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Nature and Science August 2016
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"When he set out, Christopher Columbus wrote his royal backers that he would accomplish 'the conversion to our holy faith of a great number of peoples.' But he did not forget to mention gold. He mentioned it 114 times, versus 26 for God." ~ from Matthew Hart's Gold: The Race for the World's Most Seductive Metal
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Welcome to the Nature and Science newsletter. Each month you will read about new works of Nature and Science that have been added to the Lambton County Library's collection. The Library also offers an alerting service to notify you when new materials on authors and topics of interest for you are added to the collection. You may set this service up with assistance from the library staff. Let us know what you think of this service so we can serve you better.
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UPCOMING EVENTS: Sarnia FREE Movie Monday DROP-IN 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 29, 2016 Sarnia Library Theatre Showing "Minions" Rated G 91 Minutes The adventures of comic villanish sidekicks constant search for a master. Sarnia FREE Movie Monday DROP-IN 7:00 PM Monday, September 19, 2016 Sarnia Library Theatre Showing "The Good Dinosaur" Rated G 100 minutes Showing what life might be like if Humans and dionsaurs coexisted. Sarnia Zombiefest FREE 12 Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday October 22nd, 2016 Sarnia Library Theatre A zombie movie at 12 Noon, A zombie walk from 2 to 3 PM followed by a zombie fashion show and another zombie movie Look for more events on the Lambton County Library Calendar: http://www.lclibrary.ca/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=471
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In this Issue |
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The big picture : on the origins of life, meaning, and the universe itself | The Unknown Universe: A New Exploration of Time, Space, and Modern Cosmology | Cyberspies: The Secret History of Surveillance, Hacking, and Digital Espionage | The Next Pandemic: On The Front Lines Against Humankind's Gravest Dangers | Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War | |
Fifty minerals that changed the course of history | Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy | Gold: The Race for the World's Most Seductive Metal | Stoned : jewelry, obsession, and how desire shapes the world | Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World | |
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| The Unknown Universe: A New Exploration of Time, Space, and Modern Cosmology by Stuart ClarkA single image calls into question everything we thought we knew about the Big Bang. Taken by the European Space Agency's Planck space probe and representing 440 sextillion kilometers (273 sextillion miles) of space and 13.8 billion years of time, this high-resolution map of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation took two years to develop, pixel by pixel, and ultimately revealed anomalies that scientists still struggle to explain. Could everything we know about the universe be wrong? Well, it wouldn't be the first time, as science writer Stuart Clark demonstrates in this engaging history of cosmology, which covers the 17th century through the present day. |
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| Cyberspies: The Secret History of Surveillance, Hacking, and Digital Espionage by Gordon Corera"The computer was born to spy," asserts BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera. Created as a machine of military intelligence, the same qualities that make it useful as a tool of espionage also make it an ideal target of espionage. Indeed, as Corera describes how the role of computers evolved from World War II to the present day, it becomes clear that cyber-espionage will one day be called, simply, espionage. From encryption and code-breaking to data-driven surveillance, this eye-opening, occasionally chilling, book may cause you to reconsider your relationship with technology. |
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| The Next Pandemic: On The Front Lines Against Humankind's Gravest Dangers by Ali S. KhanDr. Ali Khan is the former director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So when he talks about communicable diseases, it's worth listening to what he has to say. Khan draws on 25 years in the field of public health to cut through the hysteria surrounding the headlines while pointing out policy and infrastructure issues that make global pandemics inevitable. For more on infectious diseases and how they get around, check out Sonia Shah's Pandemic or David Quammen's Spillover. |
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| Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary RoachChicken guns are pretty much what you'd expect, but what about HRVs? That stands for "human research volunteers," by the way, and they're an essential part of keeping soldiers alive, what with testing shark-repellent, flying fighter jets while blindfolded, and injecting themselves with snake venom (among other heroic actions). Steering clear of the battlefield, bestselling science writer Mary Roach instead focuses on the unsung heroes of military science while tackling, in her signature witty and irreverent style, the quirkier aspects of feeding, clothing, cleaning, and healing members of the armed forces. |
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Focus on: Precious Gems and Metals |
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Fifty minerals that changed the course of history
by Eric Chaline
A guide to fifty metals, alloys, rocks, and organic minerals that have impacted history discusses the use of plutonium to power the Voyager space probes and the possiblity that Napoleon was poisoned by wallpaper containing arsenic
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| Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy by Seth FletcherAlthough batteries have been in existence (in one form or another) since the 1800s, it's only in the last few decades that their lives have been extended to the point where we can power our gadgets all day long. The key to this transformation? Lithium. Popular Science editor Seth Fletcher examines this element and its potential to make the gasoline-powered car a relic, while highlighting some of the geopolitical issues that surround the business of extracting, refining, and utilizing lithium. You might also like Tom Zoellner's Uranium, which also explores the role of a single element in the development of new energy resources and technologies. |
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| Gold: The Race for the World's Most Seductive Metal by Matthew HartThe first gold currency was introduced in Asia Minor in 635 BCE. However, gold has proven irresistible to humans ever since...well, as long as humans have been around. Following gold's journey from the mines of South Africa (home to 40 percent of all gold ever extracted) to the shadowy markets and exchanges of London and Switzerland, author Matthew Hart spins a compelling narrative that blends science, history, culture, politics, and economics. Interested in the geopolitics of precious metals? You may enjoy Kwasi Kwarteng's War and Gold. |
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Stoned : jewelry, obsession, and how desire shapes the world
by Aja Raden
An account of how eight jewels shaped the course of history shares insights into the role of precious gemstones in triggering cultural movements, political dynasties and wars while exploring how jewels reflect darker aspects of human nature.
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| Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World by Tom ZoellnerIn the words of science writer Tom Zoeller, uranium represents "the best and worst of mankind." This mildly radioactive element has been the catalyst for both great scientific discoveries (nuclear fission) and terrible acts of violence (atomic bombs). As he did with diamonds in The Heartless Stone, Zoeller tells the story of another mineral element whose history is rife with corruption, exploitation, and bloodshed. As a source of energy that does not produce greenhouse gases and as the means of creating some of the most powerful weapons of mass destruction ever, uranium could be humanity's salvation -- or the author of its downfall. |
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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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