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Nature and Science October 2017
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| Zapped: From Infrared to X-Rays, The Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob BermanAlthough light is all around us, most of it can't be seen. Confused? Don't worry: science writer Bob Berman will explain. After giving an overview of the physics of light (including historical attempts to explain the phenomenon), Berman delves into the different types of invisible light -- including infrared and ultraviolet, microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays, and radio waves -- and describes how 19th-century scientists discovered and developed applications for them. For more illuminating books on electromagnetic radiation in all its forms, try Bruce Watson's Light: A Radiant History from Creation to the Quantum Age. |
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DNA: The Story of the Genetic Revolution
by James D. Watson
Newly revised and updated, and charting the greatest scientific journey of our time, the Nobel laureate whose pioneering work helped unlock the mystery of DNA’s structure presents the most comprehensive authoritative exploration of DNA’s impact—practical, social and ethical—on our society and our world. By the author of The Double Helix.
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Significant Figures: The Lives and Work of Great Mathematicians
by Ian Stewart
A mathematician spotlights the lives of twenty-five legendary people in his field and examines the impact they had on shaping today’s mathematics, including Archimedes, Benoit Mandelbrot, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi and Augusta Ada King.
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| What It's Like to be a Dog: And Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience by Gregory BernsIf your pup struggles with simple commands like "sit," you may wonder how neuroscientist Gregory Berns managed to get a bunch of dogs to climb into MRI machines. Indeed, his training regimen is almost as fascinating as what he learned from scanning the dogs' brains. As Berns discovers, human and canine brains show striking structural similarities, which suggests intriguing possibilities about the emotional lives of our four-legged friends. Dog lovers won't want to miss this book, which should appeal to fans of John Bradshaw's Dog Sense or Alexandra Horowitz's Inside of a Dog. |
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| Darwin's Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory by James T. CostaWe tend to think of Charles Darwin as a theorist, yet this book reveals that he was also a keen observer of the natural world (who frequently enlisted friends and acquaintances to collect specimens) and an experimenter who collaborated with his children (on projects ranging from serenading worms to raising carnivorous plants). Interweaving biographical information and descriptions of Darwin's home-based research, this engaging book also includes instructions for 18 DIY experiments aimed at readers who may find themselves inspired to follow in Darwin's footsteps. |
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Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature is Thriving in an Age of Extinction
by C. D Thomas
A British professor of conservation biology disputes the accepted idea of the earth’s declining biodiversity and argues that urbanization and human modification of ecosystems have actually stimulated evolutionary change in other living species while creating new ones.
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Science in the Soul: Selected Writings of a Passionate Rationalist
by Richard Dawkins
An evolutionary biologist and provocateur, in a collection of 42 essays, focuses on what science is and how it is done, the inexhaustible wonders of nature, the importance of critical thinking and the great minds who have changed his life. By the New York Times best-selling author of The God Delusion and The Selfish Gene.
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The Astronomy Book
by David W. Hughes
From planets to black holes and the Big Bang, an essential guide to milestone developments in astronomy tells the story of our ideas about space, time and the physics of the cosmos—from ancient times to the present day.
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The Oxford Illustrated History of Science
by Iwan Rhys Morus
The Oxford Illustrated History of Science offers readers an accessible and entertaining introduction to the history of science as well as a valuable and authoritative reference work.
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Why Dinosaurs Matter
by Kenneth Lacovara
A paleontologist examines the importance of the way dinosaurs lived and may have died, the meaning of fossils, the nature of deep time, and humans’ place in the world as the earth moves into an uncertain environmental future.
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| Megafire: The Race to Extinguish a Deadly Epidemic of Flame by Michael KodasAnyone who follows the news can't help but be aware of the wildfires that periodically ravage the western United States, claiming lives and causing widespread destruction. In this sobering book, journalist and firefighter Michael Kodas draws on interviews and on-site reporting to investigate why such "megafires" occur -- and how our response to them may be doing more harm than good. |
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| Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution by Jonathan B. LososIs evolution predictable? Can it be studied in real-time? Herpetologist and Harvard museum curator Jonathan Losos believes that the answer to both questions is yes. In this accessible introduction to evolutionary biology, Losos discusses topics such as convergence (which occurs when different species independently evolve to be physically similar due to common environmental pressures), while describing the experimental research that's changing our understanding of the development of life on Earth. |
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| Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake by Kathryn Miles"Earthquakes are everywhere," explains science journalist Kathryn Miles, who knows her natural disasters (she's also the author of Superstorm: Nine Days Inside Hurricane Sandy). Although geological maps of the United States reveal some 2,100 known faults, the nation is ill-prepared should any of them slip. Poor infrastructure and a lack of early warning systems are causes for concern, as is the increasing number of earthquakes in unexpected places such as Oklahoma and North Dakota, where hydraulic fracturing has transformed the landscape. Given that 75 million Americans currently live in "areas of significant seismic risk," this eye-opening book is essential reading. |
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| Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max TegmarkAre you ready for the AI revolution? If not, you're hardly alone. Although the issues surrounding artificial intelligence comprise "the most important conversation of our time," according to MIT professor Max Tegmark, we as a society have not devoted much attention to the political, economic, and social consequences of AI. Whether you're worried about automation eliminating your job (it probably will) or robot overlords destroying all humans (they probably won't), you'll want to read this book. |
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What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky
by Kelsey Oseid
This illustrated guide to the heavens combines the myths, historic significance and various interpretations of objects seen in the night sky, including the 88 recognized constellations, meteors, eclipses, planets, moons and much more.
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| Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology by Ellen UllmanWhen Ellen Ullman once objected to her software engineer colleagues' suggestions of genocide as a means of eradicating a genetic disorder, one replied, "This is how I know you're not a real techie." In this essay collection, the author of the the novel By Blood describes her experiences in the tech industry, beginning in the 1970s and spanning decades. From living in what she calls "mind-time" to dealing with gender-based discrimination, Ullman offers countless insights from a life lived in close proximity to machines. |
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Never be without a book you love! |
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