Now in it's tenth edition, this text makes chemistry exciting to students by showing them why important concepts are relevant to their lives and future careers.

    Its predictions of the future have proved so accurate that humans accepted its recommendations as the best course of action--until a young engineer in Phoenix begins to travel without authorization, enter secret places, assume aliases, and display super-human feats of strength. Is it because he has fallen in love? Or has he instead fallen into an interplanetary plot?

    Generously sprinkled with extra facts and questions from the Elves, Funny You Should Ask . . . is essential reading for the incurably curious.

    Robots have descended on us from outer space, escaped from top-secret laboratories, and even traveled back in time to destroy us.Today, scientists are working hard to bring these artificial creations to life. In Japan, fuzzy little real robots are delivering much appreciated hug therapy to the elderly. Children are frolicking with smiling robot toys.It all seems so innocuous. And yet how could so many Hollywood scripts be wrong?So take no chances. Arm yourself with expert knowledge. For the sake of humanity, listen to serious advice from real robotics experts. How else will you survive the inevitable future in which robots rebel against their human masters?

    These transitions include the origin of life itself, the first eukaryotic cells, reproduction by sexual means, the appearance ofmulticellular plants and animals, the emergence of cooperation and of animal societies, and the unique language ability of humans. This ambitious book provides the first unified discussion of the full range of these transitions. The authors highlight the similarities between differenttransitions--between the union of replicating molecules to form chromosomes and of cells to form multicellular organisms, for example--and show how understanding one transition sheds light on others. They trace a common theme throughout the history of evolution: after a major transition someentities lose the ability to replicate independently, becoming able to reproduce only as part of a larger whole. The authors investigate this pattern and why selection between entities at a lower level does not disrupt selection at more complex levels. Their explanation encompasses a compellingtheory of the evolution of cooperation at all levels of complexity. Engagingly written and filled with numerous illustrations, this book can be read with enjoyment by anyone with an undergraduate training in biology. It is ideal for advanced discussion groups on evolution and includes accessiblediscussions of a wide range of topics, from molecular biology and linguistics to insect societies.

    But how has the earth itself determined our destiny? Our planet wobbles, driving changes in climate that forced the transition from nomadism to farming. Mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece. Atmospheric circulation patterns later on shaped the progression of global exploration, colonization, and trade. Even today, voting behavior in the south-east United States ultimately follows the underlying pattern of 75 million-year-old sediments from an ancient sea. Everywhere is the deep imprint of the planetary on the human.From the cultivation of the first crops to the founding of modern states, Origins reveals the breathtaking impact of the earth beneath our feet on the shape of our human civilizations.

    

    Let the finest science fiction writer of our time, co-author of the smash bestseller LUCIFER'S HAMMER, take you on a guided tour of the wonders of our age, and of ages to come. We live in an age of marvels. We could still go to space. We could still mine the asteroids. We could still take part in developing mankind’s vast future. Indeed, it is easier to do now than it would have been when I wrote these essays. We have computers and the Internet. There is free exchange of ideas throughout most of the world, and the information revolution relentlessly expands that area. We still face the threat of famine, but it is not as acute as it was in the times when these essays were written. Communications, transportation, electronics, rocket technology, it’s all better now. We can still go to the planets.Read about: The monstrous Black Hole that may be slowly devouring our galaxy; The Fact and Fancy of flying Saucers; How micro-cybernetic and bio-implants will one day give you a photographic memory and the calculating power of an Einstein; Turning venus into a second Earth--and the Asteroids into our own Back Yard; How Western Civilization can not only survive--but survive with style! All this and much much more. Every chapter is State of the Art, every idea A Step Farther Out.Contents: * Non-Fiction by Jerry Pournelle (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Preface: The Freedom of Choice (A Step Farther Out) (1979) • essay by Larry Niven * Foreword (A Step Farther Out) (1979) • essay by A. E. van Vogt * Introduction (A Step Farther Out) (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Commentary (A Step Farther Out: Part One: Survival with Style) [Commentary (A Step Farther Out) • 1] (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Survival with Style [A Step Farther Out] (1976) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Blueprint for Survival [A Step Farther Out] (1976) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * How long the Doomsday (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * That Buck Rogers Stuff [A Step Farther Out] • (1976) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Commentary (A Step Farther Out: Part Two: Stepping Farther Out) [Commentary (A Step Farther Out) • 2] (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Here Come the Brains [A Step Farther Out] (1974) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * The Big Rain [A Step Farther Out] (1975) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Flying Saucers (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Building the Mote in God's Eye [A Step Farther Out] (1976) • essay by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle * Commentary (A Step Farther Out: Part Three: A Step Farther In: Black Holes) [Commentary (A Step Farther Out) • 3] (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Gravity Waves, Black Holes, and Cosmic Censors (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Fuzzy Black Holes Have No Hair [A Step Farther Out] (1975) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Crashing Neutron Stars, Mini Black Holes, and Spacedrives (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * In the Beginning ... (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Afterword to Part III (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Commentary (A Step Farther Out: Part Four: Space Travel) [Commentary (A Step Farther Out) • 4] (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Halfway to Anywhere [A Step Farther Out] (1974) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Those Pesky Belters and Their Torchships [A Step Farther Out] (1974) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Ships for Manned Spaceflight [A Step Farther Out] (1974) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Life Among the Asteroids [A Step Farther Out] (1975) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * What's It Like Out There? (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Commentary (A Step Farther Out: Part Five: A Generation of Wonder) [Commentary (A Step Farther Out) • 5] (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * A Potpourri (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Highways to Space (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Come Fly with Me (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * The Tools of the Trade (And Other Scientific Matters) (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Commentary (A Step Farther Out: Part Six: The Energy Crisis) [Commentary (A Step Farther Out) • 6] (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Fusion Without Ex-Lax [A Step Farther Out] (1979) • essay by Jerry Pournelle (variant of Fusion Without Exlax 1976) * Can Trash Save Us? [A Step Farther Out] (1977) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * The Moral Equivalent of War [A Step Farther Out] (1978) • essay by Jerry Pournelle * Some Futures [A Step Farther Out] (1977) • essay by Jerry Pournelle .

    In this groundbreaking analysis, over thirty of the most popular treatments—acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology, chiropractic, and herbal medicines—are examined for their benefits and potential dangers. Questions answered include: What works and what doesn't? What are the secrets, and what are the lies? Who can you trust, and who is ripping you off? Can science decide what is best, or do the old wives' tales really tap into ancient, superior wisdom?In their scrutiny of alternative and complementary cures, authors Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst also strive to reassert the primacy of the scientific method as a means for determining public health practice and policy.

    She draws on conversations with hundreds of the world's top scientists and on her own work as a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the New York Times to create a thoroughly entertaining guide to scientific literacy. Angier's gifts are on full display in The Canon, an ebullient celebration of science that stands to become a classic. The Canon is vital reading for anyone who wants to understand the great issues of our time -- from stem cells and bird flu to evolution and global warming. And it's for every parent who has ever panicked when a child asked how the earth was formed or what electricity is. Angier's sparkling prose and memorable metaphors bring the science to life, reigniting our own childhood delight in discovering how the world works. "Of course you should know about science," writes Angier, "for the same reason Dr. Seuss counsels his readers to sing with a Ying or play Ring the Gack: These things are fun and fun is good." The Canon is a joyride through the major scientific disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy. Along the way, we learn what is actually happening when our ice cream melts or our coffee gets cold, what our liver cells do when we eat a caramel, why the horse is an example of evolution at work, and how we're all really made of stardust. It's Lewis Carroll meets Lewis Thomas -- a book that will enrapture, inspire, and enlighten.

    Survey of the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, including books that may have influenced Burroughs and the writers influenced by Burroughs.

    Short, clear discussions on the mechanical workings of the brain are offered and the details of brain science are covered in an accessible style. Explanations of the more familiar implications of the brain's actions, such as memories, perceptions, and motor control are integrated throughout the book. It has chapters on brain processes and the causes of "altered mental states," as well as a final chapter that discusses possible future developments in neuroscience, touching on artificial intelligence, gene therapy, the importance of the Human Genome Project, drugs by design, and transplants. Up-to-date coverage of the newest developments in brain research and suggestions for future research on the brain are also included. About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

    E, Modesitt, Jr, now back in a new trade papeback edition from Tor.After finding out that he has unusual powers, he is banished from the planet Karnak. Martin is thrust into the tranquil world of Aurore, vacation paradise for the galaxy. There he finds that the reality of Aurore is much different from its serene veneer. The gods are wantonly cruel and indifferent to the chaos they cause: are they really gods or just men and women with larger-than-life powers? Whatever the answer Martin Martel must challenge their supremacy to defend his life, love, and the fate of all mankind.

    But now, with the aid of high-speed computers, scientists have been able to penetrate a reality that is changing the way we perceive the universe. Their findings -- the basis for chaos theory -- represent one of the most exciting scientific pursuits of our time.No better introduction to this find could be found than John Briggs and F. David Peat's Turbulent Mirror. Together, they explore the many faces of chaos and reveal how its law direct most of the processes of everyday life and how it appears that everything in the universe is interconnected -- discovering an "emerging science of wholeness."Turbulent Mirror introduces us to the scientists involved in study this endlessly strange field; to the theories that are turning our perception of the world on its head; and to the discoveries in mathematics, biology, and physics that are heralding a revolution more profound than the one responsible for producing the atomic bomb. With practical applications ranging from the control of traffic flow and the development of artifical intelligence to the treatment of heart attacks and schizophrenia, chaos promises to be an increasingly rewarding area of inquiry -- of interest to everyone.

    In 1981, years before he sat down to tackle On Writing, Stephen King decided to address the topic of what makes horror horrifying and what makes terror terrifying. Here, in ten brilliantly written chapters, King delivers one colorful observation after another about the great stories, books, and films that comprise the horror genre—from Frankenstein and Dracula to The Exorcist, The Twilight Zone, and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers.With the insight and good humor his fans appreciated in On Writing, Danse Macabre is an enjoyably entertaining tour through Stephen King’s beloved world of horror.