How to Talk about Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference by Rebecca Huntley

$32.99 AUD

Category: Science

A toolkit for understanding our emotional responses to climate change and how we can have meaningful conversations across dividing lines. 'The antidote to climate anxiety is action. Make your first action reading this book.' OSHER GUNSBERG'Rebecca Huntley has given us a great gift: an essential guide to understanding ourselves and each other as we face the climate crisis. Let's take down the walls that divide us. Collectively, with compassion and courage, we can make real change happen.' KYLIE KWONG'Explains whether and how we will choose to solve the climate problem. Immensely important analysis in a great read.' PROFESSOR ROSS GARNAUT Why is it so hard to talk about climate change?While scientists double down on the shocking figures, we still find ourselves unable to discuss climate change meaningfully among friends and neighbours - or even to grapple with it ourselves. The key to progress on climate change is in the psychology of human attitudes and our ability to change. Whether you're already alarmed and engaged with the issue, concerned but disengaged, a passive skeptic or an active denier, understanding our emotional reactions to climate change - why it makes us anxious, fearful, angry or detached - is critical to coping on an individual level and convincing each other to act.This book is about understanding why people who aren't like you feel the way they do and learning to talk to them effectively. What we need are thousands - millions - of everyday conversations about the climate to enlarge the ranks of the concerned, engage the disengaged and persuade the cautious of the need for action. ...Show more

Windfall: Unlocking a Fossil-Free Future by Ketan Joshi

$29.99 AUD

Category: Science

The Best Australian Science Writing 2017 by Michael Slezak (Contribution by)

$29.99 AUD

Category: Science

Would it be ethical to eat sentient aliens? What is the basis of differences between the sexes? Where do you find fossils of early multicellular life? Is there any hope for the Great Barrier Reef or Tasmanian forests in a warming climate? Were Aboriginal Australians the world's first astronomers? The Be st Australian Science Writing 2017, now in its seventh year, draws on the knowledge and insight of Australia's brightest thinkers. From the potentially venomous future of medicine to the ecological knowledge available from large-scale, unreplicated natural experiments (LUNEs), this acclaimed anthology selects the best science writing from the past year, challenging perceptions of the world we think we know. With a foreword by Professor Emma Johnston, UNSW Dean of Science, this year's collection includes the best of Australia's science writing talent: Jo Chandler, Elmo Keep, Peter Singer, Bianca Nogrady, James Bradley, and many more. ...Show more

Whitewash - The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science by Carey Gillam

$44.99 AUD

Category: Science

"Reads like a mystery novel as Gillam skillfully uncovers Monsanto's secretive strategies."--Erin Brockovich"A damning picture...Gillam expertly covers a contentious front." --Publishers Weekly"A must-read." --Booklist"Hard-hitting, eye-opening narrative." --Kirkus It's the herbicide on our dinner plate s, a chemical so pervasive it's in the air we breathe, our water, our soil, and even found increasingly in our own bodies. Known as Monsanto's Roundup by consumers, and as glyphosate by scientists, the world's most popular weed killer is used everywhere from backyard gardens to golf courses to millions of acres of farmland. For decades it's been touted as safe enough to drink, but a growing body of evidence indicates just the opposite, with research tying the chemical to cancers and a host of other health threats. In Whitewash, veteran journalist Carey Gillam uncovers one of the most controversial stories in the history of food and agriculture, exposing new evidence of corporate influence. Gillam introduces readers to farm families devastated by cancers which they believe are caused by the chemical, and to scientists whose reputations have been smeared for publishing research that contradicted business interests. Readers learn about the arm-twisting of regulators who signed off on the chemical, echoing company assurances of safety even as they permitted higher residues of the herbicide in food and skipped compliance tests. And, in startling detail, Gillam reveals secret industry communications that pull back the curtain on corporate efforts to manipulate public perception. Whitewash is more than an expos about the hazards of one chemical or even the influence of one company. It's a story of power, politics, and the deadly consequences of putting corporate interests ahead of public safety. ...Show more

The Secret Life of Whales by Micheline Jenner (Contribution by)

$29.99 AUD

Category: Science

Marine biologist Micheline Jenner discovered humpback breeding grounds off the Kimberley coast, uncovered pygmy blue whale feeding spots, and, with her husband Curt, is one of very few people to witness a humpback whale giving birth. In The Secret Life of Whales she reveals the little-known world of the se giants of the deep, taking us from Australia to Antarctica and beyond. With her infectious enthusiasm for these magnificent creatures. Mich shares her insights into how whales live - how they migrate, feed, breed and look after their young - and her world-leading conservation work. ...Show more

18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb

$32.99 AUD

Category: Science

'For most of human history, sudden and unexpected deaths of a suspicious nature, when they were investigated at all, were examined by lay persons without any formal training. People often got away with murder. Modern forensic investigation originates with Frances Glessner Lee - a pivotal figure in polic e science.' Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962), born a socialite to a wealthy and influential Chicago family, was never meant to have a career, let alone one steeped in death and depravity. Yet she became the mother of modern forensics and was instrumental in elevating homicide investigation to a scientific discipline. Frances Glessner Lee learned forensic science under the tutelage of pioneering medical examiner Magrath - he told her about his cases, gave her access to the autopsy room to observe post-mortems and taught her about poisons and patterns of injury. A voracious reader too, Lee acquired and read books on criminology and forensic science - eventually establishing the largest library of legal medicine. Lee went on to create The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death - a series of dollhouse-sized crime scene dioramas depicting the facts of actual cases in exquisitely detailed miniature - and perhaps the thing she is most famous for. Celebrated by artists, miniaturists and scientists, the Nutshell Studies are a singularly unusual collection. They were first used as a teaching tool in homicide seminars at Harvard Medical School in the 1930s, and then in 1945 the homicide seminar for police detectives that is the longest-running and still the highest-regarded training of its kind in America. Both of which were established by the pioneering Lee. In 18 Tiny Deaths, Bruce Goldfarb will weave Lee's remarkable story with the advances in forensics made in her lifetime to tell the tale of the birth of modern forensics.   ...Show more

Relativity by Albert Einstein

$24.99 AUD

Category: Science | Series: Routledge Great Minds

Time magazine's "Man of the Century", Albert Einstein is the founder of modern physics and his theory of relativity is the most important scientific idea of the modern era. In this short book, Einstein explains, using the minimum of mathematical terms, the basic ideas and principles of the theory that h as shaped the world we live in today. Unsurpassed by any subsequent books on relativity, this remains the most popular and useful exposition of Einstein's immense contribution to human knowledge. With a new foreword by Derek Raine. ...Show more

House of Karls by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

$32.99 AUD

Category: Science

In the ruthless pursuit of scientific fact, there is no candidate more formidable than Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Power hungry for experimentation, data manipulation and outlandish science propaganda, Dr Karl is Australia's incumbent President of Science. In House of Karls, he addresses a range of issues and questions: how Politics and Greed are dirtying the purity of Science and why the world's most expensive book costs more than $23 million dollars, but only $4 to post. How real is the Five Second Rule with food? Why does a frog in milk stop it from souring? Why did the Nazis steal the only Space Buddha? Gold may bring power, but how did it get from an exploding star to a gum tree? Why are children smarter than their parents? Why is bank robbery a terrible economic decision, and what are the surprising origins of the 'selfie'? Did you know that the Government knows of a cancer cure and it has 75,000 pieces of Big Data on you ...Vote #1 @doctorkarl. Knowledge is Power. ...Show more

Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger

$39.99 AUD

Category: Science

In August 1968, NASA made a bold decision: in just sixteen weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken. But when Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders were summoned to a secret meeting and told of the dangerous mission, they instantly signed on. Written with all the colour and verve of the best narrative non-fiction, Apollo 8 takes us from Mission Control to the astronaut's homes, from the test labs to the launch pad. Then, on Christmas Eve, a nation that has suffered a horrendous year of assassinations and war is heartened by an inspiring message from the trio of astronauts in lunar orbit. And when the mission is over-after the first view of the far side of the moon, the first earth-rise, and the first re-entry through the earth's atmosphere following a flight to deep space-the impossible dream of walking on the moon suddenly seems within reach. ...Show more

The Doctor by Karl Kruszelnicki

$34.99 AUD

Category: Science

Our timeless Lord of Science, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, is back - in this, his 37th book. Once again, The Doctor's mission has been to interpret the beauty and the mystery of the scientific world around us - alerting us to the complexities and conundrums of the everyday. He transcends history and space in h is unstoppable quest to unearth scientific truths: from the theories of time travel, movie audiences emitting chemicals, an exploration of the spleen and red-blood cells to Bitcoin, dirty data, immortal jellyfish and how hot tea cools you down. The Doctor is the most trusted science communicator of our time. ...Show more

The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors by David George Haskell

$32.99 AUD

Category: Science

The author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Forest Unseen visits with nature's most magnificent networkers -- trees "Both a love song to trees, an exploration of their biology, and a wonderfully philosophical analysis of their role they play in human history and in modern culture." - Science Friday WINNER OF THE 2018 JOHN BURROUGHS MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING NATURAL HISTORY WRITING   David Haskell has won acclaim for eloquent writing and deep engagement with the natural world. Now, he brings his powers of observation to the biological networks that surround all species, including humans. Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees, exploring connections with people, microbes, fungi, and other plants and animals. He takes us to trees in cities (from Manhattan to Jerusalem), forests (Amazonian, North American, and boreal) and areas on the front lines of environmental change (eroding coastlines, burned mountainsides, and war zones.) In each place he shows how human history, ecology, and well-being are intimately intertwined with the lives of trees.   Scientific, lyrical, and contemplative, Haskell reveals the biological connections that underpin all life. In a world beset by barriers, he reminds us that life's substance and beauty emerge from relationship and interdependence. ...Show more

How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction by Beth Shapiro

$29.95 AUD

Category: Science

Could extinct species, like mammoths and passenger pigeons, be brought back to life? The science says yes. In How to Clone a Mammoth, Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist and pioneer in "ancient DNA" research, walks readers through the astonishing and controversial process of de-extinction. From decidin g which species should be restored, to sequencing their genomes, to anticipating how revived populations might be overseen in the wild, Shapiro vividly explores the extraordinary cutting-edge science that is being used--today--to resurrect the past. Journeying to far-flung Siberian locales in search of ice age bones and delving into her own research--as well as those of fellow experts such as Svante Paabo, George Church, and Craig Venter--Shapiro considers de-extinction's practical benefits and ethical challenges. Would de-extinction change the way we live? Is this really cloning? What are the costs and risks? And what is the ultimate goal? Using DNA collected from remains as a genetic blueprint, scientists aim to engineer extinct traits--traits that evolved by natural selection over thousands of years--into living organisms. But rather than viewing de-extinction as a way to restore one particular species, Shapiro argues that the overarching goal should be the revitalization and stabilization of contemporary ecosystems. For example, elephants with genes modified to express mammoth traits could expand into the Arctic, re-establishing lost productivity to the tundra ecosystem. Looking at the very real and compelling science behind an idea once seen as science fiction, How to Clone a Mammoth demonstrates how de-extinction will redefine conservation's future. ...Show more