Bergson's Scientific Metaphysics
This volume brings Bergson's key ideas from Matter and Memory into dialogue with contemporary themes on memory and time in science, across analytic and continental philosophy. Focusing specifically on the application of Bergson's ideas to cognitive science, the circuit between perception and memory receives full explication in 15 different essays. By re-reading Bergson through a cognitive lens, the essays provide a series of alternative analytic interpretations to the standard continental approach to Bergson's oeuvre, without fully discounting either approach. The relevance of philosophies of mind and memory sit alongside the role of a metaphysics of time in exploring connections to psychology, biology, and physics. This eclecticism includes an exciting focus on numerous topics that are not given sufficient attention in extant studies of Bergson, including the precise nature of his ideas on dualism, memory, and ecological theories of perception, especially in relation to his contemporaries. Led by leading Bergson scholars from France and Japan, this book maps the rich terrain of Bergson's contemporary relevance alongside the historical context of his ideas.
Landlines
The powerful story of a 1,000-mile healing walk--from the lochs of Scotland to England's southwest coast--in a remarkable evocation of modern-day Britain. Raynor Winn knows that her husband Moth's health is declining, getting worse by the day. She knows of only one cure. It worked once before. But will he--can he?--set out with her on another healing walk? The Cape Wrath Trail is hundreds of miles of grueling terrain through Scotland's remotest mountains and lochs. But the lure of the wilderness and the beguiling beauty of the awaiting glens draw them northwards. Being one with nature saved them in their darkest hour years earlier--and their hope is that this experience can work its magic again. So Raynor and Moth embark on an incredible thousand-mile journey: from Scotland to the familiar shores of the South West Coast Path, from Northumberland to the Yorkshire moors, and from Wales to home again. As they map with each step the landscape of their island nation, they find themselves facing existential questions--about themselves and about their country--during this epic, inspiring odyssey.
Faith in Fallacy
Today, when global warming denial and vaccination denial are alarmingly prevalent, it is crucial to understand that throughout history, science denial at the state level has cost scores of millions of lives. In the Soviet Union under Stalin, Lysenko's denial of genetics led to disastrous agricultural policies, resulting in the persecution and execution of dissenting scientists and widespread famine. A similar tragedy unfolded in Mao's China, where the wholesale adoption of Lysenkoism contributed to a famine that claimed an estimated 45 million lives. In Germany starting in the 1930s, Adolf Hitler made state policy of Nazi eugenics, a twisted theory which held that some races are superior to others. This led first to the murder of disabled persons, including children, and then to the smoking chimneys of the Holocaust. President Mbeki of South Africa conducted his own internet research and rejected a virtually unanimous scientific consensus to conclude that HIV does not cause AIDS and that folk remedies are preferable to anti-retroviral drugs, costing an estimated 330,000 deaths. In this century, in Brazil and the United States, Presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump rejected medical advice to downplay the danger of the COVID-19 virus and discourage protective measures, causing many unnecessary deaths. The two of them and today's Republican party reject the consensus among scientists that manmade global warming is true, thus choosing to deny and ignore the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced. Doomsday has not yet arrived, but we can see it from here and time is running out.
Restoring Science and the Rule of Law
Science and the rule of law are the two pillars of modernity. Even though both result from the attempt to employ reason to limit the exercise of power in the scientific and the political sphere, they bear in themselves the germs of their own destruction: scientism and welfare totalitarianism. This book examines a trend towards a new, specifically postmodern totalitarianism, namely a regime of "actually existing postmodernism" that is based on the collusion of four elements: (i) scientism and its political use, (ii) intellectual postmodernism, (iii) welfare states, and (iv) crony capitalism. The book then shows a way out by utilising the philosophy of Descartes and Kant, the social-normative turn in the 20th century, and the resources of Austrian libertarianism from Hayek and Popper to Mises, Rothbard and Hoppe. These intellectual resources lay the ground for a New Enlightenment and an open society shaped by a free science and voluntary cooperation under the rule of law. Restoring Science and the Rule of Law is essential reading for philosophers of science and for political theorists interested in the foundations of the rule of law.
Milieus of Minutiae
The long history of tiny matter(s) in the sciences, thought, and culture Winner of the Modern Language Association Prize for an Edited CollectionFrom catastrophic weather and steady warming caused by the accumulation of carbon particles in the Earth's atmosphere to societies brought to a standstill by microscopic viruses, the new millennium has reminded us of how the minutest of phenomena can have outsized effects. This notion is one that has preoccupied the European and Anglo-American cultural imaginary since at least early modernity. Milieus of Minutiae brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars to investigate various forms and appearances of minutiae prior to and beyond the advent of magnification. The collection illuminates connections between the empirical practices and technologies with which minutiae have come to be associated and the broader, more diffuse discourses--from the philosophical to the artistic--that have attended theories of smallness before and after Hooke's Micrographia. Placing essays on Renaissance poetry, Romantic fiction, and matters of punctuation alongside essays on early modern germ theory and the optics of microscopic technology, this rigorously framed volume extends from sixteenth-century pathology to twentieth-century architectural theory, natural science to literature and art.
The Great Flood
A journey that explores floods and flooding in all its forms: Platt investigates the ways in which water has shaped our landscape, our literature and our sense of ourselves.
Botany for Everyone
In this book, you'll learn how plants are organized, organelle function, the form and function of modified plant cells, the four basic tissues plants have, and the names of plant organs and reproductive structures. In the back of this book, the activity with an adult will show you how to extract DNA from a strawberry. The two-page glossary has definitions and IPA pronunciation guides for new terminology so you can feel confident when reading this book!
Balancing a Sauropod
One completely unexplored area in terms of physiology is the era of dinosaurs--with good reason, they lived over 100 million years ago and we're left to make inference based on fossilized bones. However, by merging classical, comparative, and extreme physiology and applying it to current paleontological knowledge of dinosaurs, Balancing a Sauropod: The Physiology of a Dinosaur will for the first time begin to provide a sound physiological underpinning for how they may have lived 100 million years ago. Sauropods were the largest land animals to ever walk the earth with an incredible distance from heart to brain, begging the question, how did they maintain blood flow in their brain? Also, the climate sauropods lived in was hypoxic compared to what we live in now, so how did the dinosaurs breathe in the hypoxic Jurassic era? These questions and others expand to multiple fascinating questions the book will dissect in order of organ systems. The topics focus on major organ systems and apply them to potential sauropod physiology. Less emphasis is given to the skeletal system, as that has been discussed extensively in other literature. Each organ system will be discussed in terms of function and current understanding of how they work in a comparative environment. Balancing a Sauropod: The Physiology of a Dinosaur is written at a technical level to both inform the lay reader and provide a sound argument to scientists in the field.
Functional Nanomaterials
Nanoparticles (NPs) offer an innovative platform for targeted cancer diagnosis and therapy. Advanced synthesis and surface functionalization strategies facilitate reversible binding and triggered release of drugs. NPs are also excellent contrast agents for clinical imaging techniques. This book discusses current and future applications of functional nanoparticles in oncology, as well as strategies for tailoring novel multifunctional nanomaterials.
Science Societies
What role do science and technology play in society? What is the nature of expert knowledge? What is science's relation to democracy? This introduction to science, technology, and society answers these questions, and more, by exploring contemporary research on topics such as expertise, activism, science policy, and innovation. It offers a comprehensive resource for considering the place that science and technology have in contemporary societies, and the roles that they can and should play. Accessible to a non-specialist audience, it draws on a rich range of cases and examples, from nuclear activism in India to content moderation in Kenya. Framing science as always social, and society as always shaped by science and technology, it asks: what worlds do we want science and technology to bring into being?
Science Societies
What role do science and technology play in society? What is the nature of expert knowledge? What is science's relation to democracy? This introduction to science, technology, and society answers these questions, and more, by exploring contemporary research on topics such as expertise, activism, science policy, and innovation. It offers a comprehensive resource for considering the place that science and technology have in contemporary societies, and the roles that they can and should play. Accessible to a non-specialist audience, it draws on a rich range of cases and examples, from nuclear activism in India to content moderation in Kenya. Framing science as always social, and society as always shaped by science and technology, it asks: what worlds do we want science and technology to bring into being?
Qualitative Data Analysis With Chatgpt And Qualcoder
Reduce Qualitative Data Analysis Time by Over Half - Your Practical Guide to AI-Powered Coding with ChatGPT and QualCoderAre you overwhelmed by endless qualitative coding, theme generation, and narrative interpretation? Traditional qualitative analysis can be time-consuming, tedious, and drain your valuable research energy. Imagine cutting your analysis time in half while gaining deeper insights and maintaining complete control over your data!In This Book, You'll Discover How To: Seamlessly Integrate AI with Qualitative Analysis: Learn how to set up and integrate ChatGPT with QualCoder-an open-source software-to streamline your coding process.Craft Powerful AI Prompts: Develop effective prompts that guide ChatGPT to generate meaningful codes and thematic analysis, accelerating your workflow.Leverage AI-Generated Insights: Incorporate dynamic, data-driven insights into your analysis while ensuring the rigor and reliability of your research.Efficiently Manage Data: From initial data preparation to final reporting, learn how to use AI tools to keep your analysis organized and insightful.Who Is This Book For?Beginner Researchers: Perfect for those new to qualitative research looking to explore how AI can simplify coding and theme generation.Experienced Scholars: Enhance your existing qualitative methods by using cutting-edge tools to boost efficiency and streamline analysis.Responsible AI Users: For researchers committed to using AI ethically and effectively without compromising academic rigor.By the end of this guide, you'll be equipped with practical, step-by-step strategies to transform your qualitative data analysis-so you can focus on what matters most: making groundbreaking discoveries.Take control of your research process. Transform your analysis with AI today!
Plasticity in the Life Sciences
Analyzes the reasons why biologists have referred to and continue to refer to plasticity. Plasticity has become an important topic in biology, with some even wondering if it has now acquired the theoretical importance in biology that the concept of the gene enjoyed at the beginning of the last century. In this historical and epistemological study, philosopher Antonine Nicoglou shows how the recurrence of the general idea of plasticity--throughout the history of the life sciences--indicates its essential role in the way we think about life processes. Although plasticity has become a key element in new evolutionary thinking, she argues, its role in contemporary biology is also not insignificant. Rather, as mobilized in contemporary biology, plasticity most often seeks to account for the specific nature of living systems. The book is divided into two parts. The first takes up the history of plasticity from Aristotle to contemporary biology; the second part offers an original way of distinguishing between different phenomena described by "plasticity." In the process, the author explores what has led some biologists to speak of plasticity as a way of overcoming genetic determinism.
Plasticity in the Life Sciences
Analyzes the reasons why biologists have referred to and continue to refer to plasticity. Plasticity has become an important topic in biology, with some even wondering if it has now acquired the theoretical importance in biology that the concept of the gene enjoyed at the beginning of the last century. In this historical and epistemological study, philosopher Antonine Nicoglou shows how the recurrence of the general idea of plasticity--throughout the history of the life sciences--indicates its essential role in the way we think about life processes. Although plasticity has become a key element in new evolutionary thinking, she argues, its role in contemporary biology is also not insignificant. Rather, as mobilized in contemporary biology, plasticity most often seeks to account for the specific nature of living systems. The book is divided into two parts. The first takes up the history of plasticity from Aristotle to contemporary biology; the second part offers an original way of distinguishing between different phenomena described by "plasticity." In the process, the author explores what has led some biologists to speak of plasticity as a way of overcoming genetic determinism.
Bayesian Models of Cognition
The definitive introduction to Bayesian cognitive science, written by pioneers of the field. How does human intelligence work, in engineering terms? How do our minds get so much from so little? Bayesian models of cognition provide a powerful framework for answering these questions by reverse-engineering the mind. This textbook offers an authoritative introduction to Bayesian cognitive science and a unifying theoretical perspective on how the mind works. Part I provides an introduction to the key mathematical ideas and illustrations with examples from the psychological literature, including detailed derivations of specific models and references that can be used to learn more about the underlying principles. Part II details more advanced topics and their applications before engaging with critiques of the reverse-engineering approach. Written by experts at the forefront of new research, this comprehensive text brings the fields of cognitive science and artificial intelligence back together and establishes a firmly grounded mathematical and computational foundation for the understanding of human intelligence. The only textbook comprehensively introducing the Bayesian approach to cognitionWritten by pioneers in the fieldOffers cutting-edge coverage of Bayesian cognitive science's research frontiers Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students and researchers across the sciences with an interest in the mind, brain, and intelligence Features short tutorials and case studies of specific Bayesian models
Brain Tumors
This book examines the epidemiology, mechanism, pathophysiology, role of advanced imaging, nanotechnology, and novel therapeutic approaches against brain tumor. It discusses challenges and strategies of delivering therapeutic agents across the blood-brain barrier. It is useful for researchers, and students in oncology and neurosciences.
The Digital Cell
Cell and molecular biology are becoming increasingly data driven. Technological advances and increased computing power mean that researchers now increasingly quantify experimental results, rather than simply report qualitative, representative observations. The Digital Cell provides a comprehensive guide for scientists seeking to make this transition. It describes how data should be generated and processed, discussing research workflows, pipelines, and storage solutions. A key focus of the book is imaging-image types and formats are explained, as is software for image processing and analysis, along with techniques such as segmentation analysis and automated particle tracking.The book examines the wide variety of statistical approaches that can be used for data analysis, emphasizing concepts such as significance and reproducibility. It also includes an introduction to coding, including examples of how to write and use R scripts to analyze results. In addition, there is useful advice on how to plot and present data to convey results most effectively. The Digital Cell is thus an essential resource for all cell and molecular biologists-from students embarking on research for the first time to experienced scientists who need to acquire, process, and present their data accurately and efficiently.
On Time
This text revolves around a new and unusual view on the most fundamental puzzle of physics. It focusses on the key aspect that makes the role of the time dimension fundamentally different: causality. It deals on the one hand with general relativity, and on the other hand with quantum theory. The implicit and intuitive way by which causality is usually taken for granted is just made explicit and less self-evident, shedding a new light on the gravity-quantum conflict. The case is made that gravity is a necessary condition for a causal universe. But upon turning to the "pure" unitary quantum physics explaining the nature of matter one is dealing with the strictly a-causal time expressed through the thermal quantum field theory machinery. When this a-causal microscopic and causal macroscopic world meet, one encounters the wavefunction collapse, that itself may be rooted in the quantum-gravity conflict. Modern ideas are discussed resting on eigenstate thermalization showing how this may lie eventually at the origin of irreversible thermodynamics, with its famous second law setting also a direction of time. The case is anchored in the sophisticated modern mathematical machinery of both general relativity and quantum physics which is normally barely disseminated beyond the theoretical physics floors. The book is unique in the regard that the consequences of this machinery - Riemannian geometry and Penrose diagrams, thermal quantum fields, quantum non-equilibrium and so forth -- are explained in an original, descriptive language conveying the conceptual consequences while avoiding mathematical technicalities.
On the Art and Craft of Doing Science
A scientist's personal reflections on how to harness creativity and curiosity to generate new ideas and discover the unexpected Like any creative endeavor, science can be a messy and chaotic affair. On the Art and Craft of Doing Science shares the creative process of an innovative and accomplished scientist, taking readers behind the scenes of some of his most pioneering investigations and explaining why the practice of science, far from being an orderly exercise in pure logic, is a form of creative expression like any other art. Kenneth Catania begins by discussing how ideas set the stage for scientific breakthroughs and goes on to describe ways to approach experimental design. He sheds light on the importance of art in making discoveries and demonstrates how to find and tell a compelling story about a scientific result while accurately communicating its findings. What role does failure play in science? Is it possible to fail better? How do you define success? Catania provides insights to these and other questions, along the way sharing the lessons he's learned from diverse figures ranging from science philosopher Thomas Kuhn to novelist Stephen King. Blending illuminating historical examples with insights from Catania's own groundbreaking research in biology and neuroscience, On the Art and Craft of Doing Science draws parallels with art and writing to reveal the creative side to the practice of good science.
On the Art and Craft of Doing Science
A scientist's personal reflections on how to harness creativity and curiosity to generate new ideas and discover the unexpected Like any creative endeavor, science can be a messy and chaotic affair. On the Art and Craft of Doing Science shares the creative process of an innovative and accomplished scientist, taking readers behind the scenes of some of his most pioneering investigations and explaining why the practice of science, far from being an orderly exercise in pure logic, is a form of creative expression like any other art. Kenneth Catania begins by discussing how ideas set the stage for scientific breakthroughs and goes on to describe ways to approach experimental design. He sheds light on the importance of art in making discoveries and demonstrates how to find and tell a compelling story about a scientific result while accurately communicating its findings. What role does failure play in science? Is it possible to fail better? How do you define success? Catania provides insights to these and other questions, along the way sharing the lessons he's learned from diverse figures ranging from science philosopher Thomas Kuhn to novelist Stephen King. Blending illuminating historical examples with insights from Catania's own groundbreaking research in biology and neuroscience, On the Art and Craft of Doing Science draws parallels with art and writing to reveal the creative side to the practice of good science.
Laws of Nature and Chances
Barry Loewer presents a novel account of the metaphysics of law of nature, chances, fundamental ontology, and the space-time arena they occupy. He calls this the Package Deal Account. This aims to answer Stephen Hawking's question "What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe?" Loewer's account stands on the shoulders of David Lewis's Humean Best Systems Account of laws and chances, but rejects Lewis' Humean ontology of natural properties, and instead lets the criteria that physicists employ for evaluating candidate fundamental theories of everything, together with reality, determine the universe's fundamental ontology. The Package Deal Account thus advances the project of naturalizing metaphysics. Loewer discusses the history of the concept of laws of nature, current philosophical accounts of the metaphysics of laws, and arguments for and against each of these. He then shows how the Package Deal Account overcomes objections to each, and how, unlike Lewis's Humean account and its non-Humean rivals, it is able to accommodate recent developments in physics, including proposals for theories of quantum gravity that reject the fundamentality of space-time. Loewer provides in addition an account of the laws and chances that occur in non-fundamental special sciences and how they are related to those of fundamental physics.
Queering Science Communication
A book on queer themes and science communication is timely, if not well overdue. LGBTIQA+ people have unique contributions to make and issues to meet through science communication. So, bringing 'queer' and 'science communication' together is an important step for queer protest, liberation, and visibility. This collection examines the place of queer people within science communication and asks what it means for the field to 'queer' science communication practice, theory and research agendas. Written by leading names in the field, it offers concrete examples for academics, students and practitioners who strive to foster radical inclusivity and equity in science communication.
Is Anyone Listening?
From a leading researcher on dolphin communication, a deep dive into the many ways animal species communicate with their kin, their neighboring species, and us. If you could pose one question to a dolphin, what would it be? And what might a dolphin ask you? For forty years, researcher and author Denise L. Herzing has investigated these and related questions of marine mammal communication. With the assistance of a friendly community of Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas, Herzing studies two-way communication between different dolphin species and between humans and dolphins using a variety of cutting-edge experiments. But the dolphins are not the only ones talking, and in this wide-ranging and accessible book, Herzing explores the astonishing realities of interspecies communication, a skill that humans currently lack. Is Anyone Listening? connects research on dolphin communication to findings from Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Dian Fossey on mountain gorillas, Cynthia Moss on African elephants, and others driving today's exploration of possible animal languages. Although humans have long attempted to crack animal communication codes, only now do we have the advanced machine-learning tools to help. As Herzing reveals, researchers are finding fascinating hints of language in nonhuman species, including linguistic structures, vowel equivalents, and complex repeated sequences. By looking at the many ways animals use and manipulate signals, we see that we've only just begun to appreciate the diversity of animal intelligence and the complicated and subtle aspects of animal communication. Considering dolphins and other nonhuman animals as colleagues instead of research subjects, Herzing asks us to meet animals as both speakers and listeners, as mutually curious beings, and to listen to what they are saying.
Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation
"This is a delightful account of one of the deepest and most fascinating explorations going on today at the frontier of our knowledge." --Carlo Rovelli, bestselling author of The Order of Time and Seven Brief Lessons on Physics "Musser knows that the point of popular science is [. . .] to get a sense of what's at stake, what kinds of answers are being offered to difficult questions, and why it all matters. One could not ask more of Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation--on all three counts it delivers." --Julian Baggini, The Wall Street Journal A revelatory exploration of how a "theory of everything" depends upon our understanding of the human mind. The whole goal of physics is to explain what we observe. For centuries, physicists believed that observations yielded faithful representations of what is out there. But when they began to study the subatomic realm, they found that observation often interferes with what is being observed--that the act of seeing changes what we see. The same is true of cosmology: our view of the universe is inevitably distorted by observation bias. And so whether they're studying subatomic particles or galaxies, physicists must first explain consciousness--and for that they must turn to neuroscientists and philosophers of mind. Neuroscientists have painstakingly built up an understanding of the structure of the brain. Could this help physicists understand the levels of self-organization they observe in other systems? These same physicists, meanwhile, are trying to explain how particles organize themselves into the objects around us. Could their discoveries help explain how neurons produce our conscious experience? Exploring these questions and more, George Musser tackles the extraordinary interconnections between quantum mechanics, cosmology, human consciousness, and artificial intelligence. Combining vivid descriptive writing with portraits of scientists working on the cutting edge, Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation shows how theories of everything depend on theories of mind--and how they might be one and the same.
Introduction to Holography
This fully updated second edition of Introduction to Holography provides a theoretical background in optics and holography with a comprehensive survey of practical applications. It is intended for the non-specialist with an interest in using holographic methods in research and engineering.
Nanogenerators
Provides an in-depth review of the history, fundamental theory, design strategies, and applications of Nanogenerators. Working principles, device mechanisms, material characteristics, types of nanogenerators, as well as their different uses are fully explored.
School of Architecture(s) - New Frontiers of Architectural Education
Into the Thaw
An award-winning author and photographer returns to the Arctic to document the effects of climate change. Forty years ago, the park ranger Jon Waterman took his first journey into the Alaskan Arctic, to the Noatak headwaters. He was astonished by the abundant wildlife, the strange landscape, and its otherworldly light--how the "frequent rain showers glow like lemonade poured out of the sky." Taken with a new sense of wonder, he began to explore the North on several trips in the 1980s. After a 30-year absence from the Noatak, he returned with his son in 2021. Amid a now-flooded river missing the once-plentiful caribou, he was shocked and heartbroken by the changes. The following year, in 2022, he took one final journey "into the thaw" to document--for this lushly illustrated and scholarly book--the environmental and cultural changes wrought by the climate crisis. A widely published author and photographer, Waterman's narrative alternates between adventure and wilderness memoir and plainly stated natural history of the area. Chased by bears, sometimes alone for weeks on end amid hordes of mosquitoes, he notes the extraordinary changes from 1983 until the present day: brush grown over the tundra in a phenomenon called Greening of the Arctic, tear-drop-shaped landslide thaw slumps--a.k.a. thermokarsts--caused by thawing permafrost, and an increasing loss of sea ice as he travels along the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The author also spends time with the kindhearted, welcoming Inuit or Inupiat most affected by the Arctic crisis, who share how their age-old culture has attempted to cope with "the thaw." Stricken by the change, Waterman paints an intimate portrait of both the villages and the little-visited landscape, because "it's high time that we truly understand the Arctic." He writes, "Lest we forget what it once was."Through his quest for wonder--in prose illuminated by humility and humor--Waterman shows how the Arctic can confer grace on those who pass through. Despite the unfolding crisis, as a narrative of hope, at the book's end he suggests actions we can all take to slow the thaw and preserve what is left of this remarkable, vast frontier.
Power Metal
The powerful ways the metals we need to fuel technology and energy are spawning environmental havoc, political upheaval, and rising violence -- and how we can do better. An Australian millionaire's plan to mine the ocean floor. Nigerian garbage pickers risking their lives to salvage e-waste. A Bill Gates-backed entrepreneur harnessing AI to find metals in the Arctic. These people and millions more are part of the intensifying competition to find and extract the minerals essential for two crucial technologies: the internet and renewable energy. In Power Metal, Vince Beiser explores the Achilles' heel of "green power" and digital technology - that manufacturing computers, cell phones, electric cars, and other technologies demand skyrocketing amounts of lithium, copper, cobalt, and other materials. Around the world, businesses and governments are scrambling for new places and new ways to get those metals, at enormous cost to people and the planet. Beiser crisscrossed the world to talk to the people involved and report on the damage this race is inflicting, the ways it could get worse, and how we can minimize the damage. Power Metal is a compelling glimpse into this disturbing yet potentially promising new world.
An Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics for the Nanosciences
The book provides an accessible introduction to the principles of condensed matter physics with a focus on the nanosciences and device technologies.
Ways of Comprehending
To comprehend the world around us, we first have to decipher how our brains work. This book outlines a new approach to knowledge and comprehension based on the elucidation of several basic neuronal mechanisms. It explores the crucial fact that unconscious processes and conscious experiences form a continuum and, importantly, introduces the concept of metarepresentations. This fundamental notion captures the essence of being human, namely, what separates us from our evolutionary predecessors. Important examples of metarepresentations are language, mathematics, technology and the arts. The interdisciplinary, integrative approach of this book demonstrates how different disciplines and notions which appear disconnected are actually closely related. Furthermore, this approach elucidates how we think about topics such as mathematics, physics, painting, music and philosophy. Most significantly, it helps us understand the origin of our thoughts, feelings and actions, bringing deep insight and fulfilment or, more precisely, eudemonia.
Ways of Comprehending
To comprehend the world around us, we first have to decipher how our brains work. This book outlines a new approach to knowledge and comprehension based on the elucidation of several basic neuronal mechanisms. It explores the crucial fact that unconscious processes and conscious experiences form a continuum and, importantly, introduces the concept of metarepresentations. This fundamental notion captures the essence of being human, namely, what separates us from our evolutionary predecessors. Important examples of metarepresentations are language, mathematics, technology and the arts. The interdisciplinary, integrative approach of this book demonstrates how different disciplines and notions which appear disconnected are actually closely related. Furthermore, this approach elucidates how we think about topics such as mathematics, physics, painting, music and philosophy. Most significantly, it helps us understand the origin of our thoughts, feelings and actions, bringing deep insight and fulfilment or, more precisely, eudemonia.
Information and Communications Technology in STEM Education
This timely book presents the latest scholarly research on the integration of Information Communications Technology (ICT) for enhanced STEM education at African schools and universities.
Writing a Winning Research Proposal
This comprehensive guide takes you through every critical aspect of crafting compelling proposals that command attention. Whether you are an experienced researcher or new to the field, this resource empowers you with practical examples, exercises, and insights from seasoned professionals. Through its pages, you will not only learn the intricacies of proposal writing but also gain the tools to put your newfound knowledge into practice for tangible, successful results. Drawing on the expertise of seasoned researchers, this book provides a treasure trove of best practices and expert advice, empowering you to shape the trajectory of your endeavors. Elevate your proposal-writing skills and achieve success in your academic or professional pursuits with this book.
Your Brain on Art
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which offers proof for how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts--and how this knowledge can improve our health, enable us to flourish, and build stronger communities. "This book blew my mind!"--Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of GritA BLOOMBERG BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - Finalist for the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Award and the Porchlight Business Book Award What is art? Many of us think of the arts as entertainment--a luxury of some kind. In Your Brain on Art, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross show how activities from painting and dancing to expressive writing, architecture, and more are essential to our lives. We're on the verge of a cultural shift in which the arts can deliver potent, accessible, and proven solutions for the well-being of everyone. Magsamen and Ross offer compelling research that shows how engaging in an art project for as little as forty-five minutes reduces the stress hormone cortisol, no matter your skill level, and just one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years. They expand our understanding of how playing music builds cognitive skills and enhances learning; the vibrations of a tuning fork create sound waves to counteract stress; virtual reality can provide cutting-edge therapeutic benefit; and interactive exhibits dissolve the boundaries between art and viewers, engaging all of our senses and strengthening memory. Doctors have even been prescribing museum visits to address loneliness, dementia, and many other physical and mental health concerns.Your Brain on Art is a portal into this new understanding about how the arts and aesthetics can help us transform traditional medicine, build healthier communities, and mend an aching planet. Featuring conversations with artists such as David Byrne, Ren矇e Fleming, and evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson, Your Brain on Art is an authoritative guide to neuroaesthetics. The book weaves a tapestry of breakthrough research, insights from multidisciplinary pioneers, and compelling stories from people who are using the arts to enhance their lives.
The Craft of Science Writing
A deeply sourced, inclusive guide to all aspects of science writing with contributions from some of the most skilled and award-winning authors working today. Science writing has never been so critical to our world, and the demands on writers have never been greater. On any given day, a writer might need to explain the details of AI, analyze developments in climate change research, or serve as a watchdog helping to ensure the integrity of the scientific enterprise. At the same time, writers must spin tales that hook and keep readers, despite the endless other demands on their attention. How does one do it? The Craft of Science Writing is the authoritative guide. With pieces curated from the archives of science writers' go-to online resource, The Open Notebook, this book explores strategies for finding and shaping story ideas, pitching editors, and building a specialty in science writing. It delves into fundamental skills that every science writer must learn, including planning their reporting; identifying, interviewing, and quoting sources; organizing interview notes; and crafting stories that engage and inform audiences. This expanded edition includes new introductory material and nine new essays focusing on such topics as how to establish a science beat, how to find and use quotes, how to critically evaluate scientific claims, how to use social media for reporting, and how to do data-driven reporting. In addition, there are essays on inclusivity in science writing, offering strategies for eradicating ableist language from stories, working with sensitivity readers, and breaking into English-language media for speakers of other languages. Through interviews with leading journalists offering behind-the-scenes inspiration as well as in-depth essays on the craft offering practical advice, readers will learn how the best science stories get made, from conception to completion. Contributors: Humberto Basilio, Siri Carpenter, Jeanne Erdmann, Dan Ferber, Tina Casagrand Foss, Geoffrey Giller, Laura Helmuth, Jane C. Hu, Alla Katsnelson, Roxanne Khamsi, Betsy Ladyzhets, Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Amanda Mascarelli, Robin Meadows, Kate Morgan, Ti礙n Nguyễn, Michelle Nijhuis, Aneri Pattani, Rodrigo P矇rez Ortega, Mallory Pickett, Kendall Powell, Tasneem Raja, Sandeep Ravindran, Marion Renault, Julia Rosen, Megha Satyanarayana, Christina Selby, Knvul Sheikh, Abdullahi Tsanni, Alexandra Witze, Katherine J. Wu, Wudan Yan, Ed Yong, Rachel Zamzow, Sarah Zhang, and Carl Zimmer
Hypnosis, Psychosis and the Consciousness Conundrum
Have you ever wondered how your brain works, how it makes sense of what you hear and see? Many people do, but then shrug their shoulders and simply get on with using their brain. That's sad; they are missing such a lot! This book is full of fascinating facts and details about the senses, and also covers what happens when things 'go wrong', such as when someone hypnotised sees their friend in two places at once. It also covers more distressing errors, like the PTSD victim who vividly re-experiences their trauma, seeing, hearing and even smelling all the terrifying details again. However, through all these anecdotes and explanations, the book moves inexorably towards the most tantalising question of all: How do we know that we are seeing and hearing things? In these days of 'Alexa' we are familiar with machines that respond to speech, but they don't know that they are. They are merely a particularly sophisticated light switch! So, what do we have that Alexa doesn't? This book takes you on a truly fascinating journey of exploration, in search of the exotic entity that is consciousness.
Teaching Geology Using the History and Philosophy of Science
Neuroimmune System
The book explores the intricate connections between the nervous and immune systems in the context of neurodegenerative disorders, offering a comprehensive overview of the bidirectional communication between these systems and their implications for disease progression and therapeutic interventions.
Basics of Superconductivity
At very low temperatures, a metal passes into the superconducting state. This state is extremely fascinating, as the electrical resistance completely disappears. This property makes superconductivity very interesting for technology, since it is possible to transport electrical current without loss under certain conditions. This textbook provides an introduction to the basics of superconductivity, with a great focus on the underlying theoretical physics. It is intended to provide a basic understanding of the phenomena that occur in connection with superconductivity and its most important applications. The content ranges from an overview of the most important experimental findings of superconductors to a detailed description of the London theory and the Ginzburg-Landau theory. Prominent effects such as the Meissner effect, critical magnetic fields, the formation of vortices and many other phenomena are explained in great detail and described mathematically.
John Henry's Guide to Backcountry Adventure in Cathedral Park
If you're planning a visit to Cathedral Park in B.C., chances are you already know of its rich biodiversity, breathtaking alpine vistas, and clear, cold lakes. But whether you're a seasoned outdoorsperson familiar with the area or a beginner camper looking to check a new park off your list, there is no better manual than John Henry's Guide to Backcountry Adventure in Cathedral Park. Nestled between the damp coastal forests and the hot, dry Okanagan wine country, this gem of a park has long been host to countless species of plants, animals, and fungi-along with author John Henry himself, who worked as a park facility officer there for twelve years. Drawing on his extensive firsthand experience, Mr. Henry is an invaluable guide, walking readers through . . .- The park's trails and possible routes for hikers- The rich natural history of the park and its many geologic formations- How to identify the various plants, animals, and mushrooms that call the park home- And much more . . .Mr. Henry's own experiences in the park help bolster the useful advice and expansive information presented here about one of the greatest natural treasures of the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Concise, thorough, and organized, this carry-along guide is sure to prove indispensable to visitors to Cathedral Park, current or aspiring.
John Henry's Guide to Backcountry Adventure in Cathedral Park
If you're planning a visit to Cathedral Park in B.C., chances are you already know of its rich biodiversity, breathtaking alpine vistas, and clear, cold lakes. But whether you're a seasoned outdoorsperson familiar with the area or a beginner camper looking to check a new park off your list, there is no better manual than John Henry's Guide to Backcountry Adventure in Cathedral Park. Nestled between the damp coastal forests and the hot, dry Okanagan wine country, this gem of a park has long been host to countless species of plants, animals, and fungi-along with author John Henry himself, who worked as a park facility officer there for twelve years. Drawing on his extensive firsthand experience, Mr. Henry is an invaluable guide, walking readers through . . .- The park's trails and possible routes for hikers- The rich natural history of the park and its many geologic formations- How to identify the various plants, animals, and mushrooms that call the park home- And much more . . .Mr. Henry's own experiences in the park help bolster the useful advice and expansive information presented here about one of the greatest natural treasures of the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Concise, thorough, and organized, this carry-along guide is sure to prove indispensable to visitors to Cathedral Park, current or aspiring.
Scientific Irrationalism
In fewer than two-hundred pages, David Stove leaves the well-established and widely regarded edifice of the academic philosophy of science in smoldering ruins.This book provides a modern history of scientific reasoning, from David Hume's inductive skepticism to Karl Popper's outright denial of induction, to the increasingly irrational and absurd scientific views that followed. When Popper untethered science from induction, Stove argues, he triggered a postmodernist nightmare of utter nonsense culminating in Paul Feyerabend's summation that "anything goes" when it comes to defining or describing science. With undeniable logic, a deft analysis of the linguistic slight-of-hand that make absurd arguments seem reasonable, and regular displays of wit, Stove gives the reader a front row seat to one of the greatest unforced errors in the history of modern thought. Stove's views are entirely consistent with the origins of scientific inference and logic, as well as modern advances in probability theory, and yet he remains largely unnoticed by most of the academic world. From Stove's insider-outsider perspective, the train wreck that is academically accepted philosophy of science and "science studies" is a fascinating and thoroughly entertaining subject of study.Scientific Irrationalism is the perfect place to begin any examination of what science is--and what it is not.
Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie
The wild plants in this book tell stories of land, people, and food. As renowned botanist Kelly Kindscher guides us through over one hundred edible plants in this beautiful field guide, we find that foraging has always been an important part of prairie life.Before colonization, Native American women were the primary gatherers of wild plants, which were an abundant, sustainable, and delicious feature of Indigenous diets. Colonizers reduced the significance of wild plants in prairie life as they relocated Native peoples and imposed their agrarian culture on the land, but these Indigenous foodways were never truly lost. In the recent past, foraging has become a tremendously popular way for many peoples to connect with the earth, promote sustainability, and revive and honor cultural food traditions.In this beautifully illustrated new edition, Kindscher explores 117 wild plants of the prairie, offering information about habitat, food use, and cultivation. Color photos and maps make this stunning book a useful foraging guide for anyone to take out into the prairie. A must-have for enthusiasts and professionals alike, Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie gives us the great opportunity to engage with the land we live in.
Use of the Dead to the Living
Use of the Dead to the Living, a classical book, has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.
