Science & Nature - Books

The Rhythms Of Life

Science & Nature

Popular science at its most exciting: the breaking new world of chronobiology - understanding the rhythm of life in humans and all plants and animals. The entire natural world is full of rhythms. The early bird catches the worm -and migrates to an internal calendar. Dormice hibernate away the winter. Plants open and close their flowers at the same hour each day. Bees search out nectar-rich flowers day after day. There are cicadas that can breed for only two weeks every 17 years. And in humans: why are people who work anti-social shifts more illness prone and die younger? What is jet-lag and can anything help? Why do teenagers refuse to get up in the morning, and are the rest of us really 'larks' or 'owls'? Why are most people born (and die) between 3am-5am? And should patients be given medicines (and operations) at set times of day, because the body reacts so differently in the morning, evening and at night? The answers lie in our biological clocks the mechanisms which give order to all living things. They impose a structure that enables us to change our behaviour in relation to the time of day, month or year. They are reset at sunrise and sunset each day to link astronomical time with an organism's internal time.

Valorization of Solid Wastes to Biofuels and Chemical Products for Sustainable World

Science & Nature

This book delves into the critical intersection of waste management, bioenergy production, and the pursuit of a sustainable global future through the process of valorization. Waste valorization is the process of reusing, recycling, or composting waste materials and converting them into more useful products, including materials, chemicals, fuels, or other sources of energy. The urgent environmental issues surrounding the increasing accumulation of solid waste and the necessity to shift towards cleaner energy sources have led to a thorough investigation into the conversion of solid waste into biofuels and valuable chemical products. This book compiles different dimensions of waste valuation for the sustainable environment, including a comprehensive description of the complex chemical composition of various types of municipal, agricultural, and industrial solid wastes, their potential as feedstock, their environmental impact, and conversion technologies. The book also covers challenges associated with waste management and green production technology for biofuel and chemicals from these wastes. The focus extends to evaluating the feasibility of these strategies on a large scale, assessing their economic viability, addressing challenges encountered in their implementation, and offering insights into the prospects of these innovative approaches. It further elucidates the life cycle assessment of the valorization of different waste types for biofuels and chemicals and the contribution of these wastes to the circular economy. The book examines cutting-edge technologies and methodologies for converting solid waste materials into biofuels, such as biodiesel, bioethanol, and biogas, and valuable chemical products along with each deterring factor, commercial feasibility, future perspective, economics, its environmental impact, and integral management policy. This book serves as a guide for students, academics, researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals interested in the innovative and sustainable utilization of solid waste for the betterment of the environment and society.

Philosophie des sciences biologiques et médicales

Science & Nature

« Il faut transporter la philosophie dans la médecine et la médecine dans la philosophie », lit-on dans un traité de la collection hippocratique. Transporter la philosophie dans la médecine signifie faire sortir la médecine de l’empirisme, la rendre rationnelle et scientifique. Transporter la médecine dans la philosophie : la médecine naît d’une demande de soin. Il n’y a pas un gouffre entre ce qui est (le réel) et ce qui doit être (l’idéal) : ce qui est, le nouveau-né qui crie, appelle ce qui doit être. Répondre à la demande de soins par une médecine rationnelle, responsable, c’est adopter une position philosophique. Être médecin n’est pas neutre philosophiquement. La philosophie implicite de l’acte médical peut se résumer en trois affirmations : (1) il y a du mal (toute une métaphysique) ; (2) il faut y porter remède (toute une morale) ; (3) les efforts pour y porter remède sont dérisoires (ironie socratique), mais cela n’empêche pas de les continuer, pour l’honneur.

The Quantum World

Science & Nature

As Kenneth W. Ford shows us in The Quantum World, the laws governing the very small and the very swift defy common sense and stretch our minds to the limit. Drawing on a deep familiarity with the discoveries of the twentieth century, Ford gives an appealing account of quantum physics that will help the serious reader make sense of a science that, for all its successes, remains mysterious. In order to make the book even more suitable for classroom use, the author, assisted by Diane Goldstein, has included a new section of Quantum Questions at the back of the book. A separate answer manual to these 300+ questions is available; visit The Quantum World website for ordering information.There is also a cloth edition of this book, which does not include the "Quantum Questions" included in this paperback edition.

Technological Innovation Across Nations

Science & Nature

The book offers an interesting blend of applied state-of-the-art studies of coevolutionary development of institutions, innovation diffusion and innovative entrepreneurship, not published anywhere else. It can firstly be classified as belonging to mainstream endogenous growth studies on the country level, and secondly, to mainstream evolutionary studies. What the themes in the book share is attention for institutional change in a frame of coevolutionary dynamics to elucidate differences over time and differences between countries in technological innovation and economic growth. The book contains solid applied work in this area and is mainly about information technology and electronics industry (for example, PC manufacturing); however, biotechnology is also included. In addition, the book has a wide geographic scope including a focus on the US, China, Japan, India and the Netherlands, as well as many cross-country comparisons. Part I (Adoption of Information Technology in National Institutional Systems) presents studies of historical development trajectories and/or country specific institutional circumstances of innovation diffusion. Part II (Institutional Systems, Entrepreneurship, Knowledge Transfer and Learning) is devoted to the development of institutions, and policies and practice of technology transfer and utilization by companies, including an evolutionary growth path of technology incubators.

The Source of Everything

Science & Nature

Dont you find it amazing how we, the human race, have been able to measure the depths of the deepest places on Earth and send a man to the moon? We have been able to crack the very codes of the atom, and we have sent rovers to other planets. Best of all, we strive to go even further than all of that.However, as advanced as we are becoming, there is still one question that seems to puzzle us. Its the question that divides scientists and society as well. Indeed, where did we, along with the universe, come from? Did we come from nothing that exploded or something supernatural that we have never seen?Bias aside, the answer is quite simple. Many people have disregarded the truth for their own propaganda, and these false conclusions have slowed down the progress of society. It is a shame, but today you will see for yourself that you are more than just a pawn in societys chess game. You will find that the answer lies within the glorious skies above and that they are not silent.

Fundamentals of Enzyme Kinetics

Science & Nature

Now in its fourth edition, this textbook is one of the few titles worldwide to cover enzyme kinetics in its entire scope and the only one to include its implications for bioinformatics and systems biology. Multi-enzyme complexes and cooperativity are therefore treated in more detail than in any other textbook on the market. The respected and well known author is one of the most experienced researchers into the topic and writes with outstanding style and didactic clarity. As with the previous editions, he presents here steady-state kinetics and fast reactions, supplementing each chapter with problems and solutions. For the first time, this edition features a companion website providing all figures in colour www.wiley-vch.de/home/fundenzykinet

Energy Future

Science & Nature

"Energy Future" explores humanity's quest to transition away from fossil fuels by examining both the potential and limitations of current and next-generation energy technologies. It highlights that while renewable energy sources like solar and wind are crucial, they face challenges such as scalability and intermittency. The book then delves into more unconventional solutions, including the intriguing possibility of space-based solar power and the promise of fusion power, which could revolutionize energy production if commercially viable reactors are achieved.The book emphasizes a diversified approach to achieving a sustainable energy future, blending improvements in existing renewable technologies with the aggressive development of new energy sources. It acknowledges the environmental impact of current energy consumption and advocates for a balanced and pragmatic strategy."Energy Future" begins by outlining the current global energy landscape, then progresses to analyzing existing renewable technologies and next-generation solutions, before integrating these approaches into a cohesive strategy for a sustainable future. This book distinguishes itself by providing a balanced and objective assessment of various energy technologies, avoiding advocacy for a single solution and instead offering a comprehensive overview of available options. By presenting both the strengths and weaknesses of each technology, "Energy Future" empowers readers to form their own informed opinions about the path forward in the global energy landscape and sustainable energy.

Superhuman Science

Science & Nature

Superhuman Science explores the fascinating reality behind abilities once thought to be confined to comic books. Delving into advanced materials science, biomechanics, genetic engineering, and neurotechnology, the book reveals how invisibility, enhanced strength, and mind-controlled devices are gradually transitioning from fiction to potential fact. One intriguing insight is the development of metamaterials, which bend light to render objects seemingly invisible, impacting fields from military camouflage to medical imaging.The book meticulously examines each "superpower" by tracing its scientific roots and current advancements. Beginning with fundamental principles, it progresses through the development of invisibility cloaks, explores genetic and biomechanical enhancements for strength, and concludes with brain-computer interfaces for mind control. Ethical considerations are woven throughout, recognizing the potential benefits and risks of these emerging technologies.The book highlights the potential real-world applications of these technologies. Superhuman Science stands out by grounding its exploration in rigorous, peer-reviewed research, separating scientific fact from fictional fantasy. It provides a balanced perspective on the ethical and societal implications of these advancements, encouraging readers to consider the profound impact on warfare, healthcare, and our understanding of human potential.

Il blues dei buchi neri

Science & Nature

Da quando nel 1916 Einstein predisse l'esistenza delle onde gravitazionali – minuscole increspature nello spaziotempo generate da eventi insondabili – la scienza si è preoccupata di indagare se tali vibrazioni possano essere registrate. Perché, in questo caso, potremmo osservare il nostro universo attraverso il suono: il «sibilo» del Big Bang, il «canto» – simile a quello delle balene – delle supernovae che esplodono, le «vibrazioni» prodotte dalla collisione di due buchi neri.Il 14 settembre 2015 la previsione di Einstein ha ricevuto una clamorosa conferma: per la prima volta due interferometri del progetto statunitense LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) hanno rivelato gli effetti di una potentissima collisione di due buchi neri avvenuta 1,3 miliardi di anni fa, e che è stata percepita sulla Terra come un lieve «tremore». Ma forte abbastanza da provocare un vero e proprio terremoto nel campo della astrofisica.Janna Levin racconta con divertita leggerezza e un linguaggio accessibile l'affascinante storia di un secolo di ricerca, di ipotesi teoriche e di esperimenti scientifici, ma anche di creatività, tic, aspirazioni e ossessioni, raccolta dalla viva voce di Rai Weiss, Kip Thorne e Ron Drever, i tre scienziati che hanno dato vita al progetto LIGO. Un'ambizione sperimentale nata da un'idea stravagante – misurare le onde gravitazionali facendo propagare raggi di luce tra diversi corpi e valutare il loro effetto sul tempo che la luce impiega per andare dall'uno all'altro – e diventata poi l'apice di intere carriere e di decenni di innovazione tecnologica: oggi LIGO si avvale di due osservatori, uno a Hanford (Washington) e l'altro a Livingston (Louisiana), ognuno dei quali si estende su un'area di 4 km2, e al progetto, costato complessivamente più di 1 miliardo di dollari, collabora un team internazionale di oltre un centinaio tra scienziati e ingegneri.«Questo libro» scrive l'autrice «è una cronaca delle onde gravitazionali – una registrazione acustica della storia dell'universo, una colonna sonora che accompagna il film muto dell'astronomia – e al tempo stesso un tributo a un'impresa sperimentale donchisciottesca, epica, lacerante, un tributo a un'ambizione da folli.» Janna Levin insegna fisica e astronomia al Barnard College della Columbia University. Studiosa dell'universo primordiale e dei buchi neri, fra i suoi libri ricordiamo: How the Universe Got Its Spots: Diary of a Finite Time in a Finite Space (2003) e A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines (2006), con cui si è aggiudicata il PEN/Bingham Prize.

The Science Book

Science & Nature

From astronomy to psychology, this beautifully illustrated chronology presents the most important and groundbreaking milestones in science. Award-winning author Cliff Pickover (The Math Book, The Physics Book, and The Medical Book) gathers into one fully illustrated volume the most important thinkers and ideas in the history of science. This unique omnibus edition includes 250 thoughtfully selected entries from many of the science-based books in the Sterling Milestones series, including math, physics, medicine, biology, chemistry, engineering, psychology, and space. With a new introduction by Pickover explaining how this impressive collection was curated,The Science Book showcases humanity’s greatest achievements and provides readers with a sense of wonder at the diversity of scientific discovery.

Peut-on consommer mieux ? Pour les Nuls ça fait débat

Science & Nature

Les clés pour tout comprendre au débat sur la consommation responsable ! Comment consommer de manière plus responsable ?Quels sont les effets de la consommation sur l'environnement ?Comment connaître la provenance et la composition des produits que nous consommons ?Les changements doivent-ils être amorcés par les consommateurs ou des politiques publiques ?Autant de questions délicates qui ponctuent le débat sur la (sur)consommation depuis plusieurs années, et auxquelles Benoît Heilbrunn répond d'une manière simple, pédagogique et impartiale, en se fondant sur des données incontestables.

L'universo nel terzo millennio

Science & Nature

"Potremo mai rispondere agli interrogativi che ci siamo posti sul futuro e sull'origine dell'universo? Sul perché l'universo è quello che è, e perché le leggi fisiche sono quelle che faticosamente andiamo scoprendo attraverso i secoli?" Fin dagli albori della civiltà, il genere umano si è sempre interrogato sulle stelle, il cielo e la loro natura. E negli ultimi secoli, da quando Galileo rivoluzionò l'astronomia con le sue concezioni scientifiche basate sull'osservazione e l'esperimento, i progressi nello studio del cosmo si sono fatti sempre più rapidi e profondi. Fino a oggi, in cui grazie agli incredibili sviluppi della tecnologia si cerca di ricostruire quello che era alle origini l'universo e di comprendere in che direzione evolverà. Figura simbolo dell'astrofisica italiana e divulgatrice amatissima, Margherita Hack accompagna il lettore in un viaggio e un'avventura nello spazio e nel tempo: dalle stelle a noi vicine alle più lontane galassie, dall'uniformità dell'universo primordiale alla struttura complessa di oggi, dalle domande sulla possibilità di mondi extraterrestri all'esplorazione dei buchi neri e del "vuoto intergalattico". Un racconto ricco di passione scientifica e intellettuale, che partendo dal cosmo arriva a porre gli interrogativi fondamentali per l'uomo, perché "i tentativi di spiegare l'universo danno avvio a discussioni e domande che escono dal ristretto ambito della fisica per toccare problemi filosofici e religiosi".

Libera scienza in libero Stato

Science & Nature

Non solo siamo fra gli ultimi in Europa nelle materie scientifiche, ma quando riusciamo a formare un vero genio in genere gli mettiamo in mano una valigia e lo mandiamo a far del bene all'estero. Perché in Italia la ricerca proprio non vuole funzionare? Per due motivi, entrambi ben radicati nella storia e nel costume nazionali. Da un lato scontiamo una cronica quanto inspiegabi le paura del la scienza e delle sue potenzialità, e dal caso Galilei alla battaglia contro l'analisi preimpianto degli embrioni molta responsabilità spetta alla Chiesa e al suo vizio di dettare legge in un Paese che pure si professa laico. Dall'altro lato ci si mette lo Stato che da destra a sinistra taglia i fondi all'università, spreca le scarse risorse, ingarbuglia le carriere accademiche senza peraltro riuscire a sottrarle ai "baroni". Così, mentre da ogni parte si decanta l'importanza dell'innovazione per la crescita del Paese, nei fatti chi dovrebbe produrla viene ostacolato con ogni mezzo: concorsi macchinosi, precariato a vita, stipendi da fame e, perché no, obiezione di coscienza. Storie di ordinaria contraddizio in un sistema che cola a picco. Margherita Hack dedica questo libro all'analisi delle condizioni di una ricerca che non ha più né Stato né Chiesa su cui contare. Passa al vaglio le riforme che si sono succedute sotto quattro governi, denuncia gli errori ricorrenti e le troppe incongruenze, mette in luce gli esempipositivi incontrati nel corso della sua carriera e infine propone qualche idea. Per evitare che i troppi medici al capezzale dell'università malata finiscano per ammazzarla.

The Bio-inspired X-Structure/Mechanism Approach for Exploring Nonlinear Benefits in Engineering

Science & Nature

This book presents a unique approach to the design and analysis of beneficial nonlinearity, which can take an important and critical role in engineering systems and thus cannot be simply ignored in structural design, dynamic response analysis, and parameter selection. A key issue in the area is thus systematically addressed about how to analyze and design potential nonlinearities introduced to or inherent in a system, which is a must-do task in many practical applications involving vibration control, energy harvesting, sensor systems and robots, etc. This book, therefore, presents an up-to-date summary on the most recent development of a cutting-edge method for nonlinearity manipulation and employment developed in recent several years, known as the X-shaped structure or mechanism approach. The method is inspired from animal leg/limb skeletons and can provide passive low-cost high-efficiency adjustable and beneficial nonlinear stiffness (high static and ultra-low dynamic), nonlinear damping (dependent on resonant frequency and vibration excitation amplitude), and nonlinear inertia (low static and high dynamic) individually or simultaneously. The X-shaped structure or mechanism is a generic structure or mechanism representing a class of beneficial geometric nonlinearity with realizable and flexible linkage mechanism or structural design of different variants or forms (quadrilateral, diamond, polygon, K/Z/S/V/A/W-shape, or others) which all share similar geometric nonlinearity and thus similar nonlinear stiffness/damping properties, flexible in design, and easy to implement.This book systematically introduces the research background, motivation, essential bio-inspired ideas, advantages of this novel method, beneficial nonlinear properties in stiffness, damping and inertia, associated theory for analysis and design of nonlinear dynamics, potential applications and case studies, most of which have been developed ever since 2010. This is Part I of this book series, and the results in this book focus on beneficial nonlinear stiffness and damping characteristics of the fundamental X-shaped structure/mechanism and its variants, and provide an in-depth understanding of potential nonlinear properties that can be achieved through passive structural/mechanism designs via this class of X-structures or mechanisms.

L'Atmosphère et les grands phénomènes de la nature

Science & Nature

PORTÉ dans l’étendue par les lois mystérieuses de la gravitation universelle, notre globe vogue dans l’espace avec une rapidité que notre pensée la plus attentive peut difficilement saisir. Imaginons-nous une sphère absolument libre, isolée de toutes parts, sans point d’appui comme soutien, placée au sein du vide éternel. Si cette sphère était unique dans l’immensité, elle resterait ainsi suspendue, immobile, sans pouvoir tomber d’un côté plutôt que de l’autre.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.

Transforming Assessment

Science & Nature

This book reports the results of a research project that investigated assessment methods aimed at supporting and improving inquiry-based approaches in European science, technology and mathematics (STM) education. The findings were used to influence policy makers with guidelines for ensuring that assessment enhances learning. The book provides insights about:- The concept of competence within the STM domains and its relevance for education- The conceptualisation and teaching of four key competences: scientific inquiry, mathematical problem-solving, design processes, and innovation. - Fundamental aspects of the two main purposes of assessment, formative and summative, the relations between the two purposes and ways of linking them. - The main challenges related to the uptake of formative assessment in daily teaching-learning practices in STM and specifically, the usability of formative on-the-fly dialogue, structured assessment dialogue, peerassessment and written teacher feedback.- The systemic support measures and tools teachers need in order to integrate formative assessment of student learning into their classroom practices and how it can conflict with summative assessment practices. - How research-based strategies for the formative use of assessment can be adapted to various European educational traditions to ensure their effective use and avoid undesirable consequences. - How relevant stakeholders can be invited to take co-ownership of research results and how a productive partnership between researchers, policy makers, and teachers can be established.- Concrete research vistas that are still needed in international assessment research.

Bottled Lightning

Science & Nature

Lithium batteries may hold the key to an environmentally sustainable, oil-independent future. From electric cars to a "smart" power grid that can actually store electricity, letting us harness the powers of the sun and the wind and use them when we need them, lithium—a metal half as dense as water, found primarily in some of the most uninhabitable places on earth—has the potential to set us on a path toward a low-carbon energy economy. In Bottled Lightning, the science reporter Seth Fletcher takes us on a fascinating journey, from the salt flats of Bolivia to the labs of MIT and Stanford, from the turmoil at GM to cutting-edge lithium-ion battery start-ups, introducing us to the key players and ideas in an industry with the power to reshape the world. Lithium is the thread that ties together many key stories of our time: the environmental movement; the American auto industry, staking its revival on the electrification of cars and trucks; the struggle between first-world countries in need of natural resources and the impoverished countries where those resources are found; and the overwhelming popularity of the portable, Internet-connected gadgets that are changing the way we communicate. With nearly limitless possibilities, the promise of lithium offers new hope to a foundering American economy desperately searching for a green-tech boom to revive it.

Deadly Choices

Science & Nature

In 2014, California suffered the largest and deadliest outbreak of pertussis, also known as "whooping cough," in more than fifty years. This tragedy was avoidable. An effective vaccine has been available since the 1940s. In recent years other diseases, like measles and mumps, have also made a comeback. The reason for these epidemics can be traced to a group whose vocal proponents insist, despite evidence to the contrary, that vaccines are poison. As a consequence, parents and caretakers are rejecting vaccines for themselves and their families. In Deadly Choices, infectious-disease expert Paul Offit takes a look behind the curtain of the anti-vaccine movement. What he finds is a reminder of the power of scientific knowledge, and the harm we risk if we ignore it.

Local Cells, Global Science

Science & Nature

One of the first studies of an exciting new development in global biotechnology, this cutting edge text examines the extent of the transnational movements of tissues, stem cells, and expertise, in the developing governance framework of India. Documenting the impact of local and global governance frames on the everyday conduct of research, this groundbreaking book traces the journey of ‘spare’ human embryos in IVF clinics to public and private laboratories engaged in isolating stem cells for potential therapeutic application. The discussion also examines the gender dimension as a potential site for exploitation in the sourcing of embryonic and other biogenic materials, and suggests that a moral economy has developed in which the ethical values of the global 'North' support and encourage the donation of abundant and ethically ‘neutral’ embryos by the 'South'.This unique exploration is grounded in an empirical, multi-sited ethnographic study that takes a thoroughly comparative analysis of the ethical, religious and social issues in Europe, the United States, and organ donations already prevalent in India. In this theoretically-sensitive analysis, the authors use the resources of social anthropology and the social sciences in an innovative text which will appeal to postgraduates and professionals in the areas of STS studies, genetics, bioethics, and anthropology.

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