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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > General

Earth Systems Protection and Sustainability - Volume 1 (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022): James N. Furze, Saeid Eslamian, Safanah M.... Earth Systems Protection and Sustainability - Volume 1 (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022)
James N. Furze, Saeid Eslamian, Safanah M. Raafat, Kelly Swing
R4,398 Discovery Miles 43 980 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Earth Systems Protection and Sustainability qualifies imperatives and discusses the use of mathematical approaches to assess and achieve sustainability in threatened and vulnerable Earth systems globally. Mathematical advances in this context include both operational and Boolean methods, as well as linguistic, logic-based Bayesian approaches and generative mathematics relevant to scenario formation. The mathematic methods are refined into functional areas and deeper learning, which enable the use of searching algorithms to achieve optimal solutions for the circular nature and application of sustainability. Pertinent sections and synergistic elements are covered in order to synthesize key informative nodes, advising of the very real dangers facing planet Earth and its biodiversity. Each volume stands in its own right. Analytical and scientific chapters are blended with social resilience and socio-economic development consideration, thus enabling the settings of sustainability within varying scenarios of climatic forces and species dynamics. Volume 1 focuses on ground-breaking evolutionary expansion assisting with life's continuation on Earth, sustainable management of pathogens and halophyte uses in agroecology, bioremediation methods in drilling waste management, conservation and sustainability of diversity, climate change mitigation strategies, displacement management in a large scale ongoing crisis, risk reduction and management policy, sustainably intelligent-driven markets, sustainability consensus in an uncertain environment and path planning in static and dynamic environments. Pictorial contributions made from across the world refine particularly urgent problems for attention, and provide solutions and methods of environmental sustainability operated in communities, complementing the descriptive chapter sections. Both volumes are targeted for a global audience of academic, professional, classroom, governmental, unit and community members, and seek to include all sectors to ensure ongoing and comprehensive Earth Systems Protection.

Information Fusion and Geographic Information Systems - Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop, 17-20 May 2009... Information Fusion and Geographic Information Systems - Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop, 17-20 May 2009 (Hardcover, 2009 ed.)
Vasily V. Popovich, Manfred Schrenk, Christophe Claramunt, Kyrill V. Korolenko
R4,406 Discovery Miles 44 060 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This volume contains the papers presented at the International Workshop "Information Fusion and Geographic Information Systems" (IF&GIS'09) held in St. Petersburg, Russia in May 2009. The workshop was organized by the St. Petersburg Institute for Informatics and Automation of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPIIRAS). The workshop continues a series organised biannually, and attracts academics and industrials from a wide range of disciplines including computer science, geography, statistics, mathematics, hydrography, geomorphology, and environmental sciences. The objective of this workshop is to provide a forum for innovative research oriented towards Geographic Information Science and tech- logies and Corporate Information Systems whose close association highlight novel theoretical and practical challenges. The papers selected by the International Program Committee cover a wide range of innovative areas including ontological and semantic approaches for the representation of geographical data, geographical data monitoring, situation management and forecast, to emerging applications oriented to the maritime environment, disaster management and security threats. While traditional topics of GIS conferences are well represented and still being advanced, several new domains appear and stress the need for the development of versatile monitoring systems and decision making systems. While GIS already have a de facto standard for geographical monitoring and analysis, the papers accepted in this volume also illustrate several novel directions of application whose objective is more closely oriented to process modeling and decision making, and where the nature of the objects represented is revisited using ontological and semantic approaches.

Polluted Earth - The Science of the Earth's Environment (Paperback): Alexander Gates Polluted Earth - The Science of the Earth's Environment (Paperback)
Alexander Gates
R2,243 Discovery Miles 22 430 Ships in 9 - 17 working days

A fresh and engaging introduction to the science behind pollution disasters for science and non-science majors Coming generations will have to reckon with a growing number of environmental challenges, whether caused by climate change, population growth or industrial production. Polluted Earth: The Science of Earth's Environment combines the best features of a textbook and a popular science book. It retains the organization needed for a course while adopting a highly illustrative style that is mirrored in a multitude of case studies: short, self-contained and well-illustrated stories of well-known pollution disasters that are highly engaging for both science and non-science majors, from the historic Black Sunday dust storm in the midwestern United States to the more recent Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. From the very start, it also introduces the concept of environmental justice that ties pollution to economic and social life, bringing its subject into the world of the reader in an unprecedented way. Polluted Earth readers will also find: Well-known case studies including the Great London smog, the Pacific Gas and Electric case (made famous by Erin Brockovitch), the Exxon Valdez, and more Detailed illustrations showing the spatial and temporal relations of various pollution sources Modern technological solutions already in use by environmental industries A comprehensive list of pollutants, their health & environmental impact and their regulated exposure limits With its fresh and engaging style, Polluted Earth is an ideal introduction to the concepts, tasks and challenges of environmental science for undergraduate students of all disciplines.

Proceedings of the 5th China High Resolution Earth Observation Conference (CHREOC 2018) (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019): Liheng Wang,... Proceedings of the 5th China High Resolution Earth Observation Conference (CHREOC 2018) (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019)
Liheng Wang, Yirong Wu, Jianya Gong
R4,349 Discovery Miles 43 490 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book is the proceedings of the 5th China High-resolution Earth Observation Conference (CHREOC). The series conference of China High Resolution Earth Observation has been becoming the influential academic event in the earth detection area, and attracting more and more top experts and industry users of related fields. The CHREOCs focus on the popular topics including military-civilian integration, the One Belt and One Road project, the transformation of scientific research achievements, and it also discusses the new ideas, new technologies, new methods, and new developments. The CHREOCs have effectively promoted high-level institutional mechanisms, technological innovation, and industrial upgrading in the high-resolution earth observation area, and arouse the influence of the national-sponsored major project. All papers in this proceeding are from the 5th CHREOC, and most authors are the researchers and experts participating the state major project CHEOS. The papers are the extraction of research results and reflect the technique level and research direction of the field high-resolution earth observation. All articles have gone through the scientific and strict reviews for several rounds by the experts from the related fields, and therefore reflect the research level and technology innovation of the high-resolution field earth observation. This proceedings will be an informative and valuable reference for both academic research and engineering practice.

Three-Dimensional Exploration Technology of Tunnel Geology (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2023): Guohou Cao, Hao Liu Three-Dimensional Exploration Technology of Tunnel Geology (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2023)
Guohou Cao, Hao Liu; Translated by XI Yang
R4,588 Discovery Miles 45 880 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This book gives a comprehensive introduction to the new geophysical detection theories, methods and technologies of tunnel engineering under complex geological conditions and environments. It mainly focuses on the application of 3D seismic technique, 3D high-power resistivity sounding, and 3D GPR, etc. There are 7 chapters in the book. Chapter 1 introduces the state of the art and developing trends of geophysical detection technologies for tunnel engineering. Chapter 2 analyzes the complex geological conditions and environments for tunnel construction and the latest geophysical detection technologies. Chapter 3 to Chapter 7 systematically elaborate on the 3D seismic techniques, 3D detection technologies for water content in tunnel surrounding rocks, 3D detection technologies for side/back slope, 3D detection technologies for shield tunneling, and 3D detection technologies for collapse treatment of tunnel construction. The book presents numerous case studies to illustrate the applications of these technologies.

A Guide to Close Binary Systems (Hardcover): Edwin Budding, Osman Demircan A Guide to Close Binary Systems (Hardcover)
Edwin Budding, Osman Demircan
R5,697 Discovery Miles 56 970 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Provides a well-explained and backgrounded, up-to-date account of close binary systems, in a fast-moving field of research that is growing in scientific importance Surveys a wide range of case-studies within the context of binary and multiple star systems Fills an acknowledged gap in current literature

Wild Crop Relatives and Associated Biocultural and Traditional Agronomic Practices for Food and Nutritional Security... Wild Crop Relatives and Associated Biocultural and Traditional Agronomic Practices for Food and Nutritional Security (Hardcover)
Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash, Ajeet Singh, Rama Kant Dubey
R1,950 R1,676 Discovery Miles 16 760 Save R274 (14%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Foreign Object Debris and Damage in Aviation (Hardcover): Ahmed F El-sayed Foreign Object Debris and Damage in Aviation (Hardcover)
Ahmed F El-sayed
R4,975 Discovery Miles 49 750 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Foreign Object Debris and Damage in Aviation discusses both biological and non-biological Foreign Object Debris (FOD) and associated Foreign Object Damage (FOD) in aviation. The book provides a comprehensive treatment of the wide spectrum of FOD with numerous cost, management, and wildlife considerations. Management control for the debris begins at the aircraft design phase, and the book includes numerical analyses for estimating damage caused by strikes. The book explores aircraft operation in adverse weather conditions and inanimate FOD management programs for airports, airlines, airframe, and engine manufacturers. It focuses on the sources of FOD, the categories of damage caused by FOD, and both the direct and indirect costs caused by FOD. In addition, the book provides management plans for wildlife, including positive and passive methods. The book will interest aviation industry personnel, aircraft transport and ground operators, aircraft pilots, and aerospace or aviation engineers. Readers will learn to manage FOD to guarantee air traffic safety with minimum costs to airlines and airports.

Numerical Modeling of Soil Constitutive Relationship (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021): Qingyang Ren, Jianting Zhou Numerical Modeling of Soil Constitutive Relationship (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)
Qingyang Ren, Jianting Zhou
R3,615 Discovery Miles 36 150 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book adopts numerical method to model soil constitutive relationship while it abandons the traditional idea of looking for plastic potential as the only way to model. Firstly, the triaxial compression tests of expansive soil, sand and clay under different stress paths are introduced; then the elastoplastic constitutive equations of expansive soil, sand and clay under various stress paths are established by numerical modeling method; finally, the constitutive equations are embedded in the finite element program and verified by comparing the finite element calculation results of the triaxial test soil samples with the corresponding test results. The modeling obtains high accuracy.

Earth Observation with CHAMP - Results from Three Years in Orbit (Hardcover, 2005 ed.): Christoph Reigber, Hermann Luhr, Peter... Earth Observation with CHAMP - Results from Three Years in Orbit (Hardcover, 2005 ed.)
Christoph Reigber, Hermann Luhr, Peter Schwintzer, Jens Wickert
R5,733 Discovery Miles 57 330 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In the summer of 2000 the German geo-research satellite CHAMP was launched into orbit. Its innovative payload arrangement and the low initial orbit allow CHAMP to simultaneously collect and almost continuously analyse precise data relating to gravity and magnetic fields at low altitude. In addition, CHAMP also measures the neutral atmosphere and ionosphere using GPS techniques. Three years after launch, more than 200 CHAMP investigators and co-investigators from all over the world met at the GeoForschungsZentrum in Potsdam to present and discuss the results derived from the extensive data sets of the mission. The main outcome of this expert meeting is summarized in this volume. The book offers a comprehensive insight into the present status of the exploitation of CHAMP data for Earth system research and practical applications in geodesy, geophysics and meteorology.

Horticultural Reviews V13 (Hardcover, Volume 13): J Janick Horticultural Reviews V13 (Hardcover, Volume 13)
J Janick
R9,013 Discovery Miles 90 130 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Horticultural Reviews present state-of-the-art reviews on topics in horticultural sciences. The emphasis is on applied topics including the production of fruits, vegetables, nut crops, and ornamental plants of commercial importance. It is a serial that appears in the form of one hardbound volume per year.

Flood Handbook - Analysis and Modeling (Hardcover): Saeid Eslamian, Faezeh Eslamian Flood Handbook - Analysis and Modeling (Hardcover)
Saeid Eslamian, Faezeh Eslamian
R5,718 Discovery Miles 57 180 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Presents the main principles and applications of the science of floods, including engineering and technology, natural science, as well as historical aspects. Examines flooding in various climates and diverse landscapes, taking into account environmental, ecological, hydrological, and geomorphic factors. Considers floods in urban, agriculture, rangeland, forest, coastal, and desert areas Covers flood control structures as well as preparedness and response methods. Written in a global context, by contributors from around the world.

Risk Analysis of Vapour Cloud Explosions for Oil and Gas Facilities (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019): Guowei Ma, Yimiao Huang, Jingde... Risk Analysis of Vapour Cloud Explosions for Oil and Gas Facilities (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2019)
Guowei Ma, Yimiao Huang, Jingde Li
R5,125 Discovery Miles 51 250 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book focuses on describing and applying risk analysis of vapour cloud explosions (VCEs) in various oil and gas facilities, such as petrol stations, processing plants, and offshore platforms. Discussing most of the complicated features of gas explosion accidents, the book studies in detail the gas explosion risk analysis approaches of different oil and gas facilities in order to develop more accurate, detailed, efficient and reliable risk analysis methods for VCEs under different conditions. Moreover, it introduces an advanced overpressure approach to predict VCEs using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling, and details applications of CFD using a FLame ACceleration Simulator (FLACS). The book is intended for researchers and organisations engaged in risk and safety assessments of VCEs in the oil and gas industry.

Embodied Environmental Risk in Technical Communication - Problems and Solutions Toward Social Sustainability (Hardcover): Mary... Embodied Environmental Risk in Technical Communication - Problems and Solutions Toward Social Sustainability (Hardcover)
Mary Le Rouge, Samuel Stinson; Series edited by Tharon W. Howard
R4,476 Discovery Miles 44 760 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This collection calls for improved technical communication for the public through an embodied, situated understanding of environmental risk that promotes social justice. In addition to providing a series of chapters about recent issues on risk communication, this volume offers a diverse look at methodological practices for students, researchers, and practitioners looking to address embodied aspects of crisis and risk that incorporate UX, storytelling, and dynamic text. It includes chapters that bring embodiment to the forefront of risk communication, highlighting the cycle of content creation, dissemination, public response and decision making, continuing iterations of educational efforts, and recovery, toward increasing adaptive capacity as a whole. In addition, this work directs necessary attention to overcoming perceptual difficulties, memory lapses, definitional differences, access issues, and pedagogical problems in the communication of risks to diverse publics. This collection is essential reading for scholars and can be used as a supplemental text or casebook for courses in technical communication, environmental communication, risk and crisis communication, science communication, and public health.

International Environmental Risk Management - A Systems Approach (Paperback, 2nd edition): Robert A. Woellner, John Voorhees,... International Environmental Risk Management - A Systems Approach (Paperback, 2nd edition)
Robert A. Woellner, John Voorhees, Christopher L Bell
R1,579 Discovery Miles 15 790 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Based on the first edition with extensive analysis of practical applications of environmental risk management and compliance management systems, this second edition of International Environmental Risk Management reflects updates made in the understanding and application of risk management best practices and makes available a frame of reference and systematic approach to environmental and social governance (ESG). It provides a pathway for readers to implement environmental management strategies that can be integrated with core operations and other risk management efforts, including supporting sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives associated with climate change, the circular economy or supply chain conditions, as well as enterprise risk management; anti-bribery, and other compliance management systems. This book provides in-depth discussions of ways to use global environmental management standards. New features in this edition: Combines EMS standards with discussion of specific principles, other authors' research, and guidelines on management practices. Provides guidelines on how to prepare for, anticipate, and resolve environmental issues. Includes easily understandable information for all readers and is not simply aimed toward individuals who are knowledgeable about this topic. Provides in-depth discussions on using global environmental management standards to manage risk and promote resilience, as well as legal strategies and voluntary initiatives that companies can utilize to minimize risk. Accounts for the substantive revisions in ISO 14001:2015. As a growing and rapidly changing field, it is necessary to address new issues, guidelines, and regulations to assist businesses, academia, students, consultants, lawyers, and environmental managers with a pragmatic resolution to environmental risk management issues. This second edition gives a broad and detailed analysis of the changes made to international standards and practices and serves as an excellent guide to managing environmental risk.

Al-Battani Shield - Counteracting Global Warming: A New Approach (Hardcover): Inayatullah Ibrahim Lalani Al-Battani Shield - Counteracting Global Warming: A New Approach (Hardcover)
Inayatullah Ibrahim Lalani
R607 R551 Discovery Miles 5 510 Save R56 (9%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Is the earth's climate really heating up? Are humans really responsible for the coming climatic disaster? Is there such a thing as a "tipping point" after which the climate warming will run an inexorable course culminating in an utter disaster of incalculable magnitude? Will the rising sea levels from the melting of Arctic and Antarctic ice and other sources of permafrost inundate large tracts of land, destroying cities and other major population centers? Will there be a great increase in the frequency and intensity of cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons? Will there be widespread droughts, mass starvation, pestilence and resulting wars? Will, in the end, life on Earth cease to exist? These are some of the things about which our leaders are warning us.

Or, are we going to experience another Ice Age with equally unpleasant catastrophe? If humans are responsible, how exactly have we brought this upon ourselves? Most importantly, can we do anything to remedy past and current mistakes and stave off the calamity? What steps are politically and economically possible? And are there any other reasonable, alternative ways we can hold the climatic status quo which have not been thought of yet but need to be?

Surveying with Geomatics and R (Hardcover): Luciana Sanches, Marcelo de Carvalho Alves Surveying with Geomatics and R (Hardcover)
Luciana Sanches, Marcelo de Carvalho Alves
R2,851 Discovery Miles 28 510 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Provides modern surveying practices with free software algorithm and R toolset for active learning Includes case studies from different geographical areas using arbitrary and international cartographic reference systems Enables and demonstrates the integration of traditional geomatics with nowadays geospatial big data technologies Explains data standards, equipment used, possible analyzes and the importance of error evaluation for scientific surveying Discusses different scales of landscapes and bring together the experiences of leading experts in the field

Embodied Environmental Risk in Technical Communication - Problems and Solutions Toward Social Sustainability (Paperback): Mary... Embodied Environmental Risk in Technical Communication - Problems and Solutions Toward Social Sustainability (Paperback)
Mary Le Rouge, Samuel Stinson; Series edited by Tharon W. Howard
R1,297 Discovery Miles 12 970 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This collection calls for improved technical communication for the public through an embodied, situated understanding of environmental risk that promotes social justice. In addition to providing a series of chapters about recent issues on risk communication, this volume offers a diverse look at methodological practices for students, researchers, and practitioners looking to address embodied aspects of crisis and risk that incorporate UX, storytelling, and dynamic text. It includes chapters that bring embodiment to the forefront of risk communication, highlighting the cycle of content creation, dissemination, public response and decision making, continuing iterations of educational efforts, and recovery, toward increasing adaptive capacity as a whole. In addition, this work directs necessary attention to overcoming perceptual difficulties, memory lapses, definitional differences, access issues, and pedagogical problems in the communication of risks to diverse publics. This collection is essential reading for scholars and can be used as a supplemental text or casebook for courses in technical communication, environmental communication, risk and crisis communication, science communication, and public health.

Asteroids - Astronomical and Geological Bodies (Hardcover): Thomas H. Burbine Asteroids - Astronomical and Geological Bodies (Hardcover)
Thomas H. Burbine
R2,254 Discovery Miles 22 540 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Asteroid science is a fundamental topic in planetary science and is key to furthering our understanding of planetary formation and the evolution of the Solar System. Ground-based observations and missions have provided a wealth of new data in recent years, and forthcoming missions promise further exciting results. This accessible book presents a comprehensive introduction to asteroid science, summarising the astronomical and geological characteristics of asteroids. The interdisciplinary nature of asteroid science is reflected in the broad range of topics covered, including asteroid and meteorite classification, chemical and physical properties of asteroids, observational techniques, cratering, and the discovery of asteroids and how they are named. Other chapters discuss past, present and future space missions and the threat that these bodies pose for Earth. Based on an upper-level course on asteroids and meteorites taught by the author, this book is ideal for students, researchers and professional scientists looking for an overview of asteroid science.

Data Mining for Co-location Patterns - Principles and Applications (Hardcover): Guoqing Zhou Data Mining for Co-location Patterns - Principles and Applications (Hardcover)
Guoqing Zhou
R3,573 Discovery Miles 35 730 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Co-location pattern mining detects sets of features frequently located in close proximity to each other. This book focuses on data mining for co-location pattern, a valid method for identifying patterns from all types of data and applying them in business intelligence and analytics. It explains the fundamentals of co-location pattern mining, co-location decision tree, and maximal instance co-location pattern mining along with an in-depth overview of data mining, machine learning, and statistics. This arrangement of chapters helps readers understand the methods of co-location pattern mining step-by-step and their applications in pavement management, image classification, geospatial buffer analysis, etc.

Fundamentals of Spatial Analysis and Modelling (Hardcover): Jay Gao Fundamentals of Spatial Analysis and Modelling (Hardcover)
Jay Gao
R3,598 Discovery Miles 35 980 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This textbook provides comprehensive and in-depth explanations of all topics related to spatial analysis and spatiotemporal simulation, including how spatial data are acquired, represented digitally, and spatially aggregated. Also features the nature of space and how it is measured. Descriptive, explanatory, and inferential analyses are covered for point, line, and area data. It captures the latest developments in spatiotemporal simulation with cellular automata and agent-based modelling, and through practical examples discusses how spatial analysis and modelling can be implemented in different computing platforms. A much-needed textbook for a course at upper undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Geomagnetic Observatory and Survey Practice (Hardcover, 1984 ed.): W.F. Stuart Geomagnetic Observatory and Survey Practice (Hardcover, 1984 ed.)
W.F. Stuart
R3,018 Discovery Miles 30 180 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This issue is a collection of the papers read at the 'Workshop on Geomagnetic Observatory and Survey Practice' held during the XIVth General Assembly of IUGG (the International Union of Geology and Geophysics) in Hamburg, August 1983, sponsored by Division V of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA). The papers represent a snapshot taken at a very important time in the history of Geomagnetism and of the sciences which depend on measurements of one kind or another of the Earth's magnetic field. Research science now demands a much greater amount of information to be prepared and immediately made available to the scientific user. Experimental measurements are now required to be reduced, selected and made ready as information which can be recorded as data on magnetic tape in the form required for direct incorporation into the analytical programmes whiCh individual researchers run on digital computers. Computing has reduced the lead time between when observations are made and when they are required by researchers. Many scientific programmes, particularly those related to Solar-terrestrial geophysics, need data to be analysed as near as possible to the time it is recorded. In Geomagnetism these pressures apply to field variations where satellite based geophysical experiments require high resolution of the fine structure of external disturbance fields, and also to field mapping on a global and local scale where the demand for increased accuracy calls for better absolute observations and more frequent surveys.

Turbulence and Flow-Sediment Interactions in Open-Channel Flows (Hardcover): Roberto Gaudio Turbulence and Flow-Sediment Interactions in Open-Channel Flows (Hardcover)
Roberto Gaudio
R1,332 R1,170 Discovery Miles 11 700 Save R162 (12%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
The Event Horizon: Homo Prometheus and the Climate Catastrophe (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021): Andrew Y. Glikson The Event Horizon: Homo Prometheus and the Climate Catastrophe (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)
Andrew Y. Glikson
R1,291 R1,071 Discovery Miles 10 710 Save R220 (17%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

With the advent of global warming and the nuclear arms race, humans are rapidly approaching a moment of truth. Technologically supreme, they manifest their dreams and nightmares in the real world through science, art, adventures and brutal wars, a paradox symbolized by a candle lighting the dark yet burning away to extinction, as discussed in this book. As these lines are being written, fires are burning on several continents, the Earth's ice sheets are melting and the oceans are rising, threatening to flood the planet's coastal zones and river valleys, where civilization arose and humans live and grow food. With the exception of birds like hawks, black kites and fire raptors, humans are the only life form utilizing fire, creating developments they can hardly control. For more than a million years, gathered around campfires during the long nights, mesmerized by the flickering life-like dance of the flames, prehistoric humans acquired imagination, a yearning for omnipotence, premonitions of death, cravings for immortality and conceiving the supernatural. Humans live in realms of perceptions, dreams, myths and legends, in denial of critical facts, waking up for a brief moment to witness a world that is as beautiful as it is cruel. Existentialist philosophy offers a way of coping with the unthinkable. Looking into the future produces fear, an instinctive response that can obsess the human mind and create a conflict between the intuitive reptilian brain and the growing neocortex, with dire consequences. As contrasted with Stapledon's Last and first Man, where an advanced human species mourns the fate of the Earth, Homo sapiens continues to transfer every extractable molecule of carbon from the Earth to the atmosphere, the lungs of the biosphere, ensuring the demise of the planetary life support system."

Origins of Life - Musings from Nuclear Physics, Astrophysics and Astrobiology (Hardcover): Vlado Valkovic Origins of Life - Musings from Nuclear Physics, Astrophysics and Astrobiology (Hardcover)
Vlado Valkovic
R3,433 Discovery Miles 34 330 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

The primary purpose of this book is to prepare the ground for coordinated efforts aiming to answer the question: where and when life originated. The appearance of life involves three successive stages: i) the formation of chemical elements and their combination to simple molecules, which is the concern of physicists; ii) the evolution of organized complexity in biomolecules and their reactions, which falls within the field of chemistry; iii) the onset of Darwinian evolution after the appearance of the first cell-like structure, which is studied by biologists. This book focuses on the first two steps of this process with chapters exploring topics such as chemical element abundances; galaxies, galactic magnetic fields and cosmic rays; galactic chemical evolution. Key Features: Contains extensive lists of reference and additional reading. Includes new hypotheses concerning the origin of life. Combines consideration from nuclear physics, astrophysics, astro- and geochemistry. Despite its interdisciplinary nature, this book remains accessible to nonexperts, and would be a valuable companion for both experts and laypeople.

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