"A dazzling journey across the sciences and humanities in search of deep laws to unite them." --The Wall Street Journal
One of our greatest living scientists--and the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for On Human Nature and The Ants--gives us a work of visionary importance that may be the crowning achievement of his career. In Consilience (a word that originally meant "jumping together"), Edward O. Wilson renews the Enlightenment's search for a unified theory of knowledge in disciplines that range from physics to biology, the social sciences and the humanities. Using the natural sciences as his model, Wilson forges dramatic links between fields. He explores the chemistry of the mind and the genetic bases of culture. He postulates the biological principles underlying works of art from cave-drawings to Lolita. Presenting the latest findings in prose of wonderful clarity and oratorical eloquence, and synthesizing it into a dazzling whole, Consilience is science in the path-clearing traditions of Newton, Einstein, and Richard Feynman.
The Know-It-All series takes a revolutionary approach to learning about the subjects you really feel you should understand but have never gotten around to studying. Each title selects a popular topic and dissects it into the 50 most significant ideas at its heart. Each idea, no matter how complex, is explained in 300 words and one picture, all digestible in under a minute.
Know-It-All Biology tackles the vital science of life, dissecting the 50 most thought-provoking theories of our ecosystem and ourselves. At a time when discoveries in DNA allow us to feel more connected than ever to the natural world, this is the fastest route to an understanding of the tree of life.
Whether you're dipping into the gene pool, unlocking cells, or conversing on biodiversity, this is all the knowledge you need to bring life to any dinner-party debate.
Fifty-two inspiring and insightful profiles of history's brightest female scientists.
"Rachel Swaby's no-nonsense and needed Headstrong dynamically profiles historically overlooked female visionaries in science, technology, engineering, and math."--Elle In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: "She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise three children." It wasn't until the second paragraph that readers discovered why the Times had devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion system to keep communications satellites in orbit, and had recently been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Among the questions the obituary--and consequent outcry--prompted were, Who are the role models for today's female scientists, and where can we find the stories that cast them in their true light?Headstrong delivers a powerful, global, and engaging response. Covering Nobel Prize winners and major innovators, as well as lesser-known but hugely significant scientists who influence our every day, Rachel Swaby's vibrant profiles span centuries of courageous thinkers and illustrate how each one's ideas developed, from their first moment of scientific engagement through the research and discovery for which they're best known. This fascinating tour reveals 52 women at their best--while encouraging and inspiring a new generation of girls to put on their lab coats.
More than one hundred of the world's leading thinkers write about things they believe in, despite the absence of concrete proof
Scientific theory, more often than not, is born of bold assumption, disparate bits of unconnected evidence, and educated leaps of faith. Some of the most potent beliefs among brilliant minds are based on supposition alone -- yet that is enough to push those minds toward making the theory viable.
Eminent cultural impresario, editor, and publisher of Edge (www.edge.org), John Brockman asked a group of leading scientists and thinkers to answer the question: What do you believe to be true even though you cannot prove it? This book brings together the very best answers from the most distinguished contributors.
Thought-provoking and hugely compelling, this collection of bite-size thought-experiments is a fascinating insight into the instinctive beliefs of some of the most brilliant minds today.
Discover how the world really works in this spectacular journey through space and time that shows the development of the material Universe from the first cataclysmic moments to the emergence of human and machine intelligence. The Infographic Guide to Science presents the unfolding science that lies behind then and now.
Starting from the point of physical origin, the book moves through quarks, atoms, molecules and stars; to planet building, organic chemistry, the emergence of life, and finally on to sentience, the human mind, and its quest to understand the Universe.
Spectacular visuals give insight into how the world really works, covering all the major branches of scientific understanding. Using vast amounts of information to cross-reference a breadth of different subject areas, the book features physics, cosmology, chemistry, earth science, biology, non-science, medicine, engineering, and computer technology.
Four core sections follow the progression of scientific theory and discoveries over time. These chapters, with examples, are:
- The Universe -- The Geometry of the Universe, Universal Matter, Thermodynamics, Chemical Bonds, Supernovas, Nuclear Fisson
- Earth -- Planet Formation, Rocketry and exploration, The Lithosphere, Extreme weather, Aqueous chemistry, Nucleic acid
- Life -- The Great Oxygenation Event, Chromosomes, Multicellular Precambrian Life, Gills vs. Lungs, Evolution of grasses
- Humans -- Leakey-Laetoli Footprints, Language Instinct, Muscular-skeletal System, Brain development, Emotion, Futurology.
Even with the most skilled teacher, the sciences can be overwhelming to absorb and understand. The Infographic Guide to Science utilizes the power of visual design and succinct, authoritative text to illustrate and instruct such that readers can follow in the order and at the pace they prefer.
Hypatia was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who invented the hydrometer in about 400 AD. Described as a charismatic teacher, she was seen as an evil symbol of the pagan science of learning and she was eventually murdered by Christian zealots.
For many women in years gone by, the invention process was fraught with danger and difficulty. Not only did they face the hardship and obstacles of inventing, they also had to contend with the sexism and gender discrimination of a male world that believed women had nothing to contribute.
Scientific women came to the fore with momentous innovations which were impossible for men to ignore. During World War Two, Austrian actress Hedy Lamarr became a pioneer in wireless communications, developing a "Secret Communications System."
More recently, 20-year-old Ann Makosinski has invented the ingenious Hollow Flashlight which converts radiant body heat into electricity. Meanwhile other women continued inventing in the domestic sphere with Miracle Mops, long-lasting lipsticks, and magic knickers.
In every walk of twenty-first century life women have been challenging themselves (and men) to shape the way we live. Some of the incredible innovators featured include Myra Juliet Farrell, Sally Fox, Rosalind Franklin, Helen Murray, Anna Pavlova, M ria Telkes, Giuliana Tesoro, Halldis Aalvik Thune, Ann Tsukamoto, Margaret A. Wilcox, Ada Lovelace, and many more.
The 150 remarkable women in this book show all too clearly that not only can invention no longer be described as a male dominated domain but that a woman's inspiration and ingenuity will probably be driving the life-changing ideas of tomorrow's world.
The Know-It-All series takes a revolutionary approach to learning about the subjects you really feel you should understand but have never gotten around to studying. Each title selects a popular topic and dissects it into the 50 most significant ideas at its heart. Each idea, no matter how complex, is explained in 300 words and one picture, all digestible in under a minute.
As a phenomenon that resides everywhere and in everything, energy is best understood by example. Exploring energy shows how it cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed--and how plankton and other ancient ocean-dwelling organisms can be used to power your car. Reducing the subject to its essential areas, Know-It-All Energy charts fascinating and fundamental topics, from the nuclear fusion reactor at the heart of the sun and civilization's discovery of our first hands-on energy source in fire almost 400,000 years ago, to the elusive dark energy which makes up most of the content of the universe.
Here are the basic facts about the complex and amazing machine that is the human body. Hundreds of practical, safe experiments help the whole family learn by doing. An educational and entertaining way to learn the secrets of the body.
