Browse by Categories - Science
Alison GopnikFor most of us, having a baby is the most profound, intense, and fascinating experience of our lives. Now scientists and philosophers are starting to appreciate babies, too. The last decade has witnessed a revolution in our understanding of infants and young children. Scientists used to believe that babies were irrational, and that their thinking and experience were limited. Recently, they have discovered that babies learn more, create more, care more, and experience more than we could ever have imagined. And there is good reason to believe that babies are actually smarter, more thoughtful, and even more conscious than adults. Alison Gopnik -- a leading psychologist and philosopher, as well as a mother -- explains the groundbreaking new psychological, neuroscientific, and philosophical developments in our understanding of very young children, transforming our understanding of how babies see the world, and in turn promoting a deeper appreciation for the role of parents.
Dacher KeltnerIn Born to Be Good, Dacher Keltner demonstrates that humans are not hardwired to lead lives that are "nasty, brutish, and short" -- we are in fact born to be good. He investigates an old mystery of human evolution: why have we evolved positive emotions like gratitude, amusement, awe, and compassion that promote ethical action and are the fabric of cooperative societies?
Robert P. CreasePhilosopher and science historian Robert P. Crease tells the stories behind ten of the greatest equations in human history. Was Nobel laureate Richard Feynman really joking when he called Maxwell's electromagnetic equations the most significant event of the nineteenth century? How did Newton's law of gravitation influence young revolutionaries? Why has Euler's formula been called "God's equation," and why did a mysterious ecoterrorist make it his calling card? What role do betrayal, insanity, and suicide play in the second law of thermodynamics?
The Great Equations tells the stories of how these equations were discovered, revealing the personal struggles of their ingenious originators. From "1 + 1 = 2" to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, Crease locates these equations in the panoramic sweep of Western history, showing how they are as integral to their time and place of creation as are great works of art.
Editors of Time Magazine"Time" joins scientists in the field, visits with indigenous people and consults with experts to report on the biggest story of this year and every year: Planet Earth. And we visit the Earth's extremes: the longest rivers, tallest mountains and driest deserts on the planet. This beautifully illustrated volume, featuring the work of award-winning photographers, presents a portrait of our wondrous planet - and of all the beings that call it home - that is revelatory, awe-inspiring and essential.It is perfect for those who want simply to enjoy beautiful photographs or those who want to learn the history, geology, geography, and life forms on this planet. The book is divided into broad major sections, containing spreads that function as individual units and as a larger theme. It includes fascinating, informative graphic spreads from "Time" celebrated graphic artists - from the science of wildfires to what happens inside a hurricane. It also features multiple points of entry: a spread might contain three or four sidebars - trivia, definitions, scientific debates, history, locations and Top Ten lists - all guaranteed to add fun and information.
Philip Zimbardo and John BoydFrom Publishers Weekly: "Zimbardo (The Lucifer Effect), professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford, and Boyd, research director for Yahoo!, draw on their two decades of research to explain why people devalue time."
Philip SmithWalking Through Walls is Philip Smith's astonishing memoir of growing up in a household where seances, talking spirits, and exorcisms were daily occurrences, and inexplicable psychic healings resulted in visitors suddenly discarding their crutches and wheelchairs or being cured of fatal diseases.
Paul A. Offit, M.D.A researcher in London was the first to assert that the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine known as MMR caused autism in children.
Following this "discovery," a handful of parents declared that a mercury-containing preservative in several vaccines was responsible for the disease.
If mercury caused autism, they reasoned, eliminating it from a child's system should treat the disorder. Consequently, a number of alternative therapies arose, and in one such treatment,
a doctor injected a five-year-old autistic boy with a chemical that bound to mercury, only to stop his heart instead.
Children with autism been placed on stringent diets, subjected to high-temperature saunas, bathed in magnetic clay, asked to swallow digestive enzymes and activated charcoal, and injected with various combinations of vitamins, minerals, and acids. Instead of helping, these therapies often hurt those who are most vulnerable, and particularly in the case of autism, they undermine childhood vaccination programs that have saved millions of lives. In this book, Paul A. Offit, a national expert on vaccines, challenges the modern-day false prophets who have so egregiously misled the public—and exposes the opportunism of the lawyers, journalists, celebrities, and politicians who support them. Offit recounts the history of autism research and the exploitation of this tragic condition by advocates and zealots. He considers tha manipulation of science by the media and the courtroom, and he explores why society is susceptible to the junk science and dangerous therapies put forward by anti-vaccination activists.
Peter D'AdamoUsing family history and blood type, as well as simple diagnostic tools like fingerprint analysis, leg length measurements, and dental characteristics, Dr. D’Adamo shows you how to map out your genetic identity and discover which of the six GenoType plans you should follow. Without expensive tests or a visit to the doctor, The GenoType Diet reveals previously hidden genetic strengths and weaknesses and provides a precise diet and lifestyle plan for every individual. Based on the latest and most
