Julian Elfer
Author
Language
English
Description
"The riveting story of one of the greatest but least-known sagas in the history of exploration from David Roberts, the "dean of adventure writing." By 1930, no place in the world was less well explored than Greenland. The native Inuit had occupied the relatively accessible west coast for centuries. The east coast, however, was another story. In August 1930, Henry George Watkins (nicknamed Gino), a 23-year-old explorer, led thirteen scientists and...
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
"A paradigm-shifting work that revolutionizes our understanding of the origins and structure of science. Captivatingly written, interwoven with tantalizing illustrations and historical vignettes ranging from Newton's alchemy to quantum mechanics to the storm surge of Hurricane Sandy, Michael Strevens's wholly original investigation of science asks two fundamental questions: Why is science so powerful? And why did it take so long, two thousand years...
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
An optimistic approach to environmentalism that focuses on the wonders of rewilding, not just the terrifying consequences of climate change.
To be an environmentalist early in the twenty-first century is always to be defending science and acknowledging the hurdles we face in our efforts to protect wild places and fight climate change. But let's be honest: hedging has never inspired anyone. So what if we stopped hedging? What if we grounded our efforts...
Author
Language
English
Description
Enzymes are the astonishing, tiny molecular machines that make life possible. Each one of these small proteins speeds up a single chemical reaction inside a living organism many millionfold. Working together, teams of enzymes carry out all the processes that collectively we recognize as life, from making DNA to digesting food.
This Very Short Introduction explains the why and the how of speeding up these reactions-catalysis-before going on to reveal...
Author
Language
English
Description
This book presents a global history of the biological sciences from ancient times to today, providing needed perspective on the development of biological thought while shedding light on the field's upheavals and key breakthroughs through the ages. Michel Morange brings to life the dynamic interplay of science, society, and biology's many subdisciplines, enabling listeners to better appreciate the interdisciplinary exchanges that have shaped the field...
Author
Language
English
Description
For decades, proponents of artificial intelligence have argued that computers will soon be doing everything that a human mind can do. Admittedly, computers now play chess at the grandmaster level, but do they understand the game as we do? Can a computer eventually do everything a human mind can do?
In this absorbing and frequently contentious book, Roger Penrose puts forward his view that there are some facets of human thinking that can never be...
Author
Language
English
Description
The iconic Periodic Table of the Elements is now in its most satisfyingly elegant form. This is because all the 'gaps' corresponding to missing elements in the seventh row, or period, have recently been filled and the elements named. But where do these names come from? For some, usually the most recent, the origins are quite obvious, but in others-even well-known elements such as oxygen or nitrogen-the roots are less clear.
Here, Peter Wothers explores...
Author
Language
English
Description
Today it is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact sixty-five million years ago that killed half of all species then living. It is far less widely understood that a much greater catastrophe took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago: at least ninety percent of life on earth was destroyed.
When Life Nearly Died documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction but also the...
Author
Language
English
Description
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is renowned the world over, first, because it is a premier arena for the advancement of new scientific and technological knowledge, and second because it highlights the advance of knowledge of all kinds. It bridges the sciences and the humanities, and as much publicity is given to advances in the arts, archaeology, architecture, drama, and literature as to the pure and applied sciences. More famous scientists...
Author
Language
English
Description
The hunt for the Higgs particle has involved the biggest, most expensive experiment ever. So exactly what is this particle? Why does it matter so much? What does it tell us about the Universe? Did the discovery announced on 4 July 2012 finish the search? And was finding it really worth all the effort? The short answer is yes. The Higgs field is proposed as the way in which particles gain mass-a fundamental property of matter. It's the strongest indicator...
Author
Language
English
Description
Lightweight, compact, distinctively styled, and now, electric: The Brompton isn't the only folding bicycle-or even the first. But everyone who has been on one will enthusiastically testify to its marvelous design (virtually unchanged over decades) and the particular joy of riding it.
Will Butler-Adams, CEO of Brompton Bicycles, has been at the company for twenty years. Initially, he worked as an engineer for Andrew Ritchie, the bike's brilliant inventor...