Best of
Popular-Science
2020
Science Fictions: The Epidemic of Fraud, Bias, Negligence and Hype in Science
Stuart Ritchie - 2020
But what if science itself can’t be relied on?Medicine, education, psychology, health, parenting – wherever it really matters, we look to science for advice. Science Fictions reveals the disturbing flaws that undermine our understanding of all of these fields and more.While the scientific method will always be our best and only way of knowing about the world, in reality the current system of funding and publishing science not only fails to safeguard against scientists’ inescapable biases and foibles, it actively encourages them. From widely accepted theories about ‘priming’ and ‘growth mindset’ to claims about genetics, sleep, microbiotics, as well as a host of drugs, allergies and therapies, we can trace the effects of unreliable, overhyped and even fraudulent papers in austerity economics, the anti-vaccination movement and dozens of bestselling books – and occasionally count the cost in human lives.Stuart Ritchie was among the first people to help expose these problems. In this vital investigation, he gathers together the evidence of their full and shocking extent – and how a new reform movement within science is fighting back. Often witty yet deadly serious, Science Fictions is at the vanguard of the insurgency, proposing a host of remedies to save and protect this most valuable of human endeavours from itself.
The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values
Brian Christian - 2020
Today’s "machine-learning" systems, trained by data, are so effective that we’ve invited them to see and hear for us?and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. Recent years have seen an eruption of concern as the field of machine learning advances. When the systems we attempt to teach will not, in the end, do what we want or what we expect, ethical and potentially existential risks emerge. Researchers call this the alignment problem.Systems cull résumés until, years later, we discover that they have inherent gender biases. Algorithms decide bail and parole?and appear to assess Black and White defendants differently. We can no longer assume that our mortgage application, or even our medical tests, will be seen by human eyes. And as autonomous vehicles share our streets, we are increasingly putting our lives in their hands.The mathematical and computational models driving these changes range in complexity from something that can fit on a spreadsheet to a complex system that might credibly be called “artificial intelligence.” They are steadily replacing both human judgment and explicitly programmed software.In best-selling author Brian Christian’s riveting account, we meet the alignment problem’s “first-responders,” and learn their ambitious plan to solve it before our hands are completely off the wheel. In a masterful blend of history and on-the ground reporting, Christian traces the explosive growth in the field of machine learning and surveys its current, sprawling frontier. Readers encounter a discipline finding its legs amid exhilarating and sometimes terrifying progress. Whether they—and we—succeed or fail in solving the alignment problem will be a defining human story.The Alignment Problem offers an unflinching reckoning with humanity’s biases and blind spots, our own unstated assumptions and often contradictory goals. A dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, it takes a hard look not only at our technology but at our culture—and finds a story by turns harrowing and hopeful.
Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain
David Eagleman - 2020
And there is no more accomplished and accessible guide than renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman to help us understand the nature and changing texture of that fabric. With his hallmark clarity and enthusiasm he reveals the myriad ways that the brain absorbs experience: developing, redeploying, organizing, and arranging the data it receives from the body's own absorption of external stimuli, which enables us to gain the skills, the facilities, and the practices that make us who we are. Eagleman covers decades of the most important research into the functioning of the brain and presents new discoveries from his own research as well: about the nature of synesthesia, about dreaming, and about wearable devices that are revolutionizing how we think about the five human senses. Finally, Livewired is as deeply informative as it is accessible and brilliantly engaging.
The World According to Physics
Jim Al-Khalili - 2020
Using wonderful examples and thought-provoking analogies, Al-Khalili illuminates the physics of the extreme cosmic and quantum scales, the speculative frontiers of the field, and the physics that underpins our everyday experiences and technologies, bringing the reader up to speed with the biggest ideas in physics in just a few sittings. Physics is revealed as an intrepid human quest for ever more foundational principles that accurately explain the natural world we see around us, an undertaking guided by core values such as honesty and doubt. The knowledge discovered by physics both empowers and humbles us, and still, physics continues to delve valiantly into the unknown.Making even the most enigmatic scientific ideas accessible and captivating, this deeply insightful book illuminates why physics matters to everyone and calls one and all to share in the profound adventure of seeking truth in the world around us.
Zodiac Explained: Understanding the Innate Motives Behind Our Actions
Alb Imeri - 2020
Everyone has a motive behind their actions and by the end of this book you will see past their actions and truly understand what each sign’s motive is. You will get a better sense of which types of people you are more compatible with, furthermore you’ll have an insight into how to approach people based on their personality. You will realize where your strengths and weaknesses lie, why you feel a certain way and what are your biggest flaws.
The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience
Matthew Cobb - 2020
Yet, despite the astonishing discoveries of science, we still have only the vaguest idea of how the brain works. In The Idea of the Brain, scientist and historian Matthew Cobb traces how our conception of the brain has evolved over the centuries. Although it might seem to be a story of ever-increasing knowledge of biology, Cobb shows how our ideas about the brain have been shaped by each era's most significant technologies. Today we might think the brain is like a supercomputer. In the past, it has been compared to a telegraph, a telephone exchange, or some kind of hydraulic system. What will we think the brain is like tomorrow, when new technology arises? The result is an essential read for anyone interested in the complex processes that drive science and the forces that have shaped our marvelous brains.
This Book Could Save Your Life: The Science of Living Longer Better
Graham Lawton - 2020
Full of the latest research and ground-breaking evidence, packed with useful advice, this book really could save your life.
The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ
Monty Lyman - 2020
We see it, touch it, and live in it every day. It is a habitat for a mesmerizingly complex world of micro-organisms and physical functions that are vital to our health and our survival. It is also a waste removal plant, a warning system for underlying disease and a dynamic immune barrier to infection. One of the first things people see about us, skin is crucial to our sense of identity, providing us with social significance and psychological meaning. And yet our skin and the fascinating way it functions is largely unknown to us. In prose as lucid as his research underlying it is rigorous, blending in memorable stories from the past and from his own medical experience, Monty Lyman has written a revelatory book exploring our outer surface that will surprise and enlighten in equal measure. Through the lenses of science, sociology, and history--on topics as diverse as the mechanics and magic of touch (how much goes on in the simple act of taking keys out of a pocket and unlocking a door is astounding), the close connection between the skin and the gut, what happens instantly when one gets a paper cut, and how a midnight snack can lead to sunburn--Lyman leads us on a journey across our most underrated and unexplored organ and reveals how our skin is far stranger, more wondrous, and more complex than we have ever imagined.
Funny You Should Ask . . .: Your Questions Answered by the QI Elves
John Lloyd - 2020
Generously sprinkled with extra facts and questions from the Elves, Funny You Should Ask . . . is essential reading for the incurably curious.
Malignant: How Bad Policy and Bad Evidence Harm People with Cancer
Vinayak K. Prasad - 2020
Some of these drugs are truly transformative, offering major improvements in how long patients live or how they feel--but what is often missing from the popular narrative is that, far too often, these new drugs have marginal or minimal benefits. Some are even harmful. In Malignant, hematologist-oncologist Dr. Vinayak K. Prasad writes about the many sobering examples of how patients are too often failed by cancer policy and by how oncology is practiced. Throughout this work, Prasad illuminates deceptive practices which- promote novel cancer therapies long before credible data are available to support such treatment; and- exaggerate the potential benefits of new therapies, many of which cost thousands and in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars.Prasad then critiques the financial conflicts of interest that pervade the oncology field, the pharmaceutical industry, and the US Food and Drug administration.This is a book about how the actions of human beings--our policies, our standards of evidence, and our drug regulation--incentivize the pursuit of marginal or unproven therapies at lofty and unsustainable prices. Prasad takes us through how cancer trials are conducted, how drugs come to market, and how pricing decisions are made, asking how we can ensure that more cancer drugs deliver both greater benefit and a lower price. Ultimately, Prasad says,- more cancer clinical trials should measure outcomes that actually matter to people with cancer;- patients on those trials should look more like actual global citizens;- we need drug regulators to raise, not perpetually lower, the bar for approval; and- we need unbiased patient advocates and experts.This well-written, opinionated, and engaging book explains what we can do differently to make serious and sustained progress against cancer--and how we can avoid repeating the policy and practice mistakes of the past.
What Is Life?: Five Great Ideas in Biology
Paul Nurse - 2020
In What Is Life?, he takes up the challenge of describing what it means to be alive in a way that every reader can understand.It is a shared journey of discovery; step-by-step Nurse illuminates five great ideas that underpin biology—the Cell, the Gene, Evolution by Natural Selection, Life as Chemistry, and Life as Information. He introduces the scientists who made the most important advances, and, using his personal experiences in and out of the lab, he shares with us the challenges, the lucky breaks, and the thrilling eureka moments of discovery.Nurse writes with delight at life’s richness and with a sense of the urgent role of biology in our time. To survive the challenges that face us all today—climate change, pandemic, loss of biodiversity and food security—it is vital that we all understand what life is.
The Carbon Club
Marian Wilkinson - 2020
It's the story of how a loose confederation of influential climate-science sceptics, politicians and business leaders sought to control Australia's response to the climate crisis. They shared a fear that dealing with climate change would undermine the nation's wealth, jobs and competitive advantage - and the power of the carbon club. Central to their strategy was an international campaign to undermine climate science and the urgency of the climate crisis. The more the climate science was questioned, the more politicians lost the imperative to act. The sustained success of the carbon club over two decades explains why Australian governments failed to deal with the challenge of climate change. But at what cost to us and the next generation?One of Australia's most respected investigative journalists, Marian Wilkinson has tracked the rise and rise of Australia's carbon club in brilliant detail, with extraordinary access to key players on all sides. The result is a book that is both essential and disturbing reading.
Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency
Mark Lynas - 2020
It really is our final warning.
Mark Lynas delivers a vital account of the future of our earth, and our civilisation, if current rates of global warming persist. And it’s only looking worse.We are living in a climate emergency. But how much worse could it get? Will civilisation collapse? Are we already past the point of no return? What kind of future can our children expect? Rigorously cataloguing the very latest climate science, Mark Lynas explores the course we have set for Earth over the next century and beyond. Degree by terrifying degree, he charts the likely consequences of global heating and the ensuing climate catastrophe. At one degree – the world we are already living in – vast wildfires scorch California and Australia, while monster hurricanes devastate coastal cities. At two degrees the Arctic ice cap melts away, and coral reefs disappear from the tropics. At three, the world begins to run out of food, threatening millions with starvation. At four, large areas of the globe are too hot for human habitation, erasing entire nations and turning billions into climate refugees. At five, the planet is warmer than for 55 million years, while at six degrees a mass extinction of unparalleled proportions sweeps the planet, even raising the threat of the end of all life on Earth. These escalating consequences can still be avoided, but time is running out. We must largely stop burning fossil fuels within a decade if we are to save the coral reefs and the Arctic. If we fail, then we risk crossing tipping points that could push global climate chaos out of humanity’s control. This book must not be ignored. It really is our final warning.
Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare
Niran Al-Agba - 2020
As corporations seek to save money and government agencies aim to increase constituent access, minimum qualifications for the guardians of our nation’s healthcare continue to decline—with deadly consequences. This is a story that has not yet been told, and one that has dangerous repercussions for all Americans.
The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival
Steven Rinella - 2020
Spoon-Fed: Why Almost Everything We’ve Been Told About Food is Wrong
Tim Spector - 2020
Is salt really bad for you? Is fish good for you? What about coffee, red meat, or saturated fats? Can pregnant women rely on their doctor’s advice about what to eat? Does gluten-free food carry any health benefits at all? Do doctors know anything about nutrition?In twenty short, myth-busting chapters, Tim Spector reveals why almost everything we’ve been told about food is wrong. He reveals the scandalous lack of good scientific evidence for many medical and government food recommendations, and how the food industry holds sway over these policies. These are urgent issues that matter not just for our health as individuals but for the future of the planet.Spoon-Fed forces us to question every diet plan, government recommendation, miracle cure or food label we encounter, and encourages us to rethink our whole relationship with food.
First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time
Emma Chapman - 2020
There's a lot for astronomers to be smug about. But when it comes to understanding how the Universe began and grew up we are literally in the dark ages. In effect, we are missing the first one billion years from the timeline of the Universe.This brief but far-reaching period in the Universe's history, known to astrophysicists as the 'Epoch of Reionisation', represents the start of the cosmos as we experience it today. The time when the very first stars burst into life, when darkness gave way to light. After hundreds of millions of years of dark, uneventful expansion, one by the one these stars suddenly came into being. This was the point at which the chaos of the Big Bang first began to yield to the order of galaxies, black holes and stars, kick-starting the pathway to planets, to comets, to moons, and to life itself.Incorporating the very latest research into this branch of astrophysics, this book sheds light on this time of darkness, telling the story of these first stars, hundreds of times the size of the Sun and a million times brighter, lonely giants that lived fast and died young in powerful explosions that seeded the Universe with the heavy elements that we are made of. Emma Chapman tells us how these stars formed, why they were so unusual, and what they can teach us about the Universe today. She also offers a first-hand look at the immense telescopes about to come on line to peer into the past, searching for the echoes and footprints of these stars, to take this period in the Universe's history from the realm of theoretical physics towards the wonder of observational astronomy.
Anatomica: The Exquisite and Unsettling Art of Human Anatomy
Joanna Ebenstein - 2020
This fascination left in its wake a rich body of artworks that demonstrate not only the facts of the human body, but also the ways in which our ideas about the body and its proper representation have changed over time. At times both beautiful and repulsive, illustrated anatomy continues to hold our interest today, and is frequently referenced in popular culture. Anatomica brings together some of the most striking, fascinating and bizarre artworks from the 16th through to the 20th century, exploring human anatomy in one beautiful volume.
When Blood Breaks Down: Life Lessons from Leukemia
Mikkael A. Sekeres - 2020
Your brain can't function. You are asked to make decisions about treatment almost immediately, when you are not in your right mind. And yet you pull yourself together and start asking questions. Beside you is your doctor, whose job it is to solve the awful puzzle of bone marrow gone wrong. The two of you are in it together. In When Blood Breaks Down, Mikkael Sekeres, a leading cancer specialist, takes readers on the journey that patient and doctor travel together.Sekeres, who writes regularly for the Well section of the New York Times, tells the compelling stories of three people who receive diagnoses of adult leukemia within hours of each other: Joan, a 48-year-old surgical nurse, a caregiver who becomes a patient; David, a 68-year-old former factory worker who bows to his family's wishes and pursues the most aggressive treatment; and Sarah, a 36-year-old pregnant woman who must decide whether to undergo chemotherapy and put her fetus at risk. We join the intimacy of the conversations Sekeres has with his patients, and watch as he teaches trainees. Along the way, Sekeres also explores leukemia in its different forms and the development of drugs to treat it--describing, among many other fascinating details, the invention of the bone marrow transplant (first performed experimentally on beagles) and a treatment that targets the genetics of leukemia.The lessons to be learned from leukemia, Sekeres shows, are not merely medical; they teach us about courage and grace and defying the odds.
What's the Point of Math?
Ben Ffrancon Davies - 2020
An educational book that will give you surprising answers to everyday math challenges. This book unpacks how math is an essential part of our everyday life in ways that you never thought of. Full of crazy facts, magic tricks, and mathematical brainteasers and beautiful illustrations show you that math is interesting, fun, and not intimidating at all!Ever wondered where math originated from? This fantastic educational book unpacks all the curious questions that your child has about math including intriguing historical stories that explore the often-surprising origins of math that we use in our daily lives.Learn about how the formation of number sequences began, to the origins of trigonometry, and find out how to become a trillionaire! Math in our daily lives is used in many things that might not even seem that obvious.Math Controls Just About EverythingInspire your children with numbers and help bring mathematical explanations to life with this engaging educational book. Expand their knowledge in the complexity of understanding math by using simple illustrative examples.To make these topics more exciting and impactful, the book is full of great puzzles, awesome games, and interesting facts that will break barriers in their understanding. "Try it out" examples give mathematical explanations that are simple and easy to grasp.What's The Point Of Math? will not only change your child's perception of numbers but give them the skills and understanding to apply the principles in their everyday life!This educational book explains the point of:- Numbers and counting - Shapes and measuring- Patterns and sequences- Probability and logic- Data and statistics
The Road to Conscious Machines: The Story of AI
Michael Wooldridge - 2020
While this remains a remote possibility, rapid progress on AI in this century is already profoundly changing our world. Yet the public debate and media hype is still largely centred on unlikely prospects from sentient machines to dystopian robot takeovers.In this lively and clear-headed guide, Michael Wooldridge brings a healthy injection of humility to an overhyped field and changes the prevailing narrative on AI, revealing how these anxieties distract us from the more immediate risks that this transformative technology poses - from algorithmic bias to fake news. He also shows us how they overlook the true life-changing potential of the field he loves.The Road to Conscious Machines gives us the real story of AI, through all its booms and many busts, elucidating the discoveries of its greatest pioneers from Alan Turing to Demis Hassabis, and showing us what today's AI researchers actually think and do. As this deft and detailed survey reveals, AI appeals to fundamental questions about what it means to be human; so too do the failures and limitations of its past.
Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery
Roger Kneebone - 2020
. . this is a rich exploration of lifelong learning' GuardianWhat could a lacemaker have in common with vascular surgeons? A Savile Row tailor with molecular scientists? A fighter pilot with jazz musicians? At first glance, very little. But Roger Kneebone is the expert on experts, having spent a lifetime finding the connections.In Expert, he combines his own experiences as a doctor with insights from extraordinary people and cutting-edge research to map out the path we're all following - from 'doing time' as an Apprentice, to developing your 'voice' and taking on responsibility as a Journeyman, to finally becoming a Master and passing on your skills. As Kneebone shows, although each outcome is different, the journey is always the same. Whether you're developing a new career, studying a language, learning a musical instrument or simply becoming the person you want to be, this ground-breaking book reveals the path to mastery.
Soviet Space Graphics: Cosmic Visions from the USSR
Detlef Mertins - 2020
Created against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, the extraordinary images featured, taken from the period's hugely successful popular-science magazines, were a vital tool for the promotion of state ideology. Presenting more than 250 illustrations - depicting daring discoveries, scientific innovations, futuristic visions, and extraterrestrial encounters - Soviet Space Graphics unlocks the door to the creative inner workings of the USSR.
What’s Wrong with Economics? A Primer for the Perplexed
Robert Skidelsky - 2020
Noted economic thinker Robert Skidelsky explains the circumstances that have brought about this constriction and proposes an approach to economics which includes philosophy, history, sociology, and politics. Skidelsky’s clearly written and compelling critique takes aim at the way that economics is taught in today’s universities, where a focus on modelling leaves students ill-equipped to grapple with what is important and true about human life. He argues for a return to the ideal set out by John Maynard Keynes that the economist must be a “mathematician, historian, statesman, [and] philosopher” in equal measure.
Immunity: The Science of Staying Well—The Definitive Guide to Caring for Your Immune System
Jenna Macciochi - 2020
There’s a lot you can do to strengthen this first line of defense against all kinds of threats, from COVID-19 to cancer. Immunologist Dr. Jenna Macciochi gives us a crash course on how the immune system actually works—and how to keep yours in shape—with authoritative guidance on the best foods to eat to strengthen your immune system, the importance of movement, and how often to exercise, the essential link between immunity and sleep, and its surprising connection to your mental health.
Solved!: How Other Countries Have Cracked the World's Biggest Problems and We Can Too
Andrew Wear - 2020
Denmark will reach 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. Iceland has topped gender equality rankings for a decade and counting. Singaporean students beat almost all others in maths and reading. South Koreans will soon live longer than anyone else on Earth. The US city of Boston, global epicentre of biotech, has the most innovative square mile on the planet.How have these places and more achieved such remarkable success? Policy adviser Andrew Wear examines what has worked around the world and how we can apply the lessons at home, introducing us to inspiring community leaders, renowned authorities and visionary policymakers transforming the globe. We don’t have to look far to tackle humanity’s most pressing concerns. Solved! is a much-needed dose of optimism in an atmosphere of doom and gloom, a toolkit for those seeking social change. Informative, accessible and revelatory, it shows the solutions exist – we just need to know where to find them.
The Little Book of Cosmology
Lyman Page - 2020
Written by one of the world's leading experimental cosmologists, this short but deeply insightful book describes what scientists are revealing through precise measurements of the faint thermal afterglow of the Big Bang--known as the cosmic microwave background, or CMB--and how their findings are transforming our view of the cosmos.Blending the latest findings in cosmology with essential concepts from physics, Lyman Page first helps readers to grasp the sheer enormity of the universe, explaining how to understand the history of its formation and evolution in space and time. Then he sheds light on how spatial variations in the CMB formed, how they reveal the age, size, and geometry of the universe, and how they offer a blueprint for the formation of cosmic structure.Not only does Page explain current observations and measurements, he describes how they can be woven together into a unified picture to form the Standard Model of Cosmology. Yet much remains unknown, and this incisive book also describes the search for ever deeper knowledge at the field's frontiers--from quests to understand the nature of neutrinos and dark energy to investigations into the physics of the very early universe.
Hubble Legacy: 30 Years of Discoveries and Images
Jim Bell - 2020
Looking deep into space, by definition, means looking back in time—and the Hubble Space Telescope can look very far back, including at stars, nebulae, and galaxies that are millions, even billions, of years old. If there is a single legacy of Hubble as it turns 30 years old and nears the end of its useful life, it is this: It has done more to chronicle the origin and evolution of the known universe than any other instrument ever created. Hubble has also captured an astounding collection of ultraviolet images that include geysers of solar light, Mars’ famous dust storms, exploding stars, solar flares, globular clusters, and actual galaxies colliding. As for scientific milestones, Hubble has helped us learn that the universe is 13.8 billion years old, that just about every large galaxy features a black hole at its center, and that it's possible to create 3-D maps of dark matter. Hubble Legacy will not only feature the most stunning imagery captured by the telescope, but also explain how Hubble has advanced our understanding of the universe and our very creation.
Transcendence: How Humans Evolved through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time
Gaia Vince - 2020
In Transcendence, Gaia Vince argues instead that modern humans are the product of a nuanced coevolution of our genes, environment, and culture that goes back into deep time. She explains how, through four key elements – fire, language, beauty, and time – our species diverged from the evolutionary path of all other animals, unleashing a compounding process that launched us into the Space Age and beyond. Provocative and poetic, Transcendence shows how a primate took dominion over nature and turned itself into something marvellous.
Animal Societies: How Co-Operation Conquered the Natural World
Ashley Ward - 2020
Though the scale of this connectivity is new, the instinctive desire to gather with our own kind has ancient roots. We can see the origins of our own societies in the social behaviour of the animals that share the planet with us. What's more, human characteristics such as altruism, empathy, leadership and language can also be witnessed among animal groups. Join Biologist Ashley Ward as he takes listeners into the intimate worlds of social animals. Journeying from Aysgarth Falls to the Great Barrier Reef, it becomes clear that animals are not so far removed from us as we might imagine. In a time where humans are struggling to navigate cityscapes, isolation and a loneliness epidemic, Ward shows us that studying the social behaviour of animals offers insights valuable in their own right as well as a window into the evolutionary basis of our own species.
Nature All Around: Plants
Pamela Hickman - 2020
From crowded cities to open prairies, deserts to wetlands, plants grow everywhere! This comprehensive introduction will open children's eyes to the plants that surround them every day and how important they are to life on our planet. It covers the basics of plants, such as their parts, life cycles and growing zones. Then it takes readers on a season-by-season tour of what a plant-watcher can expect to discover throughout the year. There are sections on strange plants and those that are endangered, and how readers can help. And for hands-on experience, there's an interactive Q&A for learning how to identify plants, and an activity for growing your own plants. With the perfect balance of child-friendly facts and colorful illustrations, this book encourages children to actively engage with the natural world. Bestselling and award-winning author Pamela Hickman covers all the essential science about plants --- including photosynthesis and pollination --- in clear and easy-to-digest text. And Carolyn Gavin's colorful illustrations bring it all to life, with accurate and inviting representations of the information. This book has strong curriculum applications for life science and earth science lessons in grades two through five, particularly for the characteristics of living things. Rounding out its usefulness are a full-spread growing zone map, an index and a glossary.
Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air: Change Your Diet: The Easiest Way to Help Save the Planet
S.L. Bridle - 2020
This accessible description of how food and climate change are connected, inspired by the author's former mentor David Mackay (Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air), steers clear of emotive words to focus on facts. (The e-book version is free, thanks to funding from the University of Manchester.) From breakfast to lunch, snacks to supper, Professor Bridle outlines the climate impact of the food we eat, how food production contributes to climate change and how climate change impacts food production.
The Last Giants: The Rise and Fall of the African Elephant
Levison Wood - 2020
Fifty years ago, Africa was home to just over 1.3 million elephants, but by 1990 the number had halved. Meanwhile in the span of a lifetime, the human population has more than doubled.In Levison Wood's The Last Giants, he explores the rapid decline of one of the world's favourite animals. Filled with stories from his own time spent travelling with elephants in Africa, the book is a passionate wake-up call for this endangered species we take for granted. The Last Giants was written to inspire us all to act - to learn more and help save the species from permanent extinction.
Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Elements
Lisa Congdon - 2020
• Great for science lovers and Lisa Congdon fans alike• Resonates year-round as a go-to gift for birthdays and holidays for the science-loving kid• Perfect for children ages 10 and up• Equal parts educational and entertaining, this makes a great pick for parents and grandparents, as well as librarians, science teachers, and STEM educators.• Add it to the shelf with books like The Elements Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Periodic Table by DK, The Periodic Table by Sean Callery and Miranda Smith, and Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray.
How Science Shapes Science Fiction
Charles L. Adler - 2020
In the 24 lectures of How Science Shapes Science Fiction, Professor Charles L. Adler of St. Mary’s College of Maryland looks at dozens of books, movies, and television shows to unearth the science behind the fiction. From the physics of space flight and the ecology of exoplanets to the creation of alien languages and the paradoxes of time travel, you will uncover the ways real-world science is applied by writers and filmmakers—and consider what they might alter or leave out for the sake of a good plot.
The Hedgehog Book
Hugh Warwick - 2020
Through informative chapters ranging from the physiological and environmental to the inclusion of the hedgehog in myth, legend, art and literature, The Hedgehog Book is an ideal guide to its subject for all nature lovers, beautifully illustrated throughout with new photography and artwork.Chapters include: Physiology, Environment, Myth and Legend, Art and Literature
The Firestick Phenomenon: The Evolution of Television in 2020 & All-In-One Guide to Free Video Streaming
A.C. Hamilton - 2020
I've added the latest and best new apps that allow free video streaming, as well as an alternative method to install apps to the newest Fire TV devices since the Amazon OS now requires users to allow each individual app to install apps from unknown sources.This Book Is For Everyone Who Watches TV!This book will change the way you watch TV and how much money you spend on subscription fees. The average consumer in the USA spends well over $100 for their monthly cable and Internet service (in many instances exceeding $200), and that's not including additional fees for subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video.The way consumers watch television has changed significantly over the past few decades, and it will benefit you to educate yourself on what those changes mean and what the best available options are in 2020 and beyond. Did you know that DVD and Blu-ray production will soon be at an end, and that streaming will be the primary means of accessing television content? In The Firestick Phenomenon, you’ll learn the best tips and tricks to using the Amazon Fire TV, brought directly to you from an experienced user and enthusiast. A.C. Hamilton has helped over 10,000 people learn about and use these awesome devices to their full potential.Cancel Your Monthly Subscriptions!By purchasing this Kindle book for a fraction of the cost of one month of a standard Netflix subscription, you will gain access to apps that allow you to stream practically everything you could possibly want to watch, without limitations! This means you can start watching virtually any movie or TV show within the hour it takes to read this book! Think of the savings of subscribing only to an Internet service compared to bundling a cable package and adding streaming services—how much money would this save you each month?This Comprehensive Guide Will Show You:
How to set up your Firestick for an optimized experience.
How to quickly and easily install third-party apps that allow you to watch virtually all television media for free.
How to stay legal, protect your privacy, and make sure your usage is anonymous.
How to resolve buffering issues to ensure you have a clean, enjoyable viewing experience.
You will learn about the best free streaming apps in the world, and experienced users will get a crash course that will save them valuable time and make the process of finding, installing, and using apps much easier. This guide is filled with photos and screenshots to help users apply these steps in a simple manner, ensuring people from all walks of life will have no difficulty taking advantage of this technology and information!Why Using Other Streaming Devices Doesn't Make SenseYou will learn about the differences between the available streaming devices and why choosing the Amazon Fire TV or Android streaming devices like the Nvidia Shield are the best choice. The others simply don't add up.By the Time You Finish Reading This BookBy the end of the hour it takes you to read this book, you will be able to install and use applications that allow you to watch virtually any TV show, movie, and anything else in between, for free! You will learn how to prevent and resolve buffering issues, stay anonymous and legal, how to install and navigate the apps, and how to stay updated on new app releases!
Twenty Worlds: The Extraordinary Story of Planets Around Other Stars
Niall Deacon - 2020
In this book astronomer Niall Deacon journeys to twenty of these globes: from giant, blisteringly hot planets orbiting close to their parent stars to planets that float through the cold wilderness of space alone, and from dead stars shredding asteroids to worlds made of diamond and even planets that may be similar to the Earth. Deacon also takes in the latest exoplanet discoveries, and explains how astronomers have come to learn so much about these strange and distant worlds.Twenty Worlds tells a sweeping story, of real planets around other stars, and appeals to the wide audience for popular science and astronomy.
Borrowing Life: How Scientists, Surgeons, and a War Hero Made the First Successful Organ Transplant a Reality
Shelley Mickle - 2020
Drawing on the lives of these members of the Greatest Generation, Borrowing Life creates a compelling narrative that begins in wartime and tracks decades of the ups and downs, personal and professional, of these inspiring men and their achievements, which continue to benefit humankind in so many ways.
Mapping Humanity: How Modern Genetics Is Changing Criminal Justice, Personalized Medicine, and Our Identities
Joshua Z. Rappoport - 2020
Not long ago, the first human genome was sequenced at a cost of nearly $3 billion; now, this same test can be done for about $1,000. This new accessibility of genome sequence information creates huge potential for advances in how we understand and treat disease, among other things. It also raises significant concerns regarding ethics and personal privacy.In Mapping Humanity: How Modern Genetics Is Changing Criminal Justice, Personalized Medicine, and Our Identities, cellular biology expert Joshua Z. Rappoport provides a detailed look at how the explosion in genetic information as a result of cutting-edge technologies is changing our lives and our world.Inside, discover:An in-depth look at how your personal genome creates the unique individual that you are How doctors are using DNA sequencing to identify the underlying genetic causes of disease Why the field of gene therapy offers amazing potential for medical breakthroughs--and why it's taking so long The fantastic potential--and troubling concerns--surrounding genome editing The real impact--and validity--of popular personal genetic testing products, such as 23andMe Details of how molecular biology and DNA are changing the criminal justice system Facts you should know about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Throughout, in compelling, accessible prose, Rappoport explores the societal, ethical, and economic impacts of this new era. Offering a framework for balancing the potential risks and benefits of genetic information technologies and genetic engineering, Mapping Humanity is an indispensable guide to navigating the possibilities and perils of our gene-centric future.
Dead Epidemiologists: On the Origins of COVID-19
Rob Wallace - 2020
It shouldn’t have. Since this century’s turn, epidemiologists have warned of new infectious diseases. Indeed, H1N1, H7N9, SARS, MERS, Ebola Makona, Zika, and a variety of lesser viruses have emerged almost annually. But what of the epidemiologists themselves? Some bravely descended into the caves where bat species hosted coronaviruses, including the strains that evolved into the COVID-19 virus. Yet, despite their own warnings, many of the researchers appear unable to understand the true nature of the disease—as if they are dead to what they’ve seen.Dead Epidemiologists is an eclectic collection of commentaries, articles, and interviews revealing the hidden-in-plain-sight truth behind the pandemic: Global capital drove the deforestation and development that exposed us to new pathogens. Rob Wallace and his colleagues—ecologists, geographers, activists, and, yes, epidemiologists—unpack the material and conceptual origins of COVID-19. From deepest Yunnan to the boardrooms of New York City, this book offers a compelling diagnosis of the roots of COVID-19, and a stark prognosis of what—without further intervention—may come.
The Future of Brain Repair: A Realist's Guide to Stem Cell Therapy
Jack Price - 2020
Stem cells have the potential to generate new cells of different types, and have been shown to do so in certain cases. Could stem cell transplants repair the damaged brain? In this book, neurobiologist Jack Price assesses the potential of stem cell therapies to treat such brain disorders as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injuries.Certainly brain disorders are in need of effective treatments. These disorders don't just kill, they disable, and conventional drug therapies have not had much success in treating them. Price explains that repairing the human brain is difficult, largely because of its structural, functional, and developmental complexity. He examines the self-repairing capacity of blood and gut cells--and the lack of such capacity in the brain; describes the limitations of early brain stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative disorders; and discusses current clinical trials that may lead to the first licensed stem cell therapies for stroke, Parkinson's and macular degeneration. And he describes the real promise of pluripotential stem cells, which can make all the cell types that constitute the body.New technologies, Price reports, challenge the very notion of cell transplantation, instead seeking to convince the brain itself to manufacture the new cells it needs. Could this be the true future of brain repair?
Brian Cox 3 Books Collection Set (The Planets, Human Universe & Forces of Nature)
Brian Cox - 2020