Less than 450 years ago all European scholars believed that the earth was the centre of a universe that was at most a few million miles in extent & that the planets sun & stars all rotated around this centre. Less than 250 years ago they believed that the universe was created essentially in its present state about 6000 years ago. Less than 150 years ago the special creation by God of living species was still dominant. The relentless application of the scientific method of inference from experiment & observation without reference to religious or governmental authority has completely transformed our view of our origins & relation to the universe in less than 500 years. Few would dispute that this programme has been spectacularly successful particularly in the twentieth century. This book is about the crucial role of evolutionary biology in transforming our view of human origins & relation to the universe & the impact of this idea on traditional philosophy & religion. The purpose of this book is to introduce the general reader to some of the most important basic findings concepts & procedures of evolutionary biology as it has developed since the first publications of Darwin & Wallace on the subject over 140 years ago. Evolution provides a unifying set of principals for the whole of biology; it also illuminates the relation of human beings to the universe & each other. In addition many aspects of evolution have practical importance; for instance the rapid evolution of resistance by bacteria to antibiotics & of HIV to antiviral drugs are pressing medical problems. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable. ...

Peter F. Hamilton's startling perspectives on tomorrow's technological & cultural trends span vast tracts of space & time his stories are as compelling as they are epic in scope & yet they are always grounded in characters -- human alien & other -- who for all their strangeness still touch our hearts & fire our imaginations. Now in The Evolutionary Void Hamilton concludes the highly acclaimed bestselling Void Trilogy that has unfolded in The Dreaming Void & The Temporal Void. Millions of Leaving Dream pilgrims are on board their immense ultra-drive ships heading towards -- & into -- the Void at the heart of the galaxy. There they expect to live perfect lives in a perfectable world but the cost of this perfection could not be greater. Among those who will do anything & everything to prevent the pilgrims entering the Void is the genius recluse Ozzie who's not quite the man he used to be -- if he's a man at all; Gore Burnelli the oldest & most influential human being alive; the Delivery Man a one-time faction agent with devastating firepower at his disposal; & the legendary Paula Myo the Commonwealth's ruthless unstoppable field operative. They must succeed if the galaxy is to survive & needless to say time is running out.. . This is epic SF at its very best. The Evolutionary Void will leave no one in doubt as to why Peter F. Hamilton is Britain's number one bestselling SF novelist. ...

This enthralling new title provides a historical look at the EWS from its origins right up until its sale to DB in 2007. Prior to Privatisation British Rail had created a number of subsidiaries to handle its freight business these included Transrail Load Haul Main Line Rail Express Systems & Freightliner. Early in the Privatisation process the US company Wisconsin Central acquired RES renaming it North & South Railways. The new company announced its intention to try & acquire the three trainload freight companies Transrail Load Haul & Main Line
- although the governments original hope had been to sell all three separately. In the event in early 1996 it was announced that Wisconsin had acquired all three. Under the management of the charismatic Ed Burkhardt the new company quickly christened English Welsh & Scottish Railways was to undergo a radical transformation with new locomotives the 250 Class 66s & 30 Class 67s resulting in the rapid withdrawal of many older types. Subsequently EWS was to expand further with the acquisition of Railfreight Distribution & the freight operations of National Power. Wisconsin Central was itself acquired by Canadian National in 2001 & in 2007 it was announced that its EWS subsidiary was to be sold to DB the German state railways. Now rebranded as DB Schenker the company remains the single biggest operator of rail-borne freight in the UK although its market dominance has declined over the years as new players have emerged. With the transfer of EWS to DBS Paul Shannon tells the whole story of the EWS era from its origins to its disposal. The title

Includes:: descriptive text allied to a number of fascinating colour illustrations.


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Written by Brian K. Vaughan Art by Tony Harris & Tom Feister & Chris Sprouse & Karl Story Cover by Tony Harris In this new deluxe volume collecting issues 12-20 of the hit series along with EX MACHINA SPECIAL 1-2 Mayor Mitchell Hundred must make a difficult decision about his own future becomes part of a shocking trial complicated by the unexpected arrival of an all-new Super Hero & leaves New York City for the first time since his election to embark on a strange adventure. Plus shocking tragedy strikes an Iraq War protest in downtown Manhattan. Advance-solicited; on sale December 2 o 272 pg FC $29.99 US o MATURE READERS ...

Despite his new-found fame on ITV 5s latest soap womaniser Dan Davis is failing to score with the ladies. Every time. & he cant understand why. All is revealed when Dan & his friend Ed Middleton come across a mysterious website
- slateyourdate.com
- where women rate their experiences of their exes & where Dan is shocked to learn that long after hes given them one his ex-girlfriends are giving him one
- one out of ten that is. Faced with the prospect of a lifetime of singledom Dan needs to crack the code of a website thats strictly women only to find out where hes been going wrong. Then he must track down his many exes in order to put things right. Along the way Dan discovers he has much to learn about himself. Particularly when he meets up again with Polly
- & realizes he wants her back. Can Dan convince his former love hes changed? Can Ed convince Dan he needs to change in the first place? Can the two friends use their new-found knowledge to help other men in the same boat?



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Provides an easy-to-follow set of strategies & techniques that build to a plan for achieving your best possible exam performance. It gives practical step-by-step guidance in long-term planning for optimal performance through to last minute revision strategies. This fully updated two-colour edition

Includes:: two brand new chapters.

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** As heard on Book of the Week Radio 4**. ' This book is about change.' We are all storytellers
- we make stories to make sense
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Written by the respected author Jenny Ridgwell Examining Food & Nutrition for GCSE 2nd Edition is a full colour textbook that is fully mapped to the new 2009 GCSE specifications for all the major awarding bodies. * Completely re-written using the most up-to-date information so students will be engaged & motivated by material which is relevant to them. * A full colour textbook with engaging activities for classroom & homework study. * Provides guidance on delivering the new controlled assessments. * Fully mapped to the new 2009 GCSE specifications for all the major awarding bodies. ...

Sports development takes place in continually evolving
- & expanding
- territory. If new policies are to be implemented effectively

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Structural analysis is a core subject for civil & structural engineering undergraduates & a challenging one. This new textbook provides a comprehensive & extensive collection of worked examples setting out how to analyse different types of structure. Each of the principal analysis techniques inherent in the design process are summarized & their uses are illustrated using numerous fully worked & graded examples of international application since it is not dependent on design codes. Where appropriate detailed mathematical concepts are explained & integrated within the text. With uncommonly broad scope & an easy-to-follow step-by-step approach this key text is ideal for students from first to final year on civil/structural engineering building & architecture courses & also as a practical reference for practising consultants contractors or architects. ...