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Nature and Science June 2017
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| Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River by David OwenEvery gallon of water in the Colorado River legally belongs to someone, explains New Yorker staff writer David Owen. This has consequences: though the river is supposed to flow to the Gulf of California, so much is diverted along the way that it simply runs dry near the U.S.-Mexico border. Following the Colorado from source to terminus, Owen explores the river's ecology as well as the complex network of systems that exploit its resources. With its in-depth examination of the links between natural and human-made ecosystems, this book may interest readers who enjoyed Dan Egan's The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. |
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The great unknown : seven journeys to the frontiers of science
by Marcus Du Sautoy
The award-winning author of The Music of the Primes and popular presenter of Netflix's The Story of Math explores the once-ridiculed theories of history's greatest innovators and the outer reaches of human knowledge to consider what discoveries may lie beyond the predictive powers of science.
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| Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson"America's most approachable astrophysicist" (Kirkus Reviews) offers readers a concise and conversational introduction to cosmology. In 12 engaging chapters, Neil deGrasse Tyson explains, in straightforward and mostly jargon-free prose, the composition of the universe and the laws that govern it. Covering topics ranging from the Big Bang to general relativity to dark matter, he also describes what we don't yet know about the universe. While some science background is always useful when confronting astrophysics, it's not essential to enjoy this book. |
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| The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners that Shape Who We... by Rob DunnIn this accessible look at evolutionary ecology, biologist Rob Dunn argues that human evolution is intimately connected to that of other species and the environment. Positing that the presence of venomous snakes may have led to enhanced color vision in primates, and that ticks and lice might have played a role in rendering humans nearly hairless, Dunn examines how our species' interactions with the natural world influenced our genetic code. However, there's a downside: as human survival becomes easier, human susceptibility to disease increases. |
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| The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease by Daniel E. LiebermanYou'd think that after six million years of evolution, humans would be less vulnerable to disease. However, as biologist Daniel Lieberman explains, we didn't evolve for optimal health, but rather to produce viable offspring in challenging environments. What's more, cultural evolution creates mismatches between the bodies we inherited from our ancestors and the environments we create and transform for ourselves and our descendants. This thought-provoking book uses our evolutionary history to examine the challenges we currently face in staying alive. |
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| Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond by Robert R. ProvineIn this follow-up to Laughter: A Scientific Investigation, neuroscientist Robert Provine explains the evolutionary reasons behind the everyday behaviors we take for granted -- such as yawning, sneezing, crying, hiccups, and more. Accessible and full of intriguing examples, this engaging book is perfect for readers who have always wondered why we can't tickle ourselves or why yawning is often contagious. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Harrison Memorial Library Ocean and Lincoln Carmel, California 93921 831-624-4629www.hm-lib.org/ |
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