Editors of Scientific American's Books

Ask the Experts: The Human Body and Mind

By: Scientific American Editors

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Ask the Experts: The Human Body and Mind

By: Scientific American Editors

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.

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229

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Scientific American

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1466858974

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9781466858978

The Science of Cancer

By: Scientific American Editors

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The Science of Cancer

By: Scientific American Editors

The past few years have seen tremendous strides in our understanding of cancer, including new hypotheses about its genetic origins and new treatment alternatives using the body’s own immune response. In this eBook, The Science of Cancer, we examine what we know and what we’re finding out about this scourge of humankind. We delve into the molecular basis and complex causes of cancer, the arguments for and against screenings, new and targeted therapies, and minimizing risk. In “How Cancer Arises,” Robert Weinberg presents what has been the central dogma of cancer genetics, which says that a handful of essential mutations in specific genes lead to tumor growth; however, recent discoveries are challenging this theory, as we see in “Untangling the Roots of Cancer” and “Stem Cells: The Real Culprits in Cancer?” Early detection of cancer is important for treatment, but not all screening tests are created equal. In “The Great Prostate Cancer Debate,” Mark Garnick lays out the controversy over the value of the prostate-specific antigen test for prostate cancer and the rationale against screening. With our increasing knowledge of cancer’s causes, exciting targeted therapies are on the rise, including homing in on stem cells, making use of viruses, and manipulating the immune system as we see in “A New Ally against Cancer,” which focuses on treatment with therapeutic vaccines. Does this mean a cure is around the corner? Perhaps not, according to Scientific American Editor Dina Fine Maron in “Can We Truly ‘Cure’ Cancer?” But with remission rates rising for certain types of cancers and with new discoveries opening up further avenues of research, there is reason for optimism.

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280

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Scientific American

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1466859075

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9781466859074

The Science of Education

Back to School

By: Scientific American Editors

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The Science of Education

Back to School

By: Scientific American Editors

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.

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327

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Scientific American

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146682414X

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9781466824140

Endangered Earth

By: Scientific American Editors

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Endangered Earth

By: Scientific American Editors

Presents a collection of articles that first appeared in Scientific American discussing the endangered earth.

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138

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The Rosen Publishing Group

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1404214038

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9781404214033

The Science of Sports: Winning in the Olympics

By: Scientific American Editors

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The Science of Sports: Winning in the Olympics

By: Scientific American Editors

The Science of Sports: Winning in the Olympics by the editors of Scientific American The Olympics are the world's most prestigious stage for athletic competition. Fans both casual and hardcore tune in religiously every few years to watch as men and women push themselves to the limits of human performance. But what makes a champion? Is it genetics? Hours of training? A psychological advantage? Of all the athletes who dedicate their lives - and bodies - to achieving that perfect moment of triumph, why will one person or team win out over another? Science has some compelling answers, and in this book, The Science of Sports: Winning in the Olympics, Scientific American explores this topic from various angles. Beginning with Section 1: The Psychology of Winning, the book opens with a look inside the mind of an elite athlete and tackles questions of how to face a rivalry or maintain a positive attitude in the face of defeat. Other sections discuss the sticky issues surrounding genetic advantages and physical prowess, drugs and doping, injury and recovery, and - finally - the latest scientific advice for the rest of us mere mortals to be fit and healthy. You'll find both inspiration and answers in this indispensable book from the editors of Scientific American, the leading authority on science, technology and innovation.

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239

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Scientific American

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1466824107

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9781466824102

What Makes a Genius?

By: Scientific American,Scientific American Editors

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What Makes a Genius?

By: Scientific American,Scientific American Editors

Presents a series of articles on different types of intellectual abilities and talents, looking at such topics as savants, prodigies, links between certain mental disorders and creativity, and whether genius might be something that can be attained through training.

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116

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The Rosen Publishing Group

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1404214011

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9781404214019

Scientific American's Ask the Experts

Answers to The Most Puzzling and Mind-Blowing Science Questions

By: Editors of Scientific American

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Scientific American's Ask the Experts

Answers to The Most Puzzling and Mind-Blowing Science Questions

By: Editors of Scientific American

Why is the night sky dark? How do dolphins sleep without drowning? Why do hangovers occur? Will time travel ever be a reality? What makes a knuckleball appear to flutter? Why are craters always round? There's only one source to turn to for the answers to the most puzzling and thought-provoking questions about the world of science: Scientific American. Writing in a fun and accessible style, an esteemed team of scientists and educators will lead you on a wild ride from the far reaches of the universe to the natural world right in your own backyard. Along the way, you'll discover solutions to some of life's quirkiest conundrums, such as why cats purr, how frogs survive winter without freezing, why snowflakes are symmetrical, and much more. Even if you haven't picked up a science book since your school days, these tantalizing Q & A's will shed new light on the world around you, inside you, below you, above you, and beyond!

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289

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Harper Collins

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0061753602

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9780061753602

A Question of Time

By: Scientific American Editors

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A Question of Time

By: Scientific American Editors

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...

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248

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Scientific American

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1466824182

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9781466824188

Inspired!

The Science of Creativity

By: Scientific American Editors

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Inspired!

The Science of Creativity

By: Scientific American Editors

Creativity was long thought to be a gift from the muses, a special quality of a select minority of people. Fortunately, more recent studies have debunked this belief and have shown promise for techniques to help us all boost our creative potential. Nature gives some people a genetic edge, but nurture has a large role in developing creative genius. In this eBook, we look at this difficult-to-define quality from all angles: where creativity comes from, lessons we can learn from creative geniuses and how to cultivate creativity. In "The Unleashed Mind," Shelley Carson writes that genetic variations may make some people more open to thoughts or ideas that get stuck in the average person's mental filters – and these variations may also explain why creative people exhibit eccentric behavior, or even suffer from mental illness. On the nurture side, Dean Keith Simonton illustrates in "The Science of Genius" that training and exposure to unfamiliar ideas and experiences play essential roles in shaping creativity. In "Your Fertile Brain at Work," Evangelia G. Chrysikou looks at how breaking down established ways of looking at the world and encouraging unconscious thought processes can increase creative potential. Several stories discuss the role of dreams and imagination, including "Answers While You Sleep," in which Deirdre Barrett writes that thinking of specific dilemmas before bed increases the chances of dreaming a solution. In "Let Creativity Soar," Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and a panel of experts address other powerful techniques for cultivating creativity. We hope that these techniques, and this eBook as a whole, will help unleash your own creative self.

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Scientific American

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1466858966

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9781466858961

Evolution vs. Creationism

Inside the Controversy

By: Scientific American Editors

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Evolution vs. Creationism

Inside the Controversy

By: Scientific American Editors

Charles Robert Darwin’s 1859 landmark book, "On the Origin of Species," introduced the theory of biological evolution to the masses and kicked off a controversy of ideas that persists to this day. Darwin knew he would face religious opposition to a theory of creation that differed from the story in Genesis, but he probably didn’t imagine how long that opposition would last. More than 150 years after "Origin," the fight over teaching evolution rages on. Creationists, or those who hold the belief that the universe and all life was made by divine creator, have tried to use a myriad of tactics either to ban the teaching of evolution entirely or to have creationism and/or intelligent design taught alongside it in public schools. In this eBook, "Evolution vs. Creationism: Inside the Controversy," we take a close look at the rise of Darwinism, the arguments and opposition by the creationist movement, whether faith and science can coexist and what could happen if the U.S. continues on an anti-science trajectory. In “The Origin of Darwinism,” author C.D. Darlington provides historical context by looking at how the work of other scientific pioneers laid the foundation for "Origin" and how Darwin’s own ideas “evolved” over time. “A Witness at the Scopes Trial” is a fascinating first-hand account of the 1925 court case where Tennessee biology teacher John Thomas Scopes was tried for teaching evolution. John Rennie’s “15 Answers to Creationists Nonsense” is a thoughtful, concise refutation of the main arguments against evolution, such as “Evolution is just a theory.” On the flip side, in “Should Science Speak to Faith?” scientists Laurence M. Krauss and Richard Dawkins discuss whether science and faith can coexist. With this eBook, we went from deep in our archives to current events to examine the revolutionary impact of Darwin’s theory and the controversy that continues today.

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246

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Scientific American

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1466859067

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9781466859067

Playing Politics

The Science of Elections

By: Scientific American Editors

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Playing Politics

The Science of Elections

By: Scientific American Editors

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.

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240

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Scientific American

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1466824158

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9781466824157

Eureka! The Science of Genius

By: Scientific American Editors

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Eureka! The Science of Genius

By: Scientific American Editors

How do we define genius? For the Mega Society, it means a one-in-a-million level score on an IQ test, which is why the society only has 27 members. Standardized testing to measure intelligence began in the first half of the 20th century, but a high IQ score is only one way to quantify genius. Another is by virtue of extraordinary achievement and expertise in science and the arts. The second is probably more useful, but these debates illustrate how little we know about the origins, development or processes of intelligence. In this eBook, Eureka! The Science of Genius, we review the latest research on the nature of intellectual and creative achievement, including traits that geniuses tend to share, how much of their ability is nature versus nurture, the cognitive processes involved during the stages of discovery and creativity, and, most importantly, what we can do to enhance intelligence. While genetics have a large role to play, even geniuses have to work to gain the necessary expertise – although they have to spend less time to acquire it than their less endowed counterparts – as Dean Keith Simonton points out in the eBook’s namesake article, “The Science of Genius.” Imaging research also indicates that there is no one “blueprint” for intelligence. In “What Does a Smart Brain Look Like?” Richard J. Haier explains how women and men with the same IQ scores show different patterns of gray and white matter, suggesting that the structural roots of intelligence may differ by gender. Many articles look at either nurturing intelligence in children or enhancing it in adults, and the good news is that intellectual abilities are not set in stone. In fact, one method is surprisingly simple – move. As Christopher Hertzog points out in “Fit Body, Fit Mind?” physical activity is linked to mental acuity and can help slow the cognitive decline that comes with aging. Research is also providing insight into what happens in the brain when we learn, leading to changes in educational practices. In “What Works, What Doesn’t,” psychology professors describe study techniques that accelerate learning—and reveal that the most popular methods are actually a waste of time, and in “Calisthenics for a Child’s Mind,” Ingrid Wickelgren reports on brain-training exercises that show promise in classrooms. Carol S. Dweck advocates the importance of a “growth mind-set” that focuses on effort and effective strategies rather than innate intelligence in her article “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids.” This approach emphasizes hard work and love of the challenge of learning, an approach that could benefit everyone, regardless of IQ score.

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249

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Scientific American

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1466859008

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9781466859005

TIME the Science of Alzheimer's

By: Editors of TIME

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TIME the Science of Alzheimer's

By: Editors of TIME

Confusing, mysterious and unknown, Alzheimer's is among the most-feared diseases because it strikes indiscriminately and there is no known cure. Now, in The Science of Alzheimer's, a new Special Edition from the editors of TIME, we draw back the curtain to reveal the latest research on what the disease is and what it is not, and how science is working to make Alzheimer's a manageable problem with a hopeful long-term prognosis, akin to diabetes or HIV. Go inside the latest research on different types of dementia, hereditary and environmental causes, new treatments, and more. Helpful lifestyle tips show how to ward off mental decline as we age, and case histories-including the stories of musician Glen Campbell and President Ronald Reagan, who bravely shared their diagnoses with the world-reveal the human face of Alzheimer's. We also look at the latest drugs being used to treat the disease and how there is hope in recent treatments and protocols, as well as alternative treatments that may be making a difference. Packed with authoritative information from the health editors at TIME, this guide helps everyone understand a frightening disease-and recognize the strides that are being made to fight it.

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171

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Time Home Entertainment

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1547852232

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9781547852239

From Abuse to Recovery

Understanding Addiction

By: Scientific American Editors

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From Abuse to Recovery

Understanding Addiction

By: Scientific American Editors

From Abuse to Recovery: Understanding Addiction by the Editors of Scientific American Addiction is costly on many levels to the individuals affected, their families and society as a whole, but science may soon be able to offer treatment options to make the road to recovery a little smoother. In this eBook, From Abuse to Recovery: Understanding Addiction, we tackle the many facets of this complex issue. First, we investigate why and how people succumb to a veritable prison of the mind as Sections 1 and 2 delve respectively into the psychology and the neurochemistry behind addiction. In "Time-Warping Temptations," David Freedman posits how "temporal discounting" can lead us to give into immediate impulse gratification rather than consider the long-term consequences. Later, two articles by Eric Nestler, "The Addicted Brain" and "Hidden Switches in the Mind," break down how both reward and pleasure circuits become overactive and sensitized to our drug of choice. Subsequent sections break out addictive substances individually: recreational drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol and nicotine. In "Bad Combo," Melinda Wenner Moyer looks at the death of Whitney Houston, who overdosed in February 2010 on a deadly mixture of alcohol and prescription drugs. "Alcoholism and Our Genes" by John Nurnberger, Jr. and Laura Jean Beirut is a lengthy story exploring genetic association studies. Since smoking is one of the hardest habits to break, another article, "Hooked from the First Cigarette," by Joseph DiFranza discusses exactly why this is the case. Finally, Section 7 examines new avenues for overcoming addiction. Michelle Solis's piece, "A Lifeline for Addicts" describes addiction as an impairment in reversal learning and a consequence of rigid synapses – an impairment that studies show could potentially be treated, thus making the recovery process easier. While rehab centers, counseling and 12-step programs are effective for many substance abusers, they're also ingrained as the only way to overcome addiction. New research such as this advances our knowledge of the physical component, knowledge that could lead to a more complete protocol that treats both the psychological and physiological aspects of addiction.

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257

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Scientific American

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1466842555

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9781466842557

Becoming Human

Our Past, Present and Future

By: Scientific American Editors

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Becoming Human

Our Past, Present and Future

By: Scientific American Editors

Becoming Human: Our Past, Present and Future by the Editors of Scientific American We humans are a strange bunch. We have self-awareness and yet often act on impulses that remain hidden. We were forged in adversity but live in a world of plenty. How did we get here? What is to become of us? To these age-old questions, science has in recent years brought powerful tools and reams of data, and in this eBook, Becoming Human: Our Past, Present and Future, we look at what these data have to tell us about who we are. We know, for instance, that three million years ago, a group of primates known as the australopithecines was walking capably on two legs—the better to navigate the African savanna—and yet still had long arms suited to life in the trees. In Section One, "Becoming Us," we search for how and why this and other transitions occurred. In "Lucy's Baby," author Kate Wong discusses what the oldest juvenile skeleton tells us about how early humans walked the Earth. Another article, "The Naked Truth," examines why humans lost their hair and how hairlessness was a key factor in developing other human traits. Section Two covers "The Secrets of our Success," and we see that human evolution and culture are often related. In "The Evolution of Grandparents," Rachel Caspari shows us that as humans started to live longer, grandparents played a role in family life, which in turn made possible more complex social behaviors. In Section Three, "Migration and Colonization," we look at how scientists are studying the minuscule bits of DNA that differ from one individual to another for clues to our origins and settlements. "The First Americans" illustrates the findings that have pushed back the date at which hunter-gatherers colonized the Americas. And in Section Four, "Vanished Humans," the discovery of "hobbits"—a human species of small stature—has turned the science of human origins on its ear. Where is evolution taking us? We present two points of view in Section Five, "Our Continuing Evolution." In "How We Are Evolving," Jonathan K. Pritchard argues that selection pressure typically acts over tens of thousands of years, which means we probably won't evolve much anytime soon. But stasis is only one possible future, says Peter Ward in "What May Become of Us." In adapting to new environments—say, a colony on Mars—our human species may eventually diverge into two or more. Or we could go the cyborg route and merge with machines. Whichever option you prefer, there is plenty to ponder.

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Scientific American

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1466842563

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9781466842564

Doing the Right Thing

Ethics in Science

By: Scientific American Editors

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Doing the Right Thing

Ethics in Science

By: Scientific American Editors

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?

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Scientific American

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1466842601

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9781466842601

Battling Drought

The Science of Water Management

By: Scientific American Editors

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Battling Drought

The Science of Water Management

By: Scientific American Editors

Battling Drought: The Science of Water Management by the Editors of Scientific American The extreme drought in the US Southwest has brought the issues of water use and management to the forefront of media attention. Historically, arguments over water rights have plagued this area since the days of John Wesley Powell, and disputes mark the relations between states, city-dwellers, farmers, and environmentalists to this day. Add to that the challenges of climate change, which is altering rainfall patterns the world over, and the imperative to rethink water management policies becomes acute. This eBook, Battling Drought: The Science of Water Management, takes a long look at the situation in the American Southwest from the early engineering projects, such as building the Hoover and Grand Coulee dams, which were designed to tame the rivers, to the recycling and restoration efforts of today. Projects like the recycling of wastewater in Santa Rosa, CA, and the restoration of the Aral Sea in Central Asia offer both optimism and lessons for change. However, the story of the Himba in Africa – who have, so far, successfully blocked building a dam on a nearby river – illustrates that changing attitudes is often like trying to change the flow of a river. It's an upstream battle. While successful projects like these move us toward that goal, new technologies, methods and crops are still needed to combat diminishing water supplies. A common saying is that someone "spends money like water." Over the last century we've learned that water might be the more precious of the two.

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388

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Scientific American

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1466824166

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9781466824164

Storm Warnings: Climate Change and Extreme Weather

By: Scientific American Editors

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Storm Warnings: Climate Change and Extreme Weather

By: Scientific American Editors

Storm Warnings: Climate Change and Extreme Weather by the Editors of Scientific American Hurricanes. Blizzards. Flooding. Drought. If extreme events like these seem to be on the rise, it's for apparent reason. The first three-quarters of 2012 brought the worst European winter in 25 years; massive flooding in Australia, Brazil and China; a deepening drought affecting over 50% of the US; and Hurricane Sandy inflicted massive damage on the Northeast US. The likelihood of these extreme weather events are increasingly being tied to anthropogenic—or manmade, mostly through overproduction of carbon dioxide—global warming. It's no longer an abstract idea; it's being felt locally, on every level. This eBook, Storm Warnings: Climate Change and Extreme Weather, gives you the tools to better understand what's behind climate change, what might be in store during the coming decades and how we can begin to reverse the detrimental effects mankind has had on the atmosphere. The first half of the book focuses on those unprecedented weather events and the science behind them, from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy to the collapse of glacial ice shelves in the Antarctic. Chapter 5 delves into greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on global warming, including an excellent piece by leading expert James Hansen, who exposes the main culprits of climate change. The last chapters focus on addressing and reducing the problems of climate change at both the public policy and local levels. In particular, Scientific American Editor David Biello lays out 10 solutions that include small changes we all can make in our daily lives—practical, but effective, consumer choices that add up. It might be a drop in the bucket, but every drop counts.

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256

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Scientific American

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1466824174

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9781466824171

Remember When?

The Science of Memory

By: Scientific American Editors

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Remember When?

The Science of Memory

By: Scientific American Editors

Remember When? The Science of Memory by the Editors of Scientific American We don't often marvel at the process of remembering-that is, until we forget. What allows us to remember, and how do we forget? Most importantly, why do we remember certain things and not others? In this e-book, Remember When? The Science of Memory, we explore what science can tell us about memory, starting with an introductory section defining what memory is, including what makes something memorable and some common misconceptions about memory. A surprising piece by Gary Stix, "You Must Remember This ... Because You Have no Choice," explores why some people can remember what they had for lunch on a Tuesday 20 years ago while others can't. There's also a fascinating Q&A with Eric Kandel, neuroscientist and psychiatrist who won the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work on how neurons fire together in order to store memories in the brain. Section 2 delves deeper, analyzing the anatomy of memory, from how memories are saved to how they're transferred from short-term storage in the hippocampus to long-term storage in the cortex. Other sections explore various aspects of memory from its role in learning to the effects of trauma and age. Joe Z. Tsien discusses his technique of genetically tweaking certain receptor proteins on neurons in "Building a Brainier Mouse." In "Erasing Painful Memories," long-time journalist Jerry Adler looks at research into both behavioral therapies and drugs that can help to alter painful or traumatic memories after the fact. Finally, the last section looks at ways to improve your memory. One story links dreaming to improved learning. In another, R. Douglas Fields summarizes the work behind the idea of a "smart pill," based on the relatively recent discovery that a specific protein kinase might boost memory and could be given in pill form to enhance that most mysterious process.

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1466833882

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Forever Young

The Science of Aging

By: Scientific American Editors

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Forever Young

The Science of Aging

By: Scientific American Editors

Forever Young: The Science of Aging by the Editors of Scientific American Today, an infant born in the US will probably live to see his or her 78th birthday, a 20- year-plus increase over the average lifespan a century ago. While living well into the 80s and 90s is becoming more and more attainable, how many more years can humanity expect to gain? The two main barriers are accumulated damage to cells and organs that occurs over time and age-related illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers are divided over where to pour their efforts, and in this eBook, Forever Young: The Science of Aging we take a look at what science knows—and what it's striving to learn—about the aging process. Both genes and environment influence how long people live and how "well" they age, as discussed in Section 1, "A Matter of Time: The Aging Process." The eBook opens with "Why Can't We Live Forever," where author Thomas Kirkwood explains exactly why by way of his "disposable soma" theory. Other theories of how we age, including the role of telomeres, free radicals and caloric restriction, are discussed in subsequent sections. Recent studies have called into question long-held beliefs about the anti-aging benefits of antioxidants and reducing caloric intake. Though there are a number of age-related illnesses, few are so devastating as Alzheimer's disease, covered in its own section. While there's still no cure, a slew of clinical drug trials is underway. Finally, we examine the quest for longevity, featuring stories on both life-extension research and lifestyle choices. In particular, "Fit Body, Fit Mind?" looks at how to prevent age-related mental decline by staying physically fit and socially involved. So while there's no miracle pill on the horizon that will extend our lives to 150, we can certainly make the most of the years we do have.

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Scientific American

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1466833874

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9781466833876

HIV and AIDS

A Global Health Pandemic

By: Scientific American Editors

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HIV and AIDS

A Global Health Pandemic

By: Scientific American Editors

HIV and AIDS: A Global Health Pandemic by the Editors of Scientific American On June 5, 1981, the scientific community received a wake-up call from the CDC regarding a terrible and mysterious new illness that caused immune system failure. A year passed before it had a name: AIDS. Reported infections skyrocketed while science raced to understand a virus that hid among our own cells and mutated quickly. Three decades later, remarkable progress has been made but much more remains to be understood and to be done. In this book, HIV and AIDS: A Global Health Pandemic, Scientific American chronicles the war against the disease from its discovery by Robert Gallo and Luc Montagnier to the most current research on gene editing and potential drug targets. These articles explore where the disease came from, how it works, how it spreads, the search for a vaccine, and cultural and sociological factors. In this book, you'll find not only a record of crisis and unprecedented response, but also an essential source to understand the scientific struggle against HIV/AIDS.

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328

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Scientific American

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1466824115

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9781466824119

Understanding the Genome

By: Editors of Scientific American,

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Understanding the Genome

By: Editors of Scientific American,

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.

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160

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Grand Central Publishing

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075952758X

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Understanding Nanotechnology

By: Editors of Scientific American

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Understanding Nanotechnology

By: Editors of Scientific American

Taken from the Greek, nano means 'one billionth part of' a whole; or very, very small. Nanotechnology is the next step after miniaturization. This book explores the cutting edge of a new technology that will find usage in almost every single aspect of modern society.

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0759527466

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Ask the Experts

The Environment

By: Scientific American Editors

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Ask the Experts

The Environment

By: Scientific American Editors

Founded in 1845, Scientific American is the longest continuously published magazine in the US and the home of the most exciting authors presenting the most dynamic ideas in science today. As the leading popular source and authority on science, technology, and innovation, Scientific American’s award-winning scientist-authored content engages, educates and inspires current and future generations of curious citizens and public and private sector leaders. Together with scientificamerican.com, Scientific American MIND and 14 local language editions around the world, Scientific American gives readers unique access to the most important insights and developments in science and technology in the world today.

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1466859032

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Ask the Experts: Physics and Math

By: Scientific American Editors

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Ask the Experts: Physics and Math

By: Scientific American Editors

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 whether we really only use 10% of our brains. 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 first eBook in our series – Physics and Math – explains a wide range of natural phenomena and mathematical concepts. Have you ever wondered what exactly antimatter is? How about game theory, quantum mechanics and the origin of pi? Mathematicians and professors from universities across the country tackle these topics, drawing on their extensive expertise to give answers that are at once accurate and comprehensible by those who haven't studied physics or math since high school.

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185

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Scientific American

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1466858885

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Ask the Experts: Astronomy

By: Scientific American Editors

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Ask the Experts: Astronomy

By: Scientific American Editors

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 whether we really only use 10% of our brains. 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 second eBook in our series – Astronomy – looks skyward and explains a variety of universal phenomena and theories. Are you curious about how planets acquire rings or what creates those gorgeous spiral arms around galaxies? Or maybe you want to know why the Big Bang didn't collapse into a black hole. Astrophysicists, professors and scientists tackle questions about stars, planets, asteroids, galaxies and nebulae, the expanding universe as well as the oddities – black holes, wormholes and dark matter. Look inside and find out what we know and what we don't know about these wonders.

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244

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Scientific American

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1466858893

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Ask the Experts: The Human Body and Mind

By: Scientific American Editors

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Ask the Experts: The Human Body and Mind

By: Scientific American Editors

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229

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Scientific American

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1466858974

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Fact or Fiction

Science Tackles 58 Popular Myths

By: Scientific American Editors

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Fact or Fiction

Science Tackles 58 Popular Myths

By: Scientific American Editors

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.

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Scientific American

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1466842520

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The Higgs Boson

Searching for the God Particle

By: Scientific American Editors

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The Higgs Boson

Searching for the God Particle

By: Scientific American Editors

The Higgs Boson: Searching for the God Particle by the Editors of Scientific American Updated 2017 Edition! For the fifth anniversary of one of the biggest discoveries in physics, we’ve updated this eBook to include our continuing analysis of the discovery, of the questions it answers and those it raises. As the old adage goes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Where there is effect, there must be cause. The planet Neptune was found in 1846 because the mathematics of Newton's laws, when applied to the orbit of Uranus, said some massive body had to be there. Astronomers eventually found it, using the best telescopes available to peer into the sky. This same logic is applied to the search for the Higgs boson. One consequence of the prevailing theory of physics, called the Standard Model, is that there has to be some field that gives particles their particular masses. With that there has to be a corresponding particle, made by creating waves in the field, and this is the Higgs boson, the so-called God particle. This eBook chronicles the search – and demonstrates the power of a good theory. Based on the Standard Model, physicists believed something had to be there, but it wasn't until the Large Hadron Collider was built that anyone could see evidence of the Higgs – and finally in July 2012, they did. A Higgs-like particle was found near the energies scientists expected to find it. Now, armed with better evidence and better questions, the scientific process continues. This eBook gathers the best reporting and analysis from Scientific American to explain that process – the theories, the search, the ongoing questions. In essence, everything you need to know to separate Higgs from hype.

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467

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Scientific American

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1466824131

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9781466824133

Understanding Cosmology

By: Editors of Scientific American,

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Understanding Cosmology

By: Editors of Scientific American,

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160

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Grand Central Publishing

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0759527601

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Germ Wars

Battling Killer Bacteria and Microbes

By: Scientific American Editors

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Germ Wars

Battling Killer Bacteria and Microbes

By: Scientific American Editors

Examines a variety of drugs and vaccines to combat germs as well as emerging enemies, including anthrax and chronic wasting disease.

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132

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The Rosen Publishing Group

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1404214054

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9781404214057

Physics

New Frontiers

By: Scientific American Editors

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Physics

New Frontiers

By: Scientific American Editors

In the world of physics, very little in the universe is what it first appears to be. And science fiction has imagined some pretty wild ideas about how the universe could work – from hidden extra dimensions in Interstellar to life as a mental projection in The Matrix. But these imaginings seem downright tame compared with the mind-bending science now coming out of physics and astronomy, and in this eBook, Physics: New Frontiers, we look at the strange and fascinating discoveries shaping (and reshaping) the field today. In the world of astrophysics, the weirdness begins at the moment of creation. In “The Black Hole at the Beginning of Time,” the authors discuss theories of what might have come before the big bang. Could our 3-D universe have sprung from the formation of a black hole in a 4-D cosmos? The math says: maybe. Later, in “The Giant Bubbles of the Milky Way,” the authors describe massive structures dubbed “Fermi bubbles” at its center – structures that no one noticed until recently. Technological innovations make much of this new science possible, as we see again in “Neutrinos at the Ends of the Earth,” where 5,000-odd sensors frozen deep within a cubic kilometer of ice in Antarctica aim to catch neutrinos in order to study distant cosmic phenomena. Scientists are also dissecting molecules with the most powerful x-ray laser in the world, as explored in “The Ultimate X-ray Machine.” Even our most fundamental notions of what reality is are up for debate, as examined in “Does the Multiverse Really Exist?” and the aptly named “What Is Real?” in which the authors question whether particles are indeed material things at all. While all of this abstraction might seem like a fun exercise in mental gymnastics, living things must also abide by the laws of physics, which, according to “The Limits of Intelligence,” may prevent our brains from evolving further. Then again, as we’ve learned, things could be different than they appear...

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249

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Scientific American

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1250121493

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9781250121493

A Look Back

The Best of 2012

By: Scientific American Editors

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A Look Back

The Best of 2012

By: Scientific American Editors

It's hard to believe 2012 is coming to a close. Lucky for us, this year has seen some amazing science, and in this eBook, we've compiled Scientific American's best stories of 2012 with an eye on content, authorship and news value. Section One kicks off with the award-winners. This year, Scientific American editors received awards from the National Association of Science Writers, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the L'Oreal Fellowships for Women in Science Program and the International Fund for Animal Welfare on stories that ranged from the role of propofol in Michael Jackson's death to advocating support to ban research testing on chimpanzees. Subsequent sections focus on those stories that made headlines and captured our imagination – scientists found a Higgs-like particle after decades of research, NASA landed the Curiosity Rover safely on Mars and the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act. Fracking was also in the media forefront this year, and the bird flu stirred up trouble when scientists created a mutated version that was contagious between ferrets, a potential precursor to human-to-human transmission. The final section is devoted to technology, sports and health – especially relevant as the world watched Oscar "Blade Runner" Pistorius become the first double-leg amputee to participate in the Olympic Games this July. While it's impossible to include everything, we hope you find these stories as fascinating as we do.

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253

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Scientific American

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1466833807

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9781466833807

Ask the Brains, Part 1

Experts Reveal 55 Mysteries of the Mind

By: Scientific American Editors

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Ask the Brains, Part 1

Experts Reveal 55 Mysteries of the Mind

By: Scientific American Editors

Why do we do the things we do? The human brain is a marvelous, mysterious piece of evolution that on one hand empowers us to be rational, self-aware and innovative. On the other, the disciplines of psychiatry and psychology are a testament to our attempts to understand the human brain and behavior. Why do we persist in believing opinions despite scientific evidence to the contrary? What exactly is déjà vu? What causes prejudice? For more than a decade, Scientific American MIND’s long-running feature “Ask the Brains” has addressed questions like these from our readers on the quirks and quandaries of human behavior, psychology and neurology. Here in Ask the Brains, Part 1, we’ve compiled 55 of the best and most interesting inquiries on the form and structure of the brain, intelligence, learning, memory and more and have enlisted professors, instructors and other experts to provide answers that are accurate, understandable and just plain fascinating.

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172

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Scientific American

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1250121523

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9781250121523

Homeland Insecurity

The Onion Complete News Archives

By: Onion Editors

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Homeland Insecurity

The Onion Complete News Archives

By: Onion Editors

Hot off the reprint presses! Onion fans hear this! Homeland Insecurity is the largest collection of award-winning journalism from America’s Finest News Source ever released, and that means you must buy it! Featuring every brilliantly biting article printed in The Onion between November 2004 and December 2005, a time in our country’s history ripe for further examination by America’s Finest News Source, Homeland Insecurity collects all the news reporting you were too lazy to read when it first appeared, now delivered in a handy single volume that will fit perfectly on the bookshelf of your dorm, ward, or cell. Homeland Insecurity is Volume 17 in the always bestselling and always entertaining Onion series. The Onion is the world’s most popular humor publication, with more than 3.8 million weekly visitors to its website (theonion.com) and a print circulation of more than 500,000. More than a million copies of its various books have been sold to date, beginning with Our Dumb Century, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller and winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. From the Trade Paperback edition.

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322

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Crown Archetype

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0307495922

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9780307495921

9 to 5

Your Mind at Work

By: Scientific American Editors

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9 to 5

Your Mind at Work

By: Scientific American Editors

Everyday hundreds of millions of people go to work. Hours upon hours are spent at desks, in offices, in meetings, speaking to and collaborating with colleagues. But how many of those hours are productive ones? How can we make the most of those hours and become more successful? Many factors – personal, professional and psychological – combine to affect how we think, feel and act while on the job, which ultimately affects our productivity and success. In this eBook, 9 to 5: Your Mind at Work, we look at some of these factors, including the physical office space, how to foster creativity and communication, the psychology of effective leadership, the benefits and importance of diversity and achieving work-life balance.

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292

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Scientific American

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1466859024

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9781466859029

Martin Gardner

The Magic and Mystery of Numbers

By: Scientific American Editors

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Martin Gardner

The Magic and Mystery of Numbers

By: Scientific American Editors

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 correspondents ranged from academics like Roger Penrose and John Horton Conway to artists MC Escher and Salvador Dali to writer Isaac Asimov. 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. Gardner would have celebrated his 100th birthday this October, and to mark the occasion we've created this eBook collection, Martin Gardner: The Magic and Mystery of Numbers. In this anthology, we strove to create a new "slice" through his wealth of material. Here, we focus on all flavors of number, from common integers and negative numbers to figurate numbers and the exotic random number, Omega, which can be described but not computed. Some of these columns are less well known than, say, his writings about flexagons, but they are no less fun. In true Gardner fashion, they leap from magic and games—as well as art, music, and literature—to flashes of deep mathematical insight. Lattice integers become a billiards challenge and surreal numbers spawn a host of related games. The "abracadabric number e," quoting French entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre, leads to spiders' webs and compounded interest. The binary Gray code inspires a poem and cracks the classic Chinese Rings puzzle. And binary numbers unlock mind-reading tricks and the Tower of Hanoi. Almost every column offers up problems for readers to solve and test their understanding—along with the answers for anyone easily frustrated. We hope that they will prove as inspirational to readers now as they did to earlier audiences.

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357

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Scientific American

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1466858923

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9781466858923

Ask the Brains, Part 2

Answers to 62 Common Questions on the Mind

By: Scientific American Editors

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Ask the Brains, Part 2

Answers to 62 Common Questions on the Mind

By: Scientific American Editors

The human mind is capable of amazing and often baffling things. Baseball fans remember the cautionary tale of Steve Blass, the All-Star pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates whose career was undone prematurely when he couldn’t resolve a case of “the yips,” or the tendency to choke under pressure. Though the example is extreme, Blass isn’t alone. From irrational phobias to a midlife crisis, we've all experienced moments of utter confusion about the nature of our own behavior, emotions or perception of reality. Many women report a decline in memory and attention during pregnancy, but does “pregnancy brain” really exist? What causes the physical chest pain experienced with emotional heartbreak? In Part 2 of Ask the Brains, we’ve gathered 62 of the most interesting reader questions from Scientific American MIND’s popular Q&A column. In this eBook, neurologists and other scientists share what they know about how the mind works, including some of these baffling psychological experiences.

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207

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1250121531

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9781250121530

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