Book Description

Through his voluminous and influential writings, editorial activities, organizational leadership, intellectual acumen, and strong sense of history, Clifford A. Truesdell (1919-2000) was the main architect for the renaissance of rational continuum mechanics since the middle of the 20th century. This collection of 42 essays and research papers pays tribute to this man of mathematics, science, and natural philosophy as well as to his legacy. There are essays of personal reminiscences (including contributions from J. Serrin, W. Noll, and B.D. Coleman among others), as are papers at the forefronts of research in rational continuum mechanics and its applications to materials science and structural mechanics. With historical photographs, a curriculum vitae and a complete list of publications of Clifford Truesdell, this collection will be of lasting value to applied mathematicians, research scientists and engineers, and historians of science who are interested in the past and current status of the modern rationalist movement in continuum mechanics. ... Read more

Book Description

The climate of the 21st century will be substantially influenced by humankind.In this book, the reader will find information about future trends in air temperature, precipitation, sea level, mountain glaciers, large ice sheets, sea ice cover, permafrost, desertification and related variables that will influence plants and animals, agriculture, forestry, the availability of water, public health, and the urban climate.In addition, an overview is provided of the history of climate and of factors that cause it to change.Since the beginning of the industrial age, man has increasingly influenced the climate of the Earth, especially through the growing use of fossil fuels and the continued destruction of forests, The atmospheric content of carbon dioxide has already risen by 30% and threatens to double by the year 2035, if effective measures to reduce emissions are not taken.Further increasing the amount of atospheric carbon dioxide could cause temperatures to rise even more rapidly to values that have never existed in man´s history.Some of the man-made changes predicted for the 21st century during the 1980s, such as warming, a rising sea level, and extended areas for some infectious diseases, can already be detected now at the beginning of the century; 1990, 1995, 1998, and 2000 were the warmest years of the 20th century. Displacement of cimatic zones will lead to social conflicts in the affected regions and result in migrations, such as the one that occurred some years ago in the Sahel.the consequences for the world economy, including water and food supplies for the world´s population, cannot yet be adequately assessed.The people alive now will not be so greatly affected, but following generations will have to bear the main consequences.This compilation of findings by climate researchers and the results of climate impact investigations by over 100 experts gives the reader a comprehensive description and assessment of the climate problem. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Mainly for Eiseley enthusiasts
While I think this is a very good book, I would not recommend it to someone who has not read much of Eiseley's work.There are fabulous essays in this volume; on the other hand, some are not so good and some are unfinished.If you want to get acquainted with Eiseley's work I'drecommend "The Star Thrower" before you read anything else.Ifyou become a real Eiseley enthusiast, then this book will be worthwhile toyou. ... Read more

Book Description

True believers and skeptics beware:
What you know about science may be wrong.

In "Gonzo Science," science commentators Jim and Allen Richardson are more faithful than the believers and more skeptical than the skeptics -- and they ’re funnier, too. They expose the fault lines in modern science, remove the linchpins of established theories, resolve anomalies, and present alternatives to mainstream assumptions. In "Gonzo Science," the Richardson brothers investigate: theories that threaten the Big Bang; evidence of an exploded planet in our solar system; what really causes UFOs; why life on Earth may have evolved from outer space; the misuse of science that creates nuclear waste and genetically modified foods; how the community of professional skeptics has gone wrong; cutting-edge research in astronomy, plasma physics, biology, archaeology, cold fusion, consciousness, and history.

Also included are the Gonzo brothers’ interviews with alternative-science luminaries such as astronomer Tom Van Flandern, systems theorist Fritjof Capra, biologist Rupert Sheldrake, cold fusion physicist Edmund Storms, JFK assassination researcher Jim Fetzer, and others. ... Read more