Science & Nature - Books

Castalia: The Citadel of Reason

Science & Nature

Dante placed the great geniuses of the pagan world, such as Plato and Aristotle, in Limbo, the first circle of Hell. They were not punished or tortured. Instead, they lived in a magnificent citadel of reason located in an idyllic valley with a beautiful meadow at its center. The light of their inner genius cast an enchanting glow over their world. We refer to this pagan citadel of rationalism as Castalia, or Logopolis, or the City of the Higher Sun, or Hyperborea. Are you a natural-born Castalian, or does reason nauseate you?

Mehr als nur Atome

Science & Nature

Das neue Buch der renommierten Physikerin und Autorin ("Das hässliche Universum") erklärt unterhaltsam und anschaulich, was die moderne Physik über die großen Fragen des Lebens sagen kannExistiert die Vergangenheit noch oder die Zukunft schon? Wie ist das Universum entstanden? Wie hört es auf? Wieso sind die Naturgesetze so und nicht anders? Kann Information aufhören zu existieren? Warum werden wir nicht jünger? Was sagt die Physik über den freien Willen? Physiker, so meint die Physikerin Sabine Hossenfelder, sind gut darin, schwierige Fragen zu beantworten, aber gar nicht gut darin, zu erklären, warum diese Bedeutung für uns alle haben. In ihrem neuen Buch unternimmt Sabine Hossenfelder genau das: Sie befasst sich mit den großen Fragen, die die moderne Physik aufwirft, und zeigt, was die Forschung zu diesen Fragen über unsere Existenz verrät: Ein so anregendes wie unterhaltsames Buch voller Denkanstöße, das anschaulich in die Welt kleinster Teilchen und überraschender Zusammenhänge einführt. Nominiert von "Bild der Wissenschaft" für das Wissensbuch des Jahres 2023"Ein kundiger und unterhaltsamer Leitfaden darüber, was die Wissenschaft uns sagen kann und was nicht." Wall Street JournalIhr Wissen teilt Sabine Hossenfelder ebenso auf ihrem (englischsprachigen) YouTube-Kanal und begeistert mit ihren Videos zu aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Themen bereits über 800.000 Abonnenten.

Plant Metal Interaction

Science & Nature

Plant Metal Interaction: Emerging Remediation Techniques covers different heavy metals and their effect on soils and plants, along with the remediation techniques currently available. As cultivable land is declining day-by-day as a result of increased metals in our soil and water, there is an urgent need to remediate these effects. This multi-contributed book is divided into four sections covering the whole of plant metal interactions, including heavy metals, approaches to alleviate heavy metal stress, microbial approaches to remove heavy metals, and phytoremediation.Provides an overview of the effect of different heavy metals on growth, biochemical reactions, and physiology of various plantsServes as a reference guide for available techniques, challenges, and possible solutions in heavy metal remediationCovers sustainable technologies in uptake and removal of heavy metals

Food Proteomics

Science & Nature

Food Proteomics: Technological Advances, Current Applications and Future Perspectives addresses many of the food proteomic issues in the industry today. Food proteomics continues to be an emerging field, becoming increasingly important in product innovation, food safety, food quality and health. The book is divided into sections describing the role of proteomics in the field of food science, conceptual background methodological aspects, and bioinformatic tools employed in the field. The book describes proteomic studies collected from the most relevant animal and vegetables species in food production and discusses important food challenges from a proteomic point-of-view. This is an essential and practical reference that provides analytical tools to help introduce technical innovations in the food industry with the latest scientific information useful and accessible to new researchers in the field as well as advanced. - Includes precise proteomic information on a specific category - Provides proteomic studies of the most common vegetable and animal species - Presents proteomic methodologies, including bioinformatics for effective analysis in food science - Discusses food challenges such as allergens, authentication and food safety

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things, Revised Edition

Science & Nature

“A science activity book “offering readers a chance to become real-life MacGyvers... [with] sections on gimmicks, gadgets and survival techniques. . . .” (Publishers Weekly) Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the $20 bill in your wallet is a fake? Or how to generate battery power with simple household items? Or how to create your own home security system? Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things and more than forty other handy gadgets and gizmos in Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun. You'll be seen as a superhero as you amaze your friends by: * Transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations. * Creating your own personalized electronic greeting cards. * Making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry. * Thwarting intruders with a single rubber band. By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you'll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes. Whether you use Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things as a practical tool to build useful devices, a fun little fantasy escape, or as a trivia guide to impress friends and family, this book is sure to be a reference favorite for years to come.

Enabling Methodologies for Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Science & Nature

This book aims to provide practical aspects of, and an introduction to, the applications of various technological advancement tools, such as AI, machine learning to design, big data, cloud computing, and IoT, to model, characterize, optimize, forecast, and do performance prediction of renewable energy exploitation. It further discusses new avenues for energy sources such as hydrogen energy generation and energy storage technologies including existing policies and case studies for a better understanding of renewable energy generation.Features:Covers technologies considered to explore, predict, and perform operation and maintenance of renewable energy sources Aids in the design and use of renewable energy sources, including the application of artificial intelligence in a real-time environment Includes IoT, cloud computing, big data, smart grid, and different optimization techniques for resource forecasting, installation, operation, and optimization of energy Discusses the principle of integration/hybridization of renewable energy sources along with their optimization based on energy requirements Reviews the concepts and challenges involved in the implementation of smart grids This book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in renewable energy engineering, computer and mechanical engineering, novel technologies, and intelligent systems.

Fusion Powered Spacecraft

Science & Nature

Fusion Powered Spacecraft explores the groundbreaking potential of fusion energy to revolutionize space travel. It argues that fusion propulsion, with its promise of higher specific impulse and thrust, could drastically reduce travel times to distant celestial bodies, making ambitious missions within our solar system and beyond feasible within a human lifetime. The book delves into the underlying physics of nuclear fusion, including different confinement methods like magnetic confinement, providing readers with a solid foundation before exploring its application to spacecraft. The book examines various fusion reactor designs optimized for space applications, addressing the challenges of containing fusion reactions in the harsh environment of space. A significant portion is dedicated to different types of fusion propulsion systems, such as direct fusion drive (DFD) and magnetic nozzles. By presenting data from simulations, experimental results, and conceptual designs, the book offers a comprehensive look at the practical hurdles and technological advancements needed to realize fusion-powered space travel. This book uniquely emphasizes the practical challenges and technological hurdles involved in realizing fusion propulsion, offering a realistic assessment of the current state of fusion technology. Progressing from fundamental principles to engineering complexities and operational considerations, Fusion Powered Spacecraft is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the future of space exploration and the potential of fusion technology to unlock interstellar journeys.

Beijing Model of Gifted Education and Talent Development

Science & Nature

In China, talent development has been one of the key areas of attention in national focus for the development of science and technology, education, and other areas over the past three decades, and it is especially emphasized in the national outline for medium- and long-term educational reform and development. Beijing is the leading city in educational reform, especially in the area of gifted education in mainland China. Over the past 35 years, through constant exploration and research, a comprehensive gifted education system called the Beijing Model of Gifted Education and Talent Development (BMGETD) has gradually been developed. This book presents a summary of the educational practices used in, and the research done on the BMGETD over these decades. This includes several patterns for gifted education, such as acceleration in special classes, special classes without acceleration, enrichment within regular classes, and a joint program among high schools, universities, and professional academic institutions.

Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens

Science & Nature

A Harvard psychiatrist, the author of A Prince of Our Disorder, presents accounts of alien abduction taken from the more than sixty cases he has investigated and examines the implications for our identity as a species.These mesmerizing and thought-provoking stories of alien encounters from a Harvard professor take you through actual case studies of people from all walks of life and ages who have had challenging, sometimes disturbing, and in every case, life changing experiences of alien abduction.“John Mack explores evidence of nonhuman intelligence like an attorney preparing for the ‘trial of the century’—interviewing witnesses, examining physical evidence, consulting with experts in related fields, constantly questioning his own assumptions…As a story of one man’s determination to bear witness to cosmic mysteries with extraordinary implications for the human future, Abduction is bound to become a modern classic” (Keith Thompson, author of Angels and Aliens)

Madri mostri macchine

Science & Nature

Disastri nucleari, biotecnologie, fecondazione assistita, cinema e letteratura di fantascienza punteggiano la costellazione di idee madri, mostri e macchine. Nell’universo scientifico e nell’immaginario culturale il corpo gravido e quello mostruoso si mescolano, restituendo una visione della corporeità femminile come qualcosa di affascinante e mortalmente temibile. Il fenomeno, che privilegia il deviante, il mutante e l’ibrido, sfida così le versioni più convenzionali dell’umano e riafferma il caposaldo del femminismo: la “differenza” come urgenza politica e filosofica.

Nobel and Lasker Laureates of Chinese Descent

Science & Nature

At the turn of the 20th century, the Boxer Uprising marked the culmination of a violent and tragic chapter in Chinese history. Out of the ashes of this calamity, scholarships funded by Boxer Indemnity and many others fostered some of the greatest minds in the Chinese modern era. This book celebrates notable luminary scholars of Chinese descent, with a special focus on 1 Wolf Prize, 4 Lasker, and 11 Nobel laureates spanning a wide range of disciplines in both literature and science. We visit the struggles of pioneers Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang as the first Chinese Nobel prize recipients for characterizing fundamental laws in elementary-particle physics. Their pioneering works have paved the way for many to follow. We chronicle the careers of more recent recipients, including Mo Yan and his celebration of peasant life in China through the lens of hallucinatory realism. We delve into the lives of these Laureates, witness the obstacles that they overcame, and testify to their lasting contributions to humankind. In recounting the intellectual struggles and triumphs of these pioneers of Chinese heritage, we hope to inspire the next generation of scholars in literature and science worldwide in the hope that they too might become laureates one day.

African Communitarianism and the Misanthropic Argument for Anti-Natalism

Science & Nature

"Dr Lougheed's book is a brave attempt at finding some justification for anti-natalism within the context of African communitarianism. His attempt will surely elicit a lot of debate from African philosophers."—Dr Aribiah David Attoe, University of the WitwatersrandAnti-natalism is the provocative view that it is either always or almost always all-things-considered wrong to procreate. Philanthropic anti-natalist arguments say that procreation is always impermissible because of the harm done to individuals who are brought into existence. Misanthropic arguments, on the other hand, hold that procreation is usually impermissible given the harm that individuals will do once brought into existence. The main purpose of this short monograph is to demonstrate that David Benatar’s misanthropic argument for anti-natalism ought to be endorsed by any version of African Communitarianism. Not only that, but there are also resources in the African philosophical tradition that offer unique support for the argument. Given the emphasis that indigenous African worldviews place on the importance of procreation and the immediate family unit this result is highly surprising. This book marks the first attempt to bring anti-natalism into conversation with contemporary African ethics.Kirk Lougheed is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Faith and Human Flourishing at LCC International University. He is also a Research Associate at the University of Pretoria.

Petite astronomie descriptive

Science & Nature

Avant de tourner nos yeux vers le ciel, de contempler le soleil, la lune, les étoiles, occupons-nous de la terre, notre séjour.« La terre est ronde. » Voilà ce qu’on vous a appris et fait répéter au commencement de votre Géographie. Mais ce n’eût pas été assez dire : car une chose peut être à la fois ronde et plate, comme un plateau, le fond d’une assiette, une pièce de monnaie ; on a donc ajouté « ronde comme une boule, comme un globe ».Fruit d’une sélection réalisée au sein des fonds de la Bibliothèque nationale de France, Collection XIX a pour ambition de faire découvrir des textes classiques et moins classiques dans les meilleures éditions du XIXe siècle.

The Economics of Climate Change

Science & Nature

There is now clear scientific evidence that emissions from economic activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels for energy, are causing changes to the Earth´s climate. A sound understanding of the economics of climate change is needed in order to underpin an effective global response to this challenge. The Stern Review is an independent, rigourous and comprehensive analysis of the economic aspects of this crucial issue. It has been conducted by Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the UK Government Economic Service, and a former Chief Economist of the World Bank. The Economics of Climate Change will be invaluable for all students of the economics and policy implications of climate change, and economists, scientists and policy makers involved in all aspects of climate change.

Das größte Abenteuer der Menschheit

Science & Nature

Die Entschlüsselung des Universums ist das größte Abenteuer der MenschheitWarum sind wir hier? Diese Frage steht hinter dem jahrtausendealten Versuch der Menschen, die Welt, in der wir leben, zu begreifen. Lawrence Krauss, einer der bekanntesten Astrophysiker der Gegenwart, erzählt die Geschichte dieses größten geistigen Abenteuers der Menschheit: Schritt für Schritt zu entschlüsseln, wie das Universum entstanden ist, woraus es besteht, wie es funktioniert und welche Rolle wir darin spielen, kurz, die Entdeckung der verborgenen Welt hinter der wahrnehmbaren Realität im Großen wie im Kleinen. Packend und anschaulich schildert er die Entwicklung der wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse bis hin zu dem faszinierenden Bild, das die Physik unserer Zeit von den rätselhaften Strukturen und Kräften des Universums zeichnet.

El hombre imposible

Science & Nature

La historia del hombre que llevó la física a sus límites... y a los suyos propios. Una vida de descubrimiento, genialidad y aislamiento.Roger Penrose, uno de los grandes genios que nos ha dado el siglo XX, revolucionó nuestra comprensión del espacio, el tiempo y los agujeros negros. Premio Nobel de Física, colaborador de Stephen Hawking y creador de algunas de las teorías más audaces y controvertidas sobre el universo, Penrose ha sido una figura clave en la ciencia contemporánea. Sin embargo, su genialidad vino acompañada de una gran dificultad para conectar con otras personas.El hombre imposible es la primera biografía completa y profundamente humana de Penrose. A lo largo de estas páginas, el periodista científico Patchen Barss narra, con precisión y empatía, los grandes hitos científicos y las múltiples paradojas personales de un hombre que vivió a caballo entre la matemática trascendente y el desconcierto emocional. Desde su infancia marcada por la frialdad paterna hasta sus ideas visionarias sobre el universo y la conciencia, este retrato revela el precio —a menudo muy alto— de una vida dedicada por entero al pensamiento.

The Computational Mechanics of Bone Tissue

Science & Nature

This book offers a timely snapshot of computational methods applied to the study of bone tissue. The bone, a living tissue undergoing constant changes, responds to chemical and mechanical stimuli in order to maximize its mechanical performance. Merging perspectives from the biomedical and the engineering science fields, the book offers some insights into the overall behavior of this complex biological tissue. It covers three main areas: biological characterization of bone tissue, bone remodeling algorithms, and numerical simulation of bone tissue and adjacent structures. Written by clinicians and researchers, and including both review chapters and original research, the book offers an overview of the state-of-the-art in computational mechanics of bone tissue, as well as a good balance of biological and engineering methods for bone tissue analysis. An up-to-date resource for mechanical and biomedical engineers seeking new ideas, it also promotes interdisciplinary collaborations to advance research in the field.

Chaotic Systems with Multiscroll Attractors

Science & Nature

This book summarizes the research progress and results, presenting the theoretical foundations, generation methods, circuit implementations, and practical applications of chaotic circuits and systems with various multiscroll attractors. It is a festive exploration in chaos theory and technology, with valuable knowledge and information useful for future development.

Complex Networks & Their Applications XIV

Science & Nature

This book highlights cutting-edge research in the field of network science, offering scientists, researchers, students and practitioners a unique update on the latest advances in theory and a multitude of applications. It presents the peer-reviewed proceedings of the XIV International Conference on Complex Networks and their Applications (COMPLEX NETWORKS 2025). The carefully selected papers cover a wide range of theoretical topics such as network embedding and network geometry; community structure, network dynamics; diffusion, epidemics and spreading processes; machine learning and graph neural networks as well as all the main network applications, including social and political networks; networks in finance and economics; biological networks and technological networks.

The Fate of the World

Science & Nature

Why past climate change tells us it's almost too late. A warning and a rallying-cry.'Read it and weep, or read it and win' Chris PackhamWhy winding the clock back 50 million years is a bad ideaThe Fate of the World is a 4.6 billion-year history of the earth, which shows the deep roots of our current climate crisis. It puts contemporary global heating in the context of millennia of global history to seek out what past climate change can tell us about our future climate. It shows how what’s happening to our climate now compares with what happened in the geological past.McGuire reveals that our climate already matches that of the last interglacial period – the Eemian – when sea levels were 6 to 9m higher, and is on track to mimic the Pliocene climate as soon as the 2030s, and the early Eocene hothouse later this century. We are rapidly rewinding the climate back 50 million years in a couple of centuries – and without urgent preparation, our civilization is very poorly placed to survive.Nonetheless, this is a hopeful book. The geological record informs us that the future will be forbidding, but every ton of carbon we can stop being emitted and every fraction of a degree temperature rise we can prevent, will contribute towards making it less so.If you read just one book on the climate crisis, make it this one.About the authorBill McGuire is Professor Emeritus of Geophysical and Climate Hazards at University College London, a co-director of the New Weather Institute, and a patron of Scientists for Global Responsibility. He was a member of SAGE, the Science Advisory Group in Emergencies. He was also a member of the UK Government Natural Hazard Working Group. He lives in the Peak District.

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