Science: general issues Books
Columbia University Press Unreliable
Book Synopsis
£22.50
Little, Brown Book Group The Universe In A Single Atom How science and
Book SynopsisIn this rare personal investigation, His Holiness the Dalai Lama discusses his vision of science and faith working hand in hand to alleviate human suffering. Drawing on a lifetime of scientific study and religious practice, he explores the great debates and makes astonishing connections between seemingly disparate topics - such as evolution and karma - that will change the way we look at the world.While he sees science and faith as ''complementary but different investigative approaches with the same goal of seeking the truth,'' the fact is that the two have often been at the root of human conflict for centuries. The Dalai Lama challenges us to see that the benefits of opening our hearts and minds to the connections between science and faith are far preferable to perpetuating the divisive rhetoric that often surrounds them. Now, as we face such troubled and uncertain times, the need has never been greater for this extraordinary man''s compassion and wisdom.Trade ReviewWith immense charm and lucidity, [the Dalai Lama] riffs on possible congruences between quantum physics or relativity and the Buddhist concept of impermanence and nothingness Steven Poole, GUARDIAN Wise and compassionate DAILY EXPRESS Some fascinating fresh insights ... Those who confuse the Dalai Lama's affability and simple-heartedness for a lack of intellectual rigour will be confounded by the strength of his reasoning, and no one can deny his argument that science should serve us all ... a fascinating account of an intellectual journey from the rooftops of Lhasa to the modern world SCOTSMAN The lucidity of the writing is a joy, and conveys with simple elegance profound truths from both traditions. For those wishing to understand the nature of reality, this is an excellent work THE MIDDLE WAY: JOURNAL OF THE BUDDHIST SOCIETY
£10.44
Basic Books The Annotated Flatland A Romance of Many
Book SynopsisFlatland is a unique, delightful satire that has charmed readers for over a century. Published in 1884 by the English clergyman and headmaster Edwin A. Abbott, it is the fanciful tale of A. Square, a two-dimensional being who is whisked away by a mysterious visitor to The Land of Three Dimensions, an experience that forever alters his worldview. Like the original, Ian Stewart''s commentary takes readers on a strange and wonderful journey. With clarity and wit, Stewart illuminates Abbott''s numerous Victorian references and touches on such diverse topics as ancient Babylon, Karl Marx, Mary Shelley''s Frankenstein , Mt. Everest, H.G. Wells, and phrenology. The Annotated Flatland makes fascinating connections between Flatland and Abbott''s era, resulting in a classic to rival Abbott''s own, and a book that will inspire and delight curious readers for generations to come.Trade Review"Stewart... is renowned for his popular science books, but Why Beauty is Truth is without a doubt the finest." Nature "Stewart, long a class act in popular maths, does not shy from presenting equations, illuminating them with imagistic explanations and sympathetic character sketches of heroes past and present." Guardian "I resorted to hiding (Why Beauty is Truth) from other members of the family until I'd finished and am confident that those on the 'waiting list' will not be disappointed. Inspirational." TLS"
£15.29
WW Norton & Co End of the Megafauna The Fate of the Worlds
Book SynopsisThe fascinating lives and puzzling demise of some of the largest animals on earth.Trade Review"Ross McPhee's End of the Megafauna is a marvellous survey of what we know about the magnificent creatures who shared our world just 12,000 years ago, and he is brilliantly served by the superb illustrations of Australian artist Peter Schouten. There are also excellent maps and diagrams, helping you remember the difference between your Pleistocene and Holocene. The book is also a compelling, sometimes demanding and scientifically rigorous detective story." -- The Sunday Times"Palaeomammalogist Ross MacPhee examines the theories, such as human over-hunting, climate change, emergent infections and food-web disruption; articulates the ongoing debate around them and what that might tell us about today’s biodiversity crisis; and takes a look at de-extinction. Packed with evocative artwork by Peter Schouten." -- Nature"In End of the Megafauna, palaeontologist Ross MacPhee explores the current hypotheses, weighing up the evidence with academic rigour and delivering it with pop-science clarity." -- BBC Wildlife"Delving far deeper into the subject matter than anything you would have likely experienced before, this is a fascinating examination of a long-forgotten past and proof that giant life didn't end with the dinosaurs. A great gift for those who like their history with bite." -- How It Works"... highly readable book..." -- The British Association of Nature Conservationists Magazine
£26.59
Columbia University Press Evolution
Book SynopsisDonald R. Prothero’s Evolution is an entertaining and rigorous history of the transitional forms and series found in the fossil record. In this second edition, Prothero describes new transitional fossils from various periods, and reframes creationism as a case study in denialism and pseudoscience.Trade ReviewIf you're one of these people who likes to read Dawkins, Gould and Darwin, I would highly recommend this book. If you doubted that evolution was true before, and then you looked at this book, I don't see how you could possibly continue to question it. -- Jerry Coyne, author of Faith Versus Fact: Why Science and Religion Are IncompatibleTable of ContentsForeword: Why People Do Not Accept EvolutionTo the Reader: Is Evolution a Threat to Your Religious Beliefs?Prologue: Fossils and EvolutionPreface to the Second EditionAcknowledgmentsPart I: Evolution and the Fossil Record1. The Nature of Science2. Science and Creationism3. The Fossil Record4. The Evolution of Evolution5. Systematics and EvolutionPart II: Evolution? The Fossils say YES!6. Life’s Origins7. Cambrian “Explosion”—or Slow Fuse?8. Spineless Wonders of Evolution9. Fish Tales10. Fish Out of Water11. Onto the Land and Back to the Sea: The Amniotes12. Dinosaurs Evolve—and Fly13. Mammalian Explosion14. Bossies and Blowholes15. The Ape’s Reflection?16. Why Does It Matter?BibliographyIndex
£28.50
The University of Chicago Press Essay on the Geography of Plants
Book SynopsisRepresents the first articulation of an integrative "science of the earth," encompassing most of today's environmental sciences. This title introduces the treatise and explains its enduring significance.
£24.70
Basic Books Where Mathematics Come from
Book SynopsisThis book is about mathematical ideas, about what mathematics means-and why. Abstract ideas, for the most part, arise via conceptual metaphor-metaphorical ideas projecting from the way we function in the everyday physical world. Where Mathematics Comes From argues that conceptual metaphor plays a central role in mathematical ideas within the cognitive unconscious-from arithmetic and algebra to sets and logic to infinity in all of its forms.
£23.75
Cornell University Press Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians
Book SynopsisThis volume is a comprehensive review of current scientific knowledge about the world’s largest and most famous living reptiles.Trade ReviewBiology and Evolution of Crocodyliansis an expensive book, but it is one that will serve any paleontologist seeking a detailed review of all aspects of modern crocodylian biology. The photographs and illustrations also make it a very attractive book for any natural history enthusiast. -- Adam Pritchard * Palaeontologica Electronica *The author, Gordon Grigg, and illustrator, David Kirshner, have written a wonderful, beautifully illustrated, all-inclusive treatise on the Crocodylia that has already become (and will remain for the foreseeable future) the most important compilation of information and references yet attempted. It will be invaluable to both current researchers and future generations of crocodylian biologists.... [D]espite working in the area of crocodylian evolutionary biology for over 35 years, I learned more about these animals than I ever imagined by reading this volume.... Overall, this is a most remarkable publication, one that surely will stand the test of time and be remembered as one of the most important contributions ever in the history of crocodylian research. -- Llewellyn D. Densmore * The Quarterly Review of Biology *Table of ContentsForeword Preface Acknowledgements1. INTRODUCTION Introducing crocodylians The living species of crocodylians The growth of scientific knowledge about crocodylians Body size and age2. THE CROCODYLIAN FAMILY TREE The modern crocodylians and their relationships Extinct Crocodylia and other crocodile-like reptiles; crocs in 'deep time' Summary3. CROCODYLIANS CLOSER UP The external features of crocodylians Skull and musculoskeletal system4. LOCOMOTION, BUOYANCY, AND TRAVEL Crocodylians on land Crocodylians in the water Buoyancy Stomach stones (gastroliths) Capacity for long distance travel5. SENSORY SKILLS AND BRAIN Vision Hearing, movement and balance Brain and cranial nerves Olfaction and gustation (chemosensation) Sense organs of the skin Cognitive capacities and learning6. FEEDING, DIGESTION, AND NUTRITION What do crocodylians eat? Prey capture and handling Digestion Nutrition7. ENERGY SUPPLY AND DELIVERY The metabolic engines: crocodylian biochemistry and metabolism Whole body metabolism (anaerobic and aerobic) The respiratory system The circulatory system8. THE WORLD'S MOST EXTRAORDINARY HEART A tour of the crocodylian heart Non-shunting and shunting patterns of blood flow What is the significance of pulmonary by-pass shunting in crocodylians?9. DIVING AND SUBMERGENCE BEHAVIOUR AND PHYSIOLOGY When? Why? How deep? How, and how for so long? Diving behaviour of crocodylians in the wild Physiological support for crocodylian diving What are the longest submergences by crocodylians that can be supported aerobically?10. THERMAL RELATIONS Introduction: crocodylians are not like other reptiles Daily and seasonal patterns of body temperature Behaviours that modify body temperature Physiological mechanisms of thermoregulation Thermal acclimatization Crocodylians may have endothermic ancestry Could even the basal archosaurs have been endothermic?11. SALT AND WATER BALANCE Salt and water balance in Crocodylus porosus: an introduction to crocodylian osmoregulation Salt and water balance in other crocodylians Living out of water, 'aestivation' Salt glands and implications for crocodylian evolutionary history12. REPRODUCTION Introduction: they’re more like birds Oviducts, ovulation, fertilisation and the gravid stage13. POPULATIONS AND POPULATION ECOLOGY Populations (and species) Population dynamics: changes through time Case Histories14. CONSERVATION, COMMERCIALISATION, AND CONFLICT Introduction Historical perspective The future for crocodylians?INDEX
£108.80
Vintage Publishing A Primate's Memoir: Love, Death and Baboons
Book SynopsisDiscover this remarkable account of twenty-one years in remote Kenya with a troop of Savannah baboons from the New York Times bestselling author of Behave.'One of the best scientist-writers of our time' Oliver SacksBrooklyn-born Robert Sapolsky grew up wishing he could live in the primate diorama in the Museum of Natural History. At school he wrote fan letters to primatologists and even taught himself Swahili, all with the hope of one day joining his primate brethren in Africa. But when, at the age of twenty-one, Sapolky's dream finally comes true he discovers that the African bush bears little resemblance to the tranquillity of a museum. This is the story of the next twenty-one years as Sapolsky slowly infiltrates and befriends a troop of Savannah baboons. Alone in the middle of the Serengeti with no electricity, running water or telephone, and surviving countless scams, culinary atrocities and a surreal kidnapping, Sapolsky becomes ever more enamoured with his adopted baboon troop - unique and compelling characters in their own right - and he returns to them summer after summer, until tragedy finally prevails. 'A Primate's Memoir is the closest the baboon is likely to come - and it's plenty close enough - to having its own Iliad' New York Times Review of BooksExhilarating, hilarious and poignant, A Primate's Memoir is a uniquely honest window into the coming-of-age of one of our greatest scientific minds.Trade ReviewOne of the most engrossing, exhilarating and irreverent books on Africa and its wildlife ever published * Financial Times *Smart, stylish, distinctive... A magnificent tale of morality among the hamfisted machiavellians * Independent *Splendidly written and entertaining... ACE. Buy this book now * Scotsman *Flies along like a well-paced and finely crafted novel...[giving] us a cast of characters as memorably colorful as any that Dickens ever created * Newsweek *One of the best scientist-writers of our time -- Oliver Sacks
£10.44
Duke University Press What Comes after Entanglement
Book SynopsisBy foregrounding the ways that human existence is bound together with the lives of other entities, contemporary cultural theorists have sought to move beyond an anthropocentric worldview. Yet as Eva Haifa Giraud contends in What Comes after Entanglement?, for all their conceptual power in implicating humans in ecologically damaging practices, these theories can undermine scope for political action. Drawing inspiration from activist projects between the 1980s and the present that range from anticapitalist media experiments and vegan food activism to social media campaigns against animal research, Giraud explores possibilities for action while fleshing out the tensions between theory and practice. Rather than an activist ethics based solely on relationality and entanglement, Giraud calls for what she describes as an ethics of exclusion, which would attend to the entities, practices, and ways of being that are foreclosed when other entangled realities are realized. Such an ethics oTrade Review“What Comes after Entanglement? is an exciting and novel book. It is unique in its combination of innovative theoretical explorations of activism and social change with suggestions for practical political interventions. Crucially, Eva Haifa Giraud explores the messy practicalities of activism. The findings and significance of her book go far beyond the case study focus on a broad variety of animal activism since the 1980s, which weaves together different times and places in really interesting ways.” -- Jenny Pickerill, author of * Cyberprotest: Environmental Activism Online *“Eva Haifa Giraud does not accept relationality theory without question. The force of her work is her seeing theory as in need of a thinking-through that does not simply apply it to situations, but instead sees the situated work of activism as rendering our notion of theory and relationality in a more nuanced fashion. I don't know of any other text that follows through on the activist potentials in the theories Giraud draws from as much as this one does. An impressive work.” -- Claire Colebrook, author of * Death of the PostHuman: Essays on Extinction *“When reading this stimulating text, I wished that I could have joined Giraud in kitchen table discussions as she wrestled with this wealth of material. Overall, this is a really well-structured text which builds its argument iteratively and holds in tension the productive ambivalence that Giraud illuminates.” -- Joan Haran * BioSocieties *“Eva Haifa Giraud’s book, What Comes after Entanglement?, offers what she calls a ‘sympathetic critique’ of ‘more than human, relational ethics.’ This critique is aimed at the new materialisms and the broader turn to relational ontology…. Giraud’s emphasis on the ethics of exclusion is something to which scholars of many kinds might well attend.” -- Samuel Diener * Year’s Work in Critical and Cultural Theory *“Eva Haifa Giraud’s book is an important contribution to recent moves within environmental political theory to expand environmental politics to the more-than-human. In particular, it addresses relevant questions of politics in non-anthropocentric environmental theory…. The book will be valuable to scholars of science and technology studies, ecofeminism, new materialism, media and communication studies, and related fields. Scholars focusing on environmental activism and campaigning will find Giraud’s attention to the conceptual significance of everyday practical problems inspiring, specifically the way she teases out some of the barriers to translating theory into practice and the context-specific tactics for negotiating these barriers.” -- Magdalena S. Rodekirchen * Environmental Politics *“What Comes After Entanglement? offers media scholars an insightful analysis of what materialist theory is doing on the ground and helps to clarify the stakes of posthumanism, for human and nonhuman animals alike.... Giraud is a well-balanced critic who pays attention to representation and infrastructure, theory and practice.” -- Cynthia Rosenfeld * Critical Studies in Media Communication *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1. Articulations 21 2. Uneven Burdens of Risk 46 3. Performing Responsibility 69 4. Hierarchies of Care 98 5. Charismatic Suffering 118 6. Ambivalent Popularity 142 Conclusion: An Ethics of Exclusion 171 Notes 183 Bibliography 225 Index 241
£20.89
Duke University Press Media Hot and Cold
Book SynopsisIn Media Hot and Cold Nicole Starosielski examines the cultural dimensions of temperature to theorize the ways heat and cold can be used as a means of communication, subjugation, and control. Diving into the history of thermal media, from infrared cameras to thermostats to torture sweatboxes, Starosielski explores the many meanings and messages of temperature. During the twentieth century, heat and cold were broadcast through mass thermal media. Today, digital thermal media such as bodily air conditioners offer personalized forms of thermal communication and comfort. Although these new media promise to help mitigate the uneven effects of climate change, Starosielski shows how they can operate as a form of biopower by determining who has the ability to control their own thermal environment. In this way, thermal media can enact thermal violence in ways that reinforce racialized, colonial, gendered, and sexualized hierarchies. By outlining how the control of temperature reveals powTrade Review“Nicole Starosielski awakens our senses from their thermal slumber. Hot and cool, warm and cold are not only metaphors; they shape worlds. I finished this book with the caloric throb of the universe humming in my ears. Starosielski's media analysis is wonderfully both elemental and critical: temperature reveals both ontology and injustice. Media Hot and Cold invites us to a noncoercive rearrangement of affect.” -- John Durham Peters, Yale University“In this dynamic and intellectually dazzling book, Nicole Starosielski grapples with complex technical principles of communication while framing them as historically and culturally conditioned and as politically and economically motivated. Starosielski's reconsideration of foundational communication models—looking beyond sender-receiver toward a more ambient and atmospheric sensibility—is necessary in an age when ubiquitous, continuous computing is fundamentally altering the atmosphere that hosts its signals. Media Hot and Cold is a model of innovative and masterful interdisciplinarity.” -- Shannon Mattern, author of * A City is not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences *"The intense media focus on climate change makes this meditation on the cultural significance of temperature coolly topical." -- Andrew Robinson * Nature *“Apart from media studies students and scholars, anyone interested in temperature and how it is managed, controlled, manipulated, and distributed will find Media Hot and Cold an incredible story of how temperatures determine lived experience. In this final call to arms, Starosielski polemicizes a future for media studies attendant to its world-building and world-sustaining capacities.” -- Samir Bhowmik * Film Quarterly *"To walk into the world of Nicole Starosielski’s Media Hot and Cold is to see familiar shapes with new intensities." -- Kyle Stine * ISLE *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Preface: Of Temperature xiii Introduction: Media Hot and Cold 1 Part I 1. Thermostat: The Thermal Subjects of Broadcast Temperature 31 2. Coldsploitation: The Thermal Attractions of Cool Air 72 3. Sweatbox: The Thermal Violence of Weaponized Heat 109 Part II 4. Heat Ray: The Thermal Circuits of Radiant Media 135 5. Infrared Camera: The Thermal Vision of Heat Images 166 6. Computer: The Coldward Course of Media 191 Conclusion: Media after the Melt 219 Notes 225 Bibliography 255 Index 273
£20.69
Princeton University Press Quantum Field Theory as Simply as Possible
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£18.00
WW Norton & Co Strata
Book SynopsisA lyrical journey through four moments in Earth's past and their lessons for our future.
£19.54
Princeton University Press Top Ten Ideas of Physics Foundations for
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£25.20
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Cartoon Guide to Genetics
Book SynopsisPresents the principles of genetics - classical and modern - in a cartoon format. Anecdotes about how the ancients tried to explain sex determination and inheritance abound, making the learning of the concepts of Mendel's Laws, mutations, DNA and gene splicing easier to understand.
£13.49
HarperCollins The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2025
£11.69
Vintage Publishing Religion Explained
Book SynopsisWhy are there religious beliefs in all cultures? Do they have features in common and why does religion persist in the face of science? Pascal Boyer shows how experimental findings in cognitive science, evolutionary biology and cultural anthropology are now providing precise answers to these general questions, and providing, for the first time, real answers to the question: Why do we believe?Trade ReviewA deep, ingenious, and insightful analysis of one of the deepest mysteries of the human species -- Steven PinkerAn excellent book in the spirit of the French Enlightenment, broadly learned and with modern behavioural science added. It deserves to be widely read * E.O. Wilson *This is a bold far-reaching book. His explanation of religion is lucid, entertaining, full of valuable insight -- Lord Habgood * Time Higher *The wisdom in its pages will be a revelation to any seeker after truth. While it lets daylight in upon magic, this book is never scornful and never dismissive, and Pascal Boyer's voice is as unpretentious as its title. If faith is the last refuge of the would-be believer, Religion Explained takes it away but puts something better in its place, enlightenment and understanding. * Ruth Rendell *A fascinating analysis of urge to believe * Scotland on Sunday *
£14.24
Vintage Publishing Programming The Universe
Book SynopsisSeth Lloyd is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and a principal investigator at the Research Laboratory of Electronics. He is also adjunct assistant professor at the Santa Fe Institute. His seminal work in the fields of quantum computation and quantum communications has gained him a reputation as an innovator and leader in the field of quantum computing. He has written numerous articles for Nature, New Scientist, Science and Scientific American. He lives in Cambridge, MassachusettsTrade ReviewSeth Lloyd is an authoritative and often funny guide to this head-bending stuff...startlingly novel -- Stephen Poole * Guardian *Lloyd does an excellent job of explaining all this in clear, accessible language... I urge you to buy the book -- John Gribbin * Independent *Visionary and fun * New York Times *His excellent book explains the science in terms as simple as one could hope for -- Andrew Crumey * Scotland on Sunday *Lloyd thinks he has found a new way to explain one of the most basic questions in science: Why is the world so complex?... Fascinating and profoundly comforting... Seth Lloyd certainly gives his readers a lot of bang for their buck * The New York Times Book Review *
£14.39
Vintage Publishing Feynmans Lost Lecture
Book SynopsisOn 14 March 1964 Richard Feynman, one of the greatest scientific thinkers of the 20th Century, delivered a lecture entitled ''The Motion of the Planets Around the Sun''. For thirty years this remarkable lecture was believed to be lost. But now Feynman''s work has been reconstructed and explained in meticulous, accessible detail, together with a history of ideas of the planets'' motions. The result is a vital and absorbing account of one of the fundamental puzzles of science, and an invaluable insight into Feynman''s charismatic brilliance.Trade ReviewThe Goodsteins have gone a long way towards making a tough piece of geometry accessible... The result is fascinating -- John Gribbin * The Times *Feynman was singular in being both one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the century...[and] one of the most entertaining and illuminating teachers of science... Collectors of Feynman memorabilia, historians of science and all who enjoy watching a great mind at work will be thankful that the lost lecture has been found -- Frank Close * Observer *Feynman was a brilliant thinker and one of the finest scientists ever * The Times *
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd Penguin Dictionary of Science
Book SynopsisMichael Clugston was born in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, in 1950 and educated at Epsom College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he was the Major Scholar in Chemistry in 1969. He continued his studies and research at both Harvard and Cambridge, before going into full-time school mastering at Tonbridge School in 1978, where he has been ever since. He has written extensively on Chemistry and Science more generally, and was shortlisted for the Salters Prize for Chemistry teachers in 2000.Trade ReviewConcise, rigorous and lucid -- Max PerutzThere should be one in each lab for reference * School Science Review *
£14.24
Oxford University Press Molecules at an Exhibition
Book SynopsisWhat is it in chocolate that makes us feel good when we eat it? What's the molecule that turns men on? What's the secret of Coca-Cola? In this fascinating book, John Emsley takes us on a guided tour through a rogue's gallery of molecules, some harmful some pleasant, showing how they affect our lives. There are eight galleries in all, full of individual portraits on molecules that are to be found on a daily basis in the home, the environment, and in our bodies - fromcaffeine to teflon, nicotine to zinc.Trade Review'A broad audience, regardless of whether it has a background in chemistry, will enjoy browsing and reading it.' Naturepopular science writing at its best. It is educational, interesting, may prove inspirational and..deserves to find a very wide readership * THES *highly readable and entertaining * New Scientist *
£999.99
The University of Chicago Press Genentech
Book SynopsisIn the fall of 1980, Genentech, Inc, a little-known California genetic engineering company, became the overnight darling of Wall Street, raising $38 million in its initial public stock offering. This title provides portraits of the people significant to Genentech's science and business, and focuses on how personality affects the growth of science.Trade Review"Sally Smith Hughes has crafted an engaging historical account of Genentech from its beginnings as a small laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco to the 2009 merger with Roche for $47 billion.... Her account will appeal to a broad audience and is a must read for scholars interested in the history of biotechnology. Highly recommended." (Choice)"
£15.20
The University of Chicago Press Gravitys Ghost Scientific Discovery in the Twentyfirst Century
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£38.00
The University of Chicago Press Modularity in Development and Evolution
Book SynopsisThis work offers a sustained exploration of modules from developmental and evolutionary perspectives. Contributors discuss what modularity is, how it can be identified and modeled, how it originated and evolved, and why it matters.
£106.40
The University of Chicago Press Darwins Cathedral Evolution Religion and the
Book SynopsisUntil recently, evolution and religion have been considered contending, irreconcilable theories of origin and existence. David Sloan Wilson takes the radical step of joining the two, while thinking of society as an organism, one in which morality and religion are adaptations.
£16.00
MIT Press Ltd Sharing Our Science
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£21.25
MIT Press Rational Accidents
Book SynopsisAn unflinching look at the unique challenges posed by complex technologies we cannot afford to let fail—and why the remarkable achievements of civil aviation can help us understand those challenges.Nuclear reactors, deep-sea drilling platforms, deterrence infrastructures—these are all complex and formidable technologies with the potential to fail catastrophically. In Rational Accidents, John Downer outlines a new perspective on technological failure, arguing that undetectable errors can lurk in even the most rigorous and “rational” assessments of these systems due to the inherent limits of engineering tests and models. Downer finds that it should be impossible, from an epistemological viewpoint, to achieve the near-perfect reliability that we require of our most safety-critical technologies. There is, however, one such technology that demonstrably appears to achieve these “impossible” reliabilities: jetliners.Downer look
£43.20
MIT Press Ltd Collaborative Intelligence
Book SynopsisA deep look into the multifaceted landscape of artificial intelligence, considering AI?s ethical and societal implications and celebrating its diverse and innovative applications.In this edited collection Collaborative Intelligence, Mira Lane and Arathi Sethumadhavan embark on a captivating exploration of artificial intelligence. The book delves deeply into the dynamic interplay between theory and practice, shedding light on the transformative potential and complexities of AI. For practitioners deeply immersed in the world of AI, Lane and Sethumadhavan offer firsthand accounts and insights from technologists, academics, and thought leaders, as well as a series of compelling case studies, ranging from AI''s impact on artistry to its role in addressing societal challenges like modern slavery and wildlife conservation.As the global AI market burgeons, this book enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and interdisciplinary dialogue. It caters not only to the practitioners shaping the AI landscape but also to policymakers striving to navigate the intricate relationship between humans and machines, as well as academics. Divided into two parts, the first half of the book offers readers a comprehensive understanding of AI''s historical context, its influence on power dynamics, human-AI interaction, and the critical role of audits in governing AI systems. The second half unfolds a series of eight case studies, unraveling AI?s impact on fields as varied as healthcare, vehicular safety, conservation, human rights, and the metaverse. Each chapter in this book paints a vivid picture of AI?s triumphs and challenges, providing a panoramic view of how it is reshaping our world.
£55.80
Yale University Press The Unity of Science
Book SynopsisA journey guided by science that explores the universe, the earth, and the story of lifeTrade Review“Have you ever thought, I regret I never took any science courses when I was in school? If so, this could be the book for you. It explores select topics in science, but, even more importantly, also explains how scientists made their discoveries (or might have)—years ago and sometimes more recently. Written by a professor who clearly loves learning and teaching and who isn’t afraid to venture into areas beyond his expertise, this is a fun and informative work just might be your gateway to learning more about the world.”—Lisa Randall, author of Dark Matter and Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe“This delightful ‘short survey of science’ concludes with the author’s hope that readers find it ‘both fun and enlightening.’ I certainly did, but even more will my ten grandchildren.”—Sheldon Lee Glashow, Nobel laureate and author of The Charm of Physics“A grand tour of science, showing how various disciplines have unified together to illuminate the workings of the universe, earth, and life.”—Stephen Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Rise and Reign of the Mammals“With Professor Shapiro as your guide, each page of The Unity of Science imparts knowledge with clarity and enthusiasm, making you feel as though you’re personally immersed in an engaging lecture.”—Sara Seager, author of The Smallest Lights in the Universe“In a knowledgeable but vernacular voice, Irwin Shapiro provides a bird’s eye view of the scientific elements that explain how our world started and evolved, and how we came to be.”—Margaret Galland Kivelson, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Michigan “An inspiring vision of science as a seamless whole, with no boundaries between dinosaurs, DNA, and dark matter. Written by a renowned astrophysicist in a humble style that will appeal to science lovers and science lovers-to-be.”—Joshua Winn, author of The Little Book of Exoplanets “This is a marvelous book that highlights the value of a liberal education, written by a scholar highly respected for his multi-decade pioneering research in physics and astronomy.”—Frank H. Shu, author of The Physical Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy
£19.00
Little Brown and Company Dinner with King Tut
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£25.50
Cengage Learning, Inc The Marriage and Family Experience
Book SynopsisUpdated with the latest data and research, Cohen/Strong's THE MARRIAGE & FAMILY EXPERIENCE: INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS IN A CHANGING SOCIETY offers a realistic look at modern relationships, helping you understand the underlying issues at work in marriages, families and other relationships. It explores adoptive parenting, childbearing patterns, gay and lesbian families, the transgender experience, virginity, gender roles, communication and conflict resolution, the influence of popular culture, working families and more. Thorough coverage reflects the diversity of families and relationships, illustrating how racial, cultural, economic and sexual differences shape relationships and families. Real-life examples and self-assessment features encourage you to reflect on your own life, while a straightforward overview of key topics helps you maximize your course success. Also available: MindTap.Table of Contents1. The Meaning of Marriage and the Family. 2. Studying Marriages and Families. 3. Variations in American Family Life. 4. Gender and Family. 5. Intimacy, Friendship, and Love. 6. Understanding Sex and Sexualities. 7. Communication, Power, and Conflict. 8. Marriages in Societal and Individual Perspective. 9. Unmarried Lives: Singlehood and Cohabitation. 10. Becoming and Being Parents. 11. Marriage, Work, and Economics. 12. Intimate Violence and Sexual Abuse. 13. Coming Apart: Separation and Divorce. 14. New Beginnings: Single-Parent Families, Remarriages, and Blended Families.
£75.99
WW Norton & Co The Story of Western Science From the Writings
Book SynopsisA guide to the best science writing, which tells the centuries-long story of our striving to understand the world.Trade Review"...if her [Susan Wise Bauer's] mission was to make an often out-of-reach subject accessible and—while science arguably is always relevant—feel more relevant, because you've gained an appreciation for the motivation, challenges and significance behind it, as well as its joys and quirks and brilliance, she's done a great job." -- The Herald"...a masterly account of the great minds who have helped expand human knowledge, from the earliest philosophers onwards." -- Sky at Night
£22.79
WW Norton & Co Physics for Future Presidents
Book SynopsisA San Francisco Chronicle BestsellerTrade Review"A marvelously readable and level-headed explanation of basic science and how it relates to the issues." -- John Tierney - New York Times"A triumph." -- Steve Weinberg - Boston Globe"An outstanding example of public communication of science." -- Kenneth R. Foster - Science
£13.99
WW Norton & Co The Leafcutter Ants Civilization by Instinct
Book SynopsisFrom the Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of The Ants comes this dynamic and visually spectacular portrait of Earth's ultimate superorganism.
£15.19
WW Norton & Co Epigenetics How Environment Shapes Our Genes
Book SynopsisGoodbye, genetic blueprint. . . . The first book for general readers on the game-changing field of epigenetics.Trade Review"Epigenetics explains all this in clear, no-nonsense prose. . . . One particularly excellent chapter explains epigenetic change through the body of steroid-addled baseball player José Canseco, from his brain to his testicles." -- Josh Rothman - Boston Globe"Francis’s primer introduces a new field. It’s a thorough guide to the many ways in which personality and health can play out through our genes but not be coded for in DNA." -- Christine Kenneally - Slate
£12.34
WW Norton & Co Eruption The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens
Book SynopsisSurvival narrative meets scientific, natural and social history in the riveting story of a volcanic disaster.Trade Review"With 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, this is an urgent reminder of the need for advances in the field." -- Nature"... Olson is a gifted science communicator…" -- Physics World"Steve Olson not only tells their personal stories, but also turns the tension between the science and the cultural assumptions at play on that day into a drama that reads like a tragic thriller." -- Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature 2016 Shortlist - UKClimbing.com"In Mr. Olson’s telling, [the survivors’] stories read like urgent fiction… These vignettes lend a human face to an event that has become associated largely with geology." -- The Wall Street Journal
£12.34
WW Norton & Co Aroused
Book SynopsisA guided tour through the strange science of hormones and the age-old quest to control them.Trade Review"A rollicking history certain to get your intellectual and physiologic juices flowing. Adrenaline-tinged tales and hot flashes of history—just what the doctor ordered." -- Lisa Sanders, Diagnosis columnist - New York Times Magazine"A sweeping, glorious story of hormones, threaded through with sex, suffering, neurology, biology, medicine and self-discovery, Randi Hutter Epstein’s book manages to excite the imagination as well as calm it. The story is grippingly told, and Epstein manages to bring a whole system of science alive to her reading public." -- Siddhartha Mukherjee"Hormones may be ringmasters of the bodily circus, controlling everything from sex to metabolic function, but in this invigorating history they become stars of the show." -- Nature"Congratulations to my friend @randihepstein on the publication of her book! I loved reading it and highly recommend it to anyone interested in public health or your own health!" -- Chelsea Clinton"I’m hitting up the public library for two. The first is Randi Hutter Epstein’s Aroused: The history of hormones and how they control just about everything (Norton), which I hope will answer the most banal of questions as I continue my reluctant march through midlife: What the hell is happening to me?" -- Jennie Erin Smith, Summer Books 2018 - Times Literary Supplement"The field of endocrinology, as this compelling history shows, has manifested extremes of ingenuity and hubristic error." -- The New Yorker"A well-written and informative book on the history of hormone research." -- The New York Times Book Review"Here, a leading medical writer and professor at Yale University uncovers the true science of hormones and looks back into the basements, labs and back rooms where the study of endocrinology began." -- What to Read - Mail on Sunday
£12.34
Taylor & Francis Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus
Book SynopsisPerhaps the most important work of philosophy written in the twentieth century, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was the only philosophical work that Ludwig Wittgenstein published during his lifetime. Written in short, carefully numbered paragraphs of extreme brilliance, it captured the imagination of a generation of philosophers. For Wittgenstein, logic was something we use to conquer a reality which is in itself both elusive and unobtainable. He famously summarized the book in the following words: 'What can be said at all can be said clearly; and what we cannot talk about we must pass over in silence.' David Pears and Brian McGuinness received the highest praise for their meticulous translation. The work is prefaced by Bertrand Russell's original introduction to the first English edition.Trade Review'Beautifully strange ... an icy, gnomic, compact work of mystical logic.' - Steven Poole, The GuardianTable of ContentsChapter 1 Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Preface; Chapter 2;
£16.99
Elsevier Science Receptor Tyrosine Kinases in Neurodegenerative
Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. The Molecular Pathology of Neurodegenerative And Psychiatric Disorders 2. Receptor Tyrosine Kinases: An Overview 3. Roles of TRK Receptors, Tyrosine Kinase Receptors for Neurotrophins, in the Developing CNS 4. Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTKs): from biology to pathophysiology 5. Growth Factors and Their Receptors: Multitasking Functionality in Health and Disease 6. Regulation of Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Gene Expression 7. Role Of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases in Neurodegenerative Disorders 8. Insights into Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Signaling in Neurodegenerative Disorders: Opportunities and Translational Perspectives 9. Receptor Tyrosine Kinases in Major Depressive Disorder 10. Repositioning of Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors: From Cancer to Neurodegenerative And Psychiatric Disorders 11. Protein Kinase Inhibitors as Therapeutics in Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric Disorders: Progress, Challenges, and Recommendations
£108.90
Basic Books Advice To A Young Scientist
Book SynopsisTo those interested in a life in science, Sir Peter Medawar, Nobel laureate, deflates the myths of invincibility, superiority, and genius instead, he demonstrates it is common sense and an inquiring mind that are essential to the scientist''s calling. He deflates the myths surrounding scientists,invincibility, superiority, and genius instead, he argues that it is common sense and an inquiring mind that are essential to the makeup of a scientist. He delivers many wry observations on how to choose a research topic, how to get along wih collabourators and older scientists and administrators, how (and how not) to present a scientific paper, and how to cope with culturally superior specialists in the arts and humanities.Table of Contents* Introduction * How Can I Tell if I Am Cut Out to Be a Scientific Research Worker? * What Shall I Do Research On? * How Can I Equip Myself to Be a Scientist or a Better One? * Sexism and Racism in Science * Aspects of Scientific Life and Manners * Of Younger and Older Scientists * Presentations * Experiment and Discovery * Prizes and Rewards * The Scientific Process * Scientific Meliorism Versus Scientific Messianism
£20.97
Basic Books Thread Of The Silkworm
Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of Tsien Hsue-Shen, the pioneer of the American space age who was mysteriously accused of being a communist, deported, and became,to America''s continuing chagrin,the father of the Chinese missile program.Table of Contents* Introduction * Hangzhou (19111914) * Beijing (19141929) * Shanghai (19291934) * Boxer Rebellion Scholar (19341935) * MIT (19351936) * Theodore von Krmn * Caltech (1936) * The Suicide Squad (19371943) * The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (19431945) * Washington and Germany (1945) * Return to MIT (19461947) * Summons from China (1947) * Jiang Ying * Ascent (19471948) * Caltech (1949) * Suspicion (1950) * Arrest (1950) * Investigation (1950) * Hearings (19501951) * Waiting (19511954) * The Wang-Johnson Talks (1955) * One of the Tragedies of This Century * A Heros Welcome (1955) * Missiles of the East Wind * Becoming a Communist * Epilogue
£22.64
Basic Books Fixing My Gaze
Book SynopsisWhen neuroscientist Susan Barry was fifty years old, she took an unforgettable trip to Manhattan. As she emerged from the dim light of the subway into the sunshine, she saw a view of the city that she had witnessed many times in the past but now saw in an astonishingly new way. Skyscrapers on street corners appeared to loom out toward her like the bows of giant ships. Tree branches projected upward and outward, enclosing and commanding palpable volumes of space. Leaves created intricate mosaics in 3D. With each glance, she experienced the deliriously novel sense of immersion in a three dimensional world. Barry had been cross-eyed and stereoblind since early infancy. After half a century of perceiving her surroundings as flat and compressed, on that day she was seeing Manhattan in stereo depth for first time in her life. As a neuroscientist, she understood just how extraordinary this transformation was, not only for herself but for the scientific understanding of the human brain. Scientists have long believed that the brain is malleable only during acritical period&rdquo in early childhood. According to this theory, Barry''s brain had organized itself when she was a baby to avoid double vision-and there was no way to rewire it as an adult. But Barry found an optometrist who prescribed a little-known program of vision therapy after intensive training, Barry was ultimately able to accomplish what other scientists and even she herself had once considered impossible. A revelatory account of the brain''s capacity for change, Fixing My Gaze describes Barry''s remarkable journey and celebrates the joyous pleasure of our senses.
£14.99
Basic Books How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog
Book SynopsisThey say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But this 'witty and clear thinking' (New York Times) book wonders, what about relativity? Physics professor Chad Orzel and his inquisitive canine companion, Emmy, tackle the concepts of general relativity in this irresistible introduction to Einstein's physics. Through armchair- and sometimes passenger-seat-conversations with Emmy about the relative speeds of dog and cat motion or the logistics of squirrel-chasing, Orzel translates complex Einsteinian ideas -- the slowing of time for a moving observer, the shrinking of moving objects, the effects of gravity on light and time, black holes, the Big Bang, and of course, E=mc2 -- into examples simple enough for a dog to understand. A lively romp through one of the great theories of modern physics, How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about space, time, and anything else you might have slept through in high school physics class.Trade ReviewSteve Nadis, coauthor of The Shape of Inner Space "Emmy may be one smart dog, but her owner also happens to be an uncommonly gifted communicator. Chad Orzel's treatment of special and general relativity is comprehensive, informative, and amazingly accessible, yet it's funny too. This is, by far, the most entertaining discussion of the subject that I've ever had the pleasure of reading." Frank Close, author of The Infinity Puzzle "With Nero, the egocentric cat who believes it is the centre of the universe, and Emmy, the student dog whose questions and misunderstandings would drive any teacher to distraction, and whose interest in relativity is how E=mc^2 can turn squirrels into energy, Chad Orzel has created a delightful cast of characters to make his introduction to relativity relatively painless. A cleverly crafted and beautifully explained narrative that guides readers carefully into the depths of relativity. Whether you are a hare or a tortoise, or even a dog, you will enjoy this." Louisa Gilder, author of The Age of Entanglement "For the price of a book, Orzel delivers the heady, joyful experience of taking a small college class with a brilliant and funny professor who really knows how to teach. A thoroughly winning romp through a rock-solid presentation of a beautiful subject." Booklist "With canine humor and math- or physics-related jokes, Orzel keeps readers interested, while teaching the elements of physics that we promptly forgot after we took the test." Library Journal "Readers who enjoy Michio Kaku, Brian Greene, or Neil deGrasse Tyson will love this book. Full of quotes, math jokes, and silly canines, the book strives to make its audience amazed by, not frightened of, physics. With exuberant Emmy at the lead, readers can't help but be dragged (willingly!) toward a better understanding of special and general relativity." Washington Post "Rather than barking or growling, Emmy leavens the mood with requests for walks; and when the academics get heavy, she interjects to beg for clarification. Obviously, real-life dogs will not walk away from the book with a grasp of the universe's mechanics, but the human sort of non-scientist can get some benefit." Nature Physics "[E]ngaging and readable for a general audience... I suggest people who baulk at the idea of a talking dog but are nevertheless interested in the broad sweep of one of the two great theories of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries should give this book a chance. After all, every dog has its day." Publishers Weekly "[A] compact and instructive walk through Einstein's theory of relativit... [T]he prose is breezy and straightforward, and the material well organized... Relativity constantly amazes, and the glimpses of understanding provide rewarding and satisfying moments." Kirkus Reviews "Unlike quantum physics, which remains bizarre even to experts, much of relativity makes sense. Thus, Einstein's special relativity merely states that the laws of physics and the speed of light are identical for all observers in smooth motion. This sounds trivial but leads to weird if delightfully comprehensible phenomena, provided someone like Orzel delivers a clear explanation of why." Science News "A clever introduction to the often intimidating concepts of special and general relativity, couched as a series of conversations between the author and his dog, Emmy. It may sound like a strange setup, but the somewhat kooky concept works well for explaining a field of physics that can sound, well, kooky to the uninitiated... While keeping the math to a minimum, Orzel provides a clear and thorough primer. It might take some practice to start equating subatomic particles to running bunnies, but the reader will find that puzzling through the details is worth the effort." James Kakalios, Professor of Physics, University of Minnesota, and author of The Physics of Superheroes and The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics "Move over, Krypto--there's a new superdog in town! Chad Orzel's dog Emmy, having mastered quantum physics, now helps us understand Einstein's theories of relativity in a deep and accessible way. Get this dog a cape!" Jennifer Ouellette, author of The Calculus Diaries "Everyone's favorite physics-loving canine is back, this time giving us a dog's eye view of Einstein and relativity. Physics professor Chad Orzel leads Emmy (and us) through an engaging tour of light speed, time dilation, and amazing shrinking bunnies (length contraction)--not to mention what all this means for the search for the elusive 'bacon boson.'" Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here "Dogs are a practical species. They aren't interested in speculation and conjecture; they like food, walks, and proven physics like Einstein's relativity. If you really want to further your dog's education (and learn something yourself in the process), Chad Orzel's book is the first place you should turn."
£13.49
Basic Books Regenesis
Book Synopsis"Bold and provocative... Regenesis tells of recent advances that may soon yield endless supplies of renewable energy, increased longevity and the return of long-extinct species."-New ScientistTable of ContentsWall Street Journal "In Regenesis... George Church and Ed Regis imagine a world where micro-organisms are capable of producing clean petroleum or detecting arsenic in drinking water, where people sport genetic modifications that render their bodies impervious to the flu, or where a synthetic organism can be programmed to invade and destroy cancer cells." Nature "The life sciences emerge as the new high-tech in this paean to synthetic biology... Each step in the genome's evolution serves as a springboard for expositions of how synthetic biology will revolutionize renewable energy, multivirus resistance, and more." New Scientist "Bold and provocative...Church and Regis offer a behind-the-scenes look at synthetic biology, a rapidly emerging field that is reprogramming the genetic code to create organisms and functions not found in nature. Regenesis tells of recent advances that may soon yield endless supplies of renewable energy, increased longevity, and the return of long-extinct species... Thought-provoking." io9 "[A] phenomenal read." Publishers Weekly "Exhilarating and scary facts suffuse this book about bioengineering by leading Harvard genetics professor and entrepreneur Church... When Church describes current work building microbes with minimal genes, the book takes off--and eventually soars... [A] stimulating book." Kirkus Reviews "[An] authoritative, sometimes awe-inspiring book... A valuable glimpse of science at the edge." Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Better Angels of Our Nature "A thoughtful introduction to one of the great frontiers of science, one with the promise of literally saving the world... Engaging, readable, and thoroughly fascinating." Choice "Geneticist Church and science writer Regis take a novel evolutionary approach to explaining the science of synthetic biology... [A] highly readable book."
£16.99
John Wiley & Sons Inc The Origins of the Universe for Dummies
Book SynopsisEverything you need for a quick tour of everything You are here.Trade Review"…it makes you feel smarter with little eureka moments that are real page turners." (Bedfordshire on Sunday, Borough edition, Sunday 2nd March)Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part I: In the Beginning: Early Ideas About Our Universe 7 Chapter 1: Exploring the Early Universe 9 Chapter 2: Looking Up at the Stars: Early Beliefs 17 Chapter 3: The Apple Drops: Newton, Gravity, and the Rotation of the Planets 27 Part II: Modern Cosmology: Going Off with a Bang 49 Chapter 4: Bending the Universe: Magnets and Gravity 51 Chapter 5: Measuring the Universe 73 Chapter 6: Cooking Up a Big Bang 95 Chapter 7: Letting It Rise: Expanding and Inflating the Universe 107 Chapter 8: Thinking Differently About the Universe 119 Part III: Building Your Own Universe 129 Chapter 9: Building Things from Scratch 131 Chapter 10: Forcing the Pace: The Roles of Natural Forces in the Universe 153 Chapter 11: Shedding Light on Dark Matter and Pinging Strings 169 Chapter 12: Playing with the Universe’s Chemistry Set 181 Chapter 13: Making Stars, Solar Systems, Galaxies, and More 197 Chapter 14: Giving Birth to Life 211 Chapter 15: Travelling Through Time 225 Part IV: Asking the Tough Questions 239 Chapter 16: Explaining the Unexplainable 241 Chapter 17: Finding Life Elsewhere 253 Chapter 18: Coming to an End 265 Part V: The Part of Tens 275 Chapter 19: Ten Different Beliefs about the Origins of the Universe 277 Chapter 20: Ten Greatest Cosmological Advances 285 Appendix: Understanding Scientific Units and Equations 295 Index 303
£16.99
Dover Publications Inc. Advanced Calculus
Book SynopsisClassic text leads from elementary calculus into more theoretic problems. Precise approach with definitions, theorems, proofs, examples and exercises. Topics include partial differentiation, vectors, differential geometry, Stieltjes integral, infinite series, gamma function, Fourier series, Laplace transform, much more. Numerous graded exercises with selected answers. 1961 edition.
£23.59
Princeton University Press Science the Endless Frontier
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Here, the draw is not so much the text of Bush’s report itself, but rather an excellent critical introduction by Rush Holt. . . . Holt’s introduction takes seriously the idea that the United States is a democracy, and that scientists have a specific role to play in that democracy, which is not the same thing as saying that scientists should control science policy."---Audra Wolfe, Never Just Science"I just read the new Princeton University Press edition of Vannevar Bush’s Science, The Endless Frontier, with an interesting introductory essay by Rush Holt. I don’t think I’d ever read the whole of the famous Bush document before, and it was interesting to see how he made the pitch . . . . Both the Bush and the Holt essays are well worth a read."---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist
£10.99
Princeton University Press Ecology and Evolution of Darwins Finches Princ
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Peter Grant – Winner of the 2017 Royal Medal in Biology, The Royal Society"Table of ContentsForeword xi Preface to the 1999 Edition xv Preface xvii ONE Introduction 3 Charles Darwin, 6 After Darwin, 9. The first synthesis, 9. Evolutionary inference, 10. Plan of the book, 12. TWO Characteristics of the Islands 19 Origins and ages, 19. Distribution and sizes, 21. Climate, 21. Plants, 2Z Vegetation, 28. Changes in the past, 29. Changes in recent times, 30. Cocos Island, 31 Summary, 31. THREE General Characteristics and Distributions of Finches 45 The main groups, 45. Genera, 51. Species, 51. Subspecies, 60. Distributions, 60. Patterns among the islands, 62. Extinctions, 64. Other land birds, 64. Summary, 65. FOUR Patterns of Morphological Variation 77 Introduction, 77. The major simple patterns, 77 The minor simple patterns, 79. Correlations between traits, 79. Size, 80. Allometry, 82. Shape, 82. Multivariate shape variation, 89. Geographical variation in size, 92. Summary, 95. FIVE Growth and Development 100 Introduction, 100. Variation in egg size, 100. Absolute growth, 102. Relative growth, 106. Summary, 111. SIX Beak Sizes, Beak Shapes, and Diets 113 Introduction, 113. Feeding mechanics, 113. Feeding types, 116. Ecological significance of beak differences between species, 117. Dietary differences between species, 118. Dietary differences between populations of the same species, 128. Dietary differences among individuals in a variable population, 132. Summary, 138. SEVEN The Importance of Food to Finch Populations 147 Introduction, 147. Plant phenology in the and zone, 147 Finch phenology, 148. Finch populations in relation to food supply, 152. Extreme conditions, 152. Food limitation of population sizes, 154. The frequency of food limitation, 168. Other factors limiting finch populations, 171. Interspecific competition for food, 173. Summary, 173. EIGHT Population Variation and Natural Selection 175 Introduction, 175. Relative variation, 175. Theoretical background, 177. Field studies, 180. Genetic variation, 180. Natural selection, 183. Sexual selection, 192. Countervailing selection, 193. A summary of selection pressures, 195. Sexual dimorphism, 196. Genetic drift, 197. Enhancement of genetic variation, 199, Variation in relation to abundance, 20Z Other species, 208. Summary, 219. NINE Species-Recognition and Mate Choice 222 Introduction, 222. The possible cues used in species-recognition, 222. Morphological cues, 224. Song, 251. Song and bill morphology as species cues, 241. Imprinting, 242. The learning of heterotypic song, 244. Misimprinting, 246 Beyond species-recognition: mate choice, 249. Summary, 251. TEN Evolution and Speciation 253 Evolution, 253. Origins, 253 The number of species, 256 The pattern of speciation, 257 The time framework 260. Allopatric speciation, 263. Alternative models of speciation, 273. Parapatric speciation, 274. Sympatric speciation, 275. Alternatives to gradual genetic change, 280. Conclusions and summary, 283. ELEVEN Ecological Interactions during Speciation 285 Introduction, 285. Ecological isolation, 285. Causes of initial differentiation, 286. An alternative view, 288. Differentiation entirely in allopatry, 289. The food supply hypothesis, 291. Lack's evidence for competition, 294. Tests of the competition hypothesis, 300. Different explanations reconciled, 310. Conclusions and summary, 312. TWELVE Competition and Finch Communities 314 Introduction, 314. Combinations of species, 315. Structure determined by competition, 317 Minimum differences between coexisting species, 321. Greater than minimum differences, 323. A digression on methods of analysis, and on bias, 328 Predictive models, 331. The classical case of character release, 340. Conclusions and summary, 346 THIRTEEN The Evolution of Reproductive Isolation 348 Introduction, 348. Experimental tests, 348. Implications of the experimental results, 350. Reinforcement? 353. Absence of speciesfrom islands, 354. Summary, 355. FOURTEEN Adaptation: Body Size, Plumage Coloration, and Other Traits 357 Introduction, 357 Historical survey, 358. Body size, 359. Plumage, 364. Otherfeatures, 371. Summary, 373. FIFTEEN Reconstruction of Phylogeny 375 Introduction, 375. Reconstructing the process of morphological divergence, 375. Comparison with contemporary selection, 379. Further evolution, 380. Ontogeny, 381. Phylogeny. 383. Summary, 387. SIXTEEN Recapitulation and Generalization 389 Introduction, 389. Patterns and processes among modem finches, 389. Evolution, 397 Generalizations, 401. APPENDIX: Spanish and English Names of the Major Galapagos Islands 413 Afterword 415 References 449 Author Index 471 Subject Index 476 Color Plates Following page 16
£175.50