Do Polar Bears Get Lonely?" is the third compilation of readers answers to the questions in the Last Word column of " New Scientist" the worlds best-selling science weekly. Following the phenomenal success of " Does Anything Eat Wasps?" (2005) & the even more spectacularly successful " Why Dont Penguins Feet Freeze?" (2006) this latest collection

Includes:: a bumper crop of wise & wonderful answers never before seen in book form. As usual the simplest questions often have the most complex answers
- while some that seem the knottiest have very simple explanations. " New Scientist"s Last Word is regularly voted the magazines most popular section as it celebrates all questions
- the trivial idiosyncratic baffling & strange. This all-new & eagerly awaited selection of the best again presents popular science at its most entertaining & enlightening."



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Originally published as The Duck that Won the Lottery" this companion volume to " The Pig That Wants To Be Eaten" provides another rapid-fire selection of short stimulating & entertaining capsules of philosophy. This time the focus is on the bad argumentative moves people use all the time in politics the media & everyday life. Each entry will be around 700 words & will take as its starting point an example of questionable reasoning from the media or literature. As with " The Pig" the aim is to give readers something to chew on & work through for themselves." ...

Cooking is science & this book is packed with exciting recipes for scientists of all ages. Make cup cakes & find out why beating the eggs & using baking powder makes them rise. Cook a Bolognese sauce & discover why onions make you cry & what happens to the molecules in the meat when you cook it. Reveal the insulating power of meringue when you make a Baked Alaska
- the oven's hot but the ice cream stays frozen. You will also find out about the amazing scientific powers of ingredients such as gelatine yeast & eggs. There are sections about the history of food preserving & packaging growing food & vitamins & minerals. & if that wasn't enough we have looked at really healthy ways of preparing the food too. Yum!
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How much do we really know about the species that make up the natural world? In this fascinating book Ken Thompson explains what we do & dont understand about biodiversity. We know that most species remain undiscovered & that biodiversity is gravely threatened
- by overfishing habitat loss pollution & climate change. Life on Earth has previously experienced five episodes of mass extinction & we are now in the middle of a sixth. Do We Need Pandas? surveys the Earths biodiversity its origins & some of the threats it currently faces. It then asks how biodiversity loss will affect the human race. Will we even notice & if we do what will we notice? It asks what we should be doing to secure the survival not only of the species with which we share the planet but of ourselves
- & whether we need to be more concerned about ecosystems as a whole than about iconic species.

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Using a question & answer format this entertaining narrative addresses a multitude of general interest questions about the sea sea life seabirds & mans relationship with the sea. Have you ever wondered: Does drinking seawater drive you mad? Do fish drink water? Does anything eat jellyfish? How do flying fish fly? Why do icebergs float? Do Whales Get the Bends? will answer these & over a hundred other intriguing questions. Inspired by questions raised whilst the author was guest lecturer on cruise ships this fascinating & informative book is a light-hearted surprising & entertaining read for anyone interested in the sea in its many forms. Each bite-sized entry is no more than two or three pages long making it an ideal book to dip into for anyone interested in the oceans & the teeming life above & below them. ...

What becomes of the broken-hearted? Grace was just a teenager when Jimi broke her heart. But now shes moved on & is happy with her perfect fiance Spencer. Even if its been a while since he mentioned actually getting married. You give love a bad name... Meanwhile Jimis own wedding day is just around the corner. Hes certain hes found the one. Or has he? Because when he bumps into Grace again something suddenly doesnt feel right. More than a feeling? It looks like there might be something wonderful between them. But is it really worth risking everything for? One thing is for sure
- as the radio plays its late-night love songs one girl is about to find out that the best lines can actually be the ones you write yourself...
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Is your brain ready for a thorough philosophical health check? Really it wont hurt a bit... Is what you believe coherent & consistent? Or is it a jumble of contradictions? If you could design yourself a God what would He (or She or It) be like? Can you spot the logical flaw in an argument (even if its hiding from you)? & how will you fare on the tricky terrain of ethics when your taboos are under the spotlight? If all this causes your brain to overheat there is a philosophy general knowledge quiz to round off with. Do You Think What You Think You Think?" presents a dozen quizzes that will reveal what you really think & what it all adds up to (brace yourself: it might not add up to what you expected). Challenging fun infuriating
- sometimes all at once
- this book will enable you to discover the you you never knew you were. Think of it as an MOT for your mind."

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Why cant you light a candle in a spaceship? What books are bad for you? Is nature natural? Every year the Oxford & Cambridges learned professors pose such curious conundrums to potential students to separate the wheat from the chaff & the clever from both of them. Deftly exploring the twisting paths your mind can take when youre really made to think Do You Think Youre Clever?" provides dazzling answers to over 60 of these infamously perplexing problems. John Farndon takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride from philosophy to physics literature to logarithms considering why the pole vaulting world record will never exceed 6.5m whether there are too many people in the world how to reduce crime through architecture & much more. How would stand up against Oxbridges sharpist minds? " Do You Think Youre Clever" is a sparkling tour amid the heights of intellectual abstract thought. Imbibe slowly & give your neural networks the workout they crave." ...

Back in the year 2000 a teacher called Garry Freeman contacted his drumming idol Carl Palmer of Emerson Lake & Palmer fame to ask him if he would run one of his drum circles for hearing impaired children at Garrys school. Palmer being a nice guy said yes & this was the start of a friendship. Freeman had always wanted to write a book about the band but everyone said there was no way ELP would ever cooperate: they were supposed to be aloof superstars after all. Dont ask dont get: Garry asked & Garry got. Their New York management company was really helpful & got him access to the band who were in his words perfect gentlemen providing technical & musical information about their shows. Tony Ortiz the bands archivist has been incredible too. The result is a unique book which analyzes over 150 gigs ELP did in the 1970s plus the 2010 comeback concert. Garry was at some of the UK ones but he has spent countless hours listening to records (some bootlegs
- after all his other book is the Bootleg Guide) & watching DVDs. This is one for the fans only but there are plenty of them: ELP are huge amongst progressive rock fans. The forums are already buzzing with anticipation about this book. In addition to Garrys words there are loads of exclusive photos & memorabilia including one of their gig riders & even the technical stage details for roadies to follow. Jim Davidson sometimes referred to as the 4th member of the band provides an enthusiastic foreword. Dont forget when he presented the Generation Game on BBC TV he had the theme tune changed to ELPs Welcome Back My Friends.
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Do you want to be my friend?" asks a little mouse of a horse a peacock an alligator & others in this classic & charming story. Only when he meets another little mouse is the answer unequivocally " Yes!" Each page of this ingenious all but wordless picture book affords surprise suspense & repeated pleasure for the viewer
- " Booklist"."
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