"An engaging voyage into some of the great mysteries and wonders of our world." --Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dream and The Accidental Universe "No one is better at making the recondite accessible and exciting." --Bill Bryson Brain Pickings and Kirkus Best Science Book of the YearEvery week seems to throw up a new discovery, shaking the foundations of what we know. But are there questions we will never be able to answer--mysteries that lie beyond the predictive powers of science? In this captivating exploration of our most tantalizing unknowns, Marcus du Sautoy invites us to consider... View More...
What do Newton's falling apple and the moon's orbit have in common? How does relativity theory apply to everyday life, what's a quantum leap, and why is Schr dinger's cat inside that box? The answers lie within your grasp John Gribbin, a physicist and author of bestselling popular-science books, offers down-to-earth discussions of technical topics. Playful engravings and cartoons illustrate his imaginative accounts of the workings of string theory, black holes, superfluidity, and other cosmic oddities. Readers of all ages will appreciate these memorable explanations of the laws of physics and... View More...
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS EVER PUBLSHED, it's the work of a creative genius whose observation, analysis, ingenuity, and daring laid the foundation for the development of aviation It includes over 100 fascinating drawings, graphs, and diagrams, as well as engineering analyses, and many historic photographs of Lilienthal flying-in the 1890s, as well as a handy index. After a comprehensive scientific study of how birds fly, Lilienthal recognized the superiority of curved wing surfaces, and then developed a theory of flight. From 1891 to 1896 he designed, built, and flew a series of hanggli... View More...
We live in complicated, dangerous times. Present and future presidents need to know if North Korea's nascent nuclear capability is a genuine threat to the West, if biochemical weapons are likely to be developed by terrorists, if there are viable alternatives to fossil fuels that should be nurtured and supported by the government, if private companies should be allowed to lead the way on space exploration, and what the actual facts are about the worsening threats from climate change. This is "must-have" information for all presidents--and citizens--of the twenty-first century.Winner of the 2009... View More...
We live in complicated, dangerous times. Present and future presidents need to know if North Korea's nascent nuclear capability is a genuine threat to the West, if biochemical weapons are likely to be developed by terrorists, if there are viable alternatives to fossil fuels that should be nurtured and supported by the government, if private companies should be allowed to lead the way on space exploration, and what the actual facts are about the worsening threats from climate change. This is "must-have" information for all presidents--and citizens--of the twenty-first century.Winner of the 2009... View More...
The genome's been mapped. But what does it mean?Arguably the most significant scientific discoveru of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life.Genome offers extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible breakthrough. By picking one newly discovered gene from each pair of chromosomes and telling its story, Matt Ridley ... View More...
Seduced by simplicity, physicists find themselves endlessly fascinated by hydrogen, the simplest of atoms. Hydrogen has shocked, it has surprised, it has embarrassed, it has humbled--and again and again it has guided physicists to the edge of new vistas where the promise of basic understanding and momentous insights beckoned. The allure of hydrogen, crucial to life and critical to scientific discovery, is at the center of this book, which tells a story that begins with the big bang and continues to unfold today.In this biography of hydrogen, John Rigden shows how this singular atom, the most a... View More...
The New York Times bestseller from the author of The Order of Time and Reality Is Not What It Seems and Helgoland "One of the year's most entrancing books about science."--The Wall Street Journal "Clear, elegant...a whirlwind tour of some of the biggest ideas in physics."--The New York Times Book Review This playful, entertaining, and mind-bending introduction to modern physics briskly explains Einstein's general relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles, gravity, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, and the role humans play in this weird and wonderful world. Carlo ... View More...
Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize ** A Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year Rust has been called "the great destroyer," the "pervasive menace," and "the evil." "This look at corrosion--its causes, its consequences, and especially the people devoted to combating it--is wide-ranging and consistently engrossing" (The New York Times). It is the hidden enemy, the one that challenges the very basis of civilization. This entropic menace destroys cars, fells bridges, sinks ships, sparks house fires, and nearly brought down the Statue of Liberty's torch. It is rust--and this book, full... View More...
