Science
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Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Author/Actors/Director/etc.: Richard H. Thaler
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books; Revised & Expanded edition (2009, Feb 24th).
Pages: 320
For fans of Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink and Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, a revelatory new look at how we make decisions A New York Times bestsellerAn Economist Best Book of the YearA Financial Times Best Book of the YearNudge is about choices—how we make them and how we can make better ones. Drawing on decades of research in the fields of behavioral science and economics, authors Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein offer a new perspective on preventing the countless mistakes we make—ill-advised personal investments, consumption of unhealthy foods, neglect of our natural resources—and show us how sensible “choice architecture” can successfully nudge people toward the best decisions. more
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Are We Being Watched?: The Search for Life in the Cosmos
Author/Actors/Director/etc.: Paul Murdin
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 1 edition (2013, Apr 1st).
Pages: 224
An engaging exploration with renowned astronomer Paul Murdin of how life emerged on Earth—and the possibilities that it exists elsewhereThere is no more fascinating question than whether or not we are alone in a vast universe. Here, Paul Murdin applies the latest scientific discoveries and theories to inquire whether life exists on other planets and, if so, what forms it might take. Could there be somewhere life as advanced as here on Earth, or are we more likely to find primitive life-forms? Or are we the sole living organisms in a desolate and boundless cosmos? Professor Murdin invites us to join him in exploring an extraordinary array of evidence to determine if there is life elsewhere in the cosmos. He examines the case for life on Mars and Europa and asks whether on Enceladus or Titan we might find the “warm little” pond that Darwin speculated was where life began here on Earth. more
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Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration
Author/Actors/Director/etc.: Leonard David
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: National Geographic (2013, May 7th).
Pages: 272
“Any time an Apollo-era astronaut steps forward with ideas for our future in space, it’s time to stop what whatever we’re doing and pay attention. Buzz Aldrin, one of the first moonwalkers, has no shortage of these ideas. And in Mission to Mars he treats us to how, when, and why we should travel there.” —Neil deGrasse TysonLegendary "space statesman" Buzz Aldrin speaks out as a vital advocate for the continuing quest to push the boundaries of the universe as we know it. As a pioneering astronaut who first set foot on the moon during mankind's first landing of Apollo 11--and as an aerospace engineer who designed an orbital rendezvous technique critical to future planetary landings--Aldrin has a vision, and in this book he plots out the path he proposes, taking humans to Mars by 2035. more
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The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing Genius
Author/Actors/Director/etc.: Kristine Barnett
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House (2013, Apr 9th).
Pages: 272
Kristine Barnett’s son Jacob has an IQ higher than Einstein’s, a photographic memory, and he taught himself calculus in two weeks. At nine he started working on an original theory in astrophysics that experts believe may someday put him in line for a Nobel Prize, and at age twelve he became a paid researcher in quantum physics. But the story of Kristine’s journey with Jake is all the more remarkable because his extraordinary mind was almost lost to autism. At age two, when Jake was diagnosed, Kristine was told he might never be able to tie his own shoes. The Spark is a remarkable memoir of mother and son. Surrounded by “experts” at home and in special ed who tried to focus on Jake’s most basic skills and curtail his distracting interests—moving shadows on the wall, stars, plaid patterns on sofa fabric—Jake made no progress, withdrew more and more into his own world, and eventually stopped talking completely. more
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How to Grow Perennial Vegetables: Low-Maintenance, Low-Impact Vegetable Gardening
Author/Actors/Director/etc.: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Green Books (2012, Aug 27th).
Pages: 192
Perennial vegetables are a joy to grow and require a lot less time and effort than annuals. In this book Martin Crawford gives comprehensive advice on all types of perennial vegetable (edible plants that live longer than three years), from ground-cover plants and coppiced trees to plants for bog gardens and edible woodland plants.There are many advantages to growing perennial vegetables, for example:they need less tillage than conventional vegetables and so help retain carbon in the soilthe soil structure is not disturbed in their cultivationthey extend the harvesting season, especially in early springand, of course, they are much less work.Part One looks at why and how to grow these crops, and how to look after them for maximum health.Part Two features over 100 perennial edibles in detail, both common and unusual - from rhubarb to skirret; Jerusalem artichoke to nodding onions. more
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