Displaying the top 100 results that match your query. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/rssapi.jsp?Re=3295&N=3+6061+7104 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1684890 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1697609 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1671979 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1711807 A first course in physics and associated math for the ardent amateur ... beginning with classical mechanics--Dust jacket flap. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1705075 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1684924 Shubin shows how the entirety of the universes fourteen-billion-year history can be seen in our bodies as he moves from our very molecular composition (a result of stellar events at the origin of our solar system) through the workings of our eyes. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1714077 Arizona is a geologists playground, with a scientifically intriguing story behind every rocky outcrop, dry playa, and sparkling spring. Arizona Rocks! tells the stories of 44 of the best geologic sites in the state. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1713210 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1742402 Explores the idea of big data, which refers to our newfound ability to crunch vast amounts of information, analyze it instantly, and draw profound and surprising conclusions from it. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1705076 Science tell s us about the infinite reaches of space, the tiniest living organism, the human body, the history of Earth. People have always been doing science because they have always wanted to make sense of the world and harness its power. Emphasizing surprising and personal stories of scientists both famous and unsung, this audiobook traces the march of science through the centuries. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1687309 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1669109 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1687125 A clarifying, fascinating, urgently needed book on radiation--what it is, what should and shouldnt concern us about it, and what place radiation and radiation-related technologies have in our world. The universe and our galaxy and planet Earth were born in a nuclear explosion. We live on a radioactive planet, and without radiation there would be no life here. While radiation can be dangerous, it is also deeply misunderstood and often mistakenly feared. Now, Dr. Robert Peter Gale--one of the worlds leading experts on radiation--and Eric Lax set the record straight, correcting myths and establishing facts with an exceptional depth of knowledge and the ability to impart that knowledge in an impartial, lucid and compelling manner. Demystifying societys trigger words for anxiety--Uranium, Plutonium, Iodine-131, X-ray, CT scan, radiation of food--the authors explore the science, benefits, and risks of radiation exposure, drawing on the most up-to-date research and on Gales extensive experience treating victims of radiation accidents around the globe. Here is an illuminating and essential guide to our post-Chernobyl, post-Fukushima world-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1684520 A biography of Dorothy Wrinch-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1693169 A bestselling scientist and nature writer who goes to any extreme to uncover the answers, Bill Streever sets off to find out what heat really means. Let him be your guide and youll firewalk across hot coals and sweat it out in Death Valley, experience intense fever and fire, learn about the invention of matches and the chemistry of cooking, drink crude oil, and explore thermonuclear weapons and the hottest moment of all time-the big bang. Melting glaciers, warming oceans, forest fires, droughts-its clear that todays world is getting hotter. But while we know the agony of a sunburn or the comfort of our winter heaters, do we really understand heat? Written in Streevers signature spare and refreshing prose, HEAT is an a compulsively readable personal narrative that leaves readers with a new vision of an everyday experience-how heat works, its history, and its complete connection to daily life-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1696409 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1696406 One hundred and seventy-five years ago, a Swiss immigrant took America by storm, launching American science as we know it. The irrepressible Louis Agassiz, legendary at a young age for his work on mountain glaciers, focused his prodigious energies on the fauna of the New World. Invited to deliver a series of lectures in Boston, he never left, becoming the most famous scientist of his time. A pioneer in field research and an obsessive collector, Agassiz enlisted the American public in a vast campaign to send him natural specimens, dead or alive, for his ingeniously conceived museum of comparative zoology. As an educator of enduring impact, he trained a generation of American scientists and science teachers, men and women alike. Irmscher sheds new light on Agassizs fascinating partnership with his brilliant wife, Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, a science writer in her own right who would go on to become the first president of Radcliffe College. But theres a dark side to the story. Irmscher adds unflinching evidence of Agassizs racist impulses and shows how avidly Americans looked to men of science to mediate race policy. The books potent, original scenes include the pitched battle between Agassiz and his student Henry James Clark as well as the merciless, often amusing exchanges between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray over Agassizs stubborn resistance to evolution. A fascinating life story, both inspiring and cautionary, for anyone interested in the history of American ideas--Jacket. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1693124 With characteristic flair, insight, and humor, Feynman discusses topics physics students often struggle with and offers valuable tips on addressing them. Included here are three lectures on problem-solving and a lecture on inertial guidance omitted from The Feynman Lectures on Physics. An enlightening memoir by Matthew Sands and oral history interviews with Feynman and his Caltech colleagues provide firsthand accounts of the origins of Feynmans landmark lecture series--P. [4] of cover. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1674986 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1682829 While many of the mathematicians and software engineers on Wall Street failed when their abstractions turned ugly in practice, a special breed of physicists has a much deeper history of revolutionizing finance. From fin-de-sicle Paris to Rat Pack-era Las Vegas, from wartime government labs to Yippie communes on the Pacific coast, Weatherall shows how physicists successfully brought their science to bear on some of the thorniest problems in economics, from options pricing to bubbles. The 2008 crisis was partly a failure of mathematical modeling, but even more, it was a failure of some very sophisticated financial institutions to think like physicists. Models--whether in science or finance--have limitations; they break down under certain conditions. And in 2008, sophisticated models fell into the hands of people who didnt understand their purpose, and didnt care. It was a catastrophic misuse of science. The solution, however, is not to give up on models; its to make them better. Weatherall reveals the people and ideas on the cusp of a new era in finance. This book is riveting history that will change how we think about our economic future.--From publisher description. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1696363 Neil Shubin takes an even more expansive approach to the question of why we are the way we are. Starting once again with fossils, Shubin turns his gaze skyward. He shows how the entirety of the universes 14-billion-year history can be seen in our bodies. From our very molecular composition (a result of stellar events at the origin of our solar system), he makes clear, through the working of our eyes, how the evolution of the cosmos has had profound effects on the development of human life on earth. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1713905 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1675070 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1682841 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1715279 One of New Jerseys seemingly innumerable quiet seaside towns, Toms River became the unlikely setting for a decades-long drama that culminated in 2001 with one of the largest legal settlements in the annals of toxic dumping. A town that would rather have been known for its Little League World Series champions ended up making history for an entirely different reason: a notorious cluster of childhood cancers scientifically linked to local air and water pollution. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1704211 Quantum physics-- also called quantum mechanics or quantum field theory-- can be daunting for even the most dedicated enthusiast of science, math, or physics. This plain-English guide makes the micro world understandable and accessible, and its packed with fully explained examples to help you tackle the tricky equations like a pro! http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1713889 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1684888 About four hundred million years ago earthquake activity and possibly major storms caused sudden movements of large quantities of muddy sediment along the seafloor. Animal communities in the path of these sediment-laden flows were instantly engulfed, the inhabitants frozen in the last moment of their lives. Amazingly, many of the creatures lost in this ancient catastrophe were almost perfectly preserved through the eons, fossilized in a thick series of muds now known as the Hunsrck Slate west of the Rhine Valley in western Germany. Excavations there have yielded the most diverse and surpassingly beautiful collection of marine fossils of the Devonian period ever discovered.This book pays tribute to the exquisite fossils of the Hunsrck Slate. Large full-color photographic plates display fossil sponges, brachiopods, clams, starfish, sea lilies, trilobites, worms, sea spiders, sea stars, crustaceans, corals, and many other species. An accessible commentary recounts the discovery of the fossils and explains how the slate was formed, how the animals are preserved, the significance of the fossils, and the controversies that surround them. A special presentation in every way, this book makes an exceptional contribution to the fascinating history of life on Earth--Provided by publisher. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1431387 When youre cooking, youre a chemist! Every time you follow or modify a recipe you are experimenting with acids and bases, emulsions and suspensions, gels and foams. In your kitchen you denature proteins, crystallize compounds, react enzymes with substrates, and nurture desired microbial life while suppressing harmful microbes. And unlike in a laboratory, you can eat your experiments to verify your hypotheses. In Culinary Reactions, author Simon Field explores the chemistry behind the recipes you follow every day. How does altering the ratio of flour, sugar, yeast, salt, butter, and water affect how high bread rises? Why is whipped cream made with nitrous oxide rather than the more common carbon dioxide? And why does Hollandaise sauce call for clarified butter? This easy-to-follow primer even includes recipes to demonstrate the concepts being discussed, including Whipped Creamsicle Topping (a foam), Cherry Dream Cheese (a protein gel), and Lemonade with Chameleon Eggs (an acid indicator). It even shows you how to extract DNA from a Halloween pumpkin. Youll never look at your graduated cylinders, Bunsen burners, and beakers -- er, measuring cups, stovetop burners, and mixing bowls -- the same way again-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1624193 Presents an optimistic assessment of how a technologically connected world can enable a better if different future, outlining a rising model of political change that breaks traditional categories of thinking and enables positive solutions. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1671797 Evidence for a purely Darwinian account of human origins is supposed to be overwhelming. But is it? In this provocative book, three scientists challenge the claim that undirected natural selection is capable of building a human being, critically assess fossil and genetic evidence that human beings share a common ancestor with apes, and debunk recent claims that the human race could not have started from an original couple. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1668416 Marc Abrahams, the founder of the famous Ig Nobel Prize, offers an addictive, wryly funny expose of the oddest, most imaginative, and just plain improbable research from around the world. He looks into why books on ethics are more likely to get stolen and how promoting people randomly improves their work, to what time of month generates higher tips for Vegas lap dancers and how mice were outfitted with parachutes to find a better way to murder tree snakes in Guam. Abrahams tour through these unlikeliest investigations of animals, plants, and minerals, including humans, will first make you laugh, then make you think about the globe in a new way. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1536761 Frozen Planet captures extraordinary views of vast frozen landscapes and animal behavior impossible to see from the ground, including the remote interior of the Antarctic continent and the migration of whales to the polar regions. The Frozen Planet team also takes us under the ice, into the heart of glaciers and inside volcanic ice-crystal caves.--P. [2] of jacket. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1616398 Marie Curie was the first person to be honored by two Nobel Prizes and she pioneered the use of radiation therapy for cancer patients. But she was also a mother, widowed young, who raised two extraordinary daughters alone: Irene, a Nobel Prize winning chemist in her own right, who played an important role in the development of the atomic bomb, and Eve, a highly regarded humanitarian and journalist, who fought alongside the French Resistance during WWII. As a woman fighting to succeed in a male dominated profession and a Polish immigrant caught in a xenophobic society, she had to find ways to support her research. Drawing on personal interviews with Curies descendents, as well as revelatory new archives, this is a wholly new story about Marie Curie--and a family of women inextricably connected to the dawn of nuclear physics-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1668371 Thanks to the photographic output of a small squadron of interplanetary spacecraft, we have awakened to the beauty and splendor of the solar system. Since Michael Bensons masterful book Beyond: Visions of the Interplanetary Probes, new, more powerful cameras in probes with greatly improved maneuverability have traversed the wheeling satellites of Jupiter; roamed the boulder-strewn red deserts of Mars; studied Saturns immaculate rings; and shown us our own ravishing Earth, a blue-white orb with a disturbingly thin atmosphere, as it plunges deeper into ecological crisis. These new images are the subject of Bensons Planetfall, a truly revelatory book that uses its large page size to reproduce the greatest achievements in contemporary planetary photography as never before--Provided by publisher. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1669002 Despite commitments to renewable energy and two decades of international negotiations, global emissions continue to rise. Coal, the most damaging of all fossil fuels, has actually risen from 25% to almost 30% of world energy use. And while European countries have congratulated themselves on reducing emissions, they have increased their carbon imports from China and other developing nations, who continue to expand their coal use. As standards of living increase in developing countries, coal use can only increase as well--and global temperatures along with it.In this hard-hitting book, Dieter Helm looks at how and why we have failed to tackle the issue of global warming and argues for a new, pragmatic rethinking of energy policy--from transitioning from coal to gas and eventually to electrification of transport, to carbon pricing and a focus on new technologies. Lucid, compelling and rigorously researched, this book will have a lasting impact on how we think about climate change-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1671973 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1667641 Explaining what we know about the Big Bang, the accelerating universe, dark energy, dark flow and dark matter, a physicist and popular science writer examines some of the theories about the nature of the universe. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1685464 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1646987 Join the quest for truth. Understand what science means, how it came about, and why it matters. A modern understanding of the world is unthinkable without science, but what exactly is it? What does it mean to say that something is scientific? How are its results justified? From the genetic basis of life, to the structures of the universe and the atom, TEACH YOURSELF PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE explores how the key ideas that shape our world have been developed. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1645609 Professor Paul Zak proves that a single molecule accounts for why some people give freely of themselves and others are coldhearted, why some people cheat and steal and others can be trusted with anothers life, why some husbands are more faithful than others, and why women tend to be more generous, not to mention nicer, than men. Oxytocin is that molecule. Zak recounts his extraordinary stories and sets out, for the first time, his revolutionary theory of moral behavior. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1616406 This bestsellling guide has been expanded and updated, enabling ordinary folks to construct even more exciting ballistic devices in their garage or basement workshops than ever before--Cover p. [4]. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1647743 A masterpiece of science reporting that tracks the animal origins of emerging human diseases. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1681547 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1646897 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1669011 An adventurous romp through the real-world experiments to make babies without sex. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1682348 Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organisms genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics. Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the fields arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being.--Jacket. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1667709 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1602366 Contrary to the popular view of science as a mountainous accumulation of facts and data, Firestein takes the novel perspective that Ignorance is the main product and driving force of science, and that this is the best way to understand the process of scientific discovery-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1615616 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1684627 A photographic close-up of the diversity of life found in one cubic foot across a variety of ecosystems. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1624241 In Science Set Free, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, one of the worlds most innovative scientists, shows the ways in which science is being constricted by assumptions that have hardened into dogmas that are not only limiting, but also dangerous for the future of humanity -- Front jacket flap. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1645977 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1711532 Photographs of more than sixty bonsai from the Chicago Botanic Garden collection, with discussions of the species and style of the tree, and of the art of bonsai. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1627747 In The Disappearing Spoon, bestselling author Sam Kean unlocked the mysteries of the periodic table. In THE VIOLINISTS THUMB, he explores the wonders of the magical building block of life: DNA. There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs. Genes illuminate everything from JFKs bronze skin (it wasnt a tan) to Einsteins genius. They prove that Neanderthals and humans bred thousands of years more recently than any of us would feel comfortable thinking. They can even allow some people, because of the exceptional flexibility of their thumbs and fingers, to become truly singular violinists. Keans vibrant storytelling once again makes science entertaining, explaining human history and whimsy while showing how DNA will influence our species future-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1668682 A Walk through the Southern Sky is a beautifully illustrated guide to the stars and constellations of the southern hemisphere. By following the simplified and easy-to-use starmaps, readers will be able to identify constellations with no equipment but normal sight and a clear night sky. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1681548 As Alan Butler demonstrates in this extraordinary book, many key events in the history of our world, from the creation of the Moon to the evolution of human beings, came about through the intervention of humans from the future. Everyone who thought time travel was pure fantasy or theory will now have to think again, as this amazing book demonstrates that humankinds origins, evolution and historical turning-points have been planned in the future. Follow Alan Butler as he persuades us that without the reality of time travel we would not be as we are today. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1646899 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1587067 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1684521 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1681742 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1646890 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1615687 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1667956 The modern industrialized world is a complex system on a scale never before witnessed in the history of humankind. Technologically dependent, globally interconnected, it offers seemingly limitless conveniences, choices, and opportunities. Yet this same modern civilization may be as unstable as a house of cards, fear complexity scientists like John Casti. All it would take to downsize our way of life is a nudge from what Casti calls an X-event, an unpredictable occurrence with extreme, even dire, consequences. When an X-event strikes--and scientists believe one will--finance, communication, defense, and travel will stop dead in their tracks. The flow of food, electricity, medicine, and clean water will be disrupted for months, if not years. This book provides a tour of the catastrophic outlier scenarios that could quickly send us crashing back to the preindustrial age.--From publisher description. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1623841 A MacArthur Fellow presents a surprising perspective on Noahs Flood and how the mystery of the Bibles greatest story shaped geology. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1681533 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1668052 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1668733 Filled with lavish illustrations, this book is a grand tour of the universe. Three ever widening domains are presented--the planets, the stars, and the large scale universe itself--each including the ones before it and extending outward-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1623469 Offering a sweeping tour of fantastic physics and cosmic history, Gravitys Engines provides a view of the most fearsome places in the universe, and finally asks what it will take to see the event horizon of a black hole-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1623168 Discusses the importance of soft matter as one of the necessities of life and examines the versatility of such materials as red blood globules, lung fluid, and membranes. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1681553 Scientists have just announced an historic discovery on a par with the splitting of the atom: the Higgs boson, the key to understanding why mass exists has been found. Carroll takes readers behind the scenes of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to meet the scientists and explain this landmark event. We only discovered the electron just over a hundred years ago and considering where that took us-- from nuclear energy to quantum computing-- the inventions that will result from the Higgs discovery will be world-changing. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1645978 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1482047 Authoritatively presents the most recent evidence that explains how our universe evolved--and the implications for how its going to end--Provided by publisher. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1615696 Provides techniques for achieving high scores on the AP chemistry exam and includes two full-length practice tests. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1646042 A new approach to uderstanding the ever-changing information that bombards us. Arbesman is an expert in scientometrics, literally the science of science--how we know what we know. It turns out that knowledge in most fields evolves in systematic and predictable ways, and understanding that evolution can enormously powerful-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1646067 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1577855 Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson presents his views on the future of space travel and Americas role in that future, giving his readers an eye-opening manifesto on the importance of space exploration for Americas economy, security, and morale. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1647823 Universe reveals space in all its awe-inspiring wonder--Jacket. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1623817 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1684618 Takes you on a gorgeously illustrated tour of the Periodic Table. Filled with fascinating information about the elements, their main compounds, and their principal uses, this authoritative yet accessible book, written by renowned popular-science writer Jack Challoner, makes hard science easy, interesting, and relevant to our daily lives. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1657461 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1694437 We need to know if nuclear power will ever really be safe. We need to know if solar and wind power will ever really be viable. And we desperately need to know if the natural gas deposits in Pennsylvania are a windfall of historic proportions or a false hope that will create more problems than solutions. Richard A. Muller provides all the answers in this must-listen guide to our energy priorities now and in the coming years. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1628993 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1671818 In this first full history of around-the-world travel, Joyce E. Chaplin brilliantly tells the story of circumnavigation.-- http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1629582 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1646900 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1683181 In Spectrums, David Blatner blends narrative and illustration to illuminate the variety of spectrums that affect our lives every day: numbers, size, light, sound, heat, and time. There is actually very little in this universe that we can feel, touch, see, hear, or possibly even comprehend. Its not an easy task to stretch the mind to encompass both billions of years and billionths of seconds; the distance to Jupiter and the size of a proton; the tiny waves of visible light and gargantuan but invisible gamma rays; or the freezing point of helium and the heat generated by the blast of an atom bomb. Exploring these far-reaching spectrums gives us fascinating perspective on our small but not insignificant place in the universe. With easy-to-read, engaging, and insightful observations, illustrated by a wealth of photographs and diagrams, Blatner helps us grok--understand intuitively--six spectrums we encounter constantly, making our daily lives richer and more meaningful through greater appreciation of the bizarre and beautiful world in which we live--Provided by publisher. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1623810 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1685468 Trace the events surrounding Japans 2011 earthquake and the subsequent tsunami flood and nuclear threat that further endangered the region, describing the heroism of survivors who risked their lives to protect others. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1667921 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1609136 Bringing the contemporary environmental landscape to life, The Odyssey of KP2 is also the heartwarming portrait of a Hawaiian monk seal whose unforgettable personality never falters, even as his fate hangs in the balance. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1684522 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1683184 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1476700 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1647732 Our health care system is crippled by desperate efforts to prevent the inevitable. A third of the national Medicare budget{u2014}nearly $175 billion{u2014}is spent on the final year of life, and a third of that amount on the final month, often on expensive (and futile) treatments. Such efforts betray a fundamental flaw in how we think about healthcare: we squander resources on hopeless situations, instead of using them to actually improve health. In Predictive Health, distinguished doctors Kenneth Brigham and Michael M.E. Johns propose a solution: invest earlier{u2014}and use science and technology to make healthcare more available and affordable. Every child would begin life with a post-natal genetic screen, when potential risk{u2014}say for type II diabetes or heart disease{u2014}would be found. More data on biology, behavior, and environment would be captured throughout her life. Using this information, health-care workers and the people they care for could forge personal strategies for healthier living long before a small glitch blows up into major disease. This real health care wouldn{u2019}t just replace much of modern disease care{u2014}it would make it obsolete. The result, according to Brigham and Johns, will be a life defined by a long stay at top physical and mental form, rather than an early peak and long decline. Accomplishing this goal will require new tools, new clinics, fewer doctors and more mentors, smarter companies, and engaged patients. In short, it will require a revolution. Thanks to a decade-long collaboration between Brigham, Johns and others, it is already underway. An optimistic plan for reducing or eliminating many chronic diseases as well as reforming our faltering medical system, Predictive Health is a deeply knowledgeable, deeply humane proposal for how we can reallocate expenses and resources to prolong the best years of life, rather than extending the worst. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1624249 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1657514 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1630148 Every day, we are beset by millions of sounds-ambient ones like the rumble of the train and the hum of air conditioner, as well as more pronounced sounds, such as human speech, music, and sirens. But how do we process what we hear every day? This book answers such revealing questions as: Why do we often fall asleep on train rides or in the car, and what does it have to do with hearing? What is it about the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard that makes us cringe? Why do city folks have trouble sleeping in the country, and vice versa? Why cant you get that jingle out of your head? Starting with the basics of the biology, neuroscientist and musician Seth Horowitz explains how sound affects us, and in turn, how weve learned to manipulate sound: into music, commercial jingles, car horns, and modern inventions like cochlear implants, ultrasound scans, and the mosquito ringtone. Combining the best parts of This is Your Brain on Music and How We Decide, this book gives new insight into what the sounds of our world have to do with the way we think, feel, and interact--Provided by publisher. http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1682837 http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/record.jsp?R=1668431