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Subtitled The Science Lover's Illustrated Guide to How Life Grows, Develops, Reproduces, and Gets Along, The Way Life Works is what happens when a biologist and artist share an interest in life from bacteria to humans, and collaborate on taking their knowledge public. The result is a most magnificent science book, devoted to the wonder and unity of the natural world. The chapters start with Patterns and Energy, continue with Information, Machinery, Feedback, and Community, and end with Evolution. Each is superbly written, delightfully illustrated, and supremely informative.

Take the chapter on energy and its explanation of ATP, a.k.a. the conversion of light energy into chemical energy. The metaphor is dance, with an illustration showing electrons as jitterbuggers in the Chloroplast Ballroom. The text explains that

as the lights spin and the band breaks into "Sugar Jump," the dancers go wild. Suddenly a bystander inspired by a couple on the floor gets dancing feet. This in turn excites a second bystander to dance and before long a chain reaction takes place, each new dancer energizing the next bystander.

Reviews (8)

Absoultely Inspirational and enlightening
This book is a masterpiece. It opens up your eyes and your imagination in such a fation, you will understand many concepts that otherwise an ordinary person like myself couldnt put together sciencewise. Thanks so much to the Authors. Big talent.

very good book for 10-15 years old
This book managed to take my 12 years old away from TV and PS2.
I wish I know more of such books. I thought that Brief History of Time would do same trick. No, he got stuck in it. So I will keep looking.

Great Book!
A great book to read with wonderful cartoon illustrations. As a high school science teacher, I've also found this book invaluable for teaching hard to grasp concepts.

The best book I ever read!
Style is awesome!. The graphics and analogies are so well done that almost anybody without previous biology knowledge can get the full picture of the basics (and even some level of detail) of molecular and cell biology after reading this book. The level of abstraction is so good that sometimes I had to stop to think about what I read to get the real dimension that the writers wanted to expossed. It is a real master piece describing life (as life and not as an specific species) in its full dimension. Congrats to the authors!, I have read so many books, but I can't remember one with such an in depth, simply and universal style. That book is worth far more than the $20 I paid for it.

The everyone's gateway to biology !
I've just terminated to read this book, and I think the authors have done a fantastic job. Explaining major biology themes in such a pleasant way is really wonderful. It's difficult to imagine a better introduction to biology !

The book explains what is life, how it produces energy, what is genetics,... Even evolution is covered in a very clear manner. Latest theories and thoughts about these topics are included, for example about the origin of life.

I have read some books on biology (I'm a mechanical engineer), and I think this one is the best to begin with. It's a great refreshing to see all these beautiful drawings (the work of Bert Dodson is great), and to read a text so sharp and clear (thanks to Mahlon Hoagland) !

A vital book for everybody amazed by life and biology, who feels some gap in his/her knowledge about the subject. ... Read more

Book Description

Straightforward advice for predicting and noticing shifts in weather patterns aimed directly at the novice who wants to enjoy a safe journey in the wilderness. With this updated edition, you'll learn to understand how and why different types of weather occur, cloud formations and what they have to tell you, variations in geography and how they affect the weather, and basic meteorological concepts for weather awareness. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Practical, Informative
"Basic Essentials: Weather Forecasting" is a practical guide to weather as it relates to its most important aspect to humans: what its going to do next. It is a nice blend of conveying "weather 101" without losing sight of what it might be telling us. Chpt 1, for example, follows up telling us what causes storms, lighting and tornadoes with some practical safety advice. Similarly, in Chpt 2, we learn what the different types of clouds are and then how to tell when the weather is getting better or worse by reading cloud formations.

There is a hidden gem in Chpt 5 (subtitled: Semireliable Forecasting from Legends and Lore). In it, 2 dozen weather "wives' tales" of various usefulness are examined.

Overall, this is ideal for campers, hikers, boaters, amateur naturalists and scouts. Also recommended, Instant Weather Forecasting by Alan Watts.

Basic Essentials: Weather Forecasting
I thought this book was very well written. It gives you good advice and knowledge about weather forecasting and what to look for when doing so. I am studying to be a weather observer and this book has been a good reference book, I take it to work with me as I watch the weather on my driving job. Thank You for the opportunity to review this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Written by one of the leaders in the field and first published in 1950, this book remains a classic treatment of the mathematical theory of plastics. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Mathematical Theory of Plasticity
fundamental equations
Extrusion from a contracting under certain distributed loads
Cylindrical tude under certain distibuted loads

A monumental piece of work in the history of engineering
Today Rodney Hill remains the best known plastician of this century. Perhaps no other book in engineering mechanics has done so much to propel a field as has Hill's Mathematical Theory of Plasticity. The book forms a beginning, a guiding force, for nearly all plasticity books in print today including my own. ... Read more

Book Description

Genetics, the most rapidly advancing of the life sciences, has stimulated more diverse disciplines in the natural and social sciences than any other field. The fact that it has encouraged scientists of varied backgrounds-- anthropologists, chemists, computer specialists, engineers, mathematicians, paleontologists, physicians, and physicists--to contribute to its development is one reason for its prodigious growth. Such growth is accompanied by a proliferation in terminology, which creates a problem both to beginning students and scientists from other disciplines who read papers by geneticists. Various terms, especially in molecular and cell biology, are newly coined and thus not found in any collegiate or biology dictionaries; in some cases, the terms are unknown to students with little or no background in taxonomy. This fifth edition of the much-needed Dictionary of Genetics has been organized to provide a quick understanding to students and non-geneticists. It includes over 6,500 definitions of terms and species names relevant to the study of genetics. Also featured are a chronology that spans nearly 400 years of genetic study, as well as an extensive bibliography. The entries are for both strictly genetic terms and nongenetic terms that are often encountered in the literature. Thus the book is helpful not only to beginning geneticists, but anyone involved in life sciences. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a must for the biological graduate studentia
As a graduate student studying biochemistry/molecular biology, this book (on the PI's shelf) was a frequent read. Not only does it explain "old-school" genetic experiments with aplomb, it provides clear and concise examples. A fine reference for reviewing papers, and a must have for any PI (if only for your students to use as a reference!) ... Read more

Book Description

John Polkinghorne has had a distinguished career as a particle physicist and as an author of books exploring themes in science and religion. In Beyond Science Polkinghorne examines the nature of scientific inquiry itself and the human context in which science operates. The book looks at issues of meaning and value, such as scientific competition and subjectivity, as well as more practical aspects of the discipline such as the conference circuit and the nurturing of new research. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An excellent science writer with intriguing ideas.
Polkinghorne is a splendid writer of science and a formidable mind with wonderful ideas. He has a control of language rivaling any science writer I have read. His "Quantum World" is a beautiful work. In "Beyond Science" he continues along similar lines with a particularly charming chapter discussing the personalities of great physicists with whom he has associated. He does a superb job describing what science is and how it works. Unfortunately he descends into scholarly ambiguity in his chapter on the human mind, with bloated sentences that run on and can easily confuse even the careful reader.

The ultimate purpose of the book is to present allowance for belief in a divine creator. Mostly this revolves around the Anthropic Principle (AP) - the idea that the existence of life is so sensitive to variation in physical constants of the universe that they must have been set by a creator for such life to exist. AP embraces evolution as the machinery for God's work. Polkinghorne is in a minority among physicists but the idea should cause some pause for reflection. He limits credit to the idea that since we are products of those constants it should not be surprising that they are what they are. As one who appreciates the power of science he understandably holds dear any notion based on reason that allows for God. But he appears to hold the idea too dearly, as adherents of AP often do. Attempting to make apparent improbabilities of constants set by chance understandable he notes Leslie's philosophical story of a fly hit by a bullet on a vast wall. He allows it two possible reasons for occurring, 1) because very many bullets were fired or 2) because a marksman took careful aim. Thus with intent, as a creator would have for tuning the constants with the aim of creating humans. Surely he knows but ignores two other possibilities, that the fly and bullet just happened to be at the same place in time or that the fly and bullet have some as yet undiscovered attraction for one another requiring they meet. This last is analogous to the constants having the values they do for as yet undiscovered requirements within the fabric of the Big Bang or Inflation or some other mechanism. Probabilities against events can sometimes carry too much weight. The probability that any four hands of thirteen cards are drawn in specific order from a deck of fifty-two is 1 in 4 billion trillion. Yet each time you draw four hands of thirteen cards, it happens. The cards dealt are completely determined by their position in the deck. We don't know what that is but it is fixed. Polkinghorne makes a few similar, but generally lesser transgressions to preserve his belief. I was repeatedly surprised and relieved to see him admit this on occasion and discuss opposing views.

The only unfortunate result of such a book will be that creationists use such material against science through misunderstanding and convenient abbreviation. Which is not a reason to stop such inquiry. I recommend "Beyond Science" for those at least mildly aquatinted with the field.

Simple, but profound, thinking about science and religion
Polkinghorne had a career as an academic physicist, and has also been theologically trained. He examines science from a religious viewpoint. He doesn't find a warfare between science and Christianity, but he does believe that scientists sometimes claim to know more than they should about metaphysical issues. Polkinghorne deals intelligently with both physics and biology. One chapter gives capsule evaluations of the legacies of important scientists, including Stephen Hawking. This book does not claim that the earth was created a few thousand years ago, but it does claim that science has by no means ruled out an Intelligent Designer. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A Man with a Superb Mind and Argument
It is disappointing to see one reviewer rely on the discredited Richard Wein, and use the "God in the gaps" argument. (If there is a Designer, of course, He/She/It/They would necessraily be in the "gaps." Where else would He/She/It/They be? Since naturalistic philosophy assumes no designer, no conceivable gap could ever convince them otherwise. NeoDarwinism is just as non-falsifiable as any alternative.) The Issue, of course, is the gaps themselves. And the nature of the gaps, which at this point turns out to be the specified complexity of these marvelous nano-machines we call biological cells. And despite the zeal of the naturalists, the gaps are huge. Grand Canyon sized and getting bigger.

Dembski's book is an essential for anyone interested in the NeoDarwinism vs Intellegent Design. It is refreshing to see a genuine scientific treatment of this subject without all the young earth Bible thumping from the creationists. Dembski succeeds in showing the bankruptcy of NeoDarwinism when it comes to how cells actually acquired their specified complexity. Does this prove that there is a Designer? Of course not. And Dembski claims nothing of the sort. But it clearly demonstrates the current utter bankruptcy (or non-existence) of the NeoDarwinists explanations and approaches the question from an entirely new paradigm.

Buy this book and tell your friends to buy it.

Profound in its implications
William Dembski's newest book, No Free Lunch, helps complete the job he started in his 1998 book, The Design Inference (Cambridge University Press). The Design Inference laid out Dembski's rigorous formal apparatus for determining whether an event or an object is the result of chance, natural law/necessity, or intelligent design. What he didn't do in that book is apply the theory to the natural world. In No Free Lunch, he does so. Not only does he tweak and strengthen his earlier theory, but he applies it to biology, and offers a devastating critique of various self-organizational theories, which recognize that Darwin's theory is inadequate, but hope to get information for free. Dembski argues convincingly that you can't. Although No Free Lunch does have some fairly technical sections, for the most part it is accessible to the educated non-specialist. Besides, it's worth the effort.

Makes Sense of the Data
This work by Professor Dembski attempts to defend the idea that life not only is, but must be, the product of intelligence. As a cell biologist, my graduate course work and teaching experience has demonstrated this over and over, but Dembski in this book looks at the mathematics and logic that supports this premise. He also does an excellent job responding to the arguments against the irreducible complexity concept. In my opinion, this is one of the strongest arguments for ID. The arguments concocted against it have, in my mind, only confirmed this concept. Dembski also does an excellent job responding to Dawkins and his ME THINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL analogy, which proves the opposite of what Dawkins intended. A common claim is that Dembski (and the ID movement as a whole) is only concerned about polemics and propaganda, and the movement lacks a genuine interest and competence to do real science (which I assume refers to empirical research and collecting data). I have spent much of my career collecting data. This requires a special skill but more important in science is the ability to understand and integrate this data, which takes a skill that I have come to appreciate is less common and more important than doing number crunching of measurements. There is a place for both, but a clear need exists to make sense of the data we already have. I find that students can gather date fairly effectively, but the real challenge and talent is to make sense of that data. In grading their labs I always stress this. Dembski has done an invaluable service in making sense of the extant data. The only factor preventing acceptance of his conclusions is an emotional commitment to fundamentalist Darwinism.

Potent, persuasive
Although the reading may be a bit difficult for some, the ideas and arguments presented in this book should be able convince intelligent, open-minded individuals that Intelligent Design offers a better scientific framework than Darwinism or neo-Darwinism. Dogmatic Darwinian apologists, however, will not be moved from their cherished preconceptions.

An early contestant for Book of the Millenium
Darwin is dead. Let's get on with it and keep science within the realm of REAL alternatives in origins research.

That pretty well summarizes No Free Lunch, which brings the reader up to date with the latest in mathematical research and design theory. The "No Free Lunch" theorems establish that information does not arise by either chance or order - the two mechanisms available to naturalism, AKA atheistic Darwinism. The only thing left is intelligence as the source of information.

This is hardly the first book to make this claim (cf. Werner Gitt's In the Beginning was Information - or for that matter, the ancient Greek philosophers had it figured out). But in a world saturated with the religion of naturalism, this blunt work destroying that religion at its very foundation stands out. When the last Darwinist is dead and buried, William Dembski will be highly ranked among those who laid the evolutionary ideology to rest.

Demski's handling of Darwinian critics, blinded by their own preconceptions and faith commitments, is excellent. While the book as a whole is too technical for many readers, Dembski outlines the main themes very well, limiting the mathematical proofs to some sections so that the remainder of the work can be read profitably by just about anyone. ... Read more

Book Description

Arthur C. Clarke is one of this century's most visionary and versatile thinkers.In the crowning achievement of his extraordinary career, Clarke has collected his ground-breaking non-fiction pieces into one volume.Charting an exceptional career of over six decades, the essays in Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! reveal Clarke's piercing mind and lively wit as well as the march of science through our modern age. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Very Readable If a Bit Redundant and Long
There's no question that Arthur C. Clarke is one of the great intellects of the past 100 years, or that his contributions to science and science fiction are immense, or that he can really write. So a book of this sort is completely welcome, and the range of topics this work covers, from the visions of the future past writers offered to the role of technology in the world, is notable by itself.

For the most part, the essays live up to the promise of the premise. Clarke is sharp, funny and generally optimistic. I could have done without the handful of instances where he dismisses religion - why do all sci-fi writers seems to have it in for those of us who still believe in a kind and active God? - but he's not intemperant or intolerant of the differences that make up the world. If all the critics of this world were like Clarke, we'd e in much happier shape.

Two things hurt this book, though. One is the numerous essays about Clarke's adventurues as a deep-sea diver in Sri Lanka. I know that he's proud of his days doing this, but I found such essays both dull and out of place next to the rest of the book. Never mind that I am disappointed that none of his essays address the ongoing cilvil wars in his adopted homeland.

The other trouble is the redundancy of the essays. One essay about computers includes the entire body of another essay in this book. Several observations are repeated, such as the quip about the Apollo 8 astronauts and the monolith (it's funny once, but not three times). If the book could include new intros and closings to the essays, certainly they could have been edited for the package.

In any case, though, this is a worthwhile work to read and enjoy if you're a fan of Clarke's works, or a fan of sci-fi, or a space buff, a technology watcher, or just want to see how some of the great ideas of the past century were born. Clarke gave us the communications satellite, HAL, and an unqiue view of what is and what might be.

Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds!
It's not for nothing that Arthur C. Clarke is "the Prophet of the Space Age" (although he dislikes being called a prophet). Indeed, there's only one prophet, and it sure ain't Mohammed. Hardly no other person in modern times have had such an enormous effect on his contemporary world as Arthur C. Clarke. He invented the concept of the geosynchronous communications satellite, he co-wrote the script for the single most influential science-fiction movie ever (that's 2001: A Space Odyssey, in case you didn't know), and he has written several of the classics of modern science-fiction (Rendezvous with Rama, to name but one). And at the venerable age of 85, he's still showing little sign of slowing down, although he is mostly confined to a wheel-chair these days.
This collection of articles, essays, and other short pieces of writing, spans Clarke's entire career from the 1930s until the end of the 1990s. The material is divided into seven parts according to which decade it was originally written in, and each part begins with an introduction. Several of the individual articles and essays are also prefaced with new introductions by Clarke. Part I, entitled "Rockets and Radar," spans the 1930s and -40s, and contains 13 of Clarke's writings. Among them are such gems as "Extraterrestrial Relays," which is the famous essay in which Clarke first described his ideas about geosynchronous satellites; and "The Challenge of the Spaceship," an essay, originally delivered as a lecture, which, among other things, caused George Bernard Shaw to apply for membership in the British Interplanetary Society at the age of 91.
Part II, "Beneath the Seas of Ceylon," spans the 1950s and contains 23 pieces of writing, among them the concluding paragraphs from the book Interplanetary Flight: An Introduction to Astronautics (1950). Of this book, the late Carl Sagan, the world's most famous astronomer, later said that it had been "a turning point in my scientific development." Sagan was just one among the many great men and women to have been inspired by Clarke's writings. To me, Part II was the least interesting section of Greetings, however, since the last 9 essays describe that other great passion of Clarke's, diving. It was during the 1950s that Clarke moved to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), which would remain his home for the rest of his life, and he spent a lot of time there diving and running an "underwater safari" enterprise. Not being a diver myself, I didn't find these stories quite as interesting as Clarke's other writings.
Part III, "Kubrick and Cape Kennedy," spans the 1960s. Like Part I, it contains 13 pieces of writing. Especially worth mentioning is "Space and the Spirit of Man," and the very short "God and Einstein," which is an absolute must-read. Here can also be found the speech that Clarke gave when he received the Kalinga Prize in 1962. Part IV, "Tomorrow's World," spanning the 1970s, is very short, containing as it does only six pieces. Noteworthy is the speech Clarke gave at the ceremony when the final agreements setting up the world satellite communications system (Intelsat) were signed at the State Department in Washington, on August 20, 1971.
Part V, "Stay of Execution," brings us to the 1980s, with 15 writings by Clarke. The outstanding piece here is "Credo," containing some of Clarke's views on religion and the great questions. Clarke doesn't pull his punches, which makes this essay a very enjoyable read indeed. Part VI, "Countdown to 2000," contains no less than 37 different writings by Clarke, written during the 1990s. Several pieces here are previously unpublished. A lot of the material is very brief, and a bit repetitive in places. But overall, it's still great stuff. The last part, "2000 and Beyond," is the postscript, containing two articles and also the speech Clarke delivered at the 1997 Emmy Awards (although this speech consists mostly of stuff that already appeared in stories from Part VI).
All in all, this is a great collection of very inspirational writings from the master, and it is well worth delving into. It is perhaps not a book you read from cover to cover, but a book you can return to regularly over a long period of time. You will always find something new to enjoy beyond the next page. Highly recommended.

Essential
Before Carl Sagan (whom, one learns, was himself turned on to science through the words of Sir Arthur), Arthur C. Clarke, in addition to being one of the world's leading and best science fiction writers, was perhaps the most important, and most widely read, science writers of the 20th century. He published several books that are classics in the field of astronomy and physics, such as Interplanetary Flight (the volume that turned on Sagan), The Exploration of Space (the first English language boook to lay out the basic principles, and Clarke's first successful publication), The Promise of Space, Voices From The Sky, Profiles of The Future, and many, many others. Unfortunately, due to the somewhat ephermal nature of these works - as opposed to his science fiction - most of them have been out of print for many years. This is a shame, as Clarke's writing brilliance, smooth of prose, elegant wit, and wry sense of humor come through just as clearly in his non-fiction as in his fiction. He has that great talent of explaining difficult concepts in simple fashion, through analogy, metaphor, and other practible devices, while still remaining informative and literate, and without resorting to condescending. Thankfully, this book has solved much of our problems. Many of Sir Arthur's best and most invigorating essays, covering a nearly 60-year period, are reproduced here, in permanent form - and what a beautiful volume it is, too. A lot of the writing focuses on scientific topics, yes - particularly astronomy and physics - but a good deal of the book deals not with science, but with a variety of other subjects. These include Clarke's numerous postings to the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Royal Astronomical Society, and various magazines; personal reminisces (including several documentary-style writings on his scuba diving adventures - unlike many reviewers, who have commented that these essays seemed boring to them, I found them quite a good and fun read, and they led me to decide to go back and read some of Clarke's entire books on this subject, long ignored by me for this same oversight); forwards to books by other people; reviews (it is interesting to see how Clarke views certain classic science fiction movies and books, as well as his fellow science fiction authors and scientific colleagues - many of whom are mentioned, and recounted in loving detail (the book includes tributes to Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Stanley Kubrick, Willy Ley, Jack Williamson, Robert Bloch, among others... in addition to many mentions of other such notables as Ray Bradbury, Stephen Hawking, Werner van Braun, and many others) speeches, television appearances, etc. Most all of these are informative, many of them entertaining, and all of them readable. Better selections could perhaps have been made, it is true: I would rather have seen more of his incredible 1960's essays from Voices From The Sky and Profiles of The Future (several of which, for instance, describe a future computer network - the internet - before Clarke could possibly have known...) in place of some of the earliest essays in this book, which mostly consist of Clarke's postings to the Journal, and are thus rather vengeful and out of character attacks on various peoples. Still, one cannot go wrong with this book. Of particular interest to ACC fans (who will already have much - though by no means all - of this material, it also includes a lot of autobiographical information on Clarke - and background on the essays - in the form of introductions the the various sections, quite a few pictures of the man (there's an insert in the middle of the book), afterwards, and an extensive About The Author section. In the final analysis, I would reccommend unceasingly this book to anyone who is into Clarke's factual writing, or science writing in general, as well as to anybody who loves his fiction and would like to try some of his non-fiction out. This is a good - though perhaps not the best (I would still reccommend Profiles of The Future as the best starting point for ACC's non-fiction works) - place to start, and a nice companion volume to his recently released collection of short fiction, The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. It's a fine place to start for his non-fiction in general. However, don't take it as the final word on his science writing, as it doesn't focus specifically on that, and many of his best science articles were left out of this book. If you enjoy this book, and you want to read more of his scientifically oriented stuff, I unceasingly reccommend Profiles of The Future (recently re-published in a beautiful, lavish new updated volume) and The Promise of Space (if you can find it - an out of print masterpiece)... and perhaps Ascent To Orbit: A Scientific Autobiography if you want something a bit more technical.

This books comes highly reccommended from me to all carbon-based bipeds.

Fleecing Carbon-Based Bipeds...
I have avoided reviewing this massive failure for quite a while, since Sir Arthur was one of my childhood heroes. I still recall the thrill when I found some paperback collections of his short stories at a local drug store in the early 1950s... here was a science fiction writer who knew science and also knew the future of mankind lay in space exploration!

Well, my idol soon developed feet of clay, so to speak. Becoming a physics major, I soon discovered Clarke's actual knowledge of physics was nothing to write home about. And as the 1960s wore on, into the 1970s, and then the 1980s, I found him more and more frequently lending his name to unworthy but presumably profitable undertakings in which he himself all-too-obviously had no involvement whatsoever, including an increasingly unreadable and apparently interminable series of "novels."

The present anthology is almost all clay, and endlessly padded and repetitive clay at that. There is no visible editing, and misprints are everywhere (my favorite is "brass bar" where Clarke wrote "brass bra"! You can bet that he never read, or reread, a word of the text printed here.) Most vexing is that the entire tome is a shameless and absolutely relentless display of egotism and name-dropping that makes Forrest J. Ackerman look humble! Many of the contributions are brief notes or tributes dashed off hastily on various occasions and quite unworthy of being preserved in this way. Inspirational evocations of the wonders of the space frontier are cheek-by-jowl with unreadably dull travelogues and tediously written, utterly trivial underwater "adventures".

Worst of all, while a young Clarke fought against pseudoscience, an elderly, ailing Clarke has shamelessly and incomprehensibly embraced it and there are some really, really embarrassing testimonials to the wonders of the long-forgotten "cold fusion" and to the "zero-point" variant of perpetual motion.

Finally, I'd like to note that the early Clarke has a lot to say about what it means if world society turns its face from the endless promises of infinity and instead gazes at its navel Eastern style--- it means, he says bluntly, cultural death. The elder Clarke, living in just such a culture, and receiving rich (but token) rewards from it, has fallen strangely silent. Some of Clarke's fellow science fiction writers (virtually none of whom he mentions at all in the course of the book) knew what this meant as early as the 1970s--- see for example fellow British author John Brunner's STAND ON ZANZIBAR, in which the crazed inhabitants of an overpopulated earth tear at one another senselessly in mass-murders of ever-increasing scale, like a hundred rats in a laboratory cage built for three --- and precisely what you read about with ever-increasing frequency and severity in your daily newspapers! Coincidence? This is one science-fictional scenario I desperately wish had remained fictional!

Anyway, save your money, folks. This volume is unworthy of your attention, and quite unworthly of the Arthur C. Clarke we used to know and admire.

Enlightened prediction is the name of the game.
The fiction of Arthur C. Clarke has educated and enlightened multiple generations of readers with works that brought the future to us at an accessible, understandable level. Some of my favorites include Imperial Earth, The Fall of Moondust, and The Fountains of Paradise. And in this year, one must honor the classic "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Neil McAleer's biography of Sir Arthur C. Clarke is perhaps one of the best books to give a full understanding of this most versatile and visionary thinker of the twentieth century; but it is only through reading the non-fiction writings that one truly gets to know what a brilliant visionary that Arthur C. Clarke truly is. He has put out numerous papers, articles and books--but they generally have been out of print for many years--which is what makes this collection of essays so wonderful. Here is a logically organized anthology that brings together diverse areas of thought including science, science fiction, politics and more. It does not strive to be a complete collection, but more an essential sampler serving as a tribute to this most knowledgeable and witty intellect.

If you have not had the joy of reading Arthur C. Clarke's non-fiction, this is a wonderful place to start. If you have not read any in the last decade, this is a nice rememberance. And if you grew up reading his fiction and non-fiction as I have, it makes for a wonderful tribute to a truly phenomenal man.

Perhaps there is hope for the future of mankind? ... Read more

Book Description

The New York Times bestselling author of Witnessed, Intruders, and Missing Time -- three groundbreaking books on the UFO phenomenon -- returns with astonishing evidence that other-worldly beings are a very real -- and growing -- part of our lives.

In Sight Unseen, Budd Hopkins and coauthor Carol Rainey show how fascinating discoveries in modern science support the plausibility of the UFO phenomenon.

Featuring sixteen never-before-published cases, Sight Unseen probes two newly uncovered patterns in alien abduction: cases of UFO "invisibility" and reports of genetically altered alien beings who interact with humans during their routine lives.

The "invisibility" accounts detailed by Hopkins include numerous daylight abductions in densely populated urban areas -- all apparently unseen and accomplished through a technology of invisibility.

Book Description

From the beginning of their careers and forever after, scientists are called upon to do various kinds of writing and speaking. Communication skills are among the qualities most prized by those who hire and promote scientists. Scientific Papers and Presentations provides a concise guide to writing what must be written: proposals, literature reviews, theses, journal articles, slide presentations, posters, or grants. The author also discusses conventions in writing, proofreading, copywriting, as well as methods for searching and citing scientific literature, composing reviews, preparing data presentations, communicating visually, and public speaking.
No other reference provides guidelines and practical advice for so many forms of communication. Advice-laden appendices include actual examples of papers annotated by the author. Based on the author's fifteen years of experience advising young scientists about scientific writing, the book can be used as a course text for scientific writing, seminar, or scientific presentation courses. It is also a handy and valuable reference for fledgling scientists.

Key Features
* Provides protocols and criteria for a wide range of scientific written and spoken communications
* Presents logical, sensible approaches to communicating with diverse audiences
* Written in a conversational style for easy reading
* Includes guidelines, examples, processes, and answers to questions about theses, proposals, posters, slide presentations, publications, and related issues
* Helps to improve overall communication skills
* Serves as companion handbook to your style manual
* Detailed, annotated appendices provide practical examples and commentary ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great scientific writing primer
What else is there to say. Covers papers, theses, and oral presentations. Quite thorough yet not large.

Inspiring reading.
A very inspiring and reminding book for people writing scientific papers.All the figures and citats makes it so funny to read. You don't have to be in the department of agronomy to get a good idea for your paper from this book. After reading I just longed for continuing my writing field with new ideas and it's frontpage is so coulorful so for me it's not only a book but also a piece of art. ... Read more

Book Description

Have you ever wondered... How many sheets of paper can be produced from a single tree? Why do FM radio stations end in an odd number? What causes a sonic boom? Where is the world's fastest computer located?

If you've ever scratched your head and thought, why?," you'll love How Much Does the Earth Weigh? With more than 100 of the most popular questions culled from the intriguing "Question of the Day" segment of HowStuffWorks.com, this fun book answers questions you never even thought to ask.

Written in Marshall Brain's award-winning style, this book explains in language you can understand the complexities behind some of the world's imponderables. You'll never look at a light socket, gas pump, or Web page the same way again! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Now I know!
Your interest in this book will depend upon how curious you are about the world around you. The people at HowStuffWorks have returned with another tome of difficult questions answered in an approachable way. (The only caveat is that the explanation does not always answer all parts of the question.)

It includes descriptions of how Caller ID works, how much "all the money in the world" is, as well as the immortal "Why is the sky blue," ending on the ambitious titular question.

This is an ideal bedside (or lav-side) book and if you are interested in trivia or how the world works, I recommend it without reservation. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the experimental results and theoretical interpretations concerning elementary excitation spectra in high-Tc superconductor, both in the normal and superconducting states, and suggests directions where future experimental and theoretical efforts should be concentrated. A critical comparison of different theoretical models involving strong electron correlations, spin fluctuations and electron-phonon coupling is given. ... Read more

Book Description

Pacific salmon inhabit a vast ecosystem that encompasses the rivers within and the ocean between coastal countries. From steep, cold snowmelt streams to major tributaries, from estuaries to the deep ocean, the range of Pacific salmon includes the Tachia River in Taiwan, the permafrost zone of Chukotka that flows to the Chukchi Sea, the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean between Japan and California, the streams and rivers of the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, and the myriad waterways in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California, as far south as Rio Santo Domingo in Baja California.
The North Pacific Rim nations--the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan, China, and the Koreas--enjoy vastly different economic, ecological, and cultural relationships with salmon and, until now, the types of data available to assess the abundance and biodiversity of these fish were almost as varied as the scientists who collect them. Atlas of Pacific Salmon is the first book to apply a common, newly calibrated yardstick to measure, across this broad ecosystem, the state of Pacific salmon, which have suffered precipitous declines in abundance and diversity in recent decades.
The only map-based assessment of distribution and risk of extinction for seven species of Pacific salmon at one consistent scale, under one authorship, the Atlas is the result of five years' work by Xanthippe Augerot and other foremost experts in the field. Using state-of-the-art GIS mapping tools, this book offers a multidimensional view of Pacific salmon populations from a watershed perspective, through the natural boundaries in which the fish migrate, spawn, and mature. More than three dozen stunning full-page maps overlay the human, climatic, geological, and environmental impacts on salmon populations. ... Read more

Book Description

Containing 609 encyclopedic articles written by more than 200 prominent scholars, The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science presents an unparalleled history of the field invaluable to anyone with an interest in the technology, ideas, discoveries, and learned institutions that have shaped our world over the past five centuries. Focusing on the period from the Renaissance to the early twenty-first century, the articles cover all disciplines (Biology, Alchemy, Behaviorism), historical periods (the Scientific Revolution, World War II, the Cold War), concepts (Hypothesis, Space and Time, Ether), and methodologies and philosophies (Observation and Experiment, Darwinism). Coverage is international, tracing the spread of science from its traditional centers and explaining how the prevailing knowledge of non-Western societies has modified or contributed to the dominant global science as it is currently understood. Revealing the interplay between science and the wider culture, the Companion includes entries on topics such as minority groups, art, religion,and science's practical applications. One hundredbiographies of the most iconic historic figures, chosen fortheir contributions to science and the interest of their lives, are also included. Above all The Oxford Companionto the History of Modern Science is a companion to worldhistory: modern in coverage, generous in breadth, andcosmopolitan in scope.The volume's utility is enhanced by a thematic outline ofthe entire contents, a thorough system of cross-referencing,and a detailed index that enables the reader to follow aspecific line of inquiry along various threads from multiplestarting points. Each essay has numerous suggestions for further reading, all of which favor literature that isaccessible to the general reader, and a bibliographicalessay provides a general overview of the scholarship in thefield. Lastly, as a contribution to the visual appeal of theCompanion, over 100 black-and-white illustrations and an eight-page color section capture the eye and spark the imagination. ... Read more

Book Description

When it comes to pinpointing the stuff you really need to know, nobody does it better than CliffsNotes. This fast, effective tutorial helps you master the core concepts of biochemistry – and get the best possible grade. From basic biochemical structures to basic interactions, you get clear, jargon-free explanations of all the fundamentals, illustrated throughout with a wealth of figures and formulas. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great intro book
When I wanted to start reading Lenninger Priciple's of Biochemistry it felt like a bucket of cold water... there were many things that I could not understand; hence, I went for something simple and concise, something that gives me enough background (in a short amount of time) info to somehow figure out what Lenninger tried to explain. For that purpose, this book is very good. Do not expect to be a master biochemist after you read this book, this is just an INTRODUCTION and OUTLINE of the main ideas... only the concepts that are used most often appear! Although obvious, the bad part of the download version is that you have to be attached to a computer =(

Great Overview
When I wanted to start reading Lenninger Priciple's of Biochemistry it felt like a bucket of cold water... there were many things that I could not understand; hence, I went for something simple and concise, something that gives me enough background (in a short amount of time) info to somehow figure out what Lenninger tried to explain. For that purpose, this book is very good. In fact, I am reading it again in some chemistry class that I have because the class is boring. However, do not expect to be a master biochemist after you read this book, this is just an INTRODUCTION and OUTLINE of the main ideas... only the concepts that are used most often appear! Another feature that I like is that it is pocket size, meaning that I can carry it around easily! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Relief for those who don't speak in equations
This is a great, practical book for ecological and evolutionary researchers. Dytham walks you through the choosing and using of different common statistical applications. If you can't find it in here, you probably have an advanced question that requires a mathematical answer, in which case it's time to dust off that heavy textbook. For most questions, this will save you time and frustration.

How to make statistics clear: a book to be ready-to-go
After too many books with a useless wealth of equations to leave you in a worse confusion here is finally a book to give you hints and tools to tackle the problem. Good coverage of both parametric and less known non-parametric statistics, modern approach through coverage of popular packages, keys to choose the various tests and lots of examples and hints for the experimental design. Generally a complete book which manages to cover with a sensible balance from the basics to more complicated designs for ANOVA evaluations. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Carl Sagan muses on the current state of scientific thought, whichoffers him marvelous opportunities to entertain us with his own childhoodexperiences, the newspaper morgues, UFO stories,and the assorted flotsam and jetsam of pseudoscience.Along the way he debunks alien abduction, faith-healing, and channeling; refutes the arguments that science destroys spirituality, and provides a "baloney detection kit" for thinking through political, social, religious, and other issues. ... Read more

Reviews (302)

Sagan's Best Work
I haven't read all of Sagan's books but out of the ones I have read, this is the one I enjoyed the most. As in his other works, Sagan comes off sounding more like a friend telling a story than an intellectual teaching science. In a very concise manner he deals with many of the nonsensical beliefs that permeate our society, such as alien abductions, the so-called face on Mars, demonology, etc. He even spends a whole chapter using the fantastic invisible dragon analogy which basically states that although you may not be able to disprove my claim that there is an invisible dragon in my garage, this does not prove that it does exist. This is a principle that should be taught in every school in America. Not being able to disprove something, whether it be the existence of Superman, Santa Claus or any one of numerous gods, does not prove that they do indeed exist. What comes through most in this book is Sagan's wonder of nature and cosmology, and his desire that the scientific method be applied to all subjects so that truth may come forward and so that ancient myths and fairy tales can be dispelled. As is evidenced by other reviews on this page, this book will cause some people great discomfort as they find their childhood beliefs obliterated with such clear and concise reasoning. Although it's interesting that Sagan's character gets criticized more so than his actual work, it's not unusual to see such knee jerk reactions occur. I'm often baffled to find that those who attack Sagan on a personal level are the same people who hold murderers like Moses, King David, and the prophet Elisha in high regard.

Life changing book
Many are turned off by science since they find it to be cold, desenchanting or even a bit nihilistic. With a clever sense of humor and easy-to read writting style, Sagan proves that science can be an awe-inspiring spiritual experience, when we are confronted with the immense complexity of nature and our universe. He reminds us how to be a good skeptic: one who is open minded to new information, but will only believe after receiving proof. (Which consists of much more than anecdotal evidence )As Sagan states "I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." He urges everyone to think skeptically and to express our opinions while being respectfull of others' beliefs. Unfortunately those who would benefit from more skepticism are the ones less likely to pick up this book. It takes courage to abandon the comforts of an "all-loving" ever present god, immortality, and belief in psychic powers in exchange for the truth. However, Sagan shows us how science has greatly improved the quality of life throughout history, and how the systematic search for truth can be more rewarding than blinded-faith. We should be open minded("Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence") without being gullible. And we must remember how "wishfull thinking" does not make something true.

Astronomer or Sociologist?
Although Carl Sagan made a prominent name for himself as an Astronomer in the 1970's, his final contribution to the academic world was a piece that was very Sociological in nature. The thesis of the book is that America's obsession with science fiction and popular myth has curtailed the growth of the United States as a scientifically literate society. As such, Sagan's final work is laudable as one of the most poignant and effective commentaries on the Zeitgeist of American society at the turn of the 21st century.

At the beginning of "Demon-haunted", Sagan comes across as a "killjoy", who is bitter about the seemingly innocuous pleasures that many Americans indulge themselves in (Star Trek, Atlantis, Crystal Power, etc.). He points out that at the time of the book's release, "Dumb and Dumber" was the number one movie in the box office. He also spins a wonderful anecdote about his cab driver who, upon finding out that Sagan is an Astronomer, tries to demonstrate upon Sagan his scientific "fluency" through his knowledge of "Atlantis". It all seems quite funny, until Sagan points out that the cab driver got quite frustrated when Sagan challenged his belief systems about the mythical island continent. With this wonderfully concrete example, Sagan renders the reader aware of how dangerous popular myths about science can be.

As the book progresses, Sagan continually points out that a little diversion can be a dangerous thing. He points out that Americans in the 1990's would rather spend a day watching the X-files than studying real stellar constellations; or reading tripe about Atlantis, as opposed to reading scientific books about continnetal plate shift. Eventually, the "candle in the dark" analogy is revealed as an analogy for science in America, where beliefs in the supernatural often publically usurp real scientific fact.

I think the thing that shocked me the most about this book was the fact that it wakes the reader up to the "dumbing down" of the American educational system, which Sagan implies, is a factor of the general American's willingness to believe just about anything that's entertaining.

Of the more forboding points that Sagan makes, there is one that he is rightfully salient about. This is that "pure science" (that is science in its abstract form) is becoming replaced by "profit-oriented" science. To back his argument, he points out that almost none of the technology that we enjoy today would have been discovered if it were not for the pursuit of pure science. For example, he points out that without abstract study of magnetism and electricity, things such as radio and television would not be here.

Like any good social theorist, Sagan ends this book with a series of solutions that could be enacted to further the pursuit of true science. First, he calls for a return to funding initiative for non-profit oriented scientific study. Second, he comments in passing that several opportunities are being missed by the educational system to teach children the priniples of true science by using the world around them as examples. For instance, at one point, he shows the applicability of basketball to physics. In sum, Sagan proves to be a brilliant Social Theorist.

Review "Science hmm" from June 14, 2004 is really funny!
Firstly my take is that Carl Sagan was a brilliant man and a great author with an exceptional ability to concisely and clearly present rationality at its best.

The book, as many of the reviews have already stated, does a great job debunking many of the highly notorious fallacies in society whose foundations lie on "myths". Sagan does this by offering a skeptical approach based on pure rational and emphirical thinking. He does an even better job in conveying how society, and government specifically should operate based on informed rationality, and the "deamons" which haunt this world result when governments and people specifically (as civilizations / governments are merely a manifestation of its inhabitants) act in irrational and self-seeking ways.

Obviously this is an extremely complex and controversial subject matter; one whose essence no single book could ever truely cover effectively. That is why I think bringing up religion and faith in general detracts from his focus as I find faith is an alltogether different characteristic than irrational behavior. It may cause one to do irrational things, but it is because that person find solace in knowing what they are doing has higher purpose.

Proponents of the Truth, i.e. wisdom and the pursuit of wisdom, such as Plato and Socrates, have always treated religion and God separately, or stated that it was God's divine purpose for Man to be Just, which is an attribute that can only come from knowing the essence of a situation before acting.

And so if that aspect of Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark annoys you, I recommend Plato's Republic (as an exceptional work for morality and the pursuit of truth and wisdom).

Other than that this is a great book that provides rational explanations for of some the most famed subjects of pseudoscience.

As an aside about skeptism (not about this book):
Some people see skeptisim as form of close-mindedness, and the writer of the review from June 14 "Science hmm" exemplifies that type of person. Obviously anyone can tell that person is speaking without any basis, and its a very funny post, but also the reason why this book needs to be read (I'm sure that person, if he even read Sagan's book at all, did it with ingrained preconceived notions of the "evils of science") This guy claims all of science is narrow minded and fascist (haha) but even many who aren't completely off their rocker, think skepticism is bad. The skeptic mindset is to only take facts at face value, and only believe when sufficient evidence is provided. This is the only way to promote a rational mindset. Those who think skeptics are narrow minded truely don't understand its purpose.

Skepticism is the best way to gain knowledge and wisdom, and prevents from deviating from that cause; which leads to fallacies about our reality such as all the myths Sagan debunks.

Going back to the poster of "Science hmm" who said that all science does is bring up "more and more unanswered questions"; although I agree that "science" that is, the pursuit of knowledge and truth, does bring up more unanswered questions, the only hope for us is in finally being able to answer some of the more fundamental ones.

To end this corny (and probably obvious arguement) with a quote:
"All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike--and yet is the most precious thing we have." Albert Einstein

A Candle in the Dark
Demons, UFO's, the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot, fairies and the like are all investigated in this incredible non-fiction book by the late Carl Sagan. Pseudoscience, and those who perpetuate it, find their place in today's society among those who want to believe in the impossible. In fact, Sagan too admits that he would love to find life on other planets, among other things (he was, after all, an advocate of SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). However, science today has not been able to prove that such things exist. As the book states, "the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms."

This book challenges the reader to critically scrutinize information professed by supposed experts, and be more of a skeptic. Sagan states early on in the book that "some 95 percent of Americans are scientifically illiterate." By using the scientific method combined with a little bit of logic and common sense, one should find that it is much more difficult to be mentally taken advantage of by pseudoscience "experts." Intelligent inquiry and analysis of information presented, and those presenting it, proves to be an invaluable tool.

Nonetheless, stories regarding crop circles, area 51, and other such nonsense still abound. Sagan runs through various examples and places them under the hypothetical microscope. Once examined more closely, most of these theories and fallacious postulations crumble quite easily. What some people don't realize, and what Sagan points out, is that things just as mysterious and awe-inspiring can be found all around us, and they are indeed factual and are being investigated by those in science fields. We need not look elsewhere to find mysticism and intrigue. People are still trying to completely understand viruses and the molecular building blocks in gas in space, and if people were equally as drawn to understand real phenomena as they are fallacious theories, then more people would be working to unravel the true mysteries that are much more worthy of our efforts.

I truly feel that this is a book everyone should read. Not only does Sagan do an excellent job of attempting to popularize science, but he also tries to teach people how to think for themselves rather than to be force-fed information from less-than-trustworthy sources. The demons in this demon haunted world are both those who perpetuate such celebrated fallacies, as well as those who believe them without question. Sagan attempts to teach, in this book, how to distinguish "real science from the cheap imitation." Indeed, he does just that. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a reference for librarians, mathematicians, and statisticians involved in college and research level mathematics and statistics in the 21st century. We are in a time