In recent decades, a new scientific approach to understand, explain, and predict many features of religion has emerged. The cognitive science of religion (CSR) has amassed research on the forces that shape the tendency for humans to be religious and on what forms belief takes. It suggests that religion, like language or music, naturally emerges in humans with tractable similarities. This new approach has profound implications for how we understand religion, including why it appears so easily, and why people are willing to fight-and die-for it. Yet it is not without its critics, and some fear that scholars are explaining the ineffable mystery of religion away, or showing that religion is natural proves or disproves the existence of God. An Introduction to the Cognitive Science of Religion offers students and general readers an accessible introduction to the approach, providing an overview of key findings and the debates that shape it. The volume includes a glossary of key terms, and each chapter includes suggestions for further thought and further reading as well as chapter summaries highlighting key points. This book is an indispensable resource for introductory courses on religion and a much-needed option for advanced courses.

Let this guide be your very own friendly nutritionist, on hand to debunk common food myths and give you the answers to those pressing health questions with easy-to-swallow information. Is red wine good for your heart? Will caffeine raise your blood pressure? How Food Works gives you answers to these and several more questions by investigating claims surrounding a variety of foods and examining them from a biological standpoint. Discover nutritional facts about the food you eat, learn the benefits of superfoods and antioxidants, and go behind-the-scenes of modern food production. Packed with infographics and colourful images, the book delves into the science behind ways of eating including gluten-free and veganism, as well as the benefits of different diets from around the world. Turn the pages to understand why food intolerances occur, what actually makes food organic, how important sell-by dates really are, and how much salt you should really be eating. Readers will also learn about the social and economic implications of food choices, such as eating disorders and fair-trade businesses. Indispensable and accessible to young and old, How Food Works is the perfect health and dietary companion.

More than ever before, science and technology play a significant role in modern society as evidenced by the development of nanotechnologies and the controversies surrounding GMOs and climate change. This book comprehensively explores the flourishing field of science and technology studies and examines its creation, development and interaction with contemporary society. Dominique Vinck examines the various relationships between science and society including the emergence of sciences, the dynamics of innovation and technical democracy. He also investigates the principal social mechanisms of science and technology such as institutions, organizations, exchanges between researchers and the construction of scientific knowledge, expertise and innovation. The book provides a thorough overview of the field and reviews the major theoretical and methodological approaches as well as the current state of research on a range of topics. This original book will strongly appeal to students and researchers in the social sciences including economics, the management of innovation, political science and the sociology of science. All those interested in the debate on the role of science and technology in society will also find this book to be of great interest.

'This is the most important conversation of our time, and Tegmark's thought-provoking book will help you join it' Stephen Hawking THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER. DAILY TELEGRAPH AND THE TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR SELECTED AS ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2018 AI is the future - but what will that future look like? Will superhuman intelligence be our slave, or become our god? Taking us to the heart of the latest thinking about AI, Max Tegmark, the MIT professor whose work has helped mainstream research on how to keep AI beneficial, separates myths from reality, utopias from dystopias, to explore the next phase of our existence. How can we grow our prosperity through automation, without leaving people lacking income or purpose? How can we ensure that future AI systems do what we want without crashing, malfunctioning or getting hacked? Should we fear an arms race in lethal autonomous weapons? Will AI help life flourish as never before, or will machines eventually outsmart us at all tasks, and even, perhaps, replace us altogether? 'This is a rich and visionary book and everyone should read it' The Times

The international bestseller from the author of Breakfast with Einstein Emmy is no ordinary dog. When adopted from the shelter by physics professor Chad Orzel, she becomes immediately fascinated by his work. Could she use quantum tunnelling to get through the neighbour's fence? How about diffracting round a tree to chase squirrels? Or using virtual particles to catch bunnies made of cheese? Taking Emmy's anarchic behaviour as a starting point, Orzel explains the key theories of quantum physics. From quarks and gluons to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, this is a uniquely entertaining way to unlock the secrets of the universe.

At only nineteen years old Vitalik Buterin published a visionary paper outlining the ideas behind what would become Ethereum. He proposed to take what Bitcoin did for currency - to end the central control of governments and corporations - and apply it to society as a whole. Now, less than a decade later, Ethereum is the second-most-valuable cryptocurrency and has opened the gates for the extraordinary new world of NFT artworks, virtual real estate in the metaverse and decentralised autonomous organisations. The essays in Proof of Stake reveal Buterin as a lively, creative thinker, relentlessly curious and adventurous in exploring the fascinating social, economic and political possibilities of his invention, and will guide future generations of Ethereum's community of radicals and builders.

A catheter used to transfer vital fluids splits during surgery.
A wheel detaches from a moving car on the highway.
A small gear tooth breaks from a chisel and flies into a mechanic's eye.

How did these accidents occur and were they preventable? Peter Lewis, Ken Reynolds, and Colin Gagg are seasoned forensic engineers who have been commissioned by insurance companies, lawyers, and private clients to investigate a variety of mechanical accidents that allegedly involved faulty equipment. The causes of these failures have varied - from manufacturing defects to user negligence to a combination of both - but their outcomes are often the same: huge financial loss, and sometimes even the immeasurable loss of life.

Case studies are the most valuable source of information for manufacturers striving to improve their products. In Forensic Materials Engineering: Case Studies, the authors offer stories of real accidents and thorough assessments of what went wrong. Unlike other case study presentations, they focus on not just the technical details, but also other vital aspects, including human error, turning points in the investigations, and the litigation involved. Presented in chronological order, each well-illustrated case study includes legal background, reports the case results, and highlights the lessons learned from the case.

New materials and applications appear constantly, and with them, new failure modes. Examining various materials in a range of situations, Forensic Materials Engineering: Case Studies provides an outstanding opportunity to gain virtual experience through up-to-date facts and feedback from forensic engineering practitioners.

Examine the vital issues facing sci-tech libraries in today's economic and technological climate! This book addresses current challenges and changes in science and technology librariesand shows how librarians are handling them in difficult financial times. It examines issues related to closing and merging libraries, online collections maintenance and costs, assistance/outreach geared toward specific groups of library patrons, and the gathering of usage statistics in the electronic environment. You'll also find specific descriptionsand a general overviewof new technologies and case studies of the impact of new technologies on sci-tech library management. Handy tables and figures make the information easy to access and understand. Presenting a wide variety of problems and solutions, Information Practice in Science and Technology will help you understand the needs of users regarding current information technologies and how to meet them. From the editor: Among the critical challenges facing sci-tech libraries (and actually all libraries) are the need to perform detailed collection assessment and evaluation, particularly in regard to e-resource collections; the need to examine and provide appropriate public services; and the need to develop strategies for the adoption of new information technologies. This book addresses these key issues and attempts to provide both perspective and insight into these problems. Information Practice in Science and Technology examines: how merging academic departmental libraries can both improve services and smooth the transition to increased use of digital information the process of developing, managing, and providing access to an electronic collectiona case study from the University of Notre Dame, with special attention paid to licensing and publisher agreements how a limited Web interface can be enhanced and become a digital portal to a library's print collectiona case study from the Grainger Engineering Library at the University of Illinois how libraries can support academic faculty research in cross-disciplinary subject areas how to address the specialized subject area information needs of meteorologists and geologists outreach methods that the University of California uses to better connect with library patrons and demonstrate the services that the library offers Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)the new technology for archiving and linking electronic information how to gather and benefit from usage statistics, with attention to electronic databases, statistics gathered from public library terminals, and transaction log usage statistics for electronic reserves the proposals to provide all government documents through an electronic distribution systemand what that will mean to sci-tech libraries

Disease and Medicine in World History is a concise introduction to the diverse ideas about disease and its treatment throughout the world. Drawing on case studies from ancient Egypt to present-day America and Europe, this survey discusses concepts of sickness and forms of treatment in different cultures. Sheldon Watts shows that medical practices in the past were shaped as much by philosophers and metaphysicians as by surgeons and practitioners.

Examine the vital issues facing sci-tech libraries in today's economic and technological climate
This book addresses current challenges and changes in science and technology libraries--and shows how librarians are handling them in difficult financial times. It examines issues related to closing and merging libraries, online collections maintenance and costs, assistance/outreach geared toward specific groups of library patrons, and the gathering of usage statistics in the electronic environment. You'll also find specific descriptions--and a general overview--of new technologies and case studies of the impact of new technologies on sci-tech library management. Handy tables and figures make the information easy to access and understand.
Presenting a wide variety of problems and solutions, Information Practice in Science and Technology will help you understand the needs of users regarding current information technologies and how to meet them. From the editor: "Among the critical challenges facing sci-tech libraries (and actually all libraries) are the need to perform detailed collection assessment and evaluation, particularly in regard to e-resource collections; the need to examine and provide appropriate public services; and the need to develop strategies for the adoption of new information technologies. This book addresses these key issues and attempts to provide both perspective and insight into these problems."
Information Practice in Science and Technology examines: how merging academic departmental libraries can both improve services and smooth the transition to increased use of digital information the process of developing, managing, and providing access to an electronic collection--a case study from the University of Notre Dame, with special attention paid to licensing and publisher agreements how a limited Web interface can be enhanced and become a digital portal to a library's print collection--a case study from the Grainger Engineering Library at the University of Illinois how libraries can support academic faculty research in cross-disciplinary subject areas how to address the specialized subject area information needs of meteorologists and geologists outreach methods that the University of California uses to better connect with library patrons and demonstrate the services that the library offers Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)--the new technology for archiving and linking electronic information how to gather and benefit from usage statistics, with attention to electronic databases, statistics gathered from public library terminals, and transaction log usage statistics for electronic reserves the proposals to provide all government documents through an electronic distribution system--and what that will mean to sci-tech libraries

The human brain is made up of 85 billion neurons, which are connected by over 100 trillion synapses. For more than a century, a diverse array of researchers searched for a language that could be used to capture the essence of what these neurons do and how they communicate. The language they were looking for was mathematics, and we would not be able to understand the brain as we do today without it. In Models of the Mind, author and computational neuroscientist Grace Lindsay explains how mathematical models have allowed scientists to understand and describe many of the brain's processes. She introduces readers to the most important concepts in modern neuroscience, and highlights the tensions that arise when the abstract world of mathematical modelling collides with the messy details of biology. Each chapter of Models of the Mind focuses on mathematical tools that have been applied in a particular area of neuroscience, progressing from the simplest building block of the brain - the individual neuron - through to circuits of interacting neurons, whole brain areas and even the behaviours that brains command. Grace examines the history of the field, starting with experiments done on frog legs in the late eighteenth century and building to the large models of artificial neural networks that form the basis of modern artificial intelligence. Throughout, she reveals the value of using the elegant language of mathematics to describe the machinery of neuroscience.

Gaia's Gift, the second of Anne Primavesi's explorations of human relationships with the earth, asks that we complete the ideological revolution set in motion by Copernicus and Darwin concerning human importancene. They challenged the notion of our God-given centrality within the universe and within earth's evolutionary history. Yet as our continuing exploitation of earth's resources and species demonstrates, we remain wedded to the theological assumption that these are there for our sole use and benefit. Now James Lovelock's scientific understanding of the existential reality of Gaia's gift of life again raises the question of our proper place within the universe. It turns us decisively towards an understanding of ourselves as dependent on, rather than in control of, the whole earth community.

This book identifies both the consistencies and disparities between Catholic Social Teaching and the United Nation's (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With Pope Francis' Laudato si' encyclical, Catholicism seems to be engaging more than ever with environmental and developmental concerns. However, there remains the question of how these theological statements will be put into practice. The ongoing involvement of the Catholic Church in social matters makes it a significant potential partner in issues around development. Therefore, with the use of the comparative method, this book brings together authors from multiple disciplines to assess how the political and legal aspects of each of the UN's 17 SDGs are addressed by Catholic Social Teaching. Chapters answer the question of how the Catholic Church evaluates the concept of sustainable development as defined by the Agenda 2030 Goals, as well as assessing how and if it can contribute to shaping the contemporary concept of global development. Examining the potential level of cooperation between the international community and the Catholic Church in the implementation of the Agenda 2030 Goals, this volume will be of keen interest to scholars of Catholic Studies, Religious Studies and the Sociology of Religion, as well as Environmental Studies and Development Studies.

Key Features A timely book for a still pressing problem Contributions by many of the leading figures in the debate. Summarizes the many new contributions to the field of recent years. For the use of upper level seminars and courses A dialogue format will generate further discussion

More than 40 renowned authorities carefully introduce and update chapters on the theory, fundamentals, techniques, and instrumentation of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), highlighting the latest procedures and applications of TLC to 19 important compound classes. It is one of the only books available with coverage of TLC applications by compound type. Facilitating industrial adaptation through easy reference, the second edition supports practical research strategies with extensive tables of data, offers numerous figures that illustrate techniques and chromatograms, and includes a glossary as well as a directory of equipment suppliers.

Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Cybernetics-the science of communication and control as it applies to machines and to humans-originates from efforts during World War II to build automatic antiaircraft systems. Following the war, this science extended beyond military needs to examine all systems that rely on information and feedback, from the level of the cell to that of society. In The Cybernetics Moment, Ronald R. Kline, a senior historian of technology, examines the intellectual and cultural history of cybernetics and information theory, whose language of "information," "feedback," and "control" transformed the idiom of the sciences, hastened the development of information technologies, and laid the conceptual foundation for what we now call the Information Age. Kline argues that, for about twenty years after 1950, the growth of cybernetics and information theory and ever-more-powerful computers produced a utopian information narrative-an enthusiasm for information science that influenced natural scientists, social scientists, engineers, humanists, policymakers, public intellectuals, and journalists, all of whom struggled to come to grips with new relationships between humans and intelligent machines. Kline traces the relationship between the invention of computers and communication systems and the rise, decline, and transformation of cybernetics by analyzing the lives and work of such notables as Norbert Wiener, Claude Shannon, Warren McCulloch, Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson, and Herbert Simon. Ultimately, he reveals the crucial role played by the cybernetics moment-when cybernetics and information theory were seen as universal sciences-in setting the stage for our current preoccupation with information technologies.

Ever since Darwin and "The Descent of Man," the existence of humans has been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. But in "Catching Fire," renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution. When our ancestors adapted to using fire, humanity began. Once our hominid ancestors began cooking their food, the human digestive tract shrank and the brain grew. Time once spent chewing tough raw food could be sued instead to hunt and to tend camp. Cooking became the basis for pair bonding and marriage, created the household, and even led to a sexual division of labor. Tracing the contemporary implications of our ancestors' diets, "Catching Fire" sheds new light on how we came to be the social, intelligent, and sexual species we are today. A pathbreaking new theory of human evolution, "Catching Fire" will provoke controversy and fascinate anyone interested in our ancient origins--or in our modern eating habits.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, yet it causes damage to society in ways that can't be fixed. Instead of helping to address our current crises, AI causes divisions that limit people's life chances, and even suggests fascistic solutions to social problems. This book provides an analysis of AI's deep learning technology and its political effects and traces the ways that it resonates with contemporary political and social currents, from global austerity to the rise of the far right. Dan McQuillan calls for us to resist AI as we know it and restructure it by prioritising the common good over algorithmic optimisation. He sets out an anti-fascist approach to AI that replaces exclusions with caring, proposes people's councils as a way to restructure AI through mutual aid and outlines new mechanisms that would adapt to changing times by supporting collective freedom. Academically rigorous, yet accessible to a socially engaged readership, this unique book will be of interest to all who wish to challenge the social logic of AI by reasserting the importance of the common good.

Deepen your connection to the natural world with this inspiring meditation, "a path to the place where science and spirit meet" (Robin Wall Kimmerer).In Rooted, cutting-edge science supports a truth that poets, artists, mystics, and earth-based cultures across the world have proclaimed over millennia: life on this planet is radically interconnected. Our bodies, thoughts, minds, and spirits are affected by the whole of nature, and they affect this whole in return. In this time of crisis, how can we best live upon our imperiled, beloved earth?Award-winning writer Lyanda Lynn Haupt's highly personal new book is a brilliant invitation to live with the earth in both simple and profound ways-from walking barefoot in the woods and reimagining our relationship with animals and trees, to examining the very language we use to describe and think about nature. She invokes rootedness as a way of being in concert with the wilderness-and wildness-that sustains humans and all of life.In the tradition of Rachel Carson, Elizabeth Kolbert, and Mary Oliver, Haupt writes with urgency and grace, reminding us that at the crossroads of science, nature, and spirit we find true hope. Each chapter provides tools for bringing our unique gifts to the fore and transforming our sense of belonging within the magic and wonder of the natural world.

`A graceful, refreshing and enlightening book, applied philosophy that is relevant, timely and metaphysical in the best sense.' - New York Times Book Review

'Midgley is one of the most acute and penetrating voices in current moral philosophy. Her great gift is clarity, both of thought and, especially, of expression. To follow her reasoning is like watching a ballet dancer walking in the street: there is a litheness, a gracefulness, an ease of articulation, which attest to years of learning lightly worn.' - John Banville, Irish Times

This collection sheds new light on the nature, role and practice of philosophy and science in the renewed Berlin Academy from the mid-1740s to the 1770s, and in so doing provides a robust new instalment of materials for the broader task of constructing a historiography of philosophy at this important Enlightenment institution. The collection ranges from discussions of the roles of philosophy and natural philosophy in the formation of the reinvigorated Academy in the mid-1740s, to conceptions of the correct philosophical methodology to be deployed by the Academy. It provides the first ever study of the nature and arrangement of the new classes of the Academy, and a fresh appraisal of the Academy's methodological eclecticism. One recurring theme is the status of metaphysics: there are studies of both special metaphysics, including the study of the soul; general metaphysics, that is, the study of being in general; and foundational metaphysical principles and concepts, such as Maupertuis's Principle of least action, Euler's concept of space and Lambert's notion of an experimental metaphysics. The collection also takes the study of the Academy in new directions through focused studies of important figures whose writings deserve to be better understood, such as Jean Bernard Merian, Louis de Beausobre, Jean Henri Samuel Formey and Johann Georg Sulzer.

`If only one thing could be said about this book is that it comes at the perfect time and fills a great void on the subject it addresses. Genetically Modified Organisms are innovative - so have to be the answers to the legal questions raised by their development: What should be the definition of damage? Who should be held liable? Where should claims be brought? The Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety have been discussing these issues for many years and are now ready to give some answers by means of a new multilateral environmental treaty. The comprehensive analysis and comparative data put forth by the authors contribute enormously to the current debate and provide detailed insights into the nuances of international liability in a manner previously unaddressed.' - Jimena Nieto Carrasco, University of the Andes, El Rosario University, Externado University of Colombia, BogotA!, Colombia Innovation and Liability in Biotechnology introduces and articulates an innovative framework, the Liability Analysis Framework (LAF), which offers a new perspective from which stakeholders and society can assess, manage and communicate about liability in relation to innovation. This path-breaking book provides a detailed description of the relationship between risk and liability. Risk and liability are not synonymous and the fact that, at times, the terms have been used in very close proximity has resulted in confusion and misunderstandings. The book begins with an overview of risk and the development of the Risk Analysis Framework, describing how it has evolved from initial concepts to present day form. It highlights the need for a LAF and provides a diverse examination of the LAF as a means to stimulate further debate. The authors conclude that risk is concerned with hypothetical probabilities whereas liability relates to actual marketplace externalities. Offering a new conceptualization for the analysis of liability, this book will appeal to academics involved in the fields of law, innovation and business, as well as federal regulators and industry representatives. Agricultural organizations and their lawyers who are attempting to understand the legal liability issues involved in growing and marking transgenic crops and their products, will also find this book of great interest.

With over forty chapters, written by leading scholars, this comprehensive volume represents the best work in America, Europe and Asia. Geographical diversity of the authors is reflected in the different perspectives devoted to the subject, and all major disciplinary developments are covered.
There are also sections concerning the countries that have made the most significant contributions, the relationship between science and industry, the importance of instrumentation, and the cultural influence of scientific modes of thought. Students and professionals will come to appreciate how, and why, science has developed - as with any other human activity, it is subject to the dynamics of society and politics.

Covering a range of metaphors from a diverse field of sciences, from cell and molecular biology to evolution, ecology, and biomedicine, Understanding Metaphors in the Life Sciences explores the positive and negative implications of the widespread use of metaphors in the biological and life sciences. From genetic codes, programs, and blueprints, to cell factories, survival of the fittest, the tree of life, selfish genes, and ecological niches, to genome editing with CRISPR's molecular scissors, metaphors are ubiquitous and vital components of the modern life sciences. But how exactly do metaphors help scientists to understand the objects they study? How can they mislead both scientists and laypeople alike? And what should we all understand about the implications of science's reliance on metaphorical speech and thought for objective knowledge and adequate public policy informed by science? This book will literally help you to better understand the metaphorical dimensions of science.