Libros de Estudios generales, página 28 de 118

The deep sea is the last vast wilderness on the planet This is the story of how we imagine explore and exploit it For centuries myth makers and storytellers have concocted imaginary monsters of the deep and now scientists are looking there to find bizarre unknown species chemicals to make new medicines and to gain a greater understanding of how this world of ours works With an average depth of 12 000 feet and chasms that plunge much deeper it forms a frontier for new discoveries The Brilliant Abyss tells the story of our relationship with the deep sea how we imagine explore and exploit it It captures the golden age of discovery we are currently in and looks back at the history of how we got here while also looking forward to the unfolding new environmental disasters that are taking place miles beneath the waves far beyond the public gaze Throughout history there have been two distinct groups of deep sea explorers Both have sought knowledge but with different and often conflicting ambitions in mind Some people want to quench their curiosity many more have been lured by the possibilities of commerce and profit The tension between these two opposing sides is the theme that runs throughout the book while readers are taken on a chronological journey

Finalist for the James Beard Foundation Book Award and the IACP Cookbook Award A s good a read on the science of cooking as there is Mark Bittman author of How to Cook Everything

The young Franz Kafka has too many fears to name Mirrors clothing his own body almost everything causes him to fret How did this anxious and small bundle of bones become one of the world s great writers With telling details and sharply minimal illustrations Nicolas Mahler tells a wickedly funny story of the development of Kafka s genius offering a tribute that is as playful as it is profound

El ejercicio físico produce beneficios indudables en todo el organismo, en nuestra salud y, por supuesto, en el cerebro. Sin embargo, en los últimos años han pasado relativamente desapercibidos numerosos avances neurocientificos que señalan que tipo de ejercicio es bueno para segun que aspectos; que la intensidad del ejercicio es un factor crucial para obtener resultados concretos; cuales son las areas cerebrales que se ven beneficiadas por el ejercicio moderado o vigoroso, asi como los ultimos avances sobre el efecto que tiene en la depresion, la ansiedad, la cognicion, el envejecimiento y la neurodegeneracion. Aunque estamos lejos de poder elaborar un plan personalizado de ejercicio util para cada ser humano, que produzca beneficios para los diferentes sistemas fisiologicos del organismo sin incrementar el estres, no cabe la menor duda de que el sedentarismo es el enemigo de un cerebro sano. Esta obra totalmente actualizada incorpora ademas dos nuevos capitulos donde se presentan los dos extremos evolutivos de la percepcion humana sobre la actividad fisica, destacando los ultimos avances en el conocimiento cientifico y social, y las recomendaciones correspondientes para obtener el maximo beneficio para nuestro cerebro de una vida activa fisicamente. Se analizan tambien las evidencias sobre la actividad fisica de nuestros ancestros para averiguar si el ejercicio es una actividad inherente a nuestra especie.

La ciencia y la tecnología en España han progresado de manera notable en los últimos lustros, tal como se analiza con detalle en esta cuarta entrega de la obra España Siglo XXI. El volumen está dividido en tres partes, dedicadas respectivamente a las ciencias exactas, fisicas y naturales, a la biologia y a la tecnologia. El marco temporal abarca los trinta años de referencia comunes a toda la obra, aunque para las ciencias exactas, fisicas y naturales, y para la biologia la descripcion y explicacion se adelantan en algunos casos hasta los comienzos de las actividades cientificas en España. El caso singular de la tecnologia se completa con la consideracion de la innovacion como empeño rigurosamente contemporaneo, que deja atras los prejuicios, carencias y actitudes arcaizantes de una epoca a superada.

Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core on publication in 1859. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke but he would surely have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later. Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity. In The Greatest Show on Earth Richard Dawkins takes on creationists, including followers of 'Intelligent Design' and all those who question the fact of evolution through natural selection. Like a detective arriving on the scene of a crime, he sifts through fascinating layers of scientific facts and disciplines to build a cast-iron case: from the living examples of natural selection in birds and insects; the 'time clocks' of trees and radioactive dating that calibrate a timescale for evolution; the fossil record and the traces of our earliest ancestors; to confirmation from molecular biology and genetics. All of this, and much more, bears witness to the truth of evolution. The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is now flourishing as never before, especially in America. In Britain and elsewhere in the world, teachers witness insidious attempts to undermine the status of science in their classrooms. Richard Dawkins provides unequivocal evidence that boldly and comprehensively rebuts such nonsense. At the same time he shares with us his palpable love of the natural world and the essential role that science plays in its interpretation. Written with elegance, wit and passion, it is hard-hitting, absorbing and totally convincing.

El origen de las Islas Canarias ha llamado la atención de la comunidad científica desde hace más de tres cientos años. En esta obra se analizan las diferentes ideas que se ha propuesto para explicar la genesis del archipielago, desde la antiguedad clasica hasta finales del siglo XX, con una perspectiva historico-cientifica no solo divulgadora, sino de utilidad tambien para el estudioso e investigador aportando una amplia bibliografia con las fuentes primarias que han tratado el origen de Canarias. Se incluyen ademas varios suplementos que contienen textos originales y discusiones complementarias que contribuyen a una mejor comprension de este interesante problema.

Now available for the first time in the English language, and already an international bestseller, Power Up! Energise and Wave Goodbye to Fatigue is an outstanding book that should be read by anyone wishing to find natural ways of improving their health and vitality. Written by Dr Peter Aelbrecht , the European "TV Doctor", it tackles the problems of modern living common to us all - the lack of energy, the risk of professional burn-out, the constant search for physical and emotional well-being - and comes up with a number of ways in which we can confront our issues and enjoy again a happier, healthier lifestyle. Several years ago Dr Aelbrecht himself suffered from the symptoms he discusses in the book. He understood from personal experience the circumstances of ME ( Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ) and CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and was therefore able to offer an expert diagnosis to patients who presented with such symptoms. He opened his own "Energy Clinic" which specialises in the treatment of fatigue, and along with his team of doctors, osteopaths, dieticians, psychologists, physical trainers and life coaches, he now administers his methods of well-being to a broad range of patients - from professional sportsmen and politicians to nurses and office staff. Power Up! is based on medical and scientific fact, and is written in a simple, easy to read style. It teaches us about the good and bad things we eat, but it goes beyond being just another diet book. Dr Aelbrecht looks at the outside forces on us, such as being born and raised in Western, industrialised society, and our personal situation - circumstances, upbringing and environment - which all contribute to an individual's emotional, intellectual and physical well-being. For anyone who wishes to improve their life by finding more energy, reading this book will be the first step to achieving their goal.

Este libro recoge los últimos adelantos científicos que se relacionan con la naturaleza humana, para fundar una Nueva Estructura da la Historia Universal, llevando los orígenes de la Especie Humana hasta sus más insospechados horizontes, para luego presentar su despliegue y formación en el Tiempo Evolutivo, fundamentalmente biológico y mamífero. En este inmenso recorrido, el autor señala por primera vez cuál fue la causa del ser guerrero y político de los hombres, por qué se dividió la Unidad de la Humanidad en hombres que gobiernan los pueblos del Orbe con un parcial conocimiento y mujeres privadas de contribuir con su sabiduría indispensable para asegurar el éxito del devenir histórico, de allí el necesario fracaso de la Historia Masculina que hoy ha colapsado mundialmente. La salida a este drama que vive la humanidad se divisa en un Nuevo Humanismo que superará aquella historia masculina, con sus guerras, sus políticos y sus eternas corrupciones.

Tras las últimas focas del Mediterráneo describe en primera persona las experiencias vividas a lo largo de dos viajes científicos por el Mediterráneo Oriental , dedicados a la exploración de sus fondos marinos. Escrita en lenguaje asequible, el autor intenta transmitir una forma de hacer ciencia donde los descubrimientos que se suceden dia a dia ponen en duda teorias pre-establecidas y sirven de base para modificarlas y orientar las nuevas investigaciones. Las vulnerables y casi extinguidas focas monje, las focas mediterraneas, adquieren un inesperado protagonismo, y los problemas que las acechan y los debates sobre la gestion adecuada para evitar su extincion definitiva, se intercalan con otras muchas problematicas medioambientales tan o menos conocidas por el gran publico. En definitiva, el autor hace participe a los lectores del componente de descubrimiento e investigacion que conllevan las dos expediciones cientificas sin olvidar los aspectos cotidianos asociados a cualquier viaje.

The Rough Guide to the Brain answers all the important questions: how does the memory work? Are we addicted to television? What is Alzheimer''s Disease? Can machines read our minds? The human brain, with all its inherent complexity, has taken on near mythical status. Its 100 billion nerve cells, forged by nature and refined over millions of years, allow humans the capacity to survive, create culture, love. Once an impenetrable grey mass, modern science is getting to grips with our brains at an unprecedented rate. We are moving from a time of anatomy, in which science did well to characterize the various regions of the brain, to a time in which we can observe thought processes in real time. We have entered a neural renaissance. The Rough Guide to the Brain is for anyone who''s ever wanted to know more about how their brain and mind works - and what goes wrong when it doesn''t. From how we evolved such an impressive organ to how it achieves the feat that is you. Including numerous insights from leaders in their fields, with The Rough Guide to the Brain, there''s no better way to stimulate your grey matter.

«La llanterna meravellosa» recrea la fascinant vida d'un veritable pioner del cinema, George Albert Smith (Londres, 1864-Brighton, 1959). Smith, considerat també com a un showman, un hipnotitzador i

Vida, muerte... continúa lo que parecería una peculiar carrera de relevos sin salida ni meta, donde el testigo –las ramas científicas que cobran alternativo protagonismo en nuestras páginas– discurre