Science

Together with his own life-changing encounters with animals around the world, Martin has celebrated the intelligence, loyalty, and companionship of some truly extraordinary creatures whose lives have been entwined with our own. By turns heart-warming, inspiring and always fascinating, Meetings With Remarkable Animals gives us a chance to meet them too.

Written by one of the world's leading dinosaur experts, Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior is a foundational work on the subject and an invaluable reference for anyone interested in these amazing creatures.

Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions: What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at ninety percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last? What if everyone only had one soulmate? What would happen if the moon went away? In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators.

Are you ready to embrace a self-sufficient, eco-friendly lifestyle, even if you're starting from scratch? “The Essentials for Homesteading” is your gateway to success. Whether in a cozy apartment or a sprawling countryside, this practical guide will help you thrive without breaking the bank.

In Then I Am Myself the World, Christof Koch explores the only thing we directly experience: consciousness. At the book's heart is integrated-information theory, the idea that the essence of consciousness is the ability to exert causal power over itself, to be an agent of change. Koch investigates the physical origins of consciousness in the brain and how this knowledge can be used to measure consciousness in natural and artificial systems.

Psychologist Dr. Steve Taylor has spent several years analysing “time expansion experiences” (or TEEs), after collecting hundreds of reports. He has also found many examples of "time cessation experiences" (or TCEs), in which time appears to disappear altogether. In this book he shares the fascinating psychology and shared features behind all of these case studies, coming to an incredible conclusion: TEEs are a real altered state of consciousness, rather than a trick of recollection.

From ventilators to brain implants, medicine has been blurring what it means to die. In a lucid description of modern neuroscientific thinking, Zeleznikow-Johnston explains that death is not the loss of breath, but of personal identity – that the core of our identities is our minds, and that our minds are encoded in the structure of our brains. On this basis, he explores how recent discoveries now offer us all the chance of preserving our minds for future revival. Whether they discovered cures or fought for justice, we are grateful to those of our ancestors who helped craft a kinder world.

Something's gone badly awry with environmentalism. We faithfully separate our waste into different streams, but wonder whether it really makes a difference. Global companies announce their commitment to carbon negativity while simultaneously sponsoring oil conferences. American businesses, communities, and individuals assiduously measure their carbon footprints, then implement voluntary emissions-reduction programs, all while trumpeting their do-gooderism. The problem is, none of this will make a dent in solving the civilizational threat of climate change.

Hoof Beats transforms our understanding of both horses and humanity's ancient past and asks us to consider what our relationship with horses means for the future of humanity and the world around us.

In Charged, James Morton Turner unpacks the history of batteries to explore why solving "the battery problem" is critical to a clean energy transition. As climate activists focus on what a clean energy future will create the history of batteries offers a sharp reminder of what building that future will consume. With new insight on the consequences for people and communities on the front lines, Turner draws on the past for crucial lessons that will help us build a just and clean energy future, from the ground up.

We take time for granted as it passes during every moment of our existence. Other things may change, but time remains constant and predictable. The past, the present, and the future exist within a harmonious, reliable, and never-changing system. Or at least that’s how it seems… It was Albert Einstein who, in 1905, first theorized that time might not be quite as straightforward as that.

Offering innovative ideas for protecting coastlines and cleaning the toxic seas, Scales insists we need more ethical and sustainable fisheries and must prevent the other existential threat of deep-sea mining, which could significantly alter life on earth. Inspiring us all to maintain a sense of awe and wonder at the majesty beneath the waves, she urges us to fight for the better future that still exists for the Anthropocene ocean.

David J. Helfand reconstructs the history of the universe—back to its first microsecond 13.8 billion years ago—with the help of atoms. He shows how, by using detectors and reactors, microscopes and telescopes, we can decode the tales these infinitesimal particles tell.

Dinosaurs. No other class of animals captures the hearts of both children and adults alike. Paleontologist Armin Schmitt brings us a firsthand account of the latest research on dinosaurs and their lives millions of years ago, including his spectacular global excavations and fascinating discoveries in the field. With the help of cutting-edge technology and unbelievable new finds, the age-old tale of the dinosaurs is now revitalized for the very first time, complete with astonishing illustrations by Ben Rennen that help us imagine dinosaurs like never before.

In Hungry Beautiful Animals, philosopher Matthew C. Halteman shows us how—despite all the forces arrayed against going vegan—we can create an abundant life for everyone without using animals for food. Going vegan must be about flourishing, not shaming and blaming ourselves.

How many times have we looked for something and found something else? A partner, a job, an object? The same thing often happens to scientists: they design an experiment and discover the unexpected, which usually turns out to be very important. This fascinating phenomenon is called serendipity, which takes its name from the mythical Serendip, a place from which, according to a Persian fable, three princes set off to explore the world, making chance discoveries along the way.

Il premio Nobel è uno dei più prestigiosi riconoscimenti culturali che possa essere tributato a una persona. Ma è ben lungi dall’essere un vaccino contro le cantonate... fisici, chimici, medici e letterati, tutti premi Nobel, ne sono stati vittime. Il libro racconta in modo brillante e divertente le bizzarre teorie e i clamorosi errori di alcuni premi Nobel. Questo significa che il prestigioso premio svedese è una cosa poco seria? No! Dimostra soltanto che il principio di autorità nella scienza non ha alcun valore: più che l’ipse dixit, contano i fatti!

Many scientists believe that we are currently living through the Earth’s sixth mass extinction, with species disappearing at a rate not seen for tens of millions of years – a trend that will only accelerate as climate change and other pressures intensify. What does it mean to live in such a time? And what exactly do we lose when a species goes extinct? In Lost Wonders conservationist and science writer Tom Lathan tells the stories of ten species that have lived, died out and been declared extinct since the turn of the twenty-first century.

Perché è importante andare su Marte? Perché la scoperta, l’avventura, la sfida sono insite nel destino dell’uomo, il viaggio è una costante dell’esperienza umana e la ricerca di altre forme di vita non è altro che una delle possibilità per avere dal futuro risposte sul passato. Scenderemo su Marte e diventeremo "marziani" per avere risposte, poiché anche la più straordinaria invenzione non potrà mai sostituire il fattore umano e l’atto di piantare fisicamente una bandiera.

Right this minute, your body is carrying roughly 38 trillion microbial cells along with it—and in the vast majority of cases, you couldn’t live without them. On top of that, you harbor around 380 trillion viruses, most of which are either beneficial or benign. The Hidden Power of Microbes draws back the curtain on this vast microworld in 24 half-hour lectures delivered by acclaimed science communicator Dr. Melissa Booth, research scientist, professor, and Founder and Principal of The Science Communicator, devoted to training scientists to tell accurate, compelling stories about their fields.

なぜ日本では「スペースX」が生まれないのか？ そこには、山積する日本の行政機構ならではの問題点があった！ 日本はどこで世界に遅れを取ることになったのか。そのなかでも活かすべき日本の宇宙技術の強みとは。 そして、これから学ぶべきイーロン・マスクの「狂気」とは――気鋭の科学ジャーナリストが記す、「科学技術立国」日本の現状と、復活への処方箋！

気鋭の理論物理学者が白熱講義。最新のマルチバース宇宙論がわかる超入門編！別の宇宙には“もう一人の自分”が無数に存在するかもしれない！？

In this short, delightful book, Sy takes us inside the flock and reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures: only hours after leaving the egg, they are able to walk, run, and peck; relationships are important to them and the average chicken can recognize more than one hundred other chickens; they remember the past and anticipate the future; and they communicate specific information through at least twenty-four distinct calls.

As climate change has escalated into a crisis, the reuse of existing structures is the only way to even begin to preserve our wood, sand, silicon, and iron, let alone stop belching carbon monoxide into the air. Our housing crisis means that we need usable buildings now more than ever, but architect and critic Aaron Betsky shows that new construction—often seeking to maximize profits rather than resources, often soulless in its feel—is not the answer.

In this groundbreaking union of art and science, soprano, musicologist, and physician Patricia Caicedo explores the connection between music-its performance, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it-and health.