Fossil Men: The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind


Kermit Pattison - 2020
    Radiometric dating of nearby rocks indicated the skeleton, classified as Ardipithecus ramidus, was 4.4 million years old, more than a million years older than "Lucy," then the oldest known human ancestor. The findings challenged many assumptions about human evolution--how we started walking upright, how we evolved our nimble hands, and, most significantly, whether we were descended from an ancestor that resembled today's chimpanzee--and repudiated a half-century of paleoanthropological orthodoxy.Fossil Men is the first full-length exploration of Ardi, the fossil men who found her, and her impact on what we know about the origins of the human species. It is a scientific detective story played out in anatomy and the natural history of the human body. Kermit Pattison brings into focus a cast of eccentric, obsessive scientists, including one of the world's greatest fossil hunters, Tim White--an exacting and unforgiving fossil hunter whose virtuoso skills in the field were matched only by his propensity for making enemies; Gen Suwa, a Japanese savant who sometimes didn't bother going home at night to devote more hours to science; Owen Lovejoy, a onetime creationist-turned-paleoanthropologist; Berhane Asfaw, who survived imprisonment and torture to become Ethiopia's most senior paleoanthropologist and who fought for African scientists to gain equal footing in the study of human origins; and the Leakeys, for decades the most famous family in paloanthropology.An intriguing tale of scientific discovery, obsession and rivalry that moves from the sun-baked desert of Africa and a nation caught in a brutal civil war, to modern high-tech labs and academic lecture halls, Fossil Men is popular science at its best, and a must read for fans of Jared Diamond, Richard Dawkins, and Edward O. Wilson.

This Won't Hurt Me A Bit: What it's really like to work in health care


Josh McAdams - 2019
    Welcome to laughing until it hurts while covered in bodily fluids. Welcome to simple math at very high stakes. Welcome to an incredibly inappropriate sense of humor. Welcome to serving people on the most stressful days of their lives. Welcome to putting your hands in places you never imagined they'd be. Welcome to your front row seat to the ballad of life and death. That's not the welcome that this nurse was looking for, but that's the one he got. Irreverent and audacious, this brutally honest memoir covers what it’s like to come of age in an American Hospital. Welcome to a rollicking peak behind the curtain to what medical providers, and the health care system, are truly like.

CBD-Rich Hemp Oil - Cannabinoid Nursing 101: Cannabis Medicine is Back


Tina Rappaport - 2014
    Although it has a long history, the recent discovery (1992) of the body's widespread endocannabinoid system (ECS) has thrust cannabis back into the limelight again as a viable medicine. In 2012 over 2.5 million prescriptions were written for medical marijuana in the United States. CBD and THC are both cannabinoids found in cannabis. However, while THC produces a “high” in the user, CBD does not. And now legal CBD-rich hemp oil is available over-the-counter in all 50 states, without a prescription. It was discovered that the Hemp Family of plants (cannabis, marijuana) is loaded with cannabinoids that stimulate our ECS receptor sites. These sites are found in the brain, organs, glands, connective tissue and immune cells and plays regulatory roles in many physiological processes including appetite, pain-sensation, mood and memory. The primary purpose of this system revolves around maintaining balance in the body. Cannabinoids found in all varieties of cannabis work in harmony with the cannabinoids we naturally produce when our system is functioning properly. It is now coming to light that we may very well be “Endocannabinoid Deficient” and supplementing with Cannabidiol, known as CBD, may provide just what we’re missing to restore optimum health. The health benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) from natural hemp oil is this book's primary focus. It explores the similarities, differences, uses and benefits of hemp, cannabis and medical marijuana along with the interplay of THC and CBD. Their 480 other components are also discussed, such as terpenoids, flavonoids, enzymes, vitamins, etc. Make no mistake about it, the endocannabinoid system, although newly discovered, is just as important as any other bodily system, like the muscular, cardiac, circulatory or digestive system. The ECS requires its own specialized medicine as found in the Hemp Family of plants, which is also known as cannabis, and which includes all strains of marijuana. Here is a list of conditions known and/or being researched that may be helped by cannabinoid therapeutics and supplementation: Acne ADD/ADHD Addiction AIDS ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Alzheimer’s Anorexia Antibiotic Resistance Anxiety Atherosclerosis Arthritis Asthma Autism Bipolar Cancer Colitis/Crohn’s Depression Diabetes Endocrine Disorders Epilepsy/Seizure Fibromyalgia Glaucoma Heart Disease Huntington’s Inflammation Irritable Bowel Kidney Disease Liver Disease Metabolic Syndrome Migraine Mood Disorders Motion Sickness Multiple Sclerosis Nausea Neurodegeneration Neuropathic Pain Obesity OCD Osteoporosis Parkinson’s Prion/Mad Cow Disease PTSD Rheumatism Schizophrenia Sickle Cell Anemia Skin Conditions Sleep Disorders Spinal Cord Injury Stress Stroke/TBI 10% of the proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to the American Cannabis Nurses Association in an effort to bring together nurses, to share, integrate and one day certify nurses in the science of endocannabinoid therapeutics in nursing practice.

Dance Music Sex Romance: Prince- The First Decade (Revised Edition)


Per Nilsen - 1999
    Illustrated with previously unseen photographs and drawing on over 300 hours of interviews with band members, producers, friends, former lovers and associates, this biography traces the artist's life from his Minneapolis roots through controversial stardom to his rejection of the Prince persona.

Unbreakable Dolls


Julie McDonald - 2011
    From Harvey Girls to homesteaders, ranchers to rodeo champions, and miners to merchants, to name a few. An enjoyable, inspiring quick read including humorous short stories written by the author’s father, Verner G. Benson about early days in Arizona. Settings include Flagstaff, Williams, Oak Creek Canyon, Jerome, Sedona, Roosevelt Dam, Cottonwood, Tonalea (Navajo Reservation), Valle, Kirkland Junction and Grand Canyon.

The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature


Matt Ridley - 1993
    The Red Queen answers dozens of other riddles of human nature and culture -- including why men propose marriage, the method behind our maddening notions of beauty, and the disquieting fact that a woman is more likely to conceive a child by an adulterous lover than by her husband. Brilliantly written, The Red Queen offers an extraordinary new way of interpreting the human condition and how it has evolved.

Anthropology and the Study of Humanity


Scott M. Lacy - 2017
    

Am I Just My Brain?


Sharon Dirckx - 2019
    We are living, thinking creatures who carry around with us an amazing organic supercomputer in our heads. But what is the relationship between our brains and our minds—and ultimately our sense of identity as a person? Are we more than machines? Is free-will an illusion? Do we have a soul? Brain Imaging Scientist Sharon Dirckx lays out the current understanding of who we are from biologists, philosophers, theologians and psychologists, and points towards a bigger picture, that suggests answers to the fundamental questions of our existence. Not just "What am I?", but "Who am I?"—and "Why am I?" Read this book to gain valuable insight into what modern research is telling us about ourselves, or to give a sceptical friend to challenge the idea that we are merely material beings living in a material world.

Running The World: 196 marathons in 196 countries, one record-breaking adventure


Nick Butter - 2020
    This is Nick's story of his world record-breaking adventure and the extraordinary people who joined him along the way. On January 6th 2018, Nick Butter tied his laces and stepped out on to an icy pavement in Toronto, where he began to take the first steps of an epic journey that would see him run 196 marathons in every one of the world's 196 countries. Spending almost two years on the road and relying on the kindness of strangers to keep him moving, Nick's odyssey allowed him to travel slowly, on foot, immersing himself in the diverse cultures and customs of his host nations. Running through capital cities and deserts, around islands and through spectacular landscapes, Nick dodges bullets in Guinea-Bissau, crosses battlefields in Syria, survives a wild dog attack in Tunisia and runs around an erupting volcano in Guatemala. Along the way, he is often joined by local supporters and fellow runners, curious children and bemused passers-by. Telling their stories alongside his own, Nick captures the unique spirit of each place he visits and forges a new relationship with the world around him. Running the World captures Nick's journey as he sets three world records and covers over five thousand miles. As he recounts his adventures, he shares his unique perspective on our glorious planet, celebrates the diversity of human experience, and reflects on the overwhelming power of running.

Paco: The cat who meowed in space


Homer Hickam - 2012
    But when Paco was struck down by a disease that left him unable to walk, Hickam was faced with a terrible decision, let his beloved cat live in misery or put him to sleep. Before that decision could be made, the space mission Hickam was working on needed to be rescued and there was only one sure way to save it: Paco's magic meow! This is a true story of the space age that is also a delightful tale of the love between an engineer and his cat.

Ken Burns: The Kindle Singles Interview (Kindle Single)


Tom Roston - 2014
    In this illuminating, in-depth Q & A, “America’s storyteller” lets readers in on his philosophical approach to understanding our nation’s past, as well as a little family secret for overcoming your fears.Tom Roston is a veteran journalist who began his career at The Nation and Vanity Fair magazines, before working at Premiere magazine as a senior editor. He writes a regular blog about nonfiction filmmaking on PBS.org and he is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. He lives with his wife and their two daughters in New York City. Cover design by Adil Dara.

The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life


David Quammen - 2018
    In the mid-1970s, scientists began using DNA sequences to reexamine the history of all life. Perhaps the most startling discovery to come out of this new field—the study of life’s diversity and relatedness at the molecular level—is horizontal gene transfer (HGT), or the movement of genes across species lines. It turns out that HGT has been widespread and important. For instance, we now know that roughly eight percent of the human genome arrived not through traditional inheritance from directly ancestral forms, but sideways by viral infection—a type of HGT.David Quammen chronicles these discoveries through the lives of the researchers who made them—such as Carl Woese, the most important little-known biologist of the twentieth century; Lynn Margulis, the notorious maverick whose wild ideas about “mosaic” creatures proved to be true; and Tsutomu Wantanabe, who discovered that the scourge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a direct result of horizontal gene transfer, bringing the deep study of genome histories to bear on a global crisis in public health.

Ice Cream Man


Dax Flame - 2019
    Having run out of options, former YouTube star Dax Flame must get a job at an ice cream shop in order to make ends meet.

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal


Jared Diamond - 1991
    Now, faced with the threat of nuclear weapons and the effects of climate change, it seems our innate tendencies for violence and invention have led us to a crucial fork in our road. Where did these traits come from? Are they part of our species immutable destiny? Or is there hope for our species’ future if we change? With fascinating facts and his unparalleled readability, Diamond intended his book to improve the world that today’s young people will inherit. Triangle Square’s The Third Chimpanzee for Young People is a book for future generation and the future they’ll help build.

Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom


Sean B. Carroll - 2005
    Evo Devo Evolutionary Developmental Biology is the new science that has finally cracked open the box. Within the pages of his rich and riveting book, Sean B. Carroll explains how we are discovering that complex life is ironically much simpler than anyone ever expected.