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Nature and Science February 2018
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The Cat in the Box : A History of Science in 100 Experiments
by Mary Gribbin
"This book distills the history of science into 100 epic experiments that have fueled our understanding of Earth and the Universe beyond. Everything in the scientific world view is based on experiment, including observations of phenomena predicted by theories and hypotheses, such as the bending of light as it goes past the Sun. As the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman said, “If it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong.” From the discovery of microscopic worlds and gravitational waves, to the weighing the Earth, to making electricity, this stunning book by renowned science writers John and Mary Gribbin tells the enlightening, fascinating, and somewhat oddball story of scientific innovation."
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Heavens on earth : the scientific search for the afterlife, immortality, and utopia
by Michael Shermer
In his most ambitious work yet, Shermer sets out to discover what drives humans' belief in life after death, focusing on recent scientific attempts to achieve immortality by radical life extentionists, extropians, transhumanists, cryonicists, and mind-uploaders, along with utopians who have attempted to create heaven on earth. For millennia, religions have concocted numerous manifestations of heaven and the afterlife, the place where souls go after the death of the physical body. Religious leaders have toiled to make sense of this place that a surprising 74% of Americans believe exists, but from which no one has ever returned to report what it is really like. Heavens on Earth concludes with an uplifting paean to purpose and progress and what we can do in the here-and-now, whether or not there is a hereafter"
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Hubble's Universe : Greatest Discoveries and Latest Images
by Terence Dickinson
The first edition of Hubble's Universe displayed 300 pages of high-resolution celestial portraits selected by bestselling astronomy writer Terence Dickinson from the initial 22 years of the Hubble Space Telescope's exploration of distant galaxies. With the telescope now at the apex of its imaging capabilities, this second edition adds another chapter with more than 36 completely new images, including the first publication of a four-page fold-out of the Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest spiral galaxy to Earth, revealing more than one million individual stars. Thanks to Dickinson's expertise with Hubble's history and discoveries and his access to top Hubble scientists for insight and accuracy, the text includes facts and tidbits not found in any other book. Combined with 330 brilliant images, the clear, succinct and illuminating narrative brings to life the fascinating forces at work in the universe.
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The Telescope in the Ice: Inventing a New Astronomy at the South Pole
by Mark Bowen
What it is: A physicist's book-length tour of the South Pole's IceCube Observatory, which contains a telescope that searches not for stars but for high-energy neutrinos -- sub-atomic particles that originate in places like supernovae and black holes.
Try this next: Interested in cutting-edge astronomy? You might like Govert Schilling's Ripples in Spacetime: Einstein, Gravitational Waves, and the Future of Astronomy.
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Vaccines : what everyone needs to know
by Kristen A. Feemster
"Immunization is regarded by many as one of the greatest advances in modern civilization. The widespread use of vaccines has led to increases in life expectancy, reductions in the occurrence of childhood diseases, and is generally credited with saving millions of lives annually. But since their discovery two centuries ago, vaccines have been dogged by pockets of persistent distrust among those who are skeptical of their science or who find compulsory immunization at odds with personal liberty. The rise of these voices in contemporary culture has contributed to trends of vaccine delay and vaccine hesitancy in some communities -- a chasm between the general population and the scientific establishment that has persisted and grown at times across the last several decades. Vaccines: What Everyone Needs to Know® offers a scientifically grounded overview of the science, manufacture, and culture of vaccines in the United States and internationally. Aiming to offer an unbiased resource on this hotly debated subject, it provides accessible, authoritative overviews of the following: · How vaccines work · The history of vaccines · Vaccine policy -- who writes it, and does it matter? · The contents and manufacture of vaccines · Vaccine injury · The alleged link between vaccines and autism · Vaccines and new outbreaks Written by a leading authority in both infectious disease and vaccine education, this book offers a clear-eyed resource for parents or anyone with an interest in the use, efficacy, and controversy surrounding vaccines. In a subject area defined by partisanship, it offers reliable resource for what everyone needs to know."
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Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone
by Juli Berwald
Even as acidification, pollution, and overfishing continue to take a heavy toll on the world's oceans, jellyfish appear to be thriving. But why? Fascinated by these mysterious creatures, science writer Juli Berwald investigates their unique biology as well as the crucial role they play in marine ecosystems. Whether interviewing scientists and fisherman or engaging in some hands-on research (for example, their culinary uses), Berwald reveals the hidden and little-studied world of jellyfish.
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In Pursuit of Memory : The Fight Against Alzheimer's
by Joseph Jebelli
In a very human history of Alzheimer’s disease that doubles as a scientific detective story, a neuroscientist takes readers on a journey around the world where we meet hero scientists who are working against the clock to find a cure.
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| Where the Wild Coffee Grows: The Untold Story of Coffee from the Cloud Forests of Ethiopia... by Jeff KoehlerWhat it's about: Having tackled tea in Darjeeling, science writer Jeff Koehler traces the origins of Arabica coffee from the Kafa region of Ethiopia to the large-scale farms of Latin America.
Why you should read it: Between the ravages of disease, deforestation, and climate change, coffee could one day disappear. If you can't imagine life without this magical elixir, pick up this book. |
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| Reading the Rocks: How Victorian Geologists Discovered the Secret of Life by Brenda MaddoxWhat it is: In brief but informative vignettes, biographer and science writer Brenda Maddox profiles the Victorian geologists who revolutionized our understanding of Earth's history and human evolution.
Contains: biographical portraits of notable figures such as Charles Lyell, Mary Anning, James Hutton, and Louis Agassiz, as well as historical context that puts their discoveries in perspective. |
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| The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi... by David N. SchwartzWhat it is: the first English-language biography of Italian-born physicist Enrico Fermi to be published in nearly 50 years.
Why you should read it: Despite impressive accomplishments in experimental and theoretical physics, Fermi hasn't received nearly as much attention as some of his Manhattan Project peers.
Reviewers say: In a starred review, Publishers Weekly praises this "scrupulously researched and lovingly crafted portrait" of a brilliant scientist. |
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Secrets of the Human Body
by Chris Van Tullekin
206 bones. Ten fingers. Two eyes. One heart. We may think we know the human body, but it turns to hold a lot of surprises. Published to coincide with a major new BBC series, this specially commissioned book combines cutting-edge science with cutting-edge technology to present the human body as we've never seen before. Pioneering specialist photography and digital effects allow readers to catch a tantalizing glimpse beneath our skin, leading to wondrous discovery of the secrets that make every ordinary human body ... extraordinary. What makes tears of joy different from tears of sadness? Why is a gut feeling so much smarter than you think? And why is 90 percent of you not even human? We may think we know the human body -- heart, lungs, brain and bones -- but it's time we think again. The human body is full of extraordinary mysteries that science is only just beginning to understand. This exciting book -- packed front to back with color photographs and illustrations, clear text, cut-away drawings, fascinating facts, stories of the latest and most exciting medical discoveries -- turns our knowledge of the human body on its head. It leads us through all of the revelations revealed by the latest technology and the stories of everyday miracles.
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The end of old age : living a longer, more purposeful life
by Marc E Agronin
As one of America’s leading geriatric psychiatrists, Dr. Marc Agronin sees both the sickest and the healthiest of seniors. He observes what works to make their lives better and more purposeful and what doesn’t. Many authors can talk about aging from their particular vantage points, but Dr. Agronin is on the front lines as he counsels and treats elderly individuals and their loved ones on a daily basis. The latest scientific research and Dr. Agronin’s first-hand experience are brilliantly distilled in The End of Old Age–a call to no longer see aging as an implacable enemy and to start seeing it as a developmental force for enhancing well-being, meaning, and longevity. Throughout The End of Old Age, the focus is squarely on “So what does this mean for me and my family?” In the final part of the book, Dr. Agronin provides simple but revealing charts that you can fill out to identify, develop, and optimize your unique age-given strengths. It’s nothing short of an action plan to help you age better by improving how you value the aging process, guide yourself through stress, and find ways to creatively address change for the best possible experience and outcome.
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Anesthesia : the gift of oblivion and the mystery of consciousness
by Kate Cole-Adams
The author examines what happens to the unconscious mind while under the effects of anesthesia, tracing her own experiences with surgery and the accounts of people who have reported waking mid-surgery, trauma, dreams, hallucinations and submerged memories while under anesthesia.
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Counting backwards : a doctor's notes on anesthesia
by Henry Jay Przybylo
An anesthesiologist with more than 30 years of experience explores the most common but most mysterious procedure in medicine, telling intimate stories that explore the nature of consciousness, the politics of pain relief and the wonder of modern medicine.
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The Horse : Its Nature, Revealed
by Emmanuelle Brengard
This gorgeous book presents the noble and powerful horse in spellbinding photographs, revealing text, and extended captions. Sabine Stuewer has been observing horses for years -- when they are alone and in groups. Her images are an indulgent visual treat, revealing the pure beauty of horses and their connection to their environment and their companions. Emmanuelle Brengard interprets the horses' behaviors -- one minute calmly grazing, in a frenzied gallop the next, grooming each other, nuzzling a foal, battling for a mate -- giving horse lovers a better understanding of the animal. Those who ride horses will tell you that they are complex animals possessing a wide range of behaviors. It can take years of watching and being with horses to truly understand them. The Horse brings a closer view to their world in a new way, one that is possible only with the authors' decades of experience observing, photographing and interacting with the charismatic horse. Equestrians, breeders, casual riders, artists and photographers, and all who love horses for their character and beauty will derive great pleasure from this book.
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| The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis by Thomas GoetzStarring: German physician Robert Koch, who isolated the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who applied his own medical training (and innate skepticism) to investigating the "cure" Koch subsequently claimed to have found.
For fans of: Medical histories with a dash of mystery, such as Steven Johnson's The Ghost Map, about a deadly cholera epidemic in Victorian London. |
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| This is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior... by Kathleen McAuliffeWhat it's about: Could microparasites influence our behavior? Science writer Kathleen McAuliffe seeks to discover whether we're in control of our bodies or just some protozoa's unwitting puppet.
Book Buzz: Expanding on the author's viral Atlantic article, "How Your Cat is Making You Crazy," this book offers intriguing ideas about the possible effects of microorganisms on human health.
Further reading: Rosemary Disdelle's Parasites: Tales of Humanity's Most Unwelcome Guests. |
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| The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health by David R. Montgomery and Anne BikléWhat it is: An engaging blend of science writing and memoir, written by a geologist and a biologist as they explore the roles played by complex microbial communities in everything from agriculture to human health.
Why you might like it: From vivid descriptions of the authors' quest to turn their barren Seattle backyard into a lush garden to reflections on Biklé's cancer diagnosis, The Hidden Half of Nature illuminates the intimate connections between humans and their environment. |
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| I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed YongIntroducing: the microbiome, a complex ecosystem of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microscopic organisms living in and on our bodies.
Why you should read it: Science writer Ed Yong's accessible field guide to microorganisms reveals that they're more than just germs to be wiped out -- they form communities that help our bodies function, making them a promising subject for medical research.
You might also like: Rob Dunn's The Wildlife of Our Bodies or Rodney Dietert's The Human Super-Organism. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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