Biological Technology

For over a decade, Ben Garrod has studied chimpanzees to find ways to protect and conserve them. We join Ben on a journey that has taken him around the world, studying eastern chimps in the humid forests of Uganda and the critically endangered western chimps of Liberia. In his trademark infectious, lighthearted style, Ben describes encounters with chimpanzees that highlight the different threats they face.

Unnatural Selection is the first book to examine the rise of the "technocentric being" - or geek - who personifies a distinct new phase in human evolution. People considered geeks often have behavioral or genetic traits that were previously considered detrimental. But the new environment of the Anthropocene period - the Age of Man - has created a kind of digital greenhouse that actually favors their traits, enabling many non-neurotypical people to bloom.

Since the conclusion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, scientists have been racing toward a grand goal: offering individuals a decoding of their complete genetic makeup for just $1,000. As Kevin Davies reveals in this exquisitely reported account, the $1,000 genome will be a reality by 2011 and it will usher in a whole new era of personalized, genomic medicine.

Future Science features 19 young scientists, most of whom are presenting their innovative work and ideas to a general audience for the first time. Featured in this collection are William McEwan, a virologist, discussing his research into the biology of antiviral immunity; Naomi Eisenberger, a neuroscientist, wondering how social rejection affects us physically; Jon Kleinberg, a computer scientist, showing what massive datasets can teach us about society and ourselves; and Anthony Aguirre, a physicist, who gives readers a tantalizing glimpse of infinity.

The human species is relatively new to the planet in geologic terms. With origins reaching back only a few million years, the rise of humans from primate ancestors is a remarkable evolutionary success story. Early Humans traces the beginnings of the human species, its success and adaptability, and the development of such innovations as human language and culture.

Maneater is a personal account by a specialist who approaches her work like a forensic scientist or a case-hardened private eye. Dr. Pamela Nagami is a leading authority on infectious diseases and her stories will shock, amaze, and warn listeners.The patients in Maneater are ordinary Americans. When Danielle Jordan innocently ordered a salad for lunch in Puerta Vallarta she had no idea she had just become the "host" to an organism that six years later would grow into a worm and burrow into her brain.

In the evolution of science and technology, laws governing exceptional creativity and innovation have yet to be discovered. The historian Thomas Kuhn, in his influential study The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, noted that the final stage in a scientific breakthrough such as Albert Einstein's theory of relativity - that is, the most crucial stage - was "inscrutable". The same is still true half a century later.

Life has never been easier thanks to the advancement of technology. However, with all new technological advancements also come new risks. The most drastically increasing issue in the world today is not biological warfare, but cyber warfare. Data has become the single most valuable commodity in today’s world, and, of course, there are always people lurking around the corner, trying to get their hands on it.

This audiobook takes a closer look at who Charles Darwin was, how he lived his everyday life and how influential he became; not just in his own day but into the modern world as well. Find out what interested his incredible mind and how Darwin presented his theories to a yet unsuspecting world. From beetles to butterflies, coral reefs and tropical islands, from apes to humans, learn how Charles Darwin's evidence speaks even to the world today.

Essential oils are typically used by people who don't want to use chemically based treatments to cure certain problems. They are never considered to be an alternate treatment for pets. The author provides information on the types of essentials oils that can safely be used on dogs and the best ways to administer said oils.

Imbarcatosi sul Beagle, per una spedizione del governo inglese finalizzata alle rilevazioni idrologiche delle coste delle Americhe, Charles Darwin mise a frutto il suo interesse per l'osservazione della natura, cominciato a svilupparsi già durante l'infanzia. La spedizione gli permise di fare scoperte eccezionali attraverso il lungo viaggio, durato cinque anni.

How good is a shark’s sense of hearing? What is the word that means ‘fear of sharks’? How can you tell when a shark is about to attack? And how dangerous are sharks compared to coconuts? In this fascinating audiobook, narrator Jason Zenobia answers all these questions and more as he talks us through over 100 facts about sharks. Covering subjects such as shark attacks, conservation, myths, record breakers and much more, this is the perfect audiobook for everyone, shark fan or not!

How long do you think the courtship dance between two seahorses can take? Which fish is thought to be responsible for the tales of giant sea serpents? How long is a large shark's gestation period? And when is a beaver a fish? In this fascinating audiobook, narrator Jason Zenobia talks us through over 100 amazing facts about fish...so if you're ready to find out which fish the Romans used as a recreational drug and in which American states it is illegal to get a fish drunk, this is the perfect audiobook for you!

Did you know that gorillas can catch human colds? Or that cows from different regions moo in different accents? What's the fastest animal in the water? And what disgusting thing does the hoopoe bird do to scare away predators? This fantastic audiobook answers all these questions and more, covering everything from cats and dogs to creepy crawlies and gross facts. Narrated by Jason Zenobia, it would make an excellent addition to anyone's collection.

Mark Moffett doesn't just study ants, he travels among them. Moffet holds a Harvard Ph.D. in entomology and is an accomplished scientist, an award-winning author and journalist, and one of the best nature photographers of his generation. Years ago, this free-spirited naturalist left academia behind to plunge into the deepest jungles and observe insect societies up close. Now author Nicholas Griffin takes us inside Moffett's own world, to explore his death-cheating quest for discovery.

When Alexander Litvinenko set out for London's Millennium Hotel one November day in 2006, he already knew he was embroiled in a political conflict. The dissident Russian agent had, after all, fled Moscow to escape the wrath of Vladimir Putin and the country's feared security service. What he didn't realise was that the men he would drink with that afternoon were about to throw him into another battle: a brutal fight with a little-known but devastatingly toxic poison.