An expert yet easy-to-understand examination of space travel, from the first human voyages to the goals of future endeavors. In Space Travel: Ten Short Lessons, Paul Parsons takes us on an exhilarating journey to examine the game-changing discoveries in the history of space exploration that have illuminated the darkest corners of our universe. From the amazing technology that has enabled us to look beyond the clouds to the development of rockets and spacecraft during the twentieth century that led to missions to the moon and beyond, to the space tourism of the twenty-first century, this is a cutting-edge, expert-led guide for curious minds. About the series: The Pocket Einstein series is a collection of essential pocket-sized guides for anyone looking to understand a little more about some of the most relevant science that affects us all in the twenty-first century. Broken down into ten simple lessons and written by leading experts in their field, the books reveal the ten most important takeaways from those areas of science we should all know more about.

Did you know your irises are lying to you and all human eyes are actually brown? Want to know the absolute worst way to die, according to science? Did you know that a smoking psychedelic toad milk could alleviate depression for up to four weeks? 117 Things You Should F*#king Know About Your World tells you the answers to these questions and many more weird and wonderful facts about the universe. Split into the site's different subject areas of environment, technology, space, health and medicine, plants and animals, physics and chemistry, this is the ultimate science book. With 25 million social media followers, I F*#king Love Science is the world's favourite source of science on the web. From missing nuclear weapons and Facebook secret files to the world's smallest computer and why you should wrap your car keys in tinfoil, this is the book that only the world's leading source of crazy-but-true stories could produce.

This is the planner that only the world's most off-beat, irreverent, and weirdly wonderful source of science could produce. From the creators of IFLScience comes this 12-month planner, which includes: Undated weekly and monthly overviews for recording dates and appointments. Blank pages for tracking goals and to-do lists. Notes on historic moments in Science history on given days of the year. 50 spot illustrations throughout. Ribbon marker. Rounded corners and full-color cover.

Almost fifty years after he first crossed the small screen, Doctor Who remains a science fiction touchstone. His exploits are thrilling, his world is mind-boggling, and that time travel machine--known as the Tardis--is almost certainly an old-fashioned blue police box, once commonly found in London.

Paul Parsons's plain-English account of the real science behind the fantastic universe portrayed in the "Doctor Who" television series provides answers to such burning questions as whether a sonic screwdriver is any use for putting up a shelf, how Cybermen make little Cybermen, where the toilets are in the Tardis, and much more.

Taking the show as a starting point--episode-by-episode in some cases--Parsons dissects its scientific concepts. In addition to explaining why time travel is possible and just how that blue police box works, Parsons

- discusses who the Time Lords are and how we may one day be able to regenerate just like them- ponders the ways that the doctor's two hearts might work and introduces us to a terrestrial animal with five- details the alien populations and cosmology of the Whovian Universe and relates them to what we currently know about our universe- compares the robotics of the show with startlingly similar real-world applications

This slender, equation-free discussion is penned by a Ph.D. cosmologist and is ideal beach reading for anyone who loves science and watches the show--no matter which planet the beach is on.

'Extremely authoritative. The best book I have read on space travel since Arthur C. Clarke's classic, The Promise of Space.' Marcus Chown

In an era of rapidly developing technology and renewed ambition, the twenty-first century has ushered in an exciting new age of space flight. But what has brought us to this point in our exploration of the universe? And what does the future of space travel hold? From the amazing technology that has enabled us to look beyond the clouds to the possibilities of space tourism, 10 Short Lessons in Space Travel takes a timely look at the essential lessons learned from our voyages into outer space.

About the series: The Pocket Einstein series is a collection of essential pocket-sized guides for anyone looking to understand a little more about some of the most relevant science that affects us all in the twenty-first century. Broken down into ten simple lessons and written by leading experts in their field, discover the ten most important takeaways from those areas of science we should all know more about.

Instant Mathematics pulls together all the pivotal mathematical theories and discoveries into one concise volume. Each page contains a discrete 'cheat sheet', which tells you the most important facts in bite-sized chunks, meaning you can become an expert in an instant. From zero to the Riemann Hypothesis, from primes to irrational numbers, and from Pythagoras to John Nash and Roger Penrose, every key figure, theory or term is expressed in succinct and lively text and graphics. Perfect for the knowledge hungry and time poor, this collection of graphic-led lessons makes mathematics interesting and accessible. Everything you need to know - and more - is here.

As one of the most recognisable images in science, the periodic table is ingrained in our culture. First drawn up in 1869 by Dmitri Mendeleev, its 118 elements make up not only everything on our planet but also everything in the entire universe. The periodic table looks at the fascinating story and surprising uses of each of those elements, whether solid, liquid or gas. From the little-known uses of gold in medicine to the development of the hydrogen bomb, each entry is accompanied by technical data (category, atomic number, weight, boiling point) presented in easy-to-read headers, and a colour-coding system that helps the reader to navigate through the different groups of elements. A remarkable display of thought-provoking science and beautiful photography, this guide will allow the reader to discover the world afresh.

50 Science Ideas You Really Need to Know is your guide to the biggest questions and deepest concepts from across the whole of science. What was the Big Bang? How did life on Earth arise? What does quantum mechanics tell us about the universe? Is true artificial intelligence possible? And does life exist on other planets? Moving from the basics of atoms and molecules, Newton's laws of physics and the building blocks of life to the cutting edge of nanotechnology, Einstein's theories of relativity and cloning, this book makes the many worlds of science accessible and illuminating. Featuring fifty concise, insightful and illustrated essays covering physics and astronomy, Earth and life sciences, chemistry and materials, psychology and computing, and exploring the ways they connect with each other and impact on our lives, 50 Science Ideas You Really Need to Know is the ideal introduction to the questions which fascinate us all.

Interest in visualization design has increased in recent years. While there is a large body of existing work from which visualization designers can draw, much of the past research has focused on developing new tools and techniques that are aimed at specific contexts. Less focus has been placed on developing holistic frameworks, models, and theories that can guide visualization design at a general level-a level that transcends domains, data types, users, and other contextual factors. In addition, little emphasis has been placed on the thinking processes of designers, including the concepts that designers use, while they are engaged in a visualization design activity. In this book we present a general, holistic framework that is intended to support visualization design for human-information interaction. The framework is composed of a number of conceptual elements that can aid in design thinking. The core of the framework is a pattern language-consisting of a set of 14 basic, abstract patterns-and a simple syntax for describing how the patterns are blended. We also present a design process, made up of four main stages, for creating static or interactive visualizations. The 4-stage design process places the patterns at the core of designers' thinking, and employs a number of conceptual tools that help designers think systematically about creating visualizations based on the information they intend to represent. Although the framework can be used to design static visualizations for simple tasks, its real utility can be found when designing visualizations with interactive possibilities in mind-in other words, designing to support a human-information interactive discourse. This is especially true in contexts where interactive visualizations need to support complex tasks and activities involving large and complex information spaces. The framework is intended to be general and can thus be used to design visualizations for diverse domains, users, information spaces, and tasks in different fields such as business intelligence, health and medical informatics, digital libraries, journalism, education, scientific discovery, and others. Drawing from research in multiple disciplines, we introduce novel concepts and terms that can positively contribute to visualization design practice and education, and will hopefully stimulate further research in this area.

Deep-sky observing - that's looking at the stars, nebulae and galaxies - is easily the most popular field for amateur astronomers. The big problem faced by non-professional observers is what to look at - what's visible at a paticular time of year. The Deep-sky Observer's Year is a month-by-month guide to the best objects to view. Objects are given a "star rating" according to how difficult they are to observe or image (i.e. photograph) with a particular size of telescope. The book includes many images produced by amateur astronomers, as well as photographs from NASA, ESA and ESO. There is also some background information about the objects that can be seen, along with lots of useful tips, hints, and resources (especially about what's available on the Internet) for deep-sky observers.

How to survive an earthquake. How to make an invisibility cloak. How to turn lead into gold. How to read someone's mind. Physics = tedious and unfathomable, right? No longer. If you thought physics was all about measuring the temperature of an ice bucket or trying to understand complicated equations, think again. How to Destroy the Universe will make you see the world around us through fresh eyes.