Science: general issues Books
The University of Chicago Press A Heart for the Work
Book SynopsisBurnout is common among doctors in the West, so one might assume that a medical career in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, would place far greater strain on the idealism that drives many doctors. This book reveals the way these young doctors engage the contradictions of their circumstances.Trade Review"Drawing on an impressive amount of original, empirical research and written in an engaging style, A Heart for the Work is an extremely interesting look at medical training in Malawi. Wendland argues that trainee doctors, facing an enormous gap between the ideals of their training and the conditions of medical practice, forge their own set of practical ethics and their own professional culture." - Megan Vaughan, University of Cambridge"
£28.00
The University of Chicago Press Constructed Climates
Book SynopsisAs our world becomes increasingly urbanized, an understanding of the context, mechanisms, and consequences of city and suburban environments becomes more critical. This title demonstrates the value of urban green. Focusing specifically on the role of vegetation and trees, it shows the costs and benefits reaped from urban open spaces.Trade Review"At a time when we all need to approach our shared environmental challenges with an integrative, interdisciplinary perspective, Wilson provides us with a much-needed resource that combines urban ecology, physics, chemistry, and sociology. A must read for anyone seeking to have a positive impact on the places in which we live." (Richard V. Pouyat, US Forest Service)"
£76.95
The University of Chicago Press Constructed Climates
Book SynopsisAs our world becomes increasingly urbanized, an understanding of the context, mechanisms, and consequences of city and suburban environments becomes more critical. This title demonstrates the value of urban green. Focusing specifically on the role of vegetation and trees, it shows the costs and benefits reaped from urban open spaces.Trade Review"At a time when we all need to approach our shared environmental challenges with an integrative, interdisciplinary perspective, Wilson provides us with a much-needed resource that combines urban ecology, physics, chemistry, and sociology. A must read for anyone seeking to have a positive impact on the places in which we live." (Richard V. Pouyat, US Forest Service)"
£28.00
The University of Chicago Press Science in the Age of Computer Simulation
Book SynopsisDigital computer simulation helps study phenomena of great complexity, but how much do we know about the limits and possibilities of this new scientific practice? How do simulations compare to traditional experiments? And are they reliable? The author seeks to answer these questions.Trade Review"This is the first book-length study of the role of simulation models from the standpoint of philosophy of science. It will be required reading for all who follow." - Ronald Giere, University of Minnesota"
£28.00
The University of Chicago Press A World of Rivers
Book SynopsisFar from being the serene, natural streams of yore, modern rivers have been diverted, dammed, dumped in, and dried up, all in efforts to harness their power for human needs. But these rivers have also undergone environmental change. This title explores the confluence of human and environmental change on ten of the great rivers of the world.
£76.00
University of Chicago Press Rodent Societies An Ecological and Evolutionary
Book SynopsisIntegrates the state of knowledge about the social behavior of rodents, providing ecological and evolutionary contexts for understanding their societies and highlighting conservation and management strategies to preserve them. This title begins with a summary of the evolution, phylogeny, and biogeography of social and nonsocial rodents.
£52.25
The University of Chicago Press Animal Personalities
Book SynopsisA study of animal personality is one of the fastest-growing areas of research in behavioral and evolutionary biology. It provides an overview of the research on animal personality.
£42.75
The University of Chicago Press The Timeline of Presidential Elections How
Book SynopsisWith the 2012 presidential election upon us, will voters cast their ballots for the candidates whose platforms and positions best match their own? Or will the race for the next president of the United States come down largely to who runs the most effective campaigning? This book reveals how both factors come into play.Trade Review"This is an important, original book by accomplished political scientists at the top of their game. Robert S. Erikson and Christopher Wlezien have addressed a central question in the study of presidential elections - to what extent do the actual campaigns matter? - and provided an account of election dynamics that anyone with a passing knowledge of presidential elections can understand, but whose technical sophistication will be appreciated by political scientists. The Timeline of Presidential Elections will be regarded as a landmark by the presidential research community." (Gary C. Jacobson, University of California, San Diego)"
£27.00
The University of Chicago Press The Social Citizen Peer Networks and Political
Book SynopsisWe are not just social animals, but social citizens whose political choices are significantly shaped by peer influence. Drawing upon data from settings as diverse as South Los Angeles and Chicago's wealthy North Shore, the author shows that social networks do not merely inform citizens' behavior, they can - and do - have the power to change it.Trade Review"The best, most thorough, and most methodologically sophisticated treatment of the role of social networks in political behavior that I have ever read. Betsy Sinclair shows just how strongly we are influenced to express ourselves politically by our family, neighbors, and friends. We are on the verge of a sea change in political science, and this will be one of the most important books we refer to when we describe what happened to the discipline in the twenty-first century." (James H. Fowler, University of California, San Diego)"
£27.00
The University of Chicago Press Swordfish A Biography of the Ocean Gladiator
Book SynopsisA perfect fish in the evolutionary sense, the broadbill swordfish derives its name from its distinctive bill - much longer and wider than the bill of any other billfish - which is flattened into the sword we all recognize. This book provides a complete history of the fish from its prehistoric fossils to its present-day endangerment.Trade Review"Richard Ellis writes that the swordfish is a 'graceful, tapered teardrop of a fish' that has enchanted and mystified humans since their most ancient encounters with this unique being. Ellis is one of a kind, too, a meticulous researcher and a fine writer who has brought to life more creatures of the sea than anyone working today. They come together in Swordfish for a great read and a valuable addition to our understanding of the ocean and its inhabitants." -Brad Matsen, author of Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King"
£23.00
The University of Chicago Press Lifeworlds
Book SynopsisSeeking the truths that are found in the interstices between examiner and examined, world and word, and body and mind, and taking inspiration from James, Dewey, Arendt, Husserl, Sartre, Camus, and, especially, Merleau-Ponty, the author creates in these chapters a distinctive anthropological pursuit of existential inquiry.Trade Review"Lifeworlds is an extraordinary book, remarkable for its depth, scholarship, and lightness of touch. It puts the whole question of anthropology's relation to philosophy in a new light. Michael Jackson is not only a great ethnologist, he is also a major theoretician of anthropological knowledge. Not many people could have taken up such profound issues while wearing their scholarship so lightly." (Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University)"
£30.00
The University of Chicago Press SuperVision An Introduction to the Surveillance
Book SynopsisBeginning with a look at the activities and technologies that connect most people to the surveillance matrix, from Facebook to identification cards to GPS devices in our cars, the authors invite readers to critically explore surveillance as it relates to issues of law, power, freedom, and inequality.Trade Review"With SuperVision, John Gilliom and Torin Monahan meld deep knowledge with extensive teaching experience to offer a richly grounded look at the ubiquity of surveillance in everyday, contemporary life - from the tracking and tracing of cell phones to the post-9/11 hyperextension of airport security. Surveillance studies is rapidly gaining importance across the social sciences, and Gilliom and Monahan's book provides a first-rate introduction to this burgeoning field." (Michael Musheno, University of California, Berkeley)"
£76.00
The University of Chicago Press What Kinship IsAnd Is Not
Book SynopsisIn this pithy two-part essay, the author reinvigorates the debates on what constitutes kinship, building on some of the best scholarship in the field to produce an original outlook on the deepest bond humans can have. He also shows that mutuality of being is a symbolic notion of belonging, not a biological connection by 'blood'.Trade ReviewJanet Carsten, University of Edinburgh "Clearly destined to become something of a classic in kinship studies in anthropology. This is partly because of the huge breadth of Marshall Sahlins's scholarship, which takes in everything from Aristotle to the most up-to-date references in the study of kinship, including a wonderful range of standard and lesser-known works along the way. But this of course is not just a work of synthesis; it is also an original, brilliant, and, above all, creative contribution to current debates in the discipline." Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro "The work of Marshall Sahlins has continuously inspired whole academic generations of anthropologists. As with many of his previous interventions, this bold and incisive essay will be hailed as a beacon of lucidity in the somewhat foggy conceptual landscape of current anthropology. The all too neglected structuralist insight of the radical identity between sociality and semiosis is rescued and developed by Sahlins in a wonderfully refreshing way, with the help and the benefit of an easy, capacious scholarship that embraces everything from philosophy to linguistics to contemporary ethnography (from the Nichomachean Ethics to Benveniste on pronouns, from Amazonian couvade to Maori gift-exchange). This book musters deep and convincing arguments in favor of a thoroughly relational human ontology, bodying forth a renewed notion of internal or intrinsic relationality, which runs counter to the current infatuation with substances and impenetrable essences. It shows that what is natural in human culture is what is cultural in human nature: kinship, precisely." Alan Rumsey, Australian National University "What Kinship Is - And Is Not is a tour de force, even by Sahlinsian standards. Kinship is one of the oldest topics in anthropology, but by the 1970s it began to lose its centrality, partly under the weight of critiques which denied the cross-cultural validity of 'kinship' as an analytical category. Sahlins develops an incisive counter-critique of that position while at the same time radically reframing kinship as 'mutuality of being,' which he takes to be a pan-human phenomenon. A superb piece of anthropological writing, this book does a wonderful job of ethnographically substantiating that concept, along the way making several other major contributions to anthropological theory." Thomas Trautmann, University of Michigan "In What Kinship Is - And Is Not, Marshall Sahlins argues that kinship is culture, not biology, and he does so in the pure, uncompromising, vivid way of which he is the master. We now have the case for the cultural interpretation in the strongest imaginable form, which is at the same time a case for not splitting the difference in the quandary at the heart of kinship studies. It is a service of inestimable value, and all who study kinship will benefit." Robert Parkin, Anthropological Quarterly "Marshall Sahlins is one of the great names of modern anthropology, but thus far he has not counted as one of the key figures in the study of kinship... but [The Use and Abuse of Biology] and the present text both show that Sahlins is knowledgeable about kinship and entirely capable of contributing something new to debates concerning it... He has clearly ransacked the most recent literature in the search for relevant ethnography, though he also finds support for his argument in some of the older literature, going back to Tylor in 1865, and even to Plato. The basic theme, therefore, is not new, though his treatment of it is. Sahlins has given this phenomenon a name - "mutuality of being" - and that in itself will compel us to take notice of it."
£76.00
The University of Chicago Press Globalization and New Geographies of Conservation
Book SynopsisExamining the geographical dimensions of environmental management and conservation activities implemented on landscapes worldwide, this title collects case studies to explore the interaction of humans and their environment. Bridging the gap between geography and life science, it is of interest to students of the environment.
£38.00
Columbia University Press How to DeepFreeze a Mammoth
Book SynopsisHow does bison meat taste after being frozen for 30,000 years? Were Ice Age cave painters trying to create "art" or just record history? How did ancient oil spills occur, before oil companies existed? Those are just some of the questions renowned paleontologist Bjorn Kurten answers in these lighthearted essays on fossils, ancient life, and related topics.
£42.50
Columbia University Press Our Universes George B. Pegram Lecture Series
Book SynopsisExpanded from a February 1989 lecture at Brookhaven National Laboratory, noted physicist Wilkinson romps through modern astrophysical cosmology, contending that we create a multitude of conceptual universes many incompatible in order to try to make sense of peculiar things that happen, like life. An
£70.40
Columbia University Press The Cave Bear Story
Book SynopsisThis portrait of the cave bear conveys facts about this animal, including its structure, habits, and society, the Ice Age environment, sexual and racial variations, and extinction. The text also details the relationship between man and bear, and theories surrounding bear-hunting and bear cults.
£22.50
Columbia University Press Mammoths Sabertooths and Hominids
Book SynopsisThis book covers mammalian evolution from the aftermath of the dinosaur extinction to the glacial climax of the Pleistocene epoch, from early lemur-like primates to giant cold-climate adapted mega-mammals, such as the woolly mammoth or mastodon.Trade ReviewAn exceptionally valuable, scholarly, yet widely accessible broad outline of the dazzling evolutionary history of the mammalian faunas and selected lineages during the Age of Mammals, the Cenozoic...an important contribution for those paleontologists and zoologists who are not mammal specialists, yet have wide-ranging interests in macroevolution. Very highly recommended. Choice A rich paleontological panorama...What struck me most forceably about the work is the magnitude of chance experienced by the region over this period. Times Literary Supplement An excellent balance of coverage between different lineages--and impressive achievement in and of itself... This is a very successful study, which tackles a difficult task with admirable deftness. Journal of Mammology Full of interesting matter...a vital aid in assisting the nonexpert reader to see the big picture. -- Tim Flannery Science An important resource for specialists who wish to know the latest about European mammal evolution, because so much has changed since [Bjorn] Kurten (1971)... Agusti has done an excellent job of bringing these latest developements into the text and integrating them with the great increase in our understanding of European tectonics as well. Earth Science History A fine book for all who have an interest in mammals, whether extant species or fossil species. Nicely done. Northeastern Naturalist It is always a pleasure to review a book that is accurate, easy to read and beautifully illustrated. -- Peter Andrews Journal of Mammalian EvolutionTable of ContentsPreface The Paleocene: The Dark Epoch The Eocene: Reaching the Climax The Oligocene: A Time of Change The Early to Middle Miocene: When the Continents Collide The Late Miocene: The Beginning of the Crisis The Pliocene: The End of a World The Pleistocene: The Age of Humankind Index
£31.50
Columbia University Press Evolving Eden An Illustrated Guide to the
Book SynopsisLinking the evidence of the past with that of the present, this illustrated guide examines the evolution of the mammalian fauna of Africa over the course of more than 30 million years of primate presence. It also covers such topics as the physical evolution of the African continent and the biological evolution of its mammalian fauna.Trade ReviewThis is an important book. -- John Laurence Kelland American Reference Books Annual This artistic and scholarly triumph belongs in all academic libraries...Highly recommended. Choice A fascinating read and a visual feast, this book lays the foundation for a deeper appreciation of contemporary African wildlife. Ethnology, Ecology & Evolution This book can be recommended for its illustrations alone... Add to this extensive research and explanations and you have an excellent book on the evolution of African large mammals. E-Streams Important for present-day conservationalists who want to protect this "Garden of Eden." -- Asad R. Rahmani Hornbill [It] fills an obvious gap in the popular scientific literature... It is a worthy addition to any fossil fan's library. Fossil NewsTable of Contents1. Dating, Continental Drift, Climate Change, and the Motor of Evolution 2. The Background to Mammalian Evolution in Africa 3. African Mammals, Past and Present 4. Fossil Sites in Africa 5. The Evolving African Mammalian Fauna Epilogue Further Reading Index
£27.00
Columbia University Press Trading the Genome
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£52.70
Columbia University Press Buddhism and Science
Book SynopsisDistinguished philosophers, Buddhist scholars, physicists, and cognitive scientists examine the contrasts and connections between the worlds of Western science and Buddhism. Contributors, the Dalai Lama among them, assess not only the fruits of inquiry from East and West, they shed light on the underlying assumptions of these disparate world views.Trade ReviewMy brief remarks cannot do justice to the wide-ranging sweep of these papers and their thoughtful treatment of often difficult concepts. Wallace's volume is an important contribution to the emerging dialogue between Buddhism and science, and to the larger rapprochement between science and spirituality. -- Arthur Zajonc, Professor of Physics, Amherst College Buddhadharma Are religion and science completely autonomous, and hence incommensurable universes of discourse? Does the examination of meditation practice by scientific means dehumanise and despiritualise it? The importance of this book lies in the fact that it confronts questions such as these, and offers us a wide range of studies that... [show] ways in which seemingly diverse cultural traditions can enrich and enliven each other. -- John Clarke The Scientific and Medical Network ...the book is a crucial work that provides a foundation for future efforts... -- Aparna Sharma Leonardo Reviews An important contribution to the area of Buddhism and science. -- Richard K. Payne Theology and Science Qantum theory's affinities with the Buddhist concept of emptiness...and consciousness are amoung some of the enlightening and thought-provoking subjects explored in this book. Southeastern Naturalist Those drawn toward and committed to exploring contemplative practices firsthand in an open, dedicated and more rigorous fashion will find here assistance on their journey toward fulfillment. -- Marcia Howton Inquiring MindTable of ContentsIntroduction: Buddhism and Science--Breaking Down the Barriers, by B. Alan Wallace Part 1 Historical Context Buddhism and Science: On the Nature of the Dialogue, by Josc Ignacio Cabezon Science As an Ally or a Rival Philosophy? Tibetan Buddhist Thinkers' Engagement with Modern Science, by Thupten Jinpa Part 2 Buddhism and the Cognitive Sciences Understanding and Transforming the Mind, by His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama The Concepts "Self", "Person", and "I" in Western Psychology and in Buddhism, by David Galin Common Ground, Common Cause: Buddhism and Science on the Afflictions of Identity, by William S. Waldron Imagining: Embodiment, Phenomenology, and Transformation, by Francisco J. Varela and Natalie Depraz Lucid Dreaming and the Yoga of the Dream State: A Psychophysiological Perspective, by Stephen LaBerge On the Relevance of a Contemplative Science, by Matthieu Ricard Part 3 Buddhism and the Physical Sciences Emptiness and Quantum Theory, by William L. Ames Time and Impermanence in Middle Way Buddhism and Modern Physics, by Victor Mansfield A Cure for Metaphysical Illusions: Kant Quantum Mechanics and Madhyamaka, by Michel Bitbol Emptiness and Relativity, by David Ritz Finkelstein Encounters Between Buddhist and Quantum Epistemologies, by Anton Zeilinger Conclusion: Life As a Laboratory, by Piet Hut Appendix: A History of the Mind and Life Institute
£29.75
Columbia University Press Chaos and Life
Book SynopsisAn alternative view of evolving complexity. Bird argues that randomness means not disorder but infinite order and that complexity arises from the "playing out" of chaotic systems.Trade ReviewThis thought-provoking work will be valuable reading for students and for professionals trained in ecology and evolution... it should be required reading for advanced undergraduates, for graduate student seminars, and for discussion courses on the nature of organic evolution. Recommended [for] general readers, upper-level undergraduates and above. Choice Bird reveals his philosophical, almost mystical, inclinations... Bird's book is a product of this creative imagination that grapples with the very process itself. -- Martin Lockley The Scientific and Medical Network Bird's explanation of how organisms tap the universe of archetypes is... radically ingenious. Times Literary Supplement Chaos and Life...literally challenges many of our accepted views of reality...it's extremely well-written, so that if readers are willing to make the effort, they can tread new paths of thought. -- Robin Robertson Cybernetics and Human Knowledge This is a formidable piece. -- Paul Johnson Richmond Times-Dispatch Well written and clear, makes a strong case. Northeastern NaturalistTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Prologue: The Dawn of Man? 1. Iteration and Sequence 2. The Crisis in Biology 3. The Origin of "Species" 4. Chaos and Dimensionality 5. Chaostability 6. The Geometry of Life 7. The Living Computer 8. Morphology and Evolution 9. Entropy, Information, and Randomness 10. The Effectiveness of Mathematics 11. Life and Conflict 12. The World as Iteration and Recursion Notes Index
£46.75
Columbia University Press Useless Arithmetic
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis book is a welcome antidote to the blind use of supposedly quantitative models. -- Carl Wunsch American Scientist This is an easy and persuasive read. -- Fred Pearce New Scientist Useless Arithmetic dispels many myths and is a 'must read' packing in case studies and insights on faulty thinking. The Midwest Book Review [This] readily accessible book should be read by any activist who's ever had to face off against the opposition's engineers. Earth Island Journal A concise, powerful, and readable book. -- Steven R. Carpenter Issues in Science and Technology This book should be in every library... Essential. Choice Useless Arithmetic will surely excite any reader. -- David Simberloff BioScience
£22.50
Columbia University Press The Ecosystem Approach
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA copy of The Ecosystem Approach should be placed on the desk of every engineer, manager, environmentalist, politician and teacher. -- Kyrke Gaudreau Alternatives JournalTable of ContentsPreface, by David Waltner-Toews, Nina-Marie E. Lister, and Stephen Bocking Part I. Some Theoretical Bases for a New Ecosystem Approach 1. An Introduction to Systems Thinking, by James Kay 2. Framing the Situation: Developing a System Description, by James Kay 3. Scale and Type: a Requirement for Addressing Complexity with Dynamical Quality, by Tim Allen 4. Self-Organizing, Holarchic, Open Systems (SOHOs), by Michelle Boyle and James Kay 5. So What Changes? Implications of Complexity for an Ecosystem Approach to Management, by James Kay 6. Bridging Science and Values: The Challenge of Biodiversity, by Nina-Marie E. Lister 7. The Cultural Basis for an Ecosystem Approach, by Fikret Berkes and Iain Davidson-Hunt 8. A Family of Origin for an Ecosystem Approach to Managing for Sustainability, by Martin Bunch, Dan McCarthy, and David Waltner-Toews Part II. Case Studies: Learning by Doing 9. Linking Hard and Soft Systems in Local Development, by Reg Noble, Ricardo Ramirez, and Clive Lightfoot 10. Human Activity and the Ecosystem Approach: The Contribution of Soft Systems Methodology to Managing the Cooum River in Chennai India, by Martin Bunch 11. Landscape Perspectives on Agroecosystem Health in the Great Lakes Basin, by Dominique Charron and David Waltner-Toews 12. An Agroecosystem Health Case Study in the Central Highlands of Kenya, by Thomas Gitau, David Waltner-Toews, and John McDermott 13. Food, Floods, and Farming: An Ecosystem Approach to Human Health on the Peruvian Amazon Frontier, by Tamsyn P. Murray, David Waltner-Toews, Jose Sanchez-Choy, and Felix Sanchez-Zavala Part III. Managing for Sustainability: Meeting the Challenges 14. Implementing an Ecosystem Approach: The Diamond, AMESH, and Their Siblings, by David Waltner-Toews and James Kay 15. Return to Kathmandu: A Post-Hoc Application of AMESH, by R. Cynthia Neudoerffer, David Waltner-Toews, and James J. Kay 16. Tools for Learning: Monitoring and Indicator Development, by Michelle Boyle and James Kay Part IV. Where to from Here? Some Challenges for a New Science in an Uncertain World 17. Beyond Complex Systems-Emergent Complexity and Social Solidarity, by Silvio Funtowicz and Jerry Ravetz 18. Third World Inequity, Critical Political Economy, and the Ecosystem Approach, by Ernesto F. Raez-Luna 19. An Ecosystem Approach for Sustaining Ecological Integrity-but Which Ecological Integrity?, by David Manuel-Navarrete, Dan Dolderman, and James J. Kay 20. The Water or the Wave? Toward an Ecosystem Approach for Cross-Cultural Dialogue on the Whanganui River, New Zealand, by Charlotte Helen Sunde A Tribute to James Kay, by David Waltner-Toews et al. Appendix: Hierarchy and Holonocracy, by Henry Regier Contributors Index
£38.25
Columbia University Press Dogs
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn easy-to-read text, accompanied by Anton's marvelous illustrations... Recommended. Choice A definitive, readable treatment of the evolution of the canine clan. Fossil News Sets a new standard... With Anton's imagery, Wang and Tedford's Dogs is nothing short of wonderful. American Paleomtologist A must-read for dog junkies. -- H.J. Kirchhoff Toronto Globe & Mail Nothing short of wonderful. -- Richard A. Kissel American PaleontologistTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. Dogs: Methods of Study and the Place of Dogs in Nature 2. The Origin of Canids and Other Doglike Carnivorous Mammals 3. Diversity: Who Is Who in the Dog Family 4. Anatomy and Function: How the Parts Work 5. Hunting and Social Activity 6. Changing Environments and Canid Evolution 7. Going Places: Braving New Worlds 8. Domestic Dogs Appendix: Canid Species and Classification Glossary Further Reading Index
£22.00
Columbia University Press Hollywood Science
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn entertaining, maybe indispensable guide for film buffs everywhere. Booklist "A grand roundup of technical movie masterpieces... praising scientific accuracy (A Beautiful Mind) and exposing turkeys (Volcano). Los Angeles Magazine An engaging and fun read. -- Claude Lalumiere Locus Hollywood Science is great fun... I give it two thumbs up! -- David Schneider American Scientist A fascinating read that will have you heading to your local DVD store. Physics World This is a terrific book... Essential. CHOICE Hollywood Science is a treat for anyone who looks from their television set to the Moon. -- John Findura Fortean Times An exceptionally accessible book, Hollywood Science provides a very good catalog of the ways Hollywood has used and abused science. -- Neil Easterbrook SFRA ReviewTable of ContentsPreface: A Personal Note Introduction 1. Looking for Science in the Movies? Check Out Science Fiction Films First Part I. Dangers from Nature 2. Alien Encounters 3. Devastating Collisions 4. Our Violent Planet Part II. Dangers from Ourselves 5. Atoms Unleashed 6. Genes and Germs Gone Bad 7. The Computers Take Over Part III. The Good, the Bad, and the Real 8. Scientists as Heroes, Nerds, and Villains 9. Solid Science and Quantum Loopiness: Golden Eagles and Golden Turkeys 10. Hollywood Science vs. Real Science Afterword: Finding Real Science in the Movies and Beyond Appendix: Alongside Hollywood Science, There's Popcorn Science Further Reading and Viewing Filmography Acknowledgments Index
£19.00
Columbia University Press Evolutionary Biogeography An Integrative Approach
Book SynopsisTrade Reviewis well suited for any novice in the field of historic biogeography by providing a broad synopsis and very good introductions to each method. Basic and Applied EcologyTable of ContentsPreface 1. Introducing Evolutionary Biogeography 2. Basic Concepts 3. A Brief History of Evolutionary Biogeography 4. Identification of Biotic Components 5. Testing Relationships Among Biotic Components 6. Regionalization 7. Identification of Cenocrons 8. Construction of a Geobiotic Scenario 9. Toward an Integrative Biogeography References Case Studies 4.1. Biogeography and evolution of North American cave Collembola 4.2. Distributional patterns of Mexican marine mammals 4.3. Biogeography of the Subantarctic islands 4.4. Biogeography of the Sierra de Chiribiquete (Colombia) 4.5. Biogeography of the Mexican cloud forests 4.6. Distribution of butterflies in the Western Palearctic 4.7. Areas of endemism in southern South America 5.1. Cladistic biogeography of Central Chile 5.2. Cladistic biogeography of afromontane spiders 5.3. Biogeographic history of the North American warm desert biota 5.4. Cladistic biogeography of the "blue ash" eucalypts 5.5. Biogeography of South American assassin bugs (Hemiptera) 5.6. Biogeography of plant and animal taxa in the Southern Hemisphere 5.7. Biogeography of the Northern Andes 5.8. Biogeography of Rhododendron section Vireya in the Malesian Archipelago 5.9. Historical biogeography of the Subantarctic subregion 5.10. Cladistic biogeography of the Hawaiian islands 5.11. Dispersal of hominines in the Old World 6.1. Regionalization of Latin America 7.1. Dinosaurian biogeography 7.2. Phylogeography of red deers in Eurasia 7.3. Phylogeographic predictions of a weevil species of the Canary Islands 7.4. The Mediterranean Lago Mare theory and the speciation of European freshwater fishes 7.5. The arrival of caviomorph rodents and platyrrhine primates in South America
£52.70
Columbia University Press Fixing the Sky
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewCurrent hopes for a technological answer to global warming are not an altogether new quest; they echo a rich history of attempts to work upon the weather. James Rodger Fleming explores this history thoroughly, parading a colorful variety of scientists, visionaries, and charlatans who reveal important lessons about our past-and possible future. -- Spencer Weart, author of The Discovery of Global Warming With humanity's planetary impact reaching a Richter scale equivalent, what seem to be quick fixes become exceedingly tempting. Fixing the Sky's historical insights are a revelation--an anchor and essential base from which to consider addressing the greatest challenge in the history of our species. -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Mason University and The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment James Rodger Fleming's book is a kind of tour de folie, an authoritative recounting over two centuries of weather changers and climate controllers, rainmakers and rain fakers, and cloud seeders and fog dissolvers. All in all, an engrossing work about vain hopes and technological hubris--as well as a cautionary tale to anyone concerned with attempts to engineer the planet. -- Dan Kevles, Yale University Provides an essential foundation for understanding the long and dubious scientific tradition from which plans for climate control hail. -- W. Patrick McCray Science Fixing the Sky is a very readable, in-depth popular account of the history of weather modification, ranging from myth and movies to experiments, commercial ventures, and proposals for the future control of weather and climate... Recommended.Choice Choice Provides a detailed account of weather modification... The topic is an important one, and the book is relevant for scientists, stakeholders, policy makers, and concerned citizens alike. -- Rasmus E. Benestad American Scientist The topic is an important one, the book is relevant for scientists, stake-holders, policy makers, and concerned citizens alike. Sigma Xi (Reprint of American Scientist Review) I recommend this book to those interested in weather and climate modification and the history of applied meteorology. The Weather Doctor Blog Fleming has provided another valuable contribution to the still tiny but emerging historiography of global warming. -- Sam White Monthly Review An entertaining book about a serious issue. -- Gail Cooper Technology and Culture Fleming is a masterful writer, at the top of his game, and his skill and good humor make this book a blast to read. -- Paul Edwards H-Environment Roundtable Reviews This interesting and original work, building off of Fleming's previous studies of meteorology and climate science history, provides valuable perspective on what may soon become serious policy debates over how to respond to global warming. H-Environment a very useful and entertaining book. -- David Philip Miller Metascience This is a marvellous text for classroom adoption, and will engage undergraduates with its resolute, fairminded and comprehensive approach to a difficult and utterly fascinating subject. -- Mott Greene Ambix Fleming's book should be mandatory reading for each climate engineering enthusiast, as it provides historical precedent to the current debate. Anyone interested in climate change-related issues will benefit from the book because of its easily accessible and jargon-free style. -- Axel Michaelowa Climate Policy ...not just a stellar addition to the history of science, but also a major contribution to the discussion on the role of history in science policy. -- Vladimir Jankovic IsisTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Stories of Control 2. Rain Makers 3. Rain Fakers 4. Foggy Thinking 5. Pathological Science 6. Weather Warriors 7. Fears, Fantasies, and Possibilities of Control 8. The Climate Engineers Notes Bibliography Index
£80.39
Columbia University Press Rising Seas
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewRising Seas provides a comprehensive and thoughtful discussion of the science, impacts, and policy matters surrounding one of the most pressing societal threats we face today-global sea level rise. -- Michael E. Mann, director, Penn State Earth System Science Center, and author of The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines This essential and readable survey of the history and science of sea level change should be on the desk of anyone involved in coastal planning and resource management and will be extremely effective as a textbook. A great, much-needed book! -- Maureen E. Raymo, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University Rising Seas: Past, Present, Future is a siren warning of the imminent and ongoing ecological catastrophe that humans are inflicting upon the planet... Highly recommended. The Midwest Book Review If you have any interest in coastal areas, impacts of global climate change and changes in sea level, Rising Seas: Past, Present, Future is a must read. Weather Doctor Blog ...Gornitz writes with articulate scholarship, which will make a lasting, positive impression on her readers. -- Alexander S. Kolker, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium BioScience This book presents a thoroughly documented, comprehensive overview of perhaps the most urgent issue closely associated with global warming... Gornitz has succeeded in presenting a complicated subject in a scholarly and captivating manner, making it accessible to both the expert and the lay person. Metascience Excellent... I can give the book the highest praise: I wish that I had written it. Reports of the National Center for Science EducationTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. The Ever-Changing Ocean 2. The Causes and Detection of Sea Level Change 3. Piercing the Veil of Time: Sea Levels After the Dinosaurs 4. When the Mammoths Roamed: Sea Level During the Ice Ages 5. The Great Ice Meltdown and Rising Seas 6. The Modern Speedup of Sea Level Rise 7. Sea Level Rise on a Warming Planet 8. Shorelines at Risk 9. Coping with the Rising Waters 10. Charting a Future Course Appendix. Geologic Time Scale Notes Glossary Bibliography Credits Index
£32.30
Columbia University Press Fossil Mammals of Asia
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis large volume makes a major step in drawing together the diverse research programs extending from Turkey and Georgia through central and south Asia to China, Asian Russia, Thailand, and Japan. Highly recommended. Choice Invaluable... Fossil Mammals of Asia has done what no project had previously accomplished and will be an indispensable tool for completing the process of establishing a continent-wide biochronology. -- John D. Orcutt, Quarterly Review of Biology The book's editors and contributors are to be congratulated. We must be grateful that this volume has come into being. It is a book into which specialists as well as other interested readers will have to delve again, and again, and again. -- Ephraim Nissan PriscumTable of ContentsIntroduction: Toward a Continental Asian Biostratigraphic and Geochronologic Framework, by Xiao-ming Wang, Lawrence J. Flynn, and Mikael Fortelius Part I. East Asia 1. Neogene Land Mammal Stages/Ages of China: Toward the Goal to Establish an Asian Land Mammal Stage/Age Scheme, by Zhan-xiang Qiu, Zhu-ding Qiu, Tao Deng, Chuan-kui Li, Zhao-qun Zhang, Ban-yue Wang, and Xiao-ming Wang 2. North China Neogene Biochronology: A Chinese Standard, by Michael O. Woodburne, Richard H. Tedford, and Everett H. Lindsay 3. A Single Point Base Definition of the Xiejian Age as an Exemplar for Refining Chinese Land Mammal Ages, by Jin Meng, Jie Ye, Wen-yu Wu, Xi-jun Ni, and Shun-dong Bi 4. Early Miocene Xiejiahe and Sihong Fossil Localities and Their Faunas, Eastern China, by Zhu-ding Qiu and Zhan-xiang Qiu 5. Neogene Faunal Succession and Biochronology of Central Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), by Zhu-ding Qiu, Xiao-ming Wang, and Qiang Li 6. Mammalian Biochronology of the Late Miocene Bahe Formation, by Zhao-qun Zhang, Anu Kaakinen, Li-ping Liu, Juha Pekka Lunkka, Sevket Sen, Wulf A. Gose, Zhu-ding Qiu, Shao-hua Zheng, and Mikael Fortelius 7. Stratigraphy and Paleoecology of the Classical Dragon Bone Localities of Baode County, Shaanxi Province, by Anu Kaakinen, Benjamin H. Passey, Zhao-qun Zhang, Li-ping Liu, Lauri J. Pesonen, and Mikael Fortelius 8. Review of the Litho-, Bio-, and Chronostratigraphy in the Nihewan Basin, Hebei, China, by Bao-quan Cai, Shao-hua Zheng, Joseph C. Liddicoat, and Qiang Li 9. Late Cenozoic Biostratigraphy of the Linxia Basin, Northwestern China, by Tao Deng, Zhan-xiang Qiu, Ban-yue Wang, Xiao-ming Wang, and Su-kuan Hou 10. Neogene Mammalian Biostratigraphy and Geochronology of the Tibetan Plateau, by Xiao-ming Wang, Qiang Li, Zhu-ding Qiu, Guang-pu Xie, Ban-yue Wang, Zhan-xiang Qiu, Zhijie J. Tseng, Gary T. Takeuchi, and Tao Deng 11. Hominoid-Producing Localities and Biostratigraphy in Yunnan, by Wei Dong and Guo-qin Qi 12. Miocene Land Mammals and Stratigraphy of Japan, by Yukimitsu Tomida, Hideo Nakaya, Haruo Saegusa, Kazunori Miyata, and Akira Fukuchi 13. Pliocene Land Mammals of Japan, by Ryohei Nakagawa, Yoshinari Kawamura, and Hiroyuki Taruno Part II. South and Southeast Asia 14. The Siwaliks and Neogene Evolutionary Biology in South Asia, by Lawrence J. Flynn, Everett H. Lindsay, David Pilbeam, S. Mahmood Raza, Michele E. Morgan, John C. Barry, Catherine E. Badgley, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, I. U. Cheema, Abdul Rahim Rajpar, and Neil D. Opdyke 15. The Neogene Siwaliks of the Potwar Plateau, Pakistan, by John C. Barry, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, Catherine E. Badgley, Lawrence J. Flynn, Hannele Peltonen, I. U. Cheema, David Pilbeam, Everett H. Lindsay, S. Mahmood Raza, Abdul Rahim Rajpar, and Michele E. Morgan 16. Mammalian Neogene Biostratigraphy of the Sulaiman Province, Pakistan, by Pierre-Olivier Antoine, Gregoire Metais, Maeva J. Orliac, J.-Y. Crochet, Lawrence J. Flynn, Laurent Marivaux, Abdul Rahim Rajpar, G. Roohi, and Jean-Loup Welcomme 17. Indian Neogene Siwalik Mammalian Biostratigraphy: An Overview, by Rajeev Patnaik 18. Paleobiogeography and South Asian Small Mammals: Neogene Latitudinal Faunal Variation, by Lawrence J. Flynn and Wilma Wessels 19. Advances in the Biochronology and Biostratigraphy of the Continental Neogene of Myanmar, by Olivier Chavasseau, Aung Aung Khyaw, Yaowalak Chaimanee, Pauline Coster, Edouard-Georges Emonet, Aung Naing Soe, Mana Rugbumrung, Soe Thura Tun, and Jean-Jacques Jaeger Part III. North and Central Asia 20. Miocene Mammal Biostratigraphy of Central Mongolia (Valley of Lakes): New Results, by Gudrun Daxner-Hock, Demchig Badamgarav, Margarita Erbajeva, and Ursula Bettina Gohlich 21. Late Cenozoic Mammal Faunas of the Baikalian Region: Composition, Biochronology, Dispersal, and Correlation with Central Asia, by Margarita Erbajeva and Nadezhda Alexeeva 22. New Data on Miocene Biostratigraphy and Paleoclimatology of Olkhon Island (Lake Baikal, Siberia), by Gudrun Daxner-Hock, Madelaine Bohme, and Annette Kossler Part IV. West Asia and Adjacent Regions 23. Late Miocene Mammal Localities of Eastern Europe and Western Asia: Toward Biostratigraphic Synthesis, by Eleonora Vangengeim and Alexey S. Tesakov 24. Late Miocene (Turolian) Vertebrate Faunas from Southern European Russia, by Vadim V. Titov and Alexey S. Tesakov 25. Recent Advances in Paleobiological Research of the Late Miocene Maragheh Fauna, Northwest Iran, by Majid Mirzaie Ataabadi, Raymond L. Bernor, Dimitris S. Kostopoulos, Dominik Wolf, Zahra Orak, Gholamreza Zare, Hideo Nakaya, Mahito Watabe, and Mikael Fortelius 26. A Review of the Neogene Succession of the Muridae and Dipodidae from Anatolia with Special Reference to Taxa Known from Asia and/or Europe, by Hans de Bruijn, Engin Unay, and Kees Hordijk 27. Late Miocene Fossils from the Baynunah Formation, United Arab Emirates: Summary of a Decade of New Work, by Faysal Bibi, Andrew Hill, Mark Beech, and Walid Yasin 28. Neogene Mammal Biostratigraphy and Chronology of Greece, by George D. Koufos Part V. Zoogeography and Paleoecology 29. Continental-Scale Patterns in Neogene Mammal Community Evolution and Biogeography: A Europe-Asia Perspective, by Majid Mirzaie Ataabadi, Liping Liu, Jussi T. Eronen, Raymond L. Bernor, and Mikael Fortelius 30. Intercontinental Dispersals of Sicistine Rodents (Sicistinae, Dipodidae, Rodentia) Between Eurasia and North America, by Yuri Kimura 31. Paleodietary Comparisons of Ungulates Between the Late Miocene of China and Pikermi and Samos in Greece, by Nikos Solounias, Gina Semprebon, Matthew Mihlbachler, and Florent Rivals List of Contributors Taxonomic Index General Index
£87.20
Columbia University Press Hermaphroditism A Primer on the Biology Ecology
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis book provides a basic, nontechnical introduction to sexual systems for a wide audience of readers. Choice Avise's book is truly what is expected from a primer, and ought to be read by all researchers interested in hermaphroditism, perhaps even more botanists than zoologists. -- Philippe Jarne The Quarterly Review of Biology Finally!...This new book, for the first time, assembles our state-of-the-art understanding of the biology of hermaphrodite gender expression, and makes the current research agenda on these fascinating organisms broadly accessible to both scientists and (under-)graduate students... -- Nils Anthes EcologyTable of ContentsPreface The Phenomenon of Dual Sexuality Hermaphroditism in Fiction Hermaphroditism in the Real World 1. Two Sexes in One Maleness and Femaleness Anisogamy and the Separate-sex Condition Sex Ratios in Separate-sex Taxa Sex Ratios in Hermaphroditic Taxa Hermaphroditism Versus Separate Sexes Summary 2. Dual-sex Plants Terminology Alternative Sexual Systems: Natural History and Examples Cosexuality Versus Dioecy Selfing Versus Outcrossing Sexual Selection in Plants Summary 3. Dual-sex Invertebrates Biological Examples Sex Determination and Pseudohermaphroditism Evolutionary Histories: Gonochorism and Hermaphroditism Selfing Versus Outcrossing Sex Allocation in Simultaneous Hermaphrodites Sex Allocation in Sequential Hermaphrodites Conclusions About Sex Allocation Theory Sexual Selection Summary 4. Dual-sex Vertebrates Sexual Flexibility Sequential Hermaphroditism Adaptive Significance of Alternative Modes Simultaneous Hermaphroditism Summary Glossary References Cited Index
£64.00
Columbia University Press Bringing Fossils to Life
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis well-written, well-illustrated book comprehensively covers the science of paleontology, running the gamut from the history of different aspects of the field to technical discoveries and taxonomic information. It is perfectly aimed at a student audience and belongs in the libraries of all professional (and amateur) paleontologists. -- Bruce S. Lieberman, University of Kansas Paleontological Institute Highly recommended. Choice Substantive, well illustrated, and engaging. [Bringing Fossils to Life] serves to introduce a field that illuminates not only our past but also important aspects of our future. -- Catherine Badgley Quarterly Review of Biology Prothero's textbook...is very welcome as it gives not only for students but for every geologist a nice and up-to-date overview of the wide field of paleobiology... An excellent, well written and nicely illustrated textbook. PriscumTable of ContentsPrefaceTo the Student: Why Study Fossils?PART I: THE FOSSIL RECORD: A WINDOW ON THE PAST 1. The Fossil Record What is a Fossil? How Does an Organism Become a Fossil? What Factors Affect the Fossilization Potential of an Organism? What Factors are Required for Extraordinary Preservation? How Good is the Fossil Record? Conclusions2. Variation in Fossils Theme: Variation; How do Organisms vary during their Lifespans? How do Populations of Organisms Vary? Conclusions3. Species and Speciation4. Systematics Why Systematics? Evolution and Classification; Competing Systematic Philosophies; Molecular Systematics; Codes of Systematic Nomenclature; Conclusions5. Evolution The Evolution of Evolution; The "Evolutionary Synthesis"; Challenges to the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis; Evolution and the Fossil Record; Conclusions6. Extinction7. Functional Morphology Form and Function; Theoretical Morphology; Functional Hypotheses as Testable Science; Case Studies in Functional Morphology; Conclusions8. Paleoecology Ecology and Paleoecology; Ecological Relationships; Environmental Limiting Factors; Direct Paleoecological Evidence; Some Ecological Ideas that have been Applied (and Misapplied) to the Fossil Record; Evolutionary Paleoecology; Conclusions9. Biogeography Organisms in Space and Time; Ecological Biogeography; Historical Biogeography; Conclusions10. Biostratigraphy Faunal Succession; Biostratigraphic Zonations; Factors controlling Fossil Distributions; Biostratigraphic Sampling; The Time Significance of Biostratigraphic Events; North American Land Mammal "Ages" and Biochronology; Resolution, Precision, and Accuracy; Index Fossils and the Global Biostratigraphic Standard; ConclusionsPART II: LIFE OF THE PAST AND PRESENT 11. Life's Origins and Early Evolution Concocting the "Primordial Soup"; Mud and Mosh Pits, Kitty Litter and Fool's Gold; Life is a Commune; The Earliest Fossils; Cambrian "Explosion"-or "Short Fuse"?; Why did Life Change So Slowly Before the Cambrian?; Rocks, Hox, and Molecular Clocks.12. Micropaleontology: Fossil Protistans Introduction; The Kingdoms of Life; Systematics; Foraminifera; Radiolaria; Diatoms; Coccolithophores13. Colonial Life: Sponges, Archaeocyathans, and Cnidarians14. The Lophophorates: Brachiopods and Bryozoans15. Jointed Limbs: The Arthropods16. Kingdom of the Seashell: The Molluscs Introduction; Systematics; Mollusc Origins and Diversification; Gastropods; Bivalves; Cephalopods17. Spiny Skins: The Echinoderms18. Dry Bones: Vertebrates and their Relatives Introduction; The Road to Amphioxus; Getting a Head: The Craniates; Jaws: The Gnathostomes; Fish Bones The Osteichthyans; Lobe Fins: The Sarcopterygians; Four on the Floor: The Tetrapods; Land Eggs: The Amniotes; Feathered Dinosaurs: The Birds; Furry Folk: Synapsids and Mammals19. Fossilized Behavior: Trace Fossils20. Traces of Earth's Green Mantle: Paleobotany Introduction; Plant Taphonomy; The First Photosynthetic Organisms; The Plant Kingdom; Vascular Plants; Tracheophytes; Naked Seeds: The Gymnosperms; Flower Power: The Angiosperm Revolution; Floras through Time GlossaryBibliographyIndex
£133.60
Columbia University Press Mankind Beyond Earth
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn important book by a visionary with his feet planted on the ground. Kirkus Reviews Finally, a give-it-to-me-straight account of why space exploration matters. In Mankind Beyond Earth, Claude A. Piantadosi folds together science, politics, and culture to demonstrate why a civilization without a spacefaring future is doomed to extinction. -- Neil Degrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History, author of Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier In this engaging book, Claude A. Piantadosi presents a concise and accurate history of how our nation's space program arrived at its current uncertain juncture, supplementing it with powerful insights into a wide range of fields, from planetary science to human physiology. This is a compelling work from a scientist committed to expanding the human exploration of our universe. -- Michael L. Gernhardt, NASA astronaut, manager of the Environmental Physiology Laboratory at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Recommended for readers intrigued by the real-life requirements of space exploration. Library Journal This nicely written volume will appeal to the general public and space enthusiasts who want to learn about the hazards of human space exploration. Choice Piantadosi's goal throughout the book is to explain to the lay audience why spaceexploration is difficult and important. He achieves this first goal in a clear manner,very accessible to someone without a technical background. -- Lisa Messeri MetaScience Piantadosi assembles and presents the best of the vast amount of information we have accumulated... it will kindle in many a sense of excitement for some of the great adventures still awaiting us as a nation. SirReadaLot.orgTable of ContentsPreface A Short Introduction to the Science of Space Exploration Part 1: Hindsight and Foresight 1. Men and Machines 2. A Space Lexicon 3. The Explorers 4. Twentieth-Century Space 5. Back to the Moon Part 2: A Home Away from Home 6. Living off the Land 7. Round and Round It Goes ... Where It Stops 8. By Force of Gravity 9. The Cosmic Ray Dilemma 10. Tiny Bubbles Part 3: Where Are We Going? 11. The Case for Mars 12. Big Planets 13. New Stars Bibliography and Additional Reading Index
£76.00
Columbia University Press What Is Relativity
Book SynopsisAn entertaining introduction to Einstein's theories of relativity, Bennett's book proves anyone can grasp the basics of Einstein's ideas. His intuitive, nonmathematical approach gives a wide audience its first real taste of how relativity works and why it is so important to science and the way we view ourselves as human beings.Trade ReviewWhat Is Relativity? is a well-written and uniquely readable book that beautifully serves as an introduction to special and general relativity. Jeffrey Bennett carefully avoids bombastic statements and 'spectacularization' of the subject, sticking with well-established facts and presenting them in a clear and compelling manner. -- Alberto Nicolis, Columbia University Since it first appeared more than a decade ago, I have used Cosmic Perspectives by Jeffrey Bennett and his colleagues in no small part because of the excellence of its chapters on relativity. It is wonderful to now have a stand-alone volume in which his lucid, explanatory text and figures are coupled with a thoughtful commentary on why relativity is important in constructing our scientific and personal views of space and time. -- David J. Helfand, President, American Astronomical Society, and President and Vice Chancellor, Quest University Canada I have read lots of introductions to relativity, but none is as clear and compelling as this one. For anyone who is keen to grasp the fundamentally simple yet non-intuitive ideas of both special and general relativity, Jeffrey Bennett's book is the way to go. Impressively understandable and interesting. -- Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute ...Bennett's fun book shows readers what relativity means, and what it reveals about our universe. Publishers Weekly For in its relatively few pages, Bennett explains relativity to ordinary readers... An impressively accessible distillation of epoch-making science. Booklist (starred review) A sober, comprehensible account of what every intelligent layman should know about space and time. Kirkus Reviews ... [P]erhaps the best homage that anyone can pay to [Einstein] for such a groundbreaking contribution to physics in particular and science in general. BrainDrain Bennett... has written an entertaining, brilliant introduction to Einstein's ideas... that is impressively understandable. CHOICETable of ContentsPreface Introduction/Foreword: Einstein's Life Part 1: Getting Started 1. Voyage to a Black Hole Part 2: Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity 2. Racing Light 3. Redefining Space and Time 4. A New Common Sense Part 3: Einstein's General Theory of Relativity 5. Newton's Absurdity 6. Redefining Gravity Part 4: Implications of Relativity 7. Black Holes 8. The Expanding Universe Epilogue: Your Indelible Mark on the Universe Acknowledgments Index
£19.80
Columbia University Press Origins of Darwins Evolution Solving the Species
Book SynopsisJ. David Archibald explores how Darwin first came to the conclusion that species had evolved in different regions throughout the world. Carefully retracing Darwin’s gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin’s Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.Trade ReviewCharles Darwin begins The Origin of Species by saying that while on HMS Beagle he was struck by two classes of facts: the strange distributions of plants and animals on Earth, and the progression of forms in the fossil record from the oldest rocks to the youngest. These, and not variations in populations, first led him to doubt theories of special creation and the fixity of species. In this book, J. David Archibald shows how the facts of paleontology and biogeography led Darwin to suspect that organisms changed through time, and eventually to develop the central theory of all of biology. A very nice read that will open the perspectives of a great number of readers. -- Kevin Padian, Museum of Paleontology, University of California, BerkeleyThis is a fresh and stimulating reevaluation of the nature of Darwin’s argumentation behind his theory of evolution through natural selection. Particularly important is the focus on the evidence Darwin himself thought most important: the geographical distribution of organisms around the globe. This is a book that should be read both by Darwin scholars and by today’s practicing evolutionists. -- Michael Ruse, author of Defining Darwin: Essays on the History and Philosophy of Evolutionary BiologyIn this thoughtful and carefully researched book, Archibald makes it abundantly clear that it was biogeography, not geology or the fossil record, that provided Darwin and his supporters with the earliest compelling evidence for evolution. Origins of Darwin’s Evolution fills a significant gap in the literature on Darwin’s research methods and the birth of the modern theory of evolution. -- Michael Ghiselin, author of The Triumph of the Darwinian Method[In Archibald's book,] Darwin’s argumentative structure is illuminated, his process in developing the theory is detailed, and the otherwise difficult to interpret roles and relationships of his South American finds become beautifully clear. -- Charles H. Pence, Louisiana State University * The Quarterly Review of Biology *Appealing and concise. * Isis *This carefully researched book will appeal to both naturalists and historians of science. * Choice *A comprehensive, well-written, and accessible account of a relatively underexplored history of what Darwin believed to be the earliest major proof of evolution. The great strength of this book lies in bringing to life Darwin’s relationship with a cast of historical characters, his own intellectual development, and the observations that first lit the thought of evolution and the search to solve the species puzzle. * British Journal for the History of Science *This is one of those seemingly modest tomes that turns out to be indispensable for the Darwin scholar—and for everyone interested in the natural history of evolution. * Systematic Biology *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Establishing the Fact of Evolution2. Darwin’s Geological Education3. The Gravest Objection4. Marking Time5. The Immutablists6. Discovering the Long Dead7. Relating the Long Dead and Collecting the Recently Living8. Describing the Long Dead and the Recently Living9. Private Musings then Shared Sketches10. Darwin’s Historical BiogeographyEpilogue: What Many Reviewers MissedReferencesIndex
£62.00
Columbia University Press Origins of Darwins Evolution
Book SynopsisJ. David Archibald explores how Darwin first came to the conclusion that species had evolved in different regions throughout the world. Carefully retracing Darwin’s gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin’s Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.Trade ReviewCharles Darwin begins The Origin of Species by saying that while on HMS Beagle he was struck by two classes of facts: the strange distributions of plants and animals on Earth, and the progression of forms in the fossil record from the oldest rocks to the youngest. These, and not variations in populations, first led him to doubt theories of special creation and the fixity of species. In this book, J. David Archibald shows how the facts of paleontology and biogeography led Darwin to suspect that organisms changed through time, and eventually to develop the central theory of all of biology. A very nice read that will open the perspectives of a great number of readers. -- Kevin Padian, Museum of Paleontology, University of California, BerkeleyThis is a fresh and stimulating reevaluation of the nature of Darwin’s argumentation behind his theory of evolution through natural selection. Particularly important is the focus on the evidence Darwin himself thought most important: the geographical distribution of organisms around the globe. This is a book that should be read both by Darwin scholars and by today’s practicing evolutionists. -- Michael Ruse, author of Defining Darwin: Essays on the History and Philosophy of Evolutionary BiologyIn this thoughtful and carefully researched book, Archibald makes it abundantly clear that it was biogeography, not geology or the fossil record, that provided Darwin and his supporters with the earliest compelling evidence for evolution. Origins of Darwin’s Evolution fills a significant gap in the literature on Darwin’s research methods and the birth of the modern theory of evolution. -- Michael Ghiselin, author of The Triumph of the Darwinian Method[In Archibald's book,] Darwin’s argumentative structure is illuminated, his process in developing the theory is detailed, and the otherwise difficult to interpret roles and relationships of his South American finds become beautifully clear. -- Charles H. Pence, Louisiana State University * The Quarterly Review of Biology *Appealing and concise. * Isis *This carefully researched book will appeal to both naturalists and historians of science. * Choice *A comprehensive, well-written, and accessible account of a relatively underexplored history of what Darwin believed to be the earliest major proof of evolution. The great strength of this book lies in bringing to life Darwin’s relationship with a cast of historical characters, his own intellectual development, and the observations that first lit the thought of evolution and the search to solve the species puzzle. * British Journal for the History of Science *This is one of those seemingly modest tomes that turns out to be indispensable for the Darwin scholar—and for everyone interested in the natural history of evolution. * Systematic Biology *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Establishing the Fact of Evolution2. Darwin’s Geological Education3. The Gravest Objection4. Marking Time5. The Immutablists6. Discovering the Long Dead7. Relating the Long Dead and Collecting the Recently Living8. Describing the Long Dead and the Recently Living9. Private Musings then Shared Sketches10. Darwin’s Historical BiogeographyEpilogue: What Many Reviewers MissedReferencesIndex
£22.50
Columbia University Press Drought
Book SynopsisBenjamin I. Cook brings together climate science, hydrology, and ecology to provide a synthetic overview of drought and its environmental and social consequences. Drought is a critical interdisciplinary text that will be essential reading for a broad range of students in earth science and environmental and sustainability studies.Trade ReviewThis book presents an interesting, multidisciplinary perspective on the various dimensions of drought, which is a complex natural hazard of global importance. -- Brian Wardlow, director and professor, Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies and the School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-LincolnDrought, aridity, and hydroclimatic stress are major concerns worldwide, and climate change is already making the situation worse. This book provides a foundation that many—whether interested in the basic science, the human impacts, or the impacts on natural systems—will find useful. Rarely are relevant insights from the recent geologic past woven together so well with knowledge gained from the instrumental and satellite era to illuminate the challenges that lie ahead. The evidence provided in this book highlights how serious the threat to both humans and nature will be. A must-read. -- Jonathan T. Overpeck, William B. Stapp Collegiate Professor and Samuel A. Graham Dean of the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and SustainabilityCook’s tome is a first-principles, comprehensive, and up-to-date exposition of drought, including its drivers and consequences, by a major player working at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary science. The book is perfectly organized, written, and illustrated, with the early chapters on hydrology and climate laying the needed groundwork for the reader to truly appreciate the later chapters on the history and future of drought and its impacts. In my estimation, this is easily the most important and useful book ever published on the phenomenon of drought. -- Julio L. Betancourt, visiting scientist, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary CenterProvides a stimulating, cohesive, and relevant review that integrates knowledge from several scientific disciplines . . . By drawing attention to the far-reaching impacts human activities have on climate dynamics, this book contributes to a more environmentally aware future. * Conservation Biology *Drought would serve as an excellent textbook for students and professionals of conservation and environmental disciplines, as well as those in parallel fields . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *Water management will indeed be a major resource challenge, and Drought: An Interdisciplinary Perspective does an excellent job of showing why. * BU Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning Impact Magazine *This book is an important contribution to the literature on drought and provides a vital interdisciplinary perspective on the subject. Cook is an expert on drought and very clearly describes its background and methods of study. People from all disciplines would benefit from reading this book to learn more about drought. * H-Environment *Table of ContentsPreface1. Introduction to the Hydrologic Cycle and Drought2. Global Hydroclimatology3. Drought in the Climate System4. Drought and Hydroclimate in the Holocene5. Climate Change and Drought6. Case Studies: The Dust Bowl and Sahel Droughts7. Land Degradation and Desertification8. Groundwater and IrrigationGlossaryReferencesIndex
£29.75
Columbia University Press Cataclysms A New Geology for the TwentyFirst
Book SynopsisMichael R. Rampino builds on the latest findings from leading geoscientists to take “neocatastrophism” a step further, toward a richer understanding of the science behind major planetary upheavals and extinction events. Cataclysms offers a cosmic context for Earth’s geologic evolution.Trade ReviewCataclysms is a useful, well-written and not overly technical summary of Neocatastrophism since the Alvarez team published the initial work in the early 1980's. Rampino paints a lively picture of how work in the area of geoscience is actually done - aided and abetted to good purpose by copious illustrations -- Niles Eldredge, author of Eternal Ephemera As late as 1964, it was hard to find a scientist who believed that crashing meteorites, rather than volcanism, had caused craters on the Moon and the Earth. In this well-written and provocative book, Michael Rampino tantalizes us with his examination of the relationship between astronomy and geology, which he argues could become truly predictive of the past and future. Cataclysms takes us far out, indeed. But if there is one lesson from the history of geology, it is that we should listen to those like Rampino who think outside the box - or even outside the solar system. -- James Powell, author of Fixing the SkyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Catastrophism Versus Gradualism 2. Lyell's Laws 3. The Alvarez Hypothesis 4. Mass Extinctions 5. Kill Curves and Strangelove Oceans 6. Catastrophism and Natural Selection: Charles Darwin Versus Patrick Matthew 7. Impacts and Extinctions: Do They Match Up? 8. The Great Dying: The End-Permian Extinctions 9. Catastrophic Volcanic Eruptions and Extinctions 10. Ancient Glaciers or Impact-Related Deposits? 11. The Shiva Hypothesis: Comet Showers and the Galactic Carousel 12. Geological Upheavals and Dark Matter Epilogue: What Does It All Mean? A New Geology Sources and Further Reading Index
£27.00
Columbia University Press The Madhouse Effect
Book SynopsisThe award-winning climate scientist Michael E. Mann and the Pulitzer Prize–winning political cartoonist Tom Toles have been on the front lines of the fight against climate denialism for most of their careers. The Madhouse Effect offers a clever lampoon of the fallacious claims and absurd arguments of climate-science deniers.Trade ReviewFor centuries, powerful forces of greed have tried to hide the truth, but that doesn't change reality-the earth is round and climate change is very real. The Madhouse Effect brilliantly dissects the climate denial industry, empowering all of us to see the facts and take action before it's too late. -- Leonardo DiCaprio Michael E. Mann is one of the planet's great climate scientists, and Tom Toles may be the great climate communicator-together, they are a category 5 storm of information and indignation, wreaking humorous havoc on those who would deny the greatest challenge humans have ever faced. -- Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org If you are not concerned about climate change yet, please read this book. If you are unaware of the hard-core deniers among us, read this book. If you are a climate change denier, doubter, techno-fixer, or luke-warmer, read this book. Mann and Toles have written some words and drawn some pictures for you, so maybe you'll get it this time. -- Bill Nye, "the Science Guy" When giving public talks, I am often asked, 'What do I do about my Uncle Joe, who doesn't believe in climate change?' Now I finally have an answer: Buy him a copy of The Madhouse Effect, and tell him you won't talk to him until he has read it. Even if he doesn't read it, he'll look at the pictures, and that might just be enough. -- Naomi Oreskes, coauthor of The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future Brilliant, insightful, and fresh! Two gifted experts-one a scientist, the other an editorial cartoonist-invite you to be entertained and outraged, inspired and motivated to escape the madhouse that characterizes climate dialogue and politics today. New and hilarious insights into climate change. I loved it! -- Jane Lubchenco, former administrator of NOAA and undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere Concise and fiercely illustrated. Scientific American A breezy, engaging read... If tackling climate change is indeed a war, then Mann and Toles have certainly earned their stripes. Nature [A] brilliant, colorful escape hatch form the madhouse of the climate wars... [The Madhouse Effect] may even convert die-hard doubters to the side of sound science. Yale Climate Connections The best of both worlds: an illustrated compendium of horrifying science that also provides a few laughs. Lit / Rant Recommended. ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface: Why We Wrote This Book Acknowledgments 1. Science: How It Works 2. Climate Change: The Basics 3. Why Should I Give a Damn? 4. The Stages of Denial 5. The War on Climate Science 6. Hypocrisy-Thy Name Is Climate Change Denial 7. Geoengineering, or "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" 8. A Path Forward Notes Index
£18.00
Columbia University Press Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction
Book Synopsis300 million years ago, dog-sized scorpions and millipedes walked the earth and tropical rainforests towered into the sky. George R. McGhee Jr. explores that ancient world, explaining its origins, its downfall in the end-Permian mass extinction, and its legacies, to offer insight into past and present extinction events and climate change.Trade ReviewCarboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction is a superb and unique synthesis of the current knowledge of processes and conditions during the Late Paleozoic, incorporating the results from all subdisciplines of the earth and life sciences. McGhee demonstrates his expertise and knowledge in all the subdisciplines in a magnificent way. The book is a pleasure to read and at the same time erudite. -- Hermann Pfefferkorn, University of PennsylvaniaCarboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction is comprehensive and well researched, and provides fascinating insights into the complex Carboniferous world. It has amazing presentation, including depth, perception, and interpretation, and the writing style is readable and captivating. This work will be a valuable reference for geology students and others interested in past earth climates. -- Peter E. Isaacson, University of IdahoA valuable contribution to our understanding of ancient environments and the incredible plants and animals that once inhabited the Earth. * Everything Dinosaur *Highly recommended. * Everything Dinosaur *Table of ContentsPreface1. Harbingers of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age2. The Big Chill3. The Late Carboniferous Ice World4. Giants in the Earth . . .5. The End of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age6. The End of the Paleozoic World7. The Legacy of the Late Paleozoic Ice AgeNotesReferencesIndex
£131.40
Columbia University Press Bad Advice
Book SynopsisPaul A. Offit shares hard-earned wisdom on the dos and don’ts of battling misinformation. From conspiracy theories linking vaccines to autism to Holocaust and climate-change denial. Bad Advice is a humorous guide to taking on quack experts and self-appointed activists and a must-read for any American disturbed by politicized attacks on science.Trade ReviewIn breezy and deceptively conversational prose that often winks with humor, Bad Advice breaks down complex scientific subjects that have been distorted through several cultural lenses. Offit takes to task actors, network news anchors, quack scientists, and even politicians who, unlike Jolie in her thoughtful article, have opined on scientific subjects in ways that misinform the public, on occasion to a potentially dangerous degree. * Washington Post *Bad advice about your health, firmly grounded in fact-free marketing, greed, and science denialism, is omnipresent in the new and old media these days. One of the few reliable sources of good advice is Dr. Paul A. Offit who, unlike all too many scientists and doctors, is ready to take on the hype and lies of celebrities, charlatans, ideologues, and money-grubbers with logic, evidence, and humor. Take my advice: Bad Advice is just what you need to navigate the murky waters of an unending stream of really bad information about your health. -- Arthur L. Caplan, Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics, New York University School of MedicineBad Advice gives us a front row seat to Offit’s role on the leading edge of the vaccine fight as he shows just how important communicating good science can be. The author's rare storytelling blend of equal parts humorous anecdotes and serious facts leads to an entertaining and captivating read that is hard to put down. -- Melissa Stockwell, MD, MPH, Columbia University Medical CenterPaul 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 RisksWith humor and a unique perspective, Offit takes us step by step through our culture’s missteps (and some of his own), relating stories of real science and the difficulties of communicating complicated concepts clearly to a skeptical and sometimes hostile public. Bad Advice shows us how we can succeed in the battle against pseudoscience, seductive gurus with simple messages, and snake oil-hawking celebrities. -- Adam Ratner, M.D., New York UniversityThe 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 MedicineBad Advice is a fun and educational book that will leave readers optimistic—as Offit himself is—that fact will ultimately prevail over fiction in the world of science and medicine. “Although science is under siege,” Offit writes toward the end of the book, “science advocates are fighting back.” -- Arlene Weintraub, author of Heal: The Vital Role of Dogs in the Search for Cancer Cures * New York Journal of Books *[Bad Advice] provides a sterling example of this stand in the name of empirical truth. * Publishers Weekly *A well-presented, knowledgeable, and surprisingly engaging look at the pitfalls of the information age. * Foreword Reviews *The author's droll account of attempts to inform the public about vaccines and even before a congressional hearing make for compelling reading....Recommended * Choice *Table of ContentsPrologue: On Being Naïve1. What Science Is—and What It Isn’t2. White Mice and Windowless Rooms3. An Alibi for Ignorance4. Feeding the Beast5. To Debate or Not to Debate6. Make ’Em Laugh7. Science Goes to the Movies8. The Emperor’s New Clothes9. Judgment Day10. The Nuclear Option11. Pharma Shill12. A Ray of HopeEpilogue: The End of the TourAcknowledgmentsAppendix: Blogs and PodcastsNotesSelected BibliographyIndex
£19.00
Columbia University Press The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis compelling presentation of the undeniable evidence for evolution offers stunning and engaging reading for the enormous explanatory power of Darwin’s great idea. Written by Donald R. Prothero, a leading paleontologist of our times, this book promises to enlighten even the staunchest skeptics of the theory of evolution. -- Don Johanson, discoverer of Lucy and founder of the Institute of Human OriginsA hallmark of a truly great scientific insight is its ability to make sense of wildly different kinds of evidence, even kinds undreamed of when the insight first originated. Evolution is such an insight, and Prothero's survey of the field, in 25 short and lively chapters, illustrates the many lines of evidence for evolution from Darwin's day to our own, debunking misconceptions galore along the way. The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries is a fine introduction for any reader who wants to appreciate the evidence behind the science. -- Ann Reid, executive director, National Center for Science EducationThis is an informative and engaging work about the discovery process, mainly centered around evolution. Readers will be well informed about why biologists think evolution is not only real but also important for discovering who we are. Prothero provides a useful service in clearing up many misconceptions about evolution. -- Norman Johnson, author of Darwinian Detectives: Revealing the Natural History of Genes and GenomesDonald Prothero has emerged as our foremost defender of evolutionary theory against creationists and intelligent design theorists and our most articulate expositor of the theory to the general public since Stephen Jay Gould, his mentor. The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries is the best single volume I have read that captures the reality and grandeur of this grand theory of who we are, where we came from, and how we know all this about our species. A tour de force of science and reason. -- Michael Shermer, publisher, Skeptic magazineAn outstanding update on evolution. * Kirkus [Starred Review] *Accessible overview of the history of the idea of evolution. Prothero is skilled at translating specialist material into entertaining stories. * Publishers Weekly *With 'The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries,' Donald Prothero provides a masterful, lively primer on the abundant evidence for evolution, including the latest fossil findings at digging sites and laboratories around the world—all furthering to close this case, once and for all. * Foreword Reviews *Don’t Miss ‘The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries.’ [It] is palaeontologist and geologist Donald Prothero’s entertaining guide to the past, present and future of living things – with nature’s more bizarre aspects to the fore. * New Scientist *This book accomplishes a nearly impossible double-task: it conveys enough information to serve as an introductory undergraduate text in evolution while also fascinating the general reader. In the light of Mr. Prothero’s fine book, the reading public is better equipped than ever before to make sense of evolution itself. * The Wall Street Journal *An engaging style that is accessible to anyone. * Choice *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPart I: In the Beginning: Everything Evolves, and Earth Is Very Old1. Everything Evolves and Changes: Discovery of the Evolving Universe2. The Abyss of Time: The Immense Age of the EarthPart II: Darwin’s Evidence for Evolution3. Evolution in Action: Transformation in Real Time4. Our Common Body Plan: Homology5. Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny: Evidence in Embryos6. The Sinking of Noah’s Ark: Biogeography7. The Branching Tree of Life: Phylogeny8. The Case of the Cruel Wasps: Nature Is Not Moral9. Jury-Rigged Contrivances: Nature Is Not Optimally DesignedPart III: Great Transitions in the History of Life10. A Whale of a Tale: Vestigial Organs and Walking Whales11. Invasion of the Land: Amphibians Crawl Out of the Water12. Missing Links Found: Macroevolution and Transitional Fossils13. Birds with Teeth: The Dinosaurs Among Us14. A Horse! A Horse! My Kingdom for a Horse! The Evolution of Equines15. How the Giraffe Got Its Neck: Lamarck, Darwin, and the Left Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve16. How the Elephant Got Its Trunk: The Evolution of the ProboscideansPart IV: Eyes and Genes17. A Warm Little Pond: How Did Life Originate?18. Genetic Junkyard: Most of Our DNA Is Useless19. Legs on Their Heads: Homeotic Mutants and Evo-Devo20. The Eyes Have It: The Evolution of PhotoreceptionPart V: Humans and Evolution21. A Tinkerer, Not an Engineer: Are Humans Well Designed?22. The Third Chimpanzee: Are We Really 99 Percent the Same?23. The Ape’s Reflection: Are Humans Really That Different from Other Animals?24. Bones of Our Ancestors: The Human Fossil Record25. The Once and Future Human: Are Humans Still Evolving?Index
£69.26
Columbia University Press So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist
Book SynopsisSo You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is a contemporary and engaging guide for aspiring neuroscientists of diverse backgrounds and interests. Ashley Juavinett provides a candid look at the field, offering practical guidance that explores everything from programming to personal stories.Trade ReviewA wealth of practical wisdom and cordial wit fills this book. Every lab will want to have a bin-full ready for all, from undergraduates, to graduate students, postdocs, techs, and, yes, faculty. Juavinett has a faultless and streamlined take on the entire range of the neurosciences, as well as a winning insight into the convoluted social and ethical customs shaping lab life. -- Patricia S. Churchland, Salk Institute and University of California, San DiegoYou might not know it yet, but you do want to be a neuroscientist, and this compelling book will show you why and how. A wonderful, entertaining, yet eminently practical guide to joining the quest to solve our deepest, richest scientific challenge—understanding the brain. -- Mark D. Humphries, University of NottinghamSo You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is an invaluable resource for those applying to graduate programs. Juavinett’s conversational style and well-placed humor demystifies the process while also reducing the anxiety that comes with taking on such a task. Anyone, at any stage in their neuroscience career, would be better for reading this book. -- Nikki Keisler, prospective graduate student and University of California, San Diego alumnaSo You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is an absolute must-read for any aspiring neuroscientist and should be a rallying call for our field. -- Steve Ramirez, Boston UniversityIf you are considering a career in neuroscience and find the world in front of you bewildering with too many choices I recommend this book as a guide. * Watercooler Neuroscience *Table of ContentsPart I. Why Should You Study the Nervous System?1. Why Did You Pick up This Book?2. This Isn’t Your Grandmother’s Neuroscience3. Who Are All of the Neuroscientists?4. Where Neuroscience Is HeadedPart II. Graduate School in Neuroscience5. Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Get a PhD in Neuroscience6. What Is a Neuroscience Graduate Degree, Anyway?7. Paths to Graduate School8. Choosing a Graduate School and Advisor9. Herding Cats, or Making the Most of Your Committee10. The Beauty of Self-Care11. The DissertationPart III. Research, Research, Research12. Types of Neuroscience Research13. Good Research Habits14. You Can Learn How to Code (and You Probably Should)15. No One Wants to Talk About Authorship16. Communicating Your Science17. Networking Is Not a Bad Word18. Finding Good MentorsPart IV. Where Do All the Neuroscientists Go?19. General Tips for Getting a Job After Graduate School20. Academia21. Industry Research22. Consulting23. Data Science24. Science Communication and Policy25. A Cast of Neuroscience CharactersAcknowledgmentsGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex
£61.20
Columbia University Press Live Sustainably Now A LowCarbon Vision of the
Book SynopsisKarl Coplan shares his personal journey of attempting to cut back on carbon without giving up the amenities of a suburban middle-class lifestyle. Live Sustainably Now shows that there does not have to be a trade-off between the ethical obligation to maintain a sustainable carbon footprint and the belief that life should be fulfilling and fun.Trade ReviewKarl Coplan's vision for living an ethical, meaningful, and sustainable life in the face of the climate crisis is an inspiration to all those who care about the environment. Without losing sight of the need for collective global corporate and governmental action, he shows us that it is possible to enjoy life and have fun without sacrificing the future of the planet for the instant gratification many of us have come to expect from life in the twenty-first century. -- Tatiana Schlossberg, former New York Times science writer and author of Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You HaveTalking the environmental talk is one thing, but if you want to walk the walk, too, Karl Coplan's book will tell you how to do it and how to do it happily. -- Colin Beavan, author of How To Be Alive and No Impact ManA paralytic feeling can come when deeply confronting the global nature of climate change, given how a multitude of dispersed human activities are contributing to worldwide shifts in climate and coastal patterns that will build and persist for centuries. In this educational, entertaining account, Karl Coplan, law professor and long-distance sailor, argues for and, better yet, demonstrates a completely different kind of reaction—passionate engagement in shaping a fulfilling and fun low-carbon life. -- Andrew Revkin, former New York Times environmental writer and director of the Initiative on Communication & Sustainability, Earth Institute, Columbia UniversityIn clear prose, sometimes taking a colloquial turn, Coplan walks the reader through questions of individual culpability for global warming, ranging—quite usefully, in my view—between philosophical abstractions and quantifiable realities of daily life. He balances theory and practice with aplomb. -- Mark Hineline, author of Ground Truth: A Guide to Tracking Climate Change at HomeCoplan reminds us that low-carbon living not only contributes to the cultural shift required for systems-level change, but is satisfying, meaningful, and fun. -- Peter Kalmus, climate scientist and author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate RevolutionPart how-to guide, part entertaining memoir. * Mongabay *Live Sustainably Now is a personal, practical guide to low-carbon living. * Foeword Reviews *Table of ContentsPrefacePrologue: Climate March at the Crossroads1. Climatarianism: Our Personal Moral ObligationCarbon Diary: September 20152. Why Both Individual Action and Collective Policy Will Be Needed to Address Climate ChangeCarbon Diary: October 20153. Some Climate Basics: What We Mean by “Carbon Footprint,” How We Measure It, and Why It MattersCarbon Diary: November 20154. Sustainability: What Is It Anyway, and Who Can Really Claim to Be Doing It?Carbon Diary: December 20155. What Is Individual Carbon Sustainability, Then?Carbon Diary: January 20166. Going on a Carbon Diet to Save the PlanetCarbon Diary: February 20167. Surprising Carbon Impact Comparisons: If You Are Only Going to Sweat One Kind of Stuff, Sweat Big Stuff, Not Small StuffCarbon Diary: March 20168. Grappling with the Big Four: Electricity, Heat, Transportation, and FoodCarbon Diary: April 20169. Having Fun on a Carbon BudgetCarbon Diary: May 201610. Medium-Term Goal: Getting to ZeroCarbon Diary: Summer 2016Postscript: Individual Climate Action in the Trump Era: Now More than EverAppendix: Sample Carbon Footprint CalculationIndex
£64.01
Columbia University Press Live Sustainably Now A LowCarbon Vision of the
Book SynopsisKarl Coplan shares his personal journey of attempting to cut back on carbon without giving up the amenities of a suburban middle-class lifestyle. Live Sustainably Now shows that there does not have to be a trade-off between the ethical obligation to maintain a sustainable carbon footprint and the belief that life should be fulfilling and fun.Trade ReviewKarl Coplan's vision for living an ethical, meaningful, and sustainable life in the face of the climate crisis is an inspiration to all those who care about the environment. Without losing sight of the need for collective global corporate and governmental action, he shows us that it is possible to enjoy life and have fun without sacrificing the future of the planet for the instant gratification many of us have come to expect from life in the twenty-first century. -- Tatiana Schlossberg, former New York Times science writer and author of Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You HaveTalking the environmental talk is one thing, but if you want to walk the walk, too, Karl Coplan's book will tell you how to do it and how to do it happily. -- Colin Beavan, author of How To Be Alive and No Impact ManA paralytic feeling can come when deeply confronting the global nature of climate change, given how a multitude of dispersed human activities are contributing to worldwide shifts in climate and coastal patterns that will build and persist for centuries. In this educational, entertaining account, Karl Coplan, law professor and long-distance sailor, argues for and, better yet, demonstrates a completely different kind of reaction—passionate engagement in shaping a fulfilling and fun low-carbon life. -- Andrew Revkin, former New York Times environmental writer and director of the Initiative on Communication & Sustainability, Earth Institute, Columbia UniversityIn clear prose, sometimes taking a colloquial turn, Coplan walks the reader through questions of individual culpability for global warming, ranging—quite usefully, in my view—between philosophical abstractions and quantifiable realities of daily life. He balances theory and practice with aplomb. -- Mark Hineline, author of Ground Truth: A Guide to Tracking Climate Change at HomeCoplan reminds us that low-carbon living not only contributes to the cultural shift required for systems-level change, but is satisfying, meaningful, and fun. -- Peter Kalmus, climate scientist and author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate RevolutionPart how-to guide, part entertaining memoir. * Mongabay *Live Sustainably Now is a personal, practical guide to low-carbon living. * Foeword Reviews *Table of ContentsPrefacePrologue: Climate March at the Crossroads1. Climatarianism: Our Personal Moral ObligationCarbon Diary: September 20152. Why Both Individual Action and Collective Policy Will Be Needed to Address Climate ChangeCarbon Diary: October 20153. Some Climate Basics: What We Mean by “Carbon Footprint,” How We Measure It, and Why It MattersCarbon Diary: November 20154. Sustainability: What Is It Anyway, and Who Can Really Claim to Be Doing It?Carbon Diary: December 20155. What Is Individual Carbon Sustainability, Then?Carbon Diary: January 20166. Going on a Carbon Diet to Save the PlanetCarbon Diary: February 20167. Surprising Carbon Impact Comparisons: If You Are Only Going to Sweat One Kind of Stuff, Sweat Big Stuff, Not Small StuffCarbon Diary: March 20168. Grappling with the Big Four: Electricity, Heat, Transportation, and FoodCarbon Diary: April 20169. Having Fun on a Carbon BudgetCarbon Diary: May 201610. Medium-Term Goal: Getting to ZeroCarbon Diary: Summer 2016Postscript: Individual Climate Action in the Trump Era: Now More than EverAppendix: Sample Carbon Footprint CalculationIndex
£17.09
Columbia University Press What Are the Chances
Book SynopsisWhat Are the Chances? reveals how psychology and neuroscience explain the significance of the idea of luck. Barbara Blatchley explores how people react to random events in a range of circumstances, examining the evidence that the belief in luck helps us cope with a lack of control.Trade ReviewBarbara Blatchley provides a colorful and accessible look at the fascinating nature of luck. Focusing on the human side as well as the neuroscientific and psychological aspects, she explores what luck is and the role luck plays in our lives. -- David Hand, emeritus professor of mathematics and senior research investigator, Imperial College London, and author of The Improbability PrincipleWhat Are the Chances? provides intriguing insights into the neuroscientific and psychological underpinnings of how we perceive luck and chance. Such errors of probability judgments are often systematic rather than random. They may arise from misapplication of heuristics that originally were useful shortcuts. A worthwhile read. -- V. S. Ramachandran, author of The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us HumanWho among us does not speak of luck? Good luck, bad luck, cross your fingers, lucky charms? And yet few among us has any real understanding of what it means to be lucky or unlucky. This book provides an excellent examination of just what luck is, presented in a manner that entertains as it explains. It is a most enjoyable and informative read, and one that I highly recommend. -- James E. Alcock, professor, York University, and author of Belief: What It Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are So CompellingWitty in tone. Psychology and neuroscience professor Blatchley (Statistics in Context) takes an impressive and accessible look at luck and humans’ refusal to accept randomness. Those wondering why they’ve never managed to buy a winning lottery ticket would do well to start here. * Publishers Weekly *Delightful. * GQ *Table of Contents1. What Is Luck?2. A Brief History of Luck3. Luck and Psychology: On Being a Social Animal4. Luck and Psychology: Magical Thinking5. Luck and Your Brain: Part I6. Luck and Your Brain: Part II7. How to Get Lucky8. Fortune’s Expensive SmileNotesBibliographyIndex
£20.90
Columbia University Press Mind Thief
Book SynopsisMind Thief is a comprehensive and engaging history of Alzheimer’s that demystifies efforts to understand the disease. Beginning with the discovery of “presenile dementia” in the early twentieth century, Han Yu examines over a century of research and controversy.Trade ReviewAccomplished popular science. Yu delivers an expert account of the groundbreaking research that revealed the genetics and biochemistry of [Alzheimer’s] disease. * Kirkus *Engagingly written and thoroughly researched, Mind Thief pulls together the history, biology, and sociology of Alzheimer's disease. The best history of the illness I have read. -- Peter V. Rabins, Richman Family Professor of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Emeritus, Johns Hopkins School of MedicineYu examines, assimilates, and presents a prodigious amount of information on the complex history of Alzheimer’s disease and the scientific work it has inspired. Everything is laid out in a clever, easily accessible manner that makes this information-rich book enjoyable for scientists and nonscientists alike. -- Mary Michaelis, professor emeritus, University of Kansas School of PharmacyYu addresses an important, difficult topic in an accurate, approachable way. Mind Thief offers deeply researched insights and critique alongside human interest stories that dig deep into the study of Alzheimer’s. This book will be of interest to scientists interested in the long, difficult struggle to find a cure as well as to families affected by this devastating disease. -- Philip E. Hockberger, associate vice president for research and associate professor of physiology, Feinberg School of MedicineYu captivates with gripping tales of individual trials and triumphs. Her clear, concise explanations … are a master class in science writing. * Discover Magazine *Of immense value for both the medical community and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject, 'Mind Thief: The Story of Alzheimer's' is exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of fifty-six pages of Notes, a fifty-four page Bibliography, and a fourteen page Index, 'Mind Thief: The Story of Alzheimer's' is an essential and core addition to community, college and university library Health/Medicine/Psychology collections in general, and Alzheimer's supplemental studies curriculums in particular. * Midwest Book Review *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Lost Wives2. Cursed Inheritance3. Learning to Walk4. Searching for the Alzheimer’s Gene5. Late-Onset Alzheimer’s6. The Paradigm7. Eli Lilly and Mice8. Inhibitors That Can’t Inhibit9. Poison or Cure: An Alzheimer’s Vaccine10. Eli Lilly’s Three Expeditions11. Taoism and Tau Mice12. Apples, Oysters, and Underdogs13. Type 3 Diabetes14. Ketones: The Brain Fuel15. Insulin Fixes16. Bacteria in the Brain17. Eat Your Vegetables (and Berries)18. Blood, Heart, and Brain19. A Missed Opportunity20. Paradigm Shift (?)21. An Enriched LifeEpilogueNotesBibliographyIndex
£64.01
Columbia University Press Climate Change Adaptation
Book SynopsisThis book offers a concise overview of climate adaptation governance. In clear, accessible language, Lisa Dale presents the theory and practice that underlie climate adaptation efforts at local and global scales, providing illuminating case studies that foreground the problems facing developing countries.Trade ReviewThis book is an excellent introduction to the increasingly relevant challenge of climate adaptation. It addresses the main strands of this knowledge and policy domain in a highly structured way, referring to both knowledge and emerging governance practices. A strength is that it manages to explain the complexity of the adaptation challenge in a very clear and accessible way. Another strength of the volume is that it refers to challenges in wealthier, industrialized countries, as well as the specifics of developing countries, based on the authors experience in both contexts. Because of its clarity in writing, its governance focus and its comprehensive, yet introductory character, it is certainly a book that can guide researchers, policy makers and civil society actors, based on a solid basic understanding, towards further exploring the topic in an ever expanding knowledge field. -- Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of the European Environment AgencyIn the world of today, there are few competencies as important as the ability to manage the risks, impacts and uncertainties of a changing climate. No economy, no policy sector, and no institution is immune – yet many decision-makers find the essential concepts of climate change adaptation buried under a blanket of buzzwords, fuzzwords and murky relationships with other policy debates. In this primer, Lisa Dale charts a clear and accessible pathway through the most pertinent questions of climate change adaptation and provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies and solutions that are available to deal with the impacts of a heating planet in key policy sectors. Essential reading for times of growing uncertainty in our natural as well as institutional environments. -- Gernot Laganda, Chief of Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Programmes, UN World Food ProgrammeLisa Dale has written a comprehensive and accessible guide to current thinking and approaches related to climate adaptation. As a fellow traveler in the field of climate adaptation who recognizes the importance of the social sciences to helping humanity navigate increasingly severe climate impacts, I am impressed by Lisa's ability to summarize a complex field so clearly. This book presents a systematic account of the strengths and limitations of various adaptation strategies - from disaster risk reduction and large-scale infrastructure to "climate smart" agriculture. She also addresses human mobility as an adaptation strategy, and the vital importance of addressing equity and justice in a world where those least responsible for past emissions often bear the brunt of our collective failure in climate mitigation. -- Alex de Sherbinin, Associate Director and Senior Research Scientist, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), The Earth InstituteA wonderful outline of contemporary problems and practices that have grown out of DRR [Disaster Risk Reduction]. Effective at connecting readers with lived experience and at grounding what can otherwise be an overwhelmingly complex subject. * The Quarterly Review of Biology *In clear, accessible language that draws on her expertise in sustainable development, Lisa Dale describes key strategies that governments, communities, and the private sector are deploying in order to govern climate adaptation. Provid[es] illuminating case studies that foreground the problems facing developing countries. An invaluable introduction for all readers interested in how societies can meet the challenges of an altered climate. * Yale Climate Connections *Table of ContentsList of AcronymsIntroduction 1. Foundations: Science, Policy, and Institutions2. Disaster Risk Management: Early Warning, Early Action3. The Built Environment: Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions4. Urban Planning for Climate Adaptation5. Agriculture, Land Use, and Food Security6. Insurance as Risk Transfer7. Migration and Managed Retreat8. Inequality and Justice9. Synergies and Best PracticesGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex
£54.40
