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La biodiversité en question

Science & Nature

Un regard critique sur la notion de biodiversitéLa diversité des êtres vivants est depuis fort longtemps un objet de réflexions scientifiques et philosophiques, mais le mot « biodiversité » est apparu seulement en 1986, rencontrant immédiatement un énorme succès. L’intérêt des biologistes, agronomes, écologues, etc., pour la conservation et la valorisation de la nature a été renouvelé et amplifié par l’adoption consensuelle de l’objet « biodiversité ». Il a également permis une mobilisation inédite des économistes, des gouvernements et des médias. Pourtant, ce terme s’avère fort ambigu et problématique, comme le présent ouvrage s’attache à le démontrer. Malgré toutes les études consacrées à ce sujet, la compréhension de ce qu’est la biodiversité, sa description, et l’établissement de politiques appropriées visant à sa conservation et à son amélioration, restent des tâches toujours en chantier. Cet état de fait n’est pas uniquement imputable à des inerties ou des obstacles politiques et étatiques ; il est sans doute aussi redevable des insuffisances d’une notion versatile dont, toutefois, on ne saurait se passer, tant est entériné son usage, dans les discours des écologues, des ONG, des États. En plein dans ce que l’ONU déclare être la « décennie de la biodiversité » (2011-2020), ce livre vise à faire un bilan critique de l’état du discours sur la biodiversité, rassemblant les compétences de philosophes, de biologistes et d’écologues.Découvrez une étude approfondie de l’état du discours sur la biodiversité, qui rassemble les compétences de philosophes, de biologistes et d’écologues.EXTRAITIl en résulte que les concepts de diversité et d’équitabilité ne contiennent pas d’information sur l’abondance absolue des espèces et sont moins liés qu’on ne le pense a priori avec une des raisons qui a promu l’émergence du terme biodiversité, à savoir la conservation des espèces : en effet, la viabilité d’une espèce – ou son contraire, sa probabilité d’extinction – est bien davantage liée à l’évolution de son abondance absolue qu’à celle de son abondance relative. Ce constat explique le paradoxe selon lequel les outils utilisés concrètement pour analyser les données de biodiversité n’utilisent pas directement les concepts de diversité et d’équitabilité tels que nous les avons introduits. À PROPOS DES AUTEURSElena Casetta est chercheuse postdoctorale au Centre de philosophie des sciences de l’Université de Lisbonne et membre du Laboratoire d’ontologie de l’Université de Turin. Ses recherches portent sur la philosophie et les politiques de la biodiversité, la nature des espèces et les théories des genres naturels mais également sur le lien entre sexe et genre sexuel. Julien Delors est maître de conférence en histoire et philosophie des sciences à l’université de Bretagne occidentale, Brest. Sous leur direction, plusieurs auteurs ont contribué à la rédaction de La biodiversité en question : Anouk Barberousse, Patrick Blandin, Denis Couvet, Vincent Devictor, Jean Gayon, Frédéric Gosselin, Philippe Huneman, Christian Lévêque, Yves Meinard, Julien Mestrallet, Sarah Samadi et Jean-Christophe Vandevelde.

La philosophie de la nature (2)

Science & Nature

Cet ouvrage est une réédition numérique d’un livre paru au XXe siècle, désormais indisponible dans son format d’origine.

Algorithmes : la bombe à retardement

Science & Nature

Qui choisit votre université ? Qui vous accorde un crédit, une assurance, et sélectionne vos professeurs ? Qui influence votre vote aux élections ? Ce sont des formules mathématiques.Ancienne analyste à Wall Street devenue une figure majeure de la lutte contre les dérives des algorithmes, Cathy O'Neil dévoile ces " armes de destruction mathématiques " qui se développent grâce à l'ultra-connexion et leur puissance de calcul exponentielle. Brillante mathématicienne, elle explique avec une simplicité percutante comment les algorithmes font le jeu du profit.Cet ouvrage fait le tour du monde depuis sa parution. Il explore des domaines aussi variés que l'emploi, l'éducation, la politique, nos habitudes de consommation. Nous ne pouvons plus ignorer les dérives croissantes d'une industrie des données qui favorise les inégalités et continue d'échapper à tout contrôle. Voulons-nous que ces formules mathématiques décident à notre place ? C'est un débat essentiel, au cœur de la démocratie.

The End of the Long Summer

Science & Nature

For the past twelve thousand years, Earth’s stable climate has allowed human civilization to flourish. But this long benign summer is an anomaly in the Earth’s history and one that is rapidly coming to a close. The radical experiment of our modern industrial civilization is now disrupting our planet’s very metabolism; our future hinges in large part on how Earth responds. Climate change is already bearing down, hitting harder and faster than expected. The greatest danger is not extreme yet discrete weather events, such as Hurricane Katrina or the calamitous wildfires that now plague California, but profound and systemic disruptions on a global scale. Contrary to the pervasive belief that climate change will be a gradual escalator ride into balmier temperatures, the Earth’s climate system has a history of radical shifts–dramatic shocks that could lead to the collapse of social and economic systems. The question is no longer simply how can we stop climate change, but how can we as a civilization survive it.The guiding values of modern culture have become dangerously obsolete in this new era. Yet as renowned environmental journalist Dianne Dumanoski shows, little has been done to avert the crisis or to prepare human societies for a time of growing instability. In a work of astonishing scope, Dumanoski deftly weaves history, science, and culture to show how the fundamental doctrines of modern society have impeded our ability to respond to this crisis and have fostered an economic globalization that is only increasing our vulnerability at this critical time. She exposes the fallacy of banking on a last-minute technological fix as well as the perilous trap of believing that humans can succeed in the quest to control nature. Only by restructuring our global civilization based on the principles that have allowed Earth’s life and our ancestors to survive catastrophe——diversity, redundancy, a degree of self-sufficiency, social solidarity, and an aversion to excessive integration——can we restore the flexibility needed to weather the trials ahead. In this powerful and prescient book, Dumanoski moves beyond now-ubiquitous environmental buzzwords about green industries and clean energy to provide a new cultural map through this dangerous passage. Though the message is grave, it is not without hope. Lucid, eloquent, and urgent, The End of the Long Summer deserves a place alongside transformative works such as Silent Spring and The Fate of the Earth.

Marte. L'ultima frontiera

Science & Nature

Pochi secoli fa Marte era solo un minuscolo punto di luce sopra le nostre teste, poco più di un'idea; negli ultimi cinquant'anni gli uomini ne hanno setacciato la superficie e il sottosuolo attraverso telescopi, sonde, satelliti, lander e rover spaziali, una corsa all'esplorazione senza precedenti.Perché proprio Marte? Perché un pianeta dove non piove da due miliardi di anni, dove non esistono fiumi, laghi e oceani, la cui superficie desertica è rotta da spaccature profonde come abissi, ricoperta da una sabbia finissima che si solleva in vasti mulinelli nella sottile atmosfera color bronzo?In un tempo che non appartiene alla memoria dell'uomo Marte somigliava molto di più alla Terra, poi, tra i tre miliardi e mezzo e quattro miliardi di anni fa, i loro destini hanno imboccato strade diverse. È forse questa la chiave dell'attrazione che il pianeta rosso ha esercitato sulle menti e le fantasie degli uomini.La storia di Marte e delle sue esplorazioni - scrive Sarah Stewart Johnson, giovane e talentuosa planetologa dell'Università di Georgetown - è strettamente legata a quella della Terra: trovare risposte agli enigmi che si annidano nel suo passato significa gettare uno sguardo sul futuro del nostro pianeta. «Marte è stato il nostro specchio, un riflesso rivelatore di ciò che albergava nel profondo dei nostri cuori, vi abbiamo visto un'utopia, un territorio inesplorato, un santuario, un oracolo.»

Niets

Science & Nature

Wat is 'niets'? Wat blijft er over als je alle materie weghaalt? Kan leegte bestaan? Dit 'Elementaire Deeltje' verkent de wetenschap en de geschiedenis van begrippen als leegte, ruimte en vacuüm: van Aristoteles die volhield dat het vacuüm niet mogelijk was, via theorieën van Newton en Einstein, naar onze laatste ontdekkingen in deeltjesversnellers. Het laat zien dat vacuüm helemaal niet leeg is, dat het vol is met deeltjes die spontaan ontstaan, wat aanwijzingen oplevert over hoe het heelal is ontstaan. Zou er niets bestaan als er niemand is om het waar te nemen? Waar kwam alles vandaan? Wat ligt er buiten het heelal? Frank Close behandelt deze en andere fascinerende vragen op een levendige en aansprekende wijze.

Chiral Organic Pollutants

Science & Nature

Chiral Organic Pollutants introduces readers to the growing challenges of chirality in synthetic chemicals. In this volume, contributors brilliantly summarize the characteristics of chiral pollutants to provide tools and techniques for effectively assessing their environmental and human health risks. Chapters cover recent research on the physicochemical properties, sources, exposure pathways, environmental fate, toxicity, and enantioselective analysis of chiral organic pollutants. Chiral Organic Pollutants also provides comprehensive discussions on the current trends in the synthesis and legislation of chiral chemicals.Key Features: Includes sampling and analytical methods for the enantioselective analysis of a wide array of chiral organic pollutants in food and the environment Summarizes recent research on the sources, fate, transport, and toxicity of chiral organic pollutants in the environment Critically examines the sources and pathways of chiral organic pollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and flame retardants in food Includes a comprehensive discussion on current trends in the enantioselective synthesis and chiral switching of pesticides and pharmaceuticals Provides analysis of current national and international regulations of chiral synthetic chemicals The use of chiral synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and halogenated flame retardants has significantly grown in the past 60 years. Hence, understanding the human and environmental health effects of chiral organic pollutants is crucial in the industry, academia, and policymaking. Chiral Organic Pollutants is an excellent textbook and reference for students, scientists, engineers, and policymakers interested in food quality, environmental pollution, chemical analysis, organic synthesis, and toxicology.Also available in the Food Analysis and Properties Series:Analysis of Nanoplastics and Microplastics in Food, edited by Leo. M.L. Nollet and Khwaja Salahuddin Siddiqi (ISBN: 9781138600188)Proteomics for Food Authentication, edited by Leo M.L. Nollet, and Semih Ötleş (ISBN: 9780367205058)Mass Spectrometry Imaging in Food Analysis, edited by Leo M.L. Nollet (ISBN: 9781138370692)For a complete list of books in this series, please visit our website at:www.crcpress.com/Food-Analysis--Properties/book-series/CRCFOODANPRO

Astronomical Instruments

Science & Nature

Astronomical Instruments unveils the sophisticated technology that enables us to explore the cosmos from Earth, focusing on how advancements directly correlate with our evolving understanding of the universe. The book explores the evolution of telescopes, space-based observatories, and data processing techniques, which are critical for groundbreaking astronomical discoveries. Discover how early astronomers overcame limitations using refined optics and mechanics, paving the way for today's massive ground-based telescopes.This book uniquely emphasizes the engineering challenges and technological innovations driving progress in astronomy, rather than focusing on specific scientific findings. It traces the journey from traditional ground-based telescopes using visible light to the deployment of advanced space probes, showcasing the advantages of observing from space.It also highlights the pivotal role of data processing in analyzing astronomical data, such as image processing and spectral analysis, which are crucial for uncovering exoplanets and studying distant galaxies. The book begins with fundamental principles, progresses through the development of various telescopes and adaptive optics, dedicates a significant portion to space-based observatories like the Hubble and James Webb, and concludes with data processing techniques.By connecting physics, engineering, and computer science, Astronomical Instruments provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the tools behind our cosmic insights.

De la nuit des temps (1) : Les cahiers de cours de Moïse

Science & Nature

Jean Sendy. « Né en 1910, après avoir fait mes études secondaires à Paris, je me suis lancé dans l’aventure de l’étudiant perpétuel picorant parmi les disciplines les plus diverses. « Stagiaire de banque, employé à la construction d’une raffinerie de pétrole, journaliste, puis traducteur de romans policiers, j’ai fini par trouver dans le sous-titrage de films une profession suffisamment libérale pour m’assurer, outre le pain, la liberté. « Les Cahiers de Cours de Moïse sont le fruit d’idées personnelles assez anciennes, dont cinq à six ans de flâneries entre bibliothèques et brouillons m’ont permis de tenter une mise au net. « Signe particulier : j’ai horreur de parler de moi-même à la troisième personne. »

Speed

Science & Nature

A data-driven, scientific account of our need for speed—exploring a wide range of topics including evolution, transportation, and technologyIn a world obsessed with efficiency, perhaps nothing is valued as highly as being fast. Some of our greatest achievements include building planes that break the sound barrier and creating computers that process data at the touch of a button. With signature clarity, Smil offers accessible explanations of every major speed category, from wind erosion to hunting cheetahs, from Boeing 747s to America’s war time industrial mobilization to the speed of global energy decarbonization.But as Smil argues in this paradigm-shifting book, speed isn’t just a metric to optimize. In Speed, Smil expands on our traditional, human-centric understanding of speed to explore phenomena of space and time, evolution, and human achievement. What was the speed of planet formation? Of the development of different life forms? What happened in the collision of humans and the limits of natural speed, and what has emerged from our incessant desire to push those boundaries?Lauded for his“compelling, fascinating, realistic” (Steven Pinker) portraits of the modern world, Smil knows that we can’t, won’t, and shouldn’t abandon our collective need for speed. But as good devotees of speed’s eminence, we must understand it, its value, and its cost. Rich in historical and contemporary data, Bill Gates’s favorite scientist’s latest work is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary guidebook for science readers living in the fast lane.

The Science of History in Victorian Britain

Science & Nature

New attitudes towards history in nineteenth-century Britain saw a rejection of romantic, literary techniques in favour of a professionalized, scientific methodology. The development of history as a scientific discipline was undertaken by several key historians of the Victorian period, influenced by German scientific history and British natural philosophy. This study examines parallels between the professionalization of both history and science at the time, which have previously been overlooked.Hesketh challenges accepted notions of a single scientific approach to history. Instead, he draws on a variety of sources—monographs, lectures, correspondence—from eminent Victorian historians to uncover numerous competing discourses.

GM-Crop Cultivation – Ecological Effects On a Landscape Scale

Science & Nature

After two successful meetings on the ecological implications of GM-crop cultivation in 2008 and 2010, the authors felt encouraged to carry out a follow-up conference in 2012. GMLS III highlights recent scientific developments in the analysis of risks in the agricultural use of genetically modified plants. While in some countries a GM-based agriculture has been largely established, other regions of the world continue cultivation of conventional varieties only. This acknowledges a persistent reservation of the public towards GMO products. The overall need of an emphasis in independent studies becomes continuously more obvious. Experts from Europe, United States, Ghana and Argentina report their scientific results and experience with ecological, socio-economical and administrative implications.

Armageddon Science

Science & Nature

An exploration of the terrifying threats to our world that fill today's headlines: from global warming epidemic to the threat of nuclear weapons and the risk posed by the leading edge devices like the Large Hadron Collider. Armageddon Science by Brian Clegg is everything you want to know about potential man-made disaster. Climate change. Nuclear devastation. Bio-hazards. The Large Hadron Collider. What do these things have in common? They all have the potential to end our world. Every great scientific creation of man is balanced by an equal amount of danger—as there's no progress without risk. Armageddon Science is an authoritative look at the real "mad science" at work today, that recklessly puts life on Earth at risk for the pursuit of knowledge and personal gain. This book explores the reality of the dangers that science poses to the human race, from the classic fear of nuclear destruction to the latest possibilities for annihilation. Combining the science behind those threats with an understanding of the real people responsible as well as providing an assessment of the likelihood of the end of the world, this isn't a disaster movie, it's Armageddon Science.

Coil tubing unit for oil production and remedial measures

Science & Nature

Well activation is one of the most important aspects in the oil and gas industries and nitrogen gas is predominately used. The gas, being light, is sent down the producing reservoir which will enhance the production or improve the flow of crude oil. In addition to the methods used to increase production there are several problems like sand production and water production from the producing wells.Sand production occurs when the destabilizing stresses at the formation face exceed the strength of the natural arching tendencies and/or grain-to-grain cementation strength. Ideally, during oil production, the formation should be porous, permeable and well consolidated through which hydrocarbons can easily flow into the production wells. But sometimes, especially during production from unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs, the produced hydrocarbons may also carry large amounts of sand into the well bore and sand entering production wells is one of the oldest problems faced by oil companies and one of the toughest to solve. These unconsolidated formations may not restrain grain movement, and produce sand along with the fluids especially at high rates.Water production is also a problem that many reservoir or production engineers face in day-to-day life. As engineers we should be able to decide whether water control solutions should be applied or not. The excess production of water is caused by the depletion of the reservoir and simply sweeps away most of the oil that the reservoir can produce.This book gives an information how well activation using nitrogen is carried out, and how sand control and water control issues can be resolved.

The Future of Telecommunications Industries

Science & Nature

Communication is a crucial basis for the development of each individual’s social identity as well as for intellectual and commercial exchange and economic development. Therefore, the question is not whether telecommunications industries have a future but what kind of future old and new players will have, given the dynamic changes in technologies and markets with various opportunities, challenges, and discontinuities. This book contains the results of a Transatlantic Symposium organized by the MÜNCHNER KREIS and supported by Georgetown University and its BMW Center for German and European Studies. The symposium combined perspectives from industrial practice and academic research originating from North America and Europe. Key issues were the technological drivers of change, changing market structures and business models, and the nature of future regulation on telecom markets.

How to Get Your PhD

Science & Nature

A unique take on how to survive and thrive in the process your PhD, this is a book that stands out from the crowd of traditional PhD guides. Compiled by a leading UK researcher, and written in a highly personal one-to-one manner, How to Get Your PhD showcases the thoughts of diverse and distinguished minds hailing from the UK, EU, and beyond, spanning both academia and industry. With over 150 bitesize nuggets of actionable advice, it offers more detailed contributions covering topics such as career planning, professional development, diversity and inclusion in science, and the nature of risk in research. How to Get Your PhD: A Handbook for the Journey is as readable for people considering a PhD as it is for those in the middle of one: aiming to clarify the highs and lows that come when training in the profession of research, while providing tips & tricks for the journey. This concise yet complete guide allows students to “dip in” and read just what they need, rather than adding to the mountain of reading material they already have.

Second-Order Consensus of Continuous-Time Multi-Agent Systems

Science & Nature

Second-Order Consensus of Continuous-Time Multi-Agent Systems focuses on the characteristics and features of second-order agents, communication networks, and control protocols/algorithms in continuous consensus of multi-agent systems. The book provides readers with background on consensus control of multi-agent systems and introduces the intrinsic characteristics of second-order agents' behavior, including the development of continuous control protocols/algorithms over various types of underlying communication networks, as well as the implementation of computation- and communication-efficient strategies in the execution of protocols/algorithms. The book's authors also provide coverage of the frameworks of stability analysis, algebraic criteria and performance evaluation. On this basis, the book provides an in-depth study of intrinsic nonlinear dynamics from agents' perspective, coverage of unbalanced directed topology, random switching topology, event-triggered communication, and random link failure, from a communication networks' perspective, as well as leader-following control, finite-time control, and global consensus control, from a protocols/algorithms' perspective. Finally, simulation results including practical application examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and the practicability of the control protocols and algorithms proposed in this book. - Introduces the latest and most advanced protocols and algorithms in second-order consensus of continuous time, multi-agent systems with various characteristics - Provides readers with in-depth methods on how to construct the frameworks of stability analysis, algebraic criteria, and performance evaluation, thus helping users develop novel consensus control methods - Includes systematic introductions and detailed implementations on how control protocols and algorithms solve problems in real world, second-order, multi-agent systems, including solutions for engineers in related fields

Chaos in Electric Drive Systems

Science & Nature

In Chaos in Electric Drive Systems: Analysis, Control and Application authors Chau and Wang systematically introduce an emerging technology of electrical engineering that bridges abstract chaos theory and practical electric drives. The authors consolidate all important information in this interdisciplinary technology, including the fundamental concepts, mathematical modeling, theoretical analysis, computer simulation, and hardware implementation. The book provides comprehensive coverage of chaos in electric drive systems with three main parts: analysis, control and application. Corresponding drive systems range from the simplest to the latest types: DC, induction, synchronous reluctance, switched reluctance, and permanent magnet brushless drives. The first book to comprehensively treat chaos in electric drive systems Reviews chaos in various electrical engineering technologies and drive systems Presents innovative approaches to stabilize and stimulate chaos in typical drives Discusses practical application of chaos stabilization, chaotic modulation and chaotic motion Authored by well-known scientists in the field Lecture materials available from the book's companion website This book is ideal for researchers and graduate students who specialize in electric drives, mechatronics, and electric machinery, as well as those enrolled in classes covering advanced topics in electric drives and control. Engineers and product designers in industrial electronics, consumer electronics, electric appliances and electric vehicles will also find this book helpful in applying these emerging techniques.Lecture materials for instructors available at www.wiley.com/go/chau_chaos

RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR

Science & Nature

“Every day is an anxiety in my ways of getting to the water. . . . I’ve become so attuned to it, so scared of it, so in love with it that sometimes I can only think by the sea. It is the only place I feel at home.” Many of us visit the sea. Admire it. Even profess to love it. But very few of us live it. Philip Hoare does. He swims in the sea every day, either off the coast of his native Southampton or his adopted Cape Cod. He watches its daily and seasonal changes. He collects and communes with the wrack—both dead and never living—that it throws up on the shingle. He thinks with, at, through the sea. All of which should prepare readers: RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR is no ordinary book. It mounts no straight-ahead argument. It hews to no single genre. Instead, like the sea itself, it moves, flows, absorbs, transforms. In its pages we find passages of beautiful nature and travel writing, lyrical memoir, seams of American and English history and much more. We find Thoreau and Melville, Bowie and Byron, John Waters and Virginia Woolf, all linked through a certain refusal to be contained, to be strictly defined—an openness to discovery and change. Running throughout is an air of elegy, a reminder that the sea is an ending, a repository of lost ships, lost people, lost ways of being. It is where we came from; for Hoare, it is where he is going. “Every swim is a little death,” Hoare writes, “but it is also a reminder that you are alive.” Few books have ever made that knife’s edge so palpable. Read RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAR. Let it settle into the seabed of your soul. You’ll never forget it.

The Unfinished Game

Science & Nature

In the early seventeenth century, the outcome of something as simple as a dice roll was consigned to the realm of unknowable chance. Mathematicians largely agreed that it was impossible to predict the probability of an occurrence. Then, in 1654, Blaise Pascal wrote to Pierre de Fermat explaining that he had discovered how to calculate risk. The two collaborated to develop what is now known as probability theory -- a concept that allows us to think rationally about decisions and events. In The Unfinished Game, Keith Devlin masterfully chronicles Pascal and Fermat's mathematical breakthrough, connecting a centuries-old discovery with its remarkable impact on the modern world.

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