Bestselling nature writer David Quammen introduces CharlesDarwin's incredible tale of excursion that led to his revolutionarytheory of evolution--Voyage of the Beagle.

In this anthology of reminiscences by prominent scientists,the roll includes Richard Dawkins, Murray Gell-Mann, Joseph Ledouxand Ray Kurzweil, along with 23 others. The mandate of the book'seditor, literary agent Brockman (The Third Culture), to each ofthese authors was to write an essay explaining how he or she cameto be a scientist. Some take him at his word and write meanderingstories of childhood. David Buss found his calling—the study ofhuman mating behavior—while working at a truck stop after droppingout of school. Paul Davies says he was born to be a theoreticalphysicist. Daniel Dennett, on the other hand, seems to have triedevery other profession before landing, as if by accident, inscience. A few writers let their essays get hijacked by the sciencethey have devoted their lives to. And in the midst of this, like akeystone in an arch, is an essay by Steven Pinker explaining whythe entire exercise is a bunch of hooey: scientifically speaking,he says, people have no objective idea what influen

We may know that Einstein was the epitome of genius, but howmany of us know what his theory really means, and what itsrealistic implications are? Einstein and Relativity presents adistillation of Einstein's life and work within their historicaland scientific contexts; and offers a truly accessible explanationof the concept that shaped the twentieth century. Just a few of thebig ideas covered here are Einstein's discovery that light is botha particle and a wave; how Einstein proved the existence ofmolecules; why there is no such thing as real time; and howEinstein's brilliance led to his worst nightmare - the atombomb.

Turing and the Computer offers an encapsulation of thegroundwork that led to the invention of the computer as we know itand an absorbing account of the man who helped develop it.Eccentric and principled, Alan Turing would lay aside a brilliantcareer in mathematics to serve his country by breaking German codesduring the Second World War. Openly homosexual, he would later beput on trial on indecency charges and forced to undergo hormonetreatments that wrecked his body and his spirit. But the modernmachine he helped create lives on. Just a few of the big ideasincluded in this riveting book are how Turing mapped out the theoryof computers before a single computer had been conceived, howTuring's Colossus broke the German Enigma codes, and Turing's proofof the existence of artificial intelligence.

Join Verity and her magical fairy friends in this enchanting retelling of Rapunzel, a much-loved fairy-tale classic, full of magic, mystery and more! Author Caroline Wakeman takes you on a journey to a magical Fairy Kingdom alongside lovable Verity and her gang of her sparkly fairy friends, as they set out on a special mission to ensure Rapunzel gets the happily ever after she deserves! Verity is a thrill-seeking fairy with a heart of gold and a habit of telling the truth at all times during her endless adventures with fellow princesses and fairy friends! Proving the perfect fairytale book for your little princess, Verity Fairy and Rapunzel gently encourages conversation surrounding the difference between right and wrong, positively influencing your child's moral intelligence and sense of justice, whilst sparking their curiosity and imagination. With a sprinkle of stardust in every page, your youngster ca

Popular history, science, and geography topics brought out of the classroom and into your home with fast facts, activities, and quizzes. Some subjects are too interesting to be left at school! Carry on your love of geography and Earth sciences at home with Rocks Minerals, an activity-packed exploration of the building blocks that shape our world. Divided into sections, the book starts with fast facts on topics including the rock cycle, crystals, ores, fossils, and rocks from space; and ends with charts of rock facts and record breakers. Using this information, you can complete the puzzles in the main part of the book, plus there are hands-on activities such as growing your own stalactite and testing the hardness, streak, and specific gravity of rocks you have collected. Finally, test your newfound knowledge with the quick quizzes (with answers supplied). You can keep track of your achievements throughout with a star chart to fill in every t

Spanning disciplines from biology to cosmology, chemistry topsychology to physics, Michael Brooks thrillingly captures theexcitement of scientific discovery.Science’s best-kept secret isthis: even today, thereare experimental results that the mostbrilliant scientists cannot explain. In the past, similar“anomalies” have revolutionized our world. If history is anyprecedent, we should look to today’s inexplicable results toforecast the future of science. Michael Brooks heads to thescientific frontier to confront thirteen modern-day anomalies andwhat they might reveal about tomorrow’s breakthroughs.

Foundation and Empire (英语) 简装 内容简介 The Foundation has managed to preserve humanculture and shorten the period of chaotic barbarism after the Galactic Empire began to decay. But the Foundation still faces great challenges in its struggle to survive. 《基地与帝国》是 基地 系列三部曲中的第二部。此时，由伟大的心里史学家哈里 谢顿所创立的基地，虽然已在银河外缘立稳了脚跟，但还得面对来自银河帝国的压力。 垂死的帝国仍拥有银河中最强大的武力。一位野心勃勃的将军，率太空舰队攻向基地，聚居在基地小行星上的学者和科学家，能逃过大难的一线希望，全维系在谢顿死前留下的语言中 可是，就连谢顿当年也无法预料到：还有比太空军团更具有威胁性的外力已悄然诞生，那就是银河中的突变异种 骡 。面对骡奇异的心灵力量，即使是一支最坚强的人，也会俯首屈服，成为听话