. .In You Are Here, bestselling author and celebrated astronaut Chris Hadfield creates a virtual orbit of Earth, giving us the really big picture: this is our home, from space. The millions of us who followed Hadfield's news-making Twitter feed from the ISS thought we knew what we were looking at when we first saw his photos. But we may have caught the beauty and missed the full meaning. Now, through photographs - many of which have never been shared - Hadfield unveils a fresh and insightful look at our planet. He sees astonishing detail and importance in these images, not just because he's spent months in space but because his in-depth knowledge of geology, geography and meteorology allows him to reveal the photos' mysteries.Featuring Hadfield's favourite images, You Are Here is divided by continent and represents one (idealized) orbit of the ISS. This planetary photo tour - surprising, playful, thought-provoking and visually delightful - provides a breathtakingly beautiful perspective on the wonders of the world. You Are Here opens a singular window on our planet, using remarkable photographs to illuminate the history and consequences of human settlement, the magnificence of newly uncovered landscapes, and the power of the natural forces shaping our world and the future of our species.

    High school & older.

    This remarkable reference book reveals the story of scientific progress from the invention of the wheel to 21st-century climate solutions, including everything from ancient Greek geometry and quantum physics to the worldwide web. Explore every key moment of scientific discovery and find out how the concepts, inventions and the individuals behind them have changed our world. With stunning artworks and authoritative information this makes even complex scientific subjects easily comprehensible.

     The Science Book covers every area of science--astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, math, and physics, and brings the greatest scientific ideas to life with fascinating text, quirky graphics, and pithy quotes.

    Includes a poster of Theodore Gray's iconic photographic periodic table of the elements! Based on seven years of research and photography by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann, The Elements presents the most complete and visually arresting representation available to the naked eye of every atom in the universe. Organized sequentially by atomic number, every element is represented by a big beautiful photograph that most closely represents it in its purest form. Several additional photographs show each element in slightly altered forms or as used in various practical ways. Also included are fascinating stories of the elements, as well as data on the properties of each, including atomic number, atomic symbol, atomic weight, density, atomic radius, as well as scales for electron filling order, state of matter, and an atomic emission spectrum. This of solid science and stunning artistic photographs is the perfect gift book for every sentient creature in the universe.

    Hazen writes of how the co-evolution of the geosphere and biosphere—of rocks and living matter—has shaped our planet into the only one of its kind in the Solar System, if not the entire cosmos.With an astrobiologist’s imagination, a historian’s perspective, and a naturalist’s passion for the ground beneath our feet, Hazen explains how changes on an atomic level translate into dramatic shifts in Earth’s makeup over its 4.567 billion year existence. He calls upon a flurry of recent discoveries to portray our planet’s many iterations in vivid detail. Through his theory of “co-evolution,” we learn how reactions between organic molecules and rock crystals may have generated Earth’s first organisms, which in turn are responsible for more than two-thirds of the mineral varieties on the planet.The Story of Earth is also the story of the pioneering men and women behind the sciences. Readers will meet black-market meteorite hawkers of the Sahara Desert, the gun-toting Feds who guarded the Apollo missions’ lunar dust, and the World War II Navy officer whose super-pressurized “bomb”—recycled from military hardware—first simulated the molten rock of Earth’s mantle. As a mentor to a new generation of scientists, Hazen introduces the intrepid young explorers whose dispatches from Earth’s harshest landscapes will revolutionize geology.

    It floats like a jewel in the inky black void. The reflection of the suns light from the vast expanse of water covering its surface creates its gem-like blue colour. In the entire solar system Earth is the only planet that has water in its liquid form in such quantities. Scientists have calculated that 70% of our planet is covered by water; small wonder then that humans have always been so fascinated by the oceans and what lies beneath. Today while we still have so much more of the ocean realm to uncover we have discovered enough to know that beneath the waves lies a vast treasure-trove of rich and diverse life. The Blue Planet leads us on a voyage of exploration from the coasts, the very edges of the oceans, to the deep where weird and monstrous fish lurk in a world of perpetual darkness. Along the way we meet a host of wonderful creatures from tiny copepods to majestic blue whales, from the grotesque hairy anglerfish, to the amazing tripod fish that stands on 3 delicate legs waiting to snap up unsuspecting prey. With a foreword by David Attenborough and 400 colour photos The Blue Planet is the first complete and comprehensive portrait of the whole ocean system.

    Humans have feared them for centuries, long considering them the assassins and pariahs of the natural world.Now, in Venomous, the biologist Christie Wilcox investigates and illuminates the animals of our nightmares, arguing that they hold the keys to a deeper understanding of evolution, adaptation, and immunity. She reveals just how venoms function and what they do to the human body. With Wilcox as our guide, we encounter a jellyfish with tentacles covered in stinging cells that can kill humans in minutes; a two-inch caterpillar with toxic bristles that trigger hemorrhaging; and a stunning blue-ringed octopus capable of inducing total paralysis. How do these animals go about their deadly work? How did they develop such intricate, potent toxins? Wilcox takes us around the world and down to the cellular level to find out.Throughout her journey, Wilcox meets the intrepid scientists who risk their lives studying these lethal beasts, as well as “self-immunizers” who deliberately expose themselves to snakebites. Along the way, she puts her own life on the line, narrowly avoiding being envenomated herself. Drawing on her own research, Wilcox explains how venom scientists are untangling the mechanisms of some of our most devastating diseases, and reports on pharmacologists who are already exploiting venoms to produce lifesaving drugs. We discover that venomous creatures are in fact keystone species that play crucial roles in their ecosystems and ours—and for this alone, they ought to be protected and appreciated.Thrilling and surprising at every turn, Venomous will change everything you thought you knew about the planet’s most dangerous animals.

    Divided into six chapters -- space, earth, nature, human body, science & technology, and history & culture, plus a reference section -- a wide range of topics come to life. Illustrated with fascinating facts, maps, timelines, and graphics, the Knowledge Encyclopedia makes complex subjects easy to understand and is the perfect resource for kids, whether to help them with homework or to pique their curiosity.

    The story starts in earnest 3.8 billion years ago, with the earliest-known form of life on Earth, a bacteria that still exists today, and journeys through action-packed millennia, charting the appearance of new life forms as well as devastating extinction events. Of course, the ever-popular and endlessly intriguing dinosaurs feature large, but Prehistoric Life gives you the whole picture, and the plants, invertebrates, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals that are the ancestors of today's species also populate its pages, making this book unprecedented in its coverage of prehistory. Specially commissioned artworks use cutting-edge technology to render species in breathtakingly realistic fashion, with astonishing images of prehistoric remains, such as skeletons and fossils, to complete the story. To put all the evidence in context, the concept of geological time is explored, as is the classification of species and how the evidence for their evolution is preserved and can be deciphered.New technologies have brought new life to inanimate fossils. CT scanning, for example, unlocks a 3D image of a plant or animal from a piece of rock, which can then be viewed from all angles revealing never-before-seen details. From this researchers can fill in missing pieces and even simulate how an animal might have moved. Panels explore these and numerous other scientific techniques for recovering, dating, and reconstructing, as well as profiling individuals, key excavations and discoveries, and some of the unique anatomical features that nature has developed over the course of time.The last section of the book looks at the development of humans and the eventual rise to dominance of Homo sapiens, exploring not only their changing anatomy as revealed by the fossils but also the evidence for culture and society as evidenced by extraordinary cave paintings and intricately worked tools.In combination, the stunning visuals, captivating, authoritative text, and comprehensive approach make Prehistoric Life a fascinating and revealing encyclopedia that will appeal to the whole family.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. LIVING PLANET (38 pp)Foundations of a living planet. The Earth's structure. Plate tectonics, formation of oceans and continents.Changing climate. factors that contribute to climate change, how those can be seen in the geological record, and how that has affected life on Earth.Reconstructing the past. Using the present to understand the past (rocks and the rock cycle, layers of rock and dating)Fossils. Types of fossils, how they form, reconstructing the past from them (digging up, analysis), reconstructing past environments, dating using fossils.Geological timescale. Explanation of geological time.Life on Earth. What is life? Natural selection, DNA, molecular clocks, mass extinctions.Timeline of Evolution. Broad-scale look at major evolutionary markers through time.Classification. How we classify living organisms. The kingdoms of life.2. ON EARTH (398 PP) This chapter will be organized so that pages can be removed to leave a section of 360pp.his consists of a catalog divided into geological periods. Each period introduction covers the conditions on Earth at the time (geology and climate) and includes a chart showing the evolution of the main forms of life. The subsequent catalog entries are organized into groups: Microscopic life; Plants and Fungi; Invertebrates; and Vertebrates, with each having an introduction detailing the main evolutionary developments within the group.Archean 3.8-2.5 billion years ago (4pp)Period introduction. (1p)Archean life intro - (1p) the rise of life. Biology of cells; prokaryotes, cyanobacteria, stromatolites.Catalog of species.Proterozoic 2.5 billion-543 mya (6pp)Period introduction. (2pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Cambrian 543-490 mya (20pp)Period introduction (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3pp)Invertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (8pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Ordovician 490-443 mya (14pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species.(1p)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Silurian 443-417 mya (20pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3p)Devonian 417-354 mya (34pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Vertebrates intro. (2p)Catalog of species. (10pp)Carboniferous 354-290 mya (38pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (8pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (9pp)Vertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (10pp)Permian 290-248 mya (26pp)Period introduction. (Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Triassic 248-206 mya (30pp)Period introduction. (Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (5pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3pp)Vertebrates intro. (1pp)Catalog of species. (13pp)Jurassic 206-144 mya (56pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (5pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (9pp)Vertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (24pp)Cretaceous 144-65 mya (54pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (10pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (9pp)Vertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (24pp)Paleogene 65-23.8 mya (34pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (6pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (6pp)Vertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (12pp)Neogene 23.8-1.8 mya (32pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (6pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (10pp)Quaternary 1.8 mya-Present (26pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (5pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (8pp)3. THE RISE OF HUMANS (44PP)Timeline of human evolution.Coverage of: Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Orrorin tugenesis, Ardipithecus kadabba, Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecus anamensis, Australopithecus afarensis, Kenyanthropus platyops, Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus aethiopicus, Australopithecus garhi, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Paranthropus boisei, Homo ergaster, Paranthropus robustus, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo sapiens.Themes of anatomy, DNA, global expansion, tool use, diet, communication, ecology, society, and culture run through the section.Glossary/Index/Acknowledgements

     Combining art, mythology, and science, What We See in the Stars gives readers a tour of the night sky through more than 100 magical pieces of original art, all accompanied by text that weaves related legends and lore with scientific facts. This beautifully packaged book covers the night sky's most brilliant features--such as the constellations, the moon, the bright stars, and the visible planets--as well as less familiar celestial phenomena like the outer planets, nebulae, and deep space. Adults seeking to recapture the magic of youthful stargazing, younger readers interested in learning about natural history and outer space, and those who appreciate beautiful, hand-painted art will all delight in this charming book.

    Profiling more than 250 peoples who inhabit the world and examining fascinating facts - from environmental and health issues to beliefs and customs - Human is the definitive illustrated guide to our species.

    Starting once again with fossils, he turns his gaze skyward, showing us how the entirety of the universe’s fourteen-billion-year history can be seen in our bodies. As he moves from our very molecular composition (a result of stellar events at the origin of our solar system) through the workings of our eyes, Shubin makes clear how the evolution of the cosmos has profoundly marked our own bodies. Fully illustrated with black and white drawings.

    Vesuvius, whose eruption in Roman times helped spark the science of geology, and ending in a lab in the West of England where mathematical models and lab experiments replace direct observation, Richard Fortey tells us what the present says about ancient geologic processes. He shows how plate tectonics came to rule the geophysical landscape and how the evidence is written in the hills and in the stones. And in the process, he takes us on a wonderful journey around the globe to visit some of the most fascinating and intriguing spots on the planet.

    In an earlier book, Almost Like A Whale, he took on the extraordinary task of updating The Origin of Species, which he described as the “most original book of the millennium”. His latest book, Coral, follows once more in the footsteps of Darwin, who also wrote a detailed study of coral reefs.For a book with such a humble title, Coral covers a lot of ground, including Captain Cook’s bones; French nuclear tests; in-vitro fertilization; the De Beers’ diamond cartel; color blindness; chaos; immortality; and, of course, Charles Darwin himself. In the hands of a lesser author, such a seemingly disparate range of topics would result in a disjointed and rambling mess. But Jones weaves them around his theme to create a coherent and well-formed whole.Jones explores what coral can teach us about life on Earth, from the survival and decline of species to the role of cooperation in inter-species relationships. Drawing not only on biology, but also on history, politics, literature, economics and mythology, he leads the reader on a wide-ranging and always interesting exploration.He adds that if you have never visited a coral reef, now might be a good time. The book is subtitled A Pessimist in Paradise, and Jones foresees a grim future for the world’s reefs. Today, less than one fifth are protected. He argues that “greenhouse gases have proved impossible to control and marine pollution has been almost as intractable”. The decline of the world’s reefs has already begun and within about fifty years, Jones believes that many more will be gone.Jones is one of the best popularizers of science writing today and this book matches the high standards set by his earlier work. Despite the deeply pessimistic message, at times he still manages to elicit an almost Carl Sagan-esque sense of awe about the natural world.The threat to coral reefs from global warming and damage caused by agricultural runoff have become common topics of media reports. Yet, no matter how much you think you know about coral and coral reefs, you will learn plenty more from this book. (COSMOS Magazine)