Einstein said that the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. But was he right? Can the quantum theory of fields & Einsteins general theory of relativity the two most accurate & successful theories in all of physics be united in a single quantum theory of gravity? Can quantum & cosmos ever be combined? On this issue two of the worlds most famous physicists
- Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time") & Roger Penrose (" The Emperors New Mind" & " Shadows of the Mind")
- disagree. Here they explain their positions in a work based on six lectures with a final debate all originally presented at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge. How could quantum gravity a theory that could explain the earlier moments of the big bang & the physics of the enigmatic objects known as black holes be constructed? Why does our patch of the universe look just as Einstein predicted with no hint of quantum effects in sight? What strange quantum processes can cause black holes to evaporate & what happens to all the information that they swallow? Why does time go forward not backward? In this book the two opponents touch on all these questions. Penrose like Einstein refuses to believe that quantum mechanics is a final theory. Hawking thinks otherwise & argues that general relativity simply cannot account for how the universe began. Only a quantum theory of gravity coupled with the no-boundary hypothesis can ever hope to explain adequately what little we can observe about our universe. Penrose playing the realist to Hawkings positivist thinks that the universe is unbounded & will expand forever. The universe can be understood he argues in terms of the geometry of light cones the compression & distortion of spacetime & by the use of twistor theory. With the final debate the reader will come to realize how much Hawking & Penrose diverge in their opinions of the ultimate quest to combine quantum mechanics & relativity & how differently they have tried to comprehend the incomprehensible. In a new afterword the authors outline how recent developments have caused their positions to further diverge on a number of key issues including the spatial geometry of the universe inflationary versus cyclic theories of the cosmos & the black-hole information-loss paradox. Though much progress has been made Hawking & Penrose stress that physicists still have much farther to go in their quest for a quantum theory of gravity."

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Lucretius poem On the Nature of Things" combines a scientific & philosophical treatise with some of the greatest poetry ever written. With intense moral fervour he demonstrates to humanity that in death there is nothing to fear since the soul is mortal & the world & everything in it is governed by the mechanical laws of nature & not by gods; & that by believing this men can live in peace of mind & happiness. He bases this on the atomic theory expounded by the Greek philosopher Epicurus & continues with an examination of sensation sex cosmology meteorology & geology all of these subjects made more attractive by the poetry with which he illustrates them." ...

In this lucid step-by-step guide Susan Raven introduces us to the world of nature spirits & elemental beings & explains why these entities wish to reconnect with us. By working together with the elementals
- which reside in earth water air & fire
- we can become responsible co-creators at this critical time in our evolution. The future of humanity & that of the Earth may be dependent upon such a positive & reciprocal relationship. Susan investigates the nature of the accelerated evolutionary wave of consciousness pulsing into Earth at the present time & how its effects are helping us forge a new link with the spiritual & etheric worlds. It is in the ether
- where the dissolving & coalescing forces behind physical matter exist
- that we find the kingdom of the nature spirits. Making use of her personal experiences Susan describes the activities of these beings in the landscape in plants & in human beings. She presents meditations & exercises to prepare us for a meeting with the nature spirits & emphasises the importance of working with the elemental kingdom in our immediate environment. The path of personal development outlined in Nature Spirits: The Remembrance features a wide range of insightful testimony from some of the most well-respected seers with particular emphasis on the work of Rudolf Steiner. The task of the troubadour has always been to listen to the wind & anticipate the future to discern the fine nuances of a spiritual age & to play the dual roles of receiver & transmitter. My many years as a songwriter & performer have encouraged me to go ahead & petition the hidden spirit within nature to reveal its inspirations & imaginations...



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Acclaimed author Matt Ridley's thrilling follow-up to his bestseller Genome. Armed with the extraordinary new discoveries about our genes Ridley turns his attention to the nature versus nurture debate to bring the first popular account of the roots of human behaviour. What makes us who we are? In February 2001 it was announced that the genome contains not 100 000 genes as originally expected but only 30 000. This startling revision led some scientists to conclude that there are simply not enough human genes to account for all the different ways people behave: we must be made by nurture not nature. Matt Ridley argues that the emerging truth is far more interesting than this myth. Nurture depends on genes too & genes need nurture. Genes not only predetermine the broad structure of the brain; they also absorb formative experiences react to social cues & even run memory. They are consequences as well as causes of the will. Published fifty years after the discovery of the double helix of DNA Nature via Nurture chronicles a new revolution in our understanding of genes. Ridley recounts the hundred years' war between the partisans of nature & nurture to explain how this paradoxical creature the human being can be simultaneously free-willed & motivated by instinct & culture. Nature via Nurture is an enthralling up-to-the-minute account of how genes build brains to absorb experience. ...

John Emsleys Natures Building Bocks was published in paperback in 2003. In this readable informative & fascinating guide to the elements are entries on each of the 100-odd chemical elements arranged alphabetically from actinium to zirconium. Each entry comprises an explanation of where the elements name comes from followed by Body element (the role it plays in living things) Element of history (how & when it was discovered) Economic element (what it is used for) Environmental element (where it occurs how much) Chemical element (facts figures & narrative) & Element of surprise (an amazing little-known fact). Since publication of the first edition there have been a number of developments. Three new chemical elements have been named & validated: darmstadtium roetgenium & copernicium & the section on transfermium elements has now been incorporated into the main part of the book. Economic uses of elements have grown & some quite rare elements such as Scandium are now economically important along with updates to elements such as gold due to new roles in industry. Fully revised & updated for 2010 this browsable compendium holds a wealth of useful information. ...

Why do many flowers have five or eight petals but very few six or seven? Why do snowflakes have sixfold symmetry? Why do tigers have stripes but leopards have spots? Mathematics is to nature as Sherlock Holmes is to evidence. Mathematics can look at a single snowflake & deduce the atomic geometry of its crystals; it can start with a violin string & uncover the existence of radio waves. & mathematics still has the power to open our eyes to new & unsuspected regularities
- the secret structure of a cloud or the hidden rhythms of the weather. There are patterns in the world we are now seeing for the first time
- patterns at the frontier of science yet patterns so simple that anybody can see them once they know where to look.

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W.D. Hamilton (1936-2000) was responsible for a revolution in thinking about evolutionary biology
- a revolution that changed our
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This delightful illustrated book is a guide to introducing children to the great outdoors through fun activities in nature. Designed for use by families carers play workers & teachers the book sets out guidelines for safe & engaging play outdoors with useful tips on how to hold childrens attention on longer excursions. The book is divided into seasons with activities appropriate to each. For example in spring children can explore aquatic life in ponds & streams collect material to make birds nests or look out for growing bulbs; in autumn they can collect berries or make collages with fallen leaves. Throughout the book the emphasis is on helping children gain an appreciation of natures patterns giving them confidence in the outdoor environment in a way that is educational safe & above all fun. The authors Fiona Danks & Jo Schofield have produced some outdoor activity sheets in conjuction with the Cub & Scout Naturalist Activity Badge sponsered by Natural Engl&. To view these acitivity sheets click here. For more information on Natural England click the logo on the left. ...

The Naughtiest Girl Saves the Day: When some school strawberry plants are vandalised a lost shoe buckle at the scene of the crime leads straight to the Naughtiest Girl. The next night as shes dropping off to sleep someone shouts Fire!
- so Elizabeth jumps up & rings the fire bell. But there is no fire & now Elizabeth is being blamed for a catalogue of silly tricks. If she cant prove her innocence shes in line to lose her hard-won part in the school play. So when the same happens the next night Elizabeth is reluctant to report a fire
- except this time there really is one... Well Done the Naughtiest Girl: Elizabeth is desperate to play the piano in the end of school concert. But only one girl can be chosen & her rival Arabella is practising hard! So ignoring her looming exams Elizabeth spends every waking minute practising. When Arabella is still chosen over her she realises that not only will she not have a place in the school concert she might well also fail all her exams. Racing to get her revision done she finds a quiet spot in an old oak tree in the school grounds. When Elizabeth realises the tree is marked as one to be chopped down shes determined not to let it happen. But can she save the tree & manage to pass all her exams? Its going to be a fight to the finish...

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This collection
Includes:: Book 1: The Naughtiest Girl In the School Elizabeth Allen is spoilt & selfish. When's she's
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