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Nature and Science June 2019
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Europe: A Natural History
by Tim Flannery
Welcome to: Europe, the tropical archipelago that formed 100 million years ago and, following floods, ice ages, and other events, transformed into the geographically and biologically diverse region we know today.
Look for: the "hell pigs" of the Oligocene period, the two-foot long proto-hedgehog Deinogalerix, and Europe's first hominids -- the human-Neanderthal hybrids that colonized the continent 38,000 years ago.
What's next? Confronting the existential threats of climate change, according to Australian author and paleontologist Tim Flannery.
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Genesis : the deep origin of societies
by Edward O Wilson
Forming a 21st-century statement on Darwinian evolution, one shorn of “religious and political dogma,” the author offers a bold work of scientific thought and synthesis.
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Humanimal: How Homo Sapiens Became Nature's Most Paradoxical Creature...
by Adam Rutherford
What it is: a thought-provoking look at human evolution that examines similarities and differences between humans and other species.
Reviewers say: "a refreshing and perspective-altering view of the complex history of life on Earth" (Publishers Weekly).
About the author: Geneticist and science journalist Adam Rutherford is the author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived.
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The Human Brain Book
by Rita Carter
A new edition of the award-winning illustrated guide uses the latest neuroscience research to explore the structure and functioning of the human brain as well as discussing brain-related diseases and disorders and how the brains of men and women differ.
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Borrowed time : the science of how and why we age
by Sue Armstrong
Discusses the scientific quest to understand how and why organisms age by describing astonishing experiments including transfusing blood between young and old rats and transplanting the first human head and interviewing key scientists in the field.
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When death becomes life : notes from a transplant surgeon
by Joshua D. Mezrich
A portrait of the extraordinary field of organ transplantation draws on a century of advancement to discuss its pioneers, science and ethical challenges as well as the ways that organ transplants have revolutionized medical care.
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| Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe by Steven StrogatzWhat it is: an applied mathematician's surprisingly accessible guide to calculus, which outlines its basic concepts while recounting its history.
Food for thought: "If anything deserves to be called the secret of the universe, calculus is it."
You might also like: Mathematician Amir Alexander's similarly engaging Infinitesimal, which also explores a world-changing concept. |
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Backyard guide to the night sky
by Andrew Fazekas
An extensively illustrated reference for beginner-level stargazing enthusiasts covers basic principles without using complicated scientific language, providing star charts and tables that list key facts in an easy-to-understand format
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Hacking Darwin : genetic engineering and the future of humanity
by Jamie Frederic Metzl
From leading geopolitical expert and technology futurist Jamie Metzl comes a groundbreaking exploration of the many ways genetic-engineering is shaking the core foundations of our lives ― sex, war, love, and death. At the dawn of the genetics revolution, our DNA is becoming as readable, writable, and hackable as our information technology. But as humanity starts retooling our own genetic code, the choices we make today will be the difference between realizing breathtaking advances in human well-being and descending into a dangerous and potentially deadly genetic arms race. Enter the laboratories where scientists are turning science fiction into reality. Look towards a future where our deepest beliefs, morals, religions, and politics are challenged like never before and the very essence of what it means to be human is at play. When we can engineer our future children, massively extend our lifespans, build life from scratch, and recreate the plant and animal world, should we?
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The last elephants
by Don Pinnock
Featuring more than 250 full-color photos by some of the world’s top wildlife photographers, this must-read for everyone concerned for the future of elephants pays tribute to one of Earth’s most captivating species and call for their preservation.
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| Down from the Mountain: The Life and Death of a Grizzly Bear by Bryce AndrewsWho is she? Millie, a 500-pound grizzly sow (and mother of two cubs) from Montana's Mission Valley.
What does she want? Corn! Montana's grizzly bear population is addicted to the crop, which lures them from their isolated habitats into more populous areas, resulting in conflicts with local farmers.
You might also like: Nate Blakeslee's American Wolf, which similarly explores tensions between humans and wildlife by recounting the life and death of a charismatic animal. |
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How technology works
by Inc. Dorling Kindersley
Offers a straightforward visual guide to technology, exploring how it is used in construction, transportation, communications, and medicine
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The pandemic century : one hundred years of panic, hysteria, and hubris
by Mark Honigsbaum
Chronicles the last century of scientific struggle against deadly contagious disease—from the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic to the recent SARS, Ebola and Zika epidemics—examining related epidemiological mysteries and the role of disease in exacerbating world conflicts. Illustrations.
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The End of the Beginning : Cancer, Immunity, and the Future of a Cure
by Michael S. Kinch
For the first time since a 5th century Greek physician gave the name “cancer” (karkinos, in Greek) to a deadly disease first described in Egyptian Papyri, the medical world is near a breakthrough that could allow even the most conservative doctors and pragmatic patients to use the other “c word” – cure – in the same sentence as cancer. A remarkable series of events has brought us to this point, thanks in large part to a new ability to more efficiently harness the extraordinary power of the human immune. The End of the Beginning is a remarkable history of cancer treatment and the evolution of our understanding of its dynamic interplay with the immune system. Through Michael Kinch’s personal experience as a cancer researcher at Washington University and the head of the oncology program at a leading biotechnology company, we witness the incredible accumulation of breakthrough science and its rapid translation into life-saving technologies that have begun to dramatically increase the quality and quantity of life for cancer patients. Expanding upon Kinch’s own remarkable projects to encompass the vaccines being deployed to eliminate cervical cancer, the development of cancer-specific “smart bombs” in the form of monoclonal antibodies, cellular therapies, and checkpoint inhibitors―The End of the Beginning reveals the incredible transformation of cancer treatment happening today. Kinch details the remarkable history of people, science, technology and disease and presents thrilling next-generation technologies that hold the promise to eliminate cancer for some, and perhaps ultimately, for all.
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National Geographic complete guide to pet health, behavior, and happiness : the veterinarian's approach to at-home animal care
by Gary Weitzman
Combining first aid, medical reference, and tips and tricks of the trade, here is your go-to-guide for at-home animal care, focusing on dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and more! Building on more than two decades of veterinary experience, Dr. Gary Weitzman covers topics including upset stomachs, house training, physical ailments and behavior tips. The president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society and former co-host of the weekly NPR show The Animal House, “Dr. Gary” brings a wealth of experience to essential veterinary questions, revealing basic first-aid techniques, when a trip to the vet is necessary, dietary recommendations, simple training techniques, necessary supplies, essential behavior cues, and much more.
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Our planet
by Keith Scholey
A companion guide to the Netflix series showcases the nature's beauty, the surprising lives of animals and the destruction that humans have wrought on wildlife and habitats with photos of the world's rarest animals and previously unseen parts of Earth.
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Falter : has the human game begun to play itself out?
by Bill McKibben
The prizewinning author of Eaarth shares cautionary insights into how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and robotics, are being developed through fervent ideologies that are threatening the diversity of human experience
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| Adventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour From the Cranium to the Calcaneum by Gavin FrancisWhat it is: a head-to-toe survey of the human body by a physician.
Want a taste? "I was nineteen years old when I first held a human brain. It was heavier than I had anticipated; grey, firm, and laboratory-cold."
For fans of: the blend of medical writing and memoir in Henry Marsh's Do No Harm; the philosophical tone of F. Gonzalez-Crussi's Notes of an Anatomist. |
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| Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah HarariThe big question: So now that we've mitigated the effects of famine, plague, and war, what's next for human beings?
About the author: Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari is the author of the bestselling Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.
Is it for you? Believers in the march of human progress should be aware that Home Deus forecasts several possible futures for our species, most of them downright dystopian. |
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| The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos by Leonard MlodinowWhat it is: a history of scientific discovery that makes a case for human curiosity about the universe as a defining attribute of our species.
Topics covered: the evolution of the human brain, a grand tour of the sciences (featuring greats minds from Aristotle to Heisenberg), and a brief introduction to quantum physics.
For fans of: the accessible presentation of science in Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. |
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| Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. SapolskyWhat it is: an interdisciplinary study of human behavior by neurobiologist and primatologist Robert Sapolsky.
What it does: Behave explores human behavior by taking a single (re)action and examining what's going on in the brain and body in the seconds, minutes, hours, days, and even years before it occurs.
Don't miss: the author's top ten strategies for reducing violence in our species. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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