Science & Nature - Books

Imun

Science & Nature

Traducere de Alexandru Babeș Ilustraţii de Philip Laibacher „Cartea lui Dettmer este o lectură esențială.“ — Library Journal În ultimii trei ani, ca urmare a COVID-19, s-a vorbit mai mult ca niciodată despre sistemul imunitar. Din păcate, discuția nu s-a bazat întotdeauna pe informații științifice, luate din surse de încredere. Dezinformarea nu a făcut ravagii doar în timpul pandemiei. Indiferent că vorbim despre coronavirus, boli autoimune sau cancer, teoriile bizare despre leacuri miraculoase și vindecări de pe o zi pe alta circulă în voie, prinzând în mreje o mulțime de oameni. Imun: O călătorie în profunzimea sistemului care ne ține în viață este un demers exemplar de informare corectă a publicului larg cu privire la funcționarea sistemului imunitar – unul dintre cele mai complexe și mai fascinante din lumea vie –, în speranța că o mai bună înțelegere a proceselor imune ne va ajuta să ne protejăm de informațiile false și ne va încuraja să avem grijă de noi.

Handbook of Algal Biofuels

Science & Nature

Handbook of Algal Biofuels: Aspects of Cultivation, Conversion and Biorefinery comprehensively covers the cultivation, harvesting, conversion, and utilization of microalgae and seaweeds for different kinds of biofuels. The book addresses four main topics in the algal biofuel value-chain. First, it explores algal diversity and composition, covering micro- and macroalgal diversity, classification, and composition, their cultivation, biotechnological applications, current use within industry for biofuels and value-added products, and their application in CO2 sequestration, wastewater treatment, and water desalination. Next, the book addresses algal biofuel production, presenting detailed guidelines and protocols for different production routes of biodiesel, biogas, bioethanol, biobutanol, biohydrogen, jet fuel, and thermochemical conversation methods. Then, the authors discuss integrated approaches for enhanced biofuel production. This includes updates on the recent advances, breakthroughs, and challenges of algal biomass utilization as a feedstock for alternative biofuels, process intensification techniques, life cycle analysis, and integrated approaches such as wastewater treatment with CO2 sequestration using cost-effective and eco-friendly techniques. In addition, different routes for waste recycling for enhanced biofuel production are discussed alongside economic analyses. Finally, this book presents case studies for algal biomass and biofuel production including BIQ algae house, Renewable Energy Laboratory project, Aquatic Species Program, and the current status of algal industry for biofuel production.Handbook of Algal Biofuels offers an all-in-one resource for researchers, graduate students, and industry professionals working in the areas of biofuels and phycology and will be of interest to engineers working in renewable energy, bioenergy, alternative fuels, biotechnology, and chemical engineering. Furthermore, this book includes structured foundational content on algae and algal biofuels for undergraduate and graduate students working in biology and life sciences. Provides complete coverage of the biofuel production process, from cultivation to biorefinery Includes a detailed discussion of process intensification, lifecycle analysis and biofuel byproducts Describes key aspects of algal diversity and composition, including their cultivation, harvesting and advantages over conventional biomass

Le pied des hominoïdes miocènes et des hominidés fossiles : architecture, locomotion, évolution

Science & Nature

Le mode locomoteur des primates est intimement lié à l'architecture de leur pied. Or, la question de l'acquisition de station bipède est cruciale dans l'étude des processus de l'hominisation. La recherche présentée propose ainsi un diagnostic locomoteur à partir de l'analyse architecturale de vestige isolés de pied d'hominoïdes miocènes, d'Australopithèques, de Néandertaliens et d'hommes modernes. «Copyright Electre»

Microbial Biotechnology in Food and Health

Science & Nature

Microbial Biotechnology in Food and Health Science, volume one in the Applied Biotechnology Reviews series, offers two unique sections within the theme of genomics and bioprocessing and the bioengineering of microorganisms in the role of food science and human health. This volume provides review articles as the basis supporting biotechnological research useful to a wide scope of research initiatives. Important relevant information on genomics, proteomics and metabolomics are included as well as the emerging interdisciplinary area of synthetic biology which enables the metabolic engineering of microorganisms to produce pharmaceuticals. Applied Biotechnology Reviews is a series aimed at bringing all aspects of biotechnology as it is applied to food science – from agriculture through product processing into focus through topical volumes. Each volume will cover a relevant application approach in industrial biotechnology. - Covers the latest biotechnological research articles on applications of microbes for food and health science - Presents research articles to emphasize research methods and techniques useful for research outcomes - Analysis detoxification properties of microorganisms in foods - Includes methods of bioengineering of microbes to improve human insulin synthesis/recombinant protein

The Ice at the End of the World

Science & Nature

A riveting, urgent account of the explorers and scientists racing to understand the rapidly melting ice sheet in Greenland, a dramatic harbinger of climate change“Jon Gertner takes readers to spots few journalists or even explorers have visited. The result is a gripping and important book.”—Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth ExtinctionNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • The Christian Science Monitor • Library Journal Greenland: a remote, mysterious island five times the size of California but with a population of just 56,000. The ice sheet that covers it is 700 miles wide and 1,500 miles long, and is composed of nearly three quadrillion tons of ice. For the last 150 years, explorers and scientists have sought to understand Greenland—at first hoping that it would serve as a gateway to the North Pole, and later coming to realize that it contained essential information about our climate. Locked within this vast and frozen white desert are some of the most profound secrets about our planet and its future. Greenland’s ice doesn’t just tell us where we’ve been. More urgently, it tells us where we’re headed. In The Ice at the End of the World, Jon Gertner explains how Greenland has evolved from one of earth’s last frontiers to its largest scientific laboratory. The history of Greenland’s ice begins with the explorers who arrived here at the turn of the twentieth century—first on foot, then on skis, then on crude, motorized sleds—and embarked on grueling expeditions that took as long as a year and often ended in frostbitten tragedy. Their original goal was simple: to conquer Greenland’s seemingly infinite interior. Yet their efforts eventually gave way to scientists who built lonely encampments out on the ice and began drilling—one mile, two miles down. Their aim was to pull up ice cores that could reveal the deepest mysteries of earth’s past, going back hundreds of thousands of years. Today, scientists from all over the world are deploying every technological tool available to uncover the secrets of this frozen island before it’s too late. As Greenland’s ice melts and runs off into the sea, it not only threatens to affect hundreds of millions of people who live in coastal areas. It will also have drastic effects on ocean currents, weather systems, economies, and migration patterns. Gertner chronicles the unfathomable hardships, amazing discoveries, and scientific achievements of the Arctic’s explorers and researchers with a transporting, deeply intelligent style—and a keen sense of what this work means for the rest of us. The melting ice sheet in Greenland is, in a way, an analog for time. It contains the past. It reflects the present. It can also tell us how much time we might have left.

The World's Energy Supply: What Everyone Needs to Know

Science & Nature

The topic of energy is one of the most pressing issues across the globe. In this bundle, consisting of Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know, Nuclear Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know, and Hydrofracking: What Everyone Needs to Know, readers will explore everything from the the basic scientific concepts of energy to questions surrounding the specific ways we obtain it.

Yo soy yo y mis parásitos

Science & Nature

Una apasionante investigación periodística sobre los últimos descubrimientos acerca de los parásitos y otros microorganismos que influyen en como actuamos, sentimos y pensamos. Muchas enfermedades mentales, incluso la esquizofrenia pueden tener en los parásitos su origen.También pueden llegar a influir en el tipo de cultura, costumbres y tabúes que desarrollan determinadas sociedades.Una vez que leas este libro ya no volverás a verte como antes.Un libro que continúa la tradición de grandes clásicos como “Armas, Gérmenes y Acero” de Jared Diamond y de “Tu pez interior” de Neil Shubin.

Methodologies and Applications for Analytical and Physical Chemistry

Science & Nature

This volume presents an up-to-date review of modern materials and concepts, issues, and recent advances in analytical and physical chemistry. Distinguished scientists and engineers from key institutions worldwide have contributed chapters that provide a deep analysis of their particular subjects. The chapters discuss the composition and properties of complex materials as well as mixtures, processes, and the need for new and improved analytical technology.

Rataciti printre formule

Science & Nature

Traducere de Radu Slobodeanu De o jumătate de secol, în fizica fundamentală au apărut o mulțime de idei tentante (supersimetria, corzile etc.), dar nici una n-a fost deocamdată confirmată experimental. Neavând la dispoziție noi date experimentale la energii înalte, fizicienii teoreticieni s-au lăsat călăuziți de simțul lor estetic – o teorie trebuie să fie frumoasă –, ignorând normele de obiectivitate ale cercetării științifice. Asta le reproșează în esență Sabine Hossenfelder, ea însăși fizician teoretician, dezamăgită de starea de fapt din fizica fundamentală. Rătăciți printre formule e radiografia situației actuale dintr-un domeniu al fizicii – particulele elementare și cosmologia – și, în același timp, o analiză fină a capacității noastre de a cunoaște lumea prin mijloacele abstracte ale matematicii. Din discuțiile Sabinei Hossenfelder cu mari fizicieni (Steven Weinberg, Frank Wilczek, George Ellis, Joseph Polchinski) vedem cât de subiectivi sunt în realitate oamenii de știință, cât de umană e știința, în ciuda imaginii pe care obișnuim să ne-o facem despre ea.

Dlaczego śpimy

Science & Nature

Lepszej lektury do łóżka nie można sobie wymarzyć.Jaki wpływ na sen mają kofeina i alkohol? Co naprawdę dzieje się podczas fazy REM? Dlaczego z wiekiem zmieniają się zwyczaje związane ze snem? Jak popularne wspomagacze snu wpływają na niego w dłuższej perspektywie?Sen jest jednym z najważniejszych, a zarazem najmniej zbadanych aspektów życia, odpowiadającym za nasze dobre samopoczucie i długowieczność. Do niedawna nauka nie znała odpowiedzi na pytanie, dlaczego śpimy i jaką funkcję pełni sen, ani dlaczego bezsenność tak bardzo szkodzi zdrowiu. Jednak liczne odkrycia naukowe, jakich dokonano w ciągu ostatnich dwudziestu lat pozwoliły spojrzeć na sen z zupełnie nowej perspektywy. Matthew Walker pokazuje, jak sen wpływa na naszą zdolność uczenia się, zapamiętywania i podejmowania logicznych decyzji. Sen także reguluje emocje, wzmacnia system odpornościowy, poprawia metabolizm i reguluje apetyt. Sny łagodzą bolesne wspomnienia i tworzą wirtualną rzeczywistość, w której mózg łączy nową i nabytą wcześniej wiedzę, by pobudzać kreatywność.Wykorzystując najnowsze badania naukowe i wieloletnie doświadczenie w pracy klinicznej i badawczej, autor pokazuje, jak wykorzystać sen, by wpłynąć na zdolność uczenia się, poprawić nastrój i zwiększyć energię, wyregulować hormony i zapobiec nowotworom, chorobie Alzheimera i cukrzycy. Jak spowolnić efekty starzenia, ulepszyć wykształcenie i poprawić długość życia naszych dzieci. Jak zwiększyć efektywność i produktywność naszej pracy.Lepsze życie jest na wyciągnięcie ręki! Wystarczy się zdrzemnąć.Międzynarodowy bestseller. Książka roku według „Times Literary Suplement”, „Observer”, „Sunday Times”, „Financial Times”, „Guardian”.Matthew Walker jest prawdopodobnie jednym z najbardziej wpływowych ludzi na świecie.– „Evening Standard”Matthew Walker pokazuje, jak dobry sen sprawia, że jesteśmy mądrzejsi, bardziej atrakcyjni, szczuplejsi, szczęśliwsi, zdrowsi i możemy zapobiec nowotworom... prawdopodobnie nie mogę jeszcze powiedzieć, że uratowała mi życie, ale na pewno otworzyła oczy.– Mark O’Connell, „Guardian”

A l'abandon - Quand la nature reprend ses droits

Science & Nature

Une exploration aussi insolite que fascinante des no man's land.Que se passe-t-il lorsqu'un territoire est laissé à l'abandon ? Villes-fantômes, zones d'exclusion, no man's land, friches post-industrielles, Cal Flyn a voyagé pendant deux ans dans ces espaces désertés ou presque, sur lesquels, progressivement, la nature reprend ses droits.Cal Flyn diversifie les lieux, les époques et les contextes de désertification afin de rendre compte le plus justement possible de la façon dont la nature reprend possession des no man's land. Forêts contaminées par la radioactivité à Prypiat, sites industriels désertés dans les îles écossaises, fosses gigantesques dédiées à l'enfouissement des armes chimiques dans la zone rouge de Verdun, parcs botaniques à l'abandon où prolifèrent des pestes végétales en Tanzanie, quartiers de Detroit transformés en squats à ciel ouvert, fermes collectivesdélaissées en Estonie à la fin de l'ère soviétique, autant d'escales insolites sur des sites qui portent encore l'empreinte de la désolation. La journaliste révèle, à travers ce récit plein d'espoir, les processus grâce auxquels la nature œuvre à sa propre restauration. Un aperçu fascinant de ce que nous ne sommes plus là pour voir.

The Great Displacement

Science & Nature

Shortlisted for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Excellence“The Great Displacement is closely observed, compassionate, and far-sighted.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Under a White SkyThe untold story of climate migration in the United States—the personal stories of those experiencing displacement, the portraits of communities being torn apart by disaster, and the implications for all of us as we confront a changing future.Even as climate change dominates the headlines, many of us still think about it in the future tense—we imagine that as global warming gets worse over the coming decades, millions of people will scatter around the world fleeing famine and rising seas. What we often don’t realize is that the consequences of climate change are already visible, right here in the United States. In communities across the country, climate disasters are pushing thousands of people away from their homes.A human-centered narrative with national scope, The Great Displacement is “a vivid tour of the new human geography just coming into view” (David Wallace-Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth). From half-drowned Louisiana to fire-scorched California, from the dried-up cotton fields of Arizona to the soaked watersheds of inland North Carolina, people are moving. In the last few decades, the federal government has moved tens of thousands of families away from flood zones, and tens of thousands more have moved of their own accord in the aftermath of natural disasters. Insurance and mortgage markets are already shifting to reflect mounting climate risk, pricing people out of risky areas. Over the next fifty years, millions of Americans will be caught up in this churn of displacement, forced inland and northward in what will be the largest migration in our country’s history. The Great Displacement compassionately tells the stories of those who are already experiencing life on the move, while detailing just how radically climate change will transform our lives—erasing historic towns and villages, pushing people toward new areas, and reshaping the geography of the United States.

Utopia Profunda

Science & Nature

O livro anterior de Bostrom, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, desencadeou um debate global sobre a Inteligência Artificial (IA) que continua até aos dias de hoje. Esse livro, que se tornou num bestseller à escala global, centra-se no que pode acontecer se o desenvolvimento da IA correr mal. Mas, e se as coisas correrem bem? Suponhamos que desenvolvemos a superinteligência de forma segura e ética, e que utilizamos corretamente os poderes quase mágicos que esta tecnologia permite.

Clima: no toda la culpa es nuestra

Science & Nature

«El aumento del nivel del mar está inundando las costas».«Los huracanes y los tornados son cada vez más devastadores y frecuentes».«El cambio climático será un desastre económico».Cuando se habla sobre el cambio climático, los medios de comunicación, los políticos y otras voces prominentes han declarado que la ciencia es incuestionable al respecto. Sin embargo, el tratamiento de los informes y su transmisión a la población está repleto de desinformación e interpretaciones maniqueas.Steven Koonin, uno de los científicos más distinguidos de Estados Unidos, recurre a sus décadas de experiencia para proporcionar una visión actualizada y una perspectiva experta libre de las influencias de agendas políticas.Fascinante, lúcido y lleno de sorpresas, este libro ofrece a los lectores las herramientas necesarias para comprender la cuestión climática y observarla con mayor conocimiento para, así, desmontar mitos populares y desvelar realidades poco conocidas.Una obra fundamental que ofrece la verdad sobre la ciencia del clima que no se encuentra en ningún otro sitio: lo que sabemos, lo que no sabemos y lo que todo ello significa para nuestro futuro.WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

What to Think About Machines That Think

Science & Nature

Weighing in from the cutting-edge frontiers of science, today’s most forward-thinking minds explore the rise of “machines that think.”Stephen Hawking recently made headlines by noting, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” Others, conversely, have trumpeted a new age of “superintelligence” in which smart devices will exponentially extend human capacities. No longer just a matter of science-fiction fantasy (2001, Blade Runner, The Terminator, Her, etc.), it is time to seriously consider the reality of intelligent technology, many forms of which are already being integrated into our daily lives. In that spirit, John Brockman, publisher of Edge. org (“the world’s smartest website” – The Guardian), asked the world’s most influential scientists, philosophers, and artists one of today’s most consequential questions: What do you think about machines that think?

Essentiel de la géométrie pour les nuls

Science & Nature

Pour que la 3D n'ait plus de secrets pour vous ! Droites, demi-droites, segments... Triangle isocèle, équilatéral... Angle aigu, angle droit... Pythagore, Thalès... C'est bon, vos cours de géométrie reviennent ? Pas vraiment ? Ce n'est pas grave, les Nuls vont vous aider ! Grâce à L'essentiel de la géométrie pour les Nuls, reprenez les bases de cette matière sans difficultés !

Une autre science est possible !

Science & Nature

Le compromis qui a longtemps assuré aux chercheurs le minimum d'indépendance vitale est mort. L'économie de la connaissance est dépendante des intérêts privés. Un plaidoyer pour laslow scienceauquel répond, en miroir, et à un siècle de distance, un brillant pamphlet du philosophe William James.Comme lefast food, lafast science, c'est vite fait, pas bon et pas très digeste ! Une économie spéculative – avec ses bulles et ses krachs – s'est emparée de la recherche scientifique : les chercheurs doivent intéresser des " partenaires " industriels, participer aux jeux guerriers de l'économie compétitive. Conformisme, compétitivité, opportunisme et flexibilité : c'est la formule de l'excellence. Mais comment poser publiquement la question d'un désastre lorsque l'on ne veut pas que le public perde confiance en " sa " science ? Les mots d'ordre comme " Sauvons la recherche " font consensus, alors qu'ils ne posent surtout pas la bonne question : " Mais de quoi faut-il la sauver ? "Ce livre montre que les chercheurs doivent cesser de se prendre pour le " cerveau pensant, rationnel, de l'humanité ", refuser que leur expertise serve à faire taire l'inquiétude de l'opinion, à propager la croyance en un progrès scientifique inéluctable capable de résoudre les grands problèmes de société. Et qu'ils auraient avantage à nouer des liens avec un public potentiellement intelligent et curieux, c'est-à-dire aussi à produire des savoirs dignes de cette ambition.

Biotechnology And Insect Pest Management

Science & Nature

To make life tolerable, insect pests must be managed. Humans have been battling insect pests for as long as we have shared Planet Earth. The first person that swatted and killed a pesky fly might be considered the grandfather of modern-day pest control! Since that day, humans have devised many methods of dealing with or managing insect pests. Even the use of chemical controls should be balanced with nonchemical approaches to maximize their effectiveness. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been developed as a way to control pests without relying solely on pesticides. IPM is a systematic plan which brings together different pest control tactics into one program. Besides theory and principle, the book includes practical advice on understanding and investigating species, examines the ecological problems associated with polyphagous pests and beneficial species, and scrutinises ways suggested to improve insect biological control. This will be an important resource for graduate students and researchers, in IPM, insect pest management, entomology, ecology and crop protection.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Darwin and Evolutionary Thought

Science & Nature

This volume is a comprehensive reference work on the life, labors and influence of the great evolutionist Charles Darwin. With more than sixty essays written by an international group representing the leading scholars in the field, this is the definitive work on Darwin. It covers the background to Darwin's discovery of the theory of evolution through natural selection, the work he produced and his contemporaries' reactions to it, and evaluates his influence on science in the 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species. It also explores the implications of Darwin's discoveries in religion, politics, gender, literature, culture, philosophy and medicine, critically evaluating Darwin's legacy. Fully illustrated and clearly written, it is suitable for scholars and students as well as the general reader. The wealth of information it provides about the history of evolutionary thought makes it a crucial resource for understanding the controversies that surround evolution today.

Breve storia del corpo umano

Science & Nature

L’AUTORE DI BREVE STORIA DI (QUASI) TUTTO CI ACCOMPAGNA NEL VIAGGIO PIÙ AFFASCINANTE: QUELLO DENTRO DI NOI«Bryson ci convince che il corpo non è solo una macchina meravigliosa, ma molto di più: è un insieme di ecosistemi ancora in parte da esplorare. »La Lettura - Corriere della SeraBill Bryson è un insostituibile compagno di viaggio, qualunque siano la meta e il percorso. Questa volta ci guida in una interessante passeggiata all’interno del corpo umano, dalla testa ai piedi. Molti di noi, infatti, non hanno un’idea precisa di come il corpo funzioni in tutte le sue parti e di cosa succeda al suo interno, della sua capacità di difendersi dalle malattie e di guarire, ma anche dei numerosi modi in cui qualcosa può andare storto… Questo libro è la cura perfetta per debellare la nostra ignoranza, grazie a dosi massicce di irresistibili aneddoti e informazioni curiose (sapevate ad esempio che nel tempo impiegato a leggere queste poche righe avete prodotto un milione di globuli rossi?) L’autore di Breve storia di (quasi) tutto è alle prese con il miracolo della vita, della morte e di tutto quello che ci sta in mezzo: una straordinaria esplorazione condotta secondo lo stile tipico di Bryson, che sa rendere ogni argomento comprensibile e divertente per ogni tipo di lettore.

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