Libros de Divulgación Científica, página 35 de 158

Internationally renowned theoretical physicist and bestselling author Lawrence Krauss offers provocative revelatory answers to the biggest philosophical questions Where did our universe come from Why does anything exist And how is it all going to end Why is there something rather than nothing is the question atheists and scientists are always asked and until now there has not been a satisfying scientific answer Today exciting scientific advances provide new insight into this cosmological mystery not only cansomething arise from nothing but something willalwaysarise from nothing A mind bending trip back to the beginning of the beginning A Universe from Nothingauthoritatively presents the most recent evidence that explains how our universe evolved and the implications for how it s going to end It will provoke challenge and delight readers to look at the most basic underpinnings of existence in a whole new way In the words of Richard Dawkins this could potentially be the most important scientific book since Darwin s On the Origin of Species

What are the mysterious numbers that unlock the secrets of the universe In Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them leading theoretical physicist and YouTube star Antonio Padilla takes us on an irreverent cosmic tour of nine of the most extraordinary numbers in physics These include Graham s number which is so large that if you thought about it in the wrong way your head would collapse into a singularity TREE 3 whose finite value could never be reached before the universe reset itself and 10 120 which measures the desperately unlikely balance of energy the universe needs to exist Leading us down the rabbit hole to the inner workings of reality Padilla demonstrates how these unusual numbers are the key to unlocking such mind bending phenomena as black holes entropy and the problem of the cosmological constant which shows that our two best ways of understanding the universe contradict one another Combining cutting edge science with an entertaining cosmic quest Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them is an electrifying head twisting guide to the most fundamental truths of the universe

What would dogs ask for if they knew how In the Sunday Times bestseller In Defence of Dogs John Bradshaw an anthropologist at Bristol University who has been at the centre of the latest research into what makes dogs tick gives us the answers Overturning the most common myths about dogs emotions and behaviour this book shows how we should really treat our pets and stands up for dogdom not the wolf in canine clothes not the small furry child not the trophy winner but the real dog who wants to be part of the family and enjoy life mankind s closest friend This is the real science that every dog lover needs to know

Connectome by Sebastian Seung is One of the most eagerly awaited scientific books of the year intellectually exhilarating beautifully written exquisitely precise yet still managing to be inspirational Irish Times What really makes us who we are In this groundbreaking book pioneering neuroscientist Sebastian Seung shows that our identity does not lie in our genes but in the connections between our brain cells our own particular wiring or connectomes Everything about us emotions thoughts memories is encoded in these tangled patterns of neural connections and now Seung and a dedicated team are mapping them in order to uncover the basis of personality explain disorders such as autism and depression and even enable us to upload our brains This book reveals the secrets of the brain showing how our connectome makes each of us uniquely ourselves With the first person flavour of James Watson s Double Helix Connectome gives a sense of the excitement on the cutting edge of neuroscience New Scientist Witty and exceptionally clear beautifully explained the best lay book on brain science I ve ever read Wall Street Journal Seung is about to revolutionise brain science The Times The reader is swept along with his enthusias

This visual guide is packed with amazing diagrams and infographics to answer all your burning scientific head scratchers from gravity and black holes to earthquakes and gene therapy In How Science Works you will find the most fascinating phenomena in the Universe visually explained from pulleys to string theory light to lasers and chemical reactions to artificial intelligence If you have ever wondered why the sky is blue how a black hole works or what happens in a tsunami this indispensable guide is for you Rather than long columns of text How Science Works is filled with diagrams and infographics to make even the most difficult concept fun and easy to grasp Turn the pages to understand dark matter radioactivity and so much more and find answers to the really big questions including how life began will the Universe end and are we really alone With hours of enthralling reading How Science Works is the book you wished you d had at school and it s the one you ll want for your family

How do scientists evaluate environmental knowledge for public policy? Discerning Experts examines three sets of landmark environmental assessments involving acid rain, ozone depletion, and sea level rise, exploring how experts judge scientific evidence and determine what the scientific facts are. The three case studies also explore how scientists come to agreement on contested issues, why consensus is considered important, and what factors contribute to confusion, bias, and error, and how scientists understand and navigate the boundaries between science and policy. The authors also suggest strategies for improving the assessment process. As the first study of the internal workings of large environmental assessments, this book explores the strengths and weaknesses of the assessment process and explains what it canand cannotbe expected to contribute to public policy and the common good.

Everything you need to know about the most cutting edge theories in biology

The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal and from the unfurling of a leaf to the course of life itself everything is directed and constrained by four simple laws They establish fundamental concepts such as temperature and heat and reveal the arrow of time and even the nature of energy itself Peter Atkins powerful and compelling introduction explains what the laws are and how they work using accessible language and virtually no mathematics Guiding the reader from the Zeroth Law to the Third Law he introduces the fascinating concept of entropy and how it not only explains why your desk tends to get messier but also how its unstoppable rise constitutes the engine of the universe

Creation by Adam Rutherford tells the entire spellbinding story of life in two gripping narratives Prepare to be astounded There are moments when this book is so gripping it reads like a thriller Mail on Sunday The Origin of Life is a four billion year detective story that uses the latest science to explain what life is and where it first came from offering answers to the very grandest of questions before arriving at a thrilling solution A superbly written explanation Brian Cox This same science has led to a technological revolution the ability to create entirely new life forms within the lab known as synthetic biology The Future of Life introduces these remarkable innovations explains how they work and presents a powerful argument for their benefit to humankind The reader s sense of awe at the well nigh inconceivable nature of nature is suitably awakened The extraordinary science and Rutherford s argument are worth every reader s scrutiny Fascinating Sunday Telegraph One of the most eloquent and genuinely thoughtful books on science over the past decade You will not find a better more balanced or up to date take on the origin of life or synthetic biology Essential reading for anyone interested in the coming revolution which could inde

For almost four billion years microbes had the primordial oceans all to themselves The stewards of Earth these organisms transformed the chemistry of our planet to make it habitable for plants animals and us Life s Engines takes readers deep into the microscopic world to explore how these marvelous creatures made life on Earth possible and h

This lucid and entertaining book presents compelling scientific evidence that proves what many of us have perhaps long suspected nature is really good for us I found it revelatory Richard Deverell Director of Kew A revolutionary science based look at the ways nature can help make us healthier Fifteen years ago University of Oxford Professor Kathy Willis read a study that radically changed her view of our relationship to the natural world The study revealed that hospital patients recovering from surgery improved three times faster when they looked out of their windows at trees rather than seeing walls Since then she has dedicated her research to proving this link between the amount of green space in our lives and our better health mood and longevity For the first time ever Good Nature brings together these recent scientific findings and shares the simple changes we can all make in our lives The book is full of surprising and practical ways that nature can improve our lives such as did you know that cedar enhances cancer fighting cells in our immune system Or that touching wood makes us feel calmer the woodier the knot ier the better Or that the scent of roses helps people drive more calmly and safely Even having a pot plant by your desk can make a

A complete and accessible introduction to chemistry

For readers of Sapiens and Homo Deus and viewers of The Social Dilemma psychologist Tomas Chamorro Premuzic tackles one of the biggest questions facing our species Will we use artificial intelligence to improve the way we work and live or will we allow it to alienate us It s no secret that AI is changing the way we live work love and entertain ourselves Dating apps are using AI to pick our potential partners Retailers are using AI to predict our behavior and desires Rogue actors are using AI to persuade us with bots and misinformation Companies are using AI to hire us or not In I Human psychologist Tomas Chamorro Premuzic takes readers on an enthralling and eye opening journey across the AI landscape Though AI has the potential to change our lives for the better he argues AI is also worsening our bad tendencies making us more distracted selfish biased narcissistic entitled predictable and impatient It doesn t have to be this way Filled with fascinating insights about human behavior and our complicated relationship with technology I Human will help us stand out and thrive when many of our decisions are being made for us To do so we ll need to double down on our curiosity adaptability and emotional intelligence while relying on the lost

Since the dawn of human civilization forests have provided us with food resources and energy The history of human development is also one of forest loss and transformation and yet even in our increasingly urbanized societies we remain surprisingly dependent on forests for a wide range of goods and services Moreover forests still retain a remarkable hold on our environmental values In an era of continuing tropical deforestation and temperate forest resurgence and in the midst of uncertainties of climate and land use changes it is more important than ever to understand what forests are how they contribute to our livelihoods and how they underpin our cultural histories and futures In this Very Short Introduction Jaboury Ghazoul explores our contrasting interactions with forests as well as their origins dynamics and the range of goods and services they provide to human society Ghazoul concludes with an examination of the recent history of deforestation transitions to reforestation and the future outlook for forests particularly in the context of expected climate change 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

Digital Wellbeing masterfully explores the intersection of technology and human potential This book is a must read for those who want to leverage the power of AI to unlock their creativity and imagination and ultimately invent new means of expression that will go way beyond human language art and science of today Ray Kurzweil inventor futurist and author of New York Times bestseller The Singularity Is Nearer Elevate your digital wellbeing by embracing wonder creativity and technology Digital Wellbeing is a transformative guide that offers leaders business professionals educators and lifelong learners a path to thrive in the digital age Krause provides innovative strategies to enhance mindfulness creativity and wellbeing in a world enriched by technology This book empowers readers to leverage digital tools to create meaningful positive connections and improve their overall quality of life Discover how to integrate principles of wonder awe creativity and imagination with cutting edge technology to achieve a balanced and fulfilling digital experience Learn about frameworks for digital wellbeing and how to apply them effectively Gain insights on using technology to enhance connection and a sense of belonging Explore the impact of spatial computing

AI expert Jerry Kaplan explains how generative AI will revolutionize virtually every human activity Highly recommended Francis Fukuyama Political scientist and author of The End of History and the Last Man Advances in Generative Artificial Intelligence GAI have created a new class of computer systems that exhibit astonishing proficiency on a wide variety of tasks with superhuman performance producing novel text images music and software by analyzing enormous collections of digitized information Soon these systems will provide expert medical care offer legal advice draft documents write computer programs tutor our children and generate music and art These advances will accelerate progress in science art and human knowledge but they will also bring new dangers Have we finally discovered the holy grail of AI machines that match or exceed human intelligence Which industries and professions will thrive and which will wither What risks and dangers will it pose How can we ensure that these systems respect our ethical principles Will the benefits be broadly distributed or accrue to a lucky few How will GAI alter our political systems and international conflicts Are we merely a stepping stone to a new form of non biological life or are we just

Galaxies are the building blocks of the Universe standing like islands in space each is made up of many hundreds of millions of stars in which the chemical elements are made around which planets form and where on at least one of those planets intelligent life has emerged Our own galaxy the Milky Way is just one of several hundred million other galaxies that we can now observe through our telescopes Yet it was only in the 1920s that we realised that there is more to the Universe than the Milky Way and that there were in fact other islands out there In many ways modern astronomy began with this discovery and the story of galaxies is therefore the story of modern astronomy Since then many exciting discoveries have been made about our own galaxy and about those beyond how a supermassive black hole lurks at the centre of every galaxy for example how enormous forces are released when galaxies collide how distant galaxies provide a window on the early Universe and what the formation of young galaxies can tell us about the mysteries of Cold Dark Matter In this Very Short Introduction renowned science writer John Gribbin describes the extraordinary things that astronomers are learning about galaxies and explains how this can shed light on the origins a

An earthquake shatters Haiti and a hurricane slices through Texas We hear that nature runs rampant seeking to destroy us through these natural disasters Science recounts a different story however disasters are not the consequence of natural causes they are the consequence of human choices and decisions We put ourselves in harm s way we fail to take measures which we know would prevent disasters no matter what the environment does This can be both hard to accept and hard to unravel A complex of factors shape disasters They arise from the political processes dictating where and what we build and from social circumstances which create and perpetuate poverty and discrimination They develop from the social preference to blame nature for the damage wrought when in fact events such as earthquakes and storms are entirely commonplace environmental processes We feel the need to fight natural forces to reclaim what we assume is ours and to protect ourselves from what we perceive to be wrath from outside our communities This attitude distracts us from the real causes of disasters humanity s decisions as societies and as individuals It stops us accepting the real solutions to disasters making better decisions This book explores stories of some of our wo

Now in its fifth edition Diffusion of Innovations is a classic work on the spread of new ideas In this renowned book Everett M Rogers professor and chair of the Department of Communication & Journalism at the University of New Mexico explains how new ideas spread via communication channels over time Such innovations are initially perceived as uncertain and even risky To overcome this uncertainty most people seek out others like themselves who have already adopted the new idea Thus the diffusion process consists of a few individuals who first adopt an innovation then spread the word among their circle of acquaintances a process which typically takes months or years But there are exceptions use of the Internet in the 1990s for example may have spread more rapidly than any other innovation in the history of humankind Furthermore the Internet is changing the very nature of diffusion by decreasing the importance of physical distance between people The fifth edition addresses the spread of the Internet and how it has transformed the way human beings communicate and adopt new ideas

A Crack in Everything is the story of how black holes came in from the cold and took cosmic centre stage As a journalist Marcus Chown interviews many of the scientists who made the key discoveries and as a former physicist he translates the most esoteric of science into everyday language The result is a uniquely engaging page turner that tells one of the great untold stories in modern science What is space What is time Where did the universe come from The answers to mankind s most enduring questions may lie in science s greatest enigma black holes A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing not even light can escape This can occur when a star approaches the end of its life Unable to generate enough heat to maintain its outer layers it shrinks catastrophically down to an infinitely dense point When this phenomenon was first proposed in 1916 it defied scientific understanding so much that Albert Einstein dismissed it as too ridiculous to be true But scientists have since proven otherwise In 1971 Paul Murdin and Louise Webster discovered the first black hole Cygnus X 1 Later in the 1990s astronomers found that not only do black holes exist supermassive black holes lie at the heart of almost every galaxy It would

Internationally renowned theoretical physicist and bestselling author Lawrence Krauss offers provocative revelatory answers to the biggest philosophical questions Where did our universe come from Why does anything exist And how is it all going to end Why is there something rather than nothing is the question atheists and scientists are always asked and until now there has not been a satisfying scientific answer Today exciting scientific advances provide new insight into this cosmological mystery not only cansomething arise from nothing but something willalwaysarise from nothing A mind bending trip back to the beginning of the beginning A Universe from Nothingauthoritatively presents the most recent evidence that explains how our universe evolved and the implications for how it s going to end It will provoke challenge and delight readers to look at the most basic underpinnings of existence in a whole new way In the words of Richard Dawkins this could potentially be the most important scientific book since Darwin s On the Origin of Species

What are the mysterious numbers that unlock the secrets of the universe In Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them leading theoretical physicist and YouTube star Antonio Padilla takes us on an irreverent cosmic tour of nine of the most extraordinary numbers in physics These include Graham s number which is so large that if you thought about it in the wrong way your head would collapse into a singularity TREE 3 whose finite value could never be reached before the universe reset itself and 10 120 which measures the desperately unlikely balance of energy the universe needs to exist Leading us down the rabbit hole to the inner workings of reality Padilla demonstrates how these unusual numbers are the key to unlocking such mind bending phenomena as black holes entropy and the problem of the cosmological constant which shows that our two best ways of understanding the universe contradict one another Combining cutting edge science with an entertaining cosmic quest Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them is an electrifying head twisting guide to the most fundamental truths of the universe

What would dogs ask for if they knew how In the Sunday Times bestseller In Defence of Dogs John Bradshaw an anthropologist at Bristol University who has been at the centre of the latest research into what makes dogs tick gives us the answers Overturning the most common myths about dogs emotions and behaviour this book shows how we should really treat our pets and stands up for dogdom not the wolf in canine clothes not the small furry child not the trophy winner but the real dog who wants to be part of the family and enjoy life mankind s closest friend This is the real science that every dog lover needs to know

Connectome by Sebastian Seung is One of the most eagerly awaited scientific books of the year intellectually exhilarating beautifully written exquisitely precise yet still managing to be inspirational Irish Times What really makes us who we are In this groundbreaking book pioneering neuroscientist Sebastian Seung shows that our identity does not lie in our genes but in the connections between our brain cells our own particular wiring or connectomes Everything about us emotions thoughts memories is encoded in these tangled patterns of neural connections and now Seung and a dedicated team are mapping them in order to uncover the basis of personality explain disorders such as autism and depression and even enable us to upload our brains This book reveals the secrets of the brain showing how our connectome makes each of us uniquely ourselves With the first person flavour of James Watson s Double Helix Connectome gives a sense of the excitement on the cutting edge of neuroscience New Scientist Witty and exceptionally clear beautifully explained the best lay book on brain science I ve ever read Wall Street Journal Seung is about to revolutionise brain science The Times The reader is swept along with his enthusias

This visual guide is packed with amazing diagrams and infographics to answer all your burning scientific head scratchers from gravity and black holes to earthquakes and gene therapy In How Science Works you will find the most fascinating phenomena in the Universe visually explained from pulleys to string theory light to lasers and chemical reactions to artificial intelligence If you have ever wondered why the sky is blue how a black hole works or what happens in a tsunami this indispensable guide is for you Rather than long columns of text How Science Works is filled with diagrams and infographics to make even the most difficult concept fun and easy to grasp Turn the pages to understand dark matter radioactivity and so much more and find answers to the really big questions including how life began will the Universe end and are we really alone With hours of enthralling reading How Science Works is the book you wished you d had at school and it s the one you ll want for your family

How do scientists evaluate environmental knowledge for public policy? Discerning Experts examines three sets of landmark environmental assessments involving acid rain, ozone depletion, and sea level rise, exploring how experts judge scientific evidence and determine what the scientific facts are. The three case studies also explore how scientists come to agreement on contested issues, why consensus is considered important, and what factors contribute to confusion, bias, and error, and how scientists understand and navigate the boundaries between science and policy. The authors also suggest strategies for improving the assessment process. As the first study of the internal workings of large environmental assessments, this book explores the strengths and weaknesses of the assessment process and explains what it canand cannotbe expected to contribute to public policy and the common good.

Everything you need to know about the most cutting edge theories in biology

The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal and from the unfurling of a leaf to the course of life itself everything is directed and constrained by four simple laws They establish fundamental concepts such as temperature and heat and reveal the arrow of time and even the nature of energy itself Peter Atkins powerful and compelling introduction explains what the laws are and how they work using accessible language and virtually no mathematics Guiding the reader from the Zeroth Law to the Third Law he introduces the fascinating concept of entropy and how it not only explains why your desk tends to get messier but also how its unstoppable rise constitutes the engine of the universe

Creation by Adam Rutherford tells the entire spellbinding story of life in two gripping narratives Prepare to be astounded There are moments when this book is so gripping it reads like a thriller Mail on Sunday The Origin of Life is a four billion year detective story that uses the latest science to explain what life is and where it first came from offering answers to the very grandest of questions before arriving at a thrilling solution A superbly written explanation Brian Cox This same science has led to a technological revolution the ability to create entirely new life forms within the lab known as synthetic biology The Future of Life introduces these remarkable innovations explains how they work and presents a powerful argument for their benefit to humankind The reader s sense of awe at the well nigh inconceivable nature of nature is suitably awakened The extraordinary science and Rutherford s argument are worth every reader s scrutiny Fascinating Sunday Telegraph One of the most eloquent and genuinely thoughtful books on science over the past decade You will not find a better more balanced or up to date take on the origin of life or synthetic biology Essential reading for anyone interested in the coming revolution which could inde

For almost four billion years microbes had the primordial oceans all to themselves The stewards of Earth these organisms transformed the chemistry of our planet to make it habitable for plants animals and us Life s Engines takes readers deep into the microscopic world to explore how these marvelous creatures made life on Earth possible and h

This lucid and entertaining book presents compelling scientific evidence that proves what many of us have perhaps long suspected nature is really good for us I found it revelatory Richard Deverell Director of Kew A revolutionary science based look at the ways nature can help make us healthier Fifteen years ago University of Oxford Professor Kathy Willis read a study that radically changed her view of our relationship to the natural world The study revealed that hospital patients recovering from surgery improved three times faster when they looked out of their windows at trees rather than seeing walls Since then she has dedicated her research to proving this link between the amount of green space in our lives and our better health mood and longevity For the first time ever Good Nature brings together these recent scientific findings and shares the simple changes we can all make in our lives The book is full of surprising and practical ways that nature can improve our lives such as did you know that cedar enhances cancer fighting cells in our immune system Or that touching wood makes us feel calmer the woodier the knot ier the better Or that the scent of roses helps people drive more calmly and safely Even having a pot plant by your desk can make a

A complete and accessible introduction to chemistry

For readers of Sapiens and Homo Deus and viewers of The Social Dilemma psychologist Tomas Chamorro Premuzic tackles one of the biggest questions facing our species Will we use artificial intelligence to improve the way we work and live or will we allow it to alienate us It s no secret that AI is changing the way we live work love and entertain ourselves Dating apps are using AI to pick our potential partners Retailers are using AI to predict our behavior and desires Rogue actors are using AI to persuade us with bots and misinformation Companies are using AI to hire us or not In I Human psychologist Tomas Chamorro Premuzic takes readers on an enthralling and eye opening journey across the AI landscape Though AI has the potential to change our lives for the better he argues AI is also worsening our bad tendencies making us more distracted selfish biased narcissistic entitled predictable and impatient It doesn t have to be this way Filled with fascinating insights about human behavior and our complicated relationship with technology I Human will help us stand out and thrive when many of our decisions are being made for us To do so we ll need to double down on our curiosity adaptability and emotional intelligence while relying on the lost

Since the dawn of human civilization forests have provided us with food resources and energy The history of human development is also one of forest loss and transformation and yet even in our increasingly urbanized societies we remain surprisingly dependent on forests for a wide range of goods and services Moreover forests still retain a remarkable hold on our environmental values In an era of continuing tropical deforestation and temperate forest resurgence and in the midst of uncertainties of climate and land use changes it is more important than ever to understand what forests are how they contribute to our livelihoods and how they underpin our cultural histories and futures In this Very Short Introduction Jaboury Ghazoul explores our contrasting interactions with forests as well as their origins dynamics and the range of goods and services they provide to human society Ghazoul concludes with an examination of the recent history of deforestation transitions to reforestation and the future outlook for forests particularly in the context of expected climate change 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

Digital Wellbeing masterfully explores the intersection of technology and human potential This book is a must read for those who want to leverage the power of AI to unlock their creativity and imagination and ultimately invent new means of expression that will go way beyond human language art and science of today Ray Kurzweil inventor futurist and author of New York Times bestseller The Singularity Is Nearer Elevate your digital wellbeing by embracing wonder creativity and technology Digital Wellbeing is a transformative guide that offers leaders business professionals educators and lifelong learners a path to thrive in the digital age Krause provides innovative strategies to enhance mindfulness creativity and wellbeing in a world enriched by technology This book empowers readers to leverage digital tools to create meaningful positive connections and improve their overall quality of life Discover how to integrate principles of wonder awe creativity and imagination with cutting edge technology to achieve a balanced and fulfilling digital experience Learn about frameworks for digital wellbeing and how to apply them effectively Gain insights on using technology to enhance connection and a sense of belonging Explore the impact of spatial computing

AI expert Jerry Kaplan explains how generative AI will revolutionize virtually every human activity Highly recommended Francis Fukuyama Political scientist and author of The End of History and the Last Man Advances in Generative Artificial Intelligence GAI have created a new class of computer systems that exhibit astonishing proficiency on a wide variety of tasks with superhuman performance producing novel text images music and software by analyzing enormous collections of digitized information Soon these systems will provide expert medical care offer legal advice draft documents write computer programs tutor our children and generate music and art These advances will accelerate progress in science art and human knowledge but they will also bring new dangers Have we finally discovered the holy grail of AI machines that match or exceed human intelligence Which industries and professions will thrive and which will wither What risks and dangers will it pose How can we ensure that these systems respect our ethical principles Will the benefits be broadly distributed or accrue to a lucky few How will GAI alter our political systems and international conflicts Are we merely a stepping stone to a new form of non biological life or are we just

Galaxies are the building blocks of the Universe standing like islands in space each is made up of many hundreds of millions of stars in which the chemical elements are made around which planets form and where on at least one of those planets intelligent life has emerged Our own galaxy the Milky Way is just one of several hundred million other galaxies that we can now observe through our telescopes Yet it was only in the 1920s that we realised that there is more to the Universe than the Milky Way and that there were in fact other islands out there In many ways modern astronomy began with this discovery and the story of galaxies is therefore the story of modern astronomy Since then many exciting discoveries have been made about our own galaxy and about those beyond how a supermassive black hole lurks at the centre of every galaxy for example how enormous forces are released when galaxies collide how distant galaxies provide a window on the early Universe and what the formation of young galaxies can tell us about the mysteries of Cold Dark Matter In this Very Short Introduction renowned science writer John Gribbin describes the extraordinary things that astronomers are learning about galaxies and explains how this can shed light on the origins a

An earthquake shatters Haiti and a hurricane slices through Texas We hear that nature runs rampant seeking to destroy us through these natural disasters Science recounts a different story however disasters are not the consequence of natural causes they are the consequence of human choices and decisions We put ourselves in harm s way we fail to take measures which we know would prevent disasters no matter what the environment does This can be both hard to accept and hard to unravel A complex of factors shape disasters They arise from the political processes dictating where and what we build and from social circumstances which create and perpetuate poverty and discrimination They develop from the social preference to blame nature for the damage wrought when in fact events such as earthquakes and storms are entirely commonplace environmental processes We feel the need to fight natural forces to reclaim what we assume is ours and to protect ourselves from what we perceive to be wrath from outside our communities This attitude distracts us from the real causes of disasters humanity s decisions as societies and as individuals It stops us accepting the real solutions to disasters making better decisions This book explores stories of some of our wo

Now in its fifth edition Diffusion of Innovations is a classic work on the spread of new ideas In this renowned book Everett M Rogers professor and chair of the Department of Communication & Journalism at the University of New Mexico explains how new ideas spread via communication channels over time Such innovations are initially perceived as uncertain and even risky To overcome this uncertainty most people seek out others like themselves who have already adopted the new idea Thus the diffusion process consists of a few individuals who first adopt an innovation then spread the word among their circle of acquaintances a process which typically takes months or years But there are exceptions use of the Internet in the 1990s for example may have spread more rapidly than any other innovation in the history of humankind Furthermore the Internet is changing the very nature of diffusion by decreasing the importance of physical distance between people The fifth edition addresses the spread of the Internet and how it has transformed the way human beings communicate and adopt new ideas

A Crack in Everything is the story of how black holes came in from the cold and took cosmic centre stage As a journalist Marcus Chown interviews many of the scientists who made the key discoveries and as a former physicist he translates the most esoteric of science into everyday language The result is a uniquely engaging page turner that tells one of the great untold stories in modern science What is space What is time Where did the universe come from The answers to mankind s most enduring questions may lie in science s greatest enigma black holes A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing not even light can escape This can occur when a star approaches the end of its life Unable to generate enough heat to maintain its outer layers it shrinks catastrophically down to an infinitely dense point When this phenomenon was first proposed in 1916 it defied scientific understanding so much that Albert Einstein dismissed it as too ridiculous to be true But scientists have since proven otherwise In 1971 Paul Murdin and Louise Webster discovered the first black hole Cygnus X 1 Later in the 1990s astronomers found that not only do black holes exist supermassive black holes lie at the heart of almost every galaxy It would