Science: general issues Books

Book SynopsisThis book brings together more than a hundred top experts, who share their insights on the study of human evolution and what it means for understanding our past, present, and future.Trade ReviewSergio Almécija has produced a most intriguing book that describes the hypotheses, hopes, fears, and beliefs of an extraordinary gathering of scientific scholars in the field of human evolution. Debate is lively among those who wrestle with the details of our origins, and it is certain that this fascinating, remarkable and insightful book will be welcomed by all. -- Don Johanson, discoverer of Lucy and founder of the Institute of Human OriginsHumans is an extraordinary book. It is unlike anything I have ever previously encountered and is fascinating as well as important from a scholarly perspective. -- John G. Fleagle, Distinguished Professor, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook UniversityThis wide-ranging compendium... deliver[s] intriguing insights. The result is a panoramic view of the state of evolutionary science. * Publishers Weekly *A fascinating new book edited by a leading researcher at the American Museum of Natural History. Provides an insightful analysis into the origins and the future of our species. Research scientist Sergio Almécija has compiled an eminent list of contributors. A remarkable book … designed to permit the reader to dip in and out of it, to explore a variety of topics and to gain fresh insights and perspectives. * Everything Dinosaur *I can heartily recommend this book to any fellow human. However, those of us who have long been enthralled by our species’ place within nature and our evolution as primates will be especially interested. * Trilobite Tales *[The] organization and the choice of interviewees is a refreshing one—it’s rare you can directly compare thoughts on some of the most profound questions on human nature from scientists raised in sharply differing traditions of thought. * Paleontological Society *Table of ContentsPreface: What Is This Book?Introduction: User ManualAn Illustrated Guide to Human EvolutionPart I: Prelude1. David Alba2. Peter Andrews3. David Begun4. Brenda Benefit5. Michael “Mike” Benton6. Matt Cartmill7. Yaowalak Chaimanee8. Glenn Conroy9. Simon Conway Morris10. Eric Delson11. Marc Furió12. Dan Gebo13. Jay Kelley14. Yutaka Kunimatsu15. Laura MacLatchy16. Salvador Moyà-Solà17. Masato Nakatsukasa18. Martin Pickford19. David PilbeamPart II: Beginnings20. Leslie Aiello21. Berhane Asfaw22. Anna “Kay” Behrensmeyer23. René Bobe24. Tim Bromage25. Jeremy “Jerry” DeSilva26. Steve Frost27. Yohannes Haile-Selassie28. Ashley Hammond29. Sonia Harmand30. Ralph Holloway31. Kevin D. Hunt32. William “Bill” Kimbel33. Fredrick “Kyalo” Manthi34. Mary Marzke35. Emma Mbua36. Robyn Pickering37. J. Michael “Mike” Plavcan38. Kaye Reed39. Brigitte Senut40. Richard “Rich” Smith41. David Strait42. Randall “Randy” Susman43. Peter Ungar44. Carol Ward45. Tim White46. Bernard WoodPart III: Becoming Human47. Eudald Carbonell48. Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo49. Dean Falk50. Katerina Harvati51. Yousuke Kaifu52. Richard Klein53. Carles Lalueza-Fox54. Richard Leakey55. Daniel “Dan” Lieberman56. Bienvenido Martínez-Navarro57. Briana Pobiner58. Marcia Ponce de León59. Mary Prendergast60. Lorenzo Rook61. Antonio Rosas62. Chris Ruff63. Jeffrey “Jeff” Schwartz64. John Shea65. Tanya Smith66. Ian Tattersall67. Matt Tocheri68. Milford Wolpoff69. Christoph ZollikoferPart IV: Now70. Susana Carvalho71. Frans de Waal72. Rolando González-José73. Kristen Hawkes74. Leslea Hlusko75. Sarah Hrdy76. Nina Jablonski77. Clifford “Cliff” Jolly78. Jon Kaas79. Leah Krubitzer80. Susan Larson81. Zarin Machanda82. Tomàs Marquès-Bonet83. Robert “Bob” Martin84. Priya Moorjani85. Mark Pagel86. Herman Pontzer87. Holger Preuschoft88. Joan Richtsmeier89. Robert Sapolsky90. Chet Sherwood91. Craig Stanford92. Jack Stern93. Andrea B. Taylor94. Kenneth “Ken” Weiss95. Richard WranghamPart V: Outro96. Daniel Gilbert97. Henry T. “Hank” Greely98. Kevin Kelly99. David Krakauer100. Misia Landau101. Geoffrey Miller102. Eugenie “Genie” Scott103. Anil SethAcknowledgmentsRecommended ReadingsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe neurodegenerative disease expert Yves Agid offers a groundbreaking and accessible account of subconsciousness and its significance. Shedding new light on the physiological bases of our behavior and mental states, this book provides an innovative exploration of the complexities of the mind.Trade ReviewWritten by one of the world’s great experts in neurology, this brilliant work shows Yves Agid to be not only an accomplished neuroscientist but also an elegant essayist. Agid brilliantly summarizes, in sparkling prose, how our conscious and subconscious worlds intersect, and how conscious behaviors can be revealed by understanding the subconscious forces at work. In the great tradition of medical science, he uses examples from his clinical experience, in patients with Parkinson disease and other ailments, to illuminate how circuits within the basal ganglia of our brain regulate and influence many aspects of “voluntary” decision making. I cannot imagine a more approachable or enjoyable introduction to modern neuroscience than this beautiful little volume. Wise, charming, and playful, it should be essential reading for anyone who cares about how we think and behave. -- Stephen L. Hauser, director, UCSF Weill Institute for NeurosciencesYves Agid, one of the great neurologists of our time, guides us through the nonconscious functions of the brain and how they shape our behavior. We are under the illusion that we are the masters of our actions and interactions with the environment—Agid reveals to us that this is far from being the case, based on experimental evidence. This revelation could be unsettling, yet Agid brings us to accept this essential “unknown” aspect of what we are in a natural and appealing way. His descriptions are lucidly documented and illustrated with simple yet impactful drawings and clinical vignettes. A must-read for every person interested in better understanding the biological bases of our behaviors. -- Pierre Magistretti, professor emeritus, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and distinguished professor, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyFrom the storied halls of Salpêtrière hospital, the neurologist and neuroscientist Yves Agid has written Subconsciousness, a volume worthy of his predecessor, the great neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. In a speculative and brilliant treatise, Agid asks science and society to reimagine the role the basal ganglia might play as a repository of subconscious behavior, not simply the pathological locus of Parkinson's disease. Subconsciousness is a courageous and compelling account reminiscent of the best traditions of the Paris School of medicine. -- Joseph J. Fins, E. William Davis, Jr., M.D. Professor of Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medical College and author of Rights Come to Mind: Brain Injury, Ethics, and the Struggle for ConsciousnessThe neurodegenerative disease expert Yves Agid offers a groundbreaking and accessible account of subconsciousness and its significance. An innovative exploration. Thoroughly accessible to lay readers and professionals alike. * Midwest Book Review *Table of ContentsPreface: From Bench to Bedside and Vice VersaAcknowledgments1. The Interrelated Levels of Consciousness2. The Complexities of Subconsciousness3. A Physiological Base for the Subconscious in the Brain4. The Diseased Subconscious and Implications for the Future5. Looking Deeper Into the Basement of the BrainNotesFurther ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisThe neurodegenerative disease expert Yves Agid offers a groundbreaking and accessible account of subconsciousness and its significance. Shedding new light on the physiological bases of our behavior and mental states, this book provides an innovative exploration of the complexities of the mind.Trade ReviewWritten by one of the world’s great experts in neurology, this brilliant work shows Yves Agid to be not only an accomplished neuroscientist but also an elegant essayist. Agid brilliantly summarizes, in sparkling prose, how our conscious and subconscious worlds intersect, and how conscious behaviors can be revealed by understanding the subconscious forces at work. In the great tradition of medical science, he uses examples from his clinical experience, in patients with Parkinson disease and other ailments, to illuminate how circuits within the basal ganglia of our brain regulate and influence many aspects of “voluntary” decision making. I cannot imagine a more approachable or enjoyable introduction to modern neuroscience than this beautiful little volume. Wise, charming, and playful, it should be essential reading for anyone who cares about how we think and behave. -- Stephen L. Hauser, director, UCSF Weill Institute for NeurosciencesYves Agid, one of the great neurologists of our time, guides us through the nonconscious functions of the brain and how they shape our behavior. We are under the illusion that we are the masters of our actions and interactions with the environment—Agid reveals to us that this is far from being the case, based on experimental evidence. This revelation could be unsettling, yet Agid brings us to accept this essential “unknown” aspect of what we are in a natural and appealing way. His descriptions are lucidly documented and illustrated with simple yet impactful drawings and clinical vignettes. A must-read for every person interested in better understanding the biological bases of our behaviors. -- Pierre Magistretti, professor emeritus, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and distinguished professor, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyFrom the storied halls of Salpêtrière hospital, the neurologist and neuroscientist Yves Agid has written Subconsciousness, a volume worthy of his predecessor, the great neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. In a speculative and brilliant treatise, Agid asks science and society to reimagine the role the basal ganglia might play as a repository of subconscious behavior, not simply the pathological locus of Parkinson's disease. Subconsciousness is a courageous and compelling account reminiscent of the best traditions of the Paris School of medicine. -- Joseph J. Fins, E. William Davis, Jr., M.D. Professor of Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medical College and author of Rights Come to Mind: Brain Injury, Ethics, and the Struggle for ConsciousnessThe neurodegenerative disease expert Yves Agid offers a groundbreaking and accessible account of subconsciousness and its significance. An innovative exploration. Thoroughly accessible to lay readers and professionals alike. * Midwest Book Review *Table of ContentsPreface: From Bench to Bedside and Vice VersaAcknowledgments1. The Interrelated Levels of Consciousness2. The Complexities of Subconsciousness3. A Physiological Base for the Subconscious in the Brain4. The Diseased Subconscious and Implications for the Future5. Looking Deeper Into the Basement of the BrainNotesFurther ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisThis text is an engaging, practical, and lab-oriented introduction to R for students in the life sciences. This second edition has been revised to be current with the versions of R software released since the book’s original publication. It features updated terminology, sources, and examples throughout.Trade ReviewAn excellent, easy-to-read introduction to biostatistics and the software program R. Simple but rigorous, with top-notch coverage of R. I would recommend this new edition to both colleagues and students. -- Andrew Conway, Claremont Graduate UniversityA Primer in Biological Data Analysis and Visualization Using R does a thorough job of introducing students to R and showing them how to perform basic statistical tests for normality, homogeneity, and other elements of data sets. Additionally, the book's focus on the application of statistical tests is most helpful for students in later coursework. -- Cecilia Brothers, Walla Walla UniversityTable of ContentsPreface to the Second EditionAcknowledgmentsIntroduction 1. Introducing Our Software Team 2. Getting Data Into R 3. Working with Your Data 4. Tell Me About My Data 5. Visualizing Your Data 6 An Overview of Science, Hypothesis Testing, Experimental Design, and Inference7. Hypothesis Tests: Using One- and Two-Sample Tests 8. Hypothesis Tests: Differences Among Multiple Samples 9. Hypothesis Tests: Linear Relationships 10. Hypothesis Tests: Observed and Expected Values 11. A few More Advanced Procedures 12. An Introduction to Computer Programming 13. Final Thoughts Appendix: Solutions to Select Problems Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis text is an engaging, practical, and lab-oriented introduction to R for students in the life sciences. This second edition has been revised to be current with the versions of R software released since the book’s original publication. It features updated terminology, sources, and examples throughout.Trade ReviewAn excellent, easy-to-read introduction to biostatistics and the software program R. Simple but rigorous, with top-notch coverage of R. I would recommend this new edition to both colleagues and students. -- Andrew Conway, Claremont Graduate UniversityA Primer in Biological Data Analysis and Visualization Using R does a thorough job of introducing students to R and showing them how to perform basic statistical tests for normality, homogeneity, and other elements of data sets. Additionally, the book's focus on the application of statistical tests is most helpful for students in later coursework. -- Cecilia Brothers, Walla Walla UniversityTable of ContentsPreface to the Second EditionAcknowledgmentsIntroduction 1. Introducing Our Software Team 2. Getting Data Into R 3. Working with Your Data 4. Tell Me About My Data 5. Visualizing Your Data 6 An Overview of Science, Hypothesis Testing, Experimental Design, and Inference7. Hypothesis Tests: Using One- and Two-Sample Tests 8. Hypothesis Tests: Differences Among Multiple Samples 9. Hypothesis Tests: Linear Relationships 10. Hypothesis Tests: Observed and Expected Values 11. A few More Advanced Procedures 12. An Introduction to Computer Programming 13. Final Thoughts Appendix: Solutions to Select Problems Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Brain and Pain explores the present and future of pain management, providing a comprehensive understanding based on the latest discoveries from many branches of neuroscience. Current and thorough, it will be invaluable for a range of people seeking to understand their options for treatment as well as students in neuroscience and medicine.Trade ReviewThe Brain and Pain is a comprehensive review of the fundamental principles of pain neurobiology and electrophysiology, with interesting viewpoints on pain psychology and philosophy. -- Carl Saab, Director of Pain Science, Technology And Research (STAR) Labs, Cleveland Clinic, Professor at Case Western Reserve University, adjunct Professor at Brown UniversityThis book may be of specific interest to students at any level who are interested in medicine, neuroscience, or biology but should also be accessible to anyone interested in the mechanisms of pain perception and treatment, provided they do not mind learning some biology on the way. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction and NomenclatureSection I: The Basic Pain Pathway and the Molecular Mechanisms That Determine the Intensity and Duration of Pain1. Pain as a Property of the Nervous System2. Organization of the Human Nervous System: From Nerves to Neurons3. Pain: Perception and Attribution4. The Molecular Neurobiology of Pain5. Adaptation6. Molecular Signals for Persistent Pain7. The Sources of PainSection II: The Modulation of Pain by Circuits in the Brain8. The External Modulation of Pain: Descending Systems9. Alleviating Pain: The Pharmacological Approach10. The Neuromatrix11. The Brain and Pain12. The Mind Regulating the Mind13. Pain Management: Present and FutureAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book is a travelogue that spotlights what a changing climate looks like on the local level—for wherever local happens to be. Michael M. Gunter, Jr. takes readers around the United States to bear witness to the many faces of the climate crisis.Trade ReviewThere is both urgency and agency in addressing our climate crisis. Read Climate Travels by Mike Gunter to understand why. Gunter takes us on a journey around the United States where we see both the dire threats Americans face and the rays of light that illuminate a path forward. Read this book and feel empowered to make a difference. -- Michael E. Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor, University of Pennsylvania, and author of The New Climate WarGunter shows us in striking detail the impacts of climate change on neighborhoods, cities, and towns across the United States and then contrasts those images with stories of what communities and individuals are doing to ameliorate those impacts. This book should be read by the skeptical, the ambivalent, and those looking to enhance their efforts to deal with climate change. -- Eileen Claussen, founder of the Center for Climate and Energy SolutionsGunter's work is thoroughly grounded in science and policy combined with the appealing sense of a conversation. I really enjoyed reading Climate Travels, traveling to these different locales in such engaging and well-informed company. -- James Barilla, author of My Backyard Jungle and NaturebotThis solid offering from Gunter… makes for an urgent overview of the ways climate change is reshaping the U.S. * Publishers Weekly *Gunter poses and answers three questions: where is climate change impacting localities around the United States, how bad is it, and what can be done about it? He addresses these existentially profound matters with ease in Climate Travels, offering a well-documented, up-to-date status report. -- Mark Hineline, author of Ground Truth: A Guide to Tracking Climate Change at HomeHighly recommended. * American Library Association (ALA) *Gunter expertly weaves together science, policy, and personal observation through storytelling in a way that communicates urgency while expressing hope and enthusiasm for the future. Highly recommended. * Choice Reviews *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: This Land Is Your LandPart I. See It Yourself: Threats to the Home Front1. Our Rising Seas2. Flooding in the Forecast3. Drought and Wildfire4. More Extreme Weather5. The Melt Is On6. Changing Habitats and Species Diversity Loss7. Ocean Trouble8. Heat and HealthPart II. Do It Yourself: Action Making a Difference9. Here Comes the Sun10. Living with Less11. The Winds Are Changing12. Building (and Rebuilding) Green13. Additional Alternative Energies14. Rethinking Our Cities15. Living with ChangeConclusion: Think Local, Act LocalNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisGreenhouse Planet reveals the stakes of increased carbon dioxide for plants, people, and ecosystems—from crop yields to seasonal allergies and from wildfires to biodiversity. The veteran plant biologist Lewis H. Ziska confronts the claim that “CO2 is plant food,” showing why it is deeply misleading.Trade ReviewGreenhouse Planet is not just another book about climate change. Ziska unpacks the science and politics of the climate-denying mantra that carbon dioxide feeds plants and greens the planet. More poisonous poison ivy, creeping kudzu, super weeds, and protein-deprived bees are some of the nuances that shatter the simplistic talking point. Fun to read and completely accessible, this book will help both scientists and nonscientists deepen their knowledge about the far-ranging effects of our changing atmosphere on the plants that underpin our very survival. -- Ruth DeFries, cofounding dean, Columbia Climate School, and author of What Would Nature Do? A Guide for Our Uncertain TimesThe idea that more carbon dioxide will "green the world" has been endlessly promoted by the fossil fuel industry and its friends. But as Ziska demonstrates in a straightforward and understandable fashion, this is by no means a slam-dunk good thing; in fact, the implications may turn out to be almost as devastating as the rise in temperatures that come with CO2. Oh, and he also provides a fascinating reflection on the stupefying politicization of modern science. On every count this is a crucial little book. -- Bill McKibben, author of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station WagonAnyone interested in how the plants we depend on for life are changing must read Greenhouse Planet. A witty yet deeply concerning story about how increasing carbon dioxide is altering our food, drugs, and ecosystems, yet we are failing to investigate what this all means to the basis of life and our future. -- Michael P. Hoffmann, professor emeritus, Cornell University, and author of Our Changing Menu: Climate Change and the Foods We Love and NeedZiska draws attention to an often overlooked world-threatening problem—that carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are changing a fundamental parameter of global plant growth. A fascinating and important book. -- Barbara Freese, author of Industrial-Strength Denial: Eight Stories of Corporations Defending the Indefensible, from the Slave Trade to Climate ChangeBiologist Ziska separates fact from fiction in this impassioned take on carbon dioxide’s ‘fundamental importance and existential consequences’ for plantlife. Climate activists will savor this rebuttal to bunk science. * Publishers Weekly *Impressively well written, organized and presented for readers with an interest in the effects of Climate Change on horticulture and botony. Detail[s] essential environmental and horticultural science with wit and clarity. * Midwest Book Review *Greenhouse Planet is an indispensable book for all readers interested in the ripple effects of increasing CO2. * Yale Climate Connections *This is an exceptionally important and readable book. Ziska’s writing is clear, personal, and expressive. Read his book. * New York Journal of Books *Table of ContentsPrefacePart I. A Green Blindness1. Plants Are Important: The Part About Food2. Plants Are Important: The Part About Drugs3. Plants Are Important: The Part About Religion4. Plants Are Important: The Part About Weeds5. Plants Are Important: The Part About Art—and AllergiesPart II. Plants and Magic6. Science Is Fundamental7. CO2 Is Plant Food: The Good8. CO2 Is Plant Food: The Bad9. The OMGPart III. CO2 Is Plant Food. Now What?10. More Questions Than Answers11. The Ten-Ton T. Rex in the Hall Closet12. Wait, What?Part IV. Politics and Pleas13. Cracks in the System14. Science Says15. CO2 Is Plant Food: The Last Bit16. A Personal NoteAfterword and ThanksNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe geologist Markes E. Johnson invites readers on a journey through deep time to find the traces of ancient islands. He visits a dozen sites around the globe, looking above and below today’s waterlines to uncover how landscapes of the past are preserved in the present.Trade ReviewIslands in Deep Time is a deep dive into the logic of geology: how vanished land- and seascapes can be conjured back into existence from the raw rock record. All geologists collect old rocks, but Markes Johnson collects entire ancient islands. This book is an exhibit of a dozen particularly fine specimens, which Johnson holds up and rotates so they can be viewed from multiple perspectives. -- Marcia Bjornerud, author of Geopedia: A Brief Compendium of Geologic Curiosities and Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the WorldUsing his lifetime of experience in geology, Johnson illustrates how a landscape can be read as the results of millions of years of geological, biological, and climatological processes. A fascinating and imaginative work. -- Henry Hooghiemstra, emeritus professor in the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of AmsterdamIslands in Deep Time takes readers on hikes to ancient shorelines, featuring possibly the best descriptions and visualizations of field locations I have ever read. -- Gordon Chancellor, coeditor of Charles Darwin's Notebooks from the Voyage of the Beagle[A…] geological tour de force. * Deposits Magazne *Table of ContentsPreface: On the Reality of Time TravelAcknowledgments1. How to Listen to a Sky Island with Global Ambition: Climbing Mount Monadnock2. How an Island Cluster Acquires Its Shape: A Journey in Late Cambrian Time to Wisconsin’s Baraboo Archipelago3. How Islands Trade in Physical Wear and Organic Growth: A Journey in Late Ordovician Time to Hudson Bay’s Jens Munk Archipelago4. How Islands Recall Windward Surf and Leeward Calm: A Journey in Late Silurian Time to Inner Mongolia’s Bater Island5. How Bigger Islands are Broken into Smaller Pieces: A Journey in Late Devonian Time to Western Australia’s Mowanbini Archipelago6. How Softer Islands Dissolve: A Journey in Early Permian Time to the Labyrinth Karst of Western Australia7. How Islands React to Big Storms: A Journey in Early Jurassic Time to Saint David’s Archipelago of Wales8. How Island Life Aligns with Global Currents: A Journey in Late Cretaceous Time to Baja California’s Eréndira Islands9. How Island Life Adjusts to Opposing Shores on Oceanic Islands: A Journey in Middle Miocene Time to the Madeira Archipelago10. How Volcanic Islands Rise, Fall, and Renew: A Journey in Early Pliocene Time to the Azorean Santa Maria Island11. How the Youngest Islands Challenge Witness: Journeys in Pleistocene Time to Islands on the African and Pacific Tectonic Plates12. How Islands Draw Meaning and Obligation: Descending Mount Misen on Japan’s Sacred MiyajimaGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex

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

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Book SynopsisExplores how examining anomalies have profited humankind and restores the respectability - and necessity - of such pursuits in an overview of science and the pursuit of the unknown. This title discusses anomalies such as archaeoastronomy (e.g., Stonehenge) and bioelectromagnetics.Trade Review"[Bauer] is admirably suited to discuss the similarities and differences between the sciences -- especially the physical sciences -- and subjects that have been labeled pseudoscience, voodoo science, heretical science, and mysticism... Bauer's treatment is calm and civilized, and although one may disagree on where on a science-pseudoscience continuum a particular anomaly may lie, one cannot but respect Bauer's position." -- Russell F. Trimble, Science Books & Films "Bauer develops persuasive arguments for anomalistics, including the historical studies. Its various topics attract popular interest and generate important issues for science studies. It is a useful subject in university courses, as it encourages students to think for themselves rather than following authority." -- Alex Dolby, British Journal for the History of Science ADVANCE PRAISE "A well-conceived, nobly motivated work that will be widely referenced in the future. Professor Bauer is extraordinarily perceptive, intelligent, fair to a fault, yet unafraid to challenge the sacred cows of science, personal and public gullibility, and any form of exploitative motivation on either side of the issue. His is a courageous, probably unpopular, possibly even ominous message that desperately needs to be expressed." -- Robert G. Jahn, coauthor of Margins of Reality: The Role of Consciousness in the Physical World

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Book SynopsisPresents a new approach to tertiary science education for the 21st centuryTrade Review"A significant contribution to science pedagogy and to the scholarship of teaching and learning... [W]ill be of interest to researchers in the area of science education and to college and university faculty members who seek to improve their teaching." -David W. Oxtoby, Pomona College "The educational philosophy presented in Connected Science draws upon existing reform movements in higher education but goes further by providing a more coherent and intentional integration of pedagogy, assessment, faculty scholarship, and student learning. This type of integration is sorely needed in educational reform initiatives." -Trace Jordan, New York UniversityTable of ContentsForeword: The Scholarship of Integrative Teaching and Learning Mary Taylor Huber and Pat HutchingsPart I. Connected Science: Why Integrative Learning is Vital1. Fostering Integrative Capacities for the 21st Century Tricia Ferrett2. From Student Learning to Teaching Foundations Tricia FerrettPart II. Courses that Foster Integrative Learning3. Public Health and Biochemistry:Connecting Content, Issues, and Values for Majors Matt Fisher4. Designing to Make A Difference: Authentic Integration of Professional Skills in an Engineering Capstone Design Course Gregory Kremer5. Integrative Learning in a Data-Rich Mathematics Classroom Mike Burke6. Navigating Wormholes: Integrative Learning in a First-Year Field Course Bettie HiggsPart III. Structures that Support Integrative Learning7. Linking Integrated Middle-School Science with Literacy in Australian Teacher Education David R. Geelan8. SCALE-UP in a Large Introductory Biology Course Robert Brooker, David Matthes, Robin Wright, Deena Wassenberg, Susan Wick, and Brett Couch9. Reuniting the Arts and Sciences via Interdisciplinary Learning Communities Xian Liu, Kate Maiolatesi, and Jack Mino10. Pedagogies of Integration Richard GalePart IV. Broader Contexts for Integrative Learning11. Integrative Moves by Novices: Crossing Institutional, Course, and Student Contexts Tricia Ferrett and Joanne Stewart12. Facilitating and Sustaining Interdisciplinary Curricula: From Theory to Practice Whitney M. Schlegel

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Book SynopsisPresents a new approach to tertiary science education for the 21st centuryTrade Review"A significant contribution to science pedagogy and to the scholarship of teaching and learning... [W]ill be of interest to researchers in the area of science education and to college and university faculty members who seek to improve their teaching." -David W. Oxtoby, Pomona College "The educational philosophy presented in Connected Science draws upon existing reform movements in higher education but goes further by providing a more coherent and intentional integration of pedagogy, assessment, faculty scholarship, and student learning. This type of integration is sorely needed in educational reform initiatives." -Trace Jordan, New York UniversityTable of ContentsForeword: The Scholarship of Integrative Teaching and Learning Mary Taylor Huber and Pat HutchingsPart I. Connected Science: Why Integrative Learning is Vital1. Fostering Integrative Capacities for the 21st Century Tricia Ferrett2. From Student Learning to Teaching Foundations Tricia FerrettPart II. Courses that Foster Integrative Learning3. Public Health and Biochemistry:Connecting Content, Issues, and Values for Majors Matt Fisher4. Designing to Make A Difference: Authentic Integration of Professional Skills in an Engineering Capstone Design Course Gregory Kremer5. Integrative Learning in a Data-Rich Mathematics Classroom Mike Burke6. Navigating Wormholes: Integrative Learning in a First-Year Field Course Bettie HiggsPart III. Structures that Support Integrative Learning7. Linking Integrated Middle-School Science with Literacy in Australian Teacher Education David R. Geelan8. SCALE-UP in a Large Introductory Biology Course Robert Brooker, David Matthes, Robin Wright, Deena Wassenberg, Susan Wick, and Brett Couch9. Reuniting the Arts and Sciences via Interdisciplinary Learning Communities Xian Liu, Kate Maiolatesi, and Jack Mino10. Pedagogies of Integration Richard GalePart IV. Broader Contexts for Integrative Learning11. Integrative Moves by Novices: Crossing Institutional, Course, and Student Contexts Tricia Ferrett and Joanne Stewart12. Facilitating and Sustaining Interdisciplinary Curricula: From Theory to Practice Whitney M. Schlegel

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Book SynopsisUsing short tutorials and quick and simple experiments, How the World Looks to a Bee invites readers to test the science behind everyday phenomena for themselves. No science expierence required!Table of Contents Does Nutrisweet have calories? A Water Magnifier Conversation at a Crowded Party Can a Theory Evolve into a Law? A Cat "Flips out" Winter Sounds Rust Hungry Lasagna A Wet Paintbrush The Glory Horns vs. Antlers Glacier "Sawdust": The Colorful Component of Mountain Lakes Would You Drink This? Tickling the Funny Bone The Shape of Snow Remembrance of Things Past for Babies Ravens Avian Einsteins Ant Antennae: Two Way Communication The Echo of a Train Old-fashioned Ice Cream Makers Forry, Wrong Number What Obesity and a Lack of Fatty Tissue Have in Common Look Through Your Comb at the Mirror Blow Out Candles with an Oatmeal Box Wrong Name! When Pop Bottles Don't Blow UpAnd When They Do Common Birthdays, Classic of Probability Take Bets on a Leaky Milk Carton Smells and Memories Big Shadows Half Heads, Half Tails Spiders Don't Get Caught in Their Own Webs Bilingual Brain The Shape of the Earth It's Now What You Hear – It's When You Hear It Weightless Water The Force of a Tornado The QWERTY Effect The Spinning Earth and the Weather The Floating Cork Trick On a Clear Day, How Far Can You See? Benjamin Franklin and the Swatches on the Snow Dog Facial Expressions and Humans Why is the Sky Blue? Why One Rotten Apple Can Spoil the Barrel Diamonds Saccadic Suppression Spoonerisms Dimples in Golfballs Why Do Cats' Eye Glow at Night? The Shape of Lightning Bolts Alcohol in Pie . . . and Fried Fish? How Time Passes in Dreams Why You Can Never Get to the End of the Rainbow Do the Best Dogs Come from the Pound? Cooking with Wine Listening Underwater Why Are Bells Made of Metal An Inverted Image The Elastic Ruler The Sweet Spot on a Baseball Bat Why Kids can Sleep through just about Anything Cold Water at the Bottom of the Lake Bad Grades and Biological Clocks The Twin Within Limeys The Secret Life of Hiccups How Does the World Look to a Bee? Cottonmouth Why Mowing the Lawn Doesn't Kill the Grass The Consequences of Smallness Antimatter How Dogs Eat The Secret of Clear Ice Cubes Broken Cups and Atoms One-way Glass Late Night Radio Why Honey Turns Hard Adding and Subtracting Colors Breaking a Coffee Cup Déjà vu A Rock in a Row Boat When It Smells Like Rain Mirages Why Popcorn Pops Make an Image Without a Lens A Rising Fastball Chimes For Your Ears Only How Can You Tell If a Spider is Dead? Why Fan Blades Stay Dirty The Legacy of the Dodo Get Your Bearings with Two Thumbtacks More Than One Way to Make a Frog A Dot, A Line, A Crease, A Beautiful Curve The Shape of Sound Blinking Sorting Out Musical Pitches Newton, Tennis, and the Nature of Light Roll Over, George Washington Don't Believe Your Fingers Opera Singers Cut through the Orchestra Curved Space in a Christmas Ornament Coriolis Effect Catch A Falling Dollar Illusion in a Coffee Cup Why Do We Put Cut Flowers in Water? Knuckle Cracking Life Without Zero For This You Need a Doctor? Two-Point Threshold A Mirror Riddle Sort Nuts By Shaking Can Why A Rubber Band Snaps Back Some Like It Hot Breaking the Tension Why 5,280 Feet? Balance A Yardstick Without Looking Heat Lightning

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The Aesop's Fable Paradigm is interdisciplinarity at its best: a genuine dialogue between the sciences and the humanities that not only undermines the notion of an unbridgeable divide between "the two cultures" but also offers fascinating insights into the sociology of science. In addition to its important scholarly insights, we are given an insider's view on how scientific work actually gets done, which makes it an excellent teaching resource. As an added bonus, the book is a pleasure to read: it's both playful and witty, but also deadly serious, and it never pulls its punches."—Louise Barrett, University of Lethbridge"An impressively collaborative, interdisciplinary (and quite often funny!) set of essays that illustrate concretely not only how scientists anthropomorphize animals and draw on folkloric constructs in their research design and conclusions, but also how scientists need folklorists to help them sort it out. A must-read for anyone interested in the overlaps and little-understood connections between folklore and science."—Lisa Gabbert, author of Winter Carnival in a Western Town: Identity, Change, and the Good of the Community"Like the coyotes and badgers of native Western folklore that collaborate to ferret prey from their safe burrows, a scientist and a folklorist unite to ferret comparative psychology from its reliance on non-diagnostic experiments into a more enlightened era of self-reflection.The Aesop's Fable Paradigm provides an opportunity for engaging scholars with the challenges of designing a study of animal cognition that probes species-unique cognitive processes rather than continuing to debate how human-like nonhumans can be"—Jennifer Vonk, Oakland UniversityTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: The Perplexities of Water, by K. Brandon Barker and Daniel J. Povinelli1. The Animal Question as Folklore in Science, by K. Brandon Barker2. The Early Tradition of the Crow and the Pitcher, by William Hansen3. Going Meta: Retelling the Scientific Retelling of Aesop's the Crow and the Pitcher, by Laura Hennefield, Hyesung G. Hwang, and Daniel J. Povinelli4. Anthropomorphomania and the Rise of the Animal Mind: A Conversation, by K. Brandon Barker and Daniel J. Povinelli5. Fabling Gestures in Expository Science, by Gregory SchremppConclusion: Old Ideas and the Science of Animal Folklore, by K. Brandon Barker and Daniel J. PovinelliAppendix: Doctor Fomomindo's Preliminary Notes for a Future Index of Anthropomorphized Animal Behaviors, by Daniel J. Povinelli, K. Brandon Barker, Marisa Wieneke, and Kristina DownsIndex

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Book SynopsisExplores the complex connections between our imagining of animals and our cultural environment. This title examines the ways we talk, write, photograph, imagine, and otherwise represent animals. It includes topics such as pet cloning, fox hunting, animatronic characters, and how we displace our fear of aging onto our dogs.Trade Review"...I recommend Representing Animals to scholars and others interested in how cultural representations of animals have influenced society and impacted actual animals... the book's cohesive message that the problems of nonhuman animals are very much our problems as well should be counted as a strength and a message that all parties might break bread over." -netTable of ContentsContentsIntroduction Nigel RothfelsI. Animals in History1. A Left-Handed Blow: Writing the History of Animals Erica Fudge2. Animals and Ideology: The Politics of Animal Protection in Europe Kathleen Kete3. Dog Years, Human Fears Teresa Mangum4. The Moral Ecology of Wildlife Andrew IsenbergII. The Animal Object5. What Does Becoming-Animal Look Like? Steve Baker6. Watching Eyes, Seeing Dreams, Knowing Lives Marcus Bullock7. . . . From Wild Technology to Electric Animal Akira Mizuta LippitIII. Cultures of Animals8. Unspeakability, Inedibility, and the Structures of Pursuit in the English Foxhunt Garry Marvin9. Displaying Death, Animating Life: Changing Fictions of "Liveness" from Taxidermy to Animatronics Jane Desmond10. Bitches from Brazil: Cloning and Owning Dogs through the Missyplicity Project Susan McHugh11. Immersed with Animals Nigel RothfelsContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisMovement into academic science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has been slow for women and minorities. This book examines reasons for the persistence of barriers that block the full participation and advancement of underrepresented groups in the sciences.Trade ReviewThis book reviews current barriers to opportunities for participation in the sciences and discusses how academia can address possible solutions, important for academic deans to consider when hiring new faculty. . . . For women's studies and academic departments interested in diversifying their academic units in STEM areas. An excellent, thought-provoking read. . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *. . . an interesting and thought-provoking addition to the literature on gender in science.Vol. 114.4 January 2009 -- Catherine Riegle-Crumb * University of Texas, Austin *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction Jill M. Bystydzienski and Sharon R. BirdPart I. History of Women in STEM Fields1. Sustaining Gains: Reflections on Women in Science and Technology in the Twentieth-Century United States Sally Gregory Kohlstedt2. From "Engineeresses" to "Girl Engineers" to "Good Engineers": A History of Women's U.S. Engineering Education Amy Sue BixPart II. Institutional and Cultural Barriers for Women in STEM3. Using POWRE to ADVANCE: Institutional Barriers Identified by Women Scientists and Engineers Sue V. Rosser4. Telling Stories about Engineering: Group Dynamics and Resistance to Diversity Cynthia Burack and Suzanne E. Franks5. The Gender Gap in Information Technology Mo-Yin S. Tam and Gilbert W. Bassett, Jr.6. African American Women in Science: Experiences from High School through the Post-secondary Years and Beyond Sandra L. Hanson7. African Women Pursuing Graduate Studies in the Sciences: Racism, Gender Bias, and Third World Marginality Josephine Beoku-Betts8. Gendered Experiences in the Science Classroom Molly J. DingelPart III. Feminist Study of Scientific Practice9. The Construction of Sexual Bimorphism and Heterosexuality in the Animal Kingdom Kirsten Smilla Ebeling10. Feminism and Science: Mechanism without Reductionism Carla Fehr11. Across the Language Barrier: Gender in Plant Biology and Feminist Theory Dana A. Dudle and Meryl AltmanPart IV. Remedies and Change12. The Graduate Experience of Women in STEM and How It Could Be Improved Anne J. MacLachlan13. How Can Women and Students of Color Come to Belong in Graduate Mathematics? Abbe H. Herzig14. Designing Gender-Sensitive Computer Games to Close the Gender Gap in Technology Anna M. Martinson15. Making Sense of Retention: An Examination of Undergraduate Women's Participation in Physics Courses Heidi Fencl and Karen R. Scheel16. Creating Academic Career Opportunities for Women in Science: Lessons from Liberal Arts Colleges Neal B. Abraham17. Beyond Gender Schemas: Improving the Advancement of Women in Academia Virginia ValianSelected ReadingsContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisThis volume brings together essays by an internationally distinguished and diverse group of scholars. Contributors thoughtfully explore the ethical, public policy, and scientific implications of embryonic and adult stem cell research. Part one of the book offers a variety of scientific and public policy perspectives, including essays on stem cell plasticity and using umbilical cord blood as an alternative source of pluripotent stem cells. Part two vigorously examines the ethics of stem cell research and considers issues of social justice, morality, and public policy. Scientific alternatives, a natural law perspective regarding federal funding, and a discussion of the possible moral complicity of Catholic researchers are among the distinctive contributions made to the stem cell research debate by this collection. The objective and balanced discussions contained in this volume serve as an accessible introduction to the bioethical questions, issues, and problems surroundiTrade Review“This collection covers a broad range of scientific, ethical, and public policy issues. Some articles provide general background and information, while others make highly original contributions to the ongoing debate. Ethical issues are discussed knowledgeably from a variety of religious and philosophical perspectives. Thoughtful disagreements among authors illustrate the difficulty of reaching a consensus on public policy.” —Carol A. Tauer, Professor of Philosophy Emerita, The College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN"In the book, Stem Cell Research, Nancy Snow provides a collection of essays that discuss different aspects of the stem cell debate. This is an important endeavor. . ." —Dialogue". . . this collection of essays is sure to speak to readers on either side of this divisive issue." —NationalJournal.com"[Stem Cell Research] provides a useful primer for many. . . of the ethical issues presented by the embryonic stem cell debate." —The Quarterly Review of Biology“This collection is an important resource for any bioethics course.” —Theological Studies“. . . so volatile and dynamic are the variables in the debates over this type of research, it would be a mistake not to look upon it as having lasting value. The authors are attentive to cutting edge science to be sure, but they effectively raise up time-tested principles from biomedical ethics and the natural law tradition in an effort to weigh the pros and cons.” —Catholic Library World“Snow’s volume is earnest . . . a plea for ethically informed science.” —Times Literary Supplement“. . . the contributions are thought-provoking and the arguments need to be addressed by proponents of the research.” —Conscience“This volume is a collection of ten essays developed out of a 2001 conference . . . the gathering convened scientists and ethicists to discuss scientific, public policy, and ethical issues concerning human stem cell research . . . the essays offer a wide range of topics, analyses, and arguments, and, as a whole, exhibit some of the complexity of issues involved in discussing human stem cell research-human embryonic stem cell research in particular. As such, the volume is an excellent introduction to the nuanced contours of this contentious realm.” —Pro Ecclesia

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Book SynopsisHowever deficient by modern standards was the astronomical knowledge of early astronomers, one never ceases to wonder at the precision of their results, derived from inaccurate observations made with naked eye or with crude instruments. This book describes the technical models whereby astronomers prior to Newton accounted for their observations.

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Book SynopsisAddresses the most common myths and misconceptions that plague home gardeners and horticultural professionals. The author offers advice to gardeners who have wondered: Are native plants the best choice for sustainable landscaping? Should you avoid disturbing the root ball when planting? And are organic products better or safer than synthetic ones?Trade Review"Chalker-Scott is a one-woman Consumer Reports on gardening practices. Her book takes a look at what we think we know and what we've heard to be true, then holds it up against what research shows." * The Patriot News *"This groundbreaking book belongs in every gardener's library. Rather than pushing one viewpoint over another, the author brings a voice of reason to gardening without the usual hype." * BellaOnline *"A succinct and easy-to-navigate resource . . . . Chalker-Scott's instructions are clear enough for even a first-time gardener to follow." * The Bloomsbury Review *"This enjoyable book should find its way into the hands of almost every gardener. . . . Highly recommended for public libraries with gardeners ready to tackle the literature, as well as academic and special libraries with interests in horticulture and gardening." * Library Journal *"Chalker-Scott's approach is unique in that she speaks about gardening as a genuine expert—- with academic credentials—- who debunks numerous myths. . . . in a manner that is easy for us laypeople to understand and absorb. . . Her conclusions are good advice for all of us to follow." * Washington State Grange News *"In her first book she takes on common garden myths about fertilizer, mulch, transplanting, staking, compost tea, watering and many more potentially confusing topics. She skillfully debunks them with current research as well as her experience in extension horticulture." * Seattle Times *"The Informed Gardener is a thorough, well-written guide and is highly recommended to any gardening enthusiast." * Midwest Book Review *"An informative, helpful guide to sustainable landscaping, with valuable emphasis on cutting through many of the myths and misunderstandings that now surround this increasingly hot topic." * Seattle Post-Intelligencer *"[Linda Chalker-Scott's] book does great service in helping the urban gardener move past common practices that hinder instead of help, looking to nature itself as the ultimate teacher of truths." * Cascadia Weekly *"Linda Chalker-Scott is gardening's version of television's 'MythBusters.' Ok, so she isn't so keen on blowing things up, but she does use scientific research to explain why many traditional horticultural practices aren't suitable for urban landscapes." * Tacoma News *Table of ContentsPreface CRITICAL THINKING The Myth of Absolute Science The Myth of Indisputable Information The Myth of Organic Superiority, Part I The Myth of Organic Superiority, Part 2 UNDERSTANDING HOW PLANTS WORK The Myth of Fragile Roots --Pruning Flawed Woody Roots Before Transplanting The Myth of Mighty Roots The Myth of Top-Pruning Transplanted Material The Myth of Tree Topping How Big is Big? The Myth of Hot-Weather Watering HOW / WHAT / WHEN / WHERE TO PLANT The Myth of Instant Landscaping The Myth of Native Plant Superiority --Going Native? Or Not? The Myth of Well-behaved Ornamentals The Myth of Plant Quality --Choosing the Best Plants at the Nursery The Myth of Drainage Materials in Containers The Myth of Collapsing Root Balls The Myth of Tree Staking SOIL ADDITIVES The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 1 The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 2 The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 3 The Myth of Phosphate Fertilizer, Part 1 The Myth of Phosphate Fertilizer, Part 2 The Myth of Beneficial Bonemeal The Myth of Polyacrylamide Hydrogels The Myth of Wandering Weedkiller MULCHES The Myth of Landscape Fabric --Using Arborist Wood Chips for Weed Control The Myth of Clean Compost --How Does Mulching Reduce Pesticide and Fertilizer Use? The Myth of Paper-Based Sheet Mulch The Myth of Pretty Mulch --Characteristics of an Ideal Landscape Mulch MIRACLES IN A BAG / BOTTLE / BOX The Myth of Compost Tea The Myth of Compost Tea Revisited The Myth of Mineral Magic The Myth of Vitamin Shots The Myth of Vitamin Stimulants The Myth of Wound Dressings Essential Garden Tools and Products Index

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Book SynopsisFor researchers in all disciplines, this book offers a practical, hands-on course in communicating scientific findings and concepts through visual graphicsTrade Review"[Visual Strategies] will be useful for anyone who wants to make clear presentations of data of any kind. . . . The book offers general guidelines, with illustrative graphics, and many real-life case studies. The authors show how they would improve actual graphics, and they invite improvements to their improvements on their Web site, www.visual-strategies.org. . . . Ms. Frankel and Dr. DePace speak as if they were looking up from the laboratory bench. Usually their suggestions are simple, and the results are striking. Add color, subtract color, color only one part of an image - these kinds of relatively simple steps can add clarity."—Cornelia Dean, The New York Times"Smartly and accessibly designed."—Steven Heller, New York Times Book Review"In this technoscientific century, with knowledge doubling every decade, researchers and designers alike need to ramp up their presentation of the material they describe. This beautifully illustrated book shows how."—Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus and Honorary Curator in Entomology, Harvard University"A thoughtful and useful series of recommendations that will actually help you understand what you are doing when you are trying to make yourself clear."—Milton Glaser". . . unique. . . . an essential guide to literacy for fields that are essential to all our lives."—Steven Heller, School of Visual Arts"Many visualization books “round up the usual suspects” of well-known examples, but Visual Strategies is quite original in its choices...I’ll buy it as soon as it is available."—Patrick J. Lynch, Yale Office of Public Affairs and Communications"A user-friendly guide for scientists and engineers to express data concepts in a variety of media and well timed to address the growing demand for communication of increasingly complex scientific concepts and processes."—John Maeda, President, Rhode Island School of Design

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Book SynopsisOne of the world's leading geologists takes readers into Italy's Apennine Mountain Range—the Mountains of Saint Francis—on a journey to discover the fascinating secrets of the Earth's deep history.Trade Review"Alvarez brings sheer fun to the explanation of great geological phenomena." -- Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisWine is radioactive? Organic foods have more poison in them than those grown with pesticides? Best-selling author Richard A. Muller enlightens us.

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Book SynopsisHow Darwin found universal evolutionary truths in simple yet ingenious home-spun experiments.Trade Review"If you’ve ever fantasized walking and conversing with the great scientist on the subjects that consumed him, and now wish to add the fullness of reality, read this book." -- Edward O. Wilson"Darwin’s Backyard, is a passionate but balanced celebration of the Victorian scientist’s lifelong obsession with enquiry and how the fields and meadows around his home were a microcosm of the wider world... Costa more than achieves his stated goals of revealing the evolution of Darwin’s insights and the relevance of his methods now." -- Nature"It is a charming book about Darwin’s homespun experiments..." -- Times Literary Supplement"...excellent Darwin's Backyard... James Costa has written an intimate and big-hearted book. In its pages, readers will discover the real Darwin, a complicated man behind a revolutionary theory." -- Science Lives"With Darwin's Backyard, Costa has written an intimate and big-hearted book. In its pages, young readers will discover the complicated man behind the revolutionary theory." -- Science Magazine

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

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Book SynopsisReports from the cutting edge, where physics and biology are changing the fundamental assumptions of computing.Trade Review"The biographies, by Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere, are bite-size—no more than six pages or so—and the technical material is segregated in sidebars so that the reader doesn't get bogged down unless he or she wants to." -- Washington Post"In Natural Computing, Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere profile Mr. Shaw and 14 other scientists who are pushing computer science beyond traditional boundaries. In particular, the scientists are trespassing into the realms of biology and physics and attempting to create computer designs and functions that will imitate organic reality." -- Jamie Hamilton - Wall Street Journal"[A] breezy overview of current trends in computer design and software.... Amateur tech enthusiasts should be absorbed by this knowledgeable but welcoming look at the bleeding edge of computing." -- Publishers Weekly"Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere draw upon interviews with 15 leading scientists working in disparate fields to explore the outer reaches of computing. They expected to write a book about a future world dominated by thinking machines, but instead found that the common vision to have emerged across all of these fields is that "the future of computing is a synthesis with nature.".... Reading the book, I came away with the comforting thought that the mindset of future computers will seem far less alien to my kids than to me." -- Thomas P.M. Barnett - World Politics Review"There are many possible approaches to natural computing--computing inspired by nature--and Lazere and Shasha's new book gives a good overview of all of them… by telling the stories of some of the main players in the field.… even if you aren't a techie, the personal storytelling, which so nicely combines the technical focus of the book with the personal fascinations of the players, will still impress you with the natural computing field's main themes and challenges.… The authors also make the convincing case for parallel programming languages, such as K and APL, which seem indispensable when it comes to making effective use of the new generation of computer architectures." -- Jan Van Den Bussche - ACM Computing Reviews"[D]oes much to demystify what computer scientists do as well as reviewing the current state of research in the field. It’s the sort of book that’s perfect for a college student thinking about a career in computer science, or trying to understand which academic advisors to pick for his or her thesis." -- Alexander Haislip, author of Essentials of Venture Capital"In their book Natural Computing, Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere describe the calculations necessary for the analysis of protein folding, which is important in biological research and particularly in drug design. Time must be divided into very short intervals of around one femtosecond, which is a million billionth of a second, and for each interval, the interactions of all the atoms involved in the process must be calculated. Then do it again for the next femtosecond, and the next, and the next.… It is sobering to think about what vast computational resources are necessary to even begin to simulate what tiny bits of nature do all the time." -- David Foster - Chicago Boyz blog

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Book Synopsis"The history is fascinating, as are the insights into the personalities of these great thinkers." —New ScientistTrade Review"Miller is a master at capturing the intersection of creativity and intelligence." -- Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Elon Musk"A fascinating and an unlikely story…exciting to read as well as informative." -- Gino Segré - Physics World"[Miller's] accessible account should bring this odd couple to a wider readership…His ability to approach the subject from the perspective of both the sciences and the humanities is a great strength." -- Georgina Ferry - Times Literary Supplement"A rewarding account of the intersection of two great minds." -- Publishers Weekly

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Book Synopsis"This beautifully written book has the verve of an adventure story." —Wall Street JournalTrade Review"An anecdotal romp through the strange history of naturalism. Absurd characters, exciting discoveries, and fierce rivalries abound." -- Outside Magazine"An enduring story bursting at the seams with intriguing, fantastical and disturbing anecdotes." -- New Scientist"[Conniff] chronicles two centuries of adventure, and at the same time illustrates important developments in human thought." -- Christian Science Monitor"A swashbuckling romp…brilliantly evokes that just-before Darwin era." -- BBC Focus"[This] history of the ‘great age of discovery’ is spellbinding." -- Publishers Weekly"[Conniff’s] enthusiasm for his subject and admiration of these explorers is infectious…an entertaining survey." -- Kirkus Reviews"Modern biology and medicine would not be what they are today if not for the death-defying naturalists who set out to travel the world and find new species. In The Species Seekers, Richard Conniff creates a marvelous rogues’ gallery of these brave, sometimes reckless heroes of taxonomy, full of surprising tales of gorillas, platypuses, and disease-laden mosquitoes." -- Carl Zimmer, author of Parasite Rex"A marvelous tribute to the age of wonder." -- Bernd Heinrich, author of White Feathers and Racing the Clock

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Book Synopsis"Excellent…Tucker’s chronicle of the world of 17th-century science in London and Paris is fascinating." —The EconomistTrade Review"Ingenious, engaging, and disquieting…Tucker masterfully narrates a rich tale about the competing passions of faith, politics, and knowledge." -- Boston Globe"Multilayered and engrossing…a riveting story." -- Seattle Times"Tucker’s sleuthing adds drama to an utterly compelling picture of Europe at the moment when modern science was being shaped." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Smart and addictive." -- Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook"Blood Work is fascinating and richly-researched, giving us a gory glimpse of the dawn of our scientific age." -- Carl Zimmer, author of She Has Her Mother's Laugh"Blood Work is a magnificent story of the heady days when transfusions were first being performed. There is drama, intrigue, discovery and revelation in this tale and the writing is terrific." -- Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone

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Book SynopsisAn engaging narrative about an incredible, life-giving organ and its imperiled modern fate.Trade Review"A smart, wry synthesis of evolution, physiology, microbiology, environmental science, and even biomechanics." -- Carl Zimmer "Akin to Rachel Carson's 1962 classic Silent Spring." -- M. G. Lord "Exceptional." "Starred Review. Meant to nurture the next generation for life on planet Earth, breasts are also humanity's first responders to environmental changes. And what have modern-day chemical exposures wrought? The answers to this question and many more are found in Williams's remarkably informative and compelling work of discovery." "Williams has done us all-men and women-an enormous favor." "With a scientist's mind, a journalist's eye, and a mother's heart, Williams has produced a wide-ranging environmental history of the breast...Williams delineates one of the most consequential dramas at the intersection of human evolution and environmental change." "Highly informative and remarkably entertaining... [Williams's] inquisitive tone deftly melds careful reportage and a witty streak of lay skepticism." "Much like [Mary Roach's] Stiff, Breasts benefits from its author's field trips...Seen this way-the breast as a canary in a toxic coal mine-[Williams's] call to protect them feels both timely and urgent." "A wonderful and entertaining tour through the evolution, biology and cultural aspects of the organ that defines us as mammals!" -- Susan Love, M.D., M.B.A., President of Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation

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Book SynopsisIn a sublime exploration of the most unpredictable element of the earth, William Bryant Logan opens our eyes to the astonishing physics, chemistry, biology, history, art, and even music of the air.Trade Review" As with his earlier works . . . [Logan] celebrates the union of the inorganic and organic realms that nurture life. . . . Logan celebrates the atmosphere as a medium of communication—transmitting pheromones as well as sound, bird calls, music—and notes that the breath of life separates the living from the dead. " -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"[A] delightful Wunderkammer of a book. . . . Air is... a spore-world of essays, essaylets, mini-biographies, gossip, whispers, lists, prose-poems and asides. ...Cheery, chatty and compulsively curious, Mr. Logan is able to draw the reader into pretty much any subject... In this lovely book, Mr. Logan makes the air airy again." -- Robert Macfarlane - Wall Street Journal"Logan is an enjoyable companion with which to explore his subject. He is erudite and thoughtful, with an agreeable mix of the personal and scientific" -- David B. Williams - Seattle Times"Logan’s meticulously researched and engagingly presented treatise is a breath of, well, fresh air." -- Carol Haggas - Booklist (starred review)"Splendid. . . . Logan delivers vast amounts of science with brevity and elegance." -- Nature

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Book SynopsisA thought-provoking and humorous collection on NASA and the future of space travel.Trade Review"Astrophysicist and supremely entertaining science popularizer Neil deGrasse Tyson is on a crusade to convince everyone of the political, economic and security benefits of space-science research and exploration." -- Nature"Tyson is an entertaining writer with a startling imagination..." -- Sky at Night"There is much to enjoy here, and nothing too arcane for a non-space cadet to follow." -- Dava Sobel"...written in an engaging style..." -- Observatory Magazine"...well written, anecdotal and humorous..." -- SSR

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Book SynopsisThis book focuses on state of the art technologies to produce microbiologically safe foods for our global dinner table. Each chapter summarizes the most recent scientific advances, particularly with respect to food processing, pre- and post-harvest food safety, quality control, and regulatory information.Trade Review"This book discusses the microbiologicai quality and safety of foods, with particular reference to novel processing techniques for ensuring food safety." (Food Science and Technology Abstracts, July 2010) “This book focuses on state-of the-art technologies to produce microbiologically safe foods for our dinner table.” (Chemistry World, October 2009)Table of ContentsCONTRIBUTORS. FOREWORD. PREFACE. I MICROBIAL FOOD HAZARDS. 1 PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS: IMPETUS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD SAFETY EFFORT (Irene V. Wesley). 1.1 Introduction. 1.2 Statistical Estimates. 1.3 Impact of Representative Foodborne Pathogens. 1.4 National Microbial Baseline Surveys. 1.5 Global Marketplace. References. 2 FOODBORNE PATHOGENS AND TOXINS: AN OVERVIEW (Santos Garcia and Norma Heredia). 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 Aeromonas. 2.3 Arcobacter. 2.4 Bacillus cereus. 2.5 Brucella. 2.6 Campylobacter. 2.7 Clostridium botulinum. 2.8 Clostridium perfringens. 2.9 Escherichia coli. 2.10 Listeria. 2.11 Plesiomonas shigelloides. 2.12 Salmonella. 2.13 Shigella. 2.14 Staphylococcus aureus. 2.15 Vibrio. 2.16 Yersinia. 2.17 Mycotoxins and Fungi. 2.18 Cryptosporidium. 2.19 Cyclospora. 2.20 Entamoeba. 2.21 Giardia. 2.22 Anisakis simplex. 2.23 Ascaris. 2.24 Diphyllobothrium latum. 2.25 Taenia. 2.26 Trichinella spiralis. 2.27 Hepatitis A and E Viruses. 2.28 Norovirus. References. II EMERGING ISSUES. 3 CRONOBACTER GEN. NOV. (ENTEROBACTER) SAKAZAKII: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS (Genisis Iris Dancer and Dong-Hyun Kang). 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 History of Illness Caused by (E). sakazakii. 3.3 Infant Susceptibility. 3.4 Novel Prevention Strategies. 3.5 Infant Formula Processing. 3.6 Biochemical Characterization and Taxonomy. 3.7 Environmental Sources of (E). sakazakii. 3.8 Resistance and Virulence Factors of (E). sakazakii. 3.9 Current Isolation and Detection Techniques. References. 4 PRION DISEASES (Debbie McKenzie and Judd Aiken). 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies. 4.3 Nature of the Illness Caused. 4.4 Pathogenesis. 4.5 Characteristics of the Agent. 4.6 Epidemiology. 4.7 PrPSc Detection. 4.8 Physical Means of Destruction of the Organism. 4.9 Prevention and Control Measures. References. 5 AVIAN INFLUENZA A (H5N1): POTENTIAL THREAT TO FOOD SAFETY (James Mark Simmerman and Peter K. Ben Embarek). 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 Emergence of H5N1 Avian Influenza. 5.3 Epidemiology of Human H5N1 Infection. 5.4 Clinical Presentation and Laboratory Diagnosis. 5.5 Food Safety Considerations. 5.6 Global Response. References. III FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF SPECIFIC COMMODITIES. 6 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF BEEF (Robin C. Anderson, Steven C. Ricke, Bwalya Lungu, Michael G. Johnson, Christy Oliver, Shane M. Horrocks, and David J. Nisbet). 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Beef. 6.3 Salmonella in Beef. 6.4 Listeria in Beef. 6.5 Campylobacter in Beef. 6.6 Control of Foodborne Pathogens in Beef. 6.7 Conclusions. References. 7 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS (Mansel W. Griffiths). 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 Microflora of Raw Milk. 7.3 Public Health Concerns from Dairy Products. 7.4 Milk and Cream. 7.5 Cheese and Fermented Dairy Products. 7.6 Ice Cream. 7.7 Butter. 7.8 Milk Powder. 7.9 Detection of Microorganisms in Milk. 7.10 Novel Processing Methods. 7.11 Global Trade and Regulations. References. 8 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF POULTRY (Irene V. Wesley). 8.1 Introduction. 8.2 Characteristics of Foodborne Illness. 8.3 Approaches to Maintaining Product Quality and Reducing the Number of Microorganisms. 8.4 Conclusions. References. 9 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF EGGS AND EGG PRODUCTS (Jean-Yves D’Aoust). 9.1 Shell Egg Development and Structure. 9.2 Microflora of Shell Eggs. 9.3 Significance of the Detection of Salmonella. 9.4 Eggborne Outbreaks of Human Salmonellosis. 9.5 Thermal Processing of Egg Products. 9.6 Potentially Hazardous Egg Products in the Home. 9.7 Control. References. 10 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF PORK (Gay Y. Miller and James S. Dickson). 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 Normal Flora of Raw Pork. 10.3 Spoilage. 10.4 Pathogens of Concern. 10.5 Risk of Contamination During Processing. 10.6 Survival and Growth of Pathogens and Spoilage Organisms in Pork Products. 10.7 Indicator Microorganisms. 10.8 Maintaining Product Quality and Reducing the Number of Microorganisms. 10.9 Microbiological Methods for Detection and Quantification. 10.10 Regulations. References. 11 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF FISH AND SHELLFISH (Lucio Galaviz-Silva, Gracia Gomez-Anduro, Zinnia J. Molina-Garza, and Felipe Ascencio-Valle). 11.1 Introduction. 11.2 Normal Flora of Fish and Shellfish. 11.3 Microbial Hazards and Preventive Measures. 11.4 Spoilage. 11.5 Seafood Processing and Food Safety. 11.6 Product Quality and Microorganism Reduction Methods. 11.7 Microbiological Methods for Detection and Quantification of Seafood Pathogens. 11.8 Food Safety Challenges for Aquaculture and the Commercial Fishing Industry. 11.9 Effects of Climate on Waterborne and Foodborne Seafood Pathogens. 11.10 Conclusions. References. 12 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES (Juan S. Leon, Lee-Ann Jaykus, and Christine L. Moe). 12.1 Introduction. 12.2 Normal Microflora of Fresh Produce. 12.3 Spoilage of Fresh Produce. 12.4 Human Pathogens Associated with Produce. 12.5 Factors that Influence Survival and Growth of Organisms. 12.6 Microbiological Methods for Detection and Quantification. 12.7 Indicator Microorganisms. 12.8 Sources of Produce Contamination. 12.9 Maintaining Produce Quality and Reducing the Number of Microorganisms. 12.10 Regulations. 12.11 Conclusions. References. 13 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF FRUIT BEVERAGES AND BOTTLED WATER (Mickey E. Parish). 13.1 Introduction. 13.2 Normal Microflora. 13.3 Spoilage. 13.4 Pathogens. 13.5 Maintaining Product Quality and Reducing Microbial Numbers. 13.6 U.S. Regulations. References. 14 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF CANNED AND FROZEN FOODS (Nina G. Parkinson). 14.1 Introduction. 14.2 History of Canned Foods. 14.3 Categories of Canned Foods. 14.4 Safety of Canned Foods. 14.5 Microbial Spoilage of Canned Foods. 14.6 History of Frozen Foods. 14.7 Principles of Frozen Food Preservation. 14.8 Safety and Spoilage of Frozen Foods. 14.9 U.S. Regulations. References. 15 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF CEREALS AND CEREAL PRODUCTS (Lloyd B. Bullerman and Andreia Bianchini). 15.1 Introduction. 15.2 Health Implications of Fungal Deterioration of Grains. 15.3 Mycotoxins. 15.4 Media and Methods for Molds and Mycotoxins. References. 16 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF SPICES AND HERBS (Keith A. Ito). 16.1 Introduction. 16.2 Use of Spices and Herbs in Foods. 16.3 Antimicrobial Effects. 16.4 Contamination of Spices and Herbs. 16.5 Recalls and Outbreaks. 16.6 Control Procedures. 16.7 Conclusions. References. 17 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF MAYONNAISE, SALAD DRESSINGS, ACIDIC CONDIMENTS, AND MAYONNAISE-BASED SALADS (Larry R. Beuchat). 17.1 Introduction. 17.2 Mayonnaise. 17.3 Salad Dressings and Sauces. 17.4 Acidic Condiments. 17.5 Salads, Sandwiches, and Other Ready-to-Eat Foods Containing Mayonnaise and Acidic Condiments. References. 18 FOOD SAFETY ISSUES AND THE MICROBIOLOGY OF CHOCOLATE AND SWEETENERS (Norma Heredia and Santos Garcia). 18.1 Introduction. 18.2 Normal Flora of Raw and Fermented Cocoa Beans. 18.3 Spoilage and Shelf Life of Chocolate. 18.4 Pathogens in Confectionery Products. 18.5 Sources of Contamination. 18.6 Factors that Influence Survival and Growth of Pathogens and Spoilage Organisms. 18.7 Maintaining Product Quality and Reducing Microbial Numbers. 18.8 Microbiological Methods for Detection and Quantification. 18.9 Regulations. References. IV PREVENTION AND CONTROL STRATEGIES. 19 MICROBIAL RISK ASSESSMENT (Marianne D. Miliotis and Robert L. Buchanan). 19.1 Introduction. 19.2 Risk Assessment Framework. 19.3 Risk Assessment Analytical Tools. 19.4 Qualitative vs. Quantitative Risk Assessments. 19.5 Types of Risk Assessment. 19.6 Predictive Microbiology. 19.7 Using Risk Assessment to Make Risk Management Decisions. References. 20 GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES (Olga I. Padilla-Zakour). 20.1 Introduction. 20.2 Personnel. 20.3 Buildings and Facilities. 20.4 Sanitation. 20.5 Pest Control. 20.6 Equipment. 20.7 Operations. 20.8 Warehousing and Distribution. 20.9 Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures. References. 21 CLEANING AND SANITIZING OPERATIONS (Kevin Keener). 21.1 Introduction. 21.2 Food Sanitation. 21.3 Food Regulations. 21.4 Sanitation Programs. 21.5 Sanitation Program Development. 21.6 Crisis Management: How to Survive a Recall. 21.7 Educational and Training Resources. References. 22 HAZARD ANALYSIS OF CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS (Martin W. Bucknavage and Catherine Nettles Cutter). 22.1 Introduction. 22.2 HACCP Fundamentals. 22.3 Conclusions. References. 23 TRADITIONAL AND HIGH-TECHNOLOGY APPROACHES TO MICROBIAL SAFETY IN FOODS (Tatiana Koutchma). 23.1 Introduction. 23.2 Thermal vs. Nonthermal Technology. 23.3 Establishment of Specifications for Preservation. 23.4 Technologies Based on Thermal Effects. 23.5 Technologies Based on Nonthermal Effects. 23.6 Conclusions. References. 24 FOOD PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES OTHER THAN HEAT AND IRRADIATION (Ronald G. Labbe and Linda L. Nolan). 24.1 Introduction. 24.2 Traditional Physical Methods of Food Preservation. 24.3 Food Antimicrobials. 24.4 Preservatives from Biological Sources. 24.5 Hurdle Technology. References. 25 FOOD SAFETY AND INNOVATIVE FOOD PACKAGING (Jung (John H. Han). 25.1 Introduction. 25.2 Innovative Packaging to Enhance Food Safety. 25.3 Conclusions. References. V DETECTION OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS. 26 TRADITIONAL METHODS FOR DETECTION OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS (Luisa Solıs, Eduardo Sanchez, Santos Garcıa, and Norma Heredia). 26.1 Introduction. 26.2 General Quantification Methods. 26.3 Quantification and Detection Methods for Specific Microorganisms. References. 27 RAPID METHODS FOR FOODBORNE BACTERIAL ENUMERATION AND PATHOGEN DETECTION (Peter Feng and Norma Heredia). 27.1 Introduction. 27.2 Logistics of Food Testing. 27.3 Rapid Pathogen Testing Methods. 27.4 Rapid Enumeration Methods. 27.5 Logistics, Resources, and Applicability. References. 28 LABORATORY ACCREDITATION AND PROFICIENCY TESTING (DeAnn L. Benesh). 28.1 Introduction. 28.2 Laboratory Accreditation. 28.3 Proficiency Testing. 28.4 Global Perspectives. References. VI CURRENT AND FUTURE ISSUES IN FOOD SAFETY. 29 BIOTERRORISM AND FOOD SAFETY (Barbara. A. Rasco and Gleyn E. Bledsoe). 29.1 Introduction. 29.2 The Need for Protective Food Security Programs. 29.3 Vulnerability Assessment. 29.4 Emergency Response and Product Recovery. 29.5 Prevention as the First Line of Defense. 29.6 Development of a Food Security Plan Based on HACCP Principles. 29.7 Evaluating Security Risks and Identifying Hazards. 29.8 Managing Risk: Preventive Measures. 29.9 Security Strategies. Appendix: An Example. References. 30 PREDICTIVE MICROBIOLOGY: GROWTH IN SILICO (Mark L. Tamplin). 30.1 Introduction. 30.2 Applications of Predictive Microbiology in the Food Industry. 30.3 Models. 30.4 Tools in Predictive Microbiology. 30.5 Databases to Support Predictive Microbiology. 30.6 Conclusions. References. 31 ROLE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS IN FOOD SAFETY (Fidel Guevara-Lara). 31.1 Introduction . 31.2 Genetically Modified Foods in the World Market. 31.3 Potential of GMOs to Increase Food Safety. 31.4 Increased Safety of GMOs for the Environment and Human Health. 31.5 Food Safety Issues and Public Concerns Regarding GMOs. 31.6 Conclusions. References. INDEX.

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Book SynopsisAdam Hart Davis has interviewed some of the most influential scientists and thinkers of our time. In this fascinating insight into modern science he presents the stories behind the science, the difficulties behind the discoveries and the future of the findings, as explained by the people themselves.Trade Review"...a good book for anyone who wants to see how real science is done..." (Focus magazine, No.148, March 2005) "...As well as being stimulating and awe-inspiring, the transcripts are packed with humour and insight..." (South Coast Magazine, February 2005) "...this wonderfully accessible book brings to life today's most intriguing scientific discoveries, debates and personalities." (Focus, Number 154, 2005) "...wonderful resource...in a library with a shelf for scientists as personalities, this volume merits a place." (Journal Of College Science Teaching, June 2006)Table of ContentsPreface. Chapter One: Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Chapter Two: Sir Michael Berry. Chapter Three: Colleen Cavanaugh. Chapter Four: Richard Dawkins. Chapter Five: Loren Graham. Chapter Six: Richard Gregory. Chapter Seven: Eric Lander. Chapter Eight: Lord May of Oxford. Chapter Nine: John Maynard Smith. Chapter Ten: Rosalind Picard. Chapter Eleven: Peter Raven. Chapter Twelve: Sir Martin Rees. Chapter Thirteen: Eugenie Scott. Chapter Fourteen: Lewis Wolpert. Credits. Index.

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