Tag Archives: life

The Aliens Are Coming! – Ben Miller

by Myrna Posted on June 1, 2018

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The Aliens Are Coming!

The Extraordinary Science Behind Our Search for Life in the Universe

Ben Miller

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: November 1, 2016

Publisher: The Experiment

Seller: Workman Publishing Co., Inc.


Actor and bestselling science writer Ben Miller takes readers to the cutting edge of one of the greatest questions of all: Is there life beyond Earth?   For millennia, we have looked up at the stars and wondered whether we are alone in the universe, but in the last few years—as our probes begin to escape the solar system, and our telescopes reveal thousands of Earthlike planets—scientists have taken huge leaps toward an answer. “Forget science fiction,” author Ben Miller writes. “We are living through one of the most extraordinary revolutions in the history of science: the emergent belief of a generation of physicists, biologists, and chemists that we are not alone.”   The Aliens Are Coming! is a refreshingly clear, hugely entertaining guide to the search for alien life. Miller looks everywhere for insight, from the Big Bang’s sea of energy that somehow became living matter, to the equations that tell us Earth is not so rare, to the clues bacteria hold to how life started. And he makes the case that our growing understanding of life itself will help us predict whether it exists elsewhere, what it might look like, and when we might find it.  

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The Aliens Are Coming! – Ben Miller

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5 Easiest Ways to Get Started With a Zero-Waste Lifestyle

by MadeleiDahl Posted on April 23, 2018

Living completely zero-waste may sound extremely daunting. Even if you don?t consider yourself a huge waste of resources, it?s hard to avoid that looming trash bag that stares at you every few days. And recycling, while a better option, isn?t always the best alternative: According to some reporters? analyses, a lot of what we ?recycle? actually ends up going into landfills.

A lot of this may actually be out of your control; while San Francisco is able to recycle or compost about 80 percent of its trash, only 10 percent of Chicago trash gets recycled. Many buildings either don?t offer recycling services, or find that recycling bins are too contaminated with non-recyclable materials to salvage.

The best way to reduce your impact is to not waste in the first place. If you?re ready to get started with a zero-waste lifestyle, here are five beginner-friendly tips to help you do it.

Basic Composting

The first step to getting started with your zero-waste lifestyle is to practice basic composting. Composting really isn?t as difficult as it sounds. All you need to do is set up a bin in your backyard filled with soil. Sprinkle some grass, weeds, tree bark, leaves and branches in it, and mix it well. Add a little water to make it moist.

Now, as the week goes on, place items such as food scraps, paper towels (check to make sure your brand is compostable), egg cartons and other organic materials into the bin. Mix the soil regularly and keep it moist, continuing to add additional green and brown plants (again, grass and branches) into the mixture. At the end of a week or two, either have a composting service pick it up or use it to fertilize your garden. Or, just scatter it around the yard ? it?s just soil!

Shopping in Bulk

Next, commit to shopping in bulk. No, we?re not talking about Costco here. We?re talking about buying items that are often packaged in plastic, such as nuts, seeds, grains, legumes and candies, from bulk containers at your local Whole Foods or health foods store.

Things like popcorn, lentils, rice, flour, almonds, chocolates and quinoa are often staples items you can buy in bulk. Fill up a glass container in the store rather than using a plastic bag to transport your goods to your home.

Eliminate Packaging

It may seem harmless, but shopping online creates a huge uptick in wasted resources. Even ?sustainably packaged? products require using cardboard and plastic for recycling ? and as we?ve discussed, that?s not always a great option. Unless you can?t find the item you need in a local store, pick things up in person.

Eat In Rather than Taking Away

To-go containers are a huge drain on resources. Going out to eat regularly isn?t necessarily a bad thing (you?re unlikely to buy food you won?t eat that ends up going to waste!) but eat in the restaurant rather than taking away. And bring your own containers for leftovers!

Reusable Shopping and Home Goods Bags

Finally, use a reusable shopping bag every time you go to the store. But take it a step further: Ditch the produce bags in favor or reusable alternatives, or forget about them altogether. Your apple has traveled many miles and interacted with countless hands along the way; it?s unlikely that putting it in a plastic bag now is going to make it any ?cleaner!?

Related Articles:

3 Ways a Zero Waste Lifestyle Improves Your Health
How Going Zero Waste Made Me a Better Person
3 Ways Minimalism Will Improve Your Life

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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5 Easiest Ways to Get Started With a Zero-Waste Lifestyle

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In the Beginning . . . – Isaac Asimov

by Myrna Posted on April 20, 2018

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In the Beginning . . .

Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis

Isaac Asimov

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $2.99

Publish Date: June 10, 2014

Publisher: Open Road Media

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


In the Beginning: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis . The beginning of time. The origin of life. In our Western civilization, there are two influential accounts of beginnings. One is the biblical account, compiled more than two thousand years ago by Judean writers who based much of their thinking on the Babylonian astronomical lore of the day. The other is the account of modern science, which, in the last century, has slowly built up a coherent picture of how it all began. Both represent the best thinking of their times, and in this line-by-line annotation of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, Isaac Asimov carefully and evenhandedly compares the two accounts, pointing out where they are similar and where they are different. “There is no version of primeval history, preceding the discoveries of modern science, that is as rational and as inspiriting as that of the Book of Genesis,” Asimov says. However, human knowledge does increase, and if the biblical writers “had written those early chapters of Genesis knowing what we know today, we can be certain that they would have written it completely differently.” Isaac Asimov brings to this fascinating subject his wide-ranging knowledge of science and history—and his award-winning ability to explain the complex with accuracy, clarity, and wit. Isaac Asimov was a Russian-born American writer and the author of nearly five hundred books. He is credited as one of the finest writers of science fiction in the twentieth century. Many, however, believe Asimov’s greatest talent was for, as he called it, “translating” science, making it understandable and interesting for the average reader.

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In the Beginning . . . – Isaac Asimov

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A Country Year – Sue Hubbell

by Myrna Posted on April 11, 2018

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A Country Year

Living the Questions

Sue Hubbell

Genre: Nature

Price: $11.99

Publish Date: January 24, 2017

Publisher: Open Road Media

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


A “delightful, witty” memoir about starting over as a beekeeper in the Ozarks ( Library Journal ).   Alone on a small Missouri farm after a thirty-year marriage, Sue Hubbell found a new love—of the winged, buzzing variety. Left with little but the commercial beekeeping and honey-producing business she started with her husband, Hubbell found solace in the natural world. Then she began to write, challenging herself to tell the absolute truth about her life and the things she cared about.   Describing the ups and downs of beekeeping from one springtime to the next, A Country Year transports readers to a different, simpler place. In a series of exquisite vignettes, Hubbell reveals the joys of a life attuned to nature in this heartfelt memoir about life on the land, and of a woman finding her way in middle age.   “Once in a while there comes along a book so calm, so honest, so beautiful that even the most jaded or cynical readers have to say thank you. . . . This is such a book” ( The San Diego Union-Tribune ). “Steadily eloquent, not just of her life but of all life.” — The Washington Post   “Oh, my, can this lady write.” — Sports Illustrated   “A calm, clear-eyed record of a country year and its beauties.” — Los Angeles Times   “Sue Hubbell’s writing is like butter, for it tantalizes, enriches and satisfies.” — The Atlanta-Journal Constitution   “[Hubbell’s] delightful, witty book will appeal to all those who are intrigued by the natural world.” — Library Journal   “This is a book one wants to quote from beginning to end. . . . Stirring—and more richly alive than any PBS nature film.” — Kirkus Reviews Sue Hubbell is the author of eight books, including A Country Year and New York Times Notable Book A Book of Bees . She has written for the New Yorker , the St. Louis Post-Dispatch , Smithsonian , and Time , and was a frequent contributor to the “Hers” column of the New York Times . Hubbell lives in Maine and Washington, DC.

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A Country Year – Sue Hubbell

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Cosmos – Carl Sagan, Neil de Grasse Tyson & Ann Druyan

by Myrna Posted on March 9, 2018

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Cosmos

Carl Sagan, Neil de Grasse Tyson & Ann Druyan

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $14.99

Publish Date: October 12, 1980

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Seller: Penguin Random House LLC


RETURNING TO TELEVISION AS AN ALL-NEW MINISERIES ON FOX   Cosmos is one of the bestselling science books of all time. In clear-eyed prose, Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space.  Cosmos retraces the fourteen billion years of cosmic evolution that have transformed matter into consciousness, exploring such topics as the origin of life, the human brain, Egyptian hieroglyphics, spacecraft missions, the death of the Sun, the evolution of galaxies, and the forces and individuals who helped to shape modern science.   Praise for Cosmos   “Magnificent . . . With a lyrical literary style, and a range that touches almost all aspects of human knowledge, Cosmos often seems too good to be true.” — The Plain Dealer   “Sagan is an astronomer with one eye on the stars, another on history, and a third—his mind’s—on the human condition.” — Newsday   “Brilliant in its scope and provocative in its suggestions . . . shimmers with a sense of wonder.” — The Miami Herald   “Sagan dazzles the mind with the miracle of our survival, framed by the stately galaxies of space.” — Cosmopolitan   “Enticing . . . iridescent . . . imaginatively illustrated.” — The New York Times Book Review NOTE: This edition does not include images.

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Cosmos – Carl Sagan, Neil de Grasse Tyson & Ann Druyan

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Close Encounters with Humankind: A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species – Sang-Hee Lee

by Myrna Posted on February 20, 2018

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Close Encounters with Humankind: A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species
Sang-Hee Lee

Genre: Life Sciences

Price: $12.99

Expected Publish Date: February 20, 2018

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Seller: W. W. Norton


In this captivating bestseller, Korea’s first paleoanthropologist offers fresh insights into humanity’s dawn and evolution. What can fossilized teeth tell us about the life expectancy of our ancient ancestors? How did farming play a problematic role in the history of human evolution? How can simple geometric comparisons of skull and pelvic fossils suggest a possible origin to our social nature? And what do we truly have in common with the Neanderthals? In this captivating international bestseller, Close Encounters with Humankind, Korea’s first paleoanthropologist, Sang-Hee Lee, explores some of our greatest evolutionary questions from new and unexpected angles. Through a series of entertaining, bite-sized chapters, we gain fresh perspectives into our first hominin ancestors and ways to challenge perceptions about the traditional progression of evolution. By combining anthropological insight with exciting, cutting-edge research, Lee’s surprising conclusions shed new light on our beginnings and connect us to a faraway past. For example, our big brains may have served to set our species apart and spur our societal development, but perhaps not in the ways we have often assumed. And it’s possible that the Neanderthals, our infamous ancestors, were not the primitive beings portrayed by twentieth-century science. With Lee as our guide, we discover that from our first steps on two feet to our first forays into toolmaking and early formations of community, we have always been a species of continuous change. Close Encounters with Humankind is the perfect read for anyone curious about where we came from and what it took to get us here. As we mine the evolutionary path to the present, Lee helps us to determine where we are heading and tackles one of our most pressing scientific questions—does humanity continue to evolve?

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Close Encounters with Humankind: A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species – Sang-Hee Lee

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This Will Change Everything – John Brockman

by Myrna Posted on January 30, 2018

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This Will Change Everything

Ideas That Will Shape the Future

John Brockman

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: December 22, 2009

Publisher: HarperCollins e-books

Seller: HarperCollins


“This Will Change Everything offers seemingly radical but actually feasible ideas with the potential to change the world.”—Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel Editor John Brockman continues in the same vein as his popular compilations What Are You Optimistic About and What Have You Changed Your Mind About with This Will Change Everything. Brockman asks 150 intellectual superstars “what game-changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live to see?” Their fascinating responses are collected here, from bestselling author of Atonement Ian McEwan to Nobel Prize-winning physicist Frank Wilczek to electronic music pioneer Brian Eno to writer, actor, director, and activist Alan Alda.

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This Will Change Everything – John Brockman

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We recycle so much trash, it’s created an international crisis

by Pasqual40F Posted on January 16, 2018

You may have heard the delicate whispers on the wind: “China doesn’t want to take our recycling anymore.” And you ignored those whispers, because you didn’t know China took our recycling in the first place, and there’s no way this has anything to do with your life! Right?

Oh, dear. As a nation, we’ve been passing on too many low-quality recyclables to other countries — China, primarily — to get them to deal with it. Watch our video above to find out what has to change.

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We recycle so much trash, it’s created an international crisis

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20 Ethical Gift Ideas for the Person Who Already Has Everything

by KatlynKaufmann Posted on November 7, 2017

It?s almost that time of year again, when holiday music resurfaces and you have to figure out what to buy for that annoying friend who already has everything. Jokes aside, most of us have pretty much everything we need, not to mention a whole lot of stuff we don?t. (Stick up your hand if you?re overwhelmed by clutter.)

This year, let?s make the gifts we give really count. By choosing to buy something that?s been ethically sourced and produced or gives back in some other way (e.g. TOMS One for One campaign) you?re going to feel a whole lot happier about parting with your hard earned greenbacks.

I?m not saying you feel resentful about spending money on Christmas gifts, but let?s face it, it?s an expensive time of year. Knowing you made a difference in some way will help when you find yourself living on ramen noodles and air come January.

Ethical Gift Ideas for?Women

Bought Beautifully boasts an extensive selection of handmade jewelry for the magpie in your life. From bold to understated, there?s lots to choose from. They also give you the option to ?shop by story? in case there?s a particular cause you?d like to support.

It?s been scientifically proven that all women love chocolate, so getting a gourmet chocolate tasting box for the lady in your life is sure to earn you some big points.

Ethical Gift Ideas for Men

For the James Bond wannabe in your life, this copper and wood mixology bar set will be well-received. Even more so if it comes with a bottle of ethically produced gin.

Give the guy in your life a Harry?s subscription and you?ll be giving him a clean shave and supporting their 1+1 giving model at the same time.

Ethical Gift Ideas for Kids

Teenagers are tricky to buy for, but who knows, the one in your life might enjoy a pair of Etiko flip-flops or sneakers.

Shopping for Change has some really sweet baby gifts that give back, such as these hand knitted snowy owl ornaments, this whale baby lovie blanket and this organic onesie set.

These school essentials are so cool, the kids in your life (the younger ones, anyway) will be super chuffed to find them under the Christmas tree. Who wouldn?t want a Dabbawalla backpack or a Diddy bag pencil case? I know I would!

For the greenie parents, Eco Toys is a win. They?ve even put together a Christmas guide, which includes some really cool stuff, like seedling modelling clay, crayon rocks and a rainstick tower.

Ethical Gift Ideas for?Foodies

Got a wine lover in your life? Ethical Edibles has you covered with their wide variety of adult grape juice. (Shiraz for me, please.)

The foodie in your life is bound to get excited by anything from?The Greenheart Shop. From bowls and cutting boards to salad servers and even mini tagine sets, there’s lots to choose from.

Ethical Gift Ideas for Arty Types

Got an old school doodler in your life? This Buy 1 Plant 1 Padfolio will rock their world for sure. Your purchase today plants a tree, ensuring a better future for our planet and future generations.

The writer in your life will be blown away by this handcrafted CAUSEGEAR Leather journal. Each purchase supports a job that pays five times the norm?and features the crafter?s name and picture on the first page.

Ethical Gift Ideas for Hippies and Eco Warriors

For the hippie workaholic in your life, a hemp briefcase or hemp laptop backpack will go down a treat. (Actually, anything made from hemp will probably light their smudge stick.)

For the minimalist in your life, World Concern gives you the option to buy a gift in someone else?s name. You also receive a card to give to them that describes what you?ve given in their honor.

Water Aid has a bunch of cool stuff in their shop for the eco-warrior in your life, including totes, t-shirts and iPhone covers. They also have an under $25 section if your family has put a spending limit on gifts.

When you?re a kid, underwear is worse than no gift at all. But for us adults, it?s the best. Give the person in your life some Me Undies and watch their face light up.

Ethical Gift Ideas for Everyone Else

Anchal has a range of unique, one-of-a-kind socially conscious gifts under $50. Choose from scarves, pouches, art slates and more. These are great stocking fillers for pretty much everyone in your life.

Got a runner in your life? Then you need to get them a pair of Brooks running shoes. According to the guys at Urban Meisters, the company has put in a lot of effort to get ahead in the green race.

I get that it?s not summer everywhere, but how awesome are these SunBear Co. eco-friendly travel beach tents? They?re made in California from recycled fishing nets.

Finally, if you?re on the hunt for something a little unusual, The Great Gift Company is probably where you?ll find it. Solar powered Einstein, anyone? How about a milkshake in 30 seconds?

A Little Added Inspiration

If you need additional inspiration, be sure to check out Ethical Superstore (UK), The Ethical Shop (Aus) and Social Enterprise Alliance (US). Not enough? The Green Hub put together a list of 18 online stores where you can shop for ethical fashion.

Right, I?m off to do some Christmas shopping.

Photo Credit: Thinkstock

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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20 Ethical Gift Ideas for the Person Who Already Has Everything

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Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker

by Myrna Posted on September 25, 2017

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Why We Sleep

Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

Matthew Walker

Genre: Life Sciences

Price: $12.99

Expected Publish Date: October 3, 2017

Publisher: Scribner

Seller: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc.


The first sleep book by a leading scientific expert—Professor Matthew Walker, Director of UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab—reveals his groundbreaking exploration of sleep, explaining how we can harness its transformative power to change our lives for the better. Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when we don't sleep. Compared to the other basic drives in life—eating, drinking, and reproducing—the purpose of sleep remained elusive. An explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty years has shed new light on this fundamental aspect of our lives. Now, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming. Within the brain, sleep enriches our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions. It recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. Dreaming mollifies painful memories and creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge to inspire creativity. Walker answers important questions about sleep: how do caffeine and alcohol affect sleep? What really happens during REM sleep? Why do our sleep patterns change across a lifetime? How do common sleep aids affect us and can they do long-term damage? Charting cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and synthesizing decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood, and energy levels; regulate hormones; prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes; slow the effects of aging; increase longevity; enhance the education and lifespan of our children, and boost the efficiency, success, and productivity of our businesses. Clear-eyed, fascinating, and accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book.

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Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker

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