Life sciences: general issues Books

For as long as humans have been on Earth, we have looked up to the stars for clues to our own existence. Medical doctor and evolutionary biologist William B. Miller, Jr. suggests that we may find more meaningful solutions at the end of a microscope...

Using herself as a guinea pig, a science journalist explores "neuroplasticity" to find out whether she can make meaningful, lasting changes to the way her brain works. In books like THE HAPPINESS PROJECT, THE NO-SPEND YEAR, and THE YEAR OF YES,...

A unique and personal insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, their relationships with flowers, and their conservation in a rapidly changing world. The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a fundamentally important...

When and where did the ancestors of modern birds evolve? What enabled them to survive the meteoric impact that wiped out the dinosaurs? How did these early birds spread across the globe and give rise to the 10,600-plus species we recognise today - from...

This 15th volume in the Extraordinary Brain Series is focused on research in dyslexia and neuroscience in response to the Geschwind-Galabura hypothesis that defined the field of dyslexia 30 years ago. In the 1980s, Norman Geschwind and Peter Behan...

Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics, is renowned as one of the world's most ingenious and influential scientists. Nonetheless, he remains misunderstood and enigmatic, his history shrouded in controversy and myth. Escaping poverty, he joined a...

Evolution helps us understand our own humble place in the rich tapestry of life. But what do we know about the theory of evolution itself? Based on the popular podcast of the same name, Evolution Talk reveals how the theory of evolution came to be and...

Three great scientific revolutions have shaped our understanding of the cosmos and our relationship to it. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries witnessed the Copernican Revolution, which bodychecked the Earth as the pivot point of creation and joined...

What, exactly, does it mean to be human? It is an age-old question, one for which theology, philosophy, science, and medicine have all provided different answers. But though a unified response to the question can no longer be taken for granted, how we...

This monumental work by Dankmar Bosse presents, for the first time, a comprehensive picture of the evolution of the earth and its natural kingdoms, based primarily on geology and paleontology, and with reference to the work of Rudolf Steiner. Bosse...

The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the world. It shouldnt have. Since this centurys turn, epidemiologists have warned of new infectious diseases. Indeed, H1N1, H7N9, SARS, MERS, Ebola Makona, Zika, and a variety of lesser viruses have emerged almost annually...

A re-issue of Gregory Bateson's classic work. It summarizes Bateson's thinking on the subject of the patterns that connect living beings to each other and to their environment.

Winner of the 2014 Diamond Anniversary Book Award Finalist for the 2014 National Communications Association Critical and Cultural Studies Division Book of the Year Award In 2000, the National Human Genome Research Institute announced the completion of a...

A darkly alluring plant family and the arrival of modernity Victorian Nightshades tells the story of how one plant family-notorious for centuries in England because of its frequently psychoactive and poisonous properties-rose to social and economic...

Pellegrino's Clinical Bioethics: A Compendium offers, for the first time, a collection of the landmark articles in clinical bioethics authored by the physician and philosopher, Edmund D Pellegrino. As one of the founding figures of modern medical ethics,...

The claim that evolution undermines Christianity is standard fare in our culture. Indeed, many today have the impression that the two are mutually exclusive and that a choice must be made between faith and reason-rejecting Christianity on the one hand or...

Come explore the geology of Florida's Gulf Coast beaches, from a bird's-eye view down to a crab's-eye view. You'll journey from Panhandle sugar-sand beaches to southwestern shell beaches, taking a fresh look at the ever-changing landscape. With Tonya...

Awarded second place in the 2018 AJN Book of the Year Award in the Advanced Practice Nursing category Awarded third place in the 2018 AJN Book of the Year Award in the Maternal-Child Health/Prenatal Nursing/Childbirth category Complex concepts made...

An iconoclast and best-selling author of both nonfiction and fiction, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has spent a lifetime observing, thinking, and writing about the cultures of animals such as lions, wolves, dogs, deer, and humans. In this compulsively...

Colony Collapse Disorder, ubiquitous pesticide use, industrial agriculture, habitat reduction—these are just a few of the issues causing unprecedented trauma in honeybee populations worldwide. In this artfully illustrated book, Heather Swan embarks on a...

Advances in biotechnology have the potential to bring foods containing proteins derived from genes of non-food origin into the marketplace. Assessing the potential allergenicity of these transgenic proteins as part of the overall food safety evaluation...

The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the world. It shouldn't have. Since this century's turn, epidemiologists have warned of new infectious diseases. Indeed, H1N1, H7N9, SARS, MERS, Ebola Makona, Zika, and a variety of lesser viruses have emerged almost...

A compassionate and comprehensive guide to parenting neurodivergent children. Your Kid Belongs Here is a heartfelt, practical guide to parenting children in a world not designed for them-or their parents. Combining personal stories, research, and helpful...

Dr. Daniel Drachman, along with various illustrious colleagues, details the development of the Johns Hopkins Neurology Department from its inception in 1969 to the present. This highly illustrated, full-color work documents major innovations over the...

In Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia, the foremost experts on Commonwealth fishes bring their decades of field experience to readers, offering a complete reference to the fishes of the entire state of Virginia. Gathering information that until...

Highly readable and accessible, this book describes how research in cognitive science is transforming the way scientists and clinicians think about abnormal behavior. Bruce Pennington draws on work from multiple disciplines to identify compelling links...

SCAN - Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry - is a set of instruments aimed at assessing and classifying psychopathology in adults. Developed in the framework of WHO and the US ADAMHA Joint Project on Diagnosis and Classification of...

SCAN - Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry - is a set of instruments aimed at assessing and classifying psychopathology in adults. Developed in the framework of WHO and the US ADAMHA Joint Project on Diagnosis and Classification of...

SCAN - Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry - is a set of instruments aimed at assessing and classifying psychopathology in adults. Developed in the framework of WHO and the US ADAMHA Joint Project on Diagnosis and Classification of...

Limbic and subcortical brain regions mediate fundamental functions such as memory, emotion, motivation and mood. Limbic and subcortical systems also play a key neurobiological role in other important aspects of human experience, such as substance abuse,...

This volume explores the era of study made possible by the pace of discovery im the field of molecular genetics. It seeks to offer an authoritative introduction to and discussion of the controversial field of molecular genetics and human personality. It...

In this forward-looking book, Ronald Bailey, science writer for "Reason" magazine, argues that the coming biotechnology revolution, far from endangering human dignity, will liberate human beings to achieve their full potentials by enabling more of us to...

In this forward-looking book, Ronald Bailey, science writer for "Reason" magazine, argues that the coming biotechnology revolution, far from endangering human dignity, will liberate human beings to achieve their full potentials by enabling more of us to...

Though written forty years ago, this succinct, lucid explication of the scientific facts remains the perfect primer for the lay reader curious about the ongoing biological revolution and is amazingly prescient in light of recent developments. It is a...

Though written forty years ago, this succinct, lucid explication of the scientific facts remains the perfect primer for the lay reader curious about the ongoing biological revolution and is amazingly prescient in light of recent developments. It is a...

These two essays by the famous 19th-century champion of Darwin's theory of evolution tackle a subject that is still a major focus of ethical debates today: the relation of science as a whole, and specifically evolutionary ideas, to ethics and morality...

Under normal circumstances, anxiety is a biological warning system that enables a person to anticipate and avoid harm and failure. Recent advances in the physiology and pharmacology of the central nervous system, and technical advances (imaging in...

This text offers a detailed introduction to molecular biology, genetics, and neurobiology relevant to psychiatry. Generously illustrated chapters are organised to be read at both an introductory and at a more advanced level. Both beginners and advanced...

A series of gatherings took place in 2006 to discuss the contemporary relevance of the ancient sacred science of hermeticism, or alchemy. This book is a partial record of those meetings, focusing on finding a spiritual and cultural path for the healing...

Educational neuroscience is one of the most hotly debated areas of research and is often misrepresented with grand claims for what it means for teaching and learning. Is each side of the brain responsible for different types of mental activity? Can...

Meet some of the world's most dastardly creatures, who lie, cheat and deceive for a living.There's the deadly praying mantis that looks like an innocent pink flower. The assassin bug that strums spider webs to lure in a tasty snack. The cuttlefish that...

A marvelously illustrated look at everything we now know about the fearsome king of the dinosaurs.Tyrannosaurus rex is the world's favorite dinosaur, adored by the public and the subject of intense study and debate by paleontologists. This stunningly...

Situated in the North Atlantic off the coast of north-western Africa, the Canary Islands are a volcanic archipelago, comprising of seven large and several smaller islands. The region attracts millions of visitors every year with many ecotourists drawn by...

Learn how to decode the secret conversations of wild animals all around you.From a Yellowstone naturalist and renowned expert in animal language comes 'an engaging guide to a world of wonders hiding in plain sight.' (Peter Wohlleben,...