Answers on subjects from dark matter to disappearing bees, from the magazine that’s been enlightening and entertaining Americans for nearly 150 years. What happened to the Neanderthals? When is the next Ice Age due? Why do we hiccup? From end-of-the-world scenarios to what goes on within our own brains and bodies, the experts at Popular Science magazine uncover the secrets of the universe and answer 100 of science’s most mysterious questions. With sections on Physical Matter and Forces, Space, Human Body, Earth, Other Life-Forms, and Human Triumphs and Troubles, 100 Mysteries of Science Explained takes you into the fascinating world of black holes, time travel, DNA, earthquakes, and much more.
Hundreds of weird, wacky, and unexpected science questions answered by experts from around the world. Just how old is dirt, really? Are men or women more likely to be hit by lightning? What do whales sing about? Why don’t we have our jetpacks or flying cars yet? If I had to, could I survive on cat food alone? ...and 224 more curious questions answered by the world's smartest people! Ever wondered if you could beat a T. Rex in an arm-wrestling match? Why men get hit by lightning more often than women? Or whether you could get rich selling your organs on the black market? This indispensable book from Popular Science magazine answers these questions, and hundreds more. The editors at PopSci asked leading physicists, biologists, and other scientists a whole raft of crazy questions, and received the surprisingly detailed and fascinating answers gathered into this one impossible-put-down volume. “As someone who makes up facts for a living, I rely heavily on actual information—especially the provocative, gasp-inducing, brain-firing, hardly-credible sort contained herein—to keep the furnace of falsehood alight. This book, then, could not have come at a better time. I am throwing it into the fire as we speak!” – John Hodgman, Resident Expert on The Daily Show and author of The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require “Pages kept grabbing my attention and forcing me to stop and learn more about something I didn’t even know I was interested in.” – Theodore Gray, author of The Elements and Mad Science
For going on two decades, Scientific American's "Ask the Experts" column has been answering reader questions on all fields of science. We've taken your questions from the basic to the esoteric and reached out to top scientists, professors and researchers to find out why the sky is blue or how planets acquire rings. Now, we've combed through our archives and have compiled some of the most interesting questions (and answers) into a series of eBooks. Organized by subject, each eBook provides short, easily digestible answers to questions on that particular branch of the sciences. The Human Body and Mind is the third eBook in this series, and it tackles questions about our own strange and mysterious biology. [Note: Health and medicine will be covered in a separate eBook.] Our experts field queries on evolution, bodily quirks and psychological feats. Have you ever wondered why humans lost their body hair? Curious about what causes a hangover? Or what makes that popping sound when we crack our knuckles? What about the oft-cited maxim that we only use 10 percent of our brains? Professors, scientists and biologists provide answers that are at once accurate, understandable and sometimes just plain funny.
In the latest of TIME's extraordinary volumes on scientific discoveries, this special edition curates the 100 most impactful recent breakthroughs across 10 disciplines. Through sharp photos and TIME's peerless reporting, readers will explore the most captivating news and revelations in technology, botany, archaeology, genetics, zoology, the Earth, the mind, the cosmos, medicine and chemistry. Among the highlights:How to curb Alzheimer's disease with small lifestyle changesControversial findings about newfound human ancestors known as the HobbitsHigh-tech solutions to diabetes careThe gene-editng technique known as CRISPR, and the ethical questions behind itWhy the plight of the honeybee matters
This comprehensive guide from the editors of Popular Science covers everything a new inventor needs to know from starting out to running a start-up. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to be an ace electrician or a coding prodigy to develop your own game-changing invention. All you need is curiosity, a desire to fix a common problem, and the determination to see your ideas become reality. And it won’t hurt to have this book handy—a volume full of vital tips, skills, and strategies that will take you from zero to inventor. Everyone knows about Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, but in TheTotal Inventor’s Manual, you’ll also learn from the examples of those intrepid inventors who gave us the first home pregnancy test, the Super Soaker, the Roomba, the digital camera, and many other products that have changed the world. Here you will learn to turn your vision into a reality with a crash course in ideation, prototyping, and testing—including lessons in 3D-printing, coding, robotics, and more. You’ll discover funding strategies that range from running a Kickstarter campaign to making a venture capital pitch, plus tips on manufacturing, supply chains, marketing, and running—or selling—your new company!
Fact or Fiction: Science Tackles 58 Popular Myths by the Editors of Scientific American 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 just a sample of the urban lore investigated in this eBook, 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. Each brief article uncovers the truth behind everyday mythology, starting with Section One, "In the Animal Kingdom," where we examine some of the more outlandish claims about our fellow earthly inhabitants, such as whether elephants really remember everything and whether a cockroach can live without its head. Other sections cover reproduction, the environment, technology and personal and mental health. While the answers to some questions, such as whether toilets really do flush in the opposite direction south of the Equator, may only serve to raise your Trivial Pursuit knowledge, others, such as whether to pee on a jellyfish sting or wake a sleepwalker, may come in handy. Although this eBook represents a fraction of circulating folk wisdom and urban mythology, we hope that it's an enjoyable fraction and that it encourages you to do some debunking yourself.
Doing the Right Thing: Ethics in Science by the Editors of Scientific American Most of us have probably had those discussions, either in a classroom setting or otherwise, where a hypothetical situation is given and you're asked to choose between two or more unsatisfying options. If you follow option A, five people die; if you follow option B, one person dies. What do you do? Option B looks like the lesser of the evils, but then there's a wrinkle. Option B requires you to actively murder the one person to save five. Now what do you do? Making ethical decisions involves more than listening to an inner moral compass, a feeling in the gut of what's right and wrong; and questions of ethics in science are becoming increasingly complex, especially as technology encroaches upon even our most private cellular spaces. In this eBook, Doing the Right Thing: Ethics in Science, we cover a wide range of areas in science and medicine where complicated ethical questions come to bear, beginning with the first section, "Genomics." In "Are Personal Genome Scans Medically Useless," Sally Lehrman examines the value, or lack thereof, in the information obtained from direct-to-consumer genotyping tests, a field that exploded in the '00s. The middle sections are devoted to ethics in research, where informed—and ethically sound—choices are the basis of many scientific studies. Sections 2, 3 and 4 analyze the challenges unique to three areas, respectively: medical, pharmaceutical and basic research. Medical studies often reveal more information than researchers are looking for, and two articles, "The Ethics of Scan and Tell" and "Reporting Unrelated Findings in Study Subjects," examine questions of responsibility toward study subjects. Later, Charles Seife ferrets out doctors' financial ties to pharmaceutical companies in "Is Drug Research Trustworthy?" and Katherine Harmon calculates "The Cost of Misconduct" to the taxpayer. Finally Section 6, "Ethics and the Mind," analyzes the process of how we resolve moral conflicts when we make decisions. The interaction between reasoning and emotion is poorly understood, as seen in both "Anguish and Ethics" and "When Morality Is Hard to Like," but studies show that the emotional and memory regions of the brain are more active when confronted with difficult moral questions. These decisions are usually made after great inner struggle – think again of option B. What would you do?
A Question of Time: The Ultimate Paradox by the Editors of Scientific American "What time is it?" That simple question is probably asked more often in contemporary society than ever before. In our clock-studded world, the answer is never more than a glance away, and so we can blissfully partition our days into ever smaller increments for ever more tightly scheduled tasks. Modern scientific revelations about time, however, make the question endlessly frustrating. If we seek a precise knowledge of the time, the infinitesimal flash of now dissolves into a scattering flock of nanoseconds. Because we are bound by the speed of light and the velocity of nerve impulses, our perception of the "present" reflects the world as it occurred an instant ago – for all that human consciousness pretends otherwise, we can never catch up. Even in principle, perfect synchronicity escapes us. Relativity dictates that, like a strange syrup, time flows slower on moving trains than in the stations and faster in the mountains than in the valleys. The time for our wristwatch is not exactly the same as the time for our head. This eBook, A Question of Time, summarizes what science has discovered about how time permeates and guides both our physical world and our inner selves. That knowledge should enrich the imagination and provide practical advantages to anyone hoping to beat the clock, or at least to stay in step with it. Synchronize your watches...
This ultimate guide for tech makers covers everything from hand tools to robots plus essential techniques for completing almost any DIY project. Makers, get ready: This is your must-have guide to taking your DIY projects to the next level. Legendary fabricator and alternative engineer Chris Hackett teams up with the editors of Popular Science to offer detailed instruction on everything from basic wood- and metalworking skills to 3D printing and laser-cutting wizardry. Hackett also explains the entrepreneurial and crowd-sourcing tactics needed to transform your back-of-the-envelope idea into a gleaming finished product. In The Big Book of Maker Skills, readers learn tried-and-true techniques from the shop classes of yore—how to use a metal lathe, or pick the perfect drill bit or saw—and get introduced to a whole new world of modern manufacturing technologies, like using CAD software, printing circuits, and more. Step-by-step illustrations, helpful diagrams, and exceptional photography make this book an easy-to-follow guide to getting your project done.
The Science of Education: Back to School by the Editors of Scientific American Updated Edition. This eBook has been updated to include content from two special reports on education. Scientific American's popular "Learning in the Digital Age," is included almost in its entirety as the new Section 7 and analyzes the positive and negative effects of the digital revolution on education. In addition, two new articles from Scientific American Mind's report "The Science of Better Learning" are included in Section 2: "For the Love of Math" and "The Science of Handwriting." The first examines the benefits of guided-discovery programs like JUMP in teaching math, and the second discusses research that shows forming words by hand rather than typing may lead to longer-term memories. These and the rest of the articles in this collection explore how learning is a scientific process and offer the latest theories of education. Section 1, "The Lesson Plan," begins with how children learn and includes an eye-opening piece by Scientific American Editor Ingrid Wickelgren on how honing certain psychological skills not only enhances learning but also helps kids fight frustration and ward off stress. Other sections cover teaching the three Rs, the unique requirements of gifted children, controversies of class size, roles of parents and teachers and the imperative to improve science teaching. Individual articles delve into specific issues such as how a focus on intellect over effort can negatively affect potential, the role that errors play in retention, how physical activity boosts academic achievement, the effects of parents versus peer groups on behavior and much more. In this anthology, Scientific American has gathered some of its best reporting on the challenges, successes and the execution of a scientific approach to education. Together, they help construct a path for success for the next generation.
Playing Politics: The Science of Elections by the Editors of Scientific American Politics makes strange bedfellows, and that becomes even more apparent when trying to analyze the science of politics. Pulling from an array of disciplines including social science, behavioral science and mathematics, Scientific American does just that in this timely eBook, Playing Politics: The Science of Elections. This anthology offers analyses of key factors in the process of electing a leader: from dissecting those qualities considered to be ideal, to how potential leaders are portrayed, to voter behavior, to the voting process - casting, collecting and counting the votes. In recent years especially, science has increasingly been at the center of controversies over voting methods, a voter's motivation, the geography of presidential elections -- including the introduction by the media of the terms red states and blue states -- even questions about the veracity and abilities of candidates. Of particular importance is the analysis of how the electoral process really works and whether it truly represents the majority's intentions of how the country should run. In addition to providing the tools to analyze the process, this ebook also addresses the top science issues of Election 2012. Scientific American partnered with ScienceDebate.org, an independent citizen's initiative, to engage the current presidential candidates – Barack Obama and Mitt Romney – to answer where they stand on 14 key science and technology policy questions facing the United States today. This thoughtful debate, which includes questions on climate change, sustainable energy, the economy and education, caps off an essential read for concerned voters.
In this special edition from TIME, The Science of Families, explore the evolution of the human family and all the life-events that effect it including adoption, childbearing, death, and more.
From ancient drawings to the genius of Leonardo and Einstein to the imagination that colors our everyday life: the drive to create, innovate and make something new is a big part of what makes us human. Explore this and more in this new special edition from TIME, The Science of Creativity.
Looks at the weaponry, equipment, and technology of the modern-day soldier, and offers an illustrated tour of such innovations as the JDAM smart bomb, the CRW Dragonfly helicopter, and the biosensor.
Drawn from the pages of Scientific American and collected here for the first time, this work contains updated and condensed information, made accessible to a general popular science audience, on the subject of understanding the genome.
Even experts get duped from time to time! The stories behind scientific fakes and mistakes, from crop circles to miracle cures and beyond. Science is an ongoing quest for knowledge filled with discoveries and experiments, trial and error. And occasionally, the errors can be whoppers—especially when hoaxers are involved. Some hoaxes are intended merely as well-intended humorous tricks, while others are serious frauds devised for personal gain of glory and riches. This book reveals the greatest science hoaxes and mistakes of all time. Discover the truth behind 100 of the most scandalous scientific errors and outright lies in this fascinating read brought to you by Popular Science—from the experiment that suggested time travel was possible, to the pursuit of alchemy, to rumors about red mercury and its mythical powers, it’s an entertaining journey through the history of science.
Unforgettable stories of big game, loyal friends, and the respect that nature commands—culled from more than one hundred years of Field & Stream. If there’s one thing hunters and non-hunters alike can share, it’s the love of a good story. From the annals of the world’s leading outdoor magazine comes this collection of the Field & Stream editors’ favorite true-life tales: record harvests and sassy trail guides; bear drives and dicey bowhunts; fond (and surprising) memories of a first elk hunt; poachers in Africa; caribou on tribal lands; replicating moose mating calls; and the one that got away. Field & Stream: The Best American Hunting Stories features entries by Bill Heavey, Rick Bass, Steve Rinella, Phil Caputo, and many others. With chapters entitled, “The Way of the Hunter,” “The Thrill of the Kill,” and “Off the Beaten Path,” there’s a story for every hunter, outdoorsman, and adventure enthusiast.
Bicycling magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011. For half a century, the magazine has been the world's leading authority on bicycling, bringing its readers the latest advice and some of the most sharp and illuminating sports stories ever told. To celebrate Bicycling's rich tradition of top-notch narratives, Editor-in-Chief Peter Flax has selected a collection of its best pieces. The 19 stories anthologized here are simply the best stories the magazine has ever published, and they feature some of the best writers working today, including Christopher McDougall, Mary Roach, and Bill Strickland. There are more than a few unforgettable profiles of legendary cyclists, and there are pieces that brilliantly demonstrate the transformative powers of riding a bike. There is comedy, suffering, beauty, and existential angst, as well as writing that will make you smile and maybe break your heart, too.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Calibri} From Thomas Edison to Alexander Graham Bell to Benjamin Franklin to Henry Ford to the Wright Brothers, our country has been built upon a foundation of innovation. A melting pot of diversity, America harbors a collaborative spirit and inspires an exchange of ideas where what is developed by one inventor is adopted by others and pushed further, improved, and perfected, fusing different perspectives together as one.
In this all-new special edition from TIME LIFE, American Inventors chronicles those minds that transformed the worlds of Industry, Information, Home, Health, and Transportation and inspired generations to come. Learn more about the inventors that went down in history for their vision, dedication and perseverance in this celebration of American ingenuity. As automotive inventor and businessman Charles Kettering once put it, although “the world hates change, it is the only thing that has brought progress” and this nation is composed of a rich history of genius that continues to inspire progress each and every day.
Bicycling Maximum Overload for Cyclists is a radical strength-based training program aimed at increasing cycling speed, athletic longevity, and overall health in half the training time. Rather than improving endurance by riding longer distances, you’ll learn how to do it by reducing your riding time and adding heavy strength and power training. Traditionally cyclists and endurance athletes have avoided strength and power training, believing that the extra muscle weight will slow them down, but authors Jacques DeVore and Roy M. Wallack show that exactly the opposite is true. The Maximum Overload program uses weightlifting to create sustainable power and improved speed while drastically reducing training time and eliminating the dreaded deterioration that often occurs during the second half of a ride. A 40-minute Maximum Overload workout, done once or twice a week, can replace a long day in the saddle and lead to even better results. This comprehensive program includes unique takes on diet, interval training, hard and easy training, and sustainable power. Backed by the most trusted authority in the sport, Bicycling Maximum Overload for Cyclists is a book that no cyclist should be without.
For 28 years, Novel & Short Story Writer's Market has been the only resource of its kind exclusively for fiction writers. Covering all genres from romance to mystery to horror and more, this resource helps you prepare your submissions and sell your work. This must-have guide includes listings for over 1,300 book publishers, magazines, literary agents, writing contests and conferences, each containing current contact information, editorial needs, schedules and guidelines that save you time and take the guesswork out of the submission process. With more than 100 pages of listings for literary journals alone and another 100 pages of book publishers, plus special sections dedicated to the genres of romance, mystery/thriller, speculative fiction, and comics/graphic novels, the 2009 edition of this essential resource is your key to successfully selling your fiction.
This volume is part of the definitive edition of letters written by and to Charles Darwin, the most celebrated naturalist of the nineteenth century. Notes and appendixes put these fascinating and wide-ranging letters in context, making the letters accessible to both scholars and general readers. Darwin depended on correspondence to collect data from all over the world, and to discuss his emerging ideas with scientific colleagues, many of whom he never met in person. The letters are published chronologically. In 1880, Darwin published On The Power of Movement in Plants, and began writing his final book, The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms. He was engaged in controversy with Samuel Butler, following publication of his last book, Erasmus Darwin. At the end of the year, he succeeded in raising support for a Civil List pension for Alfred Russel Wallace, co-discoverer of the theory of natural selection.
Your guide to the science of eclipses, rainbows, volcanoes, and nature's many wonders. Powerful and dramatic, the natural wonders of our earth dazzled our ancient ancestors-and continue to inspire awe in us today. Now, the Editors of TIME capture these amazing sights and occurrences in an all-new special edition, Beautiful Phenomena, pairing glowing photographs with clear, authoritative text that explains the how, what, why, and when of nature's wonders, including eclipses, rainbows, lightning, supermoons, auroras and so much more. Learn about the scientific breakthroughs that came from observing solar eclipses and other natural phenomena over the centuries . . . and discover the latest theories about them that are emerging today. In space, in the oceans, on the land, these natural wonders hold the keys to our understanding of the world around us. Unlock their mysteries with TIME Beautiful Phenomena.
For 28 years, Novel & Short Story Writer's Market has been the only resource of its kind exclusively for fiction writers. Covering all genres from romance to mystery to horror and more, this resource helps you prepare your submissions and sell your work. This must-have guide includes listings for over 1,300 book publishers, magazines, literary agents, writing contests and conferences, each containing current contact information, editorial needs, schedules and guidelines that save you time and take the guesswork out of the submission process. With more than 100 pages of listings for literary journals alone and another 100 pages of book publishers, plus special sections dedicated to the genres of romance, mystery/thriller, speculative fiction, and comics/graphic novels, the 2009 edition of this essential resource is your key to successfully selling your fiction.
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