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Water use and conservation in the American West have long been shaped by a host of geographic, environmental, political and economic factors. Today, though, serious questions are being raised about how western states used dams, irrigation systems, and other water-related infrastructure to transform the landscape of the West. Are current trends in water consumption across the West sustainable, given the region's arid environment and rapidly growing populations? Are so-called "water wars" between thirsty states (and between Mexico and USA) worsening? What impact will climate change have on the West's limited water resources--and the people who depend on them? This book answers all those questions and more, drawing on quantifiable facts and the knowledge and perspectives of experts on water resource consumption, administration, and conservation to provide a one-stop resource for understanding the past, present, and future of water in the American West.
The ten biggest ideas in theoretical physics that have withstood the test of time Could any discovery be more unexpected and shocking than the realization that the reality we were born into is but an approximation of an underlying quantum world that is barely within our grasp? This is just one of the foundational pillars of theoretical physics that A. Zee discusses in this book. Join him as he presents his Top Ten List of the biggest, most breathtaking ideas in physics--the ones that have fundamentally transformed our understanding of the universe. Top Ten Ideas of Physics tells a story that will keep readers enthralled, along the way explaining the meaning of each idea and how it came about. Leading the list are the notions that the physical world is comprehensible and that the laws of physics are the same here, there, and everywhere. As the story unfolds, the apparently solid world dissolves into an intertwining web of dancing fields, exhibiting greater symmetries as we examine them at deeper and deeper levels. Readers come to see how physical truth is universal, not relative, and how the forces in the multiverse are not disparate pieces but an indivisible unity--a vision only partially realized today. With Zee's trademark blend of wit and physical insight, Top Ten Ideas of Physics reveals why the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics, why entropy and information are intimately linked, and why the action principle underpins the choreography of all that exists.
A "fascinating" narrative that takes readers on an epic journey spanning disciplines, continents, and centuries that spotlights sound's incredible impact on our bodies, feelings, thinking, and behavior (Susan Cain, bestselling author of Quiet). Hearing is the first sense we develop--a primary warning instinct hardwired into our brains. And yet, in an increasingly noisy and distracted world, most people pay very little attention to sound. In school, we teach reading and writing, but not listening. Conscious listening is rare, and, with over half the world's population now living in cities, billions of people never experience the rich and health‑enhancing sounds of the natural world. Every day, the sounds around us affect our experience and fundamentally alter our quality of life, for better or worse. In four sections--geophony, the sounds of the planet; biophony, the "great animal orchestra"; anthropophony, the sounds of humanity; and silence, a sound in its own right--this book will help readers rediscover the wonder of sound and understand how powerfully it affects us, whether we're paying attention or not. It will also offer readers a manual for taking back responsibility for the sounds we consume and the sounds we make, so we can enhance our own happiness.
A theoretical physicist's grand tour of how life emerged on Earth and how human civilization will begin expanding beyond our home planet. This is a theoretical physicist's grand tour of how life emerged on Earth and, perhaps most importantly, how human civilization will begin expanding beyond our home planet. According to Dr. Adriana Marais, living on more than one planet is an inevitability of becoming a more advanced society, but the process of getting there will provide us with the essential tools for better stewardship of our own. Humanity has always looked up at the night sky and wondered what lies beyond our world. Now, we are on the precipice of stepping out among the stars, not just as lone astronauts or billionaire tech bros, but as a civilization. Our story is one of curiosity and an innate desire to explore and understand not only the world around us, but the world within us, and the worlds above us, from extremophiles to extraterrestrials, technosignatures to terraforming, DNA to Dyson Spheres. In this sweeping treatise on exploration, innovation, and human ingenuity, theoretical physicist Dr. Adriana Marais seeks to answer the questions that stand at the heart of scientific endeavor: What are the building blocks of life and how does life emerge? Are we alone in the universe and if so, why? How did we get here--and where are we going next?
Learn how to design algebra lessons that are responsive to all students' experiences. An essential understanding of the uses and practices of algebra remain out of reach for many students. In this book, award-winning researcher Dr. Nicole Fonger addresses the issue of how to support all learners to experience algebra as meaningful. In a highly visual approach, the book details four research-based lenses with examples from 9th-grade algebra classrooms: (1) students' algebraic reasoning and representing; (2) goal-directed classroom practices with technology; (3) culturally and historically responsive algebra literacy; and (4) teachers' journeys toward antiracism. The author makes connections among research in algebra education; teaching algebra; and leading ambitious, equitable, and antiracist visions for algebra education. By the end of this book, you will: Learn how to support students to fluently reason and represent expressions, equations, and functions. Learn how to design algebra lessons that are culturally and historically responsive to students' experiences and social justice issues. Learn to use sketchnotes to reflect on and communicate complex ideas in teaching and learning algebra. Have a set of tools for guiding the design of instruction to support meaningful algebra learning for all students.
A moving and motivating collection of portraits of extinct species, revealing the profound implications of their disappearance. This book presents thirty-one extinct species through personal portraits. The intimate approach not only highlights each particular species but also explores the broader implications of losing a species forever. How do we honor such a loss? Can we grieve for species we never knew? These animals range from the well-known passenger pigeon, thylacine, and great auk, to lesser-known creatures like the Arabian ostrich, Saint Helena earwig, and Bramble Cay melomys. Through her poignant portraits, Barbara Allen not only tugs on the heartstrings but also aims to inspire readers to protect vulnerable and endangered species today, motivating us to play a positive role in conserving our planet's biodiversity.
Get loopy with this playful introduction to the hopeful, transformative possibilities of circular systems! Nature works on a cycle, where everything in the loop has value and nothing is wasted. But modern humans have created a different kind of system: it's less like a circle and more like a line. We take, make, use and then, when those things break or we're finished with them, we toss them away. But our planet's resources are limited, and we've taken too much. That's why all over the world, people are reusing, repurposing, repairing and designing waste out of the system! Explore the ways that people everywhere are creating a loopier world: from growing building materials out of fungi to designing headphones (and cellphones!) that last, to producing vehicles that run on renewable energy. Plus, kids and families have a role to play, too. Loop de Loop introduces young readers to repair cafés, toy rentals, tool libraries and many more fun, innovative ways to build community and a more sustainable world. Includes a list of ways children can take part in circular systems, along with a glossary and sources for further reading. Key Text Features Illustrations glossary definitions further reading Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.8 With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
Journalist Dom Phillips traveled deep into the Amazon rainforest searching for solutions to the problem of deforestation, a threat to the local ecosystem, native tribes, and the global climate. When he was murdered in the Javari Valley by a group of environmental criminals, a cohort of journalists and activists took up his work to finish his book and share his important message. During the dark days of the Bolsonaro administration, British journalist Dom Phillips set out to accomplish an ambitious goal: through research, interviews, and site visits deep in the rainforest, he would emerge with a book answering the question--how can we save the Amazon? Traveling with his companion Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, Dom's adventure includes trekking through Amazonia to see where ranching, fires, illegal fishing, mining, the drug trade, and urbanization have deforested and degraded millions of acres of important forest, degraded ecosystems, and created dangerous conditions for the Indigenous tribes who have called the Amazon home for thousands of years. Jair Bolsonaro came into power on a platform of anti-environmental exploitation and deregulation. During his term, deforestation in the Amazon, the "lungs of Planet Earth," increased exponentially as environmental criminals took advantage of lax rules, advantageous land use policy, and the difficulty of enforcing laws in a remote area of immense size. Lawlessness reigned and environmental activists found themselves in danger. With the intention of discovering strategies to protect both the land and the people who inhabit it, Dom connected with politicians, farmers, and Indigenous activists to study the benefits and pitfalls of solutions like agroforestry, tourism, and the bioeconomy. While traveling by boat in the Javari Valley, Dom and Bruno were brutally murdered. Unwilling to see her late husband's work be for naught, Dom's widow, Ale, and his literary agent assembled a team of expert writers, journalists, and activists to complete his work, with each tackling one unfinished chapter and grappling with the challenge of interpreting his field notes and discovering his conclusions. How to Save the Amazon, therefore, is a book both by and about Dom Phillips, his quest for answers, and his search for hope. "A work of courage interrupted by tragedy. . . No book speaks more persuasively to the importance of the Amazon and the dangers that it faces." --Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction "We can't let life on this earth be snuffed out; this powerful book will help us rise to this challenge."--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
We use water, electricity, and the internet every day--but how do they actually work? And what's the plan to keep them running for years to come? This nonfiction science graphic novel takes readers on a journey from how the most essential systems were developed to how they are implemented in our world today and how they will be used in the future. What was the first message sent over the internet? How much water does a single person use every day? How was the electric light invented? For every utility we use each day, there's a hidden history--a story of intrigue, drama, humor, and inequity. This graphic novel provides a guided tour through the science of the past--and reveals how the decisions people made while inventing and constructing early technology still affect the way people use it today. Full of art, maps, and diagrams, Hidden Systems is a thoughtful, humorous exploration of the history of science and what needs to be done now to change the future.
You may not realize it, but many of the manufactured objects that are part of our everyday lives have been created with the aid of CNC (Computer Numeric Control) technology. From the auto, food, construction, and medical industries to manufacturing of components of all sizes, on a variety of materials such as wood, metal, cardboard, plastic, and more, CNC machines are often behind the processes. While CNC machining has been around since the 1960s, it wasn't until relatively recently that the machines and the software that runs them have become more versatile, affordable, and accessible to the masses. As a result, more CNCs are being used than ever, by professional machinists and hobbyists alike. CNC Beginner's Guide presents the topic in a logical fashion, progressing from basics to more advanced subjects, using hands-on, project-based activities throughout. While the processes might be similar from one CNC machine to the next, every machine is inherently different in the way it behaves, the kinds of forces it is able to handle, and how it executes the work at hand, along with the level of precision it is capable of. Thompson helps readers of all skill levels navigate the nuances so they can become more proficient and efficient CNC machinists. This fantastic work includes important information on tooling and fundamentals of cutting feeds and speeds. The appendix contains vital machining equations, tables of standard values, and suggested starting points for creating and tweaking your personalized tool libraries. An accompanying website rounds out the package with tutorial videos to help readers learn how to use the software and apply the concepts in the book to actual CNC programs. Unique Features Inside tips and tricks from a CNC professional with a broad background of art, engineering, architecture, and teaching. In-depth discussions of using Fusion, the design environment and basic drawing tools, and CAD, the manufacturing environment, as well as creating programs for running on CNC machines. An affiliated website, www.cncbeginner.com, is perfect for visual learners, with helpful online video tutorials, color photographs, and graphs seen in the book with more detailed explanation.
The unprecedented inside story of the people pushing boundaries of science and technology to build better weather forecasts--providing life-saving warnings and crucial intelligence about nature's deadliest threats Killer tornadoes. Catastrophic hurricanes. Lethal heat waves. Across the United States and around the world, extreme weather events bring an unending torrent of death and destruction. One indispensable tool consistently offers the ability to help reduce the impact of these calamities: the weather forecast. For centuries, humans have sought to foretell nature's next moves, from ancient farmers to trailblazers of the Space Age, who brought computers and satellites to bear on the problem. Now a new wave of advances, including artificial intelligence and data-gathering drones, makes it possible to accurately detect these fearsome events further in advance. They provide critical time to prepare and get people out of harm's way--an undertaking made ever more urgent by the effects of climate change. In a remarkable tale of innovation and perseverance, veteran journalist Thomas E. Weber takes readers into the world of the pioneers creating these game-changing forecasts. From storm chasers racing to hunt twisters and physicists unraveling the secrets of the atmosphere, from scientists studying how people react to warnings to humanitarian groups rushing to avert famines, Weber goes behind the scenes to show how predictions keep getting better. He explains what's needed to turn these forecasts into actions that prevent tragedies and how anyone can become more weather literate to protect themselves in emergencies. Cloud Warriors will change the way you think about treacherous weather--and the power of being able to see it coming.
Sustainability and its competitive advantage are the goals of every company and any brand that wants to stay successful in the marketplace. Customers also gravitate to brands that manage sustainability issues well. Greener Products: The Making and Marketing of Sustainable Brands written by a renowned sustainability expert, continues to address the latest developments in the extremely fast-moving field of sustainability. The third edition is thoroughly updated, introduces new case studies, and includes a new chapter on green marketing. With over 40 case studies, it explores the best practices of leading global companies and helps readers learn what it is that makes them successful. New in the Third Edition: Presents, in a practical way, the best practices of sustainable brands in a global economy. Addresses the most current sustainability topics like circular economy, plastics in the environment, biodiversity, climate change, green chemistry, etc. Includes current marketing information on consumer trends to purchase greener products. Incorporates the latest pressures on companies to address sustainability, retailer programs, business-to-business expectations, ESG raters, rankers, and stock funds. Covers best practices of companies from various industries on how to make and market greener products. Provides current tools for making products more sustainable and methods on how to market sustainable improvements. Includes lecture slides available upon request for use in the classroom. This book serves senior undergraduate and graduate students in programs focused on sustainability, as well as academics and corporate sustainability leaders. The previous versions have been used to teach courses on sustainability, product improvement, introduction to sustainability, green marketing and sustainability, and sustainability policy. Any university that teaches a course on sustainability and any company or individual interested in making and marketing more sustainable products would benefit from the new edition of this book.
In May 2016, Fort McMurray, the hub of Canada's oil industry and America's biggest foreign supplier, was overrun by wildfire. The multi-billion-dollar disaster melted vehicles, turned entire neighborhoods into firebombs, and drove 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon. Through the lens of this apocalyptic conflagration--the wildfire equivalent of Hurricane Katrina--John Vaillant warns that this was not a unique event, but a shocking preview of what we must prepare for in a hotter, more flammable world. Fire has been a partner in our evolution for hundreds of millennia, shaping culture, civilization, and, very likely, our brains. Fire has enabled us to cook our food, defend and heat our homes, and power the machines that drive our titanic economy. Yet this volatile energy source has always threatened to elude our control, and in our new age of intensifying climate change, we are seeing its destructive power unleashed in previously unimaginable ways. With masterly prose and a cinematic eye, Vaillant takes us on a riveting journey through the intertwined histories of North America's oil industry and the birth of climate science, to the unprecedented devastation wrought by modern forest fires, and into lives forever changed by these disasters. John Vaillant's urgent work is a book for--and from--our new century of fire, which has only just begun.
Alex Hutchinson returns with a fresh, provocative investigation into how exploration, uncertainty, and risk shape our behavior and help us find meaning. Off the beaten path, following unmarked trails, we are wired to explore. More than just a need to get outside, the search for the unknown is a primal urge that has shaped the history of our species and continues to mold our behavior in ways we are only beginning to understand. In fact, the latest neuroscience suggests that exploration in any form--whether it's trying a new restaurant, changing careers, or deciding to run a marathon--is an essential ingredient of human life. Exploration, it turns out, isn't merely a hobby--it's our story. In this much-anticipated follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Endure, Alex Hutchinson refutes the myth that, in our fully mapped digital world, the age of exploration is dead. Instead, the itch to discover new things persists in all of us, expressed not just on the slopes of Everest but in the ways we work, play, and live. From paddling the lost rivers of the northern Canadian wilderness to the ocean-spanning voyages of the Polynesians to the search for next-generation quantum computers, The Explorer's Gene combines riveting stories of exploration with cutting-edge insights from behavioral psychology and neuroscience, making a powerful case that our lives are better--more productive, more meaningful, and more fun--when we break our habits and chart a new path.
The inside story of how nuclear energy--long considered scary, controversial, and even apocalyptic--has become the hot topic of the climate debate, and perhaps a vital power source of the future On June 21, 2016, Pacific Gas & Electric Company announced a plan to shutter California's last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, in 2025. The plan was hailed by environmental groups and politicians around the country. Then, in 2022, the state's Democratic establishment suddenly reversed the decision, and in 2024 the Biden-Harris administration awarded the plant $1.1 billion in credits to extend its life. What happened in between? In Atomic Dreams, journalist and lifelong environmentalist Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow unearths the surprising answers--and the deep-seated conflicts behind them. She follows the fascinating and lively cast of characters who are immersed in the fight over Diablo Canyon and nuclear energy, among them a world-renowned climate scientist, a fashion model turned "nuclear influencer," and two radically opposed groups of mothers, both fiercely advocating for the kind of planet they want their children to inherit. And she chronicles how nuclear power has morphed from the stuff of cinematic nightmares--associated with world-ending weapons and terrifying meltdowns--to a rare issue with strong bipartisan support. Tuhus-Dubrow takes readers to nuclear plants and research facilities, to the halls of Congress and into the streets with activists as she explores the big questions wrapped up in the nuclear debate: questions about risk and responsibility, about nature and technology, about whether humans should be humble caretakers of the Earth or audacious innovators. She explores how these issues affect real people's lives, and personally grapples with the viability of this controversial energy source. Can the power of the atom be freed from its historical baggage and reinvented? Could something that once threatened to doom us now hold the potential to save us?
An eye-opening investigation into ancestry and origins in the Middle East that synthesizes thousands of years of genetic history in the region to question what it means to be indigenous to any land "Ancestors transcends geography to launch an eye-opening inquiry into the relationship of genetics and identity. It's a transformational read for us all."-Jason Roberts, author of Every Living Thing and A Sense of the World In recent years, genetic testing has become easily available to consumers across the globe, making it relatively simple to find out where your ancestors came from. But what do these test results actually tell us about ourselves? In Ancestors, Pierre Zalloua, a leading authority on population genetics, argues that these test results have led to a dangerous oversimplification of what one's genetic heritage means. Genetic ancestry has become conflated with anthropological categories such as "origin," "ethnicity," and even "race" in spite of the complexities that underlie these concepts. And nowhere is this interplay more important and more controversial, Zalloua writes, than in the Levant-an ancient region known as one of the cradles of civilization and that now includes Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Turkey. Born in Lebanon, Zalloua grew up surrounded by people for whom the question of identity was a matter of life or death. Building on years of research, he tells a rich and compelling history of the Levant through the framework of genetics that spans from one hundred thousand years ago, when humans first left Africa, to the twenty-first century and modern nation-states. A timely, paradigm-shifting investigation into ancestry and origins in the Middle East, Ancestors ultimately reframes what it means to be indigenous to any land-urging us to reshape how we think about home, belonging, and where culture really comes from.
A manifesto-and a field guide-for a new dawn of natural history, practiced by community scientists in their own urban jungle. Imagine taking your smartphone-turned-microscope to an empty lot and discovering a rare mason bee that builds its nest in empty snail shells. Or a miniature spider that hunts ants and carries their corpses around. With a team of citizen scientists, that's exactly what Menno Schilthuizen did-one instance in the evolutionary biologist's campaign to take natural science to the urban landscape where most of us live today. In this delightful book, The Urban Naturalist, Schilthuizen invites us to join him, to embark on a new age of discovery, venturing out as intrepid explorers of our own urban habitat-and maybe in the process do the natural world some good. Thanks to the open science revolution, real biological discoveries can now be made by anyone right where they live. Schilthuizen shows readers just how to go about making those discoveries, introducing them to the tools of the trade of the urban community scientist, from the tried and tested (the field notebook, the butterfly net, and the hand lens) to the newfangled (internet resources, low-tech gadgets, and off-the-shelf gizmos). But beyond technology, his book holds the promise of reviving the lost tradition of the citizen scientist-rekindling the spirit of the Victorian naturalist for the modern world. At a time when the only nature most people get to see is urban, The Urban Naturalist demonstrates that understanding the novel ecosystems around us is our best hope for appreciating and protecting biodiversity.
When Neil Armstrong first set foot in the lunar dust, the Earth held its breath. That one small step forever changed our view of what was possible, sparking a dramatic expansion of humankind's cosmic awareness. When we gain a new perspective, a transformation begins, profoundly altering the understanding of the world our human experience had previously granted us. In The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions, astrophysicist Ersilia Vaudo explores five such turning points in the history of cosmology: Newton's realization that gravity governs the celestial world; Einstein's dual theories of relativity, linking space with time and gravity with acceleration; Hubble's revelation of an expanding, rather than static, universe; and the emergence of antiparticles from a mathematical equation and their implications for our cosmic evolution. In poetic prose, Vaudo illuminates the key insights that have led us to where we stand now. At the same time, she urges us to look beyond-to be open to the transformative realizations yet to come in our ongoing quest to understand the extraordinary, and still largely mysterious, universe to which we belong
Scientists and enthusiastic amateurs first confirmed the existence of living things invisible to the human eye in the late seventeenth century. So why did it take two centuries to connect microbes to disease? As late as the Civil War in the 1860s, most soldiers who perished died not on the battlefield but of infected wounds, typhoid, and other diseases. Twenty years later, the outcome might have been different, following one of the most radical intellectual transformations in history: germ theory, the recognition that the tiniest forms of life have been humankind's greatest killers. It was a discovery centuries in the making, and it transformed modern life and public health. As Thomas Levenson reveals in this globe-spanning history, it has everything to do with how we see ourselves. For centuries, people in the West, believing themselves to hold God-given dominion over nature, thought too much of humanity and too little of microbes to believe they could take us down. When nineteenth-century scientists finally made the connection, life-saving methods to control infections and contain outbreaks soon followed. The next big break came with the birth of the antibiotic era in the 1930s. And yet, less than a century later, the promise of the antibiotic revolution is already receding due to years of overuse. Is our self-confidence getting the better of us again? So Very Small follows the thread of human ingenuity and hubris across centuries--along the way peering into microscopes, spelunking down sewers, visiting army hospitals, traipsing across sheep fields, and more--to show how we came to understand the microbial environment and how little we understand ourselves. Levenson traces how and why ideas are pursued, accepted, or ignored--and hence how human habits of mind can, so often, make it terribly hard to ask the right questions.
A vivid portrait of the American prairie, which rivals the rainforest in its biological diversity and, with little notice, is disappearing even faster "This book describes--in loving, living prose--one of the world's greatest and most important landscapes. And it does so while there's still time to save some serious part of it."--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature The North American prairie is an ecological marvel, a lush carpet of grass that stretches to the horizon, and home to some of the nation's most iconic creatures--bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bald eagles. Plants, microbes, and animals together made the grasslands one of the richest ecosystems on Earth and a massive carbon sink, but the constant expansion of agriculture threatens what remains. When European settlers encountered the prairie nearly two hundred years ago, rather than a natural wonder they saw an alien and forbidding place. But with the steel plow, artificial drainage, and fertilizers, they converted the prairie into some of the world's most productive farmland--a transformation unprecedented in human history. American farmers fed the industrial revolution and made North America a global breadbasket, but at a terrible cost: the forced dislocation of Indigenous peoples, pollution of great rivers, and catastrophic loss of wildlife. Today, industrial agriculture continues its assault on the prairie, plowing up one million acres of grassland a year. Farmers can protect this extraordinary landscape, but trying new ideas can mean ruin in a business with razor-thin margins, and will require help from Washington, D.C., and from consumers. Veteran journalists and midwesterners Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty reveal humanity's relationship with this incredible land, offering a deep, compassionate analysis of the difficult decisions as well as opportunities facing agricultural and Indigenous communities. Sea of Grass is a vivid portrait of a miraculous ecosystem that makes clear why the future of this region is of essential concern far beyond the heartland.
Award-winning Atlantic staff writer Zoë Schlanger delivers a groundbreaking work of popular science that probes the hidden world of the plant kingdom, "destabilizing not just how we see the green things of the world but also our place in the hierarchy of beings, and maybe the notion of that hierarchy itself." (The New Yorker) It takes tremendous biological creativity to be a plant. To survive and thrive while rooted in a single spot, plants have adapted ingenious methods of survival. In recent years, scientists have learned about their ability to communicate, recognize their kin and behave socially, hear sounds, morph their bodies to blend into their surroundings, store useful memories that inform their life cycle, and trick animals into behaving to their benefit, to name just a few remarkable talents. The Light Eaters is a deep immersion into the drama of green life and the complexity of this wild and awe-inspiring world that challenges our very understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence. In looking closely, we see that plants, rather than imitate human intelligence, have perhaps formed a parallel system. What is intelligent life if not a vine that grows leaves to blend into the shrub on which it climbs, a flower that shapes its bloom to fit exactly the beak of its pollinator, a pea seedling that can hear water flowing and make its way toward it? Zoë Schlanger takes us across the globe, digging into her own memories and into the soil with the scientists who have spent their waking days studying these amazing entities up close. What can we learn about life on Earth from the living things that thrive, adapt, consume, and accommodate simultaneously? More important, what do we owe these life forms once we come to understand their rich and varied abilities? Examining the latest epiphanies in botanical research, Schlanger spotlights the intellectual struggles among the researchers conceiving a wholly new view of their subject, offering a glimpse of a field in turmoil as plant scientists debate the tenets of ongoing discoveries and how they influence our understanding of what a plant is. We need plants to survive. But what do they need us for--if at all? An eye-opening and informative look at the ecosystem we live in, this book challenges us to rethink the role of plants--and our own place--in the natural world.
The illustrations in this book are created by "Team Educohack". The rise in extreme weather events globally serves as a stark reminder of the impacts of climate change. Floods, droughts, and heatwaves have become more frequent, affecting vulnerable populations worldwide. This book rigorously explores the scientific aspects of climate change while delivering a compelling message. We delve into the intricacies of climate change causes, providing a vivid description of the natural systems sustaining Earth's climate. The book explains the harmful impacts of global warming on ecosystems, biodiversity, and human civilization. We trace the history of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, offering a roadmap for a better future. A wide range of topics is discussed in detail, including the Carbon Cycle, climate change drivers, historical climate insights, atmospheric layers, the Hydrological Cycle, and future climate risks. With relevant illustrations, the book is accessible to readers beyond just academics and experts. The book emphasizes the human role in making Earth's living conditions increasingly unsustainable. Activities like deforestation and industrial farming have altered natural dynamics. By retracing historical paths of civilizations and studying the role of climate change in their rise and fall, we gain a deeper understanding crucial for future action against climate change.
Saving the world won't happen on the silver screen. In our fragile ecosystem, climate change is swiftly becoming the defining issue of how to prepare--and protect--the earth for the future. The climate change debate raged on in America in 2015, but the facts and the science now show irrefutably that our world is rapidly changing, and that irreparable damage has already begun. From rising sea levels to the spread of disease-carrying insects, from disappearing glaciers to the hottest temperatures ever recorded, climate change as a direct result of human beings' actions affects everyone, and for many it is a matter of life or death. But progress is being made--with an historic United Nations meeting in Paris, with pledges by over one hundred countries to reduce emissions, with simple awareness. While many changes cannot be undone, great strides can still be made to stabilize regions most likely to be affected by climate change over the course of future generations. The Washington Post tackles this issue in vivid detail, profiling those who are at the forefront of the climate change debate--and those who are in the field, promoting the causes and doing the science that both warns and advocates for a safer tomorrow, for the earth and all its inhabitants.
Recommendations from the scientific community to ensure that the development and use of AI honors scientific norms In late 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, an AI chatbot capable of generating conversational answers and analyses, as well as images, in response to user questions and prompts. This generative AI is built with computational procedures, such as large language models, that train on vast bodies of human-created and curated data, including huge amounts of scientific literature. Since then, the worry that AI may someday outsmart humans has only grown more widespread. In the past, as society grappled with the implications of new technologies—ranging from nuclear energy to recombinant DNA—the scientific community developed practices designed to increase adherence to the norms that have protected the integrity of each new form of scientific exploration, development, and deployment. In the process, scientists expanded their community's repertoire of mechanisms designed to advance emerging science and technology while safeguarding the integrity of science and the wellbeing of the nation and its people. This book provides a historical perspective on and an ethical approach to emerging AI technologies; an overview of AI frameworks and principles; and an assessment of AI's current advances, hurdles, and potential. Experts from the fields of behavioral and social sciences, ethics, biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science, as well as leaders in higher education, law, governance, and science publishing and communication, comprise the book's contributors. Their essays remind us that, even as our understandings of emerging technologies and of their implications evolve, science's commitment to core norms and values remains steadfast. The volume's conclusion advocates for following principles of human accountability and responsibility when using artificial intelligence in research, including transparent disclosure and attribution; verification and documentation of AI-generated data and analysis; a focus on ethics and equity; and continuous oversight and public engagement.
Gorillas are among the most recognizable of the large charismatic mammals, but climate change and poaching has brought them to the brink of extinction. Greg Cummings was the executive director of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund for seventeen years. He shares his fascinating experiences as a "wildlife Robin Hood"--raising money from the rich and famous and redistributing it to endangered gorillas and their habitats. He met and enlisted the help of celebrities such as Sigourney Weaver, Arthur C. Clark, Douglas Adams, and Leonardo DiCaprio. This thirty-year worldwide journey moves from boardrooms in Manhattan and London to mountain treks in Rwanda and Congo. Gorilla Tactics is sure to enchant readers with Greg's unique experiences, while sharing insight into the work it takes to save a species from extinction.