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Popular Science Books
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Understand Physics gives
you a solid understanding
of the key skills and
ideas that run through
the subject. You will
explore the important
concepts of force and
motion, electricity,
light, molecules,
matter and space and
discover the frontiers of
physics. With numerous
questions, answers and
worked examples
throughout, you will
feel confident in
approaching the science
and applying your
knowledge.
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Hum the song while you
strum your heartstrings
with this irresistible
collection of love
stories; inspired by the
songs of some of the
greatest musicians of the
50s and 60s.
Heart-stopping romance,
raw passion, desperate
tragedy and swooningly
dishy chaps, all packed
into a handy
handbag-sized
volume.Faithfully
reproduced from the
original Fleetway weekly
story libraries, this
throbbing compendium will
have pulses racing and
toes tapping. So,
whether it's brings back
distant memories of the
village hop with the
local heart throb or
gives you giggle at the
innocence of times past,
restore your faith in
good old-fashioned
romance and remember,
the girl always gets the
dreamboat in the end.
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Socialisation, Culture
and Identity with
Research Methods contains
the key information for
OCR Unit G671, with
examiners' notes and
essential notes to
deliver exam success. An
exam section contains two
sample papers, with
answers at A and C grades
and analysis from AQA
examiners on how to move
up from a lower grade and
secure a higher one. OCR
AS Unit G671
Socialisation, Culture
and Identity with
Research Methods contains
all the key information
for this unit. The
revision content and exam
practice sections are
matched to the OCR 2008
specifications and
include: * Exploring
socialisation, culture
and identity * The
formation of culture *
The process of
socialisation * Exploring
the research process *
Exploring the use of
quantitative data
collection methods and
analysis * Exploring the
use of qualitative data
collection methods and
analysis * Exploring the
use of mixed methodology
* Exam practice section
with sample papers and
answers * Glossary of key
terms * Index
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Earth Then and Now
records the dramatic way
in which our planet has
changed in just the past
hundred years. It draws
on the combined
photographic archives of
print, picture, and
space agencies to create
a powerful collection of
images. Each pair of
photographs has been
selected to tell a
compelling story - of a
melting glacier, an
ever-rising cityscape or
a natural disaster -
presenting a stark visual
comparison. On one page,
we are shown a part of
the world as it was,
five, ten, twenty,
fifty, or even more than
one hundred years ago. On
the facing page, we have
the same place as it
looks today. Concise
captions explain the
facts and then leave us
to draw our own
conclusions about the
Earth then and now and
about the Earth to come.
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Bestselling author of
Stupid History, Leland
Gregory turns his nose
for nuttiness toward the
world of science. The
book is filled with
anecdotes about
scientific stupidity,
amazing scientific
mythconceptions, and the
general wackiness that
characterizes Gregory's
compilations of
misdirected human
activity.
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Personal robots are about
as advanced today as
personal computers were
on the eve of the first
IBM PC in the early
1980s. They are still the
domain of hobbyists who
cobble them together from
scratch or from kits,
join local clubs to swap
code and stage contests,
and whose labour of love
is setting the stage for
a technological
revolution. This book
will deconstruct the 30
regional winning robot
designs from the FIRST
Robotics Competition in
2006. The FIRST Robotics
Competition (held
annually and founded by
Dean Kamen) is a
multinational competition
that teams professionals
and young people to solve
an engineering design
problem in an intense and
competitive way. In 2005
the competition reached
close to 25000 people on
close to 1000 teams from
around the world. The
competitions are
high-tech spectator
sporting events that have
gained a loyal following
because of the high
caliber work featured.
This book looks at 30
different robot designs
all based on the same
chassis, and provides
in-depth information on
the inspiration and the
technology that went into
building each of them.
Each robot is featured in
6-8 pages providing
readers with a solid
understanding of how the
robot was conceived and
built. There are
sketches, interim
drawings and process
shots for each robot.
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We may have heard of
Socrates, Plato,
Descartes and Nietzsche,
but what did they
believe? What were their
famous aphorisms? The
Unexamined Life: A
Philosophical"e Book
explains as simply as
possible the ideas behind
the worlds most highly
regarded philosophers,
examining their beliefs
and presenting
choice"es that
succinctly distil their
most famous theories.
Written in an accessible
and informative style,
this book will help
readers get to grips with
the complex concepts of
philosophy through the
ages, and help match the
theories to the names.
The unexamined life is
not worth living; -
Socrates, in Plato
Apology
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They say you can't teach
an old dog new tricks.
But what about
relativity? Physics
professor Chad Orzel and
his inquisitive canine
companion, Emmy, tackle
the concepts of general
relativity in this
irresistible introduction
to Einstein's physics.
Through armchair-and
sometimes
passenger-seat-conversations
with Emmy about the
relative speeds of dog
and cat motion or the
logistics of
squirrel-chasing, Orzel
translates complex
Einsteinian ideas-the
slowing of time for a
moving observer, the
shrinking of moving
objects, the effects of
gravity on light and
time, black holes, the
Big Bang, and of course,
E=mc2-into examples
simple enough for a dog
to understand. A lively
romp through one of the
great theories of modern
physics, How to Teach
Relativity to Your Dog
will teach you everything
you ever wanted to know
about space, time, and
anything else you might
have slept through in
high school physics
class.
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Haunting Cries chronicles
11 stories of
institutional child abuse
in the survivors own
words. It brings the
tragic tale of abuse up
to date to include the
publication and fall-out
from the Ryan Commission
Report and the Redress
Board. The book also adds
a fresh - post-Ryan -
perspective on why the
religious orders engaged
in such systemic abuse.
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New mysteries, as well
as variations on
recurring ones, continue
to surface on a weekly
basis around the globe,
from showers of frogs
over Hungary to birds
falling to earth in
Arkansas. This
compendious round-up of
unexplained phenomena
examines everything from
the experiments being
done with the Large
Hadron Collider to
classic maritime
mysteries involving
inexplicably missing
crews, via UFOs,
mediums, cryptozoology,
panics, paranoia and a
universe proving stranger
in fact than we'd
imagined.
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Originally developed as a
manual for anorexia
patients at his eating
disorders clinic in the
Royal Edinburgh hospital,
Chris Freeman's is the
first self-help book
based on cognitive
behavioural therapy to
counter this most
notorious and widespread
of eating disorders. It
occurs most frequently
among young women, but
affects both men and
women of all ages, in
all social groups,
internationally. The
first part of this
groundbreaking guide
provides an introduction
to the subject of
anorexia nervosa and its
treatment using cognitive
behavioural techniques
for therapists,
sufferers and their
families. The second part
is a self-help programme
for recovery based on the
treatment, which the
author has used in his
work with hundreds of
patients. Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy is a
now internationally
established method of
treating emotional
disorders such as
anorexia, depression and
panic by changing
negative patterns of
thought. "The Robinson"
series of self-help
guides based on CBT,
written by practising
clinical psychologists,
has proved itself
accessible and highly
effective, and the
series' reputation and
sales increase with every
year.
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'The Big Questions'
series is designed to let
renowned experts confront
the 20 most fundamental
and frequently asked
questions of a major
branch of science or
philosophy. In 'The Big
Questions: Mind' the
explanations behind the
'mysteries' of our unique
minds - including how
they differ from our
brains and how they
create our awareness -
are explored. Among the
questions discussed are:
How do brains come to
exist? Is the mind more
than the brain? What does
it mean to be conscious?
What is knowledge? Does
the mind play tricks?
What is the 'I' in our
brain?
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The Human Body provides a
spectacular visual
explanation of the human
body and how it works.
The book is organised
according to different
body systems: THE CELL;
TISSUES AND ORGANS;
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM;
SKELETAL SYSTEM; THE
MUSCULAR SYSTEM; THE
NERVOUS SYSTEM; THE
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM; THE
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM;
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM; THE
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM; THE
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM; THE
HEPATIC SYSTEM; THE
URINARY SYSTEM; THE
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM -
MALE; THE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM - FEMALE;
REPRODUCTION; PREGNANCY;
CHILDHOOD; AGEING. Expert
text combined with superb
cutting-edge imagery make
The Human Body the
definitive home reference
for all the family - as
well as a beautiful
companion for anyone
embarking on, or
involved in, a medical
career, such as doctors,
nurses,
physiotherapists, and
complementary therapists.
The pages of this book
provide a comprehensive
overview of the body and
its systems - building up
a complete picture of the
human anatomy from
skeleton to.
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The Elements: An
Interactive Guide to the
Building Blocks of our
Universe is an
illustrated reference
book to the elements that
make up everything in our
universe. General
information about the
properties, behaviour
and occurrence of the
elements, their main
compounds and their
principal uses is given.
It is authoritative and
accessible, with a sense
of wonder about the way
the material world works,
thanks to the protons,
neutrons and electrons
that make up the atoms of
the elements.
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In The Big Questions:
Evolution, one of the
world's leading experts,
Francisco Ayala,
examines key facets of
genetics, evolution and
cloning. He uses the most
up-to-date research to
answer the 20 key
questions of evolution,
and investigate what they
tell us about life on
Earth. What is evolution?
What is natural
selection? Is evolution a
random process? What are
chromosomes, genes and
DNA? What is molecular
evolution? What is the
tree of life? What does
the fossil record tell
us? Is intelligence
inherited? Can I clone
myself? Is language a
uniquely human attribute?
Was Darwin right? What is
'survival of the
fittest'? What is a
species? How do genes
build bodies? How did
life begin? Am I really a
monkey? What is the
missing link? Will humans
continue to evolve? Where
does morality come from?
Is Creationism true?
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Why does the size of a
space shuttle's fuel
tanks have more to do
with a horse's rump than
rocket science? Is there
a correlation between the
humble pint and the
capacity of the human
bladder? And why is an
old Wellington boot as
important an instrument
of spacial awareness as
was ever invented? About
the Size of It is a
hugely entertaining
history of traditional
weights and measures that
will make you look at
your everyday world in a
completely different way.
..'A full and convincing
account of why our
well-tried and trusted
traditional measures make
human sense' Alexander
McCall Smith 'His direct,
engaging conversational
prose is a delight to
read...inspirational'
Andrew Roberts
'Absolutely masterly.
Lucid and wise and
touching and absolutely
right' Jilly Cooper
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From planet Earth to the
furthest reaches of the
known universe, this
book lives up to its
promise. In these pages
you&'ll find everything
you need to know (and
more) about this
fascinating subject.
Starting with the planets
and stars visible to the
naked eye, this
trail-blazing book takes
the reader on an
unforgettable journey
into outer space. Along
the way you'll encounter
the wonders of our solar
system, key astronomical
breakthroughs, the first
manned space flights,
the Apollo landings, the
major constellations,
local and deep space
galaxies, black holes,
dark matter, red dwarfs
and quasars. You'll also
learn about the Big Bang
Theory and discover just
how close we've come to
answering the eternal
question - are we alone?
Besides covering
everything you need to
know, this book is
packed with visually
stimulating and
easy-to-remember
illustrations, bar
graphs, pie charts,
timelines and diagrams.
This book is also perfect
for kids - including
those of the adult
variety - who are keen to
learn all the important
stuff they'll need to
know in a way that
they'll never forget.
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It's the early 1980s and
TV-land is a weird place
to be.. .There are only
three channels!
Everything stops at
midnight! There's no
Breakfast TV, no daytime
telly.. .and the biggest
prize on TV is not Chris
Tarrant's million pounds
but a speedboat on
Bullseye. As Tom Bromley
suggests in this
hilariously funny and
entertaining walk down
memory lane, all that
was about to change.
Coming our way were new
channels, 'yoof' TV,
Dynasty, Dallas, TV-AM,
Charles and Di, Scott
and Charlene, talking
cars and a Royal It's a
Knockout. By the end of
the decade we were primed
and ready for satellite
TV, multi-channels,
rolling news and
incredibly.. .you could
watch TV all the way
through the night! And
no-one felt this change
more deeply than Tom
Bromley. From Fame to the
Falklands War, Live Aid
to Loadsamoney, All in
the Best Possible Taste
tells the story of a
childhood spent with his
mum, dad and three
siblings and that other
all-important family
member; the TV.
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A twenty-first century
look at our Sun, its
planets, and their
moons-including the
latest research and
technology on studying
and defining the
mysteries of space. Over
the last few decades our
knowledge of the universe
and what resides within
it has expanded
enormously. This exciting
new book adds a modern
sense of perspective to
the stars above by
comparing the very latest
research and the most
up-to-date technology
with traditional
beliefs-how ancient
astronomers made sense of
the heavens- presented in
clear,
easy-to-understand,
exciting dialogue. With a
twist of the wheel, the
book's easy-to-use
planisphere shows the
positions of the stars at
any time, on any day,
and any latitude-complete
with a description and
examples on how to use
it. The planisphere is a
great way to chart the
stars as you read through
the book and discover the
new solar system. In
these pages you'll find
the evolving
understanding of the
solar system. A detailed
overview examines how we
read the night sky;
constellations and the
zodiac; motion of the
planets; comparative
sizes and locations;
where the asteroid belt
is; comets; satellites;
theories of planet
formation; and much more.
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From the ice-age
recordings of moon cycles
and the earliest
calendars, to modern
wristwatches and quantum
clocks, time and its
effects have always
enthralled mankind. Weve
spent centuries
developing new ways of
measuring time,
describing it and
quantifying it, and such
methods have given rise
to some of the most
technically and
aesthetically beautiful
devices ever invented.
This book is a tribute to
timekeeping in its many
forms and takes in the
most significant
creations as well as
countless time trivia -
peppered with
time-related anecdotes
and"es, this really
is an essential handbook
for anyone fascinated by
the fourth dimension.
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Contained within the
pages of this book are
the stories behind some
of the most notorious
murders in Sussex's
history. Based upon
contemporary documents
and illustrations,
Johnnie Johnson
re-examines some of the
crimes that shocked not
only the county but
Britain as a whole. Among
the gruesome cases
featured here are the
mystery man who shot his
wife and three children
in a house in Eastbourne,
the Chief Constable who
was bludgeoned to death
in his own police
station; the fearsome
gang of smugglers who
tortured and buried one
of their two victims
alive and threw the
second to his death down
a well; and the waiter
who danced away the days
while his lady friend's
body lay mouldering in a
trunk in his lodgings.
All manner of murder and
mystery is featured here,
and this book is sure to
be a must-read for true
crime enthusiasts
everywhere.
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'The Big Questions'
series is designed to let
renowned experts confront
the 20 most fundamental
and frequently asked
questions of a major
branch of science or
philosophy. In 'The Big
Questions: Ethics' Julian
Baggini, one of
Britain's best-known
philosophers, condenses
complex, contemporary
issues of right and wrong
into 20 key questions. He
examines how we can start
to answer them, what
they might mean to us and
how they influence the
way we choose to live our
lives. Among the ideas
debated are: What is free
will? Can it ever be
right to kill? Is
terrorism ever justified?
Should euthanasia be
legal? Are some people
superior to others? Do
animals have rights?
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Due to the recent and
alarming effects of CCD,
colony collapse disorder,
bees around the world
have been receiving much
attention. Although
beekeeping may seem like
a daunting, even
dangerous task, it
doesn't have to be!
Regardless of whether you
just want a pet, start a
honey-making business or
are simply looking for a
new hobby, Dominique De
Vito dissects everything
you need to know about
bees and beekeeping in
this complete,
authoritative how-to
guide. Learning how to
tell the difference from
queen, drone and worker
bees, the tools and
supplies needed to build
your own hive, the
secrets behind
maintaining a happy bee
colony and what each
season requires to care
for a hive are just a few
of the topics De Vito
thoroughly explains. In
addition, delicious and
healthy honey recipes are
included that can be made
from your own beehive!
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A dose of sense from the
voice of parliamentary
reason Throughout the
expenses scandal and the
lobbying scandal and all
the other storms which
have buffeted Parliament,
Dr Tony Wright is the
one MP who has
consistently provided a
measured, sane and
sensible reaction to
events. As Chair of the
influential Public
Administration Committee
he has risen above party
and partisan politics to
offer a sometimes lone
voice of reason. His new
book considers the wider
implications of the
various political
ructions and the public
reaction to them, and
argues that if we want to
defend politics, then we
also have to defend
politicians: the class of
people is intrinsic to
the activity. Somebody
has to do the messy
business of accommodating
conflicting demands and
interests, choosing
between competing
options, negotiating
unwelcome trade-offs,
and taking responsibility
for decisions that often
represent the least worst
course of action. That
somebody is politicians.
They give voice to our
hopes, but they also,
inevitably, feed our
disappointments, even if
their name is Obama. From
one of our most erudite,
intellectually rigorous
yet sensible politicians,
Doing Politics is just
the book the nation
needs. 'Tony Wright is
firmly up there with the
ace political observers
like Walter Bagehot,
R.H. Tawney and George
Orwell' - Lord Hennessy,
The House Magazine
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Details: Discover the
amazing world of extreme
weather with this
incredible image
collection of some of the
most bizarre weather
types and tropical storms
of all time. Richard
Hamblyn offers a
selection of truly
breathtaking weather
phenomena, from the
beautiful snow rollers
that form on icy rooftops
to awe-inspiring displays
of volcanic lightning.
Each stunning photograph
is accompanied by
commentary by the
award-winning science
writer, whose
intelligent and
informative explanations
make the science behind
these extraordinary
weather events accessible
and entertaining.
Stunning Photography ?
Beautiful colours and
full-page photography
bring each extreme
weather scene to life.
Understand the science ?
Richard Hamblyns
clever and accessible
writing helps you get to
grips with over 90
different bizarre and
extreme weather types.
Ideal for: People
interested in
Meteorology. This
paperback book has 143
pages and measures: 16.8
x 20.2 x 1cm
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For more than a century,
we were restricted to
studying evolution from
the outside, observing
its progress only through
the fossil record. No
longer. We can now also
read the DNA record. As
well as containing the
operating instructions
for everyday existence
and for making the next
generation, DNA contains
a vast and detailed
history of the
three-billion-year
development of life on
Earth. It is a living
chronicle of evolution,
pinpointing the precise
changes that have enabled
Earth's marvelous
creatures to inhabit the
planet's shifting
environments, from the
freezing waters of the
Antarctic to the lush
canopy of the rainforest.
Captivating and lucid,
The Making of the Fittest
delves deep into the DNA
record to reveal not just
how the fittest survive
but also how they are
made.
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Black holes. DNA. The
Large Hadron Collider.
Ever had that sneaking
feeling that you are
missing out on some truly
spectacular science? You
do? Well fear not, for
help is at hand. Ben
Miller was working on his
Physics PhD at Cambridge
when he accidentally
became a comedian. But
first love runs deep,
and he has returned to
his roots to share with
you all his favourite
bits of science. This is
the stuff that you really
need to know, not only
because it matters, but
because it will quite
simply amaze and delight
you. 'Let me show you
another, perhaps less
familiar side of Science;
her beauty, her
seductiveness and her
passion. And let's do it
quickly, while Maths
isn't looking' Ben Miller
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A new cover re-issue of
the ground-breaking,
worldwide bestselling
feminist tract. A
worldwide bestseller,
translated into over
twelve languages, THE
FEMALE EUNUCH is a
landmark in the history
of the women's movement.
Drawing liberally from
history, literature and
popular culture, past
and present, Germaine
Greer's searing
examination of women's
oppression is at once an
important social
commentary and a
passionately argued
masterpiece of polemic.
Probably the most famous,
most widely read book on
feminism ever.
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Benjamin Franklin was a
pioneering scientist,
leader of the
Enlightenment and
founding father of the
USA. But perhaps less
well known is that he was
also the first person to
use artificial
respiration to revive an
electric shock victim.
Odder still, it was
actually mouth-to-beak
resuscitation on a hen
that he himself had
shocked. Welcome to some
of the most weird and
wonderful experiments
ever conducted in the
name of science. Packed
full of eccentric
characters, irrational
obsessions and extreme
experiments, Electrified
Sheep is the long-awaited
follow-up to the
bestselling Elephants on
Acid. Watch as scientists
attempt to blow up the
moon, wince at the
doctor who performs a
self-appendectomy - and
catch the faint whiff of
singed wool from an
electrified sheep.
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Whilst not intended to be
an exhaustive account of
the many who emigrated
from the Province of
Ulster, this work by
David Hume reflects the
many and varied
experiences of the men,
women and children who
made long journeys to
other parts of the world.
Many of the emigrants
came from an Ulster
Scots/Scotch Irish
background and,
importantly whilst
recognising the
contribution that those
individuals made to the
development of the areas
in which they settled,
particularly North
America, Australia and
New Zealand, David Hume
hasn't overlooked those
from other backgrounds
who also left these
shores and contributed to
developments in many
areas.
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A startling new book,
his most personal to
date, from Philip Hoare,
winner of the 2009
Samuel Johnson Prize for
'Leviathan'. The sea
surrounds us. It gives us
life, provides us with
the air we breathe and
the food we eat. It is
ceaseless change and
constant presence. It
covers two-thirds of our
planet. Yet caught up in
our everyday lives, we
barely notice it. In 'The
Sea Inside', Philip
Hoare sets out to
rediscover the sea, its
islands, birds and
beasts. He begins on the
south coast where he grew
up, a place of almost
monastic escape. From
there he travels to the
other side of the world -
the Azores, Sri Lanka,
New Zealand - in search
of encounters with
animals and people.
Navigating between human
and natural history, he
asks what these stories
mean for us now. Along
the way we meet an
amazing cast; from
scientists to tattooed
warriors; from ravens to
whales and bizarre
creatures that may, or
may not, be extinct.
Part memoir, part
fantastical travelogue,
'The Sea Inside' takes us
on an astounding journey
of discovery.
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Ben Goldacre's wise and
witty bestseller,
shortlisted for the
Samuel Johnson Prize,
lifts the lid on quack
doctors, flaky
statistics,
scaremongering
journalists and evil
pharmaceutical
corporations. Since 2003
Dr Ben Goldacre has been
exposing dodgy medical
data in his popular
Guardian column. In this
eye-opening book he takes
on the MMR hoax and
misleading cosmetics ads,
acupuncture and
homeopathy, vitamins and
mankind's vexed
relationship with all
manner of 'toxins'. Along
the way, the
self-confessed 'Johnny
Ball cum Witchfinder
General' performs a
successful detox on a
Barbie doll, sees his
dead cat become a
certified nutritionist
and probes the supposed
medical qualifications of
'Dr' Gillian McKeith.
Full spleen and satire,
Ben Goldacre takes us on
a hilarious,
invigorating and
ultimately alarming
journey through the bad
science we are fed daily
by hacks and quacks.
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More than 100
contributors ? from the
fields of art, science,
mathematics,
performance, music,
architecture, design,
literature and sociology
? have devised or chosen
their own personal
formula to express their
understanding of
contemporary life. At
times quirky and
idiosyncratic, witty and
playful, some of the
formulas register an
indisputable fact or
propose a speculative
idea; others provide a
method of bringing order
to a complex universe ?
or point to the
impossibility of doing
so; still others suggest
propositions or solutions
for a better future.
Whether taking the form
of a scribbled equation
or typeset text, or a
drawing, diagram,
photograph or painting,
each contribution is
treated imaginatively in
a fun and colourful
design in keeping with
the spirit of the
project.
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Earth from Space provides
a global view like no
other. It presents our
planet from a spectacular
perspective, captures
the diversity of life
that exists around the
globe, and takes us on a
fascinating journey of
discovery. Since the
beginning of human
history, we have sought
a better understanding of
the world around us.
Thanks to the newest
generation of satellites
we can appreciate the
beauty of the Earth as
never before. Earth from
Space includes 300
spectacular satellite
images: glaciers and
forests, hurricanes and
volcanic eruptions, the
Grand Canyon and the
Pyramids, rain forests
and coral reefs,
ecological disasters and
war zones, and places of
spectacular beauty -
viewed at different
scales by orbiting
satellites. The structure
of land surfaces, the
effects of human and
natural forces, and the
ways in which our planet
is changing can be
clearly seen and
understood. Much more
than a collection of
extraordinary images,
Earth from Space includes
background information
that explains the tools
of the trade and maps
that place the photos in
context. Individually,
the pictures capture
every aspect of our
dynamic planet.
Collectively, they
provide us with a unique
and unparalleled view of
the Earth, our home in
space.
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Signs of the Time looks
at the story behind the
worlds most famous
symbols, from the peace
sign to the smiley. It
shows just how much
importance has been
attached to the smallest
and simplest of ideas and
features over 40 of the
most significant symbols
from religion, politics
and popular culture down
the centuries. Did you
know that 15% of all
tweets on twitter contain
the hash tag symbol?
Thats over 41 million
uses of each day. Or that
the smiley face
originated in
Massachusetts in the
1960s? This fascinating
book highlights the roles
symbols have played
throughout history and
how they have shaped our
understanding of the
world.
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'If I saw further than
others, ' said Sir Issac
Newton, 'it is because I
was standing on the
shoulders of giants.'
'Quantum Leaps'
introduces one hundred of
these giants and examines
their achievements: the
men and women who, often
in the face of extreme
scepticism or worse,
have striven and
succeeded in pushing back
the boundaries of human
knowledge. Ranging across
the spectrum of
scientific endeavour,
from the cosmology of
Copernicus and Galileo,
through the medical
revolutions of
Hippocrates and Galen,
it includes the fields of
physics, biology,
chemistry and genetics.
This is the story of the
ideas that have shaped
the world today, and the
ideas that will shape the
future.
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Over the years, millions
of school children must
have written out their
address in the same way -
their house number and
street, their town,
their country, their
continent, planet Earth,
the universe...Following
this simplest of
patterns, taking each
line of the address as a
starting point, Tim
Radford explores our
place in the scheme of
things - why we are
attached to a particular
geographical place and
what significance do we
have when faced with the
realms of astronomy and
astrophysics.
Fascinating,
entertaining and
completely original, The
Address Book tackles some
of the most fundamental
questions facing us, and
allows us see ourselves
completely afresh.
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The Sunday Times
Bestseller In Wonders of
the Solar System - the
book of the acclaimed BBC
TV series - Professor
Brian Cox will take us on
a journey of discovery
where alien worlds from
your imagination become
places we can see, feel
and visit. The Wonders of
the Solar System - from
the giant ice fountains
of Enceladus to the
liquid methane seas of
Titan and from storms
twice the size of the
Earth to the tortured
moon of Io with its giant
super-volcanoes - is the
Solar System as you have
never seen it before. In
this series, Professor
Brian Cox will introduce
us to the planets and
moons beyond our world,
finding the biggest,
most bizarre, most
powerful natural
phenomena. Using the
latest scientific imagery
along with cutting edge
CGI and some of the most
spectacular and extreme
locations on Earth,
Brian will show us
Wonders never thought
possible. Employing his
trademark clear,
authoritative, yet
down-to-earth approach,
Brian will explore how
these previously unseen
phenomena have
dramatically expanded our
horizons with new
discoveries about the
planets, their moons and
how they came to be the
way they are.
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Mary Magdalene was the
wife of Jesus Christ.
When he was crucified a
pregnant Mary Magdalene
fled to France escaping
persecution. In the
country that offered her
refuge, she gave birth
to Sarah. Sarah's
descendants became the
Merovingion dynasty. The
Vatican has done, and
still does, everything
in its power to conceat
this truth, but Christ's
descendants have had
their own allies from the
beginning in the Knights
Templar and the Priory of
Sion.
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Ed Moloney's "A Secret
History of the IRA" is
the best-informed account
yet written of the IRA's
evolution from ruthless
guerrilla army into
governmental party,
ruling Northern Ireland
alongside its most
intransigent former
enemies. But
reconciliation between
political figures who
until very recently
wished each other dead or
in jail has not been
accompanied by very much
truth-telling about the
past. Men who have been
to the White House and
hob-nobbed with Tony
Blair deny that they ever
fired a shot in anger,
or caused a bomb to be
planted. Now, in a truly
ground-breaking piece of
historical
evidence-gathering
initiated by Boston
College, two former
paramilitary leaders -
one republican, one
loyalist - speak with
unprecedented frankness
about their role in some
of the most appalling
violence of the Troubles.
Their openness results in
a book of shocking and
irresistible testimony,
their voices set in the
context of a narrative by
Ed Moloney of their lives
and of the society they
grew up in.
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Astonishing new research
suggests that 470 million
years ago, a stupendous
collision in the Asteroid
Belt (whose debris is
still falling today)
bombarded the Earth with
meteorites of all sizes.
A revolutionary idea is
emerging that the
resulting ecological
disturbance may have been
responsible for the
single greatest increase
in biological diversity
since the origin of
complex life - the
hitherto unexplained
Great Ordovician
Biodiversity Event.
Introducing these fresh
discoveries to a wider
public for the first
time, Ted Nield
challenges the orthodox
view that meteorite
strikes are always bad
news for life on Earth.
He argues that one of the
most widely known
scientific theories -
that dinosaurs were wiped
out by a strike 65
million years ago - isn't
the whole picture, and
that the causes of the
end-Cretaceous mass
extinction (of which the
dinosaurs' demise was a
part) were much more
varied and complex.
Meteorites have been the
stuff of legend
throughout human history,
interpreted as omens of
doom or objects of power.
But only in the 18th
century, when the study
of falling space debris
became a science, were
meteorites used to unlock
the mysteries of our
universe. Incoming!
traces the history of
meteorites from the first
recorded strike to the
video recordings made
routinely today, showing
how our interpretations
have varied according to
the age in which they
fell, and how meteorite
impacts were given fresh
urgency with the advent
of the atom bomb.
Introducing a wealth of
fascinating characters
alongside extraordinary
new research, Ted Nield
has written the perfect
introduction to the
science and history of
the falling skyA".
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Geographical Skills,
Fieldwork Investigation
and Issue Evaluation
contains the key
information for AQA
Geography AS Unit 2 and
A2 Unit 4, with
examiners' notes and
essential notes to
deliver exam success. An
exam section contains
sample papers with graded
answers and detailed
comments on how to move
up from a lower grade and
secure a higher one.
Geographical Skills,
Fieldwork Investigation
and Issue Evaluation
contains all the key
information for AQA
Geography AS Unit 2 and
A2 Unit 4. The revision
content and exam practice
sections are matched to
the 2008 specification
and include: *
Cartographical skills *
Graphical skills *
Statistical skills * AS
Fieldwork * A2 Fieldwork
* Issue evaluation * Exam
practice section with
sample papers and answers
* Glossary of key terms *
Index
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There's simply no limit
to the sins people will
commit for a tasty meal.
The Japanese are
notorious for their trade
in bluefin tuna, while
newlyweds in Bangkok,
Shanghai and Singapore
devour a gelatinous soup
made from poached abalone
and fins hacked from
living sharks. But surely
there's no need for you
to feel bad about
ordering sea bass in a
London restaurant.
Unless, of course, you
consider that you may
well be enjoying one of
the very last members of
the species. In "Dead
Seas" we follow acclaimed
journalist Taras Grescoe
on a year-long,
round-the-world trip, as
he eats his way from the
top to the bottom of the
food chain with one
purpose in mind: to find
out whether he can
continue to eat such
delicacies in good
conscience. As well as
painting a vivid and
often hilarious picture
of the fascinating people
Taras encounters, Dead
Seas explores the impact
we are having on sea life
by overfishing and draws
our attention to some of
the ethical choices we
can make. At a time when
many of the fish we take
for granted are on the
verge of extinction, we
need to face the fact
that very soon jellyfish
sandwiches may be all
that is left for us to
eat.
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Essential reading
following an astounding
summer of sport; if
you've ever wondered what
makes a champion, Bounce
has the answer. What are
the real secrets of
sporting success, and
what lessons do they
offer about life? Why
doesn't Tiger Woods
"choke"? Why are the best
figure skaters those that
have fallen over the most
and why has one small
street in Reading
produced more top table
tennis players than the
rest of the country put
together. Two-time
Olympian and sports
writer and broadcaster
Matthew Syed draws on the
latest in neuroscience
and psychology to uncover
the secrets of our top
athletes and introduces
us to an extraordinary
cast of characters,
including the East German
athlete who became a man,
and her husband - and
the three Hungarian
sisters who are all chess
grandmasters. Bounce is
crammed with fascinating
stories and statistics.
Looking at controversial
questions such as whether
talent is more important
than practice, drugs in
sport (and life) and
whether black people
really are faster
runners, the
mind-bending Bounce is a
must-read for the
hardened sports nut or
brand new convert.
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-
As one of the most
recognizable images in
science, the periodic
table is ingrained in our
culture. First drawn up
in 1869 by Dmitri
Mendeleev, its 118
elements make up not only
everything on our planet
but also everything in
the entire universe. The
Periodic Table looks at
the fascinating story and
surprising uses of each
of those elements,
whether solid, liquid or
gas. From the
little-known uses of gold
in medicine to the
development of the
hydrogen bomb, each
entry is accompanied by
technical data (category,
atomic number, weight,
boiling point) presented
in easy-to-read headers,
and a colour-coding
system that helps the
reader to navigate
through the different
groups of elements. A
remarkable display of
thought-provoking science
and beautiful
photography, this guide
will allow the reader to
discover the world
afresh.
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Science tells us grand
things about the
universe: how fast light
travels, and why stones
fall to earth. But
scientific endeavour goes
far beyond these obvious
foundations. There are
some fields we don't
often hear about because
they are so specialised,
or turn out to be dead
ends. Yet researchers
have given hallucinogenic
drugs to blind people
(seriously), tried to
weigh the soul as it
departs the body and
planned to blast a new
Panama Canal with atomic
weapons. Real scientific
breakthroughs sometimes
come out of the most
surprising and
unpromising work. How to
Make a Tornado is about
the margins of science -
not the research down
tried-and-tested routes,
but some of its zanier
and more brilliant
by-ways. Investigating
everything from what it's
like to die, to
exploding trousers and
recycled urine, this
book is a reminder that
science is intensely
creative and often very
amusing - and when their
minds run free,
scientists can fire the
imagination like nobody
else.
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Ancient mythology can be
seen as a source of
understanding of the
universal themes and
conflicts that have beset
human beings throughout
time, such as the
transitory nature of
life, the inevitability
of separateness, and the
existence of the personal
and collective
unconscious. Beyond the
Mist is an introduction
to Irish mythology which
also explores its
contemporary relevance to
the mysteries, unknowns
and vicissitudes of life.
It explores the various
divine and other figures
as symbolic aspects of
the individual psyche and
the unconscious mind,
while providing insights
into these repressed
aspects of our inner life
and suggesting
appropriate ways of
relating to and
integrating these
qualities.
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Collins A2 Biology for
AQA is the ideal resource
to support you through
the 2008 AQA GCE course.
It has been developed
with the help of AQA
examiners to ensure a
perfect match to the 2008
specification and
provides everything you
need to succeed in your
exam. This book covers
AQA Biology A2 units:
Unit 4 - Populations and
Environment Unit 5 -
Control in Cells and in
Organisms The book
includes the following
features: * How Science
Works feature boxes and
assignments * Real world
science in context at the
start of every chapter *
Questions throughout the
text, with answers
provided in the back of
the book * Key fact
summaries throughout the
text * Stretch and
challenge boxes to push
the most able students *
Exam-style questions at
the end of every chapter
* Practice synoptic
questions The website
includes the following
additional support
material: * Mark schemes
for exam-style questions
from the book * Sample
student answers to
exam-style questions at 2
levels with examiner
comments to show students
how to achieve a higher
grade * Guidance for PSAs
to help students to
achieve the best grades
in their practical
assessments *
Mathematical and
examination technique
guidance to ensure that
students know how to best
prepare for and handle
their exams. Also
available from Collins:
AS Biology for AQA,
covering AQA Biology AS
units: Unit 1 - Biology
and Disease Unit 2 - The
Variety of Living
Organisms
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The destruction of nature
as a consequence of
modern human lifestyles,
industries and
agriculture is leading to
the Earth's sixth great
extinction of species.
Current estimates suggest
that the rate of
extinction is now
thousands of times that
counted in the fossil
record before the
emergence of modern man.
At the same time, human
societies themselves are
in a cultural extinction
crisis, with experts
anticipating that of the
world's nearly seven
thousand languages as few
as ten percent may
survive into the next
century. Melanie
Challenger's
extraordinary book is an
exploration of how we
might live to resist
these extinctions and why
such disappearances must
be of concern to us.
Adventurous, curious and
passionate about her
subject, Challenger
takes us on a very
personal journey as she
tries to restore her own
relationship with nature.
The narrative unfolds
through a series of
landscapes haunted by
extinction. From the
ruined tin mines of
Cornwall and the
abandoned whaling
stations of South Georgia
to the Inuit camps of the
Arctic and the white
heart of Antarctica, she
probes the critical
relationship between
human activities and
environmental collapse.
This is the first book to
weave together the
strands of cultural,
biological and industrial
extinctions into a
meditation on the way we
live beside nature in the
modern world.
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An eye-opening and vital
account of the future of
our earth, and our
civilisation, if current
rates of global warming
persist, by the highly
acclaimed author of 'High
Tide'. Picture yourself a
few decades from now, in
a world in which average
temperatures are three
degrees higher than they
are now. On the edge of
Greenland, rivers ten
times the size of the
Amazon are gushing off
the ice sheet into the
north Atlantic. Displaced
victims of North Africa's
drought establish a new
colony on Greenland's
southern tip, one of the
few inhabitable areas not
already crowded with
environmental refugees.
Vast pumping systems keep
the water out of most of
Holland, but the
residents of Bangladesh
and the Nile Delta enjoy
no such protection.
Meanwhile, in New York,
a Category 5-plus
superstorm pushes through
the narrows between
Staten Island and
Brooklyn, devastating
waterside areas from Long
Island to Manhattan.
Pakistan, crippled by
drought brought on by
disappearing Himalayan
glaciers, sees 27
million farmers flee to
refugee camps in
neighbouring India. Its
desperate government
prepares a last-ditch
attempt to increase the
flow of the Indus river
by bombing
half-constructed Indian
dams in Kashmir. The
Pakistani president
authorises the use of
nuclear weapons in the
case of an Indian
military counter-strike.
But the biggest story of
all comes from South
America, where a
conflagration of truly
epic proportions has
begun to consume the
Amazon...Alien as it all
sounds, Mark Lynas's
incredible new book is
not science-fiction; nor
is it sensationalist. The
title, 'Six Degrees',
refers to the terrifying
possibility that average
temperatures will rise by
up to six degrees within
the next hundred years.
This is the first time we
have had a reliable
picture of how the
collapse of our
civilisation will unfold
unless urgent action is
taken. Most vitally,
Lynas's book serves to
highlight the fact that
the world of 2100 doesn't
have to be one of horror
and chaos. With a little
foresight, some
intelligent strategic
planning, and a
reasonable dose of good
luck, we can at least
halt the catastrophic
trend into which we have
fallen - but the time to
act is now.
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-
We talk about the weather
a lot. It exasperates,
confounds and on occasion
delights us. Our national
conversation is dominated
by the weather, but how
much do we really know
about it? In Bring Me
Sunshine, Charlie
Connelly sets off on the
trail of our island
obsession. He breezes
through the lives of
meteorological
eccentrics, geniuses,
rainmakers and
cloud-busters and brings
vividly to life great
weather events from
history. He sheds light
on Britain's weirdest
wind, why we have the
wettest place in England
to thank for the trusty
pencil, the debt that
umbrella owners owe to
Robinson Crusoe and why
people once thought
firing cannons at clouds
was a great idea. Having
adventured round the
shipping forecast areas
for his bestselling
Attention All Shipping,
Connelly is the perfect
guide through a m?lange
of gales, blizzards,
mists, heatwaves and the
occasional shower of
fish. By turns
informative,
entertaining and
hilarious, Bring Me
Sunshine answers all your
weather questions as well
as helping you to
distinguish your graupel
from your petrichor.
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-
Children have a knack of
asking great, but
challenging, questions:
Why is the sea salty? How
far away is space? Why
can't I tickle myself?
What makes me me? But how
are we supposed to answer
them? Imagine if we could
turn to a leading expert
and ask them to answer on
our behalf. This book
gathers over 100 real
questions from children
and puts them to some of
our best-loved and most
knowledgeable experts.
Alain de Botton explores
'How are dreams made?',
Kate Humble explains 'Why
do lions roar?' and
Heston Blumenthal answers
'Why do we cook food?'
Their answers to the Big
Questions - some complex,
some searching, some
surreal and some just
plain cute - make this an
essential handbook for
anyone who wants to
understand the
complexities of life,
the universe and why
cakes taste so nice. It
includes answers from Sir
David Attenborough, Dame
Kelly Holmes, Bear
Grylls, Derren Brown,
Noam Chomsky, Dr Richard
Dawkins, Alain de
Botton, Annabel Karmel,
Jacqueline Wilson,
Jarvis Cocker, Marcus du
Sautoy, Jessica Ennis,
Marcus Chown, Tracey
Emin, Harry Hill, Dr
Christian Jessen and many
more.
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-
The Rough Guide to
Unexplained Phenomena is
an exploration of the
zone that lies between
the known and the
unknown, a shadowy
territory that's home to
the lake monsters,
combusting people,
teleporting frogs and
man-eating trees. Taking
a Fortean path between
dogmatic scientists and
credulous believers, the
authors trace tales of
wonder back to their
sources, drawing from a
huge archive of
observations, opinions
and discussions. This
updated second edition
boasts new illustrations
and plenty of intriguing
new sections from near
death experiences to
ghosts, haunted houses
and mysterious mass
deaths. There are many
things which are not yet
known or understood about
our world - as this guide
shows there are many
riddles to solve and
wonders to experience.
Decide for yourself with
The Rough Guide to
Unexplained Phenomona
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-
Science is full of
surprises: the peculiar
peepshow beginnings of
baby incubators; the
unexpected positive
fallout from the H-bomb;
the dinosaurs that caused
sonic booms; the
irrational nature of the
number pi; the fifth
taste sensation lurking
in everyone's taste buds
which nobody knew about
(except for the
Japanese). Whilst
shedding light on these
conundrums, Karl Sabbagh
shows that seemingly
trivial queries or
assumptions lead to a
deeper understanding of
how science works. Who
would have thought that
scientists would turn to
the hypothesis All swans
are white to determine
the stability of the
entire universe? Or that
if we choose to spend our
hard-earned money on
other people it might
make us happier than if
we spend it on ourselves?
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-
The basis of a four-part
prime-time BBC series,
this volume offers an
accessible portrait of
modern times, and
explores how digital
technology, and the
Internet in particular,
has changed the way we
live. The author argues
that not only does our
generation now have the
easiest access to more
information than ever
before, but more
importantly this has
changed our attitudes to
how we run our lives.
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-
This is a bold expose of
science's mavericks. For
more than a century,
science has cultivated a
sober public image for
itself. But as
bestselling author
Michael Brooks explains,
the truth is very
different: many of our
most successful
scientists have more in
common with libertines
than librarians. This
thrilling exploration of
some of the greatest
breakthroughs in science
reveals the extreme
lengths some scientists
go to in order to make
their theories public.
Fraud, suppressing
evidence and unethical or
reckless PR games are
sometimes necessary to
bring the best and most
brilliant discoveries to
the world's attention.
Inspiration can come from
the most unorthodox of
places, and Brooks
introduces us to Nobel
laureates who get their
ideas through drugs,
dreams and
hallucinations. Science
is a highly competitive
and ruthless discipline,
and only its most
determined and passionate
practitioners make
headlines - and history.
To succeed, knowledge
must be pursued by any
means: in science,
anything goes.
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-
When THE PRIMAL SCREAM
was published in 1970 it
caused an international
sensation. In introduced
a revolutionary new
approach to psychological
thinking- Primal Therapy,
which encourages
patients to relive core
experiences instead of
taking refuge from
reality in a comfortable
half-world of neurosis.
Twenty years on, THE NEW
PRIMAL SCREAM takes the
theory even further,
showing that repressed
pain is bad not only for
mental but also for
physical health. Citing
case histories, Dr Janov
shows how the application
of his therapy has helped
victims of incest and
other abuse overcome
subsequent illness. The
implications are as
devastating as the
therapy is revolutionary.
THE NEW PRIMAL SCREAM
discusses and reaches
some startling
conclusions about illness
and Primal Therapy,
exploring; *Primal pain:
the great hidden secrets,
*Repression: the gates
of the brain and loss of
feeling, *How early
experience is imprinted,
*Illness as the silent
scream, *Sex,
sensuality and sexuality,
*The role of weeping in
psychotherapy, *Why we
have to relive our
childhood to get well.
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This is a new edition of
this popular title,
which provides a
fantastic reference point
for students studying for
their SAT's and GCSE's in
Physics, Chemistry and
Biology. It is split into
three sections, each
covering the key aspects
of the curriculum for
Physics, Biology and
Chemistry, and including
important charts, tables
and lists. It is brightly
and clearly illustrated.
It is also
internet-linked to
further online
educational resources
through the Usborne
Quicklinks website.
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'Ever since I have
inhabited old age, I
have looked and listened,
mostly in vain, for
news of what it is like
for others who inhabit it
too. Naturally, I'm
interested in its
well-known depredations,
the physical and mental
ones that people in their
forties and fifties so
publicly dread. And who
would not delight in the
theatrical props of old
age - the pills and
sticks, the shrieking
hearing aids and the
tricks for countering the
loss of names and threads
and glasses. But that's
not all. I have a fond
hope that in old age
there may be new kinds of
time and of pleasure,
perhaps even new kinds of
vitality, and that,
though we forget and
muddle and fail to hear
things, there may be
moments when we truly
understand what's going
on for the first time.
But then I've always been
a late developer.'
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King Arthur, probably
the most popular of
British kings and one
whose name is synonymous
with courage, chivalry
and romanticism. Arthur,
King of the Britons,
Arthur the medieval
legend, Arthur the
Celtic warlord, Arthur
of the Pre-Raphaelites
and Arthur of the
movies...would the real
King Arthur please stand
up? Daniel Mersey
explores the many faces,
myths and theories
surrounding this famous
king.
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This book provides a
timely and important
discussion of the
potential value of
cloning and of the
ethical choices that this
radical new technology
has raised, including
the issues surrounding
the current status of
stem-cell research. As
leader of the team that
produced Dolly, the
first animal to be cloned
from an adult cell, Ian
Wilmut has played a
unique role both in the
science of cloning and
the ensuing international
debate about its
implications. He has
testified before
parliamentary and
congressional committees
in the UK, France and
the US and given many
public lectures on the
subject, in addition to
participating in numerous
panel discussions on the
uses of cloning. AFTER
DOLLY: THE USES AND
MISUSES OF HUMAN CLONING
distils the essence of
the current scientific
and social policy
discussions around these
critically important
issues and presents them
in an understandable
manner so the educated
reader can have an
informed opinion.
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In this book of puzzles
and paradoxes, Peter
Cave introduces some of
life's most important
questions with tales and
tall stories, reasons
and arguments, common
sense and bizarre
conclusions. From how to
get to heaven, to speedy
tortoises, paradoxes and
puzzles give rise to some
of the most exciting
problems in philosophy -
from logic to ethics and
from art to politics.
Illustrated with quirky
cartoons throughout, Can
a Robot be human takes
the reader on a taster
tour of the most
interesting and
delightful parts of
philosophy. This title is
for everyone who puzzles
about the world.
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Award-winning
neuroscientist David
Linden shows how pleasure
affects us at the most
fundamental level, in
our brains, and why
ecstatic activities can
easily become addictive.
On this trip into
cutting-edge science, he
explores why nicotine and
heroine are addictive
while LSD is not; why the
search for a safe
appetitie suppressant has
failed; if sex can be
addicitve; and if we
might someday control the
part of the brain that
makes us addicted in the
first place.
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With the worldwide
success of the movie
March of the Penguins,
these fascinating
flightless birds have
become a symbol of the
fragile nature of our
ecosystem. Faced with
global warming, invasive
tourism, pollution and
loss of habitat,
penguins need our help
more than ever to
survive. Over the last 18
years, Wayne Lynch has
travelled thousands of
miles to Antarctica, the
Galapagos Islands,
Argentina, Chile, New
Zealand and a dozen
remote island clusters in
the tempestuous Southern
Ocean to study and
photograph the 17 species
of penguins in their
natural habitats. In
Penguins of the World,
he documents the
extraordinary life cycle
of these tough,
resourceful and beautiful
birds in some of the
harshest environments
imaginable. Lynch's prose
is engaging and
easy-to-read, and his
beautiful photographs
capture the birds in a
wide variety of
activities and
behaviours. Penguins of
the World is a book not
to be missed by anyone
interested in the future
of life on this planet.
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Foreword by Robin Morrow,
President Royal Ulster
Agricultural Society - I
enjoy reading Paul
Callaghan's weekly
editorials in Farm Week
where he brings an
insightful perspective on
the history and
development of Northern
Ireland's
agri-industries. So it
was with some
anticipation that I
looked forward to this
opportunity to review his
new book, Memories from
the Farmyard. I must say
that I was not
disappointed and that I
very much enjoyed Paul's
book. Memories from the
Farmyard charts the
development of all the
principal cattle breeds
in Northern Ireland
across a period of just
over one hundred years,
and does so with
remarkable flair and
insight. The book reveals
not just the methods used
to create today's great
breeds, but also gives
flesh to many of the
cattle breeders and
characters from the past,
whose vision and drive
contributed so much to
today's farming
landscape. On a personal
note, I have to say that
as a retired dairy
farmer, I have an innate
interest in the history
of cattle breeding in
Northern Ireland. I was
therefore particularly
interested in the
reference to the
'Ravenhill' herd, from
which we bought our first
Friesian bull in the late
1940s. This book is a
valuable record of how
farming has evolved in
this part of Ireland from
the mid-nineteenth
century and I am sure
anyone with an interest
in the history of farming
and cattle breeding here
will find it interesting
reading. Moreover, I
consider it to be a
document that is well
worth having on the
bookshelf for future
generations. I have
always believed that it
is important to promote
our farming industry to
the consumer. Memories
from the Farmyard is an
important tool in this
process. It shows the
effort, work and vision
that have gone into
farming, particularly
cattle breeding, over
the generations. This
legacy from our
forefathers has helped to
position us where we are
today, with one of the
most efficient dairy
industries in Western
Europe, possibly the
world.
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The key discoveries and
theories that preceded
Newton's work on
gravitation are
described: including
those of Copernicus,
Kepler, Descartes,
Cassini, Huygens, Hooke
and Roemer. Surprisingly
there is no description
of a major contribution
from Galileo - beyond his
assertion that heavenly
bodies are not perfect
and cannot be placed
above scientific
reasoning. Three
demonstrations of
Newton's theories are
also presented. That is
proof of the flattening
of the earth at the
poles, by the French in
1735, predicting the
re-appearance of Halley's
Comet in 1759 and the
existence of Neptune and
the description of its
orbit in 1846. Alexander
Pope did not exaggerate,
Newton's extraordinary
mind drew together all
the scientific knowledge
of his day and moulded it
into a theory that
accounted for almost
every observable fact.
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This is the clearest and
sharpest recognition
guide to over 130
varieties of gemstones
from around the world,
packed with more than 800
crystal-clear photographs
with precise annotation
to make identification
sure and simple and a
concise and jargon-free
text pinpoints the
characteristics of each
gemstone and provides
quick and accessible
information.
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When the abolitionist
Granville Sharpe bought
land in Sierra Leone to
'repatriate' freed
slaves, one former slave
living in London foresaw
trouble. 'Is it
possible', asked Ottobah
Cugoano, biblically,
'that a fountain should
send forth both sweet
water and bitter?' Could
the slave trade be
abolished from West
Africa when West Africa
was its source? The
answer was no..."Sweet
Water and Bitter" is the
extraordinary sequel to
Britain's abolition of
the slave trade in 1807.
The last legal British
slave-ship left Africa
that year, but other
countries and illegal
slavers continued to
trade. When the
Napoleonic Wars ended in
1815, British diplomats
negotiated
anti-slave-trade treaties
and a 'Preventive
Squadron' was formed to
cruise the West African
coast. In six decades,
this small fleet
liberated 150, 000
Africans and lost 17, 000
of its own men in doing
so. This is the tale of
their exciting and
arduous campaign. It is
also a story of
unforeseen
consequences.What to do
with the freed slaves?
How to manipulate
international law so that
you could board the ships
of other nations? How to
fight the intense
hostility of African
leaders to abolition? In
tracing these complex
questions, Sian Rees
shows how the campaign
was linked to British
imperial and commercial
ambition as well as to
philanthropy: the
colonising of West Africa
was a direct, though
unintended result. Above
all, however, this is a
swashbuckling naval
adventure, full of
sensational, first-hand
accounts of life at sea,
of the grim 'barracoons'
where slaves are held,
of the luxurious
compounds of the
slave-brokers and the
lonely garrisons dotting
the coast. Sailors speak
of the boredom of patrol,
the terror of 'detached
service' in small boats
upriver, the sudden,
violent battles and the
horror of seeing, close
up, the cruelties of
slaving. Combining
flawless research with an
intimate and dramatic
narrative, this is a
voyage that no one will
forget.
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In August 1931, New
Zealand farmer Richard
Buckley hit the local
headlines - or rather his
trousers did. One minute
they were drying in front
of the fire; the next
there was a huge blast
and a ball of flames.
Farmer Buckley's trousers
had exploded. The
culprit? A popular
pesticide of the day,
which when combined with
clothing fibres
unexpectedly formed a
highly combustible
compound. This incendiary
story is a striking
example of how scientific
advances meant to improve
people's lives can
sometimes backfire.
Contrary to the
widespread belief that
science and technology
move steadily on from one
discovery to the next,
the fascinating stories
in this entertaining
collection present some
of the unfamiliar
characters and events
that litter the path of
scientific progress,
where setbacks and
mishaps are the norm,
and breakthroughs are the
exception.
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This groundbreaking book
demonstrates that between
the results of the 1976
Viking I lander and the
latest scientific
discoveries - from
fertile Martian soil to
microbe-ridden meteorites
- there is a powerful
case for life on the Red
Planet and beyond. Taking
weird organisms on Earth
as a starting point,
Schulze-Makuch and
Darling explore what
forms extraterrestrial
life might take and where
it may reside. From the
noxious clouds of Venus
to the methane rains of
Titan, We Are Not Alone
provides a captivating
tour of the Solar System
and shows that it's much
more crowded than we
previously realised.
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Why can't we tickle
ourselves? Which
properties give you the
best chance of winning
Monopoly? What would
happen if you fell into a
black hole? Is it
possible to hurt your
brain if you think too
much? In this
entertaining and
enlightening tour of
day-to-day life,
award-winning writer and
scientist Robert Matthews
tackles everything from
the puzzling maths of odd
socks to the real 'string
theory' mystery: how does
string acquire all those
unwanted knots?
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Steve Jones's highly
acclaimed, double
prize-winning,
bestselling first book is
now fully revised to
cover all the new genetic
breakthroughs from GM
food to Dolly the
sheep.'An essential
sightseer's guide to our
own genetic terrain.'
Peter Tallack, Sunday
Telegraph 'Superb and
stimulating...an
exhilarating trip around
the double spiral of DNA,
a rush of
gravity-defying concepts
and wild swerves of the
scientific imagination.'
J.G. Ballard, Daily
Telegraph 'Not so much
divination as
demystification...An
attempt to bring genetics
and evolution more into
the public domain. If,
for instance, you ever
wondered just what
genetic engineering is
about, here is as good a
place as any to discover.
Few have Jones's ability
to communicate a
difficult idea with such
humour, clarity,
precision and ease.'
Laurence Hurst, Times
Higher; 'Sensitive to the
social issues raised by
genetics...yet Jones's
interest reaches beyond
contemporary social
issues to the human past,
to what genetics can and
cannot tell us about our
evolution and patterns of
social development. He
interleaves a broad
knowledge of biology with
considerations of
cultural, demographic
and - as his title
indicates - linguistic
history. At once
instructive and
captivating.' Daniel
J.Kevles, London Review
of Books
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In 1963, the Home Office
and Central Office of
Information distributed
this handbook for the
civil defence, police
and fire services to
advise the public on what
to do in the event of a
nuclear attack. The
booklet told people what
to do to protect
themselves, their family
and their home. From how
to build an outdoor
fall-out shelter and
putting together a
survival pack to what to
do if a warning sounds,
this is a terrifying
glimpse of life under the
threat of nuclear attack.
Published to coincide
with the V&A's Cold War
Modern exhibition, this
fully illustrated
facsimile is also an
excellent example of
graphic design and
illustration from the
period.
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An overall view of
today's use of advanced
science to combat
criminal activities. This
will cover the various
types of crimes, a brief
description of the
advances made in forensic
science, and the future
investigative tools now
being developed. Chapters
include The Scene of the
Crime, Determination of
Death, DNA and the
Criminal, Identifying a
Body, Crimes without
Death and The Criminal
Mind, detailing actual
case studies and
processes.
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Only 4% of the universe
consists of the matter
that makes up you, me,
this form, and every
star and planet. Over the
last few decades
scientists have been
battling to understand
the rest: the strange
dark matterA" and even
stranger dark energyA".
In exhilarating and
behind-the-scenes detail,
Panek takes us on a tour
of the bitter rivalries
and fruitful
collaborations, the
eureka moments and blind
alleys, that have
fuelled the search,
redefined science, and
reinvented the universe.
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An urgent and necessary
polemic on the
government's assault on
our fundamental freedoms
and the proliferation of
Human Rights. From 42
days detention to ASBOs,
as citizens of modern
Britain we are seeing
some of our fundamental
freedoms being pawned off
cheaply in the name of
security. At the same
time, a whole range of
novel, and comparatively
trivial, rights are
being handed out like
sweets. Why? In the last
10 years the government
has launched an
unprecedented assault on
our civil liberties. The
loss of basic liberties
has been replaced by a
litany of new rights and
the emergence of a new
rights culture without
any meaningful democratic
oversight. This assault,
and the parallel
proliferation of rights,
has warped the moral
compass that guided the
idea of fundamental
rights throughout British
history. But in whose
name and to what end? In
The Assault on Liberty,
a radical polemic on the
state of the nation,
Dominic Raab, Chief of
Staff to the Shadow Home
Secretary, asks whether
we can really defend our
freedom by sacrificing
it. The risks to Britain
are real and likely to
grow unless unchecked.
Raab argues that the
long-term risk is that
the current approach will
undermine the credibility
of, and public support
for, the very idea of
fundamental rights in
this country. He
concludes that it is only
a modern Bill of Rights
that would offer a
precious opportunity to
review and repair our
approach to rights, one
of the pillars of our
liberal democracy and
would place these
fundamental liberties in
the correct context of
the challenges facing
Britain and its citizens
in the 21st century.
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In this stunning sequel
to last Christmas'
bestselling surprise hit,
Can a Robot be Human?,
Peter Cave once again
engages the reader in a
romp through the best
bits of philosophical
thought. With the aid of
tall stories, jokes,
common sense and bizarre
insights, Cave tackles
some of life's most
important questions and
introduces the puzzles
that will keep you
pondering throughout the
night. From encounters
with bears (ethical
dilemmas) to talking
turkeys (the problem of
induction), Cave storms
through philosophy's
classic conundrums with
rapier wit and wisdom.
Illustrated with quirky
cartoons throughout,
What's Wrong With Eating
People? leaves no stone
unturned, covering a
smorgasbord of topics
including logic, ethics,
art and politics. It
will provide a perfect
gift for anyone who
puzzles about the world!
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Details: There are some
mathematical problems
whose significance goes
beyond the ordinary -
like Fermat's Last
Theorem or Goldbach's
Conjecture - they are the
enigmas which define
mathematics. The Great
Mathematical Problems
explains why these
problems exist, why they
matter, what drives
mathematicians to
incredible lengths to
solve them and where they
stand in the context of
mathematics and science
as a whole. It contains
solved problems - like
the Poincar? Conjecture,
cracked by the eccentric
genius Grigori Perelman,
who refused academic
honours and a
million-dollar prize for
his work, and ones
which, like the Riemann
Hypothesis, remain
baffling after centuries.
Stewart is the guide to
this mysterious and
exciting world, showing
how modern mathematicians
constantly rise to the
challenges set by their
predecessors, as the
great mathematical
problems of the past
succumb to the new
techniques and ideas of
the present. Ideal for:
An accessible and
interesting book for all.
This paperback book has
340 pages and measures:
32.2 x 15.2 x 2.6cm.
Availability: In Stock
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-
Details: From the
discovery of the wheel to
the worldwide web our
thirst for innovation is
what makes us human.
Science Year by Year
takes a fascinating look
at our heritage of
invention and explores
how science has shaped
the past and how it may
shape the future. Science
Year by Year has a new
discovery for everyone in
the family, with global
coverage of all major
scientific advances.
Groundbreaking thinkers
such as Marie Curie,
Albert Einstein and
Charles Darwin are
covered, with their
discoveries clearly
explained and situated in
scientific history with
illustrated timelines.
Revolutionary innovations
such as measuring time,
gears and plastics are
detailed alongside
scientific artefacts such
as navigation tools and
flying machines. Science
Year by Year is perfect
for anyone interested in
invention and innovation
with exciting discoveries
to be made by all. Ideal
For: This would make the
perfect gift for students
or anyone interest in the
area of science.
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-
Details: The fascinating
story of science unfolds
in this account of the
lives and extraordinary
discoveries of twelve of
its greatest figures -
Archimedes, Galileo,
Newton, Lavoisier,
Faraday, Darwin,
Poincar?, Freud,
Einstein, Marie Curie
and Crick and Watson.
Exploring their impact
and legacy with leading
scientists of today
including Stephen Jay
Gould, Oliver Sacks,
Lewis Wolpert, Susan
Greenfield, Roger
Penrose and Richard
Dawkins, Melvyn Bragg
illuminates the core
issues of science past
and present, and conveys
the excitement and
importance of the
scientific quest. Ideal
for: written about great
scientists' works and
lives in a novel fashion.
This book is very
readable, and easy to
get some rough ideas.
Ideal for people
interested in Scientists
and there discoveries.
This paperback measures:
19.7 x 12.9 x 2.6cm.
pages 365
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-
Guinness World Records
2014 brings together
thousands of the planets
most awe-inspiring
people, pets and
products, including new
record-holders such as a
skateboarding goat, a
15-metre-long robot
dragon, the worlds
furriest cat and a
king-size drumkit that
needs five people to play
it! Packed to bursting
with new and updated
achievements, Guinness
World Records 2014
features an all-new
design and more images
than weve ever had before
- including over 100
all-new original
photographs you wont find
anywhere else. New topics
this year include
Superheroes, Venom, and
Social Networking, and
feature chapters on the
Circus and Dynamic Earth
round off our most
exciting and explosive
edition yet. And finally,
jumping off the page
this year are even more
Officially Amazing
Augmented Reality
features. Just download
the free app to your
phone or tablet device
and look for the
"See-It-3D"
icons scattered
throughout the
book.Please note: this
item is excluded from all
promotion codes
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-
In 2050 there will be 9.3
billion people alive -
compared with 7 billion
today - and the number
will still be rising. The
population aged over
sixty-five will have more
than doubled, to more
than 16 per cent; China's
GDP will be 80 per cent
more than America's; and
the number of cars on
India's roads will have
increased by 3, 880 per
cent. And, in 2050 it
should be clear whether
we are alone in the
universe. What other
megachanges can we expect
- and what will their
impact be? This
comprehensive and
compelling book will
cover the most
significant trends that
are shaping the coming
decades, with each of
its twenty chapters
elegantly and
authoritatively outlined
by Economist
contributors, and rich
in supporting facts and
figures. It will chart
the rise and fall of
fertility rates across
continents; how energy
resources will change in
light of new technology,
and how different nations
will deal with major
developments in science
and warfare. Megachange
is essential reading for
anyone who wants to know
what the next four
decades hold in store.
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-
This book is part of a
great new series of
compact and attractive
identification guides
designed to help you
distinguish between
varieties of natural
phenomena. Over 100 of
the most common plant and
animal fossils of Europe
are featured with
bitesize information
including identification
features, stratigraphy
and distribution and
similar or related
fossils. Divided into
types, such as molluscs
and echinoderms, the
clear, easy-to-follow
design, precise colour
illustrations and
additional colour
photography will quickly
help you spot your
hoplites from your
Euhoplites.
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-
An awe-inspiring journey
through the eons and
across the globe in
search of visible traces
of evolution in the
living creatures that
have survived from
earlier times. In this
groundbreaking book,
prize-winning science
writer Richard Fortey
chronicles life's history
not through the fossil
record, but through the
stories of organisms that
have survived, almost
unchanged, through
geological time. Fortey
takes us on a journey to
ancient worlds: on a
moonlit beach in Delaware
where the horseshoe crab
shuffles its way through
a violent romance, we
catch a glimpse of life
450 million years ago.
Along a stretch of
Australian coastline, we
bear witness to the
sights and sounds that
would have greeted a
Precambrian dawn. And,
in the dense rainforests
of New Zealand, where
the secretive velvet worm
burrows into the rotting
timber of the jungle
floor, we marvel at a
living fossil which has
survived unchanged since
before the break-up of
Gondwana, the ancient
supercontinent, over 150
million years ago.
Written with Fortey's
customary sparkle and
gusto, this wonderfully
engrossing exploration of
the world's oldest flora
and fauna brilliantly
combines the best science
writing about the origins
of life with an
explorer's sense of
adventure and a poet's
wonder at the natural
world.
Availability: In Stock
£2.99
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