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Books > Biography > Science, technology & engineering
In this revelatory and moving memoir, a former NASA astronaut and
NFL wide receiver shares his personal journey from the gridiron to
the stars, examining the intersecting roles of community,
perseverance and grace that align to create the opportunities for
success.Leland Melvin is the only person in human history to catch
a pass in the National Football League and in space. Though his
path to the heavens was riddled with setbacks and injury, Leland
persevered to reach the stars. While training with NASA, Melvin
suffered a severe injury that left him deaf. Leland was relegated
to earthbound assignments, but chose to remain and support his
astronaut family. His loyalty paid off. Recovering partial hearing,
he earned his eligibility for space travel. He served as mission
specialist for two flights aboard the shuttle Atlantis, working on
the International Space Station.In this uplifting memoir, the
former NASA astronaut and professional athlete offers an
examination of the intersecting role of community, determination,
and grace that align to shape our opportunities and outcomes.
Chasing Space is not the story of one man, but the story of many
men, women, scientists, and mentors who helped him defy the odds
and live out an uncommon destiny.As a chemist, athlete, engineer
and space traveler, Leland's life story is a study in the science
of achievement. His personal insights illuminate how grit and
grace, are the keys to overcoming adversity and rising to success.
Pre-order the heart-wrenchingly honest new book about life and
death from forensic pathologist and bestselling author of Unnatural
Causes, Dr Richard Shepherd. 'This book is about death, but in it I
will take readers on a journey through life . . .' Dr Richard
Shepherd, Britain's top forensic pathologist, has spent a lifetime
close to the dead. As a medical detective, each autopsy he carries
out is its own unique investigation, uncovering the secrets not
only of how a person died, but also of how, through every stage of
life, the risks to each of us ebb and flow. Through twenty-four of
his most intriguing, enlightening and never-before-told cases, Dr
Shepherd shares autopsies that span the seven ages of human
existence, and have taught him as much about the marvels of life as
the inevitability of death. From old to young, from murder to
misadventure, and from illness to accidental death, each of these
bodies has something to reveal: about human development, about
mortality, about its owner's life story, about justice and even
about Shepherd himself. From the bestselling author of Unnatural
Causes comes a powerful, moving and above all reassuring book about
death as it touches our own lives - how to understand it, how best
to postpone it, and, when our time comes (as it must), how to
embrace it as the last great adventure. __________ Praise for Dr
Richard Shepherd '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
Marie Curie coined the term 'radioactivity', and it is to her and
her husband, Pierre Curie, that we owe much of our current
understanding of the very fabric of reality. Born in Warsaw, Marie
was the fifth and youngest child of teachers. Her father taught
mathematics and science, for which she showed an early affinity,
and she later went to study in Paris, where she met Pierre. The
work they did together revolutionized modern science. As well as
discovering the atomic rather than chemical nature of
radioactivity, the Curies isolated two new elements: polonium and
radium. This biography does full justice to the scientific and
human aspects of Marie's life, detailing her tumultuous personal
history at a time of social upheaval, and her struggle to gain
recognition in an era when female scientists were almost unknown.
Marie Curie died in 1934, succumbing to aplastic anaemia that may
have stemmed from her scientific investigations. Her work not only
contributed to our understanding of the structure of the atom - and
therefore the structure of the physical world itself - but also
laid the foundations for modern medical innovations such as
radiotherapy. Her example continues to inspire millions of people
across the world.
The epic, page-turning history of how a group of physicists toppled
the Newtonian universe in the early decades of the twentieth
century. Marie Curie, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg,
Erwin Schroedinger, and Albert Einstein didn't only revolutionise
physics; they redefined our world and the reality we live in. In
The Age of Uncertainty, Tobias Hurter brings to life the golden age
of physics and its dazzling, flawed, and unforgettable heroes and
heroines. The work of the twentieth century's most important
physicists produced scientific breakthroughs that led to an
entirely new view of physics - and a view of the universe that is
still not fully understood today, even as evidence for its accuracy
is all around us. The men and women who made these discoveries were
intellectual adventurers, renegades, dandies, and nerds, some bound
together by deep friendship; others, by bitter enmity. But the age
of relativity theory and quantum mechanics was also the age of wars
and revolutions. The discovery of radioactivity transformed
science, but also led to the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Throughout The Age of Uncertainty, Hurter reminds us about the
entanglement of science and world events, for we cannot observe the
world without changing it.
There is no doubt that life is a bogus journey and it does not end
well for any of us. However, join eye surgeon Pete Cackett on his
eventful pathway through life and career in medicine and learn from
his own unfortunate mishaps. Discover how it is possible to make
your own journey less bogus, especially if you follow his advice
and tips from his 'Hidden Curriculum'. This book is a celebration
of life in all its glorious bogusness with plenty of humour and
retro pop culture references along the way.This is a medical
autobiography and is the first one which directly addresses the
medical profession (doctors and medical students) and other allied
health professionals. It covers many relevant issues and topics on
working as a doctor, including those which many are reluctant to
talk about such as private practice. It also includes advice
gleaned from over 30 years in medicine as part of a 'Hidden
Curriculum'. This guidance can be used by the reader to make
changes to their own lives in order to create a happier and more
successful existence.
Can there be life after a brainstem stroke? After Dr. Shawn
Jennings, a busy family physician, suffered a brainstem stroke on
May 13, 1999, he woke from a coma locked inside his body, aware and
alert but unable to communicate or move. Once he regained limited
movement in his left arm, he began typing his story, using one hand
and a lot of patience. With unexpected humour and tender honesty,
Shawn shares his experiences in his struggle for recovery and
acceptance of his life after the stroke. He affirms that even
without achieving a full recovery life is still worth it.
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