Random House New Releases - Science - Between November 28, 2008 and December 28, 2009.

Brain by Richard Restak

2009-11-17T00:30:00-05:00

Brain The Complete Mind
Written by Michael S. Sweeney
Foreword by Richard Restak

Did you know that listening to music tunes up your brain? Or that certain foods can help maintain mental fitness? Or that exercise can keep both body and mind in good shape? Delving into the science behind these strategies, Brain goes even deeper to reveal the brain’s inner workings.

Overseen by distinguished neuropsychiatrist Dr. Richard Restak, Brainis both a practical owner’s manual and a complete guide to the brain’s development and function. Its pages explore not only the brain’s physical form—its 100 billion nerve cells and near-infinite network of synapses—but also its interactions that regulate every thought and action. Brainfeatures the latest discoveries about improving and optimizing mental acuity right alongside sidebars on breakthrough moments in neuroscience. Explained here also are the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of the brain, addressed in accessible, engaging language.

Combining the latest advances in our understanding of the mind-body connection and ongoing research into such diseases as dementia, depression, and PTSD, Brainis an indispensable guide to mens sana in corpore sano—at every stage of life.

Simple Guides The Quest For Speed by Peter Gosling

2009-11-17T00:30:00-05:00

Simple Guides The Quest For Speed
Written by Peter Gosling

Man’s quest for speed is driven by two ambitions. One is the competitive urge to excel — to go as fast as possible by any available means, and preferably to go faster than anybody else. The other, more practical, aim is to make travel and transport as swift and efficient as possible. The two are closely linked, since by pushing technology to the limit to achieve the first, we improve performance in the second, with results that continue to shrink the world.

In this book Peter Gosling tells the fascinating story of the key scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs in our drive to conquer distance — from our earliest crude efforts using animal power and the wheel, to harnessing the wind and the waves, on through the watershed of the Industrial Revolution, rail and steam, the invention of the internal combustion engine, through powered flight to rocketry, and on to space travel. We look at developments on land, sea, and air, and the novel “green” solutions that scientists are exploring in order to meet today’s environmental challenges. Along the way we meet some of the remarkable men and women behind these breakthroughs, whose vision and determination have helped to shape the modern world.

Written in an engaging, non-technical style, The Quest for Speed captures both the thrill of the race and the adventure of science, and points to the social and cultural changes ahead as technology accelerates the pace of life and transforms the human landscape.

SIMPLE GUIDES: SCIENCE

Simple Guides: Science are user-friendly introductions to the great scientific discoveries of the world. Written by experts in the field, they offer the general reader simple and engaging descriptions of key developments and breakthroughs in different fields of science and technology.

• Simple Guides: Science are written in a clear, informal style, using plain, non-technical language to provide accessible introductions to complex scientific theories.

• Organized both by theme and chronologically, the books link the major breakthroughs to the lives of their discoverers and inventors.

• The clear structure and design enable the general reader to grasp essentials easily.

• These guides will appeal to readers with no specific scientific knowledge, yet with a thirst to know more about the world we live in.

• The scientific developments and theories are brought to life by descriptions of their social contexts; not only the breakthroughs are described, but also their impact on society and the human story behind the scientists.

Relativity and Quantum Physics For Beginners by Steven Fournier

2009-11-17T00:30:00-05:00

Relativity and Quantum Physics For Beginners
Written by Steven L. Manly
Illustrated by Steven Fournier

As we humans have expanded our horizons to see things vastly smaller, faster, larger, and farther than ever before, we have been forced to confront preconceptions born of the human experience and create wholly new ways of looking at the world around us. The theories of relativity and quantum physics were developed out of this need and have provided us with phenomenal, mind-twisting insights into the strange and exciting reality show of our universe.

Relativity and Quantum Physics For Beginners is an entertaining and accessible introduction to the bizarre concepts that fueled the scientific revolution of the 20th century and led to amazing advances in our understanding of the universe.

Simple Guides The Theory of Evolution by John Scotney

2009-11-17T00:30:00-05:00

Simple Guides The Theory of Evolution
Written by John Scotney

Today the theory of evolution by natural selection and the science of genetics are the twin keys to our understanding of how life on earth came about. Yet when an English naturalist called Charles Darwin first published his ideas in 1859 in a book called On the Origin of Species the world was horrified at the notion of a changing creation without the intervention a Creator. By contrast, when a few years later an obscure Moravian monk, Gregor Mendel, published the results of his experiments in genetics the world failed to notice

John Scotney’s new book explains just what these two great men had discovered and follows the amazing development of this seminal idea from the decade when it turned the world on its head to the present time and the unravelling of the human genome. It describes how the first dinosaur fossils were believed to be the bones of giants and how little by little the ongoing story of living creatures has been assembled until we can see the thread of life running from single-cell microorganisms to primates like ourselves, and why most ancient creatures died out and some survive to this day. Indeed we still carry vestiges of former life forms in our bodies and it is said that ancient seas flow in our blood. Anatomy, taxonomy, chemistry, geology, archaeology, and embryology have all had a part in this remarkable detective story, and even the Cold War became involved when the followers of Mendel in the West were confronted by those of Lamarck in China and Russia. Modern evolutionary theory is shown to be a synthesis of many scientific fields and the product both of years of tireless work and of sudden imaginative leaps.

The Theory of Evolution conveys the excitement of this fundamental discovery and gives an insight into the way scientific enquiry and debate continue to shape our world.

SIMPLE GUIDES: SCIENCE

Simple Guides: Science are user-friendly introductions to the great scientific discoveries of the world. Written by experts in the field, they offer the general reader simple and engaging descriptions of key developments and breakthroughs in different fields of science and technology.

• Simple Guides: Science are written in a clear, informal style, using plain, non-technical language to provide accessible introductions to complex scientific theories.

• Organized both by theme and chronologically, the books link the major breakthroughs to the lives of their discoverers and inventors.

• The clear structure and design enable the general reader to grasp essentials easily.

• These guides will appeal to readers with no specific scientific knowledge, yet with a thirst to know more about the world we live in.

• The scientific developments and theories are brought to life by descriptions of their social contexts; not only the breakthroughs are described, but also their impact on society and the human story behind the scientists.

The Age of Entanglement by Louisa Gilder

2009-11-10T00:30:00-05:00

The Age of Entanglement When Quantum Physics Was Reborn
Written by Louisa Gilder

In The Age of Entanglement, Louisa Gilder brings to life one of the pivotal debates in twentieth century physics. In 1935, Albert Einstein famously showed that, according to the quantum theory, separated particles could act as if intimately connected–a phenomenon which he derisively described as “spooky action at a distance.” In that same year, Erwin Schrödinger christened this correlation “entanglement.” Yet its existence was mostly ignored until 1964, when the Irish physicist John Bell demonstrated just how strange this entanglement really was. Drawing on the papers, letters, and memoirs of the twentieth century’s greatest physicists, Gilder both humanizes and dramatizes the story by employing the scientists’ own words in imagined face-to-face dialogues. The result is a richly illuminating exploration of one of the most exciting concepts of quantum physics.

Earth by Richard Fortey

2009-11-04T00:30:00-05:00

Earth An Intimate History
Written by Richard Fortey

Science as a Contact Sport by Tim Flannery

2009-11-03T00:30:00-05:00

Science as a Contact Sport Inside the Battle to Save Earth's Climate
Written by Stephen H. Schneider
Introduction by Tim Flannery

It’s been nearly four decades since scientists first realized that global warming posed a potential threat to our planet. Why, if we knew of the threats way back in the Carter Administration, can’t we act decisively to limit greenhouse gases, deforestation, and catastrophic warming trends? Why are we still addicted to fossil fuels? Have we all just been fiddling for 40 years as the world burns around us?

Schneider, part of the Nobel Prize–winning team that shared the accolade with Al Gore in 2007, had a front-row seat at this unfolding environmental meltdown. Piecing together events like a detective story, Schneider reveals that as expert consensus grew, well-informed activists warned of dangerous changes no one knew how to predict precisely—and special interests seized on that very uncertainty to block any effective response. He persuasively outlines a plan to avert the building threat and develop a positive, practical policy that will bring climate change back under our control, help the economy with a new generation of green energy jobs and productivity, and reduce the dependence on unreliable exporters of oil—and thus ensure a future for ourselves and our planet that’s as rich with promise as our past.

Science as a Contact Sport by Stephen H. Schneider

2009-11-03T00:30:00-05:00

Science as a Contact Sport Inside the Battle to Save Earth's Climate
Written by Stephen H. Schneider

Science, Sense & Nonsense by Joe Schwarcz

2009-11-03T00:30:00-05:00

Science, Sense & Nonsense
Written by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

When did "chemical" become a dirty word?

Forty or so years ago, chemistry - which had been recognized as a miracle-making boon to humanity - somehow became associated with warfare, sinister food additives, "toxins" and pollution.

It's a situation that Dr. Joe Schwarcz aims to put into perspective.

Yes, there's a downside to chemistry, he says, but this is dwarfed by its enormous benefits.

Dr. Joe's new collection of commentaries will inspire an appreciation for the science of everyday life, and equip you to spot the muddled thinking, misunderstandings and deceptions in media stories and advertising claims. Does organic food really always equal better food? Are vaccines dangerous? Will the latest health fad make you ill? Do expensive wrinkle creams do the job? What are the best ways to avoid cancer? The answers to such questions often lie in an understanding of the chemistry involved. Ask Dr. Joe.

Science, Sense and Nonsense celebrates chemistry's great achievements, lambastes its charlatans, and explores its essential connections to our wellbeing. And does so in authoritative, highly readable, good humoured style.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Science, Sense & Nonsense by Joe Schwarcz

2009-11-03T00:30:00-05:00

Science, Sense & Nonsense
Written by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Antarctica 2041 by Gil Reavill

2009-10-27T00:30:00-05:00

Antarctica 2041 My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness
Written by Robert Swan and Gil Reavill

Adventurer turned environmentalist Robert Swan illuminates the perils facing the planet come 2041—the year when the international treaty protecting Antarctica is up for review—and the many steps that can be taken to avoid environmental calamity.

In 1985, when Robert Swan walked across Antarctica, the fragile polar environment was not high in his mind. But upon his return, the earth’s perilous state became personal: Robert’s ice-blue eyes were singed a pale gray, a result of being exposed to the sun’s rays passing unfiltered through the depleted ozone layer. At this moment, his commitment to preserving the environment was born, and in Antarctica 2041 Swan details his journey to awareness, and his firm belief that humans can reverse the harm done to the planet thus far, and secure its future for generations to come.

Despite the dire warnings Swan raises in Antarctica 2041—exponentially high greenhouse-gas levels; rising seas; massive species extinction—he says there is much we can do to avert looming disaster. Ultimately an upbeat call to action, his book provides the information people need to understand the world’s crisis, and the tools they need to combat it, ultimately showing us all that saving Antarctica amounts to saving ourselves.

Antarctica 2041 by Gil Reavill

2009-10-27T00:30:00-05:00

Antarctica 2041 My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness
Written by Robert Swan and Gil Reavill

National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention by National Geographic

2009-10-27T00:30:00-05:00

National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention An Illustrated Time Line
Written by National Geographic

From the ancient conquest of fire and the first turn of a wheel to the latest in scientific leaps toward the stars, this easy-access history offers a panoramic perspective on humankind’s restless quest for the laws, theories, and tools by which we can grasp and master our universe.

This concise, concentrated, consistently organized look at our species’ key scientific and innovative achievements spans all human history, presenting ten distinct eras from the first glimmers of intelligence to the cutting-edge technologies of the modern world. Within these intuitive divisions, all human scientific endeavors and achievement are divided into four general fields of inquiry and arrayed into four basic geocultural regions for easy comparison in a logical, systematic grid format highlighted by 350 photographs, maps, illustrations, and diagrams that add graphic emphasis to key information. Special two-page feature spreads explore the most revolutionary developments in greater depth; compelling, expertly composed essays and memorable quotations add sparkle; and informative sidebars provide specifically focused items of information about particular inventions, ideas, or themes. Completing this comprehensive approach, an extensive glossary explains unfamiliar terms, and a detailed index makes it a simple matter to follow a particular field or process from its origin through its complete cross-cultural evolution. This is a reference as usefully accessible as it is inherently fascinating.

The Bird by Colin Tudge

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

The Bird A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live
Written by Colin Tudge

• How are birds so good at flying and navigating?
• Why are birds so like mammals– and yet so very different?
• Did birds descend from dinosaurs, and if so, does that mean birds are dinosaurs?
• How do they court each other and fend off rivals?
• What' s being communicated in birdsong?
• Can we ever know how birds think?

In this fascinating exploration of the avian class, Colin Tudge considers the creatures of the air. From their evolutionary roots to their flying, feeding, fighting, mating, nesting, and communicating, Tudge provocatively ponders what birds actually do–as well as why they do it and how. With the same curiosity, passion, and insight he brought to redwoods, pines, and palm trees in his widely acclaimed book The Tree, Tudge here studies sparrows, parrots, and even the Monkey-eating Eagle to better understand their world–and our own.

There is far more to a bird's existence than gliding gracefully on air currents or chirping sweetly from fence posts–the stakes are life and death. By observing and explaining the complex strategy that comes into play with everything from migration to social interaction to the timing of giving birth to young, Tudge reveals how birds are uniquely equipped biologically to succeed and survive. And he offers an impassioned plea for humans to learn to coexist with birds without continuing to endanger their survival.

Complete with an "annotated cast list" of all the known birds in the world– plus gorgeous illustrations–The Bird is a comprehensive and delightfully accessible guide for everyone from dedicated birders to casual birdwatchers that celebrates and illuminates the remarkable lives of birds.

The Bird by Colin Tudge

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

The Bird A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live
Written by Colin Tudge

The Darwin Experience by John Van Wyhe

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

The Darwin Experience The Story of the Man and His Theory of Evolution
Written by John Van Wyhe

Celebrating both the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the electrifying publication of On the Origin of Species, here’s the story of the man and the theory that opened a new chapter in the history of science—transformed into an engaging interactive experience that invites readers to unfold natural selection, evolution, and their challenging implications just as Darwin’s contemporaries did a century and a half ago.

The year 2009 will definitely be Darwin-centric, with major museum exhibitions, international symposiums, and much more, all scheduled to commemorate the double anniversary of a great scientist and the opening volleys of a controversy that still sparks debate and curiosity. Combining science, travel, culture, and history, this book is an elegant, richly illustrated volume that offers not just hundreds of full-color photographs but also a trove of removable facsimile documents that bring the subject alive.

These fascinatingly diverse memorabilia include letters, maps, photographs, sketches, newspaper articles, and more, providing telling glimpses of Darwin’s life as never before, from his early expedition aboard the Beagle to his meticulous, seemingly arcane research in the Galápagos Islands to the practical observations and theoretical conclusions that won him a pivotal place in the history of science.

The Department of Mad Scientists by Michael Belfiore

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

The Department of Mad Scientists Inside DARPA, the Path-Breaking Government Agency You've Never Heard Of
Written by Michael Belfiore
Read by Michael Belfiore

The first-ever inside look at DARPA—the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency—the maverick and controversial group whose futuristic work has had amazing civilian and military applications, from the Internet to GPS to driverless cars
America's greatest idea factory isn't Bell Labs, Silicon Valley, or MIT's Media Lab. It's the secretive, Pentagon-led agency known as DARPA. Founded by Eisenhower in response to Sputnik and the Soviet space program, DARPA mixes military officers with sneaker-wearing scientists, seeking paradigm-shifting ideas in varied fields—from energy, robotics, and rockets to peopleless operating rooms, driverless cars, and planes that can fly halfway around the world in just hours. DARPA gave birth to the Internet, GPS, and mind-controlled robotic arms. Its geniuses define future technology for the military and the rest of us.
Michael Belfiore was given unprecedented access to write this first-ever popular account of DARPA. Visiting research sites across the country, he watched scientists in action and talked to the creative, fearlessly ambitious visionaries working for and with DARPA. Much of DARPA's work is classified, and this book is full of material that has barely been reported in the general media. In fact, DARPA estimates that only 2 percent of Americans know much of anything about the agency. This fascinating read demonstrates that DARPA isn't so much frightening as it is inspiring—it is our future.

Flora Mirabilis by Douglas Holland

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

Flora Mirabilis How Plants Have Shaped World Knowledge, Health, Wealth, and Beauty
Written by Catherine H. Howell
Foreword by Peter H. Raven
Introduction by Douglas Holland

Flora Mirabilis is a sumptuously designed showcase of superb illustrations paired with fascinating stories of botanical exploration and trade through the ages. A collaboration between National Geographic and the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden, this book will prove an evergreen source of delight, not just for gardeners and flower aficionados, but for anyone interested in the plant world, human civilization, and their intertwined histories.

From prehistory to the present day, Flora Mirabilis blossoms with legend and lore as it culls the most engrossing mysteries and adventures of plant exploration, science, and discovery and garlands them with astonishingly beautiful illustrations. These lavish pages are abloom with the rich details and engaging allure of beloved flowers, stunning gardens, ancient trees, medicinal herbs, and valuable plants of all varieties from around the world. Unique "plant profiles" chronicle the especially remarkable roles each plant has played in matters of economics, politics, and taste.

Illustrated throughout with never-before-published collector’s edition reproductions and introduced with an eloquent foreword by Peter H. Raven, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden, this stunning volume will catch eyes and flower in imaginations everywhere.

Jacques Cousteau by Brad Matsen

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

Jacques Cousteau The Sea King
Written by Brad Matsen

Jacques Cousteau opened up the undersea world as no one has done before or since. But not generally know is the fascinating and compelling individual behind the acclaimed television personality.

With the cooperation of many of Jacques Cousteau’s collaborators, friends, and family, Brad Matsen gives us the first full picture of this remarkable life. Here is Cousteau working for the French resistance during World War II (for which he received France’s Croix de Guerre); developing—and risking his life to test—the regulator that made scuba diving possible; running the world’s largest scuba equipment manufacturing firm; becoming a legendary catalyst of the worldwide environmental movement; starring in The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau and in hundreds of documentaries; and publishing more than fifty books. And here is the widowed Cousteau marrying his longtime mistress—forty years his junior and the mother of two of his children—kindling a bitter family feud that continues to this day.

Vividly conveying the people, the adventure, the science, and the lure of the sea that shaped Cousteau’s life, Matsen paints a luminous portrait of a man who profoundly changed the way we view, and treat, our planet.

Jacques Cousteau by Brad Matsen

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

Jacques Cousteau The Sea King
Written by Brad Matsen

Random House New Releases - Science - Between November 28, 2008 and December 28, 2009.

Brain by Richard Restak

Brain The Complete MindWritten by Michael S. Sweeney Foreword by Richard Restak

Simple Guides The Quest For Speed by Peter Gosling

Simple Guides The Quest For Speed Written by Peter Gosling

Relativity and Quantum Physics For Beginners by Steven Fournier

Relativity and Quantum Physics For Beginners Written by Steven L. Manly Illustrated by Steven Fournier

Simple Guides The Theory of Evolution by John Scotney

Simple Guides The Theory of Evolution Written by John Scotney

The Age of Entanglement by Louisa Gilder

The Age of Entanglement When Quantum Physics Was RebornWritten by Louisa Gilder

Earth by Richard Fortey

Earth An Intimate HistoryWritten by Richard Fortey

Science as a Contact Sport by Tim Flannery

Science as a Contact Sport Inside the Battle to Save Earth's ClimateWritten by Stephen H. Schneider Introduction by Tim Flannery

Science as a Contact Sport by Stephen H. Schneider

Science as a Contact Sport Inside the Battle to Save Earth's ClimateWritten by Stephen H. Schneider

Science, Sense & Nonsense by Joe Schwarcz

Science, Sense & Nonsense Written by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Science, Sense & Nonsense by Joe Schwarcz

Science, Sense & Nonsense Written by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Antarctica 2041 by Gil Reavill

Antarctica 2041 My Quest to Save the Earth's Last WildernessWritten by Robert Swan and Gil Reavill

Antarctica 2041 by Gil Reavill

Antarctica 2041 My Quest to Save the Earth's Last WildernessWritten by Robert Swan and Gil Reavill

National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention by National Geographic

National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention An Illustrated Time LineWritten by National Geographic

The Bird by Colin Tudge

The Bird A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They LiveWritten by Colin Tudge

The Bird by Colin Tudge

The Bird A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They LiveWritten by Colin Tudge

The Darwin Experience by John Van Wyhe

The Darwin Experience The Story of the Man and His Theory of EvolutionWritten by John Van Wyhe

The Department of Mad Scientists by Michael Belfiore

The Department of Mad Scientists Inside DARPA, the Path-Breaking Government Agency You've Never Heard OfWritten by Michael Belfiore Read by Michael Belfiore

Flora Mirabilis by Douglas Holland

Flora Mirabilis How Plants Have Shaped World Knowledge, Health, Wealth, and BeautyWritten by Catherine H. Howell Foreword by Peter H. Raven Introduction by Douglas Holland

Jacques Cousteau by Brad Matsen

Jacques Cousteau The Sea KingWritten by Brad Matsen

Jacques Cousteau by Brad Matsen

Jacques Cousteau The Sea KingWritten by Brad Matsen

Brain The Complete Mind
Written by Michael S. Sweeney
Foreword by Richard Restak

Simple Guides The Quest For Speed
Written by Peter Gosling

Relativity and Quantum Physics For Beginners
Written by Steven L. Manly
Illustrated by Steven Fournier

Simple Guides The Theory of Evolution
Written by John Scotney

The Age of Entanglement When Quantum Physics Was Reborn
Written by Louisa Gilder

Earth An Intimate History
Written by Richard Fortey

Science as a Contact Sport Inside the Battle to Save Earth's Climate
Written by Stephen H. Schneider
Introduction by Tim Flannery

Science as a Contact Sport Inside the Battle to Save Earth's Climate
Written by Stephen H. Schneider

Science, Sense & Nonsense
Written by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Science, Sense & Nonsense
Written by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Antarctica 2041 My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness
Written by Robert Swan and Gil Reavill

Antarctica 2041 My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness
Written by Robert Swan and Gil Reavill

National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention An Illustrated Time Line
Written by National Geographic

The Bird A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live
Written by Colin Tudge

The Bird A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live
Written by Colin Tudge

The Darwin Experience The Story of the Man and His Theory of Evolution
Written by John Van Wyhe

The Department of Mad Scientists Inside DARPA, the Path-Breaking Government Agency You've Never Heard Of
Written by Michael Belfiore
Read by Michael Belfiore

Flora Mirabilis How Plants Have Shaped World Knowledge, Health, Wealth, and Beauty
Written by Catherine H. Howell
Foreword by Peter H. Raven
Introduction by Douglas Holland

Jacques Cousteau The Sea King
Written by Brad Matsen

Jacques Cousteau The Sea King
Written by Brad Matsen