Science & Nature - Books

Future-Oriented Technology Analysis

Science & Nature

The application of foresight to address the challenges of uncertainty and rapid change has grown dramatically in the past decade. In that period, the techniques have been greatly refined and the scope has been broadened to encompass future-oriented technology analysis (FTA) and more recently, the concept and practice of strategic intelligence.FTA addresses directly the longer-term future through the active and continuous development of visions, and pathways to realise these visions. It is increasingly seen as a valuable management and policy tool complementing, and extending further into the future, classical strategy, planning, and decision-making approaches.This book charts the development of FTA and provides the first coherent description and analysis of its practical application and impact in the worlds of business, government, education and research in both advanced and developing countries. It draws on papers addressing the application of FTA around the globe which were presented at the Second International Seville Seminar in September 2006.The insights and practical experience will be invaluable for company managers, government ministers and officials, researchers and academics with responsibilities for effective planning and decision-making in an increasingly turbulent and unpredictable world.

Gravity's Shadow

Science & Nature

According to the theory of relativity, we are constantly bathed in gravitational radiation. When stars explode or collide, a portion of their mass becomes energy that disturbs the very fabric of the space-time continuum like ripples in a pond. But proving the existence of these waves has been difficult; the cosmic shudders are so weak that only the most sensitive instruments can be expected to observe them directly. Fifteen times during the last thirty years scientists have claimed to have detected gravitational waves, but so far none of those claims have survived the scrutiny of the scientific community. Gravity’s Shadow chronicles the forty-year effort to detect gravitational waves, while exploring the meaning of scientific knowledge and the nature of expertise. Gravitational wave detection involves recording the collisions, explosions, and trembling of stars and black holes by evaluating the smallest changes ever measured. Because gravitational waves are so faint, their detection will come not in an exuberant moment of discovery but through a chain of inference; for forty years, scientists have debated whether there is anything to detect and whether it has yet been detected. Sociologist Harry Collins has been tracking the progress of this research since 1972, interviewing key scientists and delineating the social process of the science of gravitational waves. Engagingly written and authoritatively comprehensive, Gravity’s Shadow explores the people, institutions, and government organizations involved in the detection of gravitational waves. This sociological history will prove essential not only to sociologists and historians of science but to scientists themselves.

The Truth about Wuhan

Science & Nature

Shocking new insider information that shows what really happened in Wuhan, China, at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak and in the ensuing cover-up. The day that Dr. Andrew G. Huff left his senior scientist and vice president role at EcoHealth Alliance was one of the happiest days of his life due to the corruption he had witnessed at the organization. However, he never thought working there would be of any great consequence to the future. He was wrong. Because, as an EcoHealth Alliance insider, Dr. Huff had had a ringside seat to one of the biggest cover-ups in history. The Truth about Wuhan contains new research and a breakdown of how and why the development of COVID-19 in the United States and China was supported by the US government to collect intelligence on laboratories in China. Dr. Huff, an expert in the fields of bioterrorism and bio warfare, is a whistleblower who will show why the reasons the lab leak was covered up are incorrect. He worked on the classified research side of the program as a US government scientist. He knows the real how and why COVID-19 emerged. Besides exposing the conspiracy and cover-up, Dr. Huff also puts forth policy solutions and recommendations to prevent a lab leak virus from plaguing the world again. The Truth about Wuhan simply explains the complexity of the system that led to COVID-19’s emergence; how the medical industrial complex grew and became entrenched in gain of function work after 9/11; why EcoHealth Alliance was the (almost) perfect intelligence collection cover; the policy actions and decision-making process as to why the United States government engaged in the COVID cover-up; how and why the United States swapped biotechnology with China and biomedical corporations; and the incentives for each of the actors or governments to engage and coordinate a global cover-up of COVID-19 origins. The Truth about Wuhan also shows how and why Dr. Anthony Fauci is intricately involved in the COVID cover-up; how scientists like EcoHealth Alliance president and CEO Dr. Peter Daszak rose to power and used their influence to corrupt science and the COVID origin investigation; and how the intelligence community likely orchestrated the cover-up with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Dr. Huff also provides personal harrowing accounts of how the US government waged a psychological operation against him to prevent him from speaking out. COVID-19 is the biggest lie, scandal, and intelligence failure in US history, and Dr. Andrew G. Huff is stepping out of the shadows to share his insider story about this failure that led to millions of deaths around the world.

Universe: The Solar System and Beyond

Science & Nature

Experience the cosmos as never before with UNIVERSE: The Solar System and BeyondBeginning with a fascinating overview and then organized by planet, this book takes us on a trip across time and space that includes a front-row seat to the explosive birth of the solar system, a journey to (and then deep inside) each of its eight planets, and even an in-depth exploration of asteroids and comets.With this newly revised edition, the authors' goals are to help you use astronomy to understand science--and use science to understand what we are. Fascinating, engaging, and visually vibrant, this text will help you answer two fundamental questions: What are we? And how do we know?Three ever widening domains are presented—Earth, our solar system, and the large scale universe itself--each including the ones before it and extending outward.

Phycoremediation

Science & Nature

This book provides an in-depth exploration of phyco-based green technologies, focusing on their application in wastewater remediation. The book explores the transformative potential of phyco-based green technologies in wastewater remediation, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional methods. As environmental concerns mount, the integration of algal cultivation emerges as a promising solution for nutrient recovery and ecosystem sustainability. This comprehensive volume delves into the latest advancements and ongoing research in the field, providing readers with a thorough understanding of microalgal applications in wastewater treatment.Key concepts include the biochemical composition of wastewater-grown microalgae, the use of photobioreactor systems, and the conversion of algal biomass into biofuels and other value-added products. Readers will discover innovative approaches such as microalgae-bacteria consortia, genetic enhancements for improved nutrient recovery, and the use of immobilized microalgae systems. The book also addresses the challenges and future prospects of these technologies, providing a comprehensive overview of their economic and environmental implications.Researchers, scientists, and professionals in fields such as biotechnology, environmental science, and waste management will find this volume particularly valuable. It also serves as a reference for graduate and postgraduate students, as well as industry personnel working in green technologies and ecosystem sustainability. By offering a detailed analysis of current advancements and future possibilities, this book equips readers with the knowledge needed to contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future.

El collar del neandertal

Science & Nature

El pulso entre neandertales y cromañones y el porqué del triunfo de los segundos.Los neandertales, miembros de una humanidad paralela que evolucionó en Europa durante cientos de miles de años, constituyen un sorprendente espejo en el que mirarnos y, por contraste, conocernos mejor a nosotros mismos. Tenían capacidad para fabricar útiles de piedra al modo de los cromañones, es decir, los hombres actuales, y poseían lenguaje y rituales funerarios. Eran humanos también en el sentido más espiritual de las creencias y los sentimientos. Sin embargo, no desarrollaron nuestra especialización extrema en la producción de símbolos. Eran más realistas (por decirlo de algún modo), lo que no los hacía inferiores. Pero hay en este relato de vida y muerte, de emergencia de la conciencia humana, un tercer actor sin el cual el drama es ininteligible: la naturaleza, ese hogar común tan amenazado hoy.Didáctico, ameno y riguroso, El collar del neandertal narra el pulso que se dio entre neandertales y cromañones, dos especies humanas muy distintas, durante una larga convivencia de miles de años hasta la desaparición de los primeros.

The Disenchanted Earth

Science & Nature

From Richard Seymour, one of the UK's leading public intellectuals, comes a characteristic blend of forensic insight and analysis, personal journey, and a vivid respect for the natural world. A planetary fever-dream. An environmental awakening that is also a sleep-walking, unsteadily weaving between history, earth science, psychoanalysis, evolution, biology, art and politics. A search for transcendence, beyond the illusory eternal present. These essays chronicle the kindling of ecological consciousness in a confessed ignoramus. They track the first enchantment of the author, his striving to comprehend the coming catastrophe, and his attempt to formulate a new global sensibility in which we value anew what unconditionally matters.

The War on Science

Science & Nature

An unparalleled group of prominent scholars from wide-ranging disciplines detail ongoing efforts to impose ideological restrictions on science and scholarship throughout western society.From assaults on merit-based hiring to the policing of language and replacing well-established, disciplinary scholarship by ideological mantras, current science and scholarship is under threat throughout western institutions. As this group of prominent scholars ranging across many different disciplines and political leanings detail, the very future of free inquiry and scientific progress is at risk. Many who have spoken up against this threat have lost their positions, and a climate of fear has arisen that strikes at the heart of modern education and research. Banding together to finally speak out, this brave and unprecedented group of scholars issues a clarion call for change.Topics include: Free speech, victimhood, ideology, corruption of academic disciplines, cancel culture, DEI, gender, and race, and what we can do.“Higher education isn’t what it used to be. Cancel Culture and DEI have caused many to keep their mouths shut. Not so the authors of this book. This collection of essays tells of threats to open inquiry, free speech, and the scientific process itself. A much-needed book.”—Sabine Hossenfelder, Physicist and Author of Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest QuestionsWith Contributions by: Dorian Abbot, John Armstrong, Peter Boghossian, Maarten Boudry, Alex Byrne, Nicholas Christakis, Roger Cohen, Jerry Coyne, Richard Dawkins, Niall Ferguson, Janice Fiamengo, Solveig Gold, Moti Gorin, Karleen Gribble, Carole Hooven, Geoff Horsman, Joshua Katz, Sergiu Klainerman, Lawrence M. Krauss, Anna Krylov, Luana Maroja, Christian Ott, Bruce Pardy, Jordan Peterson, Steven Pinker, Richard Redding, Arthur Rousseau, Gad Saad, Sally Satel, Lauren Schwartz, Alan Sokal, Allesandro Strumia, Judith Suissa, Alice Sullivan, Jay Tanzman, Abigail Thompson, Amy Wax, Elizabeth Weiss, Frances Widdowson

Las redes del caos

Science & Nature

Un portentoso trabajo de investigación periodística que revela qué se esconde tras los likes y la aparente frivolidad de las redes sociales, al tiempo que describe una sociedad peligrosamente a merced de unos gigantes tecnológicos que eluden cualquier principio ético ante la perspectiva del lucro.En 2018, un grupo de investigadores descubrió que el algoritmo de YouTube podía identificar correctamente un vídeo de un niño semidesnudo y determinar que esa característica era el atractivo de la grabación, al tiempo que lo promocionaba entre usuarios que buscaban contenido pedófilo. En Facebook tardaron poco en darse cuenta de que los usuarios pasaban muchas más horas en su página cuando las informaciones que leían sobre vacunas eran alarmistas o conspirativas, con lo que no dudaron en promocionar ese tipo de publicaciones, en especial entre grupos de madres. Las redes sociales son probablemente el mayor experimento colectivo de la humanidad y su influencia es mucho más profunda de lo que imaginamos. Nuestras mentes, hijos y democracias están a merced de una industria carente de toda ética cuyo único objetivo parece ser apropiarse de nuestro tiempo y atención. Basándose en años de reportajes en todo el mundo, Max Fisher cuenta la historia de cómo Meta, Twitter, YouTube y otras redes sociales han explotado la fragilidad psicológica de sus usuarios para crear algoritmos que potencien la radicalización, el extremismo y la violencia. Todo ello con un único objetivo: maximizar sus beneficios y la cuenta de resultados de sus empresas.

Paramedic Field Guide 2014 Extended Edition

Science & Nature

Your 2014 Protocols are here! It has always been our intention to bring you accurate, up to date and useful information. Continuing with our tradition of building upon an already great product we are proud to bring you our best edition to do date. These protocols follow the guidelines established by the Ontario Base Hospital Group, the Ontario Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). You will have rapid access to current ACLS Arrest Guidelines, Medical and Traumatic Emergencies, Emergency Childbirth and Pediatric Emergencies (including Pediatric Drug Calculations), Rapid ECG Interpretation, Cardiology for Paramedics, Paramedic Drug List and much, more. All content is completely searchable by topic and keywords. You can create your own custom bookmarks for quick access to the information you use the most, you can highlight passages and make your own custom notes and annotations.

Ma mémoire et les autres

Science & Nature

De quoi parle-t-on lorsque l’on évoque la mémoire ? Longtemps, pour les scientifiques ou les philosophes, il s’agissait de la mémoire individuelle. À l’inverse, les historiens et les sociologues appréhendaient la mémoire collective. Aujourd’hui, ce clivage est dépassé : l’homme est (re)devenu un être social, complexe. Il n’est plus possible d’étudier la mémoire sans prendre en compte son évolution, ses pathologies, à petite et à grande échelle. Dans notre monde hyperconnecté, où des "événements-monde" bouleversent les devenirs individuels, une réflexion pluridisciplinaire s’impose. Les neurosciences et la médecine croisent ici la philosophie, la science informatique et l’histoire, pour mettre en lumière toute la complexité de nos mémoires – individuelle, collective et partagée.

Im Universum der Zeit

Science & Nature

Wie wirklich ist Zeit?Zeit ist etwas völlig Selbstverständliches für uns, wir erleben, wie sie vergeht, wenn wir auf die Uhr schauen, Kindern beim Älterwerden zusehen oder Wettrennen beobachten. Und doch haben Physiker von Newton über Einstein bis zu den heutigen Quantenphysikern eine andere Auffassung der Zeit. Für sie ist sie nicht real, sondern eine Illusion. Für sie wird das Universum von Gesetzen beherrscht, die außerhalb der Zeit stehen, zeitlos sind, von Newtons Gravitationsgesetz bis zur Formel e=mc². Lee Smolin hingegen sieht Zeit als die einzige fundamentale Größe des Universums. Alles andere, auch die vermeintlich unabänderlichen Gesetze, unterliegen seiner Auffassung nach der Veränderung in der Zeit. Newtons Gesetze werden vielleicht nicht immer so grundlegend bleiben, wie wir sie heute verstehen. Mit dieser revolutionären Auffassung stellt er die Zeit in den Mittelpunkt unseres Denkens über die Welt und erklärt, welche Auswirkungen das auf uns, auf die Welt, auf das Universum hat.

Cercare mondi

Science & Nature

Abitiamo un sottile guscio sferico, di pochi chilometri di spessore, intorno alla superficie della Terra. Anche se esploriamo gli abissi più profondi dell'oceano o scaliamo le vette dell'Himalaya, il nostro regno ha dimensioni ridicole. Per questo, se riflettiamo su quelle dell'universo, ci resta una sensazione di lieve sgomento. Non solo. Il nostro piccolo mondo è anche popolato di chimere, fantasmi e terribili inganni: pensiamo che quello che percepiamo sia reale, invece tutto cambia appena ci allontaniamo dall'angolo tranquillo in cui si svolge la nostra esistenza. Quando cerchiamo di capire i fenomeni che si osservano nel meraviglioso tappeto di galassie che ricopre la volta stellata, o quelli che caratterizzano la materia nei suoi componenti elementari, dobbiamo rinunciare alle certezze che governano la nostra vita e intraprendere un viaggio vertiginoso che lascia senza fiato. Guido Tonelli, fisico al Cern di Ginevra e uno dei padri della scoperta del bosone di Higgs, ci fa compiere questo viaggio irripetibile, al cospetto di fenomeni straordinari. Fino a raggiungere il non-luogo del non-tempo da cui tutto ha avuto origine e dove possiamo dar voce a quell'istinto che si annida dentro di noi quando continuiamo a chiederci da dove viene la meraviglia che ci circonda. Il mito e la scienza hanno in fondo la stessa funzione, dal momento che "ogni società si costituisce attorno a una cosmologia. E nessuna civiltà, grande o piccola che sia, può reggersi senza il grande racconto delle origini".

Gastrofísica

Science & Nature

¿Por qué comemos un 35% más cuando comemos con otra persona, y un 75% más cuando somos tres? ¿Por qué el 27% de bebidas a base de zumo de tomate se consumen en los aviones? ¿Qué planes tienen los grandes chefs y las empresas alimenticias para transformar nuestras experiencias gastronómicas? Y lo más importante, ¿qué podemos aprender de estas revoluciones para preparar platos memorables en casa?Estos son sólo algunos de los ingredientes de Gastrofísica, un libro en el que el brillante profesor de Oxford, Charles Spence, nos muestra cómo nuestros sentidos se relacionan de formas extraordinarias, y la importancia de todos los elementos «más allá del plato» en la comida: el peso de los cubiertos, el color del plato, la música de ambiente, y mucho más. Bien sea comiendo solo o en una fiesta, en un avión o delante del televisor, el autor nos ayuda a entender qué estamos saboreando y a influenciar en la experiencia de los demás.

LARP: Silberhochzeit

Science & Nature

Seit mehr als 25 Jahren wird Live-Rollenspiel in Deutschland betrieben, aber für viele markiert der Draccon 1992 den Beginn der offiziellen Larp-Zeitrechnung – damit können wir spätestens jetzt das 25. Jubiläum feiern! Larp entwickelt sich weiter, Neues wird aufgenommen, Bewährtes wird ausgebaut, und es lässt auch außerhalb der eigentlichen Veranstaltungen die Menschen nicht los. In sechs ausgewählten Beiträgen stellt die diesjährige Aufsatzsammlung Gedanken über den gegenwärtigen Stand des Live-Rollenspiels vor, zeigt neue Denkweisen und Ideen, wie sich Larp in den nächsten 25 Jahren noch weiter entwickeln könnte. Zusammengestellt und aufbereitet anlässlich der Live-Rollenspiel-Konferenz MittelPunkt 2017.

Dumnezeu, om, animal, masina

Science & Nature

Traducere și note de Iulian Comănescu Într-un secol paradoxal, înspãimântat și totodată fascinat de inteligența artificială, omului contemporan îi revine o datorie grea. El trebuie să reflecteze asupra destinului civilizației în lumina – sau în întunericul – evoluțiilor fără precedent ale tehnologiei. Începând cu filozofii Antichității, trecând prin Descartes și ajungând la transumaniști, Meghan O’Gieblyn ne poartă într-o călătorie spre adâncurile fricilor și speranțelor noastre legate de sensul vieții și de relevanța culturii și a metaforelor pe care le-am creat, într-o lume care își schimbă aproape zilnic chipul și reperele. Cine va învinge în lupta care se duce astăzi pentru viitorul omenirii? Tendința noastră de a umaniza tehnologia, sau tehnologizarea umanitatății dincolo de limita recognoscibilului? Cartea de față este un răspuns la această întrebare care ne bântuie. „Dumnezeu, om, animal, mașină este o creație hibridă, o carte erudită în cel mai remarcabil mod, care îmbină istoria, critica și filozofia.“ — The New York Times „O carte scrisă cu un talent excepțional de a explica cele mai complicate idei filozofice legate de modul în care omul creează sens.“ — Publisher’s Weekly

The Future We Choose

Science & Nature

A cautionary but optimistic book about the world’s changing climate and the fate of humanity, from two of the architects of the 2015 Paris Agreement. • "One of the most inspiring books I've ever read." —Yuval HarariChristiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac outline two possible scenarios for our planet. In one, they describe what life on Earth will be like by 2050 if we fail to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate targets. In the other, they lay out what it will be like to live in a regenerative world that has net-zero emissions. They argue for confronting the climate crisis head-on, with determination and optimism. The Future We Choose presents our options and tells us what governments, corporations, and each of us can, and must, do to fend off disaster.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 3

Science & Nature

Because you demanded it! Since publication of Volume 1 of this series, thousands of teachers are using these innovative classroom tools to improve student learning in science. Following in the footsteps of earlier volumes in the Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, this all-new book provides short, easy-to-administer probes that determine what misconceptions students bring to the classroom about the nature of science and about physical, life, Earth, and space sciences. This new volume in our bestselling series provides more topic areas for classroom use as well as guidance on how teachers can use the probes for their own learning. As outlined in previous volumes, teachers— like their students— can have misconceptions that come to the fore when administering the probes. Volume 3 provides 10 detailed suggestions for teachers on how to use the probes to uncover, accurately assess, and correct their own preconceptions as well as their students' (e.g., do the probes yourself, examine student responses with other teachers, embed the probes into existing professional development programs, select specific areas to focus on, examine student thinking across grade spans, categorize ideas, and crunch data to create classroom profiles). Volume 3 offers five life science probes, seven Earth and space science probes, ten physical science probes, and three nature of science probes. This volume is an invaluable resource for classroom teachers, preservice teachers, professional developers, and college science and preservice faculty.

The Sun, A Universal Deity

Science & Nature

The Sun, A Universal Deity is the article, included in “The Secret Teachings of All Ages” volume and dedicated to the question of adoration of the sun among all the nations of antiquity. The primitive mind, recognizing the beneficent power of the solar orb, adored it as the proxy of the Supreme Deity, so the author draws a parallel between the modern theologies and the simple aboriginal belief. We present you the book, filled with mysteries and secrets of world history, so it is absolutely must-read for everyone, who is interested in mythology, history, philosophy, religion and other aspects of human culture. Enjoy the reading!

With Speed and Violence

Science & Nature

Nature is fragile, environmentalists often tell us. But the lesson of this book is that it is not so. The truth is far more worrying. Nature is strong and packs a serious counterpunch . . . Global warming will very probably unleash unstoppable planetary forces. And they will not be gradual. The history of our planet's climate shows that it does not do gradual change. Under pressure, whether from sunspots or orbital wobbles or the depredations of humans, it lurches-virtually overnight. —from the IntroductionFred Pearce has been writing about climate change for eighteen years, and the more he learns, the worse things look. Where once scientists were concerned about gradual climate change, now more and more of them fear we will soon be dealing with abrupt change resulting from triggering hidden tipping points. Even President Bush's top climate modeler, Jim Hansen, warned in 2005 that "we are on the precipice of climate system tipping points beyond which there is no redemption."As Pearce began working on this book, normally cautious scientists beat a path to his door to tell him about their fears and their latest findings. With Speed and Violence tells the stories of these scientists and their work-from the implications of melting permafrost in Siberia and the huge river systems of meltwater beneath the icecaps of Greenland and Antarctica to the effects of the "ocean conveyor" and a rare molecule that runs virtually the entire cleanup system for the planet. Above all, the scientists told him what they're now learning about the speed and violence of past natural climate change-and what it portends for our future. With Speed and Violence is the most up-to-date and readable book yet about the growing evidence for global warming and the large climatic effects it may unleash.

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