Showing results for "The Americans" in Science

J. Robert Oppenheimer was one of the iconic figures of the 20th century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb but later confronted the moral consequences of scientific progress. When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s.

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common conditions affecting mental health and overall quality of life, but there are tools for managing them. In this audiobook, we’ll explore how depression shows up in the brain, different manifestations of depression and anxiety, various talk therapies, technological innovations, lifestyle interventions, and more.

The editors of Scientific American’s best-selling Fact or Fiction: Science Tackles 58 Popular Myths return with Fact or Fiction 2: 50 (More) Popular Myths Explained. We cast an analytical eye on another collection of urban lore and cultural myths that persist so long in our collective consciousness they acquire a ring of truth. Who hasn’t heard the “five-second rule”, which insists that food dropped on the floor is safe to eat if it’s picked up within five seconds? How many of us have been told to “feed a cold, starve a fever"?

From the host of the Travel Channel’s “The Wild Within.” A hunt for the American buffalo—an adventurous, fascinating examination of an animal that has haunted the American imagination. In 2005, Steven Rinella won a lottery permit to hunt for a wild buffalo, or American bison, in the...

How many people achieve a cult following because of their writing in mathematics? Only a handful, and Martin Gardner is among the most well-known and well-loved. Not only did he present a notoriously difficult subject in an engaging and accessible way, but in doing so, he attracted an incredibly broad readership. His “Mathematical Games” column in Scientific American ran nearly every month for 26 years and was one of the most popular in the magazine’s history.

A Natural History of North American Trees gives us a picture of life in America from its earliest days to the middle of the last century. The information is always interesting, though often heartbreaking. While Peattie looks for the better side of man's nature, he reports sorrowfully on the greed and waste that have doomed so much of America's virgin forest.

One of the biggest discoveries in physics, the quest for the Higgs boson demonstrates the value of a good theory. In July 2012, a Higgs-like particle was found near the energies scientists predicted. Now, armed with better evidence and better questions, the scientific process continues. In this audiobook, we’ve gathered our best reporting to explain that process - the theories, the search, the discovery, and the ongoing questions.

We harbor roughly the same number of microbes as we have cells. This complex ecosystem is crucial to our health, affecting many processes including immunity, child development, and bone density regulation. Research in this area has exploded, and in this audiobook, we highlight some of the most exciting work on how the microbiome develops, its influence on brain and behavior, and implications in both contributing to and treating various disorders.

Jim Harrison, Pam Houston, Ted Leeson, Nick Lyons, Thomas McGuane, and more, share stories of fly fishing and life on the river. This marvelous collection features stories from some of America’s finest and most respected writers about one of the world’s most solitary and satisfying sports: fly fishing. For the first time, the stories of thirty-one acclaimed writers including Kim Barnes, Walter Bennett, Russell Chatham, Guy de la Valdne, Robert DeMott, Chris Dombrowski, Ron Ellis, Jim Fergus, Kate Fox, Charles Gaines, Bruce Guernsey, Jim Harrison, Pam Houston, Michael Keaton, Greg Keeler, Sydney Lea, Ted Leeson, Nick Lyons, Craig Mathews, Thomas McGuane, Joseph Monninger, Howard Frank Mosher, Jake Mosher, Craig Nova, Margot Page, Datus Proper, Le Anne Schreiber, Paul Schullery, W. D. Wetherell, and Robert Wrigley come together in one collection. Fly fishers and non-fly fishers alike will recognize in these poignant tales the universal aspects of the appreciation of nature, the necessity of conservation, and the joy and knowledge that come from time spent on fresh and salt water. This is a delightful, handsome volume that captures the allure and spirit of fly fishing and those that love it.

Once dismissed as a mathematical curiosity, black holes are so strange they almost defy belief. Since their existence was confirmed, research into the nature of black holes has opened up new vistas in physics. In this audiobook, we examine some of the most fascinating discoveries about black hole formation and behavior, the new and evolving research in gravitational wave astronomy, theoretical possibilities such as wormholes, and much more.

Journey back to 1867 with Across the Continent of South America, a captivating account of a groundbreaking scientific expedition that traversed the breathtaking equatorial Andes and the lush Amazon rainforest. This remarkable adventure took the explorers from Guayaquil to Quito, across rugged mountain ranges, through dense forests to Napo, and finally along the Rio Napo to Pebas on the Maranon. Under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute, the team not only documented their travels but also collected a wealth of rock and plant samples, numerous animal specimens, and compiled local ...

Dive into the fascinating world of science with The Seven Follies of Science, a captivating exploration of the most notorious scientific impossibilities and the daring attempts to unravel them. This engaging account, enriched with a collection of intriguing paradoxes, illusions, and marvels, is sure to spark your curiosity and challenge your perception of reality. (Summary by John Phin)

Dive into the intriguing world of early 20th-century science with The Outline of Science by Thomson, who offers a captivating exploration of scientific thought as it was in 1922. With clear and engaging language aimed at a general audience, this book delves into topics ranging from the vastness of the Solar System to the intricate building blocks of matter, including protons and electrons. Thomson skillfully illustrates the evolution of life on Earth, showcasing the journey from simple organisms to the diverse array of species we see today. He also highlights the thin line between established ...

Dive into The Chemical History of a Candle, a captivating series of six lectures delivered by the renowned chemist and physicist Michael Faraday to a youthful audience in 1848. This series, celebrated as one of the most iconic Christmas Lectures of the Royal Society, begins with the simple act of burning a candle and unfolds into an exploration of combustion and its byproducts. Faraday skillfully connects the fundamentals of water and air—oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon—to the intricate processes of respiration within the human body. The final lecture, On Platinum, reveals a ...

Dive into the intriguing tales of human-animal interactions from the mid-1800s that shed light on the eras complex attitudes toward the wild, including the controversial practice of trophy hunting. Authored by Mary Custis Lee, who faced her own struggles with chronic illness and pain, this book does not shy away from the raw and often graphic accounts of encounters with wildlife. With a blend of hardship and radiant faith, Lees narrative invites readers to explore the darker side of humanitys relationship with nature. (Summary by Czandra)

The Art of Travel serves as an essential guide filled with practical wisdom for the adventurous Victorian traveler. Discover how to meticulously plan every aspect of your journey, from selecting the ideal qualifications for a traveler and organizing a successful expedition to curating the perfect wardrobe. Explore the nuances of the trip itself, including choosing the right bivouac, selecting huts and tents, understanding what game to hunt (and how to do it), and even navigating encounters with (hostile) savages. Finally, learn how to document your adventures for a triumphant return. (Summary ...

Imagine if this book were penned today; it might be titled The Story of the Worlds Rubbish. While that may not sound like an enticing subject, it takes us on a fascinating journey across the globe—and beyond—to explore the diverse forms of dust and refuse—animal, vegetable, and mineral. We delve into their origins, the processes of creation by both humans and nature, and their significance in our lives. Recycling is not a modern concept; humanity has practiced it for centuries, while nature has been at it for billions of years. As the old adage goes, matter is neither created nor ...

An innovative work of research and reportage, We Are the Middle of Forever places Indigenous voices at the center of conversations about today’s environmental crisis. The book draws on interviews with people from different North American Indigenous cultures and communities, generations, and geographic regions who share their knowledge and experience, their questions, their observations, and their dreams of maintaining the best relationship possible to all of life.

Did NASA really spend millions creating a pen that would write in space? Is chocolate poisonous to dogs? Does stress cause gray hair? These questions are a sample of the urban lore investigated in this audiobook, Fact or Fiction: Science Tackles 58 Popular Myths. Drawing from Scientific American’s “Fact or Fiction” and “Strange But True” columns, we’ve selected 58 of the most surprising, fascinating, useful, and just plain wacky topics confronted by our writers over the years.

Horticultural science is the only discipline that incorporates both the science and aesthetics of plants. It is the science and art of producing edible fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and ornamental plants, improving and commercializing them. Plants, People, Science, a podcast by the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), will bring you the recent advancements in science, technology, innovation, development, and education for economically important horticultural crops and plants. Each episode features an interview with an American Society for Horticultural Science member, a ...