Science & Nature Books

Book Synopsis'An ideal introduction [to Stephen Hawking]' - Independent 'Astonishingly comprehensive - clearer than Hawking himself' - Focus Stephen Hawking was a world-famous physicist with a cameo in The Simpsons on his CV, but outside of his academic field his work was little understood. To the public he was a tragic figure - a brilliant scientist and author of the 9 million-copy-selling A Brief History of Time, and yet spent the majority of his life confined to a wheelchair and almost completely paralysed. Hawking's major contribution to science was to integrate the two great theories of 20th-century physics: Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. J.P. McEvoy and Oscar Zarate's brilliant graphic guide explores Hawking's life, the evolution of his work from his days as a student, and his breathtaking discoveries about where these fundamental laws break down or overlap, such as on the edge of a Black Hole or at the origin of the Universe itself.Trade Review'An ideal introduction' -- Independent'Astonishingly comprehensive - clearer than Hawking himself' -- Focus

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Book Synopsis Catch up Biology 2e covers the basic principles and concepts in biology that you will need if you are studying medicine or a related subject, or one of the biomedical sciences. The book focuses on human biology and covers: the basic molecules of life, such as proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids cells, tissues and processes, including energy metabolism, cell division, epithelial and connective tissues the key mammalian systems, for example, homeostasis, the endocrine, respiratory and digestive systems. Throughout the book the authors highlight clinical examples so that you can see the relevance of basic biology to your course. The book also contains questions (and answers) so that you can test your understanding of the subject as you work through the book. This new edition features two new chapters on microorganisms and on genetic disease. Catch up Biology is the ideal book to refresh your understanding of the basic concepts of biology.Table of ContentsThe molecules of life Water and life; Proteins; Carbohydrates; Lipids; Nucleic acids and genes Cells and tissues The cell; Microorganisms; Energy metabolism; Membrane transport; Cell division and mitosis; Reproduction; Inheritance; Genetic disease; Epithelial tissues; Connective tissues; Excitable tissues Systems Homeostasis; The endocrine system; The nervous system; The cardiovascular system; The respiratory system; The digestive system; The reproductive system; The urinary system; The immune system; The musculoskeletal system

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Book SynopsisWhat''s the nature of reality? Does the universe ever end? What is time and does it even exist? These are the biggest imagination-stretching, brain-staggering questions in the universe - and here are their fascinating answers.From quantum weirdness to freaky cosmology (like white holes - which spew out matter instead of sucking it in), This Book Will Blow Your Mind takes you on an epic journey to the furthest extremes of science, to the things you never thought possible. This book will explain: Why part of the universe missing (and how scientists finally found it)How time might also flow backwardsHow human head transplants might be possible (in the very near future)Whether the universe is a hologramAnd why we are all zombiesFilled with counterintuitive stories and factoids you can''t wait to share, as well as lots of did-you-knows and plenty of how-did-we-ever-not-knows, this new book from the bTrade ReviewPraise for New Scientist books - **

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Book SynopsisThe crazy story of how Soviet scientists in Siberia in the 1950s embarked on a project to turn foxes into dogs through selective breeding—and managed it within mere generations.Trade Review"If you read only two biology books this year, this is one of those two that you simply must read."--Grrl Scientist "Forbes " "Dugatkin and Trut have collaborated to produce a well-written and engaging account of one the most influential biological studies ever: the fox farm experiment. Over sixty years ago, a Russian geneticist dared to start an experiment to see if foxes could be domesticated and what variables contributed to the changes domestication brought. The courage involved in starting such an experiment in the USSR of the 1950s was remarkable; the dedication and curiosity that have kept it going ever since have led to stunning new insights on the mechanisms of domestication. Every biologist should read this book!"--Pat Shipman, author of The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction "An excellent book. The writing is clear and makes for fascinating popular science. This book will attract a wide audience, and I know of none other with such a dramatic combination of good science and social history."--Aubrey Manning, coauthor of An Introduction to Animal Behaviour "Over the course of decades, Russian scientists transformed wild foxes into friendly pets. They used no science-fiction genetic engineering. They simply guided evolution. This landmark experiment tells us some profound things about domestication, behavior, and ourselves. Finally, someone has written a book-length account of the experience--and a fascinating one at that."--Carl Zimmer, author of Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea "In the first book on the famous 'Siberian fox study, ' this extraordinary chronicle recounts one of the world's most important animal studies. It has not only provided stunning insights into how domestication works and how fast it can happen. It also helps us understand the origins of our deepest non-human bonds--our friendships with our dogs--and where and how they came into being."--Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel "Profound insights into how dogs evolved from wolves come from a remarkable, multidecade experiment on foxes that was carried out under the supervision of the Russian geneticist Dmitri Belyaev from the 1950s onward. Because much of the research was published in Russian, How to Tame a Fox, which is cowritten by Lyudmila Trut--a central figure in the project over many decades--will be widely welcomed for the extraordinary detail it contains." --Tim Flannery "New York Review of Books "

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Book SynopsisRanunculus offers advice on how to care for and propagate these colourful cultivated members of the buttercup family. Naomi Slade explores a wide range of ranunculus species and cultivars, all beautifully photographed by Georgianna Lane in their technicolour glory from palest pink to deep burgundy via white, orange, red and yellow. Pert as a rosebud and blousy as a dahlia, Ranunculus asiaticus is the flower of the moment. From ancestors that grew wild in the eastern Mediterranean, these Persian buttercups have been bred and selected to create fully double blooms; with layers of delicate, tissue-paper petals sculpted to perfection and available in a range of colours to suit any occasion. The buttercup family is a huge and diverse one, however, and the genus Ranunculus contains not just these exotic florists’ darlings, but a whole range of their close relatives too. Some are familiar: when fields and lawns are sprinkled with golden meadow buttercups, we can be sure that spring has arrived. Yet there are also rare mountain blooms, perched on crags and fed by the melting snow, and forms that thrive in pond margins or flourish in fast-flowing streams. Naomi Slade explores the world of buttercups, from their wild origins to their most successfully cultivated and most popular forms. Some are easy to grow, some less so, and this book offers tips and advice to help the reader embrace not just those near-wild forms that lend themselves to naturalistic planting schemes, and the exquisite, collectible alpines, but also the brilliant, desirable, Persian buttercups that are so perfect for cutting and arranging.Trade ReviewNaomi Slade ‘goes the extra mile, giving us added bits of useful information that can really help gardeners develop their practical knowledge.’ – Garden Media Guild Award Winner 2022 ‘A colourful, informative book that is an inspiring read for anyone who loves these luxurious, abundant blooms..' – Gardens Illustrated For Dahlias: 'A comprehensive, quick-reference guide. This is a visually stunning book with superb photography, which makes it a beautiful experience to turn each page – a great introduction to the genus.' – Gardens Illustrated Magazine 'Simply glorious.' – Daily Mail Weekend 'Handsomely produced and lushly illustrated.' – The Irish Times For Hydrangeas: 'Instantly re-educates and inspires, leaving one determined to uproot half the garden and replant it with hydrangeas.' – The Sunday Times For Peonies: ‘Simply flicking through the pages … is a sensualist’s dream.’ – The Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisTopological Phases of Matter are an exceptionally dynamic field of research: several of the most exciting recent experimental discoveries and conceptual advances in modern physics have originated in this field. These have generated new, topological, notions of order, interactions and excitations. This text provides an accessible, unified and comprehensive introduction to the phenomena surrounding topological matter, with detailed expositions of the underlying theoretical tools and conceptual framework, alongside accounts of the central experimental breakthroughs. Among the systems covered are topological insulators, magnets, semimetals, and superconductors. The emergence of new particles with remarkable properties such as fractional charge and statistics is discussed alongside possible applications such as fault-tolerant topological quantum computing. Suitable as a textbook for graduate or advanced undergraduate students, or as a reference for more experienced researchers, the book assTrade Review'… a timely and valuable introduction to the most important theoretical concepts in the topological study of matter … brief treatment of a vast, rapidly evolving subject that currently dominates condensed matter physics … This book is appropriate for physics collections within all university libraries.' M. C. Ogilvie, Choice ConnectTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Basic concepts of topology and condensed matter; 3. Integer topological phases; 4. Geometry and topology of wavefunctions in crystals; 5. Hydrogen atoms for fractionalisation; 6. Gauge and topological field theories; 7. Topology in gapless matter; 8. Disorder and defects in topological phases; 9. Topological quantum computation via non-Abelian statistics; 10. Topology out of equilibrium; 11. Symmetry, topology, and information; Appendix; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisCheese puffs. Coffee. Sunscreen. Vapes. George Zaidan reveals what will kill you, what won't, and why-explained with high-octane hilarity, hysterical hijinks, and other things that don't begin with the letter H.Trade Review'If you crossed Bill Nye with Stephen Colbert, you'd get George Zaidan. Ingredients is a masterful piece of science writing' Daniel H. Pink, author of When and Drive'If you ever thought that chemistry might be really interesting (it is), but your eyes glazed over in high school chem class, this is the book for you. George Zaidan will keep you laughing out loud as he shares the wonders of our most useful, practical science, with brilliant analogies that even an 11-year old can understand' Daniel J. Levitin, author of Successful Aging and This is Your Brain on Music'I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that food is very important, and yet we are terrible at talking about it. Nutrition is a mess of marketing, classism, science, truth, guilt, confusion, and outright hucksterism. Ingredients lifts the film from our eyes with humour and reassurance' Hank Green, author of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing'At last, a book on nutrition that tries to make you understand how little we know instead of offering blanket prognostications. If instead of a simple solution, you want a guide to how to think about health, this is it' Zach and Kelly Weinersmith, New York Times bestselling authors of Soonish'If you are looking for a guide in understanding the everyday chemistry of our lives, you could not do better than George Zaidan. And his book, Ingredients, is everything that should lead you to expect: funny, edgy, fascinating, dismaying, reassuring, and overall, just incredibly smart' Deborah Blum, Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Poison Squad'By all means, pick up George Zaidan's high-octane Ingredients if you want to know more about Cheetos, sunscreen, butter substitutes, and other fascinating bits of everyday chemistry. But above all, you should buy Ingredients because it teaches you how to think better—like a smart, informed, and wickedly funny scientist' Sam Kean, author of The Disappearing Spoon and The Bastard Brigade'Omfg this book is FABULOUS! It's hilarious, insightful, sassy, and reassuring. A delightful roller-coaster of science communication' Kallie Moore, Co-host of PBS Eons'George Zaidan’s mix of razor-sharp wit and pin-point accuracy are rarer in science than a T-Rex performing nuclear fusion. Ingredients has the answers to age-old questions—how many Oreos is too many Oreos?—and many more you never thought to ask. Like an optometrist performing stand-up, Zaidan is eye-opening and hilarious' Daniel Stone, author of The Food Explorer'Everything in our lives is made of chemicals. But unfortunately very few of us are chemists. Ingredients is a road map for navigating the confusing polysyllabic world we find in product labels and in viral news stories. Zaidan’s blend of humor and science will not only make you a better-informed consumer of all things chemical. Ingredients will also make you appreciate the chemistry that makes our world possible' Joe Hanson, creator, writer and host of It's Okay to Be Smart'Through incredibly weird and wonderful analogies (and delightfully nerdy wit), George helps you understand how scientists work toward the truth. I wish he'd rewrite all of my high school science textbooks!' Emily Calandrelli, author of the Ada Lace Adventures'Ingredients is a friendly introduction to the chemistry behind our health, but it's also a compelling portrait of how science is conducted and knowledge is built. Turns out, Cheetos and the scientific method have something in common: there's a lot going on, and not everyone knows what. George does a masterful job of showing where chemistry can answer questions about our health and environment, and where it—as well science in general—is lead by politics, culture and even *gasp* opinion' Mike Rugnetta, host of Idea Channel'When I taught a writing intensive course for nutrition and food science seniors, the main objectives were how to read scientific papers critically and how to argue effectively in print. I thought several times while reading this book that, rather than using peer-reviewed papers, I wish I could have had this book for my students. Pick any argument George makes and tell me, with references, why you agree or disagree. They probably would have learned more that way and certainly would have enjoyed their reading more' David Klurfeld, former Professor and Chair of Nutrition and Food Science at Wayne State University'Ingredients has all the ingredients I’m looking for in a science book: it’s chock full of interesting information, it reveals the science behind an everyday subject—and it’s written in a breezy, easy-to-understand voice—and it’s funny! I can’t recommend it enough' Brian Malow, Science comedian

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Book Synopsis'A book that couldn't be more timely, providing an accessible introduction to epidemiology.' KirkusA compelling and disquieting journey through the history and science of epidemics.For centuries mankind has waged war against the infections that, left untreated, would have the power to wipe out communities, or even entire populations. Yet for all our advanced scientific knowledge, only one human disease - smallpox - has ever been eradicated globally.In recent years, outbreaks of Ebola and Zika have provided vivid examples of how difficult it is to contain an infection once it strikes, and the panic that a rapidly spreading epidemic can ignite. But while we chase the diseases we are already aware of, new ones are constantly emerging, like the coronavirus that spread across the world in 2020. At the same time, antimicrobial resistance is harnessing infections that we once knew how to control, enabling them to thrive once more.Meera Senthilingam presents a timely look at humanity's ongoing battle against infection, examining the successes and failures of the past, along with how we are confronting the challenges of today, and our chances of eradicating disease in the future.Trade ReviewFor those panicked or puzzled by the current pandemic... [a] book that couldn't be more timely, providing an accessible introduction to epidemiology. * Kirkus *[A] compelling overview * The Spectator *The topical Outbreaks and Epidemics ... is crammed with information on the history and context of diseases we think we know about. It explains how effective track and trace, combined with a thorough vaccination programme, was crucial in the eradication of smallpox, and why climate crisis and drug resistance make future pandemics more likely. It even manages a last-minute update about Covid-19. (We could have been a lot more ready if we'd really wanted to be.) -- Katy Guest * The Guardian, Best Science Books of 2020 *

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Book SynopsisThe ultimate field guide to the birds of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.With a range of habitats from mountain forests and wetland basins to the great, sweeping savannas, East Africa is one of the world''s great wildlife travel destinations, and it has an avifauna of staggering diversity to match. This includes many regional endemics and scarcities, some of which have very small and vulnerable ranges, plus a host of Palearctic visitors in the northern winter.This comprehensive field guide describes and illustrates 1,448 species, including all the resident, migrant, and vagrant birds of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Featuring 289 colour plates with more than 3,500 images, it depicts all the plumages and major races likely to be encountered. The species accounts are accompanied by accurate distribution maps, while the introductory sections include information on conservation and maps of important bird areas in the region.Now in its second edition, this book is an indispensable guide for the visiting birdwatcher. It is also a vital tool for those engaged in work to conserve and study the avifauna of the region. Birds of East Africa is a true must-have for anyone birding in the region.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Species Accounts and Plates Maps Conservation, Citizen Science and Local Knowledge Additional Reading Species Accounts and Plates (1-289) Vagrants Appendix 1: Endemic Bird species in East Africa Appendix 2: Threatened Bird species in East Africa Appendix 3: Important Bird Areas in East Africa Index Quick Index to the Main Groups of Birds

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Book SynopsisThe revealing backstory of spaceflight before the establishment of NASA.NASA''s history is a familiar story, culminating with the agency successfully landing men on the moon in 1969, but its prehistory is an important and rarely told tale. Breaking the Chains of Gravity looks at the evolving roots of America''s space program--the scientific advances, the personalities, and the rivalries between the various arms of the United States military.America''s space agency drew together some of the best minds the non-Soviet world had to offer. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the U.S. Air Force, meanwhile, brought rocket technology into the world of manned flight. The road to NASA and successful spaceflight was paved by fascinating stories and characters. At the end of World War II, Wernher von Braun escaped Nazi Germany and came to America where he began developing missiles for the United States Army. Ten years after he createdTrade ReviewTeitel explores the fascinating history of one of the most crucial space flight innovations that made the Apollo moon landings possible. * How it Works *Teitel delivers on detail, such as the exploits of supersonic-flight pioneer Chuck Yeager. * Nature *A really compulsive story, excellently and engagingly told, effortlessly carries the burden of fact and detail with as much deceptive ease as a Redstone Rocket. * Adventures in Historyland *Breaking the Chains of Gravity tells the story of how we began to explore the cosmos – the lessons we had to learn the hard way – and shows why space exploration even today remains anything but routine. * Bobak Ferdowsi, Flight Director, Mars Science Laboratory *Teitel … illuminates the foundations of American spaceflight with this exceptional and detailed ‘prehistory’ of the field … fascinating new territory, filled with a galaxy of lively characters. * Publisher's Weekly *Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Hobby Rocketeers Chapter 2: The Rocket Loophole Chapter 3: The Turning Tide of War Chapter 4: Escape and Surrender Chapter 5: Nazi Rockets in New Mexico Chapter 6: Rockets Meet Airplanes Chapter 7: A New War, a New Missile, and a New Leader Chapter 8: Higher and Faster Chapter 9: Edging into Hypersonics Chapter 10: The Floating Astronaut Chapter 11: Space Becomes an Option Chapter 12: The First Satellite Race Chapter 13: One Little Ball’s Big Impact Chapter 14: The Fight to Control Space Epilogue: America Finds Its Footing in Space Glossary of People Glossary of Places and Organizations Glossary of Rockets Selected Notes Bibliography Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisIn this comprehensive updated introduction to animal ethics, Lori Gruen weaves together poignant and provocative case studies with discussions of ethical theory, urging readers to engage critically and reflect empathetically on our relationships with other animals. In clear and accessible language, Gruen discusses a range of issues central to human-animal relations and offers a reasoned new perspective on key debates in the field. She analyses and explains a range of theoretical positions and poses challenging questions that directly encourage readers to hone their ethical reasoning skills and to develop a defensible position about their own practices. Her book will be an invaluable resource for students in a wide range of disciplines including ethics, environmental studies, veterinary science, gender studies, and the emerging field of animal studies. The book is an engaging account of animal ethics for readers with no prior background in philosophy.Trade Review'Ethics and Animals is a wonderfully readable introduction to the range of issues that come under that heading. Lori Gruen is not only a fine philosopher, but also a person with genuine empathy for animals, and the ability to express that in writing.' Peter Singer, Princeton University and University of Melbourne'If you only read one book about animal ethics, this should be the one. Simultaneously broad and deep, accessible and engaging, Ethics and Animals will help you think through the multiplicity of ways that people have tried to justify using animals, and importantly, raises crucial challenges to those justifications. This book will help you think better about human relationships with animals.' Pattrice Jones, Co-founder of VINE SanctuaryTable of Contents1. Why animals matter; 2. The natural and the normative; 3. Eating animals; 4. Experimenting with animals; 5. Dilemmas of captivity; 6. Animals in the wild; 7. Action for Animals.

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Notable Book of 2020 ‘Bracing and enlightening’ Science Culture is something exclusive to human beings, isn’t it? Not so, says intrepid researcher Carl Safina. Becoming Wild reveals the rich cultures that survive in some of Earth’s remaining wild places. By showing how sperm whales, scarlet macaws and chimpanzees teach and learn, Safina offers a fresh understanding of what is constantly going on beyond humanity, and how we’re all connected. ‘Becoming Wild demands that we wake up’ TelegraphTrade Review‘[A] bracing and enlightening book… Safina’s writing on the watery depths and its denizens is sublime… [challenging] us to be more acutely aware of species whose social lives have much to teach us.’ -- SCIENCE‘In this superbly articulate cri de coeur, Safina gives us a new way of looking at the natural world that is radically different.’ -- Washington Post‘Safina, the ecologist and author of many books about animal behavior, here delves into the world of chimpanzees, sperm whales and macaws to make a convincing argument that animals learn from one another and pass down culture in a way that will feel very familiar to us.’ * New York Times, 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2020 *‘A smorgasbord of compelling details . . . Becoming Wild could easily become a television series.’ * Fortean Times *‘Fascinating… [Becoming Wild] gives the reader a sense of being near these creatures and experiencing some of the most seductive environments on Earth… Safina’s prose achieves the elusive goal of being both informative and luminously evocative.’ * Wall Street Journal *‘Carl Safina combines his passion for the natural world with absorbing, sometimes breathtaking prose, transporting us into the intimate, nuanced worlds of some of the planet’s most charismatic beings.’ -- Jonathan Balcombe, author of What a Fish Knows‘Eloquent… This revelatory work sheds as much light on what it means to be human as it does on the nature of other species.’ -- Publishers Weekly‘Few readers will doubt that these magnificent creatures need urgent attention. Enthralling.’ -- Kirkus, starred review‘[Safina] turns the human view of animal cultures on its head… Becoming Wild demands that we wake up and realise that we are intrinsically linked to our other-than-human neighbours.’ * Telegraph *‘Dr. Safina is a terrific writer, majestic and puckish in equal measure.’ * New York Times *‘[Safina] is a font of research, his wonder contagious.’ * Elle *‘Safina puts forward several eye-opening and previously-overlooked implications of animal culture… a pleasure to read… another jewel in the crown of Safina’s work that packs fascinating field studies, interesting theoretical ideas, soul-searching questions, and probing reflections on human and animal nature into a book that is as profound as it is moving.’ * Inquisitive Biologist *

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Book SynopsisNeuroanatomy through Clinical Cases is widely acclaimed for bringing a pioneering interactive approach to the teaching of neuroanatomy. The book uses over 100 actual clinical cases and high-quality radiologic images to bring the subject to life. The third edition is fully updated with the latest advances in the field, and includes several exciting new cases. This approach allows students to appreciate the clinical relevance of structural details as they are being learned, and to integrate knowledge of disparate functional systems, so the practical knowledge of neuroanatomy is not soon forgotten.Trade ReviewNeuroanatomy through Clinical Cases continues to be an amazing book. It stands the test of time. I have learned from it as a medical student, neuroscience student, Neurology resident, and now as faculty. Thinking clinically about neuroanatomy helps crystallize challenging subject matter and provides a firm foundation for the clinicians of today and tomorrow. * Kumar Narayanan, MD, PhD, University of Iowa *This book is a must-have for every student and clinician. The case-based learning is not only applicable to every learner at every stage, but also very enjoyable! This book sets the bar for the field! * David M. Greer, MD, Boston University School of Medicine *I return to this book again and again. It is a must-read for students new to neuroanatomy and a go-to reference for the most experienced clinician. No other neuroanatomy reference presents such a comprehensive accounting of the nuts and bolts, a dynamic rendering of the systems and operations, and a living, breathing, human understanding of the clinical experience. * Susan Vandermorris, PhD, Neuropsychology and Cognitive Health Program, Baycrest *Let us admit, human neuroanatomy is a daunting topic dreaded by most of us studying neurosciences. I had the great fortune of preparing for my neurology boards with the first edition of Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases and will be forever grateful to Dr. Blumenfeld for making neuroanatomy so much fun and so easy to learn! The fully updated new edition of the book is truly an amazing gift to all of us at any stage of our careers. * Sule Tinaz, MD, PhD, Yale University School of Medicine *“Excellent case discussions.” - Steve L. Mackey, Columbia University“I think this continues to be an amazing book and stands the test of time.” - Kumar Narayanan, University of IowaTable of Contents1. Introduction to Clinical Case Presentations 2.Neuroanatomy Overview and Basic Definitions 3.The Neurologic Exam as a Lesson in Neuroanatomy 4.Introduction to Clinical Neuroradiology 5.Brain and Environs: Cranium, Ventricles, and Meninges 6.Corticospinal Tract and Other Motor Pathways 7.Somatosensory Pathways 8.Spinal Nerve Roots 9.Major Plexuses and Peripheral Nerves 10. Cerebral Hemispheres and Vascular Supply 11. Visual System 12. Brainstem I: Surface Anatomy and Cranial Nerves 13. Brainstem II: Eye Movements and Pupillary Control 14. Brainstem III: Internal Structures and Vascular Supply 15. Cerebellum 16. Basal Ganglia 17. Pituitary and Hypothalamus 18. Limbic System: Homeostasis, Olfaction, Memory and Emotion 19. Higher-Order Cerebral Function Epilogue: A Simple Working Model of the Mind

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding how Covid-19 started is more important than we know for the future of humankind.Determining whether thevirus came from nature or from a lab will help us to safeguard against the next pandemic.This disease will forever punctuate modern history. It has led to the deaths of millions, sickened hundreds of millions and affected the lives of almost every person on the planet. We now know that Covid is here to stay.Genetic engineering expert Dr Alina Chan and renowned science writer Matt Ridley examine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, using their formidable skills to scrutinise arguments and rigorously analyse the sprawling data.Viralis a fascinating account that takes in pangolins, horseshoe bats, internet sleuths and misleading scientificpapers. It details the evidence and investigates hypotheses for the virus origin, chief among them a potential laboratory leak or a natural spillover.Science has made great strides over the last decades. Chan and Trade Review‘The result is a viral whodunnit that is sure to appeal to armchair detectives’ Mark Honigsbaum, the Observer ‘The book collates a series of circumstantial but damning points in favour of the lab-leak hypothesis. It opens with a cloak-and-dagger scene of a BBC reporter trying to reach a mine in Mojiang, a rural area in southwest China… The book has dozens of tantalising facts … The book, fairly, does not conclude that the lab leak hypothesis is definitely true, merely that it is highly possible, and I agree… I hope the questions that Chan and Ridley raise are answered more fully, one way or another’ Tom Chivers, The Times Praise for Dr Alina Chan: ‘Both journalists and armchair detectives interested in the mystery of the coronavirus were discovering Chan as a kind of Holmes to our Watson. She crunched information at twice our speed, zeroing in on small details we’d overlooked, and became a go-to for anyone looking for spin-free explications of the latest science on Covid-19’ Rowan Jacobsen, Boston Magazine ‘Here was an actual scientist at America’s biggest gene centre who was explaining why the official story might be wrong’ Antonio Regalado, MIT Technology Review Praise for Matt Ridley: ‘What a superb writer he is, and he seems to get better and better' Richard Dawkins ‘[Genome is] a dazzling work of popular science, offering clarity and inspiration’ Guardian ‘[How Innovation Works] ranges from the truly profound to the merely fascinating’ Steven Pinker

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award, American Astronomical Society"

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Book SynopsisCan psychedelic drugs help us tackle the biggest problems we face globally? Can they heal the cultural, spiritual, and political wounds we’re wrestling with?Psychedelics have hit the mainstream as powerful new mental health treatments. But as clinicians explore what these molecules can do for our individual minds, The Bigger Picture goes further to illuminate how psychedelics can help us find new ways to make sense of and come through the crises we face around the world. Drawing on the latest research, as well as his unique experience as a participant in a ground-breaking clinical trial investigating the potent psychedelic DMT, Alexander Beiner reveals:- the role of psychedelics in addressing global issues such as global warming, geopolitical instability, and political polarization- the dark side of the ‘psychedelic renaissance’ and ‘psychedelic capitalism’- what it takes to elicit huge personal and cultural transformation through psychedelicsEmbark on a journey into The Bigger Picture – a new era of science and spirituality with the potential to radically transform our perceptions of ourselves, one another, and our life on this planet.

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Book SynopsisA fun introductory guide to yoga anatomy for new and experienced yoga teachers, practitioners, and enthusiasts Knowledge of anatomy is a crucial part of every effective yoga practice, but the subject can be dry and difficult. Yoga Anatomy Made Simple provides a fun solution-it's a go-to guide to functional yoga anatomy, written for yoga practitioners looking to jump in and start applying key concepts to their work. Here, longtime yoga teacher Stuart Girling pairs his expertise with real-life examples and colorful, jaunty illustrations to create a book that serves as an easy-to-understand introduction and refresher course for yogis, teachers, and trainers. Yoga Anatomy Made Simple provides simple explanations of key yoga-anatomy concepts, like patterns, variety, breath, and strength. The illustrations are diverse, inclusive, joyful, and fun-and mirror the author's own accessible, unpretentious approach to practical yoga anatomy. Concepts are demonstrated on different body parts, as well as the following posture groups: * Forward bends * Hip rotations * Backbends * Twists * Postures involving the shoulders * Inversions * Arm balances Girling ties everything together in a holistic framework with a playful touch on every page-one that embraces each student's lifestyle, environment, and life history. Yoga teachers will learn to elevate their ability to analyze yoga postures from a physical perspective, sequence more effectively, avoid unnecessary injury, and appreciate the importance of individuality within postural yoga.Table of ContentsPart I-Key Concepts Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Yoga Postures; Making Shapes; Individuality; Gravity; Alignment; Fighting Own Restrictions; Balance Chapter 2: Movement Basics; Range of Motion; Flexibility; Multi-segmental Movement; Moving in Patterns; Compression; Fundamental Movements; Relational Movement Chapter 3: Muscles and Fascia; Neurophysiology; Open and Closed Kinetic Chains; Polyarticular Muscles; Strength; Variety Opposing Muscles Restrict; Secondary Action of Muscles; Fascial Considerations Chapter 4: Breath; Breath; Breath and Posture; Breath and Trauma Chapter 5: Other Personal Considerations; Environmental influences; Lifestyle; Personal History; Psychology; Risk Factors Part II-Body Bits Chapter 6: Ankle and Foot; Construction of the Foot and Ankle; Muscles that Move the Foot and Ankle; Arches of the Foot; Foot Alignment; So How Do We Start Working on This?; Putting Things into Context Chapter 7: Knee; Construction of the Knee Joint; Muscles that Move the Knee; Putting Things into Context Chapter 8: Hip; Construction of the Hip Joint; Muscles that Move the Hip; Putting Things into Context Chapter 9: Spine; Construction of the Spine; Muscles that Move the Spine; Putting Things into Context Chapter 10: Sacroiliac Joint; Construction of the Sacroiliac Joint; Muscles that Move the Sacrum; Putting Things into Context Chapter 11: Shoulder; Construction of the Shoulder Complex; Muscles that Move the Shoulder Complex; Putting Things into Context; A Bit About Moving the Head; Putting Things into Context Chapter 12: Elbow and Wrist; Construction of the Elbow; Muscles that Move the Elbow; Putting Things into Context; Construction of the Wrist; Muscles that Move the Wrist; Putting Things into Context Part III-Posture Groups Chapter 13:Forward Bends Chapter 14: Hip Rotations Chapter 15: Backbends Chapter 16: Twists Chapter 17: Postures Involving the Shoulders Chapter 18: Inversions Chapter 19: Arm Balances Appendix I: Anatomical Language and Movement Terminology Appendix II: Stu's Simple Model of Infinite Complexity Appendix III:Names of Poses/Postures (Asanas)

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Book SynopsisAre you wishing you knew all you need to know about how to better communicate science, without having to read several hundred academic papers and blogs and books? Luckily Dr Craig Cormick has done this for you! This highly readable and entertaining book captures the breadth of research into best practice science communications and has distilled it into accessible chapters that take you through both the how and the why of science communication, supported with case studies and examples. Dr Craig Cormick has been a science communicator for over 25 years, working with organisations such as CSIRO, Questacon and the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. He has been widely published on science communication issues in key journals and the popular media, including ABC Radio National's The Science Show, the Conversation, and has twice appeared in Best Australian Science Writing. He is a popular speaker on science communication issues at conferences in Australia and overseas. In 2013 he was awarded the Unsung Hero of Science Communication by the Australian Science Communicators (ASC) and is currently the President of the ASC. He has published over 25 books, including having edited the award-winning book published with CSIRO Publications, Ned Kelly Under the Microscope (2014), and his writing awards include a Queensland Premier's Literary Award (2006), The ACT Book of the Year Award (1999), the Tasmanian Writers Prize (2016) and an ACT Writing and Publishing Award (2015).Table of Contents1: THE GROUND RULES 1: What makes good science communication? (in fewer than 280 characters) 2: Why we need to communicate science better 3: Burying the deficit model 4: Objective! Your honour! 5: What do the public really think about science? 6: There is no one public: Making sense of segmentation 2: COMMUNICATION TOOLS 7: Messages and metaphors 8: Once upon a time: Storytelling 9: Trust me, I’m a scientist 10: Media matters 11: Being a social media superstar 12: I’ve been framed! The art of framing 13: Who’s afraid of public speaking? 14: Getting engaged 15: P-values: Policy and politics 16: Evaluation: Metrics, damn metrics and statistics 3: WHEN THINGS GET HARD 17: I’m a believer! Understanding different beliefs 18: The risky business of communicating risk 19: Valuing values 20: Can you really change behaviours? 21: Communicating controversies: The good, the bad and the ugly 4: SCIENCE COMMUNICATION ISSUES 22: Debunking bunkum 23: Fantastic ethics and where to find them 24: Why we don’t actually know what we think we know 25: Last words: Sermon on the Endnote

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Book SynopsisRSPB Spotlight: Owls is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos, and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist.Owls are charismatic and exceptionally well-loved characters in British wildlife, and have always held a special place in our folklore and legends. Their nocturnal habits mean few of us have been lucky enough to see them up close. In RSPB Spotlight: Owls Marianne Taylor introduces readers to every aspect of their lives including their physiology, biology and behaviour, as well as their history, and future in conservation in Britain and abroad.Five species of owl currently live in Britain - the Tawny, Barn, Little, Long-eared and Short-eared Owls - and each of them, as well as their relatives abroad, are introduced here in detail alongside top quality colour photographs and fascinating behavioural images, which will delight and inform the whole family.The book begins with a look at owls in generalTable of ContentsMeet the Owls Anatomy and Adaptations Behaviour Territory, Competition and Migration Diet and Hunting Pairing and Breeding Life and Death Owl Conservation Owls in Culture Glossary Further Reading and Resources Acknowledgements Image Credits Index

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Book SynopsisThe ultimate guide to maximizing the healing properties of medicinal mushrooms and lichens—featuring over 300 detailed plant profiles for easy mushroom identification   Noted herbalist Robert Rogers introduces readers to more than 300 species of medicinal mushrooms and lichens found in North America. These fungi have the capacity to heal both the body and—through the process of myco-remediation—the planet itself. Throughout the book, he documents their success in optimizing the immune system and treating a wide range of acute and chronic diseases, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and liver problems, blood sugar disorders, cancer, and obesity.   The Fungal Pharmacy also outlines the medicinal traits and unique properties of each mushroom or lichen, including: • active chemical components • preparation methods for extracts, essences, essential oils, and more • historical and modern-day usage • cultural, religious, and literary significance, with fun facts on etymology and history • plus, 200 full-color photos and thorough descriptions for easy identification   The ultimate guide to identifying and healing with medicinal North American fungi, The Fungal Pharmacy is a valuable resource for mycologists, mushroom hunters, wild-crafters, and anyone interested in natural health care.

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Book SynopsisLiving on a damaged planet challenges who we are and where we live. This timely anthology calls on twenty eminent humanists and scientists to revitalize curiosity, observation, and transdisciplinary conversation about life on earth.As human-induced environmental change threatens multispecies livability, Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet puts forward a bold proposal: entangled histories, situated narratives, and thick descriptions offer urgent “arts of living.” Included are essays by scholars in anthropology, ecology, science studies, art, literature, and bioinformatics who posit critical and creative tools for collaborative survival in a more-than-human Anthropocene. The essays are organized around two key figures that also serve as the publication’s two openings: Ghosts, or landscapes haunted by the violences of modernity; and Monsters, or interspecies and intraspecies sociality. Ghosts and Monsters are tentacular, windy, and arboreal arts that invite readers to encounter ants, lichen, rocks, electrons, flying foxes, salmon, chestnut trees, mud volcanoes, border zones, graves, radioactive waste—in short, the wonders and terrors of an unintended epoch.Contributors: Karen Barad, U of California, Santa Cruz; Kate Brown, U of Maryland, Baltimore; Carla Freccero, U of California, Santa Cruz; Peter Funch, Aarhus U; Scott F. Gilbert, Swarthmore College; Deborah M. Gordon, Stanford U; Donna J. Haraway, U of California, Santa Cruz; Andreas Hejnol, U of Bergen, Norway; Ursula K. Le Guin; Marianne Elisabeth Lien, U of Oslo; Andrew Mathews, U of California, Santa Cruz; Margaret McFall-Ngai, U of Hawaii, Manoa; Ingrid M. Parker, U of California, Santa Cruz; Mary Louise Pratt, NYU; Anne Pringle, U of Wisconsin, Madison; Deborah Bird Rose, U of New South Wales, Sydney; Dorion Sagan; Lesley Stern, U of California, San Diego; Jens-Christian Svenning, Aarhus U.Trade Review"Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet exposes us to the active remnants of gigantic past human errors—the ghosts—that affect the daily lives of millions of people and their co-occurring other-than-human life forms. Challenging us to look at life in new and excitingly different ways, each part of this two-sided volume is informative, fascinating, and a source of stimulation to new thoughts and activisms. I have no doubt I will return to it many times."—Michael G. Hadfield, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa"Facing the perfect storm strangely named the Anthropocene, this book calls its readers to acknowledge and give praise to the many entangled arts of living which made this planet liveable and which are now unravelling. Grandiose guilt will not do, we need to learn noticing what we were blind to, a humble but difficult art. The unique welding of scholarship and affect achieved by the texts here assembled tells us that learning this art also means allowing oneself to be touched and induced to think and imagine by what touches us."—Isabelle Stengers, author of Cosmopolitics I and Cosmopolitics II"What an inventive, fascinating book about landscapes in the anthropocene! Between these book covers, rightside-up, upside-down, a concatenation of social science and natural science, artwork and natural science, ghosts of departed species and traces of our own human shrines to memory... Not a horror-filled glimpse at destruction but also not a hymn to romantic wilderness. Here, guided by a remarkable and remarkably diverse set of guides, we enter into our planetary environments as they stand, sometimes battered, sometimes resilient, always riveting in their human—and non-human—richness. Arts of Living On a Damaged Planet is truly a book for our time."—Peter Galison, Harvard University"Calling a book ‘mandatory reading’ usually feels hyperbolic, but it's justified in the case of Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet. A stunning collection of essays from scientists, writers and artists on humankind's impact on the planet, and how we all can survive it."—Shelf Awareness"This vibrant, moving, and philosophical two-sided essay collection reminds us of all the ways that human beings and the natural world are interconnected. Deborah Bird Rose’s piece on the “shimmer of life” alone makes the book worth reading."—Chicago Review of Books"There’s a poetry in facts. And as this book reveals, there is an increasing amount of courage and acceptance to be found in understanding even the most destructive changes in plant and wildlife that the overheated Anthropocene will bring us."—Santa Fe New Mexican"Well worth reading: a frank, luminous set of dispatches from future worlds and fractured pasts."—Full Stop"Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet is a strikingly aesthetic object, carefully curated at the level of form as well as content. It makes a convincing case for the relevance of ‘hard science’ to art and politics."—Glasgow Review of Books"The Anthropocene is characterised by extreme and irreversible changes to the environment, resulting in an exponential scarcity of living beings and threats to most life systems on earth. In response to this precarity, the editors and contributors to Arts suggest that we must collectively observe and study the world around us to attune our co-existence more authentically to these ecologies, through increased knowledge about both the impacts of past actions and our embeddedness in multispecies webs."—Environmental Values"By focusing on entanglement and haunting in this double-sided book, the contributors in Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet demand a reconceptualisation of what it means to be active participants in the Anthropocene. They also want us to recognise that our standing is not at all separate from nature, time, or matter."—Gothic Nature Journal"The editors of Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet set out to illustrate through storytelling the ambivalent entanglements of ghosts and monsters in the Anthropocene as a practical means toward broadening our knowledge-creation of the challenges of a world in the making. If the scientific community takes to heart their offering (and the offerings of those who came before them), the scientific paradigm-shift (that started with feminist science studies, the civil rights movement, and environmentalism) from objectivity to subjectivity might just take hold as a dominant epistemology."—Hypatia Reviews"Arts of Living is a provocative dispatch from the edges of humanity’s new condition."—Sedimenta Table of ContentsContentsGhosts on a Damaged PlanetIntroduction: Haunted Landscapes of the AnthropoceneElaine Gan, Nils Bubandt, Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, and Heather Anne Swanson1. A Garden or a Grave?: The Canyonic Landscape of the Tijuana-San Diego RegionLesley SternIn the Midst of Damage2. Marie Curie's Fingerprint: Nuclear Spelunking in the Chernobyl ZoneKate Brown3. Shimmer: When All You Love Is Being TrashedDeborah Bird RoseFootprints of the Dead4. Future Megafaunas: A Historical Perspective on the Scope for a Wilder AnthropoceneJens-Christian Svenning5. Ladders, Trees, Complexity, and Other Metaphors in Evolutionary ThinkingAndreas Hejnol6. No Small Matter: Mushroom Clouds, Ecologies of Nothingness, and Strange Topologies of SpacetimematteringKaren Barad7. Haunted Geologies: Spirits, Stones, and the Necropolitics of the AnthropoceneNils BubandtWhat Remains8. Ghostly Forms and Forest HistoriesAndrew S. Mathews9. Establishing New Worlds: The Lichens of PetershamAnne PringleCoda: Concept and ChronotopeMary Louise PrattContributorsIndexContentsMonsters and the Arts of LivingAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Bodies Tumbled into BodiesHeather Anne Swanson, Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Nils Bubandt, and Elaine Gan1. Deep in AdmirationUrsula K. Le Guin Inhabiting Multispecies Bodies2. Symbiogenesis, Sympoiesis, and Art Science Activisms for Staying with the TroubleDonna Haraway 3. Noticing Microbial Worlds: The Post Modern Synthesis in BiologyMargaret McFall-NgaiBeyond Individuals4. Holobiont by Birth: Multilineage Individuals as the Concretion of Cooperative ProcessesScott F. Gilbert5. Wolf, or Homo Homini LupusCarla Freccero6. Unruly Appetites: Salmon Domestication “All the Way Down”Marianne Elisabeth Lien7. Without Planning: The Evolution of Collective Behavior in Ant ColoniesDeborah M. GordonAt the Edge of Extinction8. Synchronies at Risk: The Intertwined Lives of Horseshoe Crabs and Red Knot BirdsPeter Funch9. Remembering in Our Amnesia, Seeing in Our BlindnessIngrid M. ParkerCoda. Beautiful Monsters: Terra in the Cyanocene Dorion SaganContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisTechnology has fractured democracy, and now there’s no going back. All around the world, the fringes have stormed the palace of the elites and unleashed data miners, dark ads and bots on an unwitting public. After years of soundbites about connecting people, the social media giants are only just beginning to admit to the scale of the problem. We stand on the precipice of an era where switching your mobile platform will have more impact on your life than switching your government. Where freedom and privacy are seen as incompatible with social well-being and transparency. Where your attention is sold to the highest bidder. Our laws don’t cover what is happening and our politicians don’t understand it. But if we don’t fight to change the system now, we may not get another chance.Trade Review‘Excellent.’ * New Statesman *‘Democracy Hacked gets beyond the headlines – a compelling, informed and highly readable account of how democracy is being disrupted by the tech revolution, and what can be done to get us back on track. One of the best expositions I’ve read yet of what is the biggest political challenge of our generation.’ -- Jamie Bartlett, author of The People Vs Tech and The Dark Net‘Enormously wide-ranging and deeply researched, this is the definitive account of how digital technology has changed the entire political landscape, with profound consequences for democracy. From Brexit to Trump, and from Estonia to the Philippines, Martin Moore uncovers the real stories behind the fake ones. You’ll discover that the truth is often stranger than fiction and that the future is more open than you think.’ -- David Runciman, author of How Democracy Ends‘The world is belatedly waking up to some frightening realities about the intersection of digital technologies and the health of democracies. Martin Moore’s book is a sharp wake-up call – ambitious in its sweep and urgent in its important message.’ -- Alan Rusbridger, author of Breaking News‘Eye-opening… An important, timely, and clearly written look at a crucial subject.’ * Booklist *‘Moore demonstrates how data has affected elections across the world, in the Philippines, Turkey, India, Iran, Britain and beyond... Engrossing, instructive, and urgently necessary.’ * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisWhich is the densest element? Which has the largest atoms? And why are some elements radioactive? From the little-known uses of gold in medicine to the development of the hydrogen bomb, this is a fresh new look at the Periodic Table. Combining cutting edge science with fascinating facts and stunning infographics, this book looks at the extraordinary stories of discovery, amazing properties and surprising uses of each elements, whether solid, liquid or gas - naturally occurring, synthesised or theoretical! From hydrogen to oganesson, this is a fact-filled visual guide to each element,each accompanied by technical date (category, atomic number, weight, boiling point) as well as fun facts and stories about their discovery and surprising uses. Table of ContentsContents 1 The Periodic Table 2 The Big Picture 3 Inside Chemistry 4 Directory of Elements Glossary Index Acknowledgements

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Book Synopsis'Hugely entertaining' Guardian'Fascinating' Mail on SundayIn 1882, Jean-Martin Charcot was the premiere physician in Paris, having just established a neurology clinic at the infamous Salpêtrière Hospital, a place that was called a 'grand asylum of human misery'. Assessing the dismal conditions, he quickly upgraded the facilities, and in doing so, revolutionized the treatment of mental illness. Many of Charcot's patients had neurosyphilis (the advanced form of syphilis), a disease of mad poets, novelists, painters, and musicians, and a driving force behind the overflow of patients in Europe's asylums. A sexually transmitted disease, it is known as 'the great imitator' since its symptoms resemble those of almost any biological disease or mental illness. It is also the perfect lens through which to peel back the layers to better understand the brain and the mind. Yet, Charcot's work took a bizarre turn when he brought mesmerism - hypnotism - into his clinic, abandoning his pursuit of the biological basis of illness in favour of the far sexier and theatrical treatment of female 'hysterics', whose symptoms mimic those seen in brain disease, but were elusive in origin. This and a general fear of contagion set the stage for Sigmund Freud, whose seductive theory, Freudian analysis, brought sex and hysteria onto the psychiatrist couch, leaving the brain behind. How The Brain Lost Its Mind tells this rich and compelling story, and raises a host of philosophical and practical questions. Are we any closer to understanding the difference between a sick mind and a sick brain? The real issue remains: where should neurology and psychiatry converge to explore not just the brain, but the nature of the human psyche?Trade ReviewAbsorbing and scholarly... A twin biography of psychiatry and neurology, their study charts this uneasy relationship from marriage to divorce to reconciliation even as fundamental questions about the nature of mental illness remain... Hugely entertaining. * Guardian *A rollicking ride, patient by patient, through the history of two conditions, hysteria and neurosyphilis. * The Times *Central to this book is the ongoing dispute regarding which mental illnesses can be attributed to physical abnormalities within the brain and which originate in the mind, or consciousness. The authors emphasise that in many cases we still cannot be sure... Along the way, their investigations exhume some unforgettable scenes and characters... Fascinating * Mail on Sunday *Rich, compassionate and passionate... Sceptical of the excesses of both psychological and biological reductionism, it is a refreshing call for an intellectual reset and disciplinary rapprochement. -- Anne Harrington * Nature *This aptly titled book picks up where Oliver Sacks left off in examining the behavioral characteristics of neurobehavioral syndromes in an effort to span the gap that has historically separated the twin disciplines of the brain, neurology and psychiatry. * Jeffrey A. Lieberman, author of Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry *Through tales of eminent physicians and their suffering patients, replete with sex, drugs, and magnetically-induced hypnotism, we learn how a bacterium that deprived countless souls of their reason also helped scientists discover a role for brain biology in mental illness. * Alan Jasanoff, PhD, author of The Biological Mind *Ropper and Burrell have written an insightful, fantastically readable analysis of what was once called "hysteria." Also, by studying how things can go wrong, we learn a great deal about the working of the human mind when things go right. * Elizabeth Loftus, author of Eyewitness Testimony *Table of Contents0: INTRODUCTION 1: A CLINICAL LESSON 2: WHAT IS A DISEASE? 3: PYGMALION AND GALATEA 4: THE INVENTION OF HYSTERIA 5: THE PAPUAN IDOL 6: HEARTS OF DARKNESS 7: THE SOUL OF A NEW DISEASE 8: THE UNSETTLED TERRITORIES OF THE MIND 9: THE DIFFICULT CASE OF ANNA O. 10: THE DEVIL AND ADRIAN LEVERKÜHN 11: SEX AND THE NEW WOMAN 12: WINNING THE BATTLE AND LOSING THE WAR 13: THE PSYCHIC INTERPRETATION OF DISEASE 14: A BEAUTIFUL NAME FOR A HORRIBLE DISEASE 15: MEDICINAL LOBOTOMY: THE INVENTION OF THORAZINE 16: THE FEVERED DREAM OF A SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY 17: THE LESSONS OF NEUROSYPHILIS

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Book Synopsis** GUARDIAN SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 **‘Popular science at its best’Mail on Sunday‘Eminently accessible and enjoyable’ObserverWith every breath, you literally inhale the history of the world. On the ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar died of stab wounds in the Roman Senate, but the story of his last breath is still unfolding. In fact, you're probably inhaling some of it now. Of the sextillions of molecules entering or leaving your lungs at this moment, some might also bear traces of Cleopatra's perfumes, German mustard gas, particles exhaled by dinosaurs or emitted by atomic bombs, even remnants of stardust from the universe's creation. In Caesar’s Last Breath, New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean takes us on a journey through the periodic table, around the globe and across time to tell the epic story of the air we breathe.Trade ReviewAbsorbing, entertaining... provocative but compelling... eminently accessible and enjoyable. A real gas - in short! -- Robin McKie * Observer *Funny, clever and altogether effervescent... Kean writes superbly about science itself... A joy for any reader -- James McConnachie * The Sunday Times *There is no denying the pleasure and indeed the wealth of scientific information to be obtained from reading Caesar’s Last Breath. It will change forever the way I think about breathing. * Financial Times *Kean is the teacher you wish you'd had: genial, companionable and infectiously enthusiastic. This is an entertaining and accessible guide to the mysterious vapour of gases. Popular science at its best. -- Simon Humphreys * Mail on Sunday *It’s a helluva read. And it’s a gas. -- Tim Radford * The Guardian *An altogether excellent read, an invigorating and stylish mixture of chemistry, history and reportage that brings to light many of the untold stories of the air that surrounds and sustains us * Times Literary Supplement *This vibrant, fact-filled science book makes the chemistry of air riveting * Sunday Times Must Reads *Told with Kean’s trademark combination of goofy wisecracking and an exceptional knack for communicating the principles of science * Wall Street Journal *Fascinating stories, so insightful, informative, and disarmingly written. It gave this astronaut a new respect for the air around us all, and made me delightfully more aware of each breath I take. -- Col. Chris Hadfield, author of An Astronaut's Guide to Life on EarthBrims with such fascinating tales of chemical history that it'll change the very way you think about breathing.... Kean crams the book full of wild yarns told with humorously dramatic flair.... The effect is oddly intimate, the way all good storytelling is -- you feel like you're sharing moments of geeky amusement with a particularly hip chemistry teacher * San Francisco Chronicle *The most fun to be had from nonfiction is a good science book, with a writer of craft who can capture both the excitement and the elegance of science, the incredible fact that this is really how it works. Sam Kean is such a writer and Caesar's Last Breath is such a book. An enormous pleasure to read. -- Mark Kurlansky, author of CodSam Kean has done it again - this time clearly and entertainingly explaining the science of the air around us. He is a gifted storyteller with a knack for finding the magic hidden in the everyday. -- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive

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Book Synopsis'The modern day Doctor Dolittle' (Guardian), bestselling author of Animals in Translation, investigates the secrets of mental health in animals.Trade Review'A woman whose understanding of animals is very special. What's more, she not only understands them, she also puts her knowledge to practical use' Desmond Morris 'Admirable and extraordinary' Guardian 'Temple Grandin is a global phenomenon ... For those of us who love animals and want the best for them, Temple Grandin is a beacon of common sense and wisdom' Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisTHE CLASSIC GUIDE, NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATEDWhy do we need Statistics?What do terms like ''dispersion'', ''correlation'', ''normal distribution'' and ''significance'' actually mean?How can I learn how to think statistically?This bestselling introduction is for anyone who wants to know how statistics works and the powerful ideas behind it. Teaching through words and diagrams instead of requiring you to do complex calculations, it assumes no expert knowledge and makes the subject accessible even to readers who consider themselves non-mathematical. This clear and informative ''tutorial in print'' includes questions for you to respond to in the light of what you have read so far, ensuring your developing ability to think statistically.

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Book SynopsisThe initial Layer of protection analysis (LOPA) book published in 2001 set the rules and approaches for using LOPA as an intermediate method between purely qualitative hazards evaluation/analysis and more quantitative analysis methods. Basic LOPA provides an order-of-magnitude risk estimate of risk with fairly reproducible results. LOPA results are considered critical in determining safety integrity level for design of safety instrumented systems. This guideline clarifies key concepts and reinforces the limitations and the requirements of LOPA. The main scope of the guideline is to provide examples of CMs and ECs and to provide concrete guidance on the protocols that must be followed to use these concepts. The bookpresents a brief overview of Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) and its variations, and summarizes terminology used for evaluating scenarios in the context of a typical incident sequence. It defines and illustrates the most common types of ECs and CMs and shows how they Table of ContentsList of Tables ix List of Figures xi Abbreviations and Acronyms xiii Glossary xv Acknowledgements xxiii Preface xxv 1 Context 1 1.1 LOPA Overview 1 1.2 Pertinent LOPA Variations 10 1.3 When to Use Enabling Conditions and Conditional Modifiers 13 1.4 Risk Criteria Endpoints 16 2 LOPA Enabling Conditions 23 2.1 Definition and Defining Characteristics 23 2.2 Interrelationship with Initiating Event 23 2.3 Time-At-Risk Enabling Conditions 23 2.4 Campaign Enabling Conditions 30 2.5 Other Possible Enabling Conditions 34 2.6 Documenting and Validating Enabling Conditions 34 3 LOPA Conditional Modifiers 37 3.1 Definition and Defining Characteristics 37 3.2 Probability of a Hazardous Atmosphere 42 3.3 Probability of Ignition or Initiation 44 3.4 Probability of Explosion 49 3.5 Probability of Personnel Presence 55 3.6 Probability of Injury or Fatality 60 3.7 Probability of Equipment Damage or Other Financial Impact 65 3.8 Documenting, Managing and Validating Conditional Modifiers 69 4 Application to Other Methods 71 4.1 Quantitative Risk Analysis 71 4.2 Use of Enabling Conditions and Conditional Modifiers with Scenario Identification Methods 75 4.3 Barrier Analysis and Diagrams 79 Appendices 81 A Simultaneous Failures and “Double Jeopardy” 83 B Peak Risk Concepts 91 C Example Rule Set for LOPA Enabling Conditions 95 Example Rule Set for LOPA Enabling Conditions 95 References 99 Index 103

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Book SynopsisFungi are eternally mysterious and truly unique. The Deck of Mushrooms is your essential introduction to some of the world’s most interesting fungi. From the delicious Shiitake and the deadly Death Cap, to mushrooms of the magical variety and bioluminescent beauties, The Deck of Mushrooms features 52 beautiful cards to guide you through this fascinating world. This deck features 50 different fungi – learn about their appearance, where and when they grow and all of their uses as you become a budding expert in mycology.

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Book SynopsisIn our brave new world of Big Tech, work is automated and money melts into air. What comes next as the global capitalist edifice crumbles? Slavoj Žižek shows how the answer is already stealing into sight, like a thief in broad daylight. What we must do is wake up and see it. ''In a world determined to crush hope of radical change, where moral corruption poses as pragmatism and systemic oppression as the new freedom, Slavoj Žižek''s excellent new book serves humanity in a way that only authentic philosophy can'' Yanis Varoufakis''The Elvis of cultural theory'' New Statesman''Master of the counterintuitive observation'' New YorkerTrade ReviewŽižek is a thinker who regards nothing as outside his field: the result is deeply interesting and provocative * Guardian *Žižek leaves no social or cultural phenomenon untheorized, and is master of the counterintuitive observation * New Yorker *In a world determined to crush hope of radical change, where moral corruption poses as pragmatism and systemic oppression as the new freedom, Slavoj Zizek's excellent new book serves humanity in a way that only authentic philosophy can -- Yanis Varoufakis

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Limber and lucid."--Barbara Kiser, Nature "[A] pleasure for the biologically and scientifically inclined."--Kirkus "Henrich draws on his far-flung ethnographic field studies and the work of colleagues to illustrate the adaptive power of human culture."--The Scientist "Joseph Henrich ... offers a compelling and comprehensive answer in his exceptional new book The Secret of Our Success: How Culture is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter. It is an intellectual tour-de-force that offers an overview for the field of cultural evolution."--Joe Brewer, This View of Life blog "A provocative alternative to the standard narrative about evolution... Henrich's book is immensely ambitious, informative, and important.--Glenn Altschuler, Psychology Today "Mind-stretching... Henrich's book will take you on a prodigious journey through human nature and society."--Alun Anderson, New Scientist "I thought I understood cultural evolution. But in his new book, The Secret of Our Success, Joseph Henrich schooled me. I felt like I learned more from his book than from the last dozen books I've read."--Robin Hanson, Overcoming Bias blog "Henrich posits a unique approach to understanding human behavior, not in purely evolutionary terms, but as a process of cultural evolution."--Library Journal "Human evolutionary biologist and psychologist, Joseph Henrich, a professor at both Harvard and the University of British Columbia has provided compelling insights into the ways that social, physical, scientific, agricultural, religious, and other human practices commonly termed 'culture' have honed man's skills and fostered survival strategies... The contents offer a very readable and riveting story of how culture--gene interaction must be examined when assaying human intelligence."--NSTA Recommends "A tour-de-force and a significant advancement of social science."--Darwinian Business "Culture sits upon a foundation of genetics and biology but is separate from it. Joseph Henrich wanted to upend this conventional narrative... The implications of this new, continuing narrative for the way we think about people, societies, and even companies are both subtle and significant."--David K. Hurst, Strategy + Business "This book synthesizes, in a format accessible to general readers, research from a variety of disciplines that address in varying ways, the evolutionary journey begun about 6 million years ago by our primate ancestors, forming humans in the process, into a unique species centered, according to Harvard evolutionary biologist Henrich, around social learning, cultural transmission, and cumulative culture."--Choice "A deep account of the relationship between culture and the human mind is now emerging, with The Secret of our Success by anthropologist Joseph Henrich blazing a trail in late 2015. Here Laland adds important layers to this new understanding."--New ScientistTable of ContentsPreface ix 1 A Puzzling Primate 1 2 It's Not Our Intelligence 8 3 Lost European Explorers 22 4 How to Make a Cultural Species 34 5 What Are Big Brains For? Or, How Culture Stole Our Guts 54 6 Why Some People Have Blue Eyes 83 7 On the Origin of Faith 97 8 Prestige, Dominance, and Menopause 117 9 In-Laws, Incest Taboos, and Rituals 140 10 Intergroup Competition Shapes Cultural Evolution 166 11 Self-Domestication 185 12 Our Collective Brains 211 13 Communicative Tools with Rules 231 14 Enculturated Brains and Honorable Hormones 260 15 When We Crossed the Rubicon 280 16 Why Us? 296 17 A New Kind of Animal 314 Notes 333 References 373 Illustration Credits 429 Index 431

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Book SynopsisTough Test Questions? Missed Lectures? Not Enough Time?Fortunately, there's Schaum's.More than 40 million students have trusted Schaum'sto help them succeed in the classroom and on exams.Schaum's is the key to faster learning and highergrades in every subject. Each Outline presents all theessential course information in an easy-to-follow,topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds ofexamples, solved problems, and practice exercises totest your skills.This Schaum's Outline gives you 1,340 fully solved problems Clear, concise explanations of all college chemistry concepts Support for all the major textbooks for collegechemistry courses Fully compatible with your classroom text, Schaum's highlights all the important facts you need to know. Use Schaum's to shorten your study time--and get your best test scores!Table of Contents1. Quantities and Units; 2. Atomic and Molecular Mass; Molar Mass; 3. Formulas and Composition Calculations; 4. Calculations from Chemical Equations; 5. Measurement of Gases; 6. The Ideal Gas Law and Kinetic Theory; 7. Thermochemistry; 8. Atomic Structure and the Periodic Law; 9. Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure; 10. Solids and Liquids; 11. Oxidation-Reduction; 12. Concentration of Solutions; 13. Reactions Involving Standard Solutions; 14. Properties of Solutions; 15. Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry; 16. Thermodynamics and Chemical Equilibrium; 17. Acids and Bases; 18. Complex Ions; Precipitates; 19. Electrochemistry; 20. Rates of Reactions; 21. Nuclear Processes

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Book SynopsisThis book is a simple, non-technical introduction to cosmology, explaining what it is and what cosmologists do. Peter Coles discusses the history of the subject, the development of the Big Bang theory, and more speculative modern issues like quantum cosmology, superstrings, and dark matter.Trade ReviewThere is an embarrassment of books about the universe for the general reader, but few manage to pack so much, so elegantly, into such a compact space as this does. The book is generously illustrated. * The Guardian 09/02/02/ *Coles takes you gently through everything from Blue Shift to parallel Universe in a thoroughly entertaining read * TNT Magazine *a pleasure to read * New Scientist, 29/09/01 *Table of Contents1. A Brief History ; 2. Einstein and All That ; 3. The Big Bang ; 4. In the Beginning ; 5. Cosmology by Numbers ; 6. What's the Matter? ; 7. The Emergence of Structure ; 8. The Future

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Book SynopsisLeonard Mlodinow, the best-selling author of The Drunkard''s Walk and coauthor of The Grand Design (with Stephen Hawking) and War of the Worldviews (with Deepak Chopra) here examines how the unconscious mind shapes our experience of the world, and how, for instance, we often misperceive everything from our relationships with family, friends and business associates, the reasons for our investment decisions, to our own past.Your preference in politicians, the amount of tip you give the waiter-all our judgments and perceptions-reflect the workings of our mind on two levels, the conscious, of which we are aware, and the unconscious, which is hidden from us. The latter has long been the subject of speculation, but over the past two decades scientific researchers have developed remarkable new tools for probing the hidden, or subliminal, workings of the mind. The result of this explosion of research is a new science of the unconscious, and a sea change in our understanding of how the mind affects the way we live. These cutting-edge discoveries have revealed that the way we experience life-our perception, behavior, memory, and social judgment-is largely driven by the mind''s subliminal processes and not by the conscious ones, as we have long believed. Employing his trademark wit and his lucid, accessible explanations of the most obscure scientific subjects, Leonard Mlodinow takes us on a tour of this research, unraveling the complexities of the subliminal self, increasing our understanding of how the human mind works, and how we interact with friends, strangers, spouses and coworkers. In the process he changes our view of ourselves and the world around us.Leonard Mlodinow received his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of California, Berkeley, was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute, and now teaches at the California Institute of Technology. His previous books include War of the Worldviews (with Deepak Chopra); the two national best sellers The Grand Design (with Stephen Hawking) and The Drunkard''s Walk (a New York Times Notable Book and short-listed for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books); Feynman''s Rainbow; and Euclid''s Window. He also wrote for the television series MacGyver and Star Trek: The Next Generation.Trade ReviewDelightful...Our lives may be shaped by chance, but they are enriched by awareness-just the sort of awareness that this fascinating book will give you * Guardian *Leonard Mlodinow never fails to make science both accessible and entertaining -- Stephen Hawking, author of A Brief History of TimeWith the same deft touch he showed in The Drunkard's Walk, Mlodinow probes the subtle, automatic, and often unnoticed influences on our behavior -- Daniel J. Simons, co-author of The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive UsMlodinow has written an engaging and insightful ... [he] not only makes neuroscience understandable-he makes it fascinating. After reading this book, you will look at yourself (and those around you) in a new way -- Joseph T. Hallinan, author of Why We Make MistakesThink you know the whys and hows of your choices? Think again. Follow Mlodinow on a gorgeous journey into the enormous mental backstage behind the curtain of consciousness -- David Eagleman, Author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times ''Must Read'' book.Described by the Sunday Times as a gently studious Bill Bryson crossed with an upbeat and relaxed WG Sebald, Tide is a superb book... a delight to read. It is profound and powerful, and should win prizes.From Cnut to D-Day, the history and science of the unceasing tide is explored for the first time.Half of the world''s population lives in coastal regions lapped by tidal waters. Yet how little most of us know about the tide - a key force on our planet that has altered the course of history and will transform our future.Our ability to predict and understand the tide depends on centuries of science, from the observations of Aristotle and the theories of Newton to today''s supercomputer calculations. This story is punctuated here by notable tidal episodes in history, from Caesar''s thwarted invasion of Britain to the catastrophic flooding of Venice, and interwoven with a rich folklore that continues to inspire art and literature today.With Aldersey-Williams as our guide to the most feared and celebrated tidal features on the planet, from the original maelstrøm in Scandinavia to the world''s highest tides in Nova Scotia to the crumbling coast of East Anglia, the importance of the tide, and the way it has shaped - and will continue to shape - our civilization, becomes startlingly clear.Trade ReviewA spring tide of colour and historical anecdote laps over the more austere mudflats of the actual science. So much so that I find myself looking forward to the next piece of technical exposition -- Tom Whipple * The Times *Imagine, if possible, a gently studious Bill Bryson crossed with an upbeat and relaxed WG Sebald. It is a superb book... a delight to read. It is profound and powerful, and should win prizes. -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *This fascinating book deftly explores the dramatic history, critical importance, and scientific wonder of the tides. Hugh Aldersey-Williams is a marvelous guide who takes the reader on a sweeping and thought-provoking adventure into the heart of one of the most captivating, mysterious, and elemental forces of nature -- Eric Jay Dolin, author of Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American LighthousePrepare for a voyage with the best of companions - Hugh Aldersey-Williams is a storyteller supreme, and he's found a subject worthy of his talents -- Edward Dolnick, author of The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern WorldScience writing at its best ... fascinating and beautiful -- Matt Ridley on 'Periodic Tales'Immensely engaging and continually makes one sit up in surprise -- Richard Cohen on 'Periodic Tales' * Sunday Times *Aldersey-Williams is full of good stories and he knows how to tell them well -- Graham Farmelo on 'Periodic Tales' * Sunday Telegraph *Engaging and thoughtful... Like some of the most compelling biographers, Aldersey-Williams partly inhabits his subject * Literary Review on The Adventures of Sir Thomas Browne in the 21st Century *Exposes new facts and ideas every other page -- Horatio Clare * Observer *Aldersey-Williams's corrective meshes a history of the science with tide-related technologies and tidally sculpted events. It's an eloquent ebb and flow * Nature *

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Book SynopsisContents 1. A A country boy 2. A Pins and string 3. A Philosophy 4. A Learning to juggle 5. A Blue and yellow make pink 6. A Saturn and statistics 7. A Cast of characters 8. A Spinning cells 9. A The beautiful equations 10. A The Laird at home 11. A The Cavendish 12. A Last days 13. A Maxwella s legacy 14.Trade Review"This is a wonderful, short biography that gives a vivid account of James Clerk Maxwell's life and work." (Materials Today, June 2004) "...an absorbing account of Maxwell's life and work" (Sunday Telegraph Review, 19th September 2004) "...provides the reader with the opportunity to understand Maxwell's contributions to modern science and technology." (The Mathematical Gazette, March 2005) "...a fascinating book about an inspiring man..." (Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, Vol.36, No.3, March 2005)Table of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgements. Chronology: principal events in Maxwell’s life. Cast of characters: Maxwell’s relations and close friends. Introduction. 1. A country boy: Glenlair 1831-1841. 2. Pins and string: Edinburgh Academy 1841-1847. 3. Philosophy: Edinburgh University 1847-1850 4. Learning to juggle: Cambridge 1850-1854. 5. Blue and yellow make pink: Cambridge 1854-1856. 6. Saturn and statistics: Aberdeen 1856-1860. 7. Spinning cells: London 1860-1862. 8. The beautiful equations: London 1862-1865. 9. The Laird at home: Glenlair 1865-1870. 10. The Cavendish: Cambridge 1870-1879. 11. Last days. 12. Maxwell’s legacy. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisOrganized around the central theme of homeostasis - how the body meets changing demands while maintaining the internal constancy necessary for all cells and organs to function, this book helps you appreciate the integrated functioning of the human body.Table of Contents1. Introduction to Physiology and Homeostasis. 2. Cell Physiology. 3. The Plasma Membrane and Membrane Potential. 4. Principles of Neural and Hormonal Communication. 5. The Central Nervous System. 6. The Peripheral Nervous System: Afferent Division; Special Senses. 7. The Peripheral Nervous System: Efferent Division. 8. Muscle Physiology. 9. Cardiac Physiology. 10. The Blood Vessels and Blood Pressure. 11. The Blood. 12. Body Defenses. 13. The Respiratory System. 14. The Urinary System. 15. Fluid and Acid���Base Balance. 16. The Digestive System. 17. Energy Balance and Temperature Regulation. 18. Principles of Endocrinology; The Central Endocrine Glands. 19. The Peripheral Endocrine Glands. 20. The Reproductive System. Appendix: A Review of Chemical Principles. Appendix: Text References to Exercise Physiology. Appendix: Answers to Check Your Understanding, End-of-Chapter Objective Questions, Quantitative Exercises, Points to Ponder, and Clinical Considerations. Glossary. Index.

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Book SynopsisQuiz your family at home with crosswords, puzzles and games.A collection of 200 Difficult Su Doku puzzles of the highest quality from The Times newspaper. Perfect for the intermediate Su Doku solver in need of a constant supply of challenging puzzles, this book is guaranteed to provide hours of absorbing, brain-stretching entertainment.Since the first Su Doku puzzle appeared in The Times in 2004, they have become a phenomenon, with over 5 million copies of The Times Su Doku books sold worldwide. You don''t need to be a mathematical genius to solve these puzzles; it is simply a question of logic. Each puzzle has a unique solution and there''s no guesswork required.The Times Su Doku remains the original, the best and the market leader.Trade Review* Phenomenal sales of Su Doku Books, over 5 million sold worldwide * Strength of The Times brand * The Times books are market leaders

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Book SynopsisA ''kluge'' is an engineering term for a makeshift solution, an inelegant construction that somehow works. This is Gary Marcus''s analogy for the way the human mind has evolved. Arguing against a whole tradition that praises our human minds as the most perfect result of evolution, Marcus shows how imperfect and ill-adapted our brains really are. They have had to adapt from the environment of our early hominid origins to a complex world in which our penchant for short-term satisfactions is literally fatal. We are prone to rages, addictions and other habits that limit our capacity for rational action in every sphere, from food to politics. A breathtaking, witty and revolutionary book.

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Book SynopsisA resource for Steiner-Waldorf teachers for botany, Classes 5 and 6 (age 10-12).Trade Review'I always find Charles Kovacs' books such a joy to read; they are so information and never fail to demonstrate a new way of looking at things. I recommend this book to both teachers and parents as a sensitive and thoughtfully presented introduction to botany for children.'-- Rosemary Usselman, New View, Spring 2006

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Book SynopsisMichael Faraday is one of the best known scientific figures of all time. Known as the discoverer of electro-magnetic induction, the principle behind the electric generator and transformer, he has frequently been portrayed as the ''father'' of electrical engineering from whence much of his popular fame derives. This Very Short Introduction dispels the myth that Faraday was an experimental genius working alone in his basement laboratory, making fundamental discoveries that were later applied by others. Instead, it portrays Faraday as a grand theorist of the physical world profoundly influencing later physicists such as Thomson (Kelvin), Maxwell, and Einstein. Frank A.J.L. James explores Faraday''s life from his origins in eighteenth-century Westmorland and Yorkshire, his religious and scientific background, to the growth of his fame in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As well as introducing his scientific research, he also puts Faraday in the various institutional contexts in whicTable of Contents1. Beginnings ; 2. A career in science ; 3. Science and practice ; 4. Electricity ; 5. Magnetism, matter, and space ; 6. Faraday as a celebrity ; 7. Faraday in the 20th Century ; References ; Further Reading

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Book SynopsisThe Third Chimpanzee was first published in 1991 and has been in print ever since. This new, illustrated edition is aimed at a young readership. In it, Jared Diamond explores what makes us human and poses fascinating questions. If we share more than 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees, how is it that we can write, read, talk, build telescopes and bombs, while we put our speechless and bomb-less close relatives in cages and zoos? What can woodpeckers teach us about spacecraft? Is genocide a human invention? Why does extinction matter? Why are we destroying the natural resources on which we depend for survival? What hope is there for future generations? Not only is The Third Chimpanzee a mind-boggling survey of how we came to be, but it is also a plea to the next generation to "make better decisions than their parents and get us out of the mess we're in."Trade Review'A master storyteller of the human race.' * Daily Mail *'Informative, most fascinating, and very readable.' -- Library Journal'This is exactly the kind of book that should be a 'set text' for secondary school science: engaging, thought-provoking and bang up to the minute. if your teachers aren't recommending books like this - go out and get them anyway.' -- Guy Claxton, author of What's the Point of School?‘An important book and a valuable resource for students of the natural sciences’ * Carousel *'Thoughtful readers interested in any fields related to evolutionary science, anthropology, psychology, human history, and culture will find plenty to ponder.' * School Library Journal *Praise for the adult edition: ‘Written with great wit and a pleasure to read... forces one to reflect thoroughly on the puzzle of human evolution, on where we came from and where we may be heading.’ * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisThis uniquely comprehensive overview by a prominent CalTech physicist provides a modern, rigorous, and integrated treatment of the key physical principles and techniques related to gases, liquids, solids, and their phase transitions. Topics include thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, electronics in metals, Bose condensation, fluid structure, potential energy, Weiss molecular field theory, and many other subjects. 1975 edition.

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Book SynopsisCovers the fundamental concepts and twenty-first-century applications of six major areas of classical physics that every masters- or PhD-level physicist should be exposed to, but often isn't: statistical physics, optics (waves of all sorts), elastodynamics, fluid mechanics, plasma physics, and special and general relativity and cosmology.Trade Review"Winner of the 2018 PROSE Award in Textbook / Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Association of American Publishers""Kip S. Thorne, Co-Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics""Roger D. Blandford, Co-Winner of the 2016 Crafoord Prize in Astronomy and Winner of the 2020 Shaw Prize in Astronomy""It is a matter for celebration when two illustrious theoreticians such as Kip Thorne and Roger Blandford provide an in-depth description of the fundamentals of classical physics. . . . The sheer amount of material covered and the effort that has gone into condensing it into a single, beautifully produced volume is extraordinarily impressive."---Malcolm Longair, Nature"A tour through macroscopic physics that features modern treatments of classical topics and insightful treatments of modern ones. . . . Modern Classical Physics is a magnificent achievement."---Edward Witten, Physics Today"An excellent tool for students and researchers as an introduction to classical subjects usually missing from most modern physics curricula. . . . A valuable reference for physicists about modern approaches of the development and applications of classical physics."---Miguel A. F. Sanjuán, Contemporary Physics

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