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Nature and Science April 2020
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| Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental... by Lydia DenworthWhat it is: a cross-disciplinary survey of the science of social bonds -- and a powerful argument for friendship as the standard by which all relationships should be measured.
What it does: examines a growing body of research that suggests friendship is a biological necessity for humans and animals.
Want a taste? "Friendship...is a matter of life and death. It is carried in our DNA, in how we're wired. Social bonds have the power to shape the trajectories of our lives." |
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Why Trust Science?
by Naomi Oreskes
Why the social character of scientific knowledge makes it trustworthy Do doctors really know what they are talking about when they tell us vaccines are safe? Should we take climate experts at their word when they warn us about the perils of global warming? Why should we trust science when our own politicians don't? In this landmark book, Naomi Oreskes offers a bold and compelling defense of science, revealing why the social character of scientific knowledge is its greatest strength -- and the greatest reason we can trust it. Tracing the history and philosophy of science from the late nineteenth century to today, Oreskes explains that, contrary to popular belief, there is no single scientific method. Rather, the trustworthiness of scientific claims derives from the social process by which they are rigorously vetted. This process is not perfect -- nothing ever is when humans are involved -- but she draws vital lessons from cases where scientists got it wrong. Oreskes shows how consensus is a crucial indicator of when a scientific matter has been settled, and when the knowledge produced is likely to be trustworthy.
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Why Good Sex Matters: Understanding the Neuroscience of Pleasure for a Smarter...
by Nan Wise, PhD
What it does: combines current research and practical, evidence-based suggestions for overcoming anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure) and achieving a healthier relationship with one's sexuality.
About the author: Nan Wise is both a cognitive neuroscientist and a certified sex therapist.
Pro tip: "Orgasm may serve as the best possible ‘exercise’ for the brain."
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Human diversity : the biology of gender, race, and class
by Charles A Murray
All people are equal but, as Human Diversity explores, all groups of people are not the same -- a fascinating investigation of the genetics and neuroscience of human differences. The thesis of Human Diversity is that advances in genetics and neuroscience are overthrowing an intellectual orthodoxy that has ruled the social sciences for decades. The core of the orthodoxy consists of three dogmas: gender is a social construct, race is a social construct, and class is a function of privilege. The problem is that all three dogmas are half-truths. They have stifled progress in understanding the rich texture that biology adds to our understanding of the social, political, and economic worlds we live in. It is not a story to be feared. "There are no monsters in the closet," Murray writes, "no dread doors we must fear opening." But it is a story that needs telling. Human Diversity does so without sensationalism, drawing on the most authoritative scientific findings, celebrating both our many differences and our common humanity.
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The Firefly guide to minerals, rocks & gems
by Rupert Hochleitner
The Firefly Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Gems is designed for easy and reliable identification of minerals, gems and rocks. The identification process begins with the stone's streak color, which is how the book is organized: Blue, Red, Yellow, Brown, Green Black and White. Using a sequence of straightforward questions and answers -- aided by over 1,000 photographs and drawings -- the book narrows down the possibilities among 350 minerals, gems and rocks to reach the conclusive classification
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Feed the Birds : Attract and Identify 196 Common North American Birds
by Chris Earley
Feeding birds is growing in popularity and is enjoyed by over 50 million North Americans each year. Feed the Birds is designed as a resource for beginners and experienced birdwatchers alike. Covering 196 bird species that are attracted to backyard bird feeders, this book helps the reader not only attract and identify birds but also understand their behavior and adaptations to the environment. A wide variety of feeders and seed types are presented with helpful tips on how to attract the largest variety of birds. Each profile for the 196 featured species includes a variety of photographs, an identification guide, a range map, information on bird seed and natural food preferences, and behavior. Other topics include: Why feeding birds is important Building do-it-yourself feeders Foiling squirrels Attracting birds with natural foods and water Building shelters and nest boxes Involving children Photographing birds Hand feeding Recognizing individual birds and identifying similar-looking species Growing plant varieties that make a garden attractive to birds. The book also contains information on how to choose the right seeds; the importance of ensuring all windows are bird-safe (with links to organizations that work to reduce bird-window collision); cat-friendly deterrents; and citizen science activities like the annual Christmas Bird Count and Project Feederwatch. Feed the Birds is a complete guide that should be near every bird enthusiast's window. Endorsed by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, a conservation-oriented organization with more than 250,000 members. CWF has a long history of fostering bird habitat, conservation and recognition.
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SAM: One Robot, a Dozen Engineers, and the Race to Revolutionize the Way We Build
by Jonathan Waldman
Introducing: SAM (short for "semi-automated mason") and the team of engineers who built this innovative brick-laying machine.
Why you might like it: Recounting SAM's journey from rough concept to prototype (after prototype after prototype...), this richly detailed book offers both an illuminating look at the technological aspects of construction and an absorbing account of a family-run start up.
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Humble pi : when math goes wrong in the real world
by Matt Parker
"This tour of real-world mathematical disasters reveals the importance of math in everyday life. All sorts of seemingly innocuous mathematical mistakes can have significant consequences. Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near misses, and mathematical mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman Empire, and an Olympic team, Matt Parker uncovers the ways math trips us up"
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Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time
by Gaia Vince
What it does: Examines human evolution through four key "drivers": Fire, Language, Beauty and Time, while arguing that it is collective culture, not individual intelligence, that sets humans apart.
About the author: Journalist Gaia Vince won the Royal Society Insight Investment Prize for her debut, Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made.
For fans of: Diane Ackerman's The Human Age.
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Genetics for Dummies
by Ph.D. Robinson, Tara Rodden
This third edition includes recent developments and applications in the field of genetics, helping science-lovers of all skill levels wrap their heads around this fascinating subject.
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The old farmer's almanac vegetable gardener's handbook
by Old Farmer’s Almanac
An anecdotal guide for gardeners of any experience level outlines proven methods for sowing, growing and harvesting home vegetable gardens, covering subjects ranging from soil testing and seed saving to pest control and veggie-friendly companion plants. Original. 30,000 first printing. Illustrations. Index.
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Organic gardening for everyone : homegrown vegetables made easy (no experience required)
by CaliKim
"If you want to grow healthy vegetables at home, but have hesitated because it seems too hard and time consuming, Organic Gardening for Everyone is your perfect hands-on guide-an "if I can do it, you can do it" case study that addresses your concerns andgets you started. Loaded with practical advice and step-by-step guidance, Organic Gardening for Everyone takes a very personal and friendly approach to a subject that can be intimidating. It is a first-class primer on organic vegetable gardening, and an inspirational story about how anyone can balance the rigors of gardening with the demands of a modern, family-oriented lifestyle. In 2012, a California mom decided to start an organic vegetable garden. But she went about it in an unusual way: she crowdsourced it by launching a YouTube channel under the name "CaliKim" and asking for help. And then she started planting. As questions came up, she turned to her viewers and subscribers and they replied with answers and advice. As she learned, her garden grew successfully-even in the hot, harsh California climate. Her expertise also grew, and now she answers many more questions than she asks and has become a very accomplished home gardener. And CaliKim has a great story to tell: growing healthy organic vegetables for your family is not difficult, even for today's time-challenged lifestyles. She provides complete step-by-step information on growing the most popular edibles organically, and also gives sound advice on how to take on the challenges of balancing a hectic lifestyle with successful growing-and how to involve the whole family in the process. You'll be rewarded for your effort every time you place a plate of natural, organic vegetables on the family dinner table knowing exactly what they are, what is inthem, and where they came from"
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Raising butterflies in the garden
by Brenda Dziedzic
This exciting title is for butterfly lovers and gardeners who not only want to create a butterfly-friendly garden, but also want to support butterflies and moths in order to maintain healthy populations. Author Brenda Dziedzic noticed that there were far fewer butterflies around today than she saw in her childhood. Starting in her own garden she set out to learn why and what she could do to fix this. Raising Butterflies in the Garden is the outcome of what she learned about these fascinating insects and the native plants they depend on. In this book, Dziedzic shares the vast experience she gained in helping butterflies thrive through all stages of life. She shows readers how they can do the same - no matter the time of year or the size of their property - by providing all of the information and practical guidance they need. The book features more than 500 color photographs showing the life cycles of over 35 butterfles and moths - from egg to adult - as well as the host and nectar plants they rely on. Each profiled species also includes a North American range map.
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Small garden style : a design guide for outdoor rooms and containers
by Isa Hendry Eaton
A graphic designer-turned gardener and a lifestyle writer demonstrate how to create inspired but compact outdoor living spaces that are both eco-friendly and stylish using succulents, grasses, colorful pots, fire pits, birdbaths, perfumed walls and more. Illustrations.
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Macs all-in-one for dummies
by Joe Hutsko
For Dummies Each book covers all the necessary information a beginner needs to know about a particular topic, providing an index for easy reference and using the series’ signature set of symbols to clue the reader in to key topics, categorized under such titles as Tip, Remember, Warning!, Technical Stuff and True Story.
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Sams teach yourself SQL in 10 minutes
by Ben Forta
Sams Teach Yourself... Each book provides the basic information that a motivated self-learner needs to study a particular computer subject.
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QuickBooks 2020 all-in-one
by Stephen L. Nelson
A guide to QuickBooks 2020 that combines 8 mini-books into one, with easy-to-follow tips for setting up and navigating the program as well as an introduction to small business accounting procedures. .
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MacOS Catalina : The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box
by David Pogue
Apple gives macOS new features and improvements right on your desktop and under the hood with Catalina—aka OS X 10.15. With this updated guide, you’ll learn how to use your iPad as a second screen, work with iPad apps on your Mac, and use Screen Time on your Mac. This new edition of the #1 bestselling Mac book shows you how to use the revamped apps for Music, Podcasts, and TV. Loaded with illustrations, step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks, this book from David Pogue—Missing Manual series creator, New York Times columnist, and Emmy-winning tech correspondent for CNBC, CBS, and NPR—covers everything Catalina has to offer with lots of humor and technical insight.
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The future is faster than you think : how converging technologies are transforming business, industries, and our lives
by Peter H Diamandis
Technology is accelerating far more quickly than anyone could have imagined. During the next decade, we will experience more upheaval and create more wealth than we have in the past hundred years. In this gripping and insightful roadmap to our near future, Diamandis and Kotler investigate how wave after wave of exponentially accelerating technologies will impact both our daily lives and society as a whole. What happens as AI, robotics, virtual reality, digital biology, and sensors crash into 3D printing, blockchain, and global gigabit networks? How will these convergences transform today’s legacy industries? What will happen to the way we raise our kids, govern our nations, and care for our planet? Diamandis, a space-entrepreneur-turned-innovation-pioneer, and Kotler, bestselling author and peak performance expert, probe the science of technological convergence and how it will reinvent every part of our lives—transportation, retail, advertising, education, health, entertainment, food, and finance—taking humanity into uncharted territories and reimagining the world as we know it. As indispensable as it is gripping, The Future Is Faster Than You Think provides a prescient look at our impending future.
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| Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'NeilWhat it's about: Big Data's capacity for reinforcing and exacerbating existing social inequalities, due to its scale and lack of transparency.
About the author: Mathematician Cathy O'Neil was a professor and a Wall Street quantitative analyst before becoming a blogger and activist.
You might also like: Shoshana Zuboff's The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Virginia Eubanks' Automating Inequality, or John Cheney-Lippold's We Are Data. |
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| Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World by Bruce SchneierContains: everything you should know about data, metadata, and surveillance (both government and corporate).
About the author: Self-described "public-interest technologist" Bruce Schneier is the creator of the popular website Schneier on Security.
Did you know? In a 2012 study, researchers were able to use cell phone data to predict where individuals would be 24 hours later, within a radius of 20 meters. |
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| Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really... by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz; foreword by Steven PinkerThe big idea: "The everyday act of typing a word into a compact, rectangular white box leaves a small trace of truth that, when multiplied by millions, eventually reveals profound realities."
In other words: our online behavior, in aggregate, reveals things about us that we would never admit -- and may not even be aware of!
You might also like: Christian Rudder's Dataclysm, another eye-opening examination of what our data can teach us about ourselves. |
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Terms of service : social media and the price of constant connection
by Jacob Silverman
A brilliant young literary and cultural critic, turning his attention to social networking and its continued evolution, urges users to take back ownership of their digital lives from the Silicon Valley corporations who claim to know what's best for them.
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Iredell County Public Library 201 North Tradd Street Statesville, North Carolina 28677 704-878-3090www.iredell.lib.nc.us/ |
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