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Nature and Science December 2016
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| Time Travel: A History by James GleickAs he did in The Information, popular science writer James Gleick weaves together literature, science, and philosophy in this fascinating exploration of time travel in popular culture. Beginning with H.G. Wells’ 1895 novel The Time Machine, which Gleick describes as an attempt to "gin up a plausible-sounding plot device for a piece of fantastic storytelling," the book examines fictional time travel in the context of its scientific underpinnings. From going back in time to prevent one’s own birth to creating alternate timelines, no plot device or paradox goes unexamined in this concise and accessible, yet intellectually wide-ranging discussion. |
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Homo Deus : A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah HarariYuval Noah Harari, author of the bestselling Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind , envisions a not-too-distant world in which we face a new set of challenges. In Homo Deus , he examines our future with his trademark blend of science, history, philosophy and every discipline in between. Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century - from overcoming death to creating artificial life. It asks the fundamental questions: Where do we go from here? And how will we protect this fragile world from our own destructive powers?
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A Field Guide to Lies : Critical Thinking in the Information Age
by Daniel J. Levitin
An esteemed psychology professor outlines recommendations for critical thinking practices that meet the challenges of the digital era's misinformation, demonstrating the role of science in information literacy while explaining the importance of skeptical reasoning in making decisions based on online information.
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Seven brief lessons on physics
by Carlo Rovelli
A introduction to modern physics by a founder of the loop quantum gravity theory shares seven succinct lessons on topics ranging from general relativity and quantum mechanics to elementary particles and black holes. An international best-seller.
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| How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics by Eugenia ChengIf you dread math, this book might just change your mind. Armed with a seemingly infinite supply of logic, enthusiasm, and baking tips, math professor Eugenia Cheng explains how mathematicians think by focusing on category theory, which she dubs "the mathematics of mathematics." Employing a blend of accessible lessons, personal anecdotes, and tasty recipes to introduce concepts such as abstraction and axiomatization, Cheng also emphasizes the underlying mathematical mindset that uses logic to discover truth. |
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Eating animals by Jonathan Safran FoerThe award-winning author of Everything Is Illuminated exposes common misconceptions about how animals are slaughtered and processed for food, drawing on sources from popular culture to national tradition to reveal how the meat industry misrepresents its practices.
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Food will win the war : the politics, culture, and science of food on Canada's home front by Ian MosbyDuring the Second World War, as Canada struggled to provide its allies with food, public health officials warned that malnutrition could derail the war effort. Posters admonished Canadians to "Eat Right" because "Canada Needs You Strong" while cookbooks helped housewives become "housoldiers" through food rationing, menu substitutions, and household production. Ian Mosby explores the symbolic and material transformations that food and eating underwent as the Canadian state took unprecedented steps into the kitchens of the nation, changing the way women cooked, what their families ate, and how people thought about food. Canadians, in turn, rallied around food and nutrition to articulate new visions of citizenship for a new peacetime social order.
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| Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary RoachCan your stomach really burst? And why doesn't it digest itself? As she's proven in previous books, including Stiff and Bonk, science writer Mary Roach isn't squeamish when it comes to the physiology or functions of the human body. In addition to exploring the science of the digestive system, she also debunks myths and misconceptions including flammable farts and the possibility of surviving being swallowed by a whale. And as a bonus, you'll be able to impress your friends with all kinds of trivia ranging from explosive colonoscopies (France, 1977) to slang terms describing the act of concealing contraband in one's rectum ("keistering," "hooped," and "prison wallet" are but a few examples). |
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The Way We Eat : Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter SingerA critical analysis of the impact of food choices by the co-authors of Animal Factories explores the eating habits of three American families with very different diets and how their choices affect human, animal, and environmental health, in an account that offers recommendations for both responsible and realistic food consumption.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Lambton County Library 787 Broadway St. Wyoming, Ontario N0N1T0 519-845-3324www.lclibrary.ca |
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