Book
The book tells the story of how Courtois and her cosmography colleagues discovered and mapped the Laniakea galactic supercluster, the first and most accurate description to date of our home galaxy's location in the universe. Courtois reveals the joys...
"Yes, Your Kids CAN Learn Math Without Tears. All parents and teachers have one thing in common: we want our children to understand and be able to use math. Filled with stories and pictures, Let's Play Math offers a wealth of practical, hands-on ideas...
"Once, farmers knew how to make a living hedge and fed their flocks on tree-branch hay. Rural people knew how to prune hazel to foster abundance: both of edible nuts, and of straight, strong, flexible rods for bridges, walls, and baskets. Townspeople...
With over 200 spectacular images, including astonishing satellite images and stills from the BBC Natural History Unit's footage, Earth from Space reveals our planet as you've never seen it before. For decades we competed to be the first to reach space,...
Houston, Texas, 1985. Two industrious chemists discover a previously unknown form of carbon and christen it buckminsterfullerene, for its striking resemblance to American architect Richard Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes. This unusual molecule - also...
Prior to the 1920s it was generally thought, with a few exceptions, that our galaxy, the Milky Way, was the entire Universe. Based on the work of Henrietta Leavitt with Cepheid variables, astronomer Edwin Hubble was able to determine that the Andromeda...
It was the universe's most elusive particle, the linchpin for everything scientists dreamed up to explain how physics works. It had to be found. But projects as big as CERN's Large Hadron Collider don't happen without incredible risks - or occasional...
Explores 250 wide-ranging milestones in the history of the planet Earth, including the birth of the moon, the oldest signs of life on Earth, the first mines, the invention of agriculture, women in earth science, reaching the South Pole, planet geneti...
Brimming with new discoveries, Smith's book takes you swimming in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans to meet the sea's most fascinating creatures. There are scarlet-colored corals, baby-blue sponges, and creatures that change color at the drop of...
Explore ecology in this accessible introduction to how the natural world works and how we have started to understand the environment, ecosystems, and climate change. Using a bold, graphic-led approach, The Ecology Book explores and explains over 85 of...
Consider the Platypus explores the history and features of more than 50 animals to provide insight into our current understanding of evolution. Using Darwin's theory as a springboard, Maggie Ryan Sandford details scientists' initial understanding of ...
For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for...
Tropical Marine Life of Australia is the definitive guide to tropical Australian and central Indo-Pacific marine life, covering over 2,400 species of animals and plants. Groups covered include seaweeds, corals, molluscs, crustaceans, fishes, reptiles...
Every single one of the millions of species alive today is the most recent link in an almost-endless chain of creation going all the way back to the origins of life. The amazing diversity and complexity we see all around us are products of nature's c...
The humble and industrious dung beetle is a marvelous beast: the 6,000 species identified so far are intricately entwined with human history and scientific endeavor. these night-soil collectors of the planet have been worshiped as gods, worn as jewelery,...
When Long Litt Woon loses her husband of 32 years to an unexpected death, she is utterly bereft. An immigrant in his country, in losing the love of her life she has also lost her compass and her passport to society. For a time, she is stuck, aimless,...
Blackwell explores our intimate relationship with the sea through thoughtful essays and dramatic images of sea creatures, including whales, manta rays, seals, and endless schools of fish, as well as creatures residing in the deepest recesses of the o...
Weaving together stories of science and sociology, The Selfish Ape offers a refreshing response to common fantasies about the ascent of humanity. Rather than imagining modern humans as a species with godlike powers, or Homo deus, Nicholas P. Money recasts...
A comprehensive handbook to the planets, stars and constellations visible from the southern hemisphere. 6 pages for each month covering January-December 2020. Diagrams drawn for the latitude of southern Australia, but including events visible from New...
Combining history, popular science, and in-depth reporting, here is a fascinating account of asteroids and other space objects that hit Earth long ago and those streaming toward us even now--as well as a look at the preparations humanity is making ag...
An intimate portrait of the Earth's closest neighbor--the Moon--that explores the history and future of humankind's relationship with it. Every generation has looked towards the heavens and wondered at the beauty of the Moon. Fifty years ago, a few A...
Even in our hyper-connected world, there are tribes scattered across the far reaches of the globe who still live much the same way that their ancestors did thousands of years ago. Having had minimal contact with the outside world, these peoples currently...
A lavishly illustrated celebration of these glorious animals—and a poignant lament for their future. Elephants are among the most beloved of all creatures. Their behavior can seem almost human, from their complex social interactions to their need to ...
When Dr Ben Goldacre saw someone on daytime TV dipping her feet in an áAqua Detox' footbath, releasing her toxins into the water and turning it brown, he thought he'd try the same at home. áLike some kind of Johnny Ball cum Witchfinder General', using...
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Elephant's on Acid comes a collection of the wackiest theories from science and history. What if we're living inside a black hole? What if we've already found extraterrestrial life? What if the dinosaurs died...
A book filled with underwater adventures, Wild Dives will take you to remote locations where you can experience some of the best, and sometimes weirdest, underwater spectacles from around the world. Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown take you through more...
Why are you attracted to a certain "type?" Why are you a morning person? Why do you vote the way you do? From a witty new voice in popular science comes a life-changing look at what makes you you. "I can't believe I just said that." "What possessed me...
"[Here], Britt Wray takes us deep int the minds of some of the world's most progressive thinkers to find out the truth about de-extinction. She introduces us to ... futurists like Stewart Brand and scientists like George Church, who are harnessing the...
"... on the application for Aotea/Great Barrier Island to become the only island in the world with International Dark Sky Sanctuary status..."--Publisher's description.
A ground-breaking work of narrative non-fiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on human history. What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution, and how did it lead to Britain colonising Australia? What protected Popes...
Paleontologist Dr Mark Norell takes a detailed look at everything we know about these wondrous creatures, drawing on the very latest research in the field. Norell examines every facet of the dinosaur mystery, from the scattering of dinosaur fossils after...
Our connection to nature is deeply rooted in the history of our evolution. Unfortunately, we have less green space than ever, and our stress and anxiety levels are at an all-time high. Studies have shown that increased exposure to green space can result...
James Lovelock, creator of the Gaia hypothesis and the greatest environmental thinker of our time, has produced an astounding new theory about future of life on Earth. He argues that the anthropocene the age in which humans acquired planetary-scale.....
A lively account of how dinosaurs became a symbol of American power and prosperity and gripped the popular imagination during the Gilded Age, when their fossil remains were collected and displayed in museums financed by North America's wealthiest bus...
Statistics Essentials For Dummies not only provides students enrolled in Statistics I with an excellent high-level overview of key concepts, but it also serves as a reference or refresher for students in upper-level statistics courses. Free of review...
For students who just need to know the vital concepts of physics, whether as a refresher, for exam prep, or as a reference, Physics Essentials For Dummies is a must-have guide. Free of ramp-up and ancillary material, Physics Essentials For Dummies co...
Whether studying chemistry as part of a degree requirement or as part of a core curriculum, students will find Chemistry Essentials For Dummies to be an invaluable quick reference guide to the fundamentals of this often challenging course. Chemistry ...
With its use of multiple variables, functions, and formulas, algebra can be confusing and overwhelming to learn and easy to forget. Perfect for students who need to review or reference critical concepts, Algebra I Essentials For Dummies provides cont...
Biology Essentials For Dummies focuses on just the core concepts you need to succeed in an introductory biology course. From identifying the structures and functions of plants and animals to grasping the crucial discoveries in evolutionary, reproductive,...
Weather is the foundation of our daily lives, and it's a triumph of science, technology and global cooperation. Blum takes readers on a tour of the infrastructure behind the weather forecast, the people who built it, and what it reveals about our climate...
The iconic and beautiful Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is home to one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. With contributions from international experts, this timely and fully updated second edition describes the animals, plants and other organisms...
The most outstanding and uniquely curated selection of Mars orbital images ever assembled in one volume. With explanatory captions in 24 languages and a gallery of more than 200 images, this distinctive volume brings a timely and clear look at the work...
Statistics has played a leading role in our scientific understanding of the world for centuries, yet we are all familiar with the way statistical claims can be sensationalised, particularly in the media. In the age of big data, as data science become...
Fundamental does for physics what Tim's first book, Elemental, does for chemistry: it demystifies the topic in his trademark humorous, engaging style, including the most recent developments in the field. At the start of the twentieth century, science...
A entertaining blend of science and personal stories that gives new understanding to those spellbinding, otherworldly creatures we encounter every day.
"It can't fly ... has nostrils at the end of its long beak... cat-like whiskers ... the body temperature of a mammal... sharp claws and strong legs to defend itself ... lays an egg six times larger than that of a chicken ... lives in a burrow ... can...
The Cassini-Huygens mission has revolutionized our knowledge of the Saturn system and revealed surprising places in the solar system where life could potentially gain a foothold--bodies we call ocean worlds. Since its arrival in 2004, Cassini-Huygens...
Seventy years ago, Erwin Schrodinger posed a simple, yet profound, question: 'What is life?'. How could the very existence of such extraordinary chemical systems be understood? This problem has puzzled biologists and physical scientists both before, and...
In Underland, Macfarland delivers his masterpiece: an epic exploration of the Earth's underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself. He takes us on an extraordinary journey into our relationship with darkness, burial, and...
Uncertainty is everywhere. It lurks in every consideration of the future - the weather, the economy, the sex of an unborn child - even quantities we think that we know such as populations or the transit of the planets contain the possibility of error....
"Trees are an important part of the life of many cities. Whether in avenues or parks they provide shade, a green resting place for the eye, comfort for the mind, and as we increasingly know from research, help keep the atmosphere cool and fresh. Some...
Our sun drives the weather, forms the landscape, feeds and fuels - but sometimes destroys - the creatures that live upon it, controls their patterns of activity, makes chemicals in the skin that cheer up those who bask in its rays, and for the ancients...
Information on science, like geology, genetics, water, biology, and other science subjects.
High in the mountainous rainforests of Burma and India grow some of the world's last stands of mature, wild teak. For more than a thousand years, people here have worked with elephants. In this book, Jacob Shell takes us deep into this strange elephant...
We would all be better off if everyone saw mathematics as a practical ally. Sadly, most of us fear maths and seek to avoid it. This is because mathematics doesn't have good 'people skills' - it never hesitates to bluntly point out when we are wrong. But...
The history of pi, says the author, though a small part of the history of mathematics, is nevertheless a mirror of the history of man. Petr Beckmann holds up this mirror, giving the background of the times when pi made progress and also when it did n...
From the Giant Golden Crowned Flying Fox, a megabat with a wingspan of over five feet, to the aptly named Bumblebee Bat, the world's smallest mammal, the number and diversity of bat species is proving to be very rich and vastly underestimated. Noctur...
PRIMATE CHANGE is a wide-ranging, polemical look at how and why the human body has changed since humankind first got up on two feet. Spanning the entirety of human history - from primate to transhuman - Vybarr Cregan-Reid's book investigates where we...
What's the difference between a swallow and a swift? How many species of ducks, penguins, owls or thrushes are there? Which is the rarest parrot or the most endangered hummingbird? What do toucans eat? Discover all the key facts about the world's orders...
"This is a natural history and field guide to New Zealand's 14 species of dragonflies and damselflies ... Key features include: Expert and up-to-date information on the 14 species breeding in New Zealand; natural history of the group including an int...
Few people have done as much to change how we view the world as Charles Darwin. Yet On the Origin of Species is more cited than read, and parts of it are even considered outdated. In some ways, it has been consigned to the nineteenth century. In The ...
The science taught in high schools-Newton's theory of universal gravitation, basic structure of the atom, cell division, DNA replication-is accepted as the way nature works. What is puzzling is how this precisely specified knowledge could come from a...
Looking at the night sky, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s all quiet up there in space. But you’d be wrong. Extreme events are forever unfolding: galaxies explode, cosmic debris hurtles through the heavens and our own Milky Way is on a collision course...
"The islands of Aotearoa New Zealand lie across one of the most active volcanic zones in the world. They contain wonders such as hot sprints and coloured terraces - but we also have to live with mountains that can spew ash and lava, and the ever-present...
A fascinating account of the life of the first hippopotamus to be exhibited in the Regents Park Zoo in London, and probably the first hippo to be exhibited live in Europe since the time of the Roman empire. Written in a lively and accessible style, the...
We have the impression that the solar system is perfectly regular like a clock, or a planetarium instrument. On a short timescale it is. But, seen in a longer perspective, the planets, and their satellites, have exciting lives, full of events - for e...
How the lives of wild honey bees offer vital lessons for saving the world's managed bee colonies. Humans have kept honey bees in hives for millennia, yet only in recent decades have biologists begun to investigate how these industrious insects live in...
Statistical Rethinking: A Bayesian Course with Examples in R and Stan builds readers’ knowledge of and confidence in statistical modeling. Reflecting the need for even minor programming in today’s model-based statistics, the book pushes readers to pe...
From leading geopolitical expert and technology futurist Jamie Metzl comes a groundbreaking exploration of the many ways genetic-engineering is shaking the core foundations of our lives ― sex, war, love, and death.At the dawn of the genetics revolution,...
Most of us have heard of such popular butterflies as the Monarch or Painted Lady. But what about the Fender’s Blue? Or the St. Francis’ Satyr? Because of their extreme rarity, these butterflies are not well-known, yet they are remarkable species with...
The Seven Daughters of Eve presents the theory of human mitochondrial genetics to a general audience. Sykes explains the principles of genetics and human evolution, the particularities of mitochondrial DNA, and analyses of ancient DNA to genetically ...
"New Zealand has an intriguing collection of native freshwater fish that tend to live out their lives largely unnoticed ... Native fish are easy to look after once their needs are understood, and are an interesting and unusual alternative to exotic a...
Nature's Palette is a highly illustrated, immensely entertaining exploration of the science of plant color. Beginning with potent reminders of how deeply interwoven plant colors are with human life and culture-from the shifting hues that told early humans...
Rainforests of Australia's East Coast is aimed primarily at the reader group of more than 500,000 active bushwalkers in Australia. A large percentage of bushwalkers visit all subforms of rainforests on a regular basis and identification of plant species...
66 million years ago the dinosaurs were wiped from the face of the earth. Today a new generation of dinosaur hunters, armed with cutting edge technology, is piecing together the complete story of how the dinosaurs created a hugely successful empire that...
Manta and devil rays are some of the most charismatic creatures in the ocean. Born into a life of perpetual motion, these rays must keep swimming to survive. Driven forward by powerful beats of their wing-like pectoral fins, these filter feeding rays...
Science: 50 in 500 Words discusses the most groundbreaking ideas of 50 of the most important scientists who have shaped the world as we know it. Not only are the key theories and discoveries of each scientist presented in a concise and compelling way,...
"The science is clear: Homo sapiens teeters on the brink of extinction. Industrial civilization is an omnicidal heat engine, yet terminating civilization heats the planet even faster in an outcome termed the McPherson Paradox. Only Love Remains: Dancing...
Stargazer takes you through constellations one-by-one, linking them together as you progress using easy-to-follow star routes that guide you across the celestial sphere. Adapted carefully for the southern hemisphere, this book is perfect for budding....
Many of our ancestors - the Angles, the Saxons, the Norse - came to the British Isles in longships made of oak. For centuries the oak touched every part of a Briton's life - from cradle to coffin It was oak that made the wooden walls of Nelson's navy,...
"The story of a grizzly bear named Millie: her life, death, and cubs, and what they reveal about the changing character of the American West. The grizzly is one of North America's few remaining large predators. Their range is diminished, but they're ...
Over the past twenty years, the study of dinosaurs has changed from natural history to a true scientific discipline. New technologies have revealed secrets locked in the prehistoric bones in ways that nobody predicted - we can now work out the colour...
Welcome to the biggest, fastest, deadliest science book you'll ever read. The world's largest land mammal could help us end cancer. The fastest bird is showing us how to solve a century-old engineering mystery. The oldest tree is giving us insights i...
Presents a history of the human understanding of heredity and how it has shaped society, chronicling the transitions brought about by genetic research and making predictions about how evolving understandings are likely to impact the future.
This book is the first to provide a comprehensive, readily understandable report on the European Space Agency's Gaia mission that will meet the needs of a general audience. It takes the reader on an exciting journey of discovery, explaining how such ...
An engaging critique of the science and metaphysics behind our understanding of the universe. The James Webb Space Telescope, when launched in 2021, will be the premier orbital observatory, capable of studying every phase of the history of the universe,...
How math helps us solve the universe's deepest mysteries One of the great insights of science is that the universe has an underlying order. The supreme goal of physicists is to understand this order through laws that describe the behavior of the most...
An enchanting biography of the most resonant – and most necessary – chemical element on Earth. Carbon. It is the building block of every cell that makes up every living thing. It is the essential component of the food we eat, the fuel we burn, the wood...
This is the captivating story of mathematics' greatest ever idea: calculus. Without it, there would be no computers, no microwave ovens, no GPS, and no space travel. But before it gave modern man almost infinite powers, calculus was behind centuries ...
Darwin's theory of evolution is still the greatest breakthrough in biological science. His explanation of the role of natural selection in driving the evolution of life on earth depended on steady variation of living things over time - but he was unable...
Today, any kid can rattle off the names of dozens of dinosaurs. But it took centuries of scientific effort—and a lot of luck—to discover and establish the diversity of dinosaur species we now know. How did we learn that Triceratops had three horns? Why...
Quantum physics is strange. It tells us that a particle can be in two places at once. Indeed, that particle is also a wave, and everything in the quantum world can be described entirely in terms of waves, or entirely in terms of particles, whichever ...
Greenland: remote, mysterious, ice-covered rock, population 56,000, in the middle of the North Atlantic. Why do we care so much about it? Because locked within the the vast and frozen "white desert"--the nickname early explorers gave it--that covers ...
Ever since Darwin, we have used the metaphor of the 'tree of life' to explain evolution, but this metaphor no longer holds up. Genes don't just move vertically, they can also pass laterally across species boundaries, known as 'horizontal gene transfer'...
Consider the possibility that the evolutionary scientific explanation for mankind has ignored critical facts that are buried deep within the fossils and mankind's DNA.
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