafenumfeld.- Landverbrauch im Vergleich.- 4 Flug- und Bodenlärm.- Wie läßt sich Lärmbelastung messen?.- Wie kann die Lärmbelastung verhindert werden?.- 5 Strahlenbelastung für die Flugreisenden.- 6 Freier Flug in dicker Luft: das Flugzeug als Schadstoffemittent.- Übersicht zur Umweltbelastung durch den Flugverkehr.- Auswirkungen des Luftverkehrs auf die einzelnen Atmosphärenschichten.- Treibstoff Kerosin.- Welche Faktoren bestimmen den Treibstoffverbrauch?.- Die Schadstoffemission in den verschiedenen Flugphasen.- Wie wirken einzelne Schadstoffe in der Luft?.- 7 Schadstoffbilanz eines Fluges.- 8 Neue technische Konzepte zur Umweltentlastung.- Mantelstromtriebwerke.- Prophan: das Propellergebläse.- Unducted Fan: das alternative Triebwerk für Kurz- und Mittelstrecken?.- Alternative Flugkraftstoffe.- Einführung von emissionsabhängigen Start- und Landegebühren.- Aquastripping: die alternative Methode zur Flugzeug-Entlackung.- 9 Ausblick: ohne Politik geht es nicht.- Literaturhinweise.- Anschriften.- Bildquellennachweis.

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Book SynopsisThis essential creates a lively and vivid understanding of the processes in quantum computers. It explores the quantum phenomena of entanglement and superposition and how they can be used for computing. Coding of information, explanation of simple algorithms, and possible applications are shown. A glossary at the end of the essentials explains the most important terms.Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Quantum Revolution.- Basic building blocks of quantum computing.- Quantum computing today and tomorrow.- Summary.- Glossary.

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Book SynopsisDieses Buch lässt einen das eigene Zuhause mit anderen Augen sehen.Selbst wenn die Böden blitzsauber sind und das Haus leer erscheint, sind unsere Häuser voller Leben. In Nie allein zu Haus stellt uns der Biologe Rob Dunn die fast 200.000 Arten vor, die bei uns zu Hause leben, von den ägyptischen Mehlmotten in unseren Schränken über die Kamelgrillen in unseren Kellern bis hin zum Laktobazillus, der auf unseren Küchenarbeitsplatten lebt. Während wir davon besessen sind, unsere Häuser zu sterilisieren und unsere Räume von der Natur zu trennen, bauen wir unbewusst einen völlig neuen Spielplatz für die Evolution. Der neue Lebensraum beeinflusst die Organismen, die mit uns leben, bringt einige dazu gefährlicher zu werden, und untergräbt gleichzeitig jene Arten, die unserem Körper gut tun oder uns helfen, bedrohlichere Organismen in Schach zu halten. Trade Review“... Das Buch macht sehr anschaulich deutlich, wie wichtig die biologische Vielfalt ist, um das natürliche Gleichgewicht wiederherzustellen. Es ist empfehlenswert für Studierende und bietet durch eine Vielzahl von Fußnoten die Möglichkeit, sich in die verschiedenen Fachdisziplinen zu vertiefen.” (Nadine Merettig, Jg. 29, Heft 7, November 2023)Table of Contents1 Wunder.- 2 Heiße Quelle im Keller.- 3 Licht ins Dunkel.- 4 Krankheit durch fehlende Vielfalt.- 5 Bad im Fluss des Lebens.- 6 Das Problem mit der starken Vermehrung.- 7 Der weitsichtige Ökologe.- 8 Wofür sind Höhlenschrecken eigentlich gut?.- 9 Das Problem mit den Schaben sind wir.- 10 Sieh mal, was die Katze hereingebracht hat.- 11 Mikrobengärten auf der Haut von Säuglingen.- 12 Der Geschmack der biologischen Vielfalt.

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Book SynopsisPhysics is written in the language of mathematics, and its findings are based on thousands of experiments. But what kind of picture does physics paint of the world? What do theories like relativity or quantum mechanics contribute to it? How complete is this picture? This book sheds light on how the "things" these theories are about relate to our everyday things, and points out what questions remain unanswered and what problems are involved.In this book, the author presents how physics works, what it can and cannot do. In doing so, he describes the surprising answers that physics provides to many of our questions about the nature of "things" and the world; answers that challenge our intuition in many ways.This book is a translation of the original German 1st edition Universum ohne Dinge by Jan-Markus Schwindt, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature in 2020. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.Table of Contents1 Introduction.- 2 Philosophy.- 3 Mathematics.- 4 Natural science.- 5 Reductionism.- 6 Physics.- 7 The basic pillars of physics.- 8 The unknown.- 9 Things and facts.- 10 The practical limits of physics.- 11 The principle limits of physics.- 12 Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisIn Brain Wars, acclaimed neuroscientist Mario Beauregard reveals compelling new evidence set to provoke a major shift in our understanding of the mind-body debate: research showing that the mind and consciousness are transmitted and filtered through the brain—but are not generated by it.Following his boundary-breaking neuroscience book The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul, coauthored with Denyse O’Leary, Brain Wars makes a powerful and provocative case against the widely held view equating human beings to complex biological computers.Like Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Beauregard believes that consciousness is more than simply a physical process that takes place in the brain. And here, he presents the evidence to prove it. Brain Wars will revolutionize the way we think about thinking forever.

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Book SynopsisExploring the pervasive presence of the Victorian past in contemporary culture, these essays use the trope of haunting and spectrality as a critical tool with which to consider neo-Victorian works, as well as our ongoing fascination with the Victorians, combining original readings of well-known novels with engaging analyses of lesser-known works.Trade Review'...the editors ought to be congratulated on the high standard of the publication. It provides useful information on a wide-range of theories and neo-Victorian novels. Arias and Pulham have handsomely gathered eight essays which demonstrate the enormous critical potential of the tropes of haunting and spectrality in the field of Neo-Victorian Studies. Furthermore, the analysis of these tropes offered in the collection has proved to be a useful tool to expose and problematize both Victorian and contemporary gender, sexual, and social politics. It is for this reason that scholars engaged, not only with neo-Victorian fiction, but also with gender and trauma studies, should find this volume worth reading and inspiring.' - MisceláneaTable of ContentsNotes on Contributors Introduction; R.Arias & P.Pulham PART I: HISTORIES AND HAUNTINGS Salley Vickers, Venice, and the Victorians; F.O'Gorman Spectrality, S(p)ecularity and Textuality: Or, Some Reflections in the Glass; M.Llewellyn PART II: SPECTRAL WOMEN Repetition and Eternity: Spectral and Textual Continuity in Michèle Roberts' In the Red Kitchen ; A.Golda-Derejczyk The Maid, the Master, his Ghost and her Monster: Alias Grace and Mary Reilly ; E.Saxey PART III: SENSING THE PAST Olfactory Ghosts: Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White ; S.Colella The Haunting of Henry James: Jealous Ghosts, Affinities, and The Others; A.Heilmann PART IV: GHOSTS IN THE CITY Haunted Places, Haunted Spaces: The Spectral Return of Victorian London in Neo-Victorian Fiction; R.Arias Mapping Histories: The Golem and the Serial Killer in White Chappell , Scarlet Tracings and Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem ; P.Pulham Bibliography Index

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