The Explorer's Gene
New York Times-bestselling author of Endure Alex Hutchinson returns with a fresh, provocative investigation into how exploration, uncertainty, and risk shape our behavior and help us find meaning. Off the beaten path, following unmarked trails, we are wired to explore. More than just a need to get outside, the search for the unknown is a primal urge that has shaped the history of our species and continues to mold our behavior in ways we are only beginning to understand. In fact, the latest neuroscience suggests that exploration in any form--whether it's trying a new restaurant, changing careers, or deciding to run a marathon--is an essential ingredient of human life. Exploration, it turns out, isn't merely a hobby--it's our story.In this much-anticipated follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Endure, Alex Hutchinson refutes the myth that, in our fully mapped digital world, the age of exploration is dead. Instead, the itch to discover new things persists in all of us, expressed not just on the slopes of Everest but in the ways we work, play, and live. From paddling the lost rivers of the northern Canadian wilderness to the ocean-spanning voyages of the Polynesians to the search for next-generation quantum computers, The Explorer's Gene combines riveting stories of exploration with cutting-edge insights from behavioral psychology and neuroscience, making a powerful case that our lives are better--more productive, more meaningful, and more fun--when we break our habits and chart a new path.
Waiwai
For over a century, business interests and political insiders controlled waters across the Hawaiian Islands to benefit a privileged few at the expense of stream ecology, taro farmers, and our islands' future sustainability. With the future of Hawai'i's precious water resources at a critical stage, this book is a groundbreaking exploration of water in Hawaiʻi that bridges ancestral place-based knowledge with present challenges faced by community members, cultural activists, academics, scientists, and policymakers alike. In Waiwai: Water and the Future of Hawai'i, Kamanamaikalani Beamer brings together experts from diverse fields to tackle complex issues in water management. Indigenous scholars recount how ancestral abundance revolved around the movement and health of water and articulate how these guiding principles transitioned to exploitation by plantation industrialists after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Legal scholars unpack the web of regulations governing water rights; scientists assess the damage already done to aquifers and ecosystems and suggest ways to improve them. The book also investigates environmental responsibility in the case of the fuel leak from the US Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, giving county officials and community advocates a chance to uplift the concerns of those most impacted by the devastating tragedy. While providing readers with critical knowledge of the current status of water, the book's ultimate goal is to catalyze action. Chapter contributors aim to answer the central question: "What do people need to know about the future of water in Hawaiʻi, and what can they do to enable a better future?" The result is a bold vision for how everyone can work together for the long-term health of these islands we call home. Both accessible and critical, Waiwai sounds an alarm about the precarious state of water in Hawaiʻi. It is an interdisciplinary collaboration that illuminates past mistakes, makes clear present challenges, and equips readers with the knowledge and tools to come together and chart a way forward. With this book as a guide, community members, academics, scientists, policymakers, and aspiring visionaries are invited to redirect the course of water management toward sustainability, ensuring a legacy of abundance for future generations.
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
This thoroughly updated second edition guides readers through the central concepts and debates in the philosophy of science. Using concrete examples from the history of science, Kent W. Staley addresses questions about what science is, why it is important, and the basis for trust in scientific results. The first part of the book introduces the central concepts of philosophy of science, with updated discussions of the problem of induction, underdetermination, rationality, scientific progress, and important movements such as falsificationism, logical empiricism, and postpositivism, together with a new chapter on social constructionism. The second part offers updated chapters on probability, scientific realism, explanation, and values in science, along with new discussions of the role of models in science, science in policy-making, and feminist philosophy of science. This broad yet detailed overview will give readers a strong grounding in philosophy of science whilst also providing opportunities for further exploration.
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
This thoroughly updated second edition guides readers through the central concepts and debates in the philosophy of science. Using concrete examples from the history of science, Kent W. Staley addresses questions about what science is, why it is important, and the basis for trust in scientific results. The first part of the book introduces the central concepts of philosophy of science, with updated discussions of the problem of induction, underdetermination, rationality, scientific progress, and important movements such as falsificationism, logical empiricism, and postpositivism, together with a new chapter on social constructionism. The second part offers updated chapters on probability, scientific realism, explanation, and values in science, along with new discussions of the role of models in science, science in policy-making, and feminist philosophy of science. This broad yet detailed overview will give readers a strong grounding in philosophy of science whilst also providing opportunities for further exploration.
The Flora and Fauna of Monaghan
A highly visual and detailed history of the flora and fauna of County Monaghan, lovingly put together by the highly regarded botanist Alexis Fitzgerald.
Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Additively Manufactured Materials
The text highlights mechanical, thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties, and characterization of additive manufactured products in a single volume. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students and academic researchers in diverse engineering fields including industrial, manufacturing, and materials science.
Feminism in the Wild
How dominant culture--from sexism and homophobia to racism, capitalism, ableism, and more--has limited the science of animal behavior, and how we can free ourselves from these limited perspectives. In Feminism in the Wild, Ambika Kamath and Melina Packer reveal how scientists studying animal behavior have long projected human norms and values onto animals while seeking to understand them. When scientific studies conclude that these norms and values are natural in animals, it makes it easier to think of them as natural in humans too. And because scientists, historically and to this day, largely belong to elite, powerful segments of society, the norms and values embedded in animal behavior science match those of the already powerful. How can animal behavior science escape this trap of naturalizing dominant culture? Drawing from decades of feminist, antiracist, queer, disability justice, and Marxist contributions--including those of biologists--Kamath and Packer break down persistent assumptions in the status quo of animal behavior science and offer a multitude of alternative approaches. Core concepts in animal behavior science and evolutionary biology--from sex categories and sexual selection to fitness, adaptation, biological determinism, and more--are carefully contextualized and critically reexamined. This unique collaboration between an animal behavior scientist and a feminist science studies scholar is an illuminating and hopeful read for anyone who is curious about how animals behave, and anyone who wants to break free from scientific approaches that perpetuate systems of oppression.
The Ideological Brain
Named a best book of the year by The Guardian and The Telegraph Why do some people become radicalized? How do ideologies shape the human brain? And how can we unchain our minds from toxic dogmas? In The Ideological Brain, Leor Zmigrod reveals the deep connection between political beliefs and the biology of the brain. Drawing on her own pioneering research, she uncovers the complex interplay between biology and environment that predisposes some individuals to rigid ways of thinking, and explains how ideologies take hold of our brains, fundamentally changing the way we think, act and interact with others. She shows how ideologues of all types struggle to change their thought patterns when faced with new information, culminating in the radical message that our politics are not superficial but are woven into the fabric of our minds. This authoritative, accessible and playful blend of psychology, politics and philosophy explores the cutting-edge of the emerging field of political neuroscience. Zmigrod examines its historical roots before she looks to the future, considering the broader social and political implications of her groundbreaking research. Guiding readers through her experiments, she eventually describes what a free, authentic, and tolerant brain looks like, and explains how anyone can keep their mind open and flexible in the face of extremist ideologies.
Communication Does God Have a Problem? and Does It Matter?
There are many different understandings of God. This is evidenced by the multiplicity of faith groups and the variety within them. Has this situation come about because God has a communication problem ? Many of these groups claim that their own particular view is the only True and authentic understanding and thus everyone else is wrong. They behave and speak accordingly. This has, and still does, cause a range of harms. From personal guilt and shame to physical harm, torture and war. By demonstrating the evolutionary nature of knowledge, using science, philosophy and cosmology as exemplars, I suggest that similar processes also apply to understandings of God, faith and the scriptures. Using Evolution as a paradigm for change suggests that the different understandings of God are an inevitable consequence of the way God has set things up, not because of a breakdown in communication. Thus, we should embrace difference. Acceptance of this analysis leads to a radically different attitude. It means that no one faith can claim a monopoly on "The Truth" and we should accept the legitimacy of other understandings whilst acting and worshiping together as though there are none. Such a change in attitude is needed for everyones' sake and the future of the world.
The Rhythm of Everything
Is survival of the fittest enough? Or do we wish to thrive through connection? Discover how nature's rhythms reveal a life of abundance, purpose, and deeper meaning.Patterns are embedded in everything-from the delicate spirals of sunflowers to the vast cycles of ocean currents and weather systems. But what do these rhythms tell us about the world, and can they reveal something deeper about our origins, purpose, and connection to the universe?In The Rhythm of Everything, Bonnie Truax blends scientific discovery, personal travel stories, and reflections on faith to explore the interwoven patterns of life. Drawing from her adventures across every continent, she reveals how nature's design mirrors a greater truth-one that speaks to both the scientific mind and the seeking soul.This book will appeal to readers who: Enjoy science writing that explores patterns, symmetry, and the natural order.Seek a bridge between faith and reason in the study of life's origins.Love immersive storytelling that brings global landscapes and ecosystems to life.A compelling read for those who ponder the intersection of logic and belief, The Rhythm of Everything invites you to rediscover the wonder of the world-and your place within it.
Frostlines
A Recommended Read from Yale Climate Connections "[Frostlines weaves] together natural history, indigenous perspective, and environmental transformation in the Arctic. The book helps bring a human story to the science of climate change."--Parade A sweeping exploration of the Arctic--and how it's being transformed by climate change--from National Geographic writer Neil SheaAs warming reshapes our planet, the Arctic--a region that once seemed unchangeable, beyond the reach of modern problems--is quickly coming undone. While the old cold world can still be glimpsed in the movements of caribou, the hidden lives of wolves, and the hunting skill of an I簽upiaq elder, look closer and you'll find a new Arctic appearing in its place.In Frostlines, Neil Shea blends natural history, anthropology, and travel writing to explore how the beauty, chaos, and power of change in the far north are reflected in the lives of people and animals. He sojourns with a wolf pack on Canada's Ellesmere Island and travels with Indigenous hunters in Alaska, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. He tracks dwindling caribou herds across the top of North America, searches for vanished Vikings in Greenland, and visits the front line of the new Cold War rising between Russia and Europe. What Shea finds is not one Arctic but many--all still linked by shattering cold, seasons of darkness, and a pure, inimitable light. Frostlines illuminates: How Greenland's history has led to Trump's interest in [or obsession with] the country todayHow Russia is using the Arctic as a testing ground for geopolitical confrontationsWhy oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will further threaten Indigenous people and animalsWhy increased ship traffic in the Northwest Passage has profound consequences for the Inuit and global politicsWritten with masterful prose and a spark of adventure, Frostlines is an expansive yet intimate revelation of the Arctic during a time of transformation, and a journey along the threshold of a stunning and sometimes frightening world that's emerging right before our eyes.
Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain
One of our leading experts on the brain and #1 New York Times bestselling author explores how chronic physical and emotional pain are both rooted in your brain's wiring, leaving you stuck in the doom loop and how you can break free to heal from the "doom loop" and reclaim a vibrant, pain-free life.In the United States alone, one in five adults experiences chronic pain. For too long, when a doctor couldn't find the source of frequent pain, the patient was dismissively told "it's all in your head." Today, we know that our somatic responses to trauma, anxiety, and depression create real suffering, and that physical pain can lead to trauma, anxiety, and depression. Dr. Daniel Amen calls this "the doom loop"--the dance between physical and emotional pain. These doom loops interfere with our ability to live our lives. But we can shift the doom loop into a healing loop, and in this vital book, he shows us how.Dr. Amen has been researching a new brain-based approach to pain. In Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain he draws on those studies to reveal: Pain producing versus pain soothing thought patterns Muscle tension and trauma vs calmness and clarityThe use of medical and nutraceuticals to help calm the pathwaysThe effects of diet, exercise, meditation, breath to help painOur current approach to understanding and treating physical and emotional pain is misguided. Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain offers a healthier way, one that involves less medication, less surgery, and better outcomes. Just like the human heart, the human brain is an organ, and that to be free of emotional or physical pain, it is critical to get the brain as healthy as it can be--not just physically, but emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually, as well.
Qualitative Pathways for Publication
Qualitative research cultivates exploratory ways of thinking that can serve as a vehicle to disseminate findings for researchers, scientists, and principal investigators. However, publishing requires an understanding of theoretical foundations. Researchers may know to use interviews as a method but failing to explicate theory risks reviewer rejection. Multitasking scholars need a succinct "nuts and bolts" approach. This book synthesizes major qualitative scholarship and translates it to scientists and researchers to achieve pathways to publication. While succinct, this book is not rudimentary. There is a minimum amount researchers need to know to get qualitative research published--to read, write, and cite. This book supports scientists' goal-oriented approach to translate scientific research into tangible benefits, improve quality of life, enhance efficiency, and solve practical problems faced by individuals and communities.
American Forests
For more than a century, Americans have carried on a debate about their forests over how and why to manage them, and the sometimes-heated discussions continue today. In American Forests, Douglas MacCleery traces this debate from the time that forest management first came to the United States, through the conservation and environmental movements, on up to 2011, when the book was last updated.MacCleery's history of recovery establishes that the "timber famine" that Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot so stridently forecast in the early twentieth century never occurred. He shows that logged lands have come back, either through natural processes or human effort, unless converted to agricultural or urban use. Also, many species of wildlife--once diminished--are again abundant, forested watersheds are better protected, and the number of forest acres that burn each year has been dramatically reduced. Nonetheless, as MacCleery points out, the new forests are different from the original forests, which had evolved according to nature's rhythms and in response to native peoples' significant manipulation. And while some wildlife species thrive under the new conditions, others do not. Appreciation of the forest as an ecosystem increases, but the debate is not over.
Statistics by Simulation
An accessible guide to understanding statistics using simulations, with examples from a range of scientific disciplines Real-world challenges such as small sample sizes, skewed distributions of data, biased sampling designs, and more predictors than data points are pushing the limits of classical statistical analysis. This textbook provides a new tool for the statistical toolkit: data simulations. It shows that using simulation and data-generating models is an excellent way to validate statistical reasoning and to augment study design and statistical analysis with planning and visualization. Although data simulations are not new to professional statisticians, Statistics by Simulation makes the approach accessible to a broader audience, with examples from many fields. It introduces the reasoning behind data simulation and then shows how to apply it in planning experiments or observational studies, developing analytical workflows, deploying model diagnostics, and developing new indices and statistical methods. - Covers all steps of statistical practice, from planning projects to post-hoc analysis and model checking- Provides examples from disciplines including sociology, psychology, ecology, economics, physics, and medicine- Includes R code for all examples, with data and code freely available online- Offers bullet-point outlines and summaries of each chapter- Minimizes the use of jargon and requires only basic statistical background and skills
Statistics by Simulation
An accessible guide to understanding statistics using simulations, with examples from a range of scientific disciplines Real-world challenges such as small sample sizes, skewed distributions of data, biased sampling designs, and more predictors than data points are pushing the limits of classical statistical analysis. This textbook provides a new tool for the statistical toolkit: data simulations. It shows that using simulation and data-generating models is an excellent way to validate statistical reasoning and to augment study design and statistical analysis with planning and visualization. Although data simulations are not new to professional statisticians, Statistics by Simulation makes the approach accessible to a broader audience, with examples from many fields. It introduces the reasoning behind data simulation and then shows how to apply it in planning experiments or observational studies, developing analytical workflows, deploying model diagnostics, and developing new indices and statistical methods. - Covers all steps of statistical practice, from planning projects to post-hoc analysis and model checking- Provides examples from disciplines including sociology, psychology, ecology, economics, physics, and medicine- Includes R code for all examples, with data and code freely available online- Offers bullet-point outlines and summaries of each chapter- Minimizes the use of jargon and requires only basic statistical background and skills
The Narrative Brain
An investigation of the emotional power of narrative that illuminates the relationship between the human brain and the stories we tell As humans, we think in stories--stories that allow us to feel and share emotions. In order for this phenomenon to work, our brains and the ways in which we tell stories must be attuned to each other. But how exactly does this happen? Tapping into the essence of thinking in stories, Fritz Breithaupt draws on the latest scientific research, including a retelling study (comparable to the telephone game) with more than 12,000 participants, and experiments in which ChatGPT functions as storyteller. This wide-ranging study includes analyses of political history, novels, fairy tales, and everyday office gossip; proposes a new theory of narrative that focuses on emotions and affects; and hypothesizes on the evolution of narratives among our hominid ancestors. Redefining us as beings who anchor ourselves in the world through narratives, Breithaupt introduces a new kind of psychology that cuts to the core of how and why humans feel the need to tell stories.
Social and Ethical Considerations of AI in East Asia and Beyond
The Shape of Wonder
In this captivating, insightful book, acclaimed physicists Alan Lightman and Martin Rees illuminate the life and work of numerous scientists in order to demystify the scientific process and show that scientists are concerned citizens, just like the rest of us. "Remarkable. . . . Illuminating with refreshing clarity the ordinary and sometimes extraordinary work of scientists. This book is essential reading." --Jennifer Ackerman, bestselling author of What an Owl Knows In an age of rapid scientific discovery and technological advancement, it's understandable that many feel uneasy about the future. While we might have confidence in these new developments when we go to the hospital for a medical procedure, fly in an airplane, or take an elevator to the top floor of a building, the motivations and lives of scientists themselves feel shrouded from public view. There is a growing sense that scientists are not to be trusted--that they may be guided by political or financial interests, or beholden to governments, or state institutions. This growing mistrust of scientists is an urgent problem. With the onset of climate change, the imminent threats of pandemic or nuclear war, and rapid acceleration in the fields of artificial intelligence and DNA sequencing, innovations in science have the potential to change the world. It's crucial that we not only gain a better understanding of science as a field, but also reestablish trust with its practitioners. The Shape of Wonder guides us through the fascinating lives and minds of scientists around the world and throughout time, from a young theoretical physicist who works as a research assistant professor at the University of Washington and rock climbs in their free time; to German physicist Werner Heisenberg in his early life, when he was a student of music and philosophy; to Govind Swarup, an Indian astronomer whose work on radio telescopes was profoundly important. We get an inside peek at what makes scientists tick--their daily lives, passions, and concerns about the societies they live in. In this brilliant and elucidative work, Lightman and Rees pull back the curtain on the field of science, revealing that scientists are driven by the same sense of curiosity, wonder, and responsibility towards the future that shapes us all.
Behaviours Relations and Interhumanity
This book innovatively defines behaviours and health with fractal symmetry. It also includes a new definition of consciousness as a foundation. A new model of how behaviours arise, as well as a challenging mental model of how information is communicated is introduced. These are part of and also reinforce the foundation of the theory and help to concretize what we cannot see with the eye, but which exists and can be felt. It provides new perspectives on consciousness and the prevailing attachment and behavioural theories. The author is of the opinion that these theories, with necessity, need to be renewed so that people can fully understand their behaviours and relationships and to be able to live healthier lives together with each other. Readers are provided with short, concise and pithy explanations and the chapters which are intimately interwoven, give a gradually deepened understanding. Selected chapters then build on (self)-reflection and discussion. Based on the concept of interhumanity, the book wants to take a closer look at what goes on between us humans. What it is, how to describe it and how it affects us. Thereby, it treats behaviours based on the structure of our bodily functions as a whole and how we receive the information that is the basis for our behaviours are based on. Relationships, male and female, are some of the common threads of the theory and are emphasized throughout along with what favours the most healthy.
Unreliable
Reproducibility is fundamental to the scientific method. After reading a paper describing research findings, a scientist should be able to repeat the experiment and obtain the same results. Yet an alarming number--perhaps as high as 90 percent--of published biomedical research papers face challenges in independent replication. Such issues range from honest mistakes to outright fraud. The scope of this crisis, however, underscores deeper systemic issues within the scientific community: its culture, incentives, and institutions. In Unreliable, the distinguished scientist Csaba Szabo examines the causes and consequences of the reproducibility crisis in biomedical research, showing why the factors that encourage misconduct stem from flaws in real-world science. There are many culprits, including commonplace research methods and dubious statistical techniques. Academic career incentives, hypercompetition for grant funding, and a bias toward publishing positive results have exacerbated the problem. Deliberate data manipulation and fabricated findings churned out by "paper mills" are disturbingly common. Academic institutions and publishers, for their part, have perpetuated a culture of impunity. Szabo explores how these failures have hindered scientific progress and impeded the development of new treatments, and he introduces readers to the "science sleuths" who tirelessly uncover misconduct. He proposes comprehensive reforms, from scientific training to the grant system through the publication process, to address the root causes of the crisis. Written in clear language and leavened with a keen sense of irony, Unreliable is an essential account of the reproducibility crisis that gives readers an inside look at how science is actually done.
Unreliable
Reproducibility is fundamental to the scientific method. After reading a paper describing research findings, a scientist should be able to repeat the experiment and obtain the same results. Yet an alarming number--perhaps as high as 90 percent--of published biomedical research papers face challenges in independent replication. Such issues range from honest mistakes to outright fraud. The scope of this crisis, however, underscores deeper systemic issues within the scientific community: its culture, incentives, and institutions. In Unreliable, the distinguished scientist Csaba Szabo examines the causes and consequences of the reproducibility crisis in biomedical research, showing why the factors that encourage misconduct stem from flaws in real-world science. There are many culprits, including commonplace research methods and dubious statistical techniques. Academic career incentives, hypercompetition for grant funding, and a bias toward publishing positive results have exacerbated the problem. Deliberate data manipulation and fabricated findings churned out by "paper mills" are disturbingly common. Academic institutions and publishers, for their part, have perpetuated a culture of impunity. Szabo explores how these failures have hindered scientific progress and impeded the development of new treatments, and he introduces readers to the "science sleuths" who tirelessly uncover misconduct. He proposes comprehensive reforms, from scientific training to the grant system through the publication process, to address the root causes of the crisis. Written in clear language and leavened with a keen sense of irony, Unreliable is an essential account of the reproducibility crisis that gives readers an inside look at how science is actually done.
Science Communication
This book is an accessible yet critical introduction to science communication viewed as the social conversation around science. It addresses why science communication matters, examines the evolution of theories and practices, and explains concepts, myths, misunderstandings and challenges.
The Art of Explanation
**From BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos and host of the forthcoming BBC Radio 4 podcast 'Communicating with Ros Atkins'**'A great read for polishing your communication skills' FORBES'For all those who want their audiences to listen and understand' JEREMY BOWEN 'Precision, deftness and a calming expertise' THE TIMES Do you worry about holding people's attention during presentations?Are you unsure where to start when faced with writing an essay or report?Are you preparing for an interview and wondering how to get all your points across? Explanation - identifying and communicating what we want to say - is an art. And the BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos, is something of a master of the form. In this book, Ros shares the secrets he has learned from years of working in high-pressure newsrooms, identifying the ten elements of a good explanation and the seven steps you need to take to express yourself with clarity and impact. Whether at work, school, university or home, we all benefit from being able to articulate ourselves clearly. Filled with practical examples, The Art of Explanation is a must-read for anyone who wants to sharpen their communication skills.
