The Planet Factory

Author: Elizabeth Tasker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472917758
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Book Description
Forget about rockets to Mars – the future of space science lies with the search for exoplanets Twenty years ago, the search for planets outside the Solar System was the preserve of science-fiction writers. Now it's one of the fastest-growing fields in astronomy, with thousands of exoplanets discovered to date, and the number rising fast. These new-found worlds are more alien than anything in fiction. Planets larger than Jupiter with years lasting a week; others with two suns lighting their skies, or with no sun at all. Planets with diamond mantles supporting oceans of tar; possible Earth-sized worlds with split hemispheres of perpetual day and night; waterworlds drowning under global oceans and volcanic lava planets awash with seas of magma. The discovery of this diversity is just the beginning. There is a whole galaxy of possibilities. The Planet Factory tells the story of these exoplanets. What can we learn about these faraway surface environments and planetary atmospheres? And do the results hint at the tantalising possibility of alien life?

The Un-Discovered Islands

Author: Malachy Tallack
Publisher: Picador
ISBN: 1250148456
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 150

Book Description
In The Un-Discovered Islands, critically acclaimed author Malachy Tallack takes the reader on fascinating adventures to the mysterious and forgotten corners of the map. Be prepared to be captivated by the astounding tales of two dozen islands once believed to be real but no longer on the map. These are the products of the imagination, deception, and human error: an archipelago of ex-islands and forgotten lands. From the well-known story of Atlantis and the mysteries of frozen Thule to more obscure tales from around the globe, and from ancient history right up to the present day, this is an atlas of legend and wonder, with glorious illustrations by Katie Scott.

Eat for the Planet

Author: Nil Zacharias
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1683352300
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 166

Book Description
“An indispensable guide for anyone who wants to live to age 100—by making sure there’s a livable world when you get there.” —Dan Buettner, New York Times–bestselling author of The Blue Zones Do you consider yourself an environmental ally? Maybe you recycle your household goods, ride a bike, and avoid too much air travel. But did you know that the primary driver of climate change isn’t plastics, or cars, or airplanes? Did you know that it’s actually our industrialized food system? In this fascinating new book, authors Nil Zacharias and Gene Stone share new research, intriguing infographics, and compelling arguments that support what scientists across the world are beginning to affirm and uphold: By making even minimal dietary changes, anyone can have a positive, lasting impact on our planet. If you love the planet, the only way to save it is by switching out meat for plant-based meals, one bite at a time. “This fascinating, easy-to-read book will give you still another reason to eat plants and not animals: you will be doing a world of good—literally!” —Rip Esselstyn, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Plant-Strong “Eating plants is not just good for your own health, it’s imperative for the health of the planet. This well-argued, well-written book makes it clear why everyone should consider a plant-based diet today.” —Michael Greger, MD, New York Times–bestselling author of How Not to Die “Possibly the single most important environmental book I’ve read in years. A must for everyone.” —Kathy Freston, New York Times–bestselling author of The Lean

Exoplanets

Author: Michael E. Summers
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
ISBN: 1588345955
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
The past few years have seen an incredible explosion in our knowledge of the universe. Since its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, and even more remarkable than the sheer number of exoplanets is their variety. In Exoplanets, astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries: planets revolving around pulsars, planets made of diamond, planets that are mostly water, and numerous rogue planets wandering through the emptiness of space. This captivating book reveals the latest discoveries and argues that the incredible richness and complexity we are finding necessitates a change in our questions and mental paradigms. In short, we have to change how we think about the universe and our place in it, because it is stranger and more interesting than we could have imagined.

The Shadow Factory

Author: James Bamford
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0307279391
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 418

Book Description
James Bamford has been the preeminent expert on the National Security Agency since his reporting revealed the agency’s existence in the 1980s. Now Bamford describes the transformation of the NSA since 9/11, as the agency increasingly turns its high-tech ears on the American public. The Shadow Factory reconstructs how the NSA missed a chance to thwart the 9/11 hijackers and details how this mistake has led to a heightening of domestic surveillance. In disturbing detail, Bamford describes exactly how every American’s data is being mined and what is being done with it. Any reader who thinks America’s liberties are being protected by Congress will be shocked and appalled at what is revealed here.

The Idea Factory

Author: Jon Gertner
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101561084
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 434

Book Description
The definitive history of America’s greatest incubator of innovation and the birthplace of some of the 20th century’s most influential technologies “Filled with colorful characters and inspiring lessons . . . The Idea Factory explores one of the most critical issues of our time: What causes innovation?” —Walter Isaacson, The New York Times Book Review “Compelling . . . Gertner's book offers fascinating evidence for those seeking to understand how a society should best invest its research resources.” —The Wall Street Journal From its beginnings in the 1920s until its demise in the 1980s, Bell Labs-officially, the research and development wing of AT&T-was the biggest, and arguably the best, laboratory for new ideas in the world. From the transistor to the laser, from digital communications to cellular telephony, it's hard to find an aspect of modern life that hasn't been touched by Bell Labs. In The Idea Factory, Jon Gertner traces the origins of some of the twentieth century's most important inventions and delivers a riveting and heretofore untold chapter of American history. At its heart this is a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant and eccentric men-Mervin Kelly, Bill Shockley, Claude Shannon, John Pierce, and Bill Baker-who spent their careers at Bell Labs. Today, when the drive to invent has become a mantra, Bell Labs offers us a way to enrich our understanding of the challenges and solutions to technological innovation. Here, after all, was where the foundational ideas on the management of innovation were born.

My Little Blue Planet

Author: The Mill
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780578535951
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
A story for children about why we should care for our little blue planet, the only home we have, to teach ecology, sustainability and responsibility.

The Little Prince

Author: Guillaume Dorison
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780822594246
Category : Adventure and adventurers
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The Little Prince has had a peaceful life on Asteroid B612 with his friends Rose and Fox, dreaming under the starry sky. But now star systems are vanishing one by one. An old enemy, the Snake, is bent on destroying the universe . . . and it will take all of the Little Prince's imagination and Fox's determination to stand against the Snake and his shadowy monster servants.

Planetary Diversity

Author: Elizabeth J. Tasker
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780750321402
Category : Extrasolar planets
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The last thirty years have seen an irrevocable change in the field of planetary science with the discovery of the first planets around stars other than our own Sun. While approximately twenty percent of the exoplanets we have discovered are close in size to the Earth, the similarity of their surface environment to our home world remains unknown. This book presents an exploration of the potential diversity of rocky planets through a quantitative study of how planetary processes change as properties deviate from the Earth. Changes in four specific properties are considered: the presence of a magnetic field, the production and loss of internal heat, planetary composition and volatile abundance.

Cities that Think Like Planets

Author: Marina Alberti
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780295996660
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
As human activity and environmental change come to be increasingly recognized as intertwined phenomena on a rapidly urbanizing planet, the field of urban ecology has risen to offer useful ways of thinking about coupled human and natural systems. On the forefront of this discipline is Marina Alberti, whose innovative work offers a conceptual framework for uncovering fundamental laws that govern the complexity and resilience of cities, which she sees as key to understanding and responding to planetary change and the evolution of Earth. Bridging the fields of urban planning and ecology, Alberti describes a science of cities that work on a planetary scale and that links unpredictable dynamics to the potential for innovation. It is a science that considers interactions - at all scales - between people and built environments and between cities and their larger environments. Cities That Think like Planets advances strategies for planning a future that may look very different from the present, as rapid urbanization could tip the Earth toward abrupt and nonlinear change. Alberti's analyses of the various hybrid ecosystems, such as self-organization, heterogeneity, modularity, multiple equilibria, feedback, and transformation, may help humans participate in guiding the Earth away from inadvertent collapse and toward a new era of planetary co-evolution and resilience.