Loads of quirky, cool, and astonishing facts about the world of science, including outer space, physics, elements, numbers, and scientists. Did you know that rats are ticklish? Or that one-fourth of the bones in your body are in your feet? Or that President Thomas Jefferson introduced french fries to the United States? From creepy crawlies to ancient inventions, pumpkin-boat racing to the smallest bone in your body, our Weird-but-True Facts series...

"Scientific methods, tools, and discoveries have shaped modern civilization and created the landscape we've built for ourselves on which to live, work, and play. Tyson shows how an infusion of science and rational thinking renders worldviews deeper and more informed than ever before-and exposes unfounded perspectives and unjustified emotions. With crystalline prose and an abundance of evidence, Starry Messenger walks us through the scientific palette...

"With the scope of Dune and the rousing action of Independence Day, this near-future trilogy is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple-award-winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author. In Dark Forest, Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion--in just four centuries' time. The aliens' human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic...

"Why is glass see-through? What makes elastic stretchy? Why does a paper clip bend? Why does any material look and behave the way it does? With clarity and humor, world-leading materials scientist Mark Miodownik answers all the questions you've ever had about your pens, spoons, and razor blades, while also introducing a whole world full of materials you've never even heard of: the diamond five times the size of Earth; concrete cloth that can be molded...

Merlin, a fictional timeless visitor from Planet Omniscia in the Andromeda Galaxy, has observed firsthand many of the major scientific events of Earth's history. In this journey through the cosmos, Merlin responds to popular questions asked by adults and children alike.

From the ancient world to the present women have been critical to the progress of science, yet their importance is overlooked, their stories lost, distorted, or actively suppressed. Forces of Nature sets the record straight and charts the fascinating history of women's discoveries in science. In the ancient and medieval world, women served as royal physicians and nurses, taught mathematics, studied the stars, and practiced midwifery. As natural philosophers,...

This volume presents information about protocols for micropropagation of more than 40 species of medicinal plants. The contents combine knowledge about the scientific principles of micropropagation with state of the art updates in tissue culture techniques presented by plant scientists. The readers will learn about techniques required to grow plants in challenging conditions that aim to reduce the impacts of injudicious harvesting, deforestation,...

"Archaeological finds add to our understanding of the world. This book showcases six discoveries made that changed the way we view history through recent advances in science. Discoveries include new clues about life in the Stone Age gleaned from Ötzi the Ice Man, the extent of the lost city of Angkor through the use of drones, and King Richard III's villainous reputation deduced from the discovery of his long-lost tomb, Digging Deep is full of fascinating...

"Verity Jane, gifted app-whisperer, has been out of work since her exit from a brief but problematic relationship with a Silicon Valley billionaire. Then she signs the wordy NDA of a dodgy San Francisco start-up, becoming the beta tester for their latest product: a digital assistant, accessed through a pair of ordinary-looking glasses. "Eunice," the disarmingly human AI in the glasses, soon manifests a face, a fragmentary past, and an unnervingly...

"In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platforms that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct repairs, and even self-propagate. In the same year, the CBS network re-aired a program about the effects of propranolol on sufferers of extreme trauma. A simple pill, it had been discovered, could wipe out the memory of any traumatic event. At almost the same...