Combines the personal life story of Nobel Laureate Prof. Richard R. Ernst with the historical development of his invention, which led to the universally known MRI imaging process in the field of medicine Explains in an unusually open-hearted way the human side of research from its innermost circle, captivating both a general audience and those interested in science Explains the basics of MRI technology in comprehensible, yet lively language Focuses on an ethical approach to science and research for the benefit of society as a whole

This autobiography presents a personal account of the life of a woman academic, over a span of 60 years, from incidents in her childhood, through the education process from primary to pre-university education in British Malaya to two doctorates from University College London. As the story unfolds, it is immediately apparent that her journey in academia has been far from ordinary.She gives credit to the excellent early education she received in Ipoh - a medium-sized town in Malaya - from highly qualified and dedicated nuns and teachers in the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus. Hers was a career carved out by Providence, as she "drifted" to various international centers of learning, depending on the sponsorship of scholarships available at the time. Her drive and passion for chemistry (actually with other attributes as well) allowed her to rub shoulders with some of the best minds in the field. Her association with numerous colleagues, mentors and scientists, unintentionally and unknowingly, laid the groundwork for a sort of global networking, which in turn influenced her career path in subtle yet significant ways. This proved immensely useful later as she balanced the rigorous demands of teaching, research and family. She has shown that it is not impossible for a woman to make a success of family and life in academia.Indeed, her story will encourage young women venturing into science and academia. It also shows that developing countries - more than their developed counterparts - have a good deal to gain from their professional citizens by removing obstacles such as unduly early mandatory retirement and poor support for active researchers. It is a refreshing glimpse into the author's generation in science and academia and a repository of important insights for students and scientists in developing and emerging economies.

The true story of a little-known mental health pioneer who revolutionised how we see the defining problem of our era: anxiety.

Panic, depression, sorrow, guilt, disgrace, obsessions, sleeplessness, low confidence, loneliness, agoraphobia … The international bestseller Self-Help For Your Nerves, first published in 1962 and still in print, has helped tens of millions of readers to overcome all of these, and continues to do so. But when it was first released, its diminutive author, Dr Claire Weekes, wasn't taken seriously. Seen as underqualified and overly populist by the medical establishment, she was dismissed even as thousands of letters from readers poured in, thanking her for helping to improve -- and in some cases to save -- their lives.

Notable for her insight into the anxiety state and the effectiveness of her techniques for addressing it, Dr Weekes' work provided an alternative to the brutal, invasive, and expensive treatments that were popular at the time. For a handful of dollars, Weekes offered treatment unavailable anywhere else. Few understood she was a serious scholar whose understanding also came from first-hand experience: in order to do her work, she had had to overcome a crippling anxiety disorder herself.

At a crucial moment in history, Dr Weekes' work showed people around the world that they were not alone in their suffering, and addressed an epidemic hiding in plain sight -- one that remains an urgent problem in our society today. This book is the first to tell her story.

The year 2008 marks the 150th birth anniversary of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose who, at a relatively young age, established himself among the ranks of European scientists during the heyday of colonial rule in India. He was one of those great Indian scientists who helped to introduce western science into India. A physicist, a plant electrophysiologist and one of the first few biophysicists in the world, Sir J C Bose was easily 60 years ahead of his time and much of his research that was ignored during his lifetime is now entering the mainstream. As the inventor of millimeter waves and their generation, transmission and reception, and the first to make a solid state diode, he was the first scientist who convincingly demonstrated that plants possess a nervous system of their own and "feel" pain. J C Bose later spent his life's savings to set up the Institute which carries his name in Calcutta and Darjeeling.This book covers Bose's life in colonial India, including the general patriotic environment that pervaded at the time and how he became one of the flag bearers of the Bengal Renaissance. It also examines the scientific achievements of this polymath and his contributions to physics and plant electrophysiology, while highlighting his philosophy of life.

By the author of the acclaimed bestseller "Benjamin Franklin," this is the first full biography of Albert Einstein since all of his papers have become available.

How did his mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson's biography shows how his scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom.

Based on newly released personal letters of Einstein, this book explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk -- a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn't get a teaching job or a doctorate -- became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos, the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marveling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits, and free individuals.

These traits are just as vital for this new century of globalization, in which our success will depend on our creativity, as they were for the beginning of the last century, when Einstein helped usher in the modern age.

This is the biography of controversial and flamboyant nineteenth century doctor Francis Tumblety. The doctor's exploits include arrests for complicity in the Lincoln assassination, for selling abortion drugs, for killing patients, and for indecent assault, and scrutiny as a possible suspect in the "Jack the Ripper" murders. Tumblety's sheen of respectability appeared crafted to cover his homosexuality and his provocative fields of practice.

Melissa Harris's dream of being a mother again shatters when a fertility doctor tells her she may never have another child due to a physical anomaly in her uterus. Determined to persevere, she undergoes nine surgeries and a year of fertility treatments until she finally gets a positive pregnancy test-only to miscarry both twins within the first fifteen weeks. When what she's decided will be her last attempt results in her finally becoming pregnant, she's told that this baby, Sam, is also at risk. While lying in a hospital bed for six days, trying to get to the golden standard twenty-four-week gestation mark, Melissa makes a decision-she will give this baby every chance to live, no matter what it takes. One Pound, Twelve Ounces is the journey of one mother's determination to give her micro-preemie a fighting chance, and the story of that baby's remarkable battle to survive.

Although his name has become a household word after he published "The Origin of the Species," a one-volume edition of his writings that covers the full gamut of his theoretical as well as scientific writings has not been available for many years. "Charles Darwin: An Anthology," covers the heart of the five books for which the author is best known. This readable volume includes "The Autobiography, The Voyage of the Beagle, The Origin of the Species, The Descent of Man," and "The Expression of the Emotion."

The volume also includes parts of Darwin's less well-known works. Although it was published last chronologically, "The Autobiography" is an ideal beginning to the volume. A new introduction by the noted anthropologist Lionel Tiger underlines the continuing importance of Darwin's thinking, and explains why it still infl uences contemporary scholarship in many fi elds.

These selections have not been rewritten--they are pure Darwin. The dull and the unessential have been eliminated. What remains is material that best illustrates Darwin's most important and interesting ideas. Th e selection manages as well to retain his most readable prose, while presenting the fundamentals of Darwin's revolutionary thought. Collectively, the volume paints a picture of an immensely curious and indefatigable mind. This volume also includes a critical bibliography that will prove valuable to those interested in further reading.

"Marston Bates" (1906-1974) was an American zoologist. His studies on mosquitoes led to the understanding of the causes of yellow fever in South America. He is the author of numerous science books including "The Land and Wildlife of South America" and "The Nature of Natural History."

"Philip S. Humphrey" is Curator Emeritus and former Director of the Natural History Museum at the University of Kansas.

"Lionel Tiger" is Charles Darwin Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University. He is the author of "The Decline of Males, Optimism, The Pursuit of Pleasure, China's Food, The Manufacture of Evil, Men in Groups," and with Robin Fox, "The Imperial Animal." He directs the anthropology publishing eff ort at Transaction Publishers.

Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and winner of the Royal Society Prize for Science Books, Richard Holmes's dazzling portrait of the age of great scientific discovery is a groundbreaking achievement. The book opens with Joseph Banks, botanist on Captain Cook's first Endeavour voyage, who stepped onto a Tahitian beach in 1769 fully expecting to have located Paradise. Back in Britain, the same Romantic revolution that had inspired Banks was spurring other great thinkers on to their own voyages of artistic and scientific discovery - astronomical, chemical, poetical, philosophical - that together made up the 'age of wonder'. In this breathtaking group biography, Richard Holmes tells the stories of the period's celebrated innovators and their great scientific discoveries: from telescopic sight to the miner's lamp, and from the first balloon flight to African exploration.

It all started with a Hob Nob. As Dr Matt Morgan, an intensive care consultant, examined a patient who had suffered a cardiac arrest after inhaling some biscuit crumbs, he saw a flock of birds fly past the window. They must inhale objects all the time when flying, how do they survive? he thought to himself. This began an investigation that spanned continents, species and millennia. For animal science has so much to teach us about human medicine. While some of the overlaps and parallels are obvious - we know how much DNA we share with primates, the first pig heart has been transplanted into a human - there is so much more that we have learnt from the animal world. For example, studying kangaroos, in particular the female's three vaginas, has improved in-vitro fertilisation success rates. Watching how a giraffe breathes can help save the life of someone struggling with asthma. Investigating why birds that live in the frozen Arctic circle don't freeze to death led to advances with treating hypothermia. Getting a ECG on the 150kg heart of a humpback whale was instrumental to keeping patients with cardiac failure living longer. We owe animals so much, it's time to focus on examining how they live and what we still have to learn from them. Better shared understanding of how our species coexists with millions of others can lead to untold medical advances, help both humans and animals and improve the world for all creatures from single-celled bacteria to a 30,000 kg whale. Who knows, maybe a kiss from a frog will save your life?

Learn about the boy who - could read and add numbers when he was three years old, - thwarted his teacher by finding a quick and easy way to sum the numbers 1-100, - attracted the attention of a Duke with his genius, and became the man who... - predicted the reappearance of a lost planet, - discovered basic properties of magnetic forces, - invented a surveying tool used by professionals until the invention of lasers. Based on extensive research of original and secondary sources, this historical narrative will inspire young readers and even curious adults with its touching story of personal achievement.

In this "heartrending, passionate, and surprisingly humorous account of the conjunction between art and death" (Andrew Solomon, New York Times bestselling author), acclaimed opera singer Charity Tillemann-Dick recounts her remarkable journey from struggling to draw a single breath to singing at the most prestigious venues in the world after receiving not one but two double lung transplants. Charity Tillemann-Dick was a vivacious young American soprano studying at the celebrated Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest when she received devastating news: her lungs were failing, her heart was three and a half sizes too big, and she would die within five years. Medical experts advised Charity to abandon her musical dreams, but if her time was running out, she wanted to spend it doing what she loved. In just three years, she endured two double lung transplants and had to slowly learn to breathe, walk, talk, eat, and sing again. With new lungs and fierce determination, she eventually fell in love, rebuilt her career, and reclaimed her life. More than a decade after her diagnosis, she has a chart-topping album, performs around the globe, and is a leading voice for organ donation. Weaving Charity's extraordinary tale of triumph with those of opera's greatest heroines, The Encore illuminates the indomitable human spirit and is "an uplifting story of overcoming significant odds to fulfill a dream" (Kirkus Reviews).

Imagining the Elephant is a biography of Allan MacLeod Cormack, a physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1979 for his pioneering contributions to the development of the computer-assisted tomography (CAT) scanner, an honor he shared with Godfrey Hounsfield. A modest genius who was also a dedicated family man, the book is a celebration of Cormack's life and work. It begins with his ancestral roots in the far north of Scotland, and then chronicles his birth and early years in South Africa, his education at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Cambridge University, and his subsequent academic appointments at UCT and Tufts University in Boston, USA. It details his discovery of the problem at Cape Town in 1956, traces his scientific footsteps all the way to Stockholm in December 1979, and then extends the odyssey to his pursuits beyond the Nobel Prize.

Jesse Ramsden was one of the most prominent manufacturers of scientific instruments in the latter half of the eighteenth century. To own a Ramsden instrument, be it one of his great theodolites or one of the many sextants and barometers produced at his London workshop, was to own not only an instrument of incredible accuracy and great practical use, but also a thing of beauty. In this, the first biography of Jesse Ramsden, Dr Anita McConnell reconstructs his life and career and presents us with a detailed account of the instrument trade in this period. By studying the life of one prominent instrument maker, the entire practice of the trade is illuminated, from the initial commission, the intricate planning and design, through the practicalities of production, delivery and, crucially, payment for the work. The book will naturally be of immeasurable interest to historians of science and scientific instruments but, as it also sheds light on the increasing commercialisation of the scientific trade on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution, should also interest social and economic historians of the eighteenth century.

A gripping tale of exploration, the pursuit of ice-age records, scientific invention and controversy, and revelations about the great Amazon forest In this vivid memoir of a life in science, ecologist Paul Colinvaux takes his readers from the Alaskan tundra to steamy Amazon jungles, from the Galapagos Islands (before tourists had arrived) to the high Andes and the Darien Gap in Panama. He recounts an adventurous tale of exploration in the days before GPS and satellite mapping, and a tale no less exhilarating of his battle to disprove a hypothesis endorsed by most of the scientific community. Colinvaux's grand endeavor, begun in the 1960s, was to find fossil evidence of the ice-age climate and vegetation of the entire American equator, from Pacific to Atlantic. The accomplishment of the task by the author and his colleagues involved finding unknown ancient lakes, lugging drilling equipment through uncharted Amazon jungle, operating hand drills from rubber boats in water 40 meters deep, and inventing a pollen analysis for a land with 80,000 species of plants. Colinvaux's years of arduous travel and research ultimately disproved a hotly defended hypothesis explaining bird distribution peculiarities in the Amazon forest. The story of how he arrived at a new understanding of the Amazon is at once an adventurous saga, an account of science as it is conducted in the field, and a cautionary tale about the temptation to treat a favored hypothesis with a reverence that subverts unbiased research.

Stephen Hawking is arguably the most famous physicist since Albert Einstein. His decades-long struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), combined with his singular brilliance as a cosmologist, has fascinated both the public and his colleagues in science. In this engagingly written biography, Kristine Larsen, a physicist and astronomer herself, presents a candid and insightful portrait of Hawking's personal and professional life. Avoiding the hero-worship sometimes found in popular works on Hawking, Larsen emphasises that Hawking is first and foremost a scientist whose work has made significant contributions to our understanding of the nature and origins of the universe.Writing in non-technical language for the lay reader, Larsen clearly explains Hawking's complex scientific accomplishments, while telling the story of his challenging life. The topics include Hawking's early lack of focus as a college student; the impact of ALS on his career and personal life; his groundbreaking work on radiating black holes; his later cutting-edge theories of black holes, cosmology, and the anthropic principle; the amazing publishing success of "A Brief History of Time"; and his status as a pop icon and spokesperson for the interplay of science and society. Larsen situates Hawking's sometimes-controversial work within the broader context of scientific peer review and public debate, and discusses his personal life with compassion, respect, and honesty.

Following his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson’s New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed The Innovators is a “riveting, propulsive, and at times deeply moving” (The Atlantic) story of the people who created the computer and the internet.

What were the talents that allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their visionary ideas into disruptive realities? What led to their creative leaps? Why did some succeed and others fail?

The Innovators is a masterly saga of collaborative genius destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution—and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens. Isaacson begins the adventure with Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron’s daughter, who pioneered computer programming in the 1840s. He explores the fascinating personalities that created our current digital revolution, such as Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, John von Neumann, J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee, and Larry Page.

This is the story of how their minds worked and what made them so inventive. It’s also a narrative of how their ability to collaborate and master the art of teamwork made them even more creative. For an era that seeks to foster innovation, creativity, and teamwork, The Innovators is “a sweeping and surprisingly tenderhearted history of the digital age” (The New York Times).

Student and protege of Sigmund Freud, Helene Deutsch was one of the most influential psychoanalysts of her time. An early woman analyst, Deutsch was an ardent feminist and a leading proponent of Freud's controversial theories about the psychology of women. Deutsch was also one of the first prominent career women to combine a professional life with motherhood-even though she never resolved her own conflicts over those contradictory demands. At the time of her death in 1982 at the age of 97, Helene Deutsch was the last survivior of Freud's original circle from Vienna. This volume is a definitive account of the life and works of this remarkable-and enigmatic-woman. The author knew Deutsch personally and was given exclusive access to her papers after her death.The private life of Helene Deutsch was as unconventional as her professional life. While Felix Deutsch, a physician who specialized in psychosomatic medicine, was to remain her husband for fifty years and father her son, Martin, their relationship was highly eccentric. Roazen produces evidence that indicates Felix Deutsch may have been homosexual; also that their son was raised primarily by Felix, as Helene was more interested in her career than was Felix in his, and the Deutsches often lived continents apart.With the rise of Nazism, Helene Deutsch departed in 1935 for America She was welcomed in Cambridge, Massachusetts by the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and was made director of the Society's new institute for the training of analysts. Her two-volume The Psychology of Women, published in 1945, remains one of the foundations of modern analysis. Roazen's biography is an authoritative portrait of a pioneer of psychoanalysis, and one of the unique women of her day. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, cultural historians, and specialists in women's studies.

It is well known that Einstein founded twentieth-century physics with his work on relativity and quanta, but what do we really know about these ground breaking ideas? How were they discovered? What should we retain today from the conceptual upheavals he initiated? Through a selection of concrete scenes taken from Einstein's life, the author offers a view into the formation of his theories, as well as reminders of the day-to-day applications of his ideas. Simultaneously the reader is lead through a reflection on their philosophical impact: How should we think of time according to the theory of relativity, which removes any meaningful "now" and shows that twins can have different ages? How should we think of reality when quantum theory predicts that spatially separated objects nevertheless remain connected through Einstein's notion of "entanglement," which has recently been verified through scientific observation? This book puts readers in Einstein's place, allowing them to share some of those particular moments when he succeeded in "lifting a corner of the great veil."

'I think you have something here' I said, 'This could lead to a whole new way of understanding criminal behaviour. As far as I know no one's ever tried to figure out why serial killers kill. The implications are profound.' Haunting, heartfelt, and deeply human, Dr Ann Burgess's remarkable memoir combines a riveting personal narrative of fearless feminism and ambition, bone-chilling encounters with real-life monsters, and a revealing portrait of the ever-evolving US criminal justice system. A Killer By Design will inspire, terrify, and enlighten you in equal measure. It forces us to confront the age-old question 'What drives someone to kill, and how can we stop them?' 'Of all the colleagues I've worked with, Ann is one of the sharpest - and one of the toughest ... She taught us how to harness the chaos of serial killers' minds and helped us decipher the undecipherable. I'd recommend that everyone read A Killer By Design; not only is it a great page-turner, but it's about time Ann's story was heard' - JOHN E. DOUGLAS, former FBI criminal profiler and bestselling author of Mindhunter.

Sir Norman Lockyer left "Nature," the world's leading scientific journal, as his lasting memorial. But his life, and controversial theories, are an important part of science history. His ideas were at the forefront of public debate, and ranged from the brilliant to the perverse. This entertaining book is a fascinating insight into his eventful life.

THE TRUE CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR AND SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER 'One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Engrossing, a haunting page-turner. A book I could not put down' The Times, BOOKS OF THE YEAR __________ Meet the forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd. He solves the mysteries of unexplained or sudden death. He has performed over 23,000 autopsies, including some of the most high-profile cases of recent times; the Hungerford Massacre, the Princess Diana inquiry, and 9/11. He has faced serial killers, natural disaster, 'perfect murders' and freak accidents. His evidence has put killers behind bars, freed the innocent, and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads. Yet all this has come at a huge personal cost. Unnatural Causes tells the story of not only the cases and bodies that have haunted him the most, but also how to live a life steeped in death. Thoughtful, revealing, chilling and always unputdownable, if you liked All That Remains, War Doctor and This is Going to Hurt you'll love this. **Pre-order Dr Richard Shepherd's new book THE SEVEN AGES OF DEATH now** __________ 'Gripping, grimly fascinating, and I suspect I'll read it at least twice' Evening Standard 'A deeply mesmerising memoir of forensic pathology. Human and fascinating' Nigella Lawson 'An absolutely brilliant book. I really recommend it, I don't often say that but it's fascinating' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2 'Puts the reader at his elbow as he wields the scalpel' Guardian 'Fascinating, gruesome yet engrossing' Richard and Judy, Daily Express 'Fascinating, insightful, candid, compassionate' Observer