But what were and are the true potentates of our planet? Insects, says Scott Richard Shaw—millions and millions of insect species. Starting in the shallow oceans of ancient Earth and ending in the far reaches of outer space—where, Shaw proposes, insect-like aliens may have achieved similar preeminence—Planet of the Bugs spins a sweeping account of insects’ evolution from humble arthropod ancestors into the bugs we know and love (or fear and hate) today. Leaving no stone unturned, Shaw explores how evolutionary innovations such as small body size, wings, metamorphosis, and parasitic behavior have enabled insects to disperse widely, occupy increasingly narrow niches, and survive global catastrophes in their rise to dominance. Through buggy tales by turns bizarre and comical—from caddisflies that construct portable houses or weave silken aquatic nets to trap floating debris, to parasitic wasp larvae that develop in the blood of host insects and, by storing waste products in their rear ends, are able to postpone defecation until after they emerge—he not only unearths how changes in our planet’s geology, flora, and fauna contributed to insects’ success, but also how, in return, insects came to shape terrestrial ecosystems and amplify biodiversity. Indeed, in his visits to hyperdiverse rain forests to highlight the current insect extinction crisis, Shaw reaffirms just how crucial these tiny beings are to planetary health and human survival. In this age of honeybee die-offs and bedbugs hitching rides in the spines of library books, Planet of the Bugs charms with humor, affection, and insight into the world’s six-legged creatures, revealing an essential importance that resonates across time and space.

    The Topics And Chapters Are Organized In A Sequence That Is Easy To Follow, Beginning With The Most Familiar -- Structure -- And Proceeding To The Less Familiar -- Metabolism -- Then Finishing With Those Topics That Are Probably The Least Familiar To Most Beginning Students -- Genetics, Evolution, The Diversity Of Organisms, And Ecology.

    Four action-packed books in one box set! The last world war is over. But humanity's fight for survival is only just beginning… In the dying days of the Trade Wars, Earth lay in ruins. Her cities burned, her fields smoldered and her people starved. Yet whilst the politicians squabbled, one squad of Jarheads did their duty. Heroes to a man (and woman), Quinn's Marines followed orders, even the deep black, secret peace mission kind. And it got them locked away. For good. For the Marines, peace meant a life sentence breaking rocks on Uranus' most distant moon. But when a meteor strike unleashes an alien intelligence bent on taking over the human race, only the Jarheads can save it. The only problem is their prison is two and a half billion kilometers from Earth on a good day. Oh, and their fellow inmates want them dead... Hey, nobody ever said saving the world would be easy. Fugitive Marines 1-4 contains: Breakout Wanted Lockdown Uprising

    Their efforts became even more fierce, more desperate, and more divisive, threatening to scar America permanently.In their zeal to bring down President Trump, Deep State conspirators had unwittingly revealed the origins of the anti-Trump operation and exposed corruption at the very highest levels of the Democratic party — including former Vice President Biden and his boss, Barack Obama.Lee Smith brings to this story the same incisive reporting and commentary that distinguished his runaway bestseller, The Plot Against the President. His investigation, identifying crimes and abuses committed by senior US officials, was later confirmed by a major Department of Justice report.For The Permanent Coup, Smith again enjoys unrivaled and exclusive access to the main players defending America and uncovering Deep State crimes — including Congressman Devin Nunes and the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

    Race along on his adventures through past and future in the series reviewers have called, "Fresh," "Brilliant," and "Easily the coolest time travel adventure I've ever read." In Times Like These Accidental time traveler Benjamin Travers and his friends have ended up in the 1980s, and they’re not alone—there are other time travelers, and some of them are turning up dead. To find their way home from the past, they’ll first need to master space and time—and survive a deadly future. The Chronothon Ben Travers is a rookie time traveler who only wants time with the new girl he's fallen for. But when he's duped into competing in an adrenaline-fueled adventure race through time, he'll need to win more than just his girl's heart if he hopes to survive. The Day After Never Ben Travers has learned the value of sacrifice, but even after surviving his adventures thorough time, getting back to his normal life is proving more difficult than he ever imagined. Haunted by a version of himself that he thought was dead, he'll need to solve the mystery of his own disappearance to stop another dangerous threat to the people he loves. Find out more about how to be a time traveler at www.nathanvancoops.com.

    

    The slaves stole an ore carrier and escaped, and after failing at trade, desperation and hatred drove them to piracy. John was a hugely successful pirate, until forced to confront the horrors committed by his men. He grabs a ship and a bag of gems, and runs away, determined to regain his self-respect. Pursued by his former colleagues, he flees across man-settled space. Along the way, he learns that his ship is much more than a simple yacht, deals with a stowaway girl, almost accidentally buys an orbital scrap yard, finds himself responsible for a beautiful young woman, fights off a pirate attack, falls in love, makes a friend, and learns that his refuge has been invaded by another planet. John, now Cale, and his friends plan to use derelicts from his scrap yard to free his sanctuary planet. But can a bunch of resurrected hulks really defeat a planetary fleet? And just what IS a Privateer, anyway?

    Before being dumped, a shadowy organization called “Singularity” implanted an alien parasite in him which is now devouring him from the inside out.In searching for Singularity, he inadvertently alerts them to his condition—he didn’t die like he was supposed to—and now Singularity wants him back. At all costs. They will do whatever it takes to capture Brandt, including going to war with Luna if it’s required, and if they can’t recover him, they will kill him rather than let him get away with the alien symbiont.But the Singularity doesn’t know that the symbiont is able to mold and adapt Brandt’s body into something better than he was before and, as a prior member of the Special Security forces of Terra, he was already a lethal weapon.With a wise-cracking cyber ghost of a former friend and lover, Brandt will have to find out the secrets of Singularity and the alien symbiont before the monster kills him. Singularity’s secrets could mean the death of everyone on Luna…or worse.

    By spinning 28 mathematical tales, Orlin shows us that calculus is simply another language to express the very things we humans grapple with every day -- love, risk, time, and most importantly, change. Divided into two parts, "Moments" and "Eternities," and drawing on everyone from Sherlock Holmes to Mark Twain to David Foster Wallace, Change is the Only Constant unearths connections between calculus, art, literature, and a beloved dog named Elvis. This is not just math for math's sake; it's math for the sake of becoming a wiser and more thoughtful human.

    The absentminded professor with untied shoelaces. The geeky Silicon Valley programmer who writes bullet­proof code but can’t get a date. But there is another set of (tiny) geniuses whom you would never add to those ranks—child prodigies. We mostly know them as the chatty and charming tykes who liven up day­time TV with violin solos and engaging banter. These kids aren’t autistic, and there has never been any kind of scientific connection between autism and prodigy.  Until now.  Over the course of her career, psychologist Joanne Ruthsatz has quietly assembled the largest-ever research sample of these children. Their accomplishments are epic. One could reproduce radio tunes by ear on a toy guitar at two years old. Another was a thirteen-year-old cooking sensation. And what Ruthsatz’s investigation revealed is noth­ing short of astonishing. Though the prodigies aren’t autistic, many have autistic family members. Each prodigy has an extraordinary memory and a keen eye for detail—well-known but often-overlooked strengths associated with autism.  Ruthsatz and her daughter and coauthor, Kim­berly Stephens, now propose a startling possibility: What if the abilities of child prodigies stem from a genetic link with autism? And could prodigies— children who have many of the strengths of autism but few of the challenges—be the key to a long-awaited autism breakthrough?  In The Prodigy’s Cousin, Ruthsatz and Stephens narrate the poignant stories of the children they have studied, including that of a two-year-old who loved to spell words like “algorithm” and “confeder­ation,” a six-year-old painter who churned out mas­terpieces faster than her parents could hang them, and a typically developing thirteen-year-old who smacked his head against a church floor and woke up a music prodigy.  This inspiring tale of extraordinary children, indomitable parents, and a researcher’s unorthodox hunch is essential reading for anyone interested in the brain and human potential. Ruthsatz and Stephens take us from the prodigies’ homes to the depths of the autism archives to the cutting edge of genetics research, all while upending our under­standing of what makes exceptional talent possible.

    Here, from American Heritage, is the human, vital, dramatic story of America's beginnings - from the journeys of early explorers and the founding of Plymouth and Jamestown to the French and Indian Wars and victory in the War of Independence.

    Private industry is now pushing the limits of human exploration and colonization. NASA has changed its mandate into a regulatory agency that oversees all US-based corporations and individuals involved in interplanetary expansion. Stilicho Jones always has his hands full while working as a personal troubleshooter for eccentric trillionaire Errol Flux and his numerous cutting edge space projects. When a mysterious and potentially deadly situation threatens the colonies on Mars, Stilicho must team up with a feisty NASA special agent in a race against time to avert a looming catastrophe that would end any hope of a permanent settlement on the Red Planet.

    The climactic engagement of this war, Operation Repulse, took place from August 2063 to February 2064, and was the most significant clash of arms on European soil in four hundred years.

    Back on the planet, a group of students discover a mysterious object in space in an impossible orbit. The crew of the Lighthouse space station are shocked by a devastating accident that throws their routine into chaos as they strive to get their ships safely home. Cut off from Earth, the sub-surface Martian Colony of New Providence suddenly finds itself in peril from something hostile and unknown. Is it alien? Is it an AI from Old Earth? After five generations enduring the harsh conditions on Mars, will the 50,000 citizens of New Providence survive this new and terrifying threat?

    It's a choice.The United Galactic Government is mired in a decade-long war for control of a key planet. Weakened by overextension and political intrigue, they could lose everything.When a child of privilege gives up everything to enlist and fight for what is right, he learns what it means to become part of a team. He encounters refugees, aliens he never expected to empathize with, and the loss of comrades. In the end he must develop the courage to stand up, not only to aliens and governments, but his own family.