Science

A little math, a bit of history, and a dose of storytelling combine to reveal the importance of equations in everyday life.

With this fun romp through the world of equations we encounter in our everyday lives, you'll find yourself flipping through the stories of fifty-two formulas faster than a deck of cards. John M. Henshaw's intriguing true accounts, each inspired by a different mathematical equation, are both succinct and easy to read. His tales come from the spheres of sports, business, history, the arts, science, and technology. Anecdotes about famous equations, like E=mc2, appear alongside tales of not-so-famous--but equally fascinating--equations, such as the one used to determine the SPF number for sunscreen.

Drawn from the breadth of human endeavor, Henshaw's stories demonstrate the power and utility of math. He entertains us by exploring the ways that equations can be used to explain, among other things, Ponzi schemes, the placebo effect, "dog years," IQ, the wave mechanics of tsunamis, the troubled modern beekeeping industry, and the Challenger disaster. Smartly conceived and fast paced, his book offers something for anyone curious about math and its impacts.

This comprehensive human anatomy reference, arranged by physiological system, includes body parts, functions, conditions, disorders, and symptoms. From the ankle to the Y chromosome, this authoritative body atlas superbly illustrates the beauty and intricacy of the human body. An international team of medical experts, illustrators and researchers present anatomy in the context of physiological systems and provide a comprehensive, yet fully accessible, guided tour of each region of the human anatomy, its functions, conditions, disorders, and symptoms. Full color illustrations throughout map every body part, ankle to zygomatic bone, inside and out.

Anatomy in Black is a sophisticated coffee table book for anatomy lovers. It illustrates the beauty of human anatomy reflected in a contemporary hardback book, created entirely in black and gold. Traditional anatomical imagery is given a new lease of life through modern interpretation in this stylish publication. The book comprehensively leads the reader through the human body in seven chapters dedicated to each area of the human body. It covers the same level of detail and content with each illustration as a standard academic anatomy book. A thorough evaluation of each anatomical part is conveyed in double page spreads with summary text to put the area in context and explain some of the more complicated anatomical terminology and function for those encountering anatomy for the first time. This makes this book a perfect companion for those interested in anatomy, regardless of their previous knowledge of the subject matter.

The bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics illuminates the nature of science through the revolutionary ideas of the Greek philosopher Anaximander

Over two millennia ago, the prescient insights of Anaximander paved the way for cosmology, physics, geography, meteorology, and biology, setting in motion a new way of seeing the world. His legacy includes the revolutionary ideas that the Earth floats in a void, that animals evolved, that the world can be understood in natural rather than supernatural terms, and that universal laws govern all phenomena. He introduced a new mode of rational thinking with an openness to uncertainty and the progress of knowledge.

In this elegant work, the renowned theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli brings to light the importance of Anaximander's overlooked influence on modern science. He examines Anaximander not from the point of view of a historian or as an expert in Greek philosophy, but as a scientist interested in the deep nature of scientific thinking, which Rovelli locates in the critical and rebellious ability to reimagine the world again and again. Anaximander celebrates the radical lack of certainty that defines the scientific quest for knowledge.

The renowned biologist and thinker Richard Dawkins presents his most expansive work yet: a comprehensive look at evolution, ranging from the latest developments in the field to his own provocative views. Loosely based on the form of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Dawkins's Tale takes us modern humans back through four billion years of life on our planet. As the pilgrimage progresses, we join with other organisms at the forty "rendezvous points" where we find a common ancestor. The band of pilgrims swells into a vast crowd as we join first with other primates, then with other mammals, and so on back to the first primordial organism.
Dawkins's brilliant, inventive approach allows us to view the connections between ourselves and all other life in a bracingly novel way. It also lets him shed bright new light on the most compelling aspects of evolutionary history and theory: sexual selection, speciation, convergent evolution, extinction, genetics, plate tectonics, geographical dispersal, and more. The Ancestor's Tale is at once a far-reaching survey of the latest, best thinking on biology and a fascinating history of life on Earth. Here Dawkins shows us how remarkable we are, how astonishing our history, and how intimate our relationship with the rest of the living world.

And a Dog Called Fig is the story of one writer's life with dogs (including a frisky new puppy), how they are uniquely ideal companions for building a creative life, and some delightful tales about dogs and their famous writers

Into my writer's isolation will come a dog, to sit beside my chair or to lie on the couch while I work, to force me outside for a walk, and suddenly, although still lonely, this writer will have a companion.

An artist's solitude is a sacred space, one to be guarded from the chaos of the world, where the sparks of inspiration can be kindled into fires of creation. But within this quiet also lie loneliness, self-doubt, the danger of collapsing too far inward.

An artist needs a familiar, a companion with emotional intelligence, innate curiosity, an enthusiasm for the world beyond, but also the capacity to rest contentedly for many hours. What an artist needs, Helen Humphreys would say, is a dog.

And a Dog Called Fig is a memoir of the writing life told through the dogs Humphreys has lived with and loved over a lifetime, including Fig, her new Vizsla puppy. Interspersed are stories of other writers and their own irreplaceable companions: Virginia Woolf and Grizzle, Gertrude Stein and Basket, Thomas Hardy and Wessex--who walked the dining table at dinner parties, taking whatever he liked--and many more.

A love song to the dogs who come into our lives and all that they bring--sorrow, mayhem, reflection, joy--this is a book about steadfast friendship and loss, creativity and craft, and the restorative powers of nature. Every work of art is different; so too is every dog, with distinctive needs and lessons. And if we let them guide us, they will show us many worlds we would otherwise miss.

Includes Black-and-White Photographs

A thrilling story of scientific detective work and medical potential that illuminates the newly understood role of microglia--an elusive type of brain cell that is vitally relevant to our everyday lives.

"The rarest of books: a combination of page-turning discovery and remarkably readable science journalism."--Mark Hyman, MD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY WIRED

Until recently, microglia were thought to be helpful but rather boring: housekeeper cells in the brain. But a recent groundbreaking discovery has revealed that they connect our physical and mental health in surprising ways. When triggered--and anything that stirs up the immune system in the body can activate microglia, including chronic stressors, trauma, and viral infections--they can contribute to memory problems, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer's. Under the right circumstances, however, microglia can be coaxed back into being angelic healers, able to make brain repairs in ways that help alleviate symptoms and hold the promise to one day prevent disease.

With the compassion born of her own experience, award-winning journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa illuminates this newly understood science, following practitioners and patients on the front lines of treatments that help to "reboot" microglia. In at least one case, she witnesses a stunning recovery--and in others, significant relief from pressing symptoms, offering new hope to the tens of millions who suffer from mental, cognitive, and physical health issues.

Hailed as a "riveting," "stunning," and "visionary," The Angel and the Assassin offers us a radically reconceived picture of human health and promises to change everything we thought we knew about how to heal ourselves.

Angel Animals is a collection of stories by ordinary people about the spiritual lessons and truths they've learned from animals. Part one focuses on what angel animals teach people about relationships. Part two covers how angel animals provide lessons on handling life's challenges. In part three angel animals impart lessons on death, dying, and the afterlife. Whether these animals are daily companions or creatures observed in nature, they demonstrate gratitude, survival, courage, and forgiveness. The stories are touching, humorous, and remarkably inspiring. Each one includes a meditation or a question or comment to help readers carry the spirit of these angel animals into their own lives.