New in Science

The book in question offers a concise and accessible overview of fundamental physics concepts, ranging from gravitational fields and momentum to general relativity and quantum uncertainty. It employs straightforward diagrams and clear explanations to elucidate these topics, making it suitable for students and general readers seeking a jargon-free introduction to physics.

"In Oaklore, Jules Acton, an ambassador for The Woodland Trust, explores the incredibly diverse history of the 'king of the woods': from a source of food and shelter to its use in literature as a plot device and muse, its role as an essential ingredient in ink, and in mythology from across the British Isles as a sacred plant and precious resource. Acton's infectious enthusiasm shines through in chapters that open with excerpts from oak-y poems, as well as tips for connecting with nature - like how to recognize bird songs and help moths and butterflies thrive. Meeting fellow oak-lovers along the way, and trees like Sherwood Forest's Medusa Oak or the gargantuan Marton Oak in Cheshire, Acton plots an unforgettable journey through the tangled roots of the oak's story, and that of Britain itself."-- Provided by publisher.

What if some of your cells were not your own? What if they once belonged to someone else? Part mind-bending medical mystery--part cutting-edge science--Hidden Guests uncovers the astonishing phenomenon of microchimerism: the presence of foreign cells inside our own bodies. The incredible story of how those cells got there--and what they do once they arrive--might change everything we know about the immune system, lineage, and identity. We are all told the same story as children: that we grew from a single cell into a human, that all of our cells came from the first fertilized egg, and that we have one distinct genetic code. But scientists are beginning to challenge that story. The discovery of microchimerism shows that not all our cells are our own--some of them migrated from other bodies. How did they get there? Scientists are still studying their journey, but today we know cells are exchanged in pregnancy, through transplants and blood transfusions, and possibly even through sex. But what does this mean for our daily lives--is it really such a big deal if someone else's cell turns up in our bodies? The answer is, as author Lise Barnéoud shows in Hidden Guests, that the implications could be earth-shattering. In Hidden Guests, Barnéoud interviews doctors, researchers, and medical experts at the forefront of microchimerism research. She interweaves their fascinating discoveries with the shocking human stories of microchimerism including: - The story of the mother who gave birth to the genetic children of her sister ... even though her sister had never been born. - The story of the man whose DNA was found at a crime scene--only he was in prison at the time. It turned out that he had received a bone marrow transplant, and the DNA came from his donor--the actual offender. - The story of a cancer survivor who discovered that the cells in his blood, saliva, hair, and even his semen were slowly being replaced by the cells of his organ donor - The story of a woman whose children were nearly taken away after genetic testing showed she was not their mother--until she proved that their DNA came from a vanished twin whose cells she had absorbed in utero. Hidden Guests traces the history of this still emerging science while asking philosophical and probing questions about immunity, biology, evolution, parental testing, criminal forensics, and the concept of individual identity. Barnéoud makes the case for expanding our notions of both self and immunity: as ever-changing collectives of cells in relation, we are not unlike ecosystems. And like ecosystems, perhaps, the greater our diversity, the greater our resilience.

This new edition of the award-winning The Brain Book uses the latest findings from neuroscience research and brain-imaging technology to take you on a journey into the human brain. Artworks and scans reveal the brain's anatomy in unprecedented detail. Step-by-step sequences unravel and simplify complex processes, such as how nerves transmit signals and how a memory is laid down and recalled. The book answers fundamental and compelling questions about the brain and cognitive neuroscience, such as what it means to be conscious and what happens in the brain when we use language to communicate. It also explains the brain's resilience and neuroplasticity - the ability to constantly adapt and reorganize neural connections to learn new skills or to cope with traumatic brain injuries. Written by award-winning author Rita Carter, this is an accessible reference book to a fascinating part of the human body. Thanks to improvements in scanning technology, our understanding of the brain is changing fast. Now in its fourth edition, The Brain Book draws on the latest information to provide a fascinating guide to one of science's most exciting frontiers.

"In his first all-new book in fifteen years, renowned organic grower and bestselling author Eliot Coleman presents his "self-fed" growing method that continuously sustains soil fertility and produces delicious, exceptionally nutritious vegetables with no need for purchased fertilizer or compost. The Self-Fed Farm and Garden presents the organic method as a self-sustaining system rooted in soil health care and shows readers how they can shift to a self-fed model that continually recharges the soil with organic matter, thus allowing the soil food web to provide all the nutrients crops need for healthy growth and excellent yields. Based on his long study of his library of classic farming and gardening books, Eliot Coleman re-engineered the way he managed soils and crops at Four Season Farm over the past decade so that he would never need to purchase off-farm inputs of compost or fertilizer. The self-fed approach combines classic techniques practiced by the pioneers of organic farming, including: Growing green manure crops year-round and shallowly tilling them into the soil Growing leguminous plants to add nitrogen Devising effective crop rotation systems for disease and weed control Once you implement a self-fed system, Coleman explains, then you alone-and not the farm and garden products industry-are master of your destiny. A self-fed system is safe from contamination by pollutants, which is a key point in this era of widespread contamination of soil and water by PFAS and other forever chemicals. The self-fed system also has the benefit of far lower expenses than those that rely on purchased fertilizers from off the farm. The book also delves into the underlying causes in the shifts in the organic movement, calling out the erosion of standards in the National Organic Program and the greenwashing of the new trend of regenerative agriculture. Eliot includes specific examples, such as how large corporate interests acted to lobby against those who sought to protect the need for pure ingredients in composts for organic farms. In the book's conclusion, Eliot describes the next chapter in the life of Four Season Farm as he and his wife, awarding-winning garden book author Barbara Damrosch, step away from the farm-scale production, making space for a new farming couple to steward the land"-- Provided by publisher.

"A stunning visual journey from the shoreline to the ocean's depths - celebrating the sheer diversity of life beneath the waves. Water covers more than 70 percent of the Earth but three quarters of our oceans' depths have never been explored by humans. This stunning book takes readers on a deep dive through the different depth zones - from the shoreline and surface, via the sunlight zone, the twilight and midnight zones, and into the abyss-- to chart the richness and diversity of life in our seas. Each chapter, centered on a different depth zone, begins with a comprehensive introduction, before exploring fifteen to twenty-five visual themes, from the smallest living things to the largest and from the familiar to the unknown. A final chapter on the oceans and us reveals the visual history of human interaction with the deep blue, from discovery and mapping to current issues of the environment and preservation. Ocean features stunning photography throughout - from microscopic images of tiny creatures to corals of every hue and the abstract patterns of fish scales - shown alongside a wide range of stunning archival illustrations and specially commissioned infographics that convey complex data in a simple and elegant way. Exploring a huge range of themes, creatures, and plants from around the world, Ocean draws crucial attention to the importance of life in our seas and the need to preserve it" -- Publisher's website.

"As part of a series, this book introduces 100 key areas of chemistry, such as gas laws, fusion, ionic bonding, DNA, and the pH scale, and explains each topic in just 100 words. Perfect for getting your head around big ideas clearly and quickly, or refreshing your knowledge on the fundamentals of how the world works, this book covers the most up-to-date terms and theories and inspires a heightened level of understanding and enjoyment of the core areas of chemistry"-- Provided by publisher.

The world needs to adapt to climate change - but how? What are the key problems and hard choices that lie ahead for the global community? This book reveals all.

"Good Food Institute founder and president Bruce Friedrich offers a hopeful and rigorously researched exploration of how science, policy, and industry can work together to satisfy the world's soaring demand for meat, while building a healthier and more sustainable world. The human love of meat appears to be hard-wired."-- Provided by publisher.

Is it possible to make more nature? In 2001, a small team of ordinary citizens set out on an audacious effort to establish one of the largest wildlife reserves ever created--bigger than Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks combined. But founding American Prairie was just the beginning. To succeed, they would have to defy conventional wisdom, win over skeptical Montana neighbors, and restore vast areas of temperate grasslands for returning native bison, elk, pronghorn, birds, pollinators, and predators. With humor and humility, Gerrity immerses readers in the obstacles, triumphs, and unwavering commitment that propelled this extraordinary journey. Wild on Purpose reveals what it takes to make real, lasting change and challenges us to move beyond saving what's left of nature to making new wild spaces--for animals, the planet, the future, for ourselves.

An expert on otters dives into their wild and wondrous world You've heard of a murder of crows and a pride of lions--but what about a romp of otters? In this informative and entertaining book, animal behaviorist Heide Island takes readers on an odyssey through otterdom, focusing on a family, or "romp," of river otters that live near her home in Puget Sound, Washington, while also weaving in research about otters around the globe. Tracking an otter nicknamed Patches and her three pups, Island observes as they hunt, play, and try to survive the various dangers in their environment. But the greatest danger they face isn't predators or food-stealing scavengers. It's humans. Because while they captivate our imagination with their intelligent and social behavior, these charming creatures, like so many species, face an uncertain future in an era of climate change and habitat destruction. And we can learn crucial lessons about nature and our relationship with it by studying their adaptability, diversity, and personality, from the adorable sea otters of Monterey Bay to the giant otters of the Amazon. Discover the dynamic world of otters in Romp!

If you listen, can you hear the stones speak? The question seems absurd. After all, rocks are lifeless, inert, and silent. In The Whispers of Rock, earth scientist Anjana Khatwa asks us to think again and listen to their stories. Boldy alternating between modern science and ancient wisdom, Khatwa takes us on an exhilirating journey through deep time, from origins of the green pounamu that courses down New Zealand rivers to the wonder of the bluestone megaliths of Stonehenge, from the tuff-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia, to Manhattan's bredrock of schist. In unearthing those stories and more, Khatwa shows how rocks have always spoken to us, and we humans to them. She delicately intertwines Indigenous stories of Earth's creation with our scientific understanding of its development, deftly showing how our lives are intimately connected to time's ancient storytellers. Through tales of planetary change, ancient wisdom, and contemporary creativity, The Whispers of Rock offers the hope of reconnection with Earth. With Khatwa as your guide, you won't simply hear rocks speak -- you, too, will feel the magic of deep time seep into your bones.

"This book explores dinosaur cognition, senses, behavior, and intelligence through accessible scientific studies"-- Provided by publisher.

"The histories of trees in America are also the histories of Black Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine; sycamore trees were both havens and signposts for people trying to escape enslavement; poplar trees are historically associated with lynching; and willow bark has offered the gift of medicine. These trees, and others, testify not only to the complexity of the Black American narrative but also to a heritage of Black botanical expertise that, like Native American traditions, predates the United States entirely. In When Trees Testify, award-winning plant biologist Beronda L. Montgomery explores the ways seven trees, as well as the cotton shrub, are intertwined with Black history and culture. She reveals how knowledge surrounding these trees has shaped America since the very beginning. As Montgomery shows, trees are material witnesses to the lives of enslaved Africans and their descendants."--Front cover flap.

"This book of photography traces explorer Thomas Peschak's expedition across the Amazon from source to the sea"-- Provided by publisher.

"Russia has three times as many trees as there are stars in our galaxy. From the Baltic to the Pacific, from the Arctic to the steppes of Central Asia, Russia's forests account for nearly one-fifth of the world's wooded lands. In this astonishing work of cultural and environmental history, award-winning journalist, critic, and scholar Sophie Pinkham presents the first-ever English-language exploration of this vast expanse, offering an eloquent and absorbing account of how forests have shaped Russia. Written from the ground up, The Oak and the Larch spans centuries, from medieval times to the present, and draws on literature, art, music, and original reportage. Pinkham describes the varied forests and trees that grow within Russia's borders, from the hardy Siberian larch to the majestic oaks of central Russia, and the diverse peoples who live deep in the Russian wilderness and make their living there. She analyzes the forest's role in Russia's long history of imperial conquest-including its attacks on Ukraine today-and discusses the ways the mythologies of the forest shaped Russian culture, from pre-Christian forest spirits to the great works of Russian literature, from Turgenev to Tolstoy, from Chekhov to Nabokov and beyond. By examining Russia from the forest's perspective, The Oak and the Larch offers an urgent new understanding of the nature of Russian power, and of Russia's ideas of itself"-- Provided by publisher.

A lively and revelatory journey through the evolution of caretaking on Earth, from animal parents to modern-day humans, making the case that caring for children and each other made us who we are Poison frog fathers carry tadpoles on their backs. Killer whale grandmothers hunt to feed their adult sons. Tropical birds incubate their friends' eggs. Spider moms let their hatchlings eat them alive. Around the world, animals from the exotic to the familiar go to astonishing lengths to keep their young alive. Their biology, brains and behaviors show us what we have in common with other creatures, as well as what's unique about Homo sapiens. With warmth, humor, and occasional run-ins with bodily fluids, science journalist Elizabeth Preston leads a highly accessible tour of cutting-edge research into how and why we and other animals care for young. She discovers that humans evolved to raise our kids in cooperative groups, and that the tools we've inherited for caretaking aren't only for moms or dads--they're the basis for our human society.

A sweeping natural history of the humble trees that built nations, sparked wars, and became the world's most cherished holiday tradition.In Evergreen, Cornell University professor Trent Preszler weaves together a captivating story of humanity's deeply rooted relationship with evergreens, revealing how the trees shaped economies, launched cultural movements, and propelled America's rise to global prominence. With stunning historical range and lyrical insight, Preszler guides readers from the awe-inspiring evergreen cathedrals of the West to Christmas tree farms in the Midwest, sawmills in the South, the iconic Rockefeller Center spruce in the East, and beyond.

"In the early nineteenth century, the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the first evolutionary theory of life and, with it, a new science: biology. Yet for centuries, evolutionary theorists have endeavored to discredit Lamarck and his theory of self-transforming organisms. In this melding of biography, history, politics, and science, Jessica Riskin sets out to correct the record, telling the story of Lamarck's life and work as an intense struggle between rival forces to answer questions that remain foundational to our modern worldview: What is a living being, and what is science?"-- Provided by publisher.

For fans of The Song of the Cell--a profusely, creatively illustrated journey through the origins and evolution of the building blocks of life, from an award-winning biologist and illustrator.

As warming reshapes our planet, the Arctic--a region that once seemed unchangeable, beyond the reach of modern problems--is quickly coming undone. While the old cold world can still be glimpsed in the movements of caribou, the hidden lives of wolves, and the hunting skill of an Iânupiaq elder, look closer and you'll find a new Arctic appearing in its place. ... Neil Shea blends natural history, anthropology, and travel writing to explore how the beauty, chaos, and power of change in the far north are reflected in the lives of people and animals. He sojourns with a wolf pack on Canada's Ellesmere Island and travels with Indigenous hunters in Alaska, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. He tracks dwindling caribou herds across the top of North America, searches for vanished Vikings in Greenland, and visits the front line of the new Cold War rising between Russia and Europe. What Shea finds is not one Arctic but many--all still linked by shattering cold, seasons of darkness, and a pure, inimitable light.

"An irresistibly wry, culturally rich exploration of color and how it shapes our world-from the leading lexicographer of our time"-- Provided by publisher.

When Worlds Quake examines the development and practice of global and planetary seismology. The author outlines the historical foundations of the field through discussion of significant seismic events and the scientists who studied them, and describes contemporary research that uses seismic waves to investigate the internal structure and dynamics of Earth. The book also addresses the methods and challenges of collecting seismic data worldwide, including fieldwork in remote environments. In addition, it explores the application of seismology to the study of other planetary bodies, such as the Moon and Mars. The work combines scientific explanation with accounts of research expeditions and professional experience.

Over the past decade, the field of human genetics has produced an extraordinary range of discoveries--including the refinement of polygenic scores, which use a person's DNA to estimate their likelihood of developing a trait or disease. But are these new technologies ready to leave the research lab and be deployed in schools, fertility clinics, and the wider world? In What We Inherit, Sam Trejo and Daphne Martschenko offer different perspectives on the societal impact of the rapidly unfolding DNA revolution. Trejo, a sociologist and expert on the complex ways people's genes influence their life's trajectory, believes that new genomic tools--if used thoughtfully--can improve society; Martschenko, a bioethicist who specializes in the thorny social issues raised by biomedical advances, is more cautious. They debate both the risks and the opportunities posed by such new technologies as at-home genetic tests and polygenic embryo selection--all while engaging in a wide-ranging dialogue on ideology, biology, and social inequality. While grappling with these new technologies, Trejo and Martschenko remind us that we inherited from our ancestors not only DNA but also wrong-headed ideas about genes. Together, they caution against two particularly harmful genetic that genes determine an individual's future, and that race and genetics are inherently connected. A polygenic score, for example, is not a definitive marker for disease. And race is a sociopolitical construct, not a biological identity. Trejo and Martschenko argue that, to avoid exacerbating social inequality, we need to begin regulating genomic tools sooner rather than later.

"Friction, the force that resists motion, has motivated millennia of discovery. Jennifer Vail shows how the quest to master friction has not only produced innovations in engineering but also influenced culture and even evolution. Now, scientists are learning that friction influences the course of disease and may be key to solving the climate crisis."-- Provided by publisher.

From the New York Times best-selling author of A World on the Wing, the uplifting story of bird recovery, reintroduction, and habitat reclamation.

When Paula Whyman first climbs a peak in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in search of a home in the country, she has no idea how quickly her tidy backyard ecology project will become a massive endeavor. Just as quickly, she discovers how little she knows about hands-on conservation work. In Bad Naturalist, readers meander with her through orchards and meadows, forests and frog ponds, as she is beset by an influx of invasive species, rattlesnake encounters, conflicting advice from experts, and delayed plans--but none of it dampens her irrepressible passion for protecting this place. With delightful, lyrically deft storytelling, she shares her attempts to coax this beautiful piece of land back into shape. It turns out that amid the seeming chaos of nature, the mountaintop is teeming with life and hope.-- Publisher description

In an age of catastrophic biodiversity loss, the author of Aesop's Animals explains why we should champion and protect nature's underdogs.