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

At the Edge of Time - Exploring the Mysteries of Our Universe's First Seconds (Hardcover): Dan Hooper At the Edge of Time - Exploring the Mysteries of Our Universe's First Seconds (Hardcover)
Dan Hooper
R573 Discovery Miles 5 730 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

A new look at the first few seconds after the Big Bang-and how research into these moments continues to revolutionize our understanding of our universe Scientists in the past few decades have made crucial discoveries about how our cosmos evolved over the past 13.8 billion years. But there remains a critical gap in our knowledge: we still know very little about what happened in the first seconds after the Big Bang. At the Edge of Time focuses on what we have recently learned and are still striving to understand about this most essential and mysterious period of time at the beginning of cosmic history. Delving into the remarkable science of cosmology, Dan Hooper describes many of the extraordinary and perplexing questions that scientists are asking about the origin and nature of our world. Hooper examines how we are using the Large Hadron Collider and other experiments to re-create the conditions of the Big Bang and test promising theories for how and why our universe came to contain so much matter and so little antimatter. We may be poised to finally discover how dark matter was formed during our universe's first moments, and, with new telescopes, we are also lifting the veil on the era of cosmic inflation, which led to the creation of our world as we know it. Wrestling with the mysteries surrounding the initial moments that followed the Big Bang, At the Edge of Time presents an accessible investigation of our universe and its origin.

The Great Acceleration - How the World is Getting Faster, Faster (Paperback): Robert Colvile The Great Acceleration - How the World is Getting Faster, Faster (Paperback)
Robert Colvile
R453 R411 Discovery Miles 4 110 Save R42 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Flash crashes. Speed dating. Instant messaging. From the devices we carry to the lives we lead, everything is getting faster, faster. But where did this great acceleration come from? And where will it lead? In this vitally important new book, Robert Colvile explains how the cult of disruption in Silicon Valley, the ceaseless advance of technology and our own fundamental appetite for novelty and convenience have combined to speed up every aspect of daily life. Drawing on the latest research, this book traces the path of this acceleration through our working and social lives, the food we buy and the music to which we listen. It explains how it's transforming the media, politics and the financial markets - and asks whether our bodies, and the natural environment, can cope. As we race towards the future - into a world packed with new technologies, new ideas and new discoveries - this scintillating and engrossing book is an invaluable, must-read guide to the wonders and dangers that await us.

The Theory of Everything Else - A Voyage into the World of the Weird (Paperback): Dan Schreiber The Theory of Everything Else - A Voyage into the World of the Weird (Paperback)
Dan Schreiber
R307 R279 Discovery Miles 2 790 Save R28 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

This is not a book of facts; it’s a book of ‘facts’. Should you finish it believing we became the planet’s dominant species because predators found us too smelly to eat; or that the living bloodline of Christ is a family of Japanese garlic farmers – well, that’s on you. Why are we here? Do ghosts exist? Did life on Earth begin after a badly tidied-up picnic? Was it just an iceberg that sank the Titanic? Are authors stealing their plotlines from the future? Will we ever talk to animals? And why, when you’re in the shower, does the shower curtain always billow in towards you? We don’t know the answers to any of these questions. But don’t worry, no matter what questions you have, you can bet on the fact that there is someone (or something) out there, investigating it on your behalf. From the sports stars who use cosmic energy to office plants investigating murders, The Theory of Everything Else will act as a handbook for those who want to think differently.

Fluke - The Maths and Myths of Coincidences (Paperback): Joseph Mazur Fluke - The Maths and Myths of Coincidences (Paperback)
Joseph Mazur 1
R309 R282 Discovery Miles 2 820 Save R27 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

What are the chances?! This exclamation greets the scarcely believable coincidence - you're picked up by the same taxi driver several years and thousands of miles apart or, in a second-hand bookshop far from home, you find your own childhood copy of Winnie-the-Pooh on the shelf. But the unlikely is more probable than you think. Against every fibre of common sense, the fact is that it's quite likely that some squirrel, somewhere, will be struck by lightning as it crosses the road. The chaos and unpredictability of our lives is an illusion. There is a rational order to the universe, and it's called mathematics. Fluke is a fascinating investigation into the true nature of chance, a must-read for maths enthusiasts and avid storytellers alike, it tears down the veil of improbability to reveal the wonderfully possible.

Plague Of Corruption - Restoring Faith in the Promise of Science (Hardcover): Judy Mikovits, Kent Heckenlively Plague Of Corruption - Restoring Faith in the Promise of Science (Hardcover)
Judy Mikovits, Kent Heckenlively; Foreword by Robert F. Kennedy
R680 R612 Discovery Miles 6 120 Save R68 (10%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

#1 on Amazon Charts, New York Times Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller—Over 100,000 Copies in Print!

“Kent Heckenlively and Judy Mikovits are the new dynamic duo fighting corruption in science.” —Ben Garrison, America’s #1 political satirist

Dr. Judy Mikovits is a modern-day Rosalind Franklin, a brilliant researcher shaking up the old boys’ club of science with her groundbreaking discoveries. And like many women who have trespassed into the world of men, she uncovered decades-old secrets that many would prefer to stay buried.

From her doctoral thesis, which changed the treatment of HIV-AIDS, saving the lives of millions, including basketball great Magic Johnson, to her spectacular discovery of a new family of human retroviruses, and her latest research which points to a new golden age of health, Dr. Mikovits has always been on the leading edge of science.

With the brilliant wit one might expect if Erin Brockovich had a doctorate in molecular biology, Dr. Mikovits has seen the best and worst of science. When she was part of the research community that turned HIV-AIDS from a fatal disease into a manageable one, she saw science at its best. But when her investigations questioned whether the use of animal tissue in medical research were unleashing devastating plagues of chronic diseases, such as autism and chronic fatigue syndrome, she saw science at its worst. If her suspicions are correct, we are looking at a complete realignment of scientific practices, including how we study and treat human disease.

Recounting her nearly four decades in science, including her collaboration of more than thirty-five years with Dr. Frank Ruscetti, one of the founders of the field of human retrovirology, this is a behind the scenes look at the issues and egos which will determine the future health of humanity.

The DNA Mystique - The Gene as a Cultural Icon (Paperback, New): Dorothy Nelkin The DNA Mystique - The Gene as a Cultural Icon (Paperback, New)
Dorothy Nelkin
R834 Discovery Miles 8 340 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

""The DNA Mystique" is a wake-up call to all who would dismiss America's love affair with 'the gene' as a merely eccentric obsession."
--"In These Times"
"Nelkin and Lindee are to be warmly congratulated for opening up this intriguing field [of genetics in popular culture] to further study."
--"Nature"
"The DNA Mystique" suggests that the gene in popular culture draws on scientific ideas but is not constrained by the technical definition of the gene as a section of DNA that codes for a protein. In highlighting DNA as it appears in soap operas, comic books, advertising, and other expressions of mass culture, the authors propose that these domains provide critical insights into science itself.
With a new introduction and conclusion, this edition will continue to be an engaging, accessible, and provocative text for the sociology, anthropology, and bioethics classroom, as well as stimulating reading for those generally interested in science and culture.

The Promise That Changes Everything - I Won't Interrupt You (Paperback): Nancy Kline The Promise That Changes Everything - I Won't Interrupt You (Paperback)
Nancy Kline 1
R514 R465 Discovery Miles 4 650 Save R49 (10%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

'The lessons and practices here will shift a sense of chaos to one of clarity and a mindset of fear to one of hope' Margaret Heffernan, bestselling author of Wilful Blindness ___________________________________________________________________________________ How often do you interrupt? How often do people interrupt you? Can you remember the last time someone listened to you all the way through your thinking? In a time when communication is more challenging than ever and relationships need to be nurtured, listening to one another could not be more important. In her new book, Nancy Kline, bestselling author of Time To Think, suggests that for us to radically improve our communication we should make the propmise 'I won't interrupt you'. This promise matters because when we interrupt each other, we interrupt our thinking, and that interrupts the quality of everything we do. By making this promise to our colleagues and loved ones we can deepen our relationships, increase our productivity, and enjoy deeper, richer conversations. It may, in fact, be the most important promise we ever make. Nancy has spent the last three decades researching independent thought and the barriers that prevent us from thinking for ourselves. In this book she tells us the truth about the damage that interruption can cause, she shares case studies and stories from her work with clients, as well as simple ways we can improve our communication, and change our lives. ___________________________________________________________________________________ 'This generous, useful and important book is a delight to read and will fundamentally change the way you interact with people' - Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschappeler, authors of The Communication Book 'This timely and persuasive book shows us that the foundation for independent thinking is the promise to actually listen, without interruption, to what others have to say' Cal Newport, bestselling author of Digital Minimalism

Cosmos (Paperback): Carl Sagan Cosmos (Paperback)
Carl Sagan; Foreword by Neil De Grasse Tyson; Introduction by Ann Druyan 3
R507 R456 Discovery Miles 4 560 Save R51 (10%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

RETURNING TO TELEVISION AS AN ALL-NEW MINISERIES ON FOX
"Cosmos" is one of the bestselling science books of all time. In clear-eyed prose, Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space. Featuring a new Introduction by Sagan's collaborator, Ann Druyan, full color illustrations, and a new Foreword by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, "Cosmos" retraces the fourteen billion years of cosmic evolution that have transformed matter into consciousness, exploring such topics as the origin of life, the human brain, Egyptian hieroglyphics, spacecraft missions, the death of the Sun, the evolution of galaxies, and the forces and individuals who helped to shape modern science.
Praise for "Cosmos"
"Magnificent . . . With a lyrical literary style, and a range that touches almost all aspects of human knowledge, "Cosmos" often seems too good to be true."--"The Plain Dealer"
"Sagan is an astronomer with one eye on the stars, another on history, and a third--his mind's--on the human condition."--"Newsday"
"Brilliant in its scope and provocative in its suggestions . . . shimmers with a sense of wonder."--"The Miami Herald"
"Sagan dazzles the mind with the miracle of our survival, framed by the stately galaxies of space."--"Cosmopolitan"
"Enticing . . . iridescent . . . imaginatively illustrated."--"The New York Times Book Review"

The Shape of Things to Come - Exploring the Future of the Human Body (Paperback): Druin Burch The Shape of Things to Come - Exploring the Future of the Human Body (Paperback)
Druin Burch 1
R312 R285 Discovery Miles 2 850 Save R27 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

In this humane and important exploration of modern medicine, Druin Burch examines the future of medicine, our changing physicalities and the implications of longer life. From birth to death and through the exploration of topics such as disease, sex, mind, eating and drinking, Burch tracks the future of medicine by looking at what is already possible today. Weaving in insights from literature, art and history, The Shape of Things to Come considers the cultural complexity surrounding medicine as well as its impact on the humanities. As a specialist in geriatric medicine Burch writes with a keen understanding of the medical profession. He outlines the areas of medicine which have seen the greatest improvements and optimistically offers insight into further advancements. Praise for Druin Burch: 'A writer of searing intelligence and lively wit' GOOD BOOK GUIDE 'Each chapter is a self-contained pleasure to read' SUNDAY TIMES 'Intriguing and informed' THE TIMES

The End Of Alzheimer's Programme - The Practical Plan To Prevent And Reverse Cognitive Decline At Any Age (Paperback):... The End Of Alzheimer's Programme - The Practical Plan To Prevent And Reverse Cognitive Decline At Any Age (Paperback)
Dale Bredesen 1
R505 R466 Discovery Miles 4 660 Save R39 (8%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

The scientifically-proven practical plan to help reverse Alzheimer’s and prevent cognitive decline from the international bestselling author of The End of Alzheimer's.

Following his ground-breaking book that transformed how we think about Alzheimer's and its treatment, world-renowned neurology expert Dale Bredesen provides an unprecedented hands-on guide to achieving complete brain health.

In The End of Alzheimer's Programme, he lays out step-by-step his highly sought after, scientifically-proven method that you can follow with a healthcare professional to stop Alzheimer's in its tracks.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a protective response to an array of factors that directly affect the brain, such as inflammation, genetic inheritance, nutrients and hormones. In this book, Bredesen will show you which of these factors you need to address to enhance your cognitive abilities by laying out a personalised lifestyle plan. Covering sleep, exercise, diet, brain training and more, Bredesen will show you how to retain, regain and maximise cognitive function for any ability and for any age with extraordinary results.

Based on cutting-edge research and full of inspiring success stories from Bredesen’s patients, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their brainpower and is a vital guide for carers and healthcare professionals.

The Planet Factory - Exoplanets and the Search for a Second Earth (Paperback): Elizabeth Tasker The Planet Factory - Exoplanets and the Search for a Second Earth (Paperback)
Elizabeth Tasker 1
R365 R331 Discovery Miles 3 310 Save R34 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Twenty years ago, the search for planets outside the Solar System was a job restricted to science-fiction writers. Now it's one of the fastest-growing fields in astronomy with thousands of exoplanets discovered to date, and the number is rising fast.

These new-found worlds are more alien than anything in fiction. Planets larger than Jupiter with years lasting a week; others with two suns lighting their skies, or with no sun at all. Planets with diamond mantles supporting oceans of tar; possible Earth-sized worlds with split hemispheres of perpetual day and night; waterworlds drowning under global oceans and volcanic lava planets awash with seas of magma. The discovery of this diversity is just the beginning. There is a whole galaxy of possibilities.

The Planet Factory tells the story of these exoplanets. Each planetary system is different, but in the beginning most if not all young stars are circled by clouds of dust, specks that come together in a violent building project that can form colossal worlds hundreds of times the size of the Earth. The changing orbits of young planets risk dooming any life evolving on neighbouring worlds or, alternatively, can deliver the key ingredients needed to seed its beginnings. Planet formation is one of the greatest construction schemes in the Universe, and it occurred around nearly every star you see. Each results in an alien landscape, but is it possible that one of these could be like our own home world?

From Stars To Stalagmites: How Everything Connects (Paperback): Paul S. Braterman From Stars To Stalagmites: How Everything Connects (Paperback)
Paul S. Braterman
R839 Discovery Miles 8 390 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Feynman once selected, as the single most important statement in science, that everything is made of atoms. It follows that the properties of everything depend on how these atoms are joined together, giving rise to the vast field we know of today as chemistry. In this unique book specifically written to bridge the gap between chemistry and the layman, Braterman has put together a series of linked essays on chemistry related themes that are particularly engaging.The book begins with the age of the earth, and concludes with the life cycle of stars. In between, there are atoms old and new, the ozone hole mystery and how it was solved, synthetic fertilisers and explosives, reading the climate record, the extraction of metals, the wetness of water, and how the greenhouse effect on climate really works. A chapter in praise of uncertainty leads on to the "fuzziness" and sharing of electrons, and from there to molecular shape, grass-green and blood-red, the wetness of water, and molecular recognition as the basis of life.Organised in such a way as to illustrate and develop underlying principles and approaches, this book will appeal to anyone interested in chemistry, as well as its history and key personalities. Where many other titles have failed, this book succeeds brilliantly in capturing the spirit and essence of chemistry and delivering the science in easily digestible terms.

Escape From Earth - A Secret History of the Space Rocket (Paperback): Fraser MacDonald Escape From Earth - A Secret History of the Space Rocket (Paperback)
Fraser MacDonald 1
R285 Discovery Miles 2 850 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

ESCAPE FROM EARTH is the untold story of the engineers, dreamers and rebels who started the American space programme. In particular, it is the story of Frank Malina, founder of what became Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the scientist who cracked the, as he called it, problem of escape from the Earth by rocket.

It's a wild ride. Jack Parsons, Malina's chemistry-expert research partner, was a bed-hopping occultist with delusions of grandeur. We get all the horrible details: drug parties and sex magic, cameos by Aleister Crowley and L Ron Hubbard, and an ill-fated attempt to start a mail-order religion.

Armed with hitherto unpublished letters, journals, and documents from the Malina family archives, Fraser MacDonald reveals what we didn't know. Jack Parsons betrayed Frank Malina to the FBI, cooperating fully in their investigation of Malina for un-American activities. The Jet Propulsion Lab's second director secretly denounced Frank as a Communist. Frank's research group had close ties to the spy network of the infamous Rosenbergs - the only Americans executed during the Red Scare. This is a story of soaring ideals entangled in the most human of complications: infidelity and divorce, betrayal and treason.

Industrial AI - Applications with Sustainable Performance (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020): Jay Lee Industrial AI - Applications with Sustainable Performance (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Jay Lee
R5,086 Discovery Miles 50 860 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book introduces Industrial AI in multiple dimensions. Industrial AI is a systematic discipline which focuses on developing, validating and deploying various machine learning algorithms for industrial applications with sustainable performance. Combined with the state-of-the-art sensing, communication and big data analytics platforms, a systematic Industrial AI methodology will allow integration of physical systems with computational models. The concept of Industrial AI is in infancy stage and may encompass the collective use of technologies such as Internet of Things, Cyber-Physical Systems and Big Data Analytics under the Industry 4.0 initiative where embedded computing devices, smart objects and the physical environment interact with each other to reach intended goals. A broad range of Industries including automotive, aerospace, healthcare, semiconductors, energy, transportation, mining, construction, and industrial automation could harness the power of Industrial AI to gain insights into the invisible relationship of the operation conditions and further use that insight to optimize their uptime, productivity and efficiency of their operations. In terms of predictive maintenance, Industrial AI can detect incipient changes in the system and predict the remains useful life and further to optimize maintenance tasks to avoid disruption to operations.

Mathemagics: A Magical Journey Through Advanced Mathematics - Connecting More Than 60 Magic Tricks To High-level Math... Mathemagics: A Magical Journey Through Advanced Mathematics - Connecting More Than 60 Magic Tricks To High-level Math (Hardcover)
Ricardo V Teixeira, Jang-Woo Park
R2,604 Discovery Miles 26 040 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

'This delightful book connects mathematical concepts in a dozen areas to magic tricks. Expositions of the mathematics precede description and analysis of the tricks. The expositions are too short for in-depth learning; the intent is to give sophomores a taste of the content and ideas of later mathematics courses. Each chapter features exercises on the mathematics, and students can have fun practicing the tricks.'Mathematics MagazineTeixeira and Park present over 60 different magic tricks while introducing students to high-level math areas. Readers will learn really interesting ideas that will better prepare them for future courses and help them finding areas they might want to study deeper. And as a 'side effect' students will learn amazing magic tricks, century-old secrets, and details from famous magicians and mathematicians.The material was written to quickly present key concepts in several mathematical areas in direct way. Little or no proficiency in math is assumed. In fact, students do not require any Calculus knowledge. And since chapters are almost independent from each other, this book also work as introduction to several other courses.Topics covered include mathematical proofs, probability, abstract algebra, linear algebra, mathematical computing, number theory, coding theory, geometry, topology, real analysis, numerical analysis and history of math.

Many Things Under a Rock - The Mysteries of Octopuses (Hardcover): David Scheel Many Things Under a Rock - The Mysteries of Octopuses (Hardcover)
David Scheel
R762 R657 Discovery Miles 6 570 Save R105 (14%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

A riveting new exploration of the octopus from the world-leading scientific expert. For fans of Netflix's 'My Octopus Teacher' and Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith. 'Enchanting. Enough to melt the stoniest of hearts.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Scheel brings the world of the octopus vividly alive... a sense of what it might be like to live in their skins.' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Fascinating. The deepest of octopus books.' PETER GODFREY-SMITH 'I was agog at his accounts. Mind-blowing and soul-expanding' SY MONTGOMERY AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4'S TODAY PROGRAMME _________________ What is it like to be an octopus? The octopus is a highly intelligent and deeply mysterious creature. It can change colour as quickly as it can move, 'think' with its tentacles and communicate in sophisticated ways. Marine biologist David Scheel's lifelong preoccupation with these animals has led to a career of groundbreaking research, from finding previously unknown species to the discovery of signaling communication. In Many Things Under a Rock, Scheel shares his deep scientific understanding of octopuses and recounts his intrepid adventures with these mysterious, charismatic creatures. He investigates four major mysteries about octopuses: what can we know about such elusive and camouflaged creatures? Why are they so extraordinarily resilient? How do their bodies work? And what kind of relationships do they have? In unravelling these mysteries, Dr Scheel shows octopuses to be complex emotional beings and reveals what they can teach us about ourselves.

The Periodic Table - A visual guide to the elements (Paperback): Tom Jackson The Periodic Table - A visual guide to the elements (Paperback)
Tom Jackson 1
R451 R398 Discovery Miles 3 980 Save R53 (12%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Which is the densest element? Which has the largest atoms? And why are some elements radioactive? From the little-known uses of gold in medicine to the development of the hydrogen bomb, this is a fresh new look at the Periodic Table. Combining cutting edge science with fascinating facts and stunning infographics, this book looks at the extraordinary stories of discovery, amazing properties and surprising uses of each elements, whether solid, liquid or gas - naturally occurring, synthesised or theoretical! From hydrogen to oganesson, this is a fact-filled visual guide to each element,each accompanied by technical date (category, atomic number, weight, boiling point) as well as fun facts and stories about their discovery and surprising uses.

"Gina Says": Adventures In The Blogosphere String War (Hardcover): Gil Kalai "Gina Says": Adventures In The Blogosphere String War (Hardcover)
Gil Kalai
R1,573 Discovery Miles 15 730 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

In the summer of 2006 two books attacking string theory, a prominent theory in physics, appeared: Peter Woit's 'Not Even Wrong' and Lee Smolin's 'The Trouble with Physics'. A fierce public debate, much of it on weblogs, ensued.Gina is very curious about science blogs. Can they be useful for learning about or discussing science? What happens in these blogs and who participates in them? Gina is eager to learn the issues and to form her own opinion about the string theory controversy. She is equipped with some academic background, including in mathematics, and has some familiarity with academic life. Her knowledge of physics is derived mainly from popular accounts. Gina likes to debate and to argue. She is fascinated by questions about rationality and philosophy, and was exposed to various other scientific controversies in the past.This book uses the blog debate on string theory to discuss blogs, science, and mathematics. Meandering over various topics from children's dyscalculia to Chomskian linguistics, the reader may get some sense of the chaotic and often confusing scientific experience. The book tries to show the immense difficulty involved in getting the factual matters right, and interpreting fragmented and partial information.

The ABC's of Science (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020): Giuseppe Mussardo The ABC's of Science (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Giuseppe Mussardo
R1,073 R907 Discovery Miles 9 070 Save R166 (15%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Science, with its inherent tension between the known and the unknown, is an inexhaustible mine of great stories. Collected here are twenty-six among the most enchanting tales, one for each letter of the alphabet: the main characters are scientists of the highest caliber most of whom, however, are unknown to the general public. This book goes from A to Z. The letter A stands for Abel, the great Norwegian mathematician, here involved in an elliptic thriller about a fundamental theorem of mathematics, while the letter Z refers to Absolute Zero, the ultimate and lowest temperature limit, - 273,15 degrees Celsius, a value that is tremendously cooler than the most remote corner of the Universe: the race to reach this final outpost of coldness is not yet complete, but, similarly to the history books of polar explorations at the beginning of the 20th century, its pages record successes, failures, fierce rivalries and tragic desperations. In between the A and the Z, the other letters of the alphabet are similar to the various stages of a very fascinating journey along the paths of science, a journey in the company of a very unique set of characters as eccentric and peculiar as those in Ulysses by James Joyce: the French astronomer who lost everything, even his mind, to chase the transits of Venus; the caustic Austrian scientist who, perfectly at ease with both the laws of psychoanalysis and quantum mechanics, revealed the hidden secrets of dreams and the periodic table of chemical elements; the young Indian astrophysicist who was the first to understand how a star dies, suffering the ferocious opposition of his mentor for this discovery. Or the Hungarian physicist who struggled with his melancholy in the shadows of the desert of Los Alamos; or the French scholar who was forced to hide her femininity behind a false identity so as to publish fundamental theorems on prime numbers. And so on and so forth. Twenty-six stories, which reveal the most authentic atmosphere of science and the lives of some of its main players: each story can be read in quite a short period of time -- basically the time it takes to get on and off the train between two metro stations. Largely independent from one another, these twenty-six stories make the book a harmonious polyphony of several voices: the reader can invent his/her own very personal order for the chapters simply by ordering the sequence of letters differently. For an elementary law of Mathematics, this can give rise to an astronomically large number of possible books -- all the same, but - then again - all different. This book is therefore the ideal companion for an infinite number of real or metaphoric journeys.

The Chemistry Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained (Hardcover): Dk The Chemistry Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained (Hardcover)
Dk
R766 R698 Discovery Miles 6 980 Save R68 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Discover and understand the key ideas that underpin the core science of chemistry and learn about the great minds who uncovered them Written in plain English, The Chemistry Book is packed with short, pithy explanations of some of the most historic moments in science, from the birth of atomic theory to the discovery of polyethylene and the development of new vaccine technologies to combat COVID-19. Simple graphics, such as flowcharts and mind maps, support the text and make the explanation of key concepts easy to follow. Arranged in chronological order, the book covers key themes in the physical and natural sciences, such as geochemistry and the elements. Within each chapter, a series of articles traces the history of scientific thought and introduces the work of the scientists who have shaped the subject such as John Dalton, Marie Curie, Dmitri Mendeleev, Kathleen Lonsdale, and Stephanie Kwolek. Along the way, the book addresses some of the most fundamental questions in science, such as what is the universe made of, how is matter created, and what are the chemical bonds that make life possible? Whether you are new to chemistry, a student of the sciences, or just want to keep up with and understand the latest news and scientific debates, The Chemistry Book is for you.

The One - How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics (Hardcover): Heinrich Pas The One - How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics (Hardcover)
Heinrich Pas
R619 R550 Discovery Miles 5 500 Save R69 (11%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

In The One, particle physicist Heinrich Pas presents a bold idea: fundamentally, everything in the universe is an aspect of one unified whole. This idea, called monism, has a rich 3,000-year history: Plato believed that 'all is one', but monism was later rejected as irrational and suppressed as a heresy by the medieval Church. Nevertheless, monism persisted, inspiring Enlightenment science and Romantic poetry. Pas shows how monism could inspire physics today, how it could slice through the intellectual stagnation that has bogged down progress in modern physics and help science achieve the 'grand theory of everything' that it has been chasing for decades. Blending physics, philosophy, and the history of ideas, The One is an epic, mind-expanding journey through millennia of human thought and into the nature of reality itself.

Life's Greatest Secret - The Race to Crack the Genetic Code (Paperback, Main): Matthew Cobb Life's Greatest Secret - The Race to Crack the Genetic Code (Paperback, Main)
Matthew Cobb 1
R366 Discovery Miles 3 660 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Life's Greatest Secret is the story of the discovery and cracking of the genetic code. This great scientific breakthrough has had far-reaching consequences for how we understand ourselves and our place in the natural world. The code forms the most striking proof of Darwin's hypothesis that all organisms are related, holds tremendous promise for improving human well-being, and has transformed the way we think about life. Matthew Cobb interweaves science, biography and anecdote in a book that mixes remarkable insights, theoretical dead-ends and ingenious experiments with the pace of a thriller. He describes cooperation and competition among some of the twentieth century's most outstanding and eccentric minds, moves between biology, physics and chemistry, and shows the part played by computing and cybernetics. The story spans the globe, from Cambridge MA to Cambridge UK, New York to Paris, London to Moscow. It is both thrilling science and a fascinating story about how science is done.

Longitude (Paperback, 10th Anniversary ed): Dava Sobel Longitude (Paperback, 10th Anniversary ed)
Dava Sobel
R299 R270 Discovery Miles 2 700 Save R29 (10%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

The tenth anniversary edition of the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest: the search for the solution of how to calculate longitude and the unlikely triumph of an English genius. With a new Foreword by the celebrated astronaut Neil Armstrong. 'Sobel has done the impossible and made horology sexy - no mean feat' New Scientist Anyone alive in the 18th century would have known that 'the longitude problem' was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day - and had been for centuries. Lacking the ability to measure their longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Thousands of lives, and the increasing fortunes of nations, hung on a resolution. The quest for a solution had occupied scientists and their patrons for the better part of two centuries when, in 1714, Parliament upped the ante by offering a king's ransom (GBP20,000) to anyone whose method or device proved successful. Countless quacks weighed in with preposterous suggestions. The scientific establishment throughout Europe - from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton - had mapped the heavens in both hemispheres in its certain pursuit of a celestial answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution. Full of heroism and chicanery, brilliance and the absurd, LONGITUDE is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation and clockmaking.

Super You - How Technology is Revolutionizing What It Means to Be Human (Paperback): Andy Walker, Kay Svela Walker, Sean... Super You - How Technology is Revolutionizing What It Means to Be Human (Paperback)
Andy Walker, Kay Svela Walker, Sean Carruthers
R568 R125 Discovery Miles 1 250 Save R443 (78%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Rewind Your Biology and Live Like a 20-Year-Old! Edit Your Genes to Live Disease-Free! Find a Parking Space with Your Internet-Connected Brain! Advances in longevity, genetics, nanotech, and robotics will make all this possible! This is not science fiction. This is your future. Right now, pioneering scientists and technologists are transforming what it means to be human by overcoming biological limits that have existed since our ancestors swung out of the trees...and into the suburbs. With incredible inspiration and perseverance, these visionaries are solving deep problems of human health and longevity-and their progress is accelerating. Super You takes you inside their labs, companies, and minds...to show how you can reap the benefits of a stronger, longer, better, life. You'll learn how to start hacking your life today, to become more super, every day. Discover what's possible when yesterday's human limits are gone! Learn how evolution became obsolete-and why it's time to start hacking yourself Save your life with whirring "jet engine" hearts, printed organs, and other medical miracles Rewire and turbo-boost your ape brain Become a mega-mind by connecting your brain directly to the Internet to use Google's synthetic neocortex Become superhuman with cyborg technology Design and mold your looks Genetically engineer your baby to be a tennis star (and other true stories) Prepare for the political and religious backlash against the future Discover how scientists will make death obsolete by treating it like a curable disease-and how to live until they do

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out - The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman (Paperback, New edition): Freeman Dyson,... The Pleasure of Finding Things Out - The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman (Paperback, New edition)
Freeman Dyson, Richard Feynman 1
R473 R414 Discovery Miles 4 140 Save R59 (12%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a magnificent treasury of the best short works of Richard P. Feynman,from interviews and speeches to lectures and printed articles. A sweeping, wide-ranging collection, it presents an intimate and fascinating view of a life in science-a life like no other. From his ruminations on science in our culture to his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, this book will fascinate anyone interested in the world of ideas.

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