Staff Picks
New in Science
- Bland L.
- Wednesday, August 07, 2019
Collection
Check out these titles recently added to our science collection. The Weather Machine is the latest from Andrew Blum, author of the critically acclaimed Tubes, an exploration of the out-of-sight and (mostly) out-of-mind physical infrastructure of the Internet. In his new book, Blum examines the history of weather forecasting and the rise of increasingly complex - and accurate - forecasting models built on huge amounts of data gathered from satellites and from weather observation sites around the world.
Gravity's Century
From Einstein's Eclipse to Images of Black Holes
Published in 2019
An account of the century of experimentation that confirmed Einstein's theory of relativity, bringing to life the science and scientists at the origins of relativity, the development of radio telescopes, the discovery of black holes and quasars, and the still unresolved place of gravity in quantum theory. Albert Einstein did nothing of note on May 29, 1919, yet that is when he became immortal. On that day, astronomer Arthur Eddington and his team observed a solar eclipse and found something extraordinary: gravity bends light, just as Einstein predicted. The findings confirmed the theory of general relativity, fundamentally changing our understanding of space and time. A century later, another group of astronomers is performing a similar experiment on a much larger scale. The Event Horizon Telescope, a globe-spanning array of radio dishes, is examining space surrounding Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. As Ron Cowen recounts, one foremost goal of the experiment is to determine whether Einstein was right on the details. Gravity lies at the heart of what we don't know about quantum mechanics, but tantalizing possibilities for deeper insight are offered by black holes. By observing starlight wrapping around Sagittarius A*, the telescope will not only provide the first direct view of an event horizon--a black hole's point of no return--but will also enable scientists to test Einstein's theory under the most extreme conditions. Gravity's Century shows how we got from the pivotal observations of the 1919 eclipse to the Event Horizon Telescope, and what is at stake today. Breaking down the physics in clear and approachable language, Cowen makes vivid how the quest to understand gravity is really the quest to comprehend the universe.-- Provided by publisher.
Floating Coast
An Environmental History of the Bering Strait
Published in 2019
"A groundbreaking exploration of the relationship between humans and the natural world where two great economic ideologies converge. Along the Bering Strait, through the territories of the Inupiat and Yupik in Alaska, and the Yupik and Chukchi in Russia, Bathsheba Demuth explores an ecosystem that has long sustained human beings. Yet when Americans and Europeans arrived with self-serving ideas of human progress, the Chukchi and Seward Peninsulas and surrounding waters became the site of an historical experiment. Here, the great modern ideologies of production and consumption, capitalism and communism, were subject to the pressures of arctic scarcity. Whales and walruses, caribou and fox, gold and oil: through these resources Demuth draws a vivid portrait of the sweeping effects of turning ecological wealth into economic growth and state power over the past century and a half. More urgent in a warming climate, and as we seek new economic ideas for a postindustrial age, Floating Coast delivers necessary warnings and poses provocative questions about human desires and needs in relation to environmental sustainability"-- Provided by publisher.
Fire in the Sky
Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth
Published in 2019
"An historical survey about asteroid hits sustained by Earth and the defenses being prepared against future asteroid-caused catastrophe"-- Provided by publisher.
The Ice at the End of the World
An Epic Journey into Greenland's Buried Past and Our Perilous Future
Published in 2019
"Greenland: remote, mysterious, ice-covered rock, population 56,000, in the middle of the North Atlantic. Why do we care so much about it? Because locked within the the vast and frozen "white desert"--the nickname early explorers gave it--that covers eighty percent of the land are some of the most profound secrets of our planet--clues about where we've been, and where we might be headed. And now, with the ice sheet melting at an unprecedented rate, we are able, for the first time, to understand the story that lies within it, and what it can tell us about our future. In The Ice at the End of the World, Jon Gertner reconstructs in vivid, thrilling detail the heroic efforts of the scientists and explorers who have visited Greenland over the past 150 years--first on skis, then on sleds, and now, with planes and satellites, utilizing every technological tool available to uncover the secrets in the ice before it's too late. Much as he did with his depiction of solid-state engineers and laser scientists in his bestselling book The Idea Factory, Gertner chronicles the amazing advances, almost unfathomable hardships, technological leaps, and scientific achievements of Arctic researchers with a rich, transporting, deeply intelligent style that melds the compelling stories of a small cast of brilliant and eccentric individuals, with a keen, analytical eye toward what this work means for the rest of us"-- Provided by publisher.
Butterflies of the World
Published in 2018
"In the book's opening chapters, Hoskins describes the evolution, anatomy, lifecycle, ecology, and taxonomy of the world's butterflies. The second half of the book offers comprehensive coverage of every butterfly family, along with fascinating accounts of butterfly behavior. Readers of all backgrounds will be delighted and informed by interesting facts and stories about Lepidoptera, from the spectacular Tiger Swallowtail, Blue Morpho, and Tibetan Glory, to the legendary Giant Birdwings and the cryptic Variegated Rajah, Amber Phantom, and Scarlet-eyed Skipper. Many books about these beloved creatures focus exclusively on photos of butterflies, with little accompanying text and scant scientific value. However, in this book, Hoskins provides a scientifically rigorous introduction to butterflies that is suitable for both laypersons and professionals. Lepidopterists will benefit from the unique and extensive taxonomically based survey, while enthusiastic amateurs will learn more about butterfly biology without being overwhelmed by jargon..."--Dust jacket.
Emperors of the Deep
Sharks--the Ocean's Most Mysterious, Most Misunderstood, and Most Important Guardians
Published in 2019
The Trouble with Gravity
Solving the Mystery Beneath Our Feet
Published in 2019
"An award-winning science writer traces our millennia-long effort to understand the phenomenon of gravity--the greatest mystery in physics, and a force that has shaped our universe and our minds in ways we have never fully understood until now"-- Provided by publisher.
The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries
Amazing Fossils and the People Who Found Them
Published in 2019
Constellations
The Story of Space Told Through the 88 Known Star Patterns in the Night Sky
Published in 2019
"A visual guide to all 88 constellations in our night sky"-- Provided by publisher.
Einstein's War
How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I
Published in 2019
"The birth of a world-changing idea, relativity, and how it was shaped by the social upheaval and bloody horror of the First World War"-- Provided by publisher.
Infinite Powers
How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe
Published in 2019
This is the captivating story of mathematics' greatest ever idea: calculus. Without it, there would be no computers, no microwave ovens, no GPS, and no space travel. But before it gave modern man almost infinite powers, calculus was behind centuries of controversy, competition, and even death. Taking us on a thrilling journey through three millennia, professor Steven Strogatz charts the development of this seminal achievement from the days of Aristotle to today's million-dollar reward that awaits whoever cracks Reimann's hypothesis. Filled with idiosyncratic characters from Pythagoras to Euler, Infinite Powers is a compelling human drama that reveals the legacy of calculus on nearly every aspect of modern civilization, including science, politics, ethics, philosophy, and much besides.
The Royal Society
And the Invention of Modern Science
Published in 2019
"Historian Adrian Tinniswood recounts the founding and history of the Royal Society, created and devoted to advancing knowledge through experimentation. The 8,000 fellows elected to the Society since its founding in London in 1662 include all of the scientific leading lights of the last four centuries, including Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Tim Berners-Lee, and Stephen Hawking"-- Provided by publisher.