Thursday, October 15, 2020

iTunes Store: Top 25 Books in Science & Nature 2020-10-15

James Raffan - Ice Walker artwork Ice Walker
A Polar Bear's Journey through the Fragile Arctic
James Raffan
Genre: Nature
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: October 13, 2020
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

From bestselling author James Raffan comes an enlightening and original story about a polar bear’s precarious existence in the changing Arctic, reminiscent of John Vaillant’s The Golden Spruce . Nanurjuk, “the bear-spirited one,” is hunting for seals on Hudson Bay, where ice never lasts more than one season. For her and her young, everything is in flux. From the top of the world, Hudson Bay looks like an enormous paw print on the torso of the continent, and through a vast network of lakes and rivers, this bay connects to oceans across the globe. Here, at the heart of everything, walks Nanurjuk, or Nanu, one polar bear among the six thousand that traverse the 1.23 million square kilometers of ice and snow covering the bay. For millennia, Nanu’s ancestors have roamed this great expanse, living, evolving, and surviving alongside human beings in one of the most challenging and unforgiving habitats on earth. But that world is changing. In the Arctic’s lands and waters, oil has been extracted—and spilled. As global temperatures have risen, the sea ice that Nanu and her young need to hunt seal and fish has melted, forcing them to wait on land where the delicate balance between them and their two-legged neighbors has now shifted. This is the icescape that author and geographer James Raffan invites us to inhabit in Ice Walker . In precise and provocative prose, he brings readers inside Nanu’s world as she treks uncertainly around the heart of Hudson Bay, searching for nourishment for the children that grow inside her. She stops at nothing to protect her cubs from the dangers she can see—other bears, wolves, whales, human beings—and those she cannot. By focusing his lens on this bear family, Raffan closes the gap between humans and bears, showing us how, like the water of the Hudson Bay, our existence—and our future—is tied to Nanu’s. He asks us to consider what might be done about this fragile world before it is gone for good. Masterful, vivid, and haunting, Ice Walker is an utterly unique piece of creative nonfiction and a deeply affecting call to action.



Mark Miodownik - Stuff Matters artwork Stuff Matters
The Strange Stories of the Marvellous Materials that Shape Our Man-made World
Mark Miodownik
Genre: Essays
Price: $10.99
Publish Date: June 06, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Seller: Penguin Books Limited

* * * Winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books * * * FROM THE TEA-CUP TO THE JET ENGINE, STUFF MATTERS IS A UNIQUE, INSPIRING EXPLORATION OF HUMAN CREATIVITY. 'Enthralling. A mission to re-acquaint us with the wonders of the fabric that sustains our lives' Guardian 'I stayed up all night reading this book' Oliver Sacks ____________ Everything is made of something. The everyday objects: paper clips, the textiles that make your clothesand the cups you drink from. The extraordinary new materials: self-healing metals, silicon chips and bionic implants paving the future. Stuff Matters reveals the miracles of craft, design, engineering and ingenuity that surround us every day. From ancient technologies to those shaping our future, this is a book to inspire amazement and delight at mankind's material creativity. ____________ 'A certain sort of madness may be necessary to pull off what he has attempted here, which is a wholesale animation of the inanimate: Miodownik achieves precisely what he sets out to' The Times 'Insightful, fascinating. The futuristic materials will elicit gasps. Makes even the most everyday substance seem exciting' Sunday Times 'Wonderful. Miodownik writes well enough to make even concrete sparkle' Financial Times 'Expert, deftly written, immensely enjoyable' Observer



Matthew Walker - Why We Sleep artwork Why We Sleep
Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Matthew Walker
Genre: Life Sciences
Price: $12.99
Publish Date: October 03, 2017
Publisher: Scribner
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

“ Why We Sleep is an important and fascinating book…Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you.” —Bill Gates A New York Times bestseller and international sensation, this “stimulating and important book” ( Financial Times ) is a fascinating dive into the purpose and power of slumber. With two appearances on CBS This Morning and Fresh Air 's most popular interview of 2017, Matthew Walker has made abundantly clear that sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when it is absent. Compared to the other basic drives in life—eating, drinking, and reproducing—the purpose of sleep remains more elusive. Within the brain, sleep enriches a diversity of functions, including our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions. It recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. Dreaming creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge, inspiring creativity. In this “compelling and utterly convincing” ( The Sunday Times ) book, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night’s sleep every night. Clear-eyed, fascinating, and accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book. Written with the precision of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Sherwin Nuland, it is “recommended for night-table reading in the most pragmatic sense” ( The New York Times Book Review ).



Jonathan K. Ehrman - Clinical Exercise Physiology artwork Clinical Exercise Physiology
Jonathan K. Ehrman
Genre: Life Sciences
Price: $124.99
Publish Date: July 05, 2018
Publisher: Human Kinetics, Inc.
Seller: Human Kinetics, Inc.

As the profession of clinical exercise physiology continues to evolve, there is one cornerstone text that evolves along with it. Clinical Exercise Physiology, Fourth Edition With Web Resource, has been a mainstay in the field since its inception in 2003, and the revisions and additions to this latest rendition reinforce its elite status. As the most comprehensive resource available, Clinical Exercise Physiology, Fourth Edition, provides greater coverage and depth of diseases than is typically found in most clinical exercise physiology textbooks. It thoroughly examines the effects of exercise on chronic disease and then investigates 24 chronic conditions, covering the scope of each disease as well as the pathophysiology, medications, and clinical applications. It also examines clinical considerations and exercise prescriptions for four special populations. This fourth edition reflects the latest American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) standards and guidelines, making it an ideal resource for candidates preparing for ACSM Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification. In addition to updated content that aligns with current science and evidence-based practice guidelines, the fourth edition also incorporates the following: • A closer and more up-to-date look at the state of the profession • A new web resource featuring case studies that depict real-life scenarios • A new chapter on Parkinson’s disease • Enhanced coverage of exercise testing and exercise prescription, in separate chapters to delve deeper into each of those topics • An expanded chapter on end-stage renal disease, to more broadly cover chronic kidney disease • Significant revisions to chapters on metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart failure The online case studies are written in the form of SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) notes, reflecting common medical chart documentation, to help readers experience realistic examples. The text also offers Practical Application sidebars in each chapter; some of these sidebars focus on exercise prescription, and other Practical Application sidebars review the relevant literature related to physiological adaptations to exercise training. To aid in course preparation, instructors are provided a test package, chapter quizzes, and a presentation package plus image bank. Clinical Exercise Physiology, Fourth Edition, offers a contemporary review of the variety of diseases and conditions that students and professionals may encounter in the field. New and veteran clinical exercise physiologists alike, as well as those preparing for ACSM certification exams, will appreciate the in-depth coverage of the clinical populations that benefit from physical activity and exercise.



Brian Cox & Jeff Forshaw - Why Does E=mc2? artwork Why Does E=mc2?
(And Why Should We Care?)
Brian Cox & Jeff Forshaw
Genre: Physics
Price: $2.99
Publish Date: July 14, 2009
Publisher: Hachette Books
Seller: Hachette Digital, Inc.

The international bestseller: an introduction to the theory of relativity by the eminent physicists Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw What does E=mc2 actually mean? Dr. Brian Cox and Professor Jeff Forshaw go on a journey to the frontier of twenty-first century science to unpack Einstein's famous equation. Explaining and simplifying notions of energy, mass, and light-while exploding commonly held misconceptions-they demonstrate how the structure of nature itself is contained within this equation. Along the way, we visit the site of one of the largest scientific experiments ever conducted: the now-famous Large Hadron Collider, a gigantic particle accelerator capable of re-creating conditions that existed fractions of a second after the Big Bang. A collaboration between one of the youngest professors in the United Kingdom and a distinguished popular physicist, Why Does E=mc2? is one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of the theory of relativity.



Merlin Sheldrake - Entangled Life artwork Entangled Life
How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
Merlin Sheldrake
Genre: Life Sciences
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: May 12, 2020
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

A mind-bending journey into the hidden universe of fungi, “one of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you” (Helen Macdonald, author of  H Is for Hawk ). “Dazzling, vibrant, vision-changing . . . a remarkable work by a remarkable writer, which succeeds in springing life into strangeness again.”—Robert Macfarlane, author of  Underland When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave. In Entangled Life , the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view, providing an exhilarating change of perspective. Sheldrake’s vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the “Wood Wide Web,”  to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision. Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life’s processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms—and our relationships with them—are changing our understanding of how life works. Praise for Entangled Life “ Entangled Life  is a gorgeous book of literary nature writing in the tradition of [Robert] Macfarlane and John Fowles, ripe with insight and erudition. . . . food for the soul.” —Eugenia Bone,  Wall Street Journal “[An] ebullient and ambitious exploration . . . This book may not be a psychedelic—and unlike Sheldrake, I haven’t dared to consume my copy (yet)—but reading it left me not just moved but altered, eager to disseminate its message of what fungi can do.” —Jennifer Szalai,  The New York Times



Robin Wall Kimmerer - Braiding Sweetgrass artwork Braiding Sweetgrass
Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Genre: Nature
Price: $12.99
Publish Date: September 16, 2013
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Seller: Perseus Books, LLC

As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass , Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert). Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings—asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.



Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund & Ola Rosling - Factfulness artwork Factfulness
Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund & Ola Rosling
Genre: Science & Nature
Price: $10.99
Publish Date: April 03, 2018
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Seller: Macmillan

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “One of the most important books I’ve ever read—an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.” – Bill Gates “Hans Rosling tells the story of ‘the secret silent miracle of human progress’ as only he can. But Factfulness does much more than that. It also explains why progress is so often secret and silent and teaches readers how to see it clearly.” — Melinda Gates " Factfulness by Hans Rosling, an outstanding international public health expert, is a hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases." - Former U.S. President Barack Obama Factfulnes s: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts. When asked simple questions about global trends— what percentage of the world’s population live in poverty; why the world’s population is increasing; how many girls finish school —we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers. In Factfulness , Professor of International Health and global TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators, Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens . They reveal the ten instincts that distort our perspective —from our tendency to divide the world into two camps (usually some version of us and them ) to the way we consume media (where fear rules) to how we perceive progress (believing that most things are getting worse). Our problem is that we don’t know what we don’t know, and even our guesses are informed by unconscious and predictable biases. It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. That doesn’t mean there aren’t real concerns. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most. Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world and empower you to respond to the crises and opportunities of the future. --- “This book is my last battle in my life-long mission to fight devastating ignorance…Previously I armed myself with huge data sets, eye-opening software, an energetic learning style and a Swedish bayonet for sword-swallowing. It wasn’t enough. But I hope this book will be.” Hans Rosling, February 2017.



Bjørn Lomborg - False Alarm artwork False Alarm
How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet
Bjørn Lomborg
Genre: Science & Nature
Price: $22.99
Publish Date: July 14, 2020
Publisher: Basic Books
Seller: Hachette Digital, Inc.

The New York Times -bestselling "skeptical environmentalist" argues that panic over climate change is causing more harm than good Hurricanes batter our coasts. Wildfires rage across the American West. Glaciers collapse in the Artic. Politicians, activists, and the media espouse a common message: climate change is destroying the planet, and we must take drastic action immediately to stop it. Children panic about their future, and adults wonder if it is even ethical to bring new life into the world. Enough, argues bestselling author Bjorn Lomborg. Climate change is real, but it's not the apocalyptic threat that we've been told it is. Projections of Earth's imminent demise are based on bad science and even worse economics. In panic, world leaders have committed to wildly expensive but largely ineffective policies that hamper growth and crowd out more pressing investments in human capital, from immunization to education. False Alarm will convince you that everything you think about climate change is wrong -- and points the way toward making the world a vastly better, if slightly warmer, place for us all.



Joshua Foer - Moonwalking with Einstein artwork Moonwalking with Einstein
The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
Joshua Foer
Genre: Life Sciences
Price: $15.99
Publish Date: March 03, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

The blockbuster phenomenon that charts an amazing journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memory An instant bestseller that is poised to become a classic, Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.



Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson - All We Can Save artwork All We Can Save
Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson
Genre: Science & Nature
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: September 22, 2020
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

Provocative and illuminating essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.   There is a renaissance blooming in the climate movement: leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection, creativity, and collaboration. While it’s clear that women and girls are vital voices and agents of change for this planet, they are too often missing from the proverbial table. More than a problem of bias, it’s a dynamic that sets us up for failure. To change everything, we need everyone.   All We Can Save illuminates the expertise and insights of dozens of diverse women leading on climate in the United States—scientists, journalists, farmers, lawyers, teachers, activists, innovators, wonks, and designers, across generations, geographies, and race—and aims to advance a more representative, nuanced, and solution-oriented public conversation on the climate crisis. These women offer a spectrum of ideas and insights for how we can rapidly, radically reshape society.   Intermixing essays with poetry and art, this book is both a balm and a guide for knowing and holding what has been done to the world, while bolstering our resolve never to give up on one another or our collective future. We must summon truth, courage, and solutions to turn away from the brink and toward life-giving possibility. Curated by two climate leaders, the book is a collection and celebration of visionaries who are leading us on a path toward all we can save. With essays and poems by: Emily Atkin • Xiye Bastida • Ellen Bass • Colette Pichon Battle • Jainey K. Bavishi • Janine Benyus • adrienne maree brown • Régine Clément • Abigail Dillen • Camille T. Dungy • Rhiana Gunn-Wright • Joy Harjo • Katharine Hayhoe • Mary Annaïse Heglar • Jane Hirshfield • Mary Anne Hitt • Ailish Hopper • Tara Houska, Zhaabowekwe • Emily N. Johnston • Joan Naviyuk Kane • Naomi Klein • Kate Knuth • Ada Limón • Louise Maher-Johnson • Kate Marvel • Gina McCarthy • Anne Haven McDonnell • Sarah Miller • Sherri Mitchell, Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset • Susanne C. Moser • Lynna Odel • Sharon Olds • Mary Oliver • Kate Orff • Jacqui Patterson • Leah Penniman • Catherine Pierce • Marge Piercy • Kendra Pierre-Louis • Varshini • Prakash • Janisse Ray • Christine E. Nieves Rodriguez • Favianna Rodriguez • Cameron Russell • Ash Sanders • Judith D. Schwartz • Patricia Smith • Emily Stengel • Sarah Stillman • Leah Cardamore Stokes • Amanda Sturgeon • Maggie Thomas • Heather McTeer Toney • Alexandria Villaseñor • Alice Walker • Amy Westervelt • Jane Zelikova



Paul Stamets - Fantastic Fungi artwork Fantastic Fungi
Paul Stamets
Genre: Nature
Price: $19.99
Publish Date: April 14, 2020
Publisher: Earth Aware Editions
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

2020 IBPA Awards Winner! “Louie Schwartzberg’s lightly informative, delightfully kooky documentary, “Fantastic Fungi,” offers nothing less than a model for planetary survival.” –Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times “Gorgeous photography! Time-lapse sequences of mushrooms blossoming forth could pass for studies of exotic flowers growing on another planet.”  –Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal The Life-Affirming, Mind-Bending Companion Book to the Smash Hit Documentary FANTASTIC FUNGI  Viewed in over 100 countries and selling hundreds of thousands of tickets on the way to finishing 2019 with a rare 100% Tomato meter rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Schwartzberg’s documentary Fantastic Fungi has brought the mycological revolution to the world stage. This is the film’s official companion book, that expands on the documentary’s message: that mushrooms and fungi will change your life– and save the planet.  Paul Stamets, the world’s preeminent mushroom and fungi expert is joined by leading ecologists, doctors, and explorers such as Michael Pollan, Dr. Andrew Weil, Eugenia Bone, Fantastic Fungi director Louie Schwartzberg, and many more. Together these luminaries show how fungi and mushrooms can restore the planet’s ecosystems, repair our physical health, and renew humanity’s symbiotic relationship with nature.    Join the Movement: Learn about the groundbreaking research that shows why mushrooms stand to provide a solution to environmental challenges, a viable alternative to traditional medicine, and a chance to radically shift consciousness.   Most Comprehensive Fungi book in the world: Admire the astounding, underappreciated beauty with over 400 gloriously-shot photographs of the mycelial world’s most rare and beautiful species in their natural environment.    World’s Leading Fungi Experts: Edited by preeminent mycologist Paul Stamets, who contributes original pieces, Fungi includes original contributions by bestselling author and activist Michael Pollan, alternative medicine expert Dr. Andrew Weil, award-winning nature and food writer Eugenia Bone, Fantastic Fungi director Louie Schwartzberg, and so many more. The book’s roster of experts make this the most comprehensive survey of the diverse benefits and extraordinary potential of these amazing organisms.



Paul Hawken - Drawdown artwork Drawdown
The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
Paul Hawken
Genre: Science & Nature
Price: $15.99
Publish Date: April 18, 2017
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

•  New York Times  bestseller  • The 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming, based on meticulous research by leading scientists and policymakers around the world “At this point in time, the  Drawdown  book is exactly what is needed; a credible, conservative solution-by-solution narrative that we can do it. Reading it is an effective inoculation against the widespread perception of doom that humanity cannot and will not solve the climate crisis. Reported by-effects include increased determination and a sense of grounded hope.” —Per Espen Stoknes, Author,  What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming   “There’s been no real way for ordinary people to get an understanding of what they can do and what impact it can have. There remains no single, comprehensive, reliable compendium of carbon-reduction solutions across sectors. At least until now. . . . The public is hungry for this kind of practical wisdom.” —David Roberts,  Vox “This is the ideal environmental sciences textbook—only it is too interesting and inspiring to be called a textbook.” —Peter Kareiva, Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA In the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here—some are well known; some you may have never heard of. They range from clean energy to educating girls in lower-income countries to land use practices that pull carbon out of the air. The solutions exist, are economically viable, and communities throughout the world are currently enacting them with skill and determination. If deployed collectively on a global scale over the next thirty years, they represent a credible path forward, not just to slow the earth’s warming but to reach drawdown, that point in time when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and begin to decline. These measures promise cascading benefits to human health, security, prosperity, and well-being—giving us every reason to see this planetary crisis as an opportunity to create a just and livable world.



Stephen Hawking - A Brief History of Time artwork A Brief History of Time
Stephen Hawking
Genre: Science & Nature
Price: $15.99
Publish Date: March 01, 1988
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

#1  NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLER A landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends? Told in language we all can understand,  A Brief History of Time  plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.



James Nestor - Breath artwork Breath
The New Science of a Lost Art
James Nestor
Genre: Life Sciences
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: May 26, 2020
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of São Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe. Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is. Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.



Marcelo Gleiser - The Island of Knowledge artwork The Island of Knowledge
The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning
Marcelo Gleiser
Genre: Science & Nature
Price: $3.99
Publish Date: June 03, 2014
Publisher: Basic Books
Seller: Hachette Digital, Inc.

Do all questions have answers? How much can we know about the world? Is there such a thing as an ultimate truth? To be human is to want to know, but what we are able to observe is only a tiny portion of what's "out there." In The Island of Knowledge , physicist Marcelo Gleiser traces our search for answers to the most fundamental questions of existence. In so doing, he reaches a provocative conclusion: science, the main tool we use to find answers, is fundamentally limited. These limits to our knowledge arise both from our tools of exploration and from the nature of physical reality: the speed of light, the uncertainty principle, the impossibility of seeing beyond the cosmic horizon, the incompleteness theorem, and our own limitations as an intelligent species. Recognizing limits in this way, Gleiser argues, is not a deterrent to progress or a surrendering to religion. Rather, it frees us to question the meaning and nature of the universe while affirming the central role of life and ourselves in it. Science can and must go on, but recognizing its limits reveals its true mission: to know the universe is to know ourselves. Telling the dramatic story of our quest for understanding, The Island of Knowledge offers a highly original exploration of the ideas of some of the greatest thinkers in history, from Plato to Einstein, and how they affect us today. An authoritative, broad-ranging intellectual history of our search for knowledge and meaning, The Island of Knowledge is a unique view of what it means to be human in a universe filled with mystery.



Peter Godfrey-Smith - Other Minds artwork Other Minds
The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness
Peter Godfrey-Smith
Genre: Life Sciences
Price: $10.99
Publish Date: December 06, 2016
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Seller: Macmillan

Although mammals and birds are widely regarded as the smartest creatures on earth, it has lately become clear that a very distant branch of the tree of life has also sprouted higher intelligence: the cephalopods, consisting of the squid, the cuttlefish, and above all the octopus. In captivity, octopuses have been known to identify individual human keepers, raid neighboring tanks for food, turn off lightbulbs by spouting jets of water, plug drains, and make daring escapes. How is it that a creature with such gifts evolved through an evolutionary lineage so radically distant from our own? What does it mean that evolution built minds not once but at least twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter? In Other Minds , Peter Godfrey-Smith, a distinguished philosopher of science and a skilled scuba diver, tells a bold new story of how subjective experience crept into being—how nature became aware of itself. As Godfrey-Smith stresses, it is a story that largely occurs in the ocean, where animals first appeared. Tracking the mind’s fitful development, Godfrey-Smith shows how unruly clumps of seaborne cells began living together and became capable of sensing, acting, and signaling. As these primitive organisms became more entangled with others, they grew more complicated. The first nervous systems evolved, probably in ancient relatives of jellyfish; later on, the cephalopods, which began as inconspicuous mollusks, abandoned their shells and rose above the ocean floor, searching for prey and acquiring the greater intelligence needed to do so. Taking an independent route, mammals and birds later began their own evolutionary journeys. But what kind of intelligence do cephalopods possess? Drawing on the latest scientific research and his own scuba-diving adventures, Godfrey-Smith probes the many mysteries that surround the lineage. How did the octopus, a solitary creature with little social life, become so smart? What is it like to have eight tentacles that are so packed with neurons that they virtually “think for themselves”? What happens when some octopuses abandon their hermit-like ways and congregate, as they do in a unique location off the coast of Australia? By tracing the question of inner life back to its roots and comparing human beings with our most remarkable animal relatives, Godfrey-Smith casts crucial new light on the octopus mind—and on our own.



Oliver Sacks - Everything in Its Place artwork Everything in Its Place
First Loves and Last Tales
Oliver Sacks
Genre: Life Sciences
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: April 23, 2019
Publisher: Knopf Canada
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

From the bestselling author of Gratitude and On the Move , a final volume of essays that showcases Sacks's broad range of interests--from his passions for ferns, swimming, and horsetails, to his final case histories exploring schizophrenia, dementia, and Alzheimer's. Oliver Sacks, renowned scientist and storyteller, is adored by readers for his neurological case histories, his fascination and familiarity with human behaviour at its most unexpected and unfamiliar. Everything in Its Place is a celebration of Sacks's myriad interests, all told with his characteristic compassion, erudition, and luminous prose. From the celebrated case history of Spalding Gray that appeared in The New Yorker four months before his death to reflections on mental asylums; from piercing accounts of Schizophrenia to a reminiscence of Robin Williams; from the riveting tale of a medical colleague falling victim to Alzheimer's to the cinematography of Michael Powell, this volume celebrates and reflects the wondrous curiosity of Oliver Sacks.



Neil de Grasse Tyson & Avis Lang - Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military artwork Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military
Neil de Grasse Tyson & Avis Lang
Genre: Physics
Price: $21.99
Publish Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Seller: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

“Extraordinary.… A feast of history, an expert tour through thousands of years of war and conquest.” —Jennifer Carson, New York Times Book Review In this far-reaching foray into the millennia-long relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-author Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry, and power that will introduce Tyson’s millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.



David Yager - From Miracle to Menace artwork From Miracle to Menace
Alberta, A Carbon Story
David Yager
Genre: Science & Nature
Price: $10.99
Publish Date: March 26, 2019
Publisher: FriesenPress
Seller: FriesenPress Inc

A miracle. Coal, oil and natural gas, the carbon-based fossil fuels that powered the Industrial Revolution and civilization’s rapid advancement. A menace. Climate change has how convinced many that carbon emissions are the world’s greatest challenge. The necessity and benefits of decarbonizing the global industrial and energy complex are well articulated. What is not explained is this will require the largest financial disruption in history, affecting everyone and everything. For over a century Alberta’s massive carbon resources have supported Alberta and Canada financially, helping make Canada the world’s fifth-largest oil and gas producer. Carbon has been a major driver of prosperity, employment and opportunity, shaping the country we know today. However, climate change is creating enormous challenges for Alberta - and Canada - with no possible outcomes that will satisfy all stakeholders. Alberta has become ground zero for the changes many demand but few are willing to pay for. As the province demonstrates what carbon’s future looks and feels like, unless the rest of the world participates Alberta has become a needless sacrifice. From Miracle to Menace explains how Alberta came to be, the enormity of the planned financial dislocation, and how Alberta, and Canada, can meet the climate challenge without committing economic suicide.



Larry Gonick & Woollcott Smith - Cartoon Guide to Statistics Apple FF artwork Cartoon Guide to Statistics Apple FF
Larry Gonick & Woollcott Smith
Genre: Mathematics
Price: $11.99
Publish Date: February 10, 2015
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Seller: Harper Collins Canada Limited

If you have ever looked for P-values by shopping at P mart, tried to watch the Bernoulli Trails on "People's Court," or think that the standard deviation is a criminal offense in six states, then you need The Cartoon Guide to Statistics to put you on the road to statistical literacy. The Cartoon Guide to Statistics covers all the central ideas of modern statistics: the summary and display of data, probability in gambling and medicine, random variables, Bernoulli Trails, the Central Limit Theorem, hypothesis testing, confidence interval estimation, and much more—all explained in simple, clear, and yes, funny illustrations. Never again will you order the Poisson Distribution in a French restaurant! This updated version features all new material.



Rachel Carson - Silent Spring artwork Silent Spring
Rachel Carson
Genre: Nature
Price: $12.99
Publish Date: October 22, 2002
Publisher: HMH Books
Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was first published in three serialized excerpts in the New Yorker in June of 1962. The book appeared in September of that year and the outcry that followed its publication forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson’s passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. It is without question one of the landmark books of the twentieth century.    



Linda Kershaw - Plants of the Rocky Mountains artwork Plants of the Rocky Mountains
Linda Kershaw
Genre: Nature
Price: $19.99
Publish Date: March 01, 2009
Publisher: Co-published by Partners Publishing and Lone Pine Media Productions (B.C.) Ltd.
Seller: Lone Pine Media Productions Ltd.

Plants of the Rocky Mountains. Trees, shrubs, berries, wildflowers, ferns, mosses and more. Features 1362 plants: • edible plants • native uses of plants • habitat and ecology • similar species • origin of name • wildflower photo chart



Джулия Кэмерон - Путь художника artwork Путь художника
Джулия Кэмерон
Genre: Science & Nature
Price: $2.99
Publish Date: March 03, 2016
Publisher: LitRes
Seller: LitRes

Эта книга – практический курс, рассчитанный на 12 недель ежедневных занятий, помогающих начинающему (продвинутому) творцу (любому из нас) разглядеть и разбудить в себе новые, подчас неожиданные таланты. Книга «Путь художника» за 20 лет своего существования изменила жизни миллионов людей, а именно – их отношение к собственным креативным способностям, и помогла им реализовать свои мечты о творчестве. Джулия Кэмерон, выдающийся консультант по раскрытию творческих способностей человека, учит слышать свое сердце и творить, оставив отринув сомнения и страхи.



李察.韋斯曼 & Richard Wiseman - 怪咖心理學 artwork 怪咖心理學
史上最搞怪的心理學實驗,讓你徹底看穿人心
李察.韋斯曼 & Richard Wiseman
Genre: Life Sciences
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: September 30, 2013
Publisher: 漫遊者文化
Seller: ECROWD MEDIA INC.

「只要能滿足我的好奇心、激發點子、讓我們對俗世有新的了解,我都覺得值得。」 ◆第一次,用科學實驗的方法深入探索複雜難測的人心! ◆各種前所未見、匪夷所思的搞怪實驗,令你拍案叫絕! ◆搞怪實驗+科學結論=原來,我們心裡是這樣想的! 你一定無法想像,連這些都可以用科學實驗證明! 你的星座、姓名和面相,對你的生活有什麼影響? 你走路的方式透露了哪些性格? 全世界最好笑的笑話是什麼? 人的記憶有可能經由操弄而回憶起不曾發生過的事? 有沒有科學辦法可以分辨真心的笑和虛假的笑? 哪個國家的人最樂於助人?