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Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Popular science

History of British Birds: Volume 2, Containing the History and Description of Water Birds (Paperback): Thomas Bewick History of British Birds: Volume 2, Containing the History and Description of Water Birds (Paperback)
Thomas Bewick
R1,265 Discovery Miles 12 650 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) is synonymous with finely crafted wood engravings of the natural world, and his instantly recognisable style influenced book illustration well into the nineteenth century. During his childhood in the Tyne valley, his two obsessions were art and nature. At fourteen, he was apprenticed to the engraver and businessman Ralph Beilby (1743-1817) with whom he later published A General History of Quadrupeds (also reissued in this series). The present work, with its text compiled from various sources, was the first practical field guide for the amateur ornithologist, inspiring also artists and writers. Each of the two volumes contains hundreds of illustrations of breathtaking beauty and precision: one for each species, neatly capturing its character in exquisite detail, interspersed with charming vignettes of country life. Volume 2, first published in 1804, covers water birds, including sandpipers, terns, grebes and guillemots.

Your Flying Car Awaits - Robot Butlers, Lunar Vacations, and Other Dead-Wrong Predictions of the Twentieth Century (Paperback):... Your Flying Car Awaits - Robot Butlers, Lunar Vacations, and Other Dead-Wrong Predictions of the Twentieth Century (Paperback)
Paul Milo
R363 Discovery Miles 3 630 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Talking dolphins . . . Underwater cities . . . Two-hundred-year life spans . . . Welcome to the present

People have always imagined what life would be like in the future. Most of the time they've been wrong. Often they were really, really wrong. Your Flying Car Awaits looks at the most outrageous predictions from twentieth-century scientists, novelists, and social commentators, detailing the technologies and philosophies that led some great (and not so great)minds to think the ridiculous was achievable. Includes phenomenally inaccurate predictions such as: Space tourism will be ubiquitous by the year 2000Nuclear explosives will be used for commercial demolitionEngineered and man-made oceans will cover the planetWeather will be as predictable and controllable as a train schedule

An eye-opening, fascinating, and endlessly entertaining collection of truly boneheaded scientific predictions from the past hundred years, Your Flying Car Awaits shines an illuminating light on the people of the previous century by examining the ridiculous theories they envisioned about this one.

Human and Nature Minding Automation - An Overview of Concepts, Methods, Tools and Applications (Paperback, 2010 ed.): Spyros G.... Human and Nature Minding Automation - An Overview of Concepts, Methods, Tools and Applications (Paperback, 2010 ed.)
Spyros G. Tzafestas
R4,031 Discovery Miles 40 310 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Man is the best thing in the World. Nature does nothing uselessly. Aristotle There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not Man the less, but Nature more. John Burroughs The basic purpose of development is to enlarge people's choices. The objective of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives. Mahbub ul Hag Founder of the Human Development Report Theaimofthisbookis toprovidea compiledset ofconcepts,principles,methods and issues used for studying, designing and operating human-minding and natu- minding automation and industrial systems. The depth of presentation is suf?cient for the reader to understand the problems involved and the solution approaches, and appreciate the need of human-automation cooperative interaction, and the - portance of the efforts required for environment and ecosystem protection during any technological and development process in the society. Humans and technology are living and have to live together in a sustainable society and nature. Humans must not be viewed as components of automation and technology in the same way as machines. Automation and technology must incorporate the humans' needs and preferences, and radiate "beauty" in all ways, namely functionally, technically and humanistically. In overall, automation and technology should create comfort and give pleasure.

Hearing and Sound Communication in Fishes (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1981): W.N Tavolga, A.N.... Hearing and Sound Communication in Fishes (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1981)
W.N Tavolga, A.N. Popper, R. R. Fay
R2,764 Discovery Miles 27 640 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This volume is a compilation of the papers presented at a meeting that took place in April 1980 at the Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida. The meeting and this volume are outgrowths of two earlier international meetings on marine bio-acoustics that occurred in 1963 and 1966 (Tavolga 1964, 1967). The first meeting took place at the Lerner Marine Laboratory of the American Museum of Natural History, while the second meeting was at the American Museum itself, and was under the sponsorship of the Department of Animal Behavior. It is apparent that these two volumes have had immense impact on the current study of marine bio-acoustics, and particularly on fish audition. In a preliminary conference in Sarasota in 1979 we decided that it was time for another such meeting, to bring together as many as possible of the investigators interested in fish acoustics in order to assess the current state of our knowledge and predict directions for research for the next several years. Such a meeting appeared par ticularly timely, since over the past four or five years there have been many new studies that have provided new empirical and theoretical work on basic mechanisms of fish audition. Furthermore, it became evident, as we made up preliminary lists of possible participants, that few of the currently active workers were in the field back in 1966. In fact, of the current participants, only Drs."

The Making of the Fittest - DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution (Paperback): Sean B. Carroll The Making of the Fittest - DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution (Paperback)
Sean B. Carroll 1
R373 R338 Discovery Miles 3 380 Save R35 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

For more than a century, we were restricted to studying evolution from the outside, observing its progress only through the fossil record. No longer. We can now also read the DNA record. As well as containing the operating instructions for everyday existence and for making the next generation, DNA contains a vast and detailed history of the three-billion-year development of life on Earth. It is a living chronicle of evolution, pinpointing the precise changes that have enabled Earth's marvelous creatures to inhabit the planet's shifting environments, from the freezing waters of the Antarctic to the lush canopy of the rainforest. Captivating and lucid, The Making of the Fittest delves deep into the DNA record to reveal not just how the fittest survive but also how they are made.

Beef - The Untold Story of How Milk, Meat, and Muscle Shaped the World (Paperback): Andrew Rimas Beef - The Untold Story of How Milk, Meat, and Muscle Shaped the World (Paperback)
Andrew Rimas
R410 Discovery Miles 4 100 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The cow. Central to human existence since time began, cows have served as a source of food, a means of labor, an economic resource, an inspiration for art, and even as a religious icon--many cultures worshipped the cow as a god.

Beef is the captivating history of an animal whose relationship with humanity has shaped the world as we know it. Peppered with lively anecdotes and culinary tidbits, this engaging panoramic view of the cow's long and colorful history spans the globe--from ancient Mediterranean bullfighting rings to the rugged grazing grounds of eighteenth-century England, from the quiet farms of Japan's Kobe beef cows to crowded American stockyards and the remote villages in East Africa that are home to the Masai, to whom cattle mean everything. Leaving no stone unturned, Beef is not only a compelling story but a necessary call to arms, offering practical solutions for confronting the sad current condition of the wasteful and destructive beef and dairy industries.

You will never look at steak the same way again.

Contemporary Topics in Molecular Immunology - Volume 4 (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1975): F P Inman,... Contemporary Topics in Molecular Immunology - Volume 4 (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1975)
F P Inman, W.J. Mandy
R1,395 Discovery Miles 13 950 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

There are many unanswered questions regarding the molecular nature of antibodies, components of complement, and other substances which participate in the immune response. The list of substances which need to be analyzed chemically is increasing. Plasma cell products, of course, have long been of great interest because the most prevalent ones are immunoglobulins. Other cell types, however, are the source of the broad spectrum of additional substances which classically fall into the sanctum of the molecular immunologist. It is these substances, and especially those more recently discovered, which are responsible for the broadening investigative interests of immunologists. In this volume we have provided you with descriptions of research being done with immunoglobulins and with complement. Additionally, we have in cluded two reports that deal with molecules which are among the more recent acquisitions of the molecular immunologist. The components of complement are known to react in a cascading manner which results in the lysis of cellular antigens. The first step in the classical pathway requires the activation of CI by the antibody-antigen aggregates. This volume of Contemporary Topics in Molecular Immunology begins with the report of Reid and Porter which describes their investigation of the mechanism of activation of C I. Their descriptions of C I q and of the reaction of C I with immunoglobulins are especially intriguing. It is clearly apparent from their report that activation of the components of complement is a complex phenome non.

The Tiger That Isn't - Seeing Through a World of Numbers (Paperback, Main): Andrew Dilnot, Michael Blastland The Tiger That Isn't - Seeing Through a World of Numbers (Paperback, Main)
Andrew Dilnot, Michael Blastland 2
R279 Discovery Miles 2 790 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Mathematics scares and depresses most of us, but politicians, journalists and everyone in power use numbers all the time to bamboozle us. Most maths is really simple - as easy as 2+2 in fact. Better still it can be understood without any jargon, any formulas - and in fact not even many numbers. Most of it is commonsense, and by using a few really simple principles one can quickly see when maths, statistics and numbers are being abused to play tricks - or create policies - which can waste millions of pounds. It is liberating to understand when numbers are telling the truth or being used to lie, whether it is health scares, the costs of government policies, the supposed risks of certain activities or the real burden of taxes.

The Physiological Mechanisms of Motivation (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1982): D.W. Pfaff The Physiological Mechanisms of Motivation (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1982)
D.W. Pfaff
R1,463 Discovery Miles 14 630 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

To scientists engaged in research on the cellular mechanisms in the mammalian brain, concepts of "motivation" seem to be a logical neces sity, even if they are not fashionable. Immersed in the detailed, time consuming research required to deal with mammalian nerve cells, we usually pay scant attention to the more global brain -behavior questions that have arisen from decades of biological and psychological studies. We felt it was time to confront these issues-namely, how far has neuro biological investigation come in uncovering mechanisms by which moti vational signals influence behavior? At Rockefeller University, we have recently held a course on this subject. We restricted our treatment to those motivational systems most tractable to physiological approaches, and invited scientists skilled in both behavioral issues and physiological techniques to participate. This volume results from that course. The deans and administration at Rockefeller University provided much help in planning the course, and the staff of Springer-Verlag assisted in planning the book. Gabriele Zummer helped organize both the course and the processing of book chapters. They all deserve our thanks. December 1981 Donald W. Pfaff Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior Rockefeller University Contents Part One: Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 1 Donald W. Pfaff Motivational Concepts: Definitions and Distinctions . . . . . . . . . . 3 Motivation: A Brief Review of Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Reinforcement, Reward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Incentive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Arousal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Emotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Motivation Is a Unitary Behavioral Concept with Multiple Neurophysiological Mechanisms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Chapter 2 Alan N."

Math Art - Truth, Beauty, and Equations (Hardcover): Stephen Ornes Math Art - Truth, Beauty, and Equations (Hardcover)
Stephen Ornes
R617 R557 Discovery Miles 5 570 Save R60 (10%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

From geometry in motion to the possibilities of pi, this stunning volume reveals how art inspired the beauty and poetry of mathematical principles. The worlds of visual art and mathematics come together in this spectacular volume by award-winning writer Stephen Ornes. He explores the growing sensation of math art, presenting more than 80 pieces, including a crocheted, colorful representation of non-Euclidian geometry that looks like sea coral and a 65-ton, 28-foot-tall bronze sculpture covered in a space-filling curve. For each work, we get the artist's story followed by accessible and thought-provoking explanations of the mathematical concept and equations behind the art. From 3D-printed objects that give real form to abstract mathematical theories, to mystic fractals, to Andy Warhol as a solution to the Traveling Salesman Problem, these artworks embody some of strangest, most beautiful relationships among numbers and across dimensions.

101 Amazing Sights of the Night Sky - A Guided Tour for Beginners (Paperback): George Moromisato 101 Amazing Sights of the Night Sky - A Guided Tour for Beginners (Paperback)
George Moromisato
R402 R380 Discovery Miles 3 800 Save R22 (5%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Is there anything more wondrous and alluring than the night sky? You've seen the stars, and you know about the constellations--but there's so much more to discover! George Moromisato's magnificent full-color guide introduces you to 101 amazing sights, from Saturn's famous rings to the Andromeda Galaxy. Learn what to look for and when and where to find it! This astronomy book is perfect for beginners, so many objects can be seen with the unaided eye or binoculars, while others simply require a small telescope. Book Features: Guide to 101 phenomena and objects of the night sky, ranked by beauty, accessibility and historical importance Information about equipment needed, from binoculars to small telescopes Full-color photographs, including many from NASA Astrophotography tips on taking pictures of the night sky, such as snapping shots with a phone through a telescope Charts to know when to look for solar eclipses, meteor showers and other notable events

Contaminated Urban Soils (Paperback, 2010 ed.): Helmut Meuser Contaminated Urban Soils (Paperback, 2010 ed.)
Helmut Meuser
R5,156 Discovery Miles 51 560 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

With more than 50% of the world's population already living in towns and cities, migration from rural areas continuing at an alarming rate in developing countries and suburbanisation using more and more land in developed countries, the urban environment has become supremely important with regard to human health and wellbeing. For centuries, urbanisation has caused relatively low level soil conta- nation mainly by various wastes. However, from the time of the Industrial Revolution onwards, both the scale of urban development and the degree of soil contamination rapidly increased and involved an ever widening spectrum of c- taminants. With constraints on the supply of land for new urban development in many countries, it is becoming increasingly necessary to re-use previously dev- oped (brownfield) sites and to deal with their accompanying suites of contaminants. It is therefore essential to fully understand the diversity and properties of urban soils, to assess the possible risks from the contaminants they contain and devise ways of cleaning up sites and/or minimizing hazards. The author, Helmut Meuser, is Professor of Soil Protection and Soil Clean-up at the University of Applied Sciences, Osnabruck and is one of Europe's foremost experts on contamination from technogenic materials in urban soils. He has many years' experience of research in Berlin, Essen, Osnabruck, other regions of Germany, and several other countries.

Out of this World - Colliding Universes, Branes, Strings, and Other Wild Ideas of Modern Physics (Paperback, Softcover reprint... Out of this World - Colliding Universes, Branes, Strings, and Other Wild Ideas of Modern Physics (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2004)
Stephen Webb
R755 R668 Discovery Miles 6 680 Save R87 (12%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Stephen Webb, author of WHERE IS EVERYBODY?, takes the interested amateur on a thrilling and enlightening tour of the amazing, even bizarre, new ideas of modern physics, including alternatives to the Big Bang, parallel universes, and an imaginary trip to the other side of the black hole.

A Life of Sir Francis Galton - From African Exploration to the Birth of Eugenics (Hardcover): Nicholas Wright Gillham A Life of Sir Francis Galton - From African Exploration to the Birth of Eugenics (Hardcover)
Nicholas Wright Gillham
R913 Discovery Miles 9 130 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Few scientists have made lasting contributions to as many fields as Francis Galton. He was an important African explorer, travel writer, and geographer. He was the meteorologist who discovered the anticyclone, a pioneer in using fingerprints to identify individuals, the inventor of regression and correlation analysis in statistics, and the founder of the eugenics movement. Now, Nicholas Gillham paints an engaging portrait of this Victorian polymath.

Choked - The Age of Air Pollution and the Fight for a Cleaner Future (Paperback): Beth Gardiner Choked - The Age of Air Pollution and the Fight for a Cleaner Future (Paperback)
Beth Gardiner 1
R286 R260 Discovery Miles 2 600 Save R26 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Every year, air pollution prematurely kills seven million people around the world, in rich countries and poor ones. It is strongly linked to strokes, heart attacks, many kinds of cancer, premature birth and dementia, among other ailments. In Choked, Beth Gardiner travels the world to meet the scientists who have transformed our understanding of pollution's effects on the human body, and to trace the economic forces and political decisions that have allowed it to remain at life-threatening levels. But she also focuses on real-world solutions, and on inspiring stories of people fighting for a healthier future. Compellingly written, and alive with the personalities of the people who study, breathe and fight bad air, Choked is a vital contribution on one of the most important - but too often ignored - issues of our time.

Biotechnology and Ecology of Pollen - Proceedings of the International Conference on the Biotechnology and Ecology of Pollen,... Biotechnology and Ecology of Pollen - Proceedings of the International Conference on the Biotechnology and Ecology of Pollen, 9-11 July, 1985, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1986)
David L. Mulcahy, Gabriella Bergamini Mulcahy, Ercole Ottaviano
R5,233 Discovery Miles 52 330 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

In Recognition of the Forgotten Generation D. L. MULCAHyl Pollen was long believed to serve primarily a single function, that of delivering male gametes to the egge A secondary and generally overlooked value of pollen is that it serves to block the transmission of many defective alleles and gene combinations into the next generation. This latter function comes about simply because pollen tubes carrying defective haploid genotypes frequently fail to complete growth through the entire length of the style. However, the beneficial consequences of this pollen selection are diluted by the fact that the same deleterious genotypes are often transmitted through the egg at strictly mendelian frequencies (Khush, 1973). Gene expression in the pollen might thus at least appear to be a phenomenon of trivial consequence. Indeed, Heslop-Harrison (1979) rightly termed the gametophytic portion of the angiosperm life cycle, the "forgotten generation." This neglect, however, came about despite subtle but constant indications that pollen is the site of intense gene activity and selection. For example, Mok and Peloquin (1975) demonstrated that relatively heterozygous diploid pollen shows heterotic characteristics whereas relatively homozygous diploid pOllen does not. This was proof positive that genes are expressed (that is, transcribed and translated) in the pollen. 1 Department of Botany, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003, USA viii However, the implications for pollen biology of even this recent and well known study were not widely recognized.

I Contain Multitudes - The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life (Hardcover): Ed Yong I Contain Multitudes - The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life (Hardcover)
Ed Yong
R703 R632 Discovery Miles 6 320 Save R71 (10%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days
Prospective Studies of Crime and Delinquency (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1983): K.T.Van Dusen,... Prospective Studies of Crime and Delinquency (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1983)
K.T.Van Dusen, Sarnoff A. Mednick
R5,179 Discovery Miles 51 790 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Katherine Teilmann Van Dusen and Sarnoff A. Mednick This introduction delineates what we consider to be three of the most important impediments to the advance of knowledge in the field of criminology. The most fundamental need is for more studies of the nature and progress of criminal and delinquent careers. The second need is for more prospective, longitudinal studies of the etiology of crime and delinquency. The third need concerns the lack of interdisciplinary research toward a more integrated understanding of delinquent and criminal behavior. Criminal and Delinquent Careers The birth cohort study by Wolfgang, Figlio and Sellin (1972) was heralded by many (Farrington, 1973; Erickson, 1973; Weis, 1974) as a landmark which allowed researchers to study the course of delinquency without the usual sampling biases that plagued other, cross-sectional research. For the first time, we could get a reasonable picture of when delinquency usually starts, what proportion of the population engages in delinquency, what types of delinquencies they engage in, what proportion continue, and so on. Cross sectional studies do not permit the investigation of careers because cross 1 PROSPECTIVE STUDIES OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY 2 sectional sampling includes only portions of careers for many of the individuals sampled. This is just one of the many problems that restricted researchers' ability to study the nature of criminal careers.

Diterpenes of Flowering Plants - Compositae (Asteraceae) (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1990): Fred... Diterpenes of Flowering Plants - Compositae (Asteraceae) (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1990)
Fred Seaman, Ferdinand Bohlmann, Christa Zdero, Tom J. Mabry
R1,500 Discovery Miles 15 000 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

More than 1200 diterpenes have been identified from approximately 550 Compo sitae taxa (Figure 1 [pp. 219-384], Tables 1-3 [pp. 7-218]). The annual output of such reports rose sharply during the past several years, a trend that was also reflected by other major lipophilic constituents of the Compositae: acetylenes (63, 465), sesquiterpene lactones (266, 458), and benzofurans and chromenes (429). Unlike these other natural products, no review of the diterpene chemistry of the Compositae has been published. Given the bulk of data currently on hand, a review of this topic is clearly overdue. Several major goals influenced the preparation of this review. The first was to provide a useful reference to guide terpenoid chemists to the literature of known compounds. The published reports for 1200 structures provide a sizable body of spectroscopic data applicable to the investigation of new compounds. The study of diterpenes has been hampered by the absence of an all-inclusive nomenclature and classification system for the various skeletal types. Conse quently, a second goal was to organize structural data into a classification scheme designed to group compounds by biogenetic homology, and to standardize such features as diterpene nomenclature and numbering. Pursuant to this goal, the published names (Table 1) and numbering systems (Table 2) for all compounds are included.

50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know (Hardcover): J. V. Chamary 50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know (Hardcover)
J. V. Chamary 1
R444 R407 Discovery Miles 4 070 Save R37 (8%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know is your guide to the most significant and stimulating questions in the study of life. Why do species evolve? Can characteristics be inherited without DNA? Are all organisms made of cells? What makes us human? This book provides succinct answers to all these questions, and many more, in 50 lucid and engaging essays that cover both classic experiments and the latest research. From the mysteries of sex and sleep, from mass extinction to immunity, 50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know will open your eyes to the fundamental processes that are vital to life on Earth, including how genes control the growth and behaviour of living things, how a body develops from a single cell, and how environmental forces create natural diversity through evolution. Featuring key concepts explained in simple terms, and with clear diagrams and timelines showing major scientific discoveries within their historical context, this book will give you a complete overview of a fascinating subject. Contents include: Evolution, Genes, Homeostasis, Endosymbiosis, Sex, Multicellularity, Nerves, Genetic Drift, Speciation, Convergent Evolution, Pollination, Mimicry, Laws of Inheritance, DNA, Alternative Splicing, Viruses, Epigenetics, Photosynthesis, Cancer, Differentiation, Regeneration, Morphogenesis, Memory, Sleep, Ageing, Consciousness and the Gaia Hypothesis.

Surfing Through Hyperspace - Understanding Higher Universes in Six Easy Lessons (Hardcover): Clifford A. Pickover Surfing Through Hyperspace - Understanding Higher Universes in Six Easy Lessons (Hardcover)
Clifford A. Pickover
R895 Discovery Miles 8 950 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book explains hyperspace and multidimensional geometries in an effort to help readers to manipulate, visualize, and think about the higher spatial dimensions that all serious physical theories since relativity have required. This book alternates sections explaining the science with a fictional story line that exemplifies, comments on, and helps to clarify the science. The book also features a number of appendices, including annotated guides to the literature and to relevant science fiction, further commentary on the mathematics of hyperspace, questions and puzzles, and source code for modeling hyperspace. The book has the goal to explain the science of hyperspace accurately, but it is light and playful in its approach.

Fibronectins (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1990): Richard O. Hynes Fibronectins (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1990)
Richard O. Hynes
R2,725 Discovery Miles 27 250 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Fibronectins comprise a class of high molecular weight glycoproteins present both in extracellular matrices and in soluble form in body fluids. Although they have been studied for about forty years, their real significance emerged only during the past decade. Intensive research has focused on their role in platelet function, cell migration, the cytoskeleton, reticuloendothelial function, and on alterations in fibronectin distribution during development and disease. Fibronectins have emerged as glycoproteins with a very interesting set of properties generally involving adhesion of cells to cells or to extracellular material. In more recent years, the complete sequences of several fibronectin molecules and their genes were determined, the relation between structure and function was understood and much has been learned about cell surface receptors for fibronectins and other adhesive ligands. Having been at the forefront of all these exciting developments, the author has synthesized the entire field and with all the latest information at hand for the first time given it a clear perspective.

Strong Imagination - Madness, Creativity and Human Nature (Hardcover): Daniel Nettle Strong Imagination - Madness, Creativity and Human Nature (Hardcover)
Daniel Nettle
R1,329 Discovery Miles 13 290 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Writing for the general reader, Daniel Nettle tackles the question of why madness exists. He shows that there is, as long suspected, a link between madness and creative genius. He thus argues that the traits that lie behind madness have evolved because they have psychological benefits as well as psychological costs.

Cortical Circuits - Synaptic Organization of the Cerebral Cortex Structure, Function, and Theory (Paperback, Softcover reprint... Cortical Circuits - Synaptic Organization of the Cerebral Cortex Structure, Function, and Theory (Paperback, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1989)
White
R1,393 Discovery Miles 13 930 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This elegant book presents current evidence on the organization of the mammalian cerebral cortex. The focus on synapses and their function provides the basis for understanding how this critical part of the brain could work. Dr. White and his colleague Dr. Keller have collated an impressive mass of material. This makes the crucial information accessible and coherent. Dr. White pioneered an area of investigation that to most others, and occasionally to himself, seemed a bottomless pit of painstaking at tention to detail for the identification and enumeration of cortical syn apses. I do not recall that he or anyone else suspected, when he began to publish his now classic papers, that the work would be central to an accelerating convergence of information and ideas from neurobiology and computer science, especially artificial intelligence (AI) (Rumelhart and McClelland, 1986). The brain is the principal organ responsible for the adaptive capacities of animals. What has impressed students of biology, of medicine, and, to an extent, of philosophy is the correlation between the prominence of the cerebral cortex and the adaptive "complexity" of a particular spe cies. Most agree that the cortex is what sets Homo sapiens apart from other species quantitatively and qualitatively (Rakic, 1988). This is summarized in the first chapter."

The Biology of Computer Life - Survival, Emotion and Free Will (Paperback, 1985 ed.): Simons The Biology of Computer Life - Survival, Emotion and Free Will (Paperback, 1985 ed.)
Simons
R1,384 Discovery Miles 13 840 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The doctrine of computer life is not congenial to many people. Often they have not thought in any depth about the idea, and it necessarily disturbs their psychological and intellectual frame of reference: it forces a reappraisal of what it is to be alive, what it is to be human, and whether there are profound, yet un expected, implications in the development of modern com puters. There is abundant evidence to suggest that we are wit nessing the emergence of a vast new family of life-forms on earth, organisms that are not based on the familiar metabolic chemistries yet whose manifest 'life credentials' are accumulating year by year. It is a mistake to regard biology as a closed science, with arbitrarily limited categories; and we should agree with Jacob (1974) who observed that 'Contrary to what is imagined, biology is not a unified science'. Biology is essentially concerned with living things, and we should be reluctant to assume that at anyone time our concept and understanding of life are complete and incapable of further refinement. And it seems clear that much of the continuing refinement of biological categories will be stimulated by advances in systems theory, and in particular by those advances that relate to the rapidly expanding world of computing and robotics. We should also remember what Pant in (1968) said in a different context: 'the biological sciences are unrestricted . . . and their investigator must be prepared to follow their problems into any other science whatsoever."

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