Science & Nature Books

Book SynopsisIn For the Love of Physics, beloved MIT professor Walter Lewin, whose riveting physics lectures made him a YouTube super-star, takes readers on a remarkably fun, inventive, and often wacky journey that brings the joys of physics to life.“For the Love of Physics captures Walter Lewin’s extraordinary intellect, passion for physics, and brilliance as a teacher”—Bill Gates. For more than thirty years as a renowned professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lewin’s lectures made physics not only accessible but fun, whether putting his head in the path of a wrecking ball, supercharging himself with three hundred thousand volts of electricity, or demonstrating why the sky is blue and clouds are white. In For the Love of Physics, Lewin takes readers on a marvelous journey, opening our eyes as never before to the wonders of physics and its amazing ability to reveal the beauty and power embedded in ou

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Book SynopsisNature produces energy by slow, cool, implosive means - by a centripeta inward motion, while our presnt culture uses explosive centrifugal (outwards) movement, which is wasteful and many times less powerful and effective. It aslo uses up the Earth's resources and pollutes her ecosystems. This volume describes different kinds of energy machines which depend on the principle of implosion: a spring water-producing machine a tornado home energy generator a Klimator which produces mountain-quality air the biotechnical submarine a technique for producing power from ocean deeps

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Book Synopsisis Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford, has had a remarkable scientific career in genetics. After undertaking medical research into the causes of inherited bone disease, he set out to discover if DNA, the genetic material, could possibly survive in ancient bones. It did and he was the first to report on the recovery of ancient DNA from archaeological bone in the journal "Nature" in 1989. Since then Professor Sykes has been called in as the leading international authority to examine several high profile cases, such as the Ice Man, Cheddar Man and the many individuals claiming to be surviving members of the Russian Royal Family.Alongside this, he and his research team have over the last ten years compiled by far the most complete DNA family tree of our species yet seen.He has always emphasised the importance of the individual in shaping our genetic world. The website www.oxfordancestors.com offers people the chance to find out for themselves, from a DNA samTrade ReviewA terrific book, written with humour and humanity * The Sunday Times *An engrossing, bubbly read, a boy's own adventure in scientific story-telling that fairly bounces along... a thumping good read * Observer *Sykes's wonderfully clear book should be compulsory reading for politicians... an eye-opening guide to the new branch of science that is changing the human race's view of itself * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisA bold, provocative exploration of the tension between our evolutionary history and our modern woes and what we can do about itWe are living through the most prosperous age in all of human history, yet we are listless, divided and miserable. Wealth and comfort are unparalleled, but our political landscape is unmoored, and rates of suicide, loneliness and chronic illness continue to skyrocket. How do we explain the gap between these truths? And how should we respond?For evolutionary biologists Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein, the cause of our woes is clear: the modern world is out of sync with our ancient brains and bodies. We evolved to live in clans, but today many people don''t even know their neighbours'' names.Survival in our earliest societies depended on living in harmony with nature, but today the food we eat, the work we do even the light we absorb is radically different from what our minds and bodies evolved to expect.In this book, Heying and Weinstein draw on decades of their work teaching in college classrooms and exploring earth's most biodiverse ecosystems to confront today's pressing social ills from widespread sleep deprivation and dangerous diets to damaging parenting styles and backward education practices. A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century outlines a science-based worldview that will empower you to live a better, wiser life.

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Book SynopsisChallenges long-standing linear notions of scientific progress, arguing that transformative ideas don't arise from the day-to-day, gradual process of experimentation and data accumulation, but that revolutions in science, those breakthrough moments that disrupt accepted thinking and offer unanticipated ideas, occur outside of normal science.Trade Review"Thomas S. Kuhn didn't invent the phrase paradigm shift, but he popularized it and gave it the meaning it has today. He also triggered one when he published The Structure of Scientific Revolutions in 1962.... After Kuhn, we can no longer ignore the fact that however powerful science is, it's as flawed as the scientists who do it." -Time, All-Time 100 Best Nonfiction Books "Occasionally there emerges a book which has an influence far beyond its originally intended audience.... Thomas S. Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions... has clearly emerged as just such a work." -Ron Johnston, Times Higher Education Supplement "The book really did change 'the image of science by which we are now possessed.' Forever." -Ian Hacking, from the Introduction "Perhaps the best explanation of the process of discovery." -William Irwin Thompson, New York Times Book Review "A landmark in intellectual history which has attracted attention far beyond its own immediate field.... If causing a revolution is the hallmark of a superior paradigm, Structure has been a resounding success." -Nicholas Wade, Science "Among the most influential academic books in this century." -Choice"

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Book SynopsisBrilliant and fascinating. No one is better at making the recondite accessible and exciting' Bill BrysonBritain's most famous mathematician takes us to the edge of knowledge to show us what we cannot know.Is the universe infinite?Do we know what happened before the Big Bang?Where is human consciousness located in the brain?And are there more undiscovered particles out there, beyond the Higgs boson?In the modern world, science is king: weekly headlines proclaim the latest scientific breakthroughs and numerous mathematical problems, once indecipherable, have now been solved. But are there limits to what we can discover about our physical universe?In this very personal journey to the edges of knowledge, Marcus du Sautoy investigates how leading experts in fields from quantum physics and cosmology, to sensory perception and neuroscience, have articulated the current lie of the land. In doing so, he travels to the very boundaries of understanding, questioning contradictory stories and consuTrade Review‘I felt I was being carried off on a wonderful journey, a thrilling research expedition to the teasing and mysterious boundaries of scientific knowledge, and I never wanted to turn back. Du Sautoy is a masterful and friendly guide to these remotest regions … It is absolutely fascinating throughout, and I really loved it’ Richard Holmes ‘I admire and envy the clarity and authority with which Marcus du Sautoy addresses a range of profound issues. His book deserves a wide readership’ Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal ‘I felt I was being carried off on a wonderful journey, a thrilling research expedition to the teasing and mysterious boundaries of scientific knowledge, and I never wanted to turn back. Du Sautoy is a masterful and friendly guide to these remotest regions … It is absolutely fascinating throughout, and I really loved it’ Richard Holmes ‘I admire and envy the clarity and authority with which Marcus du Sautoy addresses a range of profound issues. His book deserves a wide readership’ Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal ‘Du Sautoy makes a lucid and beguiling companion as he guides us along the byways of contemporary science’ Jonathan Ree, Guardian

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Book SynopsisCally Hall is a geology expert and an author of educational guidebooks that make the subject accessible to a variety of readers. In addition to DK Handbook: Gemstones, she has also written science-themed books aimed at younger audiences.

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Book SynopsisThe second edition of an indispensable, practical identification guide for all active moth enthusiasts. This concise guide is a companion to the main Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland by the same expert authors, now in condensed form with artwork opposite the species descriptions and lay-flat binding for ease of use in the field. It includes brief but comprehensive field descriptions of all the macro moths in Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, and has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the latest advances in taxonomy. Featuring more than 1,600 superbly detailed color artworks and covering around 900 species, this portable guide will be an essential addition to every moth-lover''s field kit.Trade ReviewCompact, durable, portable and informative ... Thoroughly recommended. -- John Phillips * British Journal of Entomology *A remarkable book, packed with information and superb illustrations. -- Barry Henwood * Entomologists's Gazette *A delight to flick through, especially if you simply want to marvel at the diversity of species we have on our shores. -- Peter Eeles * The Online Journal of Lepidoptera *Not only a great companion to the main Field Guide, but a very useful book in its own right. * UKMoths *This is a superb publication, designed for true field use – pocket sized, well laid out and with beautiful and accurate drawings. -- Duncan Davidson * BRISC Recorder News *An invaluable field companion that should promote and aid interest in recording moths both for general interest and biodiversity/habitat monitoring purposes. -- Jessie Wormell * Scottish Forestry *Table of ContentsIntroduction Species accounts Further reading Index of scientific names Index of English names

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Book SynopsisThe most important investigation of genetic science since The Selfish Gene, from the author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling The Red Queen and The Origins of Virtue. The genome is our 100,000 or so genes. The genome is the collective recipe for the building and running of the human body. These 100,000 genes are sited across 23 pairs of chromosomes. Genome, a book of about 100,000 words, is divided into 23 chapters, a chapter for each chromosome. The first chromosome, for example, contains our oldest genes, genes which we have in common with plants. By looking at our genes we can see the story of our evolution, what makes us individual, how our sexuality is determined, how we acquire language, why we are vunerable to certain diseases, how mind has arisen. Genome also argues for the genetic foundations of free will. While many believe that genetics proves biological determinism, Ridley will show that in fact free will is itself in the genes. Everything that makes us human can be read in our genes. Early in the next century we will have determined the function of every one of these 100,000 genes.

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Book SynopsisImagine if The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy were a real, practical book about the mysteries of the universe . . .The Universe in Your Hand takes us on a wonder-filled journey to the surface of our dying sun, shrinks us to the size of an atom and puts us in the deathly grip of distant black holes. Along the way you might come to understand, really understand, the mind-bending science that underpins modern life, from quantum mechanics to Einstein's theory of general relativity.Through brilliant storytelling and humour rather than graphs and equations, internationally renowned astrophysicist Christophe Galfard has written an instant classic that brings the astonishing beauty of the universe to life - and takes us deep into questions about the beginning of time and the future of humanity.Trade ReviewWill thrill readers but rarely perplex them . . . Galfard leaves exhilarated readers eager to share in the forthcoming discoveries. * Booklist, Starred Review *Entertaining and comprehensive . . . Readers looking to expand their knowledge of physics and cosmology will find everything they need here. * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review *Part personal conversation, part travelogue, and part science primer for the non-scientist, The Universe in Your Hand is a delightful and highly educational read. -- Jim Bell, author of The Interstellar Age and Postcards from MarsIf Ms. Frizzle were a physics student of Stephen Hawking, she might have written The Universe in Your Hand, a wild tour through the reaches of time and space, from the interior of a proton to the Big Bang to the rough suburbs of a black hole. It's friendly, excitable, erudite, and cosmic. -- Jordan Ellenberg, New York Times bestselling author of How Not To Be WrongA useful book for readers to visualize the complex ideas of modern physics. * Kirkus Reviews *Table of ContentsSection - i: Foreward Chapter - 1: The Cosmos Chapter - 2: Making Sense of Outer Space Chapter - 3: Fast Chapter - 4: A Dive into the Quantum World Chapter - 5: To the Origin of Space and Time Chapter - 6: Unexpected Mysteries Chapter - 7: A Step Beyond What is Known Section - ii: Epilogue Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements Section - iv: Sources Index - v: Index

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Book Synopsis''Pontzer''s findings have huge implications for our attitudes to exercise, diet and public health'' Mark Webster, Sunday Times A myth-busting tour of the body''s hidden foundations from a pioneering evolutionary biologist ''Public health strategies stubbornly cling to the simplistic armchair engineer''s view of metabolism, hurting efforts to combat obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and the other diseases that are most likely to kill us'' Herman Pontzer''s ground-breaking research has revealed how, contrary to received wisdom, exercise does not increase our metabolism. Instead, we burn calories within a very narrow range: nearly 3,000 calories per day, no matter our activity level. In this book, he draws on twenty years of cutting-edge science to take a closer look at what happens to the energy we consume. Burn explores the ways in which metabolism controls every aspect of our health - from fertility to immune function - and reveals the truth about the dynamic system that sustains us. Filled with facts and memorable anecdotes, this book will change the way you think about food, exercise and what really matters for your health.Trade ReviewPontzer's findings have huge implications for our attitudes to exercise, diet and public health -- Mark Webster * Sunday Times *Ground-breaking, fascinating, important . . . we were astounded -- Deliciously Ella * Delicious Ways to Feel Better *A fun, fast-paced, eye-opening, and innovative book that will revolutionize how you think about the energy that fuels your body and everything you do -- Daniel E. Lieberman, author of Exercised and The Story of the Human BodyBurn is science writing at its best... will reshape what you thought you knew about how our metabolisms work -- Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of EndureBurn will make you question what you think you know about metabolism and your waistline -- Stephan Guyenet, PhD, author of The Hungry BrainHerman Pontzer is one of the most gifted science writers of our time -- Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author of The Joy of Movement

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Book SynopsisDescribes the acceleration, deceleration, and inertial movement; fluid dynamics; and the motions of the earth, moon, planets, and comets. This title deals with the fundamental three laws of motion and the law of universal gravity. It is suitable for scientists, scholars, and students.Table of ContentsPreface A GUIDE TO NEWTON'S PRINCIPIA Contents of the Guide Abbreviations CHAPTER ONE: A Brief History of the Principia CHAPTER TWO: Translating the Principia CHAPTER THREE: Some General Aspects of the Principia CHAPTER FOUR: Some Fundamental Concepts of the Principia CHAPTER FIVE : Axioms, or the Laws of Motion CHAPTER SIX: The Structure of Book 1 CHAPTER SEVEN: The Structure of Book 2 CHAPTER EIGHT: The Structure of Book 3 CHAPTER NINE : The Concluding General Scholium CHAPTER TEN: How to Read the Principia CHAPTER ELEVEN : Conclusion THE PRINCIPIA (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) Halley's Ode to Newton Newton's Preface to the First Edition Newton's Preface to the Second Edition Cotes s Preface to the Second Edition Newton's Preface to the Third Edition Definitions Axioms, or the Laws of Motion BOOK 1: THE MOTION OF BODIES BOOK 2: THE MOTION OF BODIES BOOK 3: THE SYSTEM OF THE WORLD General Scholium Index

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Book Synopsis‘Steve Brusatte, the author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, brings mammals out from the shadow of their more showy predecessors in a beautifully written book that . . . makes the case for them as creatures who are just as engaging as dinosaurs.’ – The Sunday Times, ‘Best Books For Summer’'In this terrific new book, Steve Brusatte . . . brings well-known extinct species, the sabre-toothed tigers and the woolly mammoths, thrillingly back to life' – The TimesThe passing of the age of the dinosaurs allowed mammals to become ascendant. But mammals have a much deeper history. They – or, more precisely, we – originated around the same time as the dinosaurs, over 200 million years ago; mammal roots lie even further back, some 325 million years.Over these immense stretches of geological time, mammals developed their trademark features: hair, keen senses of smell and hearing, big brains and sharp intelligence, fast growth and warm-blooded metabolism, a distinctive line-up of teeth (canines, incisors, premolars, molars), mammary glands that mothers use to nourish their babies with milk, qualities that have underlain their success story.Out of this long and rich evolutionary history came the mammals of today, including our own species and our closest cousins. But today’s 6,000 mammal species - the egg-laying monotremes including the platypus, marsupials such as kangaroos and koalas that raise their tiny babies in pouches, and placentals like us, who give birth to well-developed young – are simply the few survivors of a once verdant family tree, which has been pruned both by time and mass extinctions.In The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, palaeontologist Steve Brusatte weaves together the history and evolution of our mammal forebears with stories of the scientists whose fieldwork and discoveries underlie our knowledge, both of iconic mammals like the mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers of which we have all heard, and of fascinating species that few of us are aware of.For what we see today is but a very limited range of the mammals that have existed; in this fascinating and ground-breaking book, Steve Brusatte tells their – and our – story.Trade ReviewThe epic story of how our mammalian cousins evolved to fly, walk, swim, and walk on two legs . . . [Brusatte's] deep knowledge infuse[s] this lively journey of millions of years of evolution with infectious enthusiasm. -- Neil Shubin, bestselling author of Your Inner Fish and University of Chicago paleontologistA fascinating account of how mammals survived the great extinction that destroyed the dinosaurs and evolved to their current position of dominance. A worthy sequel to [Steve Brusatte's] The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs. -- Venki Ramakrishnan, 2009 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry and Cambridge University biologistRiveting . . . A real page-turner that proves science fact is more amazing than science fiction. * The Sun *Nothing short of a thriller, revealing the luck, evolutionary twists and near-apocalyptical catastrophes that have led to the mammals of today, us included . . . Fascinating revelations come thick and fast * Guardian *Deeply researched and entertaining . . . Brusatte’s real achievement is to show us that, for all its sheer weight of numbers and impact, Homo sapiens is just ‘a single point, among millions of species over more than 200 million years. -- Mark Cocker, * The Spectator *Terrific . . . a saga on the grandest scale . . . beautifully told . . . Brusatte brings well-known extinct species, the sabre-toothed tigers and the woolly mammoths, thrillingly back to life * The Times, *Stands out for its brilliant balance of scientific detail and lively, efficient storytelling * New Scientist *Gorgeous book . . . fantastic writing, brilliant science. -- Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors

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Book SynopsisFrom the world-renowned physicist and bestselling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos, a captivating exploration of deep time and humanity''s search for purposeIn both time and space, the cosmos is astoundingly vast, and yet is governed by simple, elegant, universal mathematical laws.On this cosmic timeline, our human era is spectacular but fleeting. Someday, we know, we will all die. And, we know, so too will the universe itself.Until the End of Time is Brian Greene''s breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to understand it. Greene takes us on a journey across time, from our most refined understanding of the universe''s beginning, to the closest science can take us to the very end. He explores how life and mind emerged from the initial chaos, and how our minds, in coming to understand their own impermanence, seek in different ways to give meaning to experience: in story, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and our longing for the timeless, or eternal. Through a series of nested stories that explain distinct but interwoven layers of reality-from the quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes-Greene provides us with a clearer sense of how we came to be, a finer picture of where we are now, and a firmer understanding of where we are headed.Yet all this understanding, which arose with the emergence of life, will dissolve with its conclusion. Which leaves us with one realization: during our brief moment in the sun, we are tasked with the charge of finding our own meaning.Let us embark.Trade ReviewA cracking read...Greene serves up plenty of revelatory detail... If you want to know how everything got here and where it's going, read this book. -- Stephen Bleach * Sunday Times *Until the End of Time is encyclopaedic in its ambition and its erudition, often heartbreaking, stuffed with too many profundities that I wanted to quote, as well as anecdotes from Greene's own life - of which we should wish for more - that had me laughing ... A love letter to the ephemeral cosmic moment when everything is possible. -- Dennis Overbye * New York Times *It takes a storyteller to explain the sciences, and few are as gifted as Brian Greene. There's real wonder in his descriptions of galaxies and planets forming, and of life blooming after that. It is all part of a fleeting moment in the cosmos - one that will eventually end - yet Greene finds meaning and optimism in everything around us. -- Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of New Statesman's Books of the Year 2021""A Birdwatcher's Yearbook Best Bird Book of the Year""Ninth Place for the 2022 BB/BTO Best Bird Book of the Year, British Birds and the British Trust for Ornithology""Beautiful to hold and to ponder . . . A glorious piece of political advocacy."---Mark Cocker, New Statesman"A guiding light for all bird fans. . . . This 640-page tour de force follows in the finest traditions of the WildGuides . . . a must-have addition to birdwatchers' libraries."---Stuart Winter, Sunday Express"The most comprehensive, authoritative and ambitious single-volume photographic guide to Europe’s birds ever produced. . . . Essential if your birding takes you a little further afield."---John Miles, Birdwatching Magazine"A beautifully produced book, crammed with some of the most exquisite bird photography I’ve seen in any field guide to date."---Calvin Jones, Ireland's Wildlife"Must-have . . . comprehensive and dazzling photographic guide."---Stephen Moss, Stephen Moss's 2021 Round-up of Nature Books"Europe’s Birds is superbly planned, executed and produced, and is a joy to pick up and browse. It comes highly recommended."---Chris Kehoe, British Birds"Astonishingly beautifully and technically masterful . . . pin-sharp pictures of hard-to-separate species in almost perfect analogue poses. . . . placed in close proximity to the well-chosen words of a master of fieldguide prose, Mr Rob Hume. The combination is truly superb."---Mark Cocker, Unofficial Bookclub"One of the best and the most complete [field guide] out there."---Stephen Menzie, British Birds and British Trust for Ornithology"The book brings the quality of the genre to a new high."---Ian (DIM) Wallace, Honorary Life President of Flamborough Ornithological Group, and contributing author to The Birds of the Western Palearctic"Very useful. . . . The layout is excellent."---Gordon Hamlett, Birdwatchers’ Yearbook"Essential for anyone visiting this bird-rich area of southern England."---Jeremy Brock, Scottish Birds"It’s impossible to see how this latest WILDGuide can be anything but another winning-formula best seller. . . . The quality of the photographs from 350 worldwide photographers displayed in Europe’s Birds is mostly stunning, exceptional or simply the best on offer. . . . Open to birdwatchers of all abilities and experience with many, many pages to simply enjoy or from which to verify, learn or check understanding - there is something for everyone."---Phil Slade, Another Bird Blog"If you are in the market for a new field guide to the birds of Europe, you could do little better than this important new addition to the literature."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds"The most inclusive and up to date photographic guide of Europe’s birds available at a bargain price. Containing all the UK species, this may be the only guide you will ever need."---Eric Brown, News Shopper"The latest identification guide from WildGuides and as is to be expected is of a very high standard and is the most comprehensive and ambitious one yet. . . . The best identification to Europe’s birds."---Mike King, Gloster Birder"Europe’s Birds is accessible to birdwatchers of all abilities and experience with many, many pages to simply enjoy or from which to learn or verify an ID – there is something for everyone."---Frank Lambert, Birder's Library"This is the best photographic guide to the birds of Europe currently available!"---Ian Paulsen, The Birdbooker Report"This will become the new go to book for our next generation of birders."---Steven Rutherford, British Naturalists Association"Cleverly created multiple-image plates of great photographs laid out to show you 928 species in a variety of plumages and different poses. . . . Amazing value."---Keith Betton, Kingfisher"The artwork of “Europe’s Birds: An Identification Guide” is dazzling, the text condensed and comprehensive, and the layout and design are without peer. Highly recommended."---Dragan Simic, 10,000 Birds

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Book SynopsisHow have our emotions shaped the course of human history? And how have our experience and understanding of emotions evolved with us?We humans like to think of ourselves as rational creatures, who, as a species, have relied on calculation and intellect to survive. But many of the most important moments in our history had little to do with cold, hard facts and a lot to do with feelings. Events ranging from the origins of philosophy to the birth of the world's major religions, the fall of Rome, the Scientific Revolution, and some of the bloodiest wars that humanity has ever experienced can't be properly understood without understanding emotions.In A Human History of Emotion, Richard Firth-Godbehere takes readers on a fascinating and wide-ranging tour of the central and often under-appreciated role emotions have played in human societies around the world and throughout history from Ancient Greece to Gambia, Japan, the Ottoman Empire, Britain, and beyond.Drawing on psychology, neuroscienceTrade ReviewA Kirkus Best Science Books of 2021 ‘A fascinating look at the profound ways in which the harnessing of human emotions has shaped world-wide history and culture. Eye-opening and thought-provoking’ Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain ‘Emotions are a much bigger part of the experience of being human than most people would ever realise. If you want to know more about emotions and how we arrived at our understanding of them, this book is exactly what you need’ Dean Burnett, author of The Happy Brain ‘Whether you are looking for new ideas, narrative history, psychological theory, or cultural anthropology, this book will teach you something new about how people have felt about their feelings through the ages. A book like no other’ Thomas Dixon, author of Weeping Britannia: Portrait of a Nation in Tears

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Book Synopsis'One of my favourite science writers' Bill Gates 'Hugely important' Jim Al-Khalili 'A profound meditation on metabolism, the Krebs cycle & the origin of life' Anil Seth For decades, biology has been dominated by information - the power of genes. Yet there is no difference in information content between a living cell and one that died a moment ago. A better question goes back to the formative years of biology: what processes animate cells and set them apart from lifeless matter? In Transformer, Nick Lane turns the standard view upside down, capturing an extraordinary scientific renaissance that is hiding in plain sight. At its core is an amazing cycle of reactions that uses energy to transform inorganic molecules into the building blocks of life - and the reverse. To understand this cycle is to fathom the deep coherence of the living world. It connects the origin of life with the devastation of cancer, the first photosynthetic bacteria with our own mitochondria, sulphurous sludges with the emergence of consciousness, and the trivial differences between ourselves with the large-scale history of our planet.Trade ReviewA stone-cold classic -- Adam RutherfordOne of the most creative of today's biologists ... this is a book filled with big ideas, many of which are bold instances of lateral thinking * New Scientist *Bold ... passionate ... a dramatically revisionist account [of the] origins of life * New Yorker *A thrilling tour of the remarkable stories behind the discoveries of some of life's key metabolic pathways and mechanisms. He lays bare the human side of science ... The book brings to life the chemistry that brings us to life ... masterful * Science *Deeply researched and cogently written * Nature *Remarkable * New Humanist *Transformer is a complex yet accessible, illuminating, and thrilling exploration of the vitality and elemental mysteries of our existence * Booklist *Biochemist Nick Lane is one of our boldest thinkers and a key researcher into the origin and deep history of life. -- Peter Forbes * Prospect *Nick Lane challenges us to see life differently ... probably the best book on biology I've ever read -- Brian Clegg * Popular Science *A thrilling journey... the book is a tour de force. -- Laura Eme and Courtney W. Stairs * Nature Ecology & Evolution *In this compulsively readable book, Lane takes us on a riveting journey, ranging from the flow of energy to new ways of understanding cancer. Lane provides a luminous understanding of how scientists, including Lane himself, are rethinking energy and living organisms. -- Siddhartha Mukherjee, author * The Emperor of All Maladies, The Gene: An Intimate History *Nick Lane's exploration of the building blocks that underlie life's big fundamental questions - the origin of life itself, aging, and disease - have shaped my thinking since I first came across his work. He is one of my favourite science writers -- Bill GatesHugely important ... a powerfully persuasive case for life being about energy flow, flux and change. In Transformer, chemistry is quite literally brought to life -- Jim Al-Khalili, author * The World According To Physics *Amazing! Takes science writing to a new level ... with soaring prose but uncompromising on scientific detail, Transformer made me think about life on earth in a completely different way. -- Daniel M. Davis, author * The Secret Body *Hugely ambitious and tremendously exciting ... Transformer shows how a molecular dance from the dawn of time still sculpts our lives today. I read with rapt attention. -- Olivia Judson, evolutionary biologist and authorA thrilling and highly persuasive account of what makes life and how the miracle started, coaxed not by genes but a remarkable cycle of energy and matter - a chemical cycle able to conjure the material of life from the elements of a rocky blue planet. This hugely important book is set to become a landmark, transforming our understanding of how life works. Lane's infectious enthusiasm had me gripped on a tour down the aeons and deep into the inner workings of our cells, to discover the chemistry that gives me the sentience for such fundamental self-knowledge. Marvellous -- Gaia Vince, author * Nomad Century, Adventures in the Anthropocene *Nobody explains the inner secrets of the living cell better than Nick Lane. He clarifies the complexities of the chemistry that drives all life in a most engaging way. The stories of how this hidden world was revealed by remarkable scientists is explored as a series of riveting detective stories, leaving the reader with admiration for the ingenuity and sheer persistence of those who unscrambled the reactions that underlie all life. -- Richard Fortey FRS FRSL, author * Fossils: The Key to the Past *An exhilarating account of the biophysics of life, stretching from the first stirrings of living matter to the psychology of consciousness. I felt as if I was there, every step of the way -- Mark Solms, author * The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness *Nick Lane never writes about the living world without offering entirely new perspectives on how life itself works. Transformer is no exception. His subject here - the Krebs cycle - is often seen as one of the driest staples of biochemical textbooks. But in Lane's hands, it becomes a key to life's origins and driving forces, to health, disease and ageing, and even to our awareness of the world. Biochemistry has never looked more exciting. -- Phillip BallNick Lane's marvellously engaging Transformer refocused my astronomer's gaze on the vital chemistry of life on our own planet. Both a scientific adventure story and an original quest to understand life on Earth, Transformer also guides us on how to find life beyond -- John Grunsfeld, former NASA Chief Scientist and AstronautA profound meditation on metabolism, the Krebs cycle & the origin of life. -- Anil Seth, author * Being You: A New Science of Consciousness *

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Book SynopsisThe Trouble with Physics is a groundbreaking account of the state of modern physics: of how we got from Einstein and Relativity through quantum mechanics to the strange and bizarre predictions of string theory, full of unseen dimensions and multiple universes.Lee Smolin not only provides a brilliant layman''s overview of current research as we attempt to build a ''theory of everything'', but also questions many of the assumptions that lie behind string theory. In doing so, he describes some of the daring, outlandish ideas that will propel research in years to come.

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Book SynopsisFrom one of the best writers on science, a remarkable portrait of Isaac Newton. The man who changed our understanding of the universe, of science, and of faith.Isaac Newton was the chief architect of the modern world. He answered the ancient philosophical riddles of light and motion; he effectively discovered gravity; he salvaged the terms time', space', motion' and place' from the haze of everyday language, standardized them and married them, each to the other, constructing an edifice that made knowledge a thing of substance: quantative and exact. Creation, Newton demonstrated, unfolds from simple rules, patterns iterated over unlimited distances.What Newton learned remains the essence of what we know. Newton's laws are our laws. When we speak of momentum, of forces and masses, we are seeing the world as Newtonians. When we seek mathematical laws for economic cycles and human behaviour, we stand on Newton's shoulders. Our very deeming the universe as solvable is his legacy.This was thTrade Review'The book has the magic of a wonderful laboratory experiment…A masterpiece of clarity – so difficult to write, so easy to read.' Michael Holroyd 'A fresh and brilliant portrait of his personality and life, the people who mattered to him, the influences which played on him, and the contexts of his achievements.' Oliver Sacks 'After reading Jim Gleick's beautifully written and intimate portrait of Newton, I felt as is I'd spent an evening by the fire with that complex and troubled genius.' Alan Lightman 'It's beautifully paced and very stylishly written: compact, atmospheric, elegant. It offers a brilliant and engaging study in the paradoxes of the scientific imagination' Richard Holmes

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Book SynopsisWhat is ''nothing''? What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - a void - exist? This Very Short Introduction explores the science and the history of the elusive void: from Aristotle who insisted that the vacuum was impossible, via the theories of Newton and Einstein, to our very latest discoveries and why they can tell us extraordinary things about the cosmos. Frank Close tells the story of how scientists have explored the elusive void, and the rich discoveries that they have made there. He takes the reader on a lively and accessible history through ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research. He describes how scientists discovered that the vacuum is filled with fields; how Newton, Mach, and Einstein grappled with the nature of space and time; and how the mysterious ''aether'' that was long ago supposed to permeate the void may now be making a comeback with the latest research into the ''Higgs field''. We now know that the vacuum is far from being empty - it seethes with virtual particles and antiparticles that erupt spontaneously into being, and it also may contain hidden dimensions that we were previously unaware of. These new discoveries may provide answers to some of cosmology''s most fundamental questions: what lies outside the universe, and, if there was once nothing, then how did the universe begin? ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition All in all, this book makes for some fascinating reading. * Chemistry World, Dennis Rouvray. *An accessible and entertaining read for layperson and scientist alike. * Physics World *The Void is well worth reading. * Robert Cailliau. CERN Courier. *It covers very complicated concepts in a mostly accessible way. * Lawrence Rudnick, Nature *A fascinating subject covered by a fascinating book. * Marcus Chown, Focus *Table of Contents1. Much Ado About Nothing ; 2. How Empty is an Atom? ; 3. Space ; 4. Waves in What? ; 5. Travelling on a Light Beam ; 6. The Cost of Free Space ; 7. The Infinite Sea ; 8. The Higgs Vacuum ; 9. The New Void ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn You are Not a Gadget digital guru and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier reveals how the internet is deadening personal interaction, stifling genuine inventiveness and even changing us as people. Something went wrong around the start of the twenty-first century. The crowd was wise. Social networks replaced individual creativity. There were more places to express ourselves than ever before... yet no one really had anything to say. Does this have to be our future? Showing us the way to a future where individuals mean more than machines, this is a searing manifesto against mass mediocrity, a creative call to arms - and an impassioned defence of the human. ''A provocative and sure-to-be-controversial book ... Lucid, powerful and persuasive''  The New York Times ''There is hardly a page that does not contain some fascinating provocation''   Guardian ''Short and frighteniTrade ReviewFabulous - I couldn't put it down and shouted out Yes! Yes! on many pages . . . This is a landmark book that will have people talking and arguing for years into the future. * Lee Smolin *Lucid, powerful and persuasive . . . Necessary reading for anyone interested in how the Web and the software we use every day are reshaping culture and the marketplace * Michiko Kakutani, New York Times *There is hardly a page that does not contain some fascinating provocation * Guardian *Mind-bending, exuberant, brilliant * Washington Post *A pioneer in the development of virtual reality and a Silicon Valley veteran, Mr. Lanier is a digital-world insider concerned with the effect that online collectivism and the current enshrinement of "the wisdom of the crowd" is having on artists, intellectual property rights and the larger social and cultural landscape. In taking on such issues, he's written an illuminating book that is as provocative as it is impassioned. -- Michiko Kakutani's Top 10 Books of the Year 2010 * New York Times *In the world of technologists, Jaron Lanier is that rare combination: a pioneer and a skeptic. A legendary computer scientist, he did crucial early work in the field of virtual reality (the phrase is his). But he now recoils at the way Web 2.0 and social media sell us short as human beings, both in our relationships and in our sense of who we are. In purposeful, reasoned steps, always informed by a profound understanding of how software really works, he lays out his vision of where it all went wrong and champions the power of the human brain in an age of ever smarter machines. -- Lev Grossman * Time Magazine Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2010 *

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsVolume 1 contains Chapters 1—19 Volume 2 contains Chapters 20—39 1 Doing Physics   1.1 Realms of Physics   1.2 Measurements and Units   1.3 Working with Numbers   1.4 Strategies for Learning Physics   Part One Mechanics   2 Motion in a Straight Line   2.1 Average Motion   2.2 Instantaneous Velocity   2.3 Acceleration   2.4 Constant Acceleration   2.5 The Acceleration of Gravity   2.6 When Acceleration Isn’t Constant   Chapter 3 Motion in Two and Three Dimensions   3.1 Vectors   3.2 Velocity and Acceleration Vectors   3.3 Relative Motion   3.4 Constant Acceleration   3.5 Projectile Motion   3.6 Uniform Circular Motion   4 Force and Motion   4.1 The Wrong Question   4.2 Newton’s First and Second Laws   4.3 Forces   4.4 The Force of Gravity   4.5 Using Newton’s Second Law   4.6 Newton’s Third Law   5 Using Newton’s Laws   5.1 Using Newton’s Second Law   5.2 Multiple Objects   5.3 Circular Motion   5.4 Friction   5.5 Drag Forces   6 Energy, Work, and Power   6.1 Energy   6.2 Work   6.3 Forces That Vary   6.4 Kinetic Energy   6.5 Power   7 Conservation of Energy   7.1 Conservative and Nonconservative Forces   7.2 Potential Energy   7.3 Conservation of Mechanical Energy   7.4 Nonconservative Forces   7.5 Conservation of Energy   7.6 Potential-Energy Curves   8 Gravity   8.1 Toward a Law of Gravity   8.2 Universal Gravitation   8.3 Orbital Motion   8.4 Gravitational Energy   8.5 The Gravitational Field   9 Systems of Particles   9.1 Center of Mass   9.2 Momentum   9.3 Kinetic Energy of a System   9.4 Collisions   9.5 Totally Inelastic Collisions   9.6 Elastic Collisions   10 Rotational Motion   10.1 Angular Velocity and Acceleration   10.2 Torque   10.3 Rotational Inertia and the Analog of Newton’s Law   10.4 Rotational Energy   10.5 Rolling Motion   11 Rotational Vectors and Angular Momentum   11.1 Angular Velocity and Acceleration Vectors   11.2 Torque and the Vector Cross Product   11.3 Angular Momentum   11.4 Conservation of Angular Mom

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Book Synopsis''LOEB IS AN ASTRONOMICAL SHERLOCK HOLMES'' Washington Post''A JOY IN CONJECTURE AND AN OMNIVOROUS SPIRIT OF INQUIRY. . . CARL SAGAN WOULD HAVE LIKED THIS BOOK'' The Times In 2017, Avi Loeb, Chair of Harvard''s Astronomy Department, went public with a theory that shook the scientific community - our solar system has been visited by advanced alien technology. His provocative and persuasive argument (and internationally bestselling book Extraterrestrial) has opened thousands of minds to the existence of intelligent life beyond Earth. This book tackles the huge question of what happens next?Long the stuff of science-fiction, here at last is the science fact. From advances in deep space probes to ongoing searches for extraterrestrial technology in our night sky, through the latest heated debates over the existence of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, Interstellar offers a thrilling, front-row view of the technologyTrade ReviewPraise for Extraterrestrial: Compelling . . . The book is not so much a claim for one object as an argument for a more open-minded approach to science - a combination of humility and wonder * New Statesman *Skeptics should take seriously the meticulous defense of the alien origin story offered in Extraterrestrial . . . You don't have to share his conviction to be impressed by the breadth of his argument * Washington Post *Advance praise for Interstellar: Interstellar is a deliciously provocative and deeply optimistic book. Avi Loebinvites us to reimagine our place in the universe, confront urgent questions about our future, and remember that scientific curiosity is key to our survival. -- DANIEL H. PINK, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DRIVE and THE POWER OF REGRETIs humanity prepared to meet its neighbors? In this brilliant, provocative, and beautifully written book, leading astronomer and extraterrestrial evangelist Avi Loeb says we better get ready - and soon. So buckle up and start reading! -- DANIEL GILBERT, Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author of the New York Times bestseller STUMBLING ON HAPPINESSScience at its best inspires, unifies, and points toward a better future. The innovative work Avi Loeb is leading to discover evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations does all three. Interstellar is a must-read for anyone who has ever been haunted by the question, "Are we alone?" -- NIA IMARA, professor of astronomy at the University of California, Santa CruzThis is a fascinating book about extraterrestrial civilizations by one of the world's leading astrophysicists. You don't need to agree with all of Avi's views to be inspired by his hopeful and thought-provoking vision for humanity's interstellar future. -- MAX TEGMARK, professor at MIT, bestselling author of LIFE 3.0 and OUR MATHEMATICAL UNIVERSEInterstellar is possibly the most visionary and important manifesto of our necessarily interstellar future as humankind. -- DR. FRANK LAUKIEN, chairman, president, and CEO, Bruker Corporation[Avi Loeb is] the world's 'Leading Alien Hunter'. * CNN *Readers of grand speculations by the likes of Freeman Dyson and Stanislaw Lem will find nothing in Interstellar to make them blink . . . Loeb, who has spent a career writing about black holes, dark matter and the deep time of the universe, argues that unless we go looking for extraterrestrials, we're never going to find them. His dating metaphor grew on me: are we to be cosmic wallflowers, standing around on the off-chance that some stranger comes along? Or are we going to go looking for things we'll never spot without a bit of effort? * New Scientist *

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Book SynopsisANTONIO DAMASIO is University Professor, David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Neurology, and director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California. Damasio's other books include Descartes' Error; The Feeling of What Happens; and Looking for Spinoza. He has received the Honda Prize, the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, and, shared with his wife Hanna, the Pessoa, Signoret, and Cozzarelli prizes. Damasio is a fellow of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He lives in Los Angeles.Trade ReviewBreathtakingly original * Financial Times *Awareness may be mostly mystery, but Damasio shapes its hints and glimmerings into an imaginative, informed narrative * Kirkus *The marvel of reading Damasio's book is to be convinced one can follow the brain at work as it makes the private reality that is the deepest self * V. S. Naipaul *Damasio's most ambitious work yet. It is a lucid and important work * Word *The epicenter of Self Comes to Mind concerns the neurological basis for cognition and the issue of the superposition of a "self' onto the construct which we address as reality. Damasio is both eloquent and scholarly. His command of the themes he approaches is impressive, as is the vigor with which he tackles such recondite issues as the elusive "self," inside the head. A wonderful read, and a recommended one! -- Rodolfo R. Llinás, New York University

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Book Synopsis''The god wanted everything to be good, marred by as little imperfection as possible.''Timaeus, one of Plato''s acknowledged masterpieces, is an attempt to construct the universe and explain its contents by means of as few axioms as possible. The result is a brilliant, bizarre, and surreal cosmos - the product of the rational thinking of a creator god and his astral assistants, and of purely mechanistic causes based on the behaviour of the four elements. At times dazzlingly clear, at times intriguingly opaque, this was state-of-the-art science in the middle of the fourth century BC. The world is presented as a battlefield of forces that are unified only by the will of God, who had to do the best he could with recalcitrant building materials.The unfinished companion piece, Critias, is the foundational text for the story of Atlantis. It tells how a model society became corrupt, and how a lost race of Athenians defeated the aggression of the invading Atlanteans. This new edition combines

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Book Synopsis''Inspirational'' Buzz AldrinWhen exactly did life begin? What really happened during the big bang - and before it? Is the universe expanding? Is dark matter real? Do we live in one of many worlds? What''s more, how can we prove any of this?This book is all about how we - any of us - can gain an understanding of the Universe in all its awe-inspiring glory. Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw take us on an epic journey of scientific exploration, revealing how the biggest questions - from the size of the earth to the distance to the stars - are answerable from our own back gardens. You don''t need a Large Hadron Collider or a Hubble Space Telescope to explore the cosmos. You just need this book.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the 2018 Royal Society Investment Science Book Prize'Endlessly fascinating.' - Bill Bryson 'Eye-opening, informative and very funny!' - Chris Packham'Well-informed and downright funny' - Richard DawkinsHistory is full of strange animal stories invented by the brightest and most influential, from Aristotle to Disney. But when it comes to understanding animals, we’ve got a long way to go. Whether we’re watching a viral video of romping baby pandas or looking at a picture of penguins ‘holding hands’, we often project our own values – innocence, abstinence, hard work – onto animals. So you’ve probably never considered that moose get drunk and that penguins are notorious cheats. In The Unexpected Truth About Animals Zoologist Lucy unravels many such myths – that eels are born from sand, that swallows hibernate under water, and that bears gave birth to formless lumps that are licked into shape by their mothers – to show that the stories we create reveal as much about us as they do about the animals. Astonishing, illuminating and laugh-out-loud funny.Trade ReviewA bloody fabulous read. Thoroughly recommend. -- Sue Perkins (Twitter)A riot of facts....Cooke scores a series of goals with style and panache. * The Times *Beautifully written, meticulously researched, with the science often couched in outrageous asides, this is a splendid read. In fact, I cannot remember when I last enjoyed a non-fiction work so much. * Daily Express *Best science pick.Sigmund Freud's first paper involved the dissection of eels in an attempt to locate their testes. To his frustration, Freud failed to find any. The eel's life cycle remains slippery, notes natural-history broadcaster Lucy Cooke in her deeply researched, sassily written history of "the biggest misconceptions, mistakes and myths we've concocted about the animal kingdom", spread by figures from Aristotle to Walt Disney. Other chapters spotlight the sloth, vulture, hippopotamus, panda, chimpanzee and others, and dismantle anthropocentric clichés with scientific, global evidence. * Nature *Lucy Cooke's The Unexpected Truth About Animals was a joy from beginning to end. Who could resist a writer who argues that penguins have been pulling the wool over our eyes for years, and that, far from being cute and gregarious, they are actually pathologically unpleasant necrophiliacs? * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisYou''ll be firing on all cylinders with this science spectacular! The exciting exploration of biology, chemistry, and physics is vital reading for curious minds. ??Science becomes simple and straightforward, so you never get your wires crossed again. Hundreds of pages feature stunning images, simple graphics, and crystal-clear text. What makes a firework go bang? How do plants make food from sunlight? What makes a robot clever? Find the answers to all these questions and much, much more. Biology is all about you, living things, and the rest of the natural world. Learn all about your amazing body and more than 1,000 parts that keep it going. Chemistry presents an explosive look at the tiny atoms that build together to create all the brilliant things in the world today. Physics introduces the full force of everything, from electricity and energy to magnetism and machines. ??All three subjects are examined in extraordinary detail, making Science A ChilTrade ReviewThis fact-filled encyclopedia is the perfect guide for any budding scientists in the family. Principles are explained clearly with bite-sized chunks of text and easy-to-follow diagrams * How it Works *

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Book SynopsisCarole Taylor BA (Cantab), MA, FFAstrolS is a full-time astrologer who combines teaching, writing, and client work. A Cambridge University graduate and prize-winning academic, she is renowned for her accessible communication style and empathetic approach. She is Director of Studies at the Faculty of Astrological Studies, where she was awarded a fellowship. Carole is co-author and co-editor of Journey Through Astrology. She is also a past editor of the journal of the Astrological Association of Great Britain and holds an MA in Myth, Cosmology and the Sacred from Canterbury Christ Church University. She lives in West Sussex.

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Book SynopsisRSPB Spotlight Seals is packed with eye-catching, informative color photos and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist.Spotlight Seals explores the intricate lives of the UK''s native Grey and Common Seals and their amazing physical and behavioral adaptations to a life split between land and sea. Seals are the sleekest and most agile of all marine mammals, and they are superbly adapted to the watery world in which they spend most of their time. With their whiskery dog-like faces, curious nature and vulnerable pups, they are enduringly appealing animals. Although air-breathing, these marine mammals are superbly tuned to hunt, sleep, mate and keep warm while out at sea, but they remain inextricably linked to land where they moult and have their pups.Frances Dipper also delves into the complex physiology that allows seals to dive deep and for long periods without coming to any harm. Once ruthlessly exploited for their Table of ContentsMeet the Seals Seals Around the World Life on Land Life on Sea The Daily Routine Watching Seals Threats and Protection Seals in Our Lives Further Reading and Resources Acknowledgements Image Credits Index

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Book SynopsisDividing the sum total of human musical achievement, from Beethoven to The Beatles, Busta Rhymes to Bach, into just six fundamental forms, Levitin illuminates, through songs of friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion and love, how music has been instrumental in the evolution of language, thought and culture. And how, far from being a bit of a song and dance, music is at the core of what it means to be human.A one-time record producer, now a leading neuroscientist, Levitin has composed a catchy and startlingly ambitious narrative that weaves together Darwin and Dionne Warwick, memoir and biology, anthropology and a jukebox of anecdote to create nothing less than the '' soundtrack of civilisation'' .Trade ReviewA fantastic ride * New Scientist *Masterful ... Eminently enjoyable * Los Angeles Times *Exquisitely well-written and easy to read, serving up a great deal of scientific information in a gentle way for those of us who are - or just think we are - a bit science-phobic * Huffington Post *Fascinating. Provides a biological explanation for why we might tap our feet or bob our heads in time with a favorite song, how singing might soothe a baby, and how music emboldens soldiers or athletes preparing for conflict * Associated Press *Why can a song make you cry in a matter of seconds? Six Songs is the only book that explains why * Bobby McFerrin, ten-time Grammy Award-winning artist (“Don't Worry, Be Happy”) *Fantastic * New Scientist *Exquisitely well-written and easy to read, serving up a great deal of scientific information in a gentle way for those of us who are-or just think we are-a bit science-phobic * Huffington Post *

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Book SynopsisHow does magic in J. K. Rowling’s universe work? Finally, the scientific secrets are revealed! The story of the boy who lived has brought the idea of magic and sorcery into mainstream fruition more than any other book series in history. Modern muggle scientists have uncovered explanations to the seemingly impossible, including answers to such questions as: Will we ever see an invisibility cloak? How hazardous is a flying broomstick like the Nimbus 2000? How has medicine made powerful potions from peculiar plants? (Felix Felicis, anyone?) Can scientists ever demonstrate Wingardium Leviosa, or the flying power of a Golden Snitch? Is it possible to stupefy someone? And many more! A perfect Harry Potter gift for anyone obsessed enough to stand in line to be the first to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child or Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, witches and wizards alike will be fascinated by the merging of this improbable realm and real science.Trade ReviewPraise for Mark Brake and Jon Chase’s The Science of Star Wars“If you’ve ever wondered how life could arise on Tatooine or how likely it is that there’s a cantina full of aliens somewhere in our galaxy, The Science of Star Wars is for you.”—San Francisco Book Review“A real treat, with many moments of epiphany lurking between the pages . . . Offers much more than just the scientific facts.”—Labtimes“A gloriously fascinating look into that galaxy far, far away!”—Professor Lewis Dartnell, University of Westminster, New York Times bestselling author of The Knowledge“As a longtime Star Wars maniac, I’d like to recommend Mark Brake and Jon Chase’s The Science of Star Wars: The Scientific Facts Behind the Force, Space Travel, and More! for the geek on your Christmas list. The book is divided into sections on space travel, space, aliens, tech, and bio-tech, with each addressing the scientific feasibility of the Star Wars universe, from faster than light travel to the nature of the Force itself. Written in a clear, friendly style, reading The Science of Star Wars is like sitting down for a conversation with a super geeky scientist friend.”—Unbound Worlds“Using the basic principles of mathematics and science, author Mark Brake and science presenter Jon Chase have unlocked some of the secrets behind the George Lucas films, and have concluded that The Force might not be complete fantasy.”—Telegraph“A fairly easy read in the sense that simple language is used to explain what can at times be fairly complex concepts . . . It’s certainly best enjoyed by anyone with a bent towards the stars and how they stay up there. . . . For the right fan, it would be an excellent Christmas present.”—In a Far Away GalaxyPraise for Mark Brake and Jon Chase’s The Science of Star Wars“If you’ve ever wondered how life could arise on Tatooine or how likely it is that there’s a cantina full of aliens somewhere in our galaxy, The Science of Star Wars is for you.”—San Francisco Book Review“A real treat, with many moments of epiphany lurking between the pages . . . Offers much more than just the scientific facts.”—Labtimes“A gloriously fascinating look into that galaxy far, far away!”—Professor Lewis Dartnell, University of Westminster, New York Times bestselling author of The Knowledge“As a longtime Star Wars maniac, I’d like to recommend Mark Brake and Jon Chase’s The Science of Star Wars: The Scientific Facts Behind the Force, Space Travel, and More! for the geek on your Christmas list. The book is divided into sections on space travel, space, aliens, tech, and bio-tech, with each addressing the scientific feasibility of the Star Wars universe, from faster than light travel to the nature of the Force itself. Written in a clear, friendly style, reading The Science of Star Wars is like sitting down for a conversation with a super geeky scientist friend.”—Unbound Worlds“Using the basic principles of mathematics and science, author Mark Brake and science presenter Jon Chase have unlocked some of the secrets behind the George Lucas films, and have concluded that The Force might not be complete fantasy.”—Telegraph“A fairly easy read in the sense that simple language is used to explain what can at times be fairly complex concepts . . . It’s certainly best enjoyed by anyone with a bent towards the stars and how they stay up there. . . . For the right fan, it would be an excellent Christmas present.”—In a Far Away Galaxy

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Book SynopsisThe scientifically-proven practical plan to help reverse Alzheimer’s and prevent cognitive decline from the international bestselling author of The End of Alzheimer's.Following his ground-breaking book that transformed how we think about Alzheimer's and its treatment, world-renowned neurology expert Dale Bredesen provides an unprecedented hands-on guide to achieving complete brain health.In The End of Alzheimer's Programme, he lays out step-by-step his highly sought after, scientifically-proven method that you can follow with a healthcare professional to stop Alzheimer's in its tracks. Alzheimer’s Disease is a protective response to an array of factors that directly affect the brain, such as inflammation, genetic inheritance, nutrients and hormones. In this book, Bredesen will show you which of these factors you need to address to enhance your cognitive abilities by laying out a personalised lifestyle plan. Covering sleep, exercise, diet, brain training and more, Bredesen will show you how to retain, regain and maximise cognitive function for any ability and for any age with extraordinary results.Based on cutting-edge research and full of inspiring success stories from Bredesen’s patients, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their brainpower and is a vital guide for carers and healthcare professionals.Trade ReviewSanity now prevails with Dr. Bredesen's challenge to the status quo that may well bring an end to Alzheimer's disease. * David Perlmutter, from the foreword *Once in a generation a book comes along that changes the way we think, that sheds light on our darkest struggles, that provides a clear, scientific path to ending the scourge of a disease that robs millions of their minds. The End of Alzheimer's Program is that book. Whether you want to enhance and optimize your brain at any age, prevent cognitive decline and even reverse early dementia, Dr. Bredesen, in breathtakingly simple, scientifically profound steps maps a way to achieve this. If you have a brain, read this book. * Mark Hyman, Head of Strategy and Innovation: Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine and author of Food Fix *Dale Bredesen MD has done it again ... he delivers the essential how-to guide for risk reduction and potentially reversal of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. This elegantly written, step-by-step handbook to Dr. Bredesen's revolutionary protocol will help thousands if not millions. I give it my highest recommendation. * Dr Sara Gottfried, New York Times bestselling author of 'The Hormone Cure' *This is THE book to be read by anyone interested in how to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Bredesen is a world-class neuroscientist, neurologist who brings his expansive experience and brilliance together to provide the best that science has to offer in the prevention of this disease. * Dr Jeffrey Bland, author of 'Disease Delusion' and Founder, Institute for Functional Medicine *Alzheimer's disease is a chronic pandemic that has claimed the lives of millions. In The End of Alzheimer's Program, Dr. Dale Bredesen offers hope based on his decades of research and recent clinical success, with an emphasis on lifestyle factors including sleep, diet, stress, and movement. COVID-19 has ushered in a new era of resilience and disease prevention, and this book offers the very tools and guidelines we all need to stem the rising tide of Alzheimer's disease. * Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global *

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Book SynopsisDrawing upon art, science, philosophy, and the history of culture, this title explains the origin of the machine age and traces its social results, asserting that the development of modern technology had its roots in the Middle Ages rather than the Industrial Revolution.Trade Review"The questions posed in the first paragraph of Technics and Civilization still deserve our attention, nearly three-quarters of a century after they were written." - Technology and Culture "A brilliant historical and critical account of the effect of the artificial environment on man and of man on the environment, a necessary account, one for which we have waited too long in English." - New York Times"

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Book SynopsisWho invented zero? Why 60 seconds in a minute? How big is infinity? Where do parallel lines meet? And can a butterfly's wings really cause a storm on the far side of the world? In 50 Maths Ideas You Really Need to Know, Professor Tony Crilly explains in 50 clear and concise essays the mathematical concepts - ancient and modern, theoretical and practical, everyday and esoteric - that allow us to understand and shape the world around us. Packed with diagrams, examples and anecdotes, this book is the perfect overview of this often daunting but always essential subject. For once, mathematics couldn't be simpler. Contents include: Origins of mathematics, from Egyptian fractions to Roman numerals; Pi and primes, Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio; What calculus, statistics and algebra can actually do; The very real uses of imaginary numbers; The Big Ideas of relativity, Chaos theory, Fractals, Genetics and hyperspace; The reasoning behind Sudoku and code cracking, Lotteries and gambling, Money management and compound interest; Solving of Fermat's last theorem and the million-dollar question of the Riemann hypothesis.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Zero. Number systems. Fractions. Squares and square roots. Pi e. Infinity. Imaginary numbers. Primes. Perfect numbers. Fibonacci numbers. Golden rectangles. Pascal's triangle. Algebra. Euclid's algorithm. Logic. Proof. Sets. Calculus. Constructions. Triangles. Curves. Topology. Dimension. Fractals. Chaos. The parallel postulate. Discrete geometry. Graphs. The four-colour problem. Probability. Bayes's theory. The birthday problem. Distributions. The normal curve. Connecting data. Genetics. Groups. Matrices. Codes. Advanced counting. Magic squares. Latin squares. Money mathematics. The diet problem. The travelling salesperson. Game theory. Relativity. Fermat's last theorem. The Riemann hypothesis. Glossary. Index.

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Book Synopsis'A WITTY BOOK THAT PROVOKES THE IMAGINATION' The Times How many socks make a pair? The answer is not always two. And behind this question lies a world of maths that can be surprising, amusing and even beautiful. Using playing cards, a newspaper, the back of an envelope, a Sudoku, some pennies and of course a pair of socks, Rob Eastaway shows how maths can demonstrate its secret beauties in even the most mundane of everyday objects. If you already like maths you'll discover plenty of new surprises. And if you've never picked up a maths book in your life, this one will change your view of the subject forever.Trade Review'Fascinating and totally accessible' Ham & High ' Exudes a friendly charm which is hard to resist' London Maths Society 'For a non-mathematician, this book is crucial' Plus Magazine

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Book SynopsisUrban pests are common all over the world. These include cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, bed bugs, ticks, fleas, ants, termites, rodents and others. These pests thrive in human structures, where there is food, warmth and places to hide. Urban pests are one of the leading causes of illnesses in humans due to allergies, bites, food contamination and phobias. They can also cause significant damage to property and structures. Knowledge and training in this field is vital for professional and trainee pest managers. This book is specifically intended to provide an aid to such candidates. The book contains 500 multiple-choice questions (and answers) grouped into the following major topic areas: · The history of urban entomology · Household pests · Cockroaches · Flies · Mosquitoes · Bed bugs · Termites · Sporadic pests · Stored product pests · Vertebrate pests · Pesticides and pesticide formulations · Handling pesticides · Integrated Pest Control Produced in a convenient format that can be used at any time in any place, the book allows the reader to learn and revise the subject and much more. Its structure allows the study of one topic area at a time, progressing through a simple introduction followed by key revision questions, many of which require students to use their practical knowledge. The answers to each of the questions are provided at the end with short explanations wherever appropriate.Table of Contents1: Introduction to Urban Pest Management 2: Pest Identification 3: Mosquitoes 4: Bed Bugs 5: Flies 6: Cockroaches 7: Subterranean Termites 8: Drywood Termites 9: Powderpost Beetles and Wood Pests 10: Ants 11: Fleas, Ticks and Mites 12: Sporadic Pests 13: Stored Product Pests 14: Rodents 15: Birds and Bats 16: Pesticides and Formulations 17: Handling Pesticides 18: Integrated Pest Management 19: Answers

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Book SynopsisExplores the interplay between ancient wisdom and modern cosmology Is the universe inert and empty space, or is it some way responsive to consciousness? Breathing new life into a question that has perplexed philosophers since ancient times and scientists for the last century, physicist Zhen G. Ma, Ph.D., offers a quantitative “theory of everything” that beautifully integrates ancient I Ching philosophy, Eastern Taoism, modern cosmology, and the quantum brain dynamics of consciousness. Sharing insights from his years of research on space physics and black-hole spacetime at institutions in China, Canada, and the US, complemented by studies in quantum brain dynamics and cosmological powers with Brian Swimme at the California Institute of Integral Studies, Dr. Ma explains how his integrated theory draws primarily on two key paradigms in the philosophy of cosmology and consciousness: Swimme’s cosmic creation story of the universe as a green d

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Book Synopsis'A must-read for all the people who loved Oliver Sacks's books. The ending made me cry' -- Temple Grandin"Dear Dr. Sacks . . . You asked me if I could imagine what the world would look like when viewed with two eyes. I told you that I thought I could . . . But, I was wrong."When Susan Barry first wrote to Oliver Sacks, she never expected a response, let alone the deep friendship that blossomed over ten years of letters.Sue, herself a neuroscientist, wrote to share an extraordinary development in her own medical history. Born with problems with her vision, Sue had been told she would never acquire the ability to see in 3D - and yet she did, a development at odds with decades of research. Within days, Oliver replied, "Your letter fills me with amazement and admiration."Sharing an interest in visual perception and a deep love of science, Sue and Oliver began writing back and forth, delving deeper into the mysteries of sight and marvelling at the adaptive capacity of the human body.But in a painful twist of fate, as Sue's vision improved, Oliver's declined, and his characteristic typed letters shifted to handwritten ones. Sue later recognised this to be an early sign of the cancer that ultimately ended his extraordinary life.A funny, fascinating, and intimate glimpse of the great Oliver Sacks, Dear Oliver is also a love letter to scientific inquiry, and a testimony to the power of friendship at any time in life.Trade Review'A must-read for all the people who loved Oliver Sacks's books. The ending made me cry' -- Temple Grandin'A charming book ... [Sacks' and Barry's] mutual wonder at the physical wonders of the universe is infectious. Their witty, affectionate puns made me laugh ... very moving' * The Telegraph *

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