Libros de Estudios generales, página 26 de 118

Insects are the most successful group of animals ever to have lived they comprise a million species and perhaps 10 quintillion individuals Much of life on earth depends on the activities of these busy teeming arthropods from pollination to the breaking down of waste matter Each chapter of Planet Insect centres on one or more of the traits of insect life that have allowed them to hold dominion over the earth s terrestrial and freshwater environments for so long from their staggering reproductive ability to their complex partnership with flowering plants Planet Insect offers a winning fusion of glorious imagery and fine biological writing by an entomological specialist who writes both entertainingly and with authentic scientific rigour and who also happens to be a very gifted nature photographer

Looks at how ancient microorganisms in primordial oceans transformed the chemistry of the planet over billions of years eventually allowing the development of more complex forms of life and how they continue to make life on earth possible

THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO AI FROM THE PRESENTER OF THE 2023 ROYAL INSTITUTION CHRISTMAS LECTURE I propose to consider the question Can machines think Alan Turing 1950 Part of the ALL NEW Ladybird Expert series This book is for everyone living in the age of Artificial Intelligence And this is an accessible and authoritative introduction to one of the most important conversations of our time Written by computer scientist Michael Wooldridge Artificial Intelligence chronicles the development of intelligent machines from Turing s dream of machines that think to today s digital assistants like Siri and Alexa AI is not something that awaits us in the future Inside you ll learn how we have come to rely on embedded AI software and what a world of ubiquitous AI might look like What s inside The British mathematician Alan Turing Can machines understand Logical and Behavioural AI The reality of AI today AI tomorrow And much more For an adult readership the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years

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

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

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

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

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

Marvel at the wonders of the miniature world and its complex lifeforms in this fascinating hardback guide illustrated throughout with spectacular full colour photography With the latest developments in scanning electron microscopy the miniature world has now been revealed to us in never before seen detail With accomplished science writer Marianne Taylor as your guide you will learn about the microbes that are at the heart of the world s ecosystems the composition of minerals the structure of cells in the human body and much more besides Includes Microorganisms Mineral structures Nanotechnology The text is brought to life by superb full colour photos charts maps and infographics to reveal the miniature world in all its splendor A fascinating guide to the world which can be enjoyed by the whole family ABOUT THE SERIES Arcturus Discovering series brings together spectacular hardback guides which explore the science behind our world brought to life by eye catching photography

A brand new and updated edition for 2024 including the latest insights on diet and weight management drugs gene editing cancer testing anti ageing ultra processed foods and much more Professor Tim Spector number one bestselling author of SPOON FED and FOOD FOR LIFE reveals the astonishing new science that is changing everything we thought we knew about genes and identity Since the discovery of DNA scientists have believed that genes are fixed entities that cannot be changed by environment Spector s pioneering epigenetics studies and the latest genetic research show that our genes are more like plastic able to change shape and evolve and these changes can be passed on to future generations This dazzling guide to the hidden world of our genes will make you rethink everything from sexuality to religion cancer to autism politics to pubic hair clones to bacteria and what it is that makes us all so unique and quintessentially human Tim Spector s book turns genetics on its head Lucid surprising and with a very human face It brings epigenetics alive It is a great read Michael Mosley

Very Short Introductions Brilliant Sharp InspiringIn the last few years global awareness of climate change has grown very rapidly through the school strikes led by Greta Thunberg groups like Extinction Rebellion the IPCC s recent high impact reports tv documentaries and declarations from governments around the world that we are in a climate emergency This awareness is continuing to grow as the science shows us that our planet and our species are facing a massive crisis which we ourselves have caused Climate change is one of the few scientific theories that make us examine the whole basis of modern society It is a challenge that has politicians arguing sets nations against each other queries individual lifestyle choices and ultimately asks questions about humanity s relationship with the rest of the planet This Very Short Introduction draws on the very latest science from the 2021 IPCC Report examining the evidence that climate change is already happening and discussing its potential catastrophic impacts in the future Mark Maslin also explores the geopolitics of climate change and the win win solutions we can employ to avoid the very worst effects of climate change Throughout he demonstrates how we must develop new modes of thinking for the 21st