Tag Archives: books

Atomic Accidents – Jim Mahaffey

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Atomic Accidents

A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima

Jim Mahaffey

Genre: History

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: February 4, 2014

Publisher: Pegasus Books

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


A “delightfully astute” and “entertaining” history of the mishaps and meltdowns that have marked the path of scientific progress ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review). Radiation: What could go wrong? In short, plenty. From Marie Curie carrying around a vial of radium salt because she liked the pretty blue glow to the large-scale disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima, dating back to the late nineteenth century, nuclear science has had a rich history of innovative exploration and discovery, coupled with mistakes, accidents, and downright disasters. In this lively book, long-time advocate of continued nuclear research and nuclear energy James Mahaffey looks at each incident in turn and analyzes what happened and why, often discovering where scientists went wrong when analyzing past meltdowns. Every incident, while taking its toll, has led to new understanding of the mighty atom—and the fascinating frontier of science that still holds both incredible risk and great promise.  

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Atomic Accidents – Jim Mahaffey

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The Trouble with Gravity – Richard Panek

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The Trouble with Gravity

Solving the Mystery Beneath Our Feet

Richard Panek

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $12.99

Publish Date: July 9, 2019

Publisher: HMH Books

Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


"A thoughtful meditation on the mythic, cultural, philosophical and, yes, scientific implications of what happens when a wet potato or a crystal vase slips from your hand."—Billy Collins A mind-bending exploration of gravity, the universe's greatest mystery. What is gravity? Nobody knows—and just about nobody knows that nobody knows. How something so pervasive can also be so mysterious, and how that mystery can be so wholly unrecognized outside the field of physics, is one of the greatest conundrums in modern science. But as award-winning author Richard Panek shows in this groundbreaking book, gravity is a cold case that we are closer to cracking than ever—and whose very investigation has yielded untold truths about the cosmos and humanity itself. Part scientific detective story, part meta­physical romp, The Trouble with Gravity is a revelation: the first in-depth, accessible study of this ubiquitous, elusive force. Gravity and our efforts to understand it, Panek reveals, have shaped not only the world we inhabit, but also our bodies, minds, and culture. Its influence can be seen in everything from ancient fables to modern furniture, Dante’s Inferno to the pratfalls of Laurel and Hardy, bipedalism to black holes. As we approach the truth about gravity, we should also be prepared to know both our universe and our­selves as never before.  

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The Trouble with Gravity – Richard Panek

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Secrets of the Savanna – Mark Owens & Delia Owens

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Secrets of the Savanna

Twenty-three Years in the African Wilderness Unraveling the Mysteries ofElephants and People

Mark Owens & Delia Owens

Genre: Nature

Price: $9.99

Publish Date: July 17, 2007

Publisher: HMH Books

Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


  "Vividly written…Their story is thrilling—the kind of tale that wild-animal lovers won't easily forget."— People In this riveting real-life adventure, Mark and Delia Owens tell the dramatic story of their last years in Africa, fighting to save elephants, villagers, and — in the end — themselves. The award-winning zoologists and pioneering conservationists describe their work in the remote and ruggedly beautiful Luangwa Valley, in northeastern Zambia. There they studied the mysteries of the elephant population’s recovery after poaching, discovering remarkable similarities between humans and elephants. A young elephant named Gift provided the clue to help them crack the animals’ secret of survival. A stirring portrait of life in Africa, Secrets of the Savanna is a remarkable record of the Owenses's unique passions.

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Secrets of the Savanna – Mark Owens & Delia Owens

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The Storytelling Animal – Jonathan Gottschall

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The Storytelling Animal

How Stories Make Us Human

Jonathan Gottschall

Genre: Life Sciences

Price: $2.99

Publish Date: April 23, 2013

Publisher: HMH Books

Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


A NYTimes.com Editor's Choice   A Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Finalist  “A jaunty, insightful new book . . . [that] draws from disparate corners of history and science to celebrate our compulsion to storify everything around us.” — New York Times Humans live in landscapes of make-believe. We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. Now Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling. He argues that stories help us navigate life’s complex social problems—just as flight simulators prepare pilots for difficult situations. Storytelling has evolved, like other behaviors, to ensure our survival. Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology, Gottschall tells us what it means to be a storytelling animal and explains how stories can change the world for the better. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us. “This is a quite wonderful book. It grips the reader with both stories and stories about the telling of stories, then pulls it all together to explain why storytelling is a fundamental human instinct.” —Edward O. Wilson “Charms with anecdotes and examples . . . we have not left nor should we ever leave Neverland.”— Cleveland Plain Dealer

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The Storytelling Animal – Jonathan Gottschall

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The Complete Dinosaur – M. K. Brett-Surman, Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. & James O. Farlow

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The Complete Dinosaur

M. K. Brett-Surman, Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. & James O. Farlow

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: June 27, 2012

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


A new edition of the illustrated compendium that is “a gift to serious dinosaur enthusiasts” ( Science ).   What do we know about dinosaurs, and how do we know it? How did they grow, move, eat, and reproduce? Were they warm-blooded or cold-blooded? How intelligent were they? How are the various groups of dinosaurs related to each other, and to other kinds of living and extinct vertebrates? What can the study of dinosaurs tell us about the process of evolution? And why did typical dinosaurs become extinct?   These questions and more are addressed in this new, expanded edition of The Complete Dinosaur . Written by leading experts on the “fearfully great” reptiles, the book covers what we have learned about dinosaurs, from the earliest discoveries to the most recent controversies. Where scientific contention exists, the editors have let the experts agree to disagree. The Complete Dinosaur is a feast for serious dinosaur lovers, from the enthusiastic amateur to the professional paleontologist.   Praise for the first edition:    “An excellent encyclopedia that serves as a nice bridge between popular and scholarly dinosaur literature.” — Library Journal (starred review)    “Stimulating armchair company for cold winter evenings. . . . Best of all, the book treats dinosaurs as intellectual fun.” — New Scientist   “Useful both as a reference and as a browse-and-enjoy compendium.” — Natural History “Copiously illustrated and scrupulously up-to-date.” — Publishers Weekly   “The amount of information in [these] pages is amazing. This book should be on the shelves of dinosaur freaks as well as those who need to know more about the paleobiology of extinct animals. It will be an invaluable library reference.” —American Reference Books Annual

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The Complete Dinosaur – M. K. Brett-Surman, Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. & James O. Farlow

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Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book – Stacy Tornio & Ken Keffer

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Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book

448 Great Things to Do in Nature Before You Grow Up

Stacy Tornio & Ken Keffer

Genre: Nature

Price: $0.99

Publish Date: April 2, 2013

Publisher: Falcon Guides

Seller: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group


Nature is a destination, but you don’t have to travel anywhere to find it. Just open the door and step outside. A fun, hands on approach to getting involved in nature,  The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book  is a year-round how-to activity guidebook for getting kids outdoors and exploring nature, be it catching fireflies in the cool summer evenings; making birdfeeders in the fall from peanut butter, pine cones, and seed; building a snowman in 3 feet of fresh winter snow; or playing duck, duck, goose with friends in a meadow on a warm spring day.  The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book  includes 448 things to do in nature for kids of all ages–more than one activity for every single day of the year. Each of the year's four seasons includes fifty checklist items, fifty challenge items, three each of projects, destinations, garden recipes, and outdoor games. Throughout the book, you'll also find fascinating facts, useful tips and tricks, and plenty of additional resources to turn to. Complete with whimsical, vibrant illustrations, this book is a must for parents and their kids.

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Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book – Stacy Tornio & Ken Keffer

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Infinite Powers – Steven Strogatz

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Infinite Powers

How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe

Steven Strogatz

Genre: Mathematics

Price: $15.99

Expected Publish Date: April 2, 2019

Publisher: HMH Books

Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


From preeminent math personality and author of The Joy of x, a brilliant and endlessly appealing explanation of calculus – how it works and why it makes our lives immeasurably better.    Without calculus, we wouldn’t have cell phones, TV, GPS, or ultrasound. We wouldn’t have unraveled DNA or discovered Neptune or figured out how to put 5,000 songs in your pocket.    Though many of us were scared away from this essential, engrossing subject in high school and college, Steven Strogatz’s brilliantly creative, down‑to‑earth history shows that calculus is not about complexity; it’s about simplicity. It harnesses an unreal number—infinity—to tackle real‑world problems, breaking them down into easier ones and then reassembling the answers into solutions that feel miraculous.    Infinite Powers recounts how calculus tantalized and thrilled its inventors, starting with its first glimmers in ancient Greece and bringing us right up to the discovery of gravitational waves (a phenomenon predicted by calculus). Strogatz reveals how this form of math rose to the challenges of each age: how to determine the area of a circle with only sand and a stick; how to explain why Mars goes “backwards” sometimes; how to make electricity with magnets; how to ensure your rocket doesn’t miss the moon; how to turn the tide in the fight against AIDS.    As Strogatz proves, calculus is truly the language of the universe. By unveiling the principles of that language, Infinite Powers makes us marvel at the world anew. 

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Infinite Powers – Steven Strogatz

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The Dancing Wu Li Masters – Gary Zukav

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The Dancing Wu Li Masters

An Overview of the New Physics

Gary Zukav

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: October 6, 2009

Publisher: HarperOne

Seller: HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS


“The most exciting intellectual adventure I've been on since reading Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance .” — Times Gary Zukav’s timeless, humorous, New York Times bestselling masterpiece, The Dancing Wu Li Masters , is arguably the most widely acclaimed introduction to quantum physics ever written. Scientific American raves: “Zukav is such a skilled expositor, with such an amiable style, that it is hard to imagine a layman who would not find his book enjoyable and informative.” Accessible, edifying, and endlessly entertaining, The Dancing Wu Li Masters is back in a beautiful new edition—and the doors to the fascinating, dazzling, remarkable world of quantum physics are opened to all once again, no previous mathematical or technical expertise required.

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The Perfect Predator – Steffanie Strathdee, Thomas Patterson & Teresa Barker

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The Perfect Predator
A Scientist’s Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir
Steffanie Strathdee, Thomas Patterson & Teresa Barker

Genre: Biology

Price: $14.99

Publish Date: February 26, 2019

Publisher: Hachette Books

Seller: Hachette Digital, Inc.


A “fascinating and terrifying” ( Scientific American ) memoir of one woman’s extraordinary effort to save her husband’s life-and the discovery of a forgotten cure that has the potential to save millions more. Epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee and her husband, psychologist Tom Patterson, were vacationing in Egypt when Tom came down with a stomach bug. What at first seemed like a case of food poisoning quickly turned critical, and by the time Tom had been transferred via emergency medevac to the world-class medical center at UC San Diego, where both he and Steffanie worked, blood work revealed why modern medicine was failing: Tom was fighting one of the most dangerous, antibiotic- resistant bacteria in the world. Frantic, Steffanie combed through research old and new and came across phage therapy: the idea that the right virus, aka “the perfect predator,” can kill even the most lethal bacteria. Phage treatment had fallen out of favor almost 100 years ago, after antibiotic use went mainstream. Now, with time running out, Steffanie appealed to phage researchers all over the world for help. She found allies at the FDA, researchers from Texas A&M, and a clandestine Navy biomedical center-and together they resurrected a forgotten cure. A nail-biting medical mystery, The Perfect Predator is a story of love and survival against all odds, and the (re)discovery of a powerful new weapon in the global superbug crisis.

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The Perfect Predator – Steffanie Strathdee, Thomas Patterson & Teresa Barker

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The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons – Sam Kean

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The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons

The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery

Sam Kean

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $2.99

Publish Date: May 6, 2014

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Seller: Hachette Digital, Inc.


The author of the bestseller The Disappearing Spoon reveals the secret inner workings of the brain through strange but true stories. Early studies of the human brain used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike — strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, horrendous accidents — and see how victims coped. In many cases their survival was miraculous, if puzzling. Observers were amazed by the transformations that took place when different parts of the brain were destroyed, altering victims' personalities. Parents suddenly couldn't recognize their own children. Pillars of the community became pathological liars. Some people couldn't speak but could still sing. In The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons , Sam Kean travels through time with stories of neurological curiosities: phantom limbs, Siamese twin brains, viruses that eat patients' memories, blind people who see through their tongues. He weaves these narratives together with prose that makes the pages fly by, to create a story of discovery that reaches back to the 1500s and the high-profile jousting accident that inspired this book's title.* With the lucid, masterful explanations and razor-sharp wit his fans have come to expect, Kean explores the brain's secret passageways and recounts the forgotten tales of the ordinary people whose struggles, resilience, and deep humanity made neuroscience possible. *"The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons" refers to the case of French king Henri II, who in 1559 was lanced through the skull during a joust, resulting in one of the most significant cases in neuroscience history. For hundreds of years scientists have gained important lessons from traumatic accidents and illnesses, and such misfortunes still represent their greatest resource for discovery.

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The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons – Sam Kean

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