- Table View
- List View
Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics
by Vladimir DobrevTraditionally, Lie Theory is a tool to build mathematical models for physical systems. Recently, the trend is towards geometrisation of the mathematical description of physical systems and objects. A geometric approach to a system yields in general some notion of symmetry which is very helpful in understanding its structure. Geometrisation and symmetries are meant in their broadest sense, i.e., classical geometry, differential geometry, groups and quantum groups, infinite-dimensional (super-)algebras, and their representations. Furthermore, we include the necessary tools from functional analysis and number theory. This is a large interdisciplinary and interrelated field. Samples of these new trends are presented in this volume, based on contributions from the Workshop "Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics" held near Varna, Bulgaria, in June 2011. This book is suitable for an extensive audience of mathematicians, mathematical physicists, theoretical physicists, and researchers in the field of Lie Theory.
Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics
by Vladimir DobrevTraditionally, Lie Theory is a tool to build mathematical models for physical systems. Recently, the trend is towards geometrisation of the mathematical description of physical systems and objects. A geometric approach to a system yields in general some notion of symmetry which is very helpful in understanding its structure. Geometrisation and symmetries are meant in their broadest sense, i. e. , classical geometry, differential geometry, groups and quantum groups, infinite-dimensional (super-)algebras, and their representations. Furthermore, we include the necessary tools from functional analysis and number theory. This is a large interdisciplinary and interrelated field. Samples of these new trends are presented in this volume, based on contributions from the Workshop "Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics" held near Varna, Bulgaria, in June 2011. This book is suitable for an extensive audience of mathematicians, mathematical physicists, theoretical physicists, and researchers in the field of Lie Theory.
Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics: Varna, Bulgaria, June 2019 (Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics #335)
by Vladimir DobrevThis volume presents modern trends in the area of symmetries and their applications based on contributions to the workshop "Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics" held near Varna (Bulgaria) in June 2019. Traditionally, Lie theory is a tool to build mathematical models for physical systems. Recently, the trend is towards geometrization of the mathematical description of physical systems and objects. A geometric approach to a system yields in general some notion of symmetry, which is very helpful in understanding its structure. Geometrization and symmetries are meant in their widest sense, i.e., representation theory, algebraic geometry, number theory, infinite-dimensional Lie algebras and groups, superalgebras and supergroups, groups and quantum groups, noncommutative geometry, symmetries of linear and nonlinear partial differential operators, special functions, and others. Furthermore, the necessary tools from functional analysis are included. This is a large interdisciplinary and interrelated field. The topics covered in this volume from the workshop represent the most modern trends in the field : Representation Theory, Symmetries in String Theories, Symmetries in Gravity Theories, Supergravity, Conformal Field Theory, Integrable Systems, Polylogarithms, and Supersymmetry. They also include Supersymmetric Calogero-type models, Quantum Groups, Deformations, Quantum Computing and Deep Learning, Entanglement, Applications to Quantum Theory, and Exceptional Quantum Algebra for the standard model of particle physics This book is suitable for a broad audience of mathematicians, mathematical physicists, and theoretical physicists, including researchers and graduate students interested in Lie Theory.
Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics: Varna, Bulgaria, June 2023 (Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics #473)
by Vladimir DobrevThis volume presents modern trends in the area of symmetries and their applications based on contributions to the workshop "Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics" held in Sofia (Bulgaria) in June 2023. Traditionally, Lie theory is a tool to build mathematical models for physical systems. Recently, the trend is towards geometrization of the mathematical description of physical systems and objects. A geometric approach to a system yields in general some notion of symmetry, which is very helpful in understanding its structure. Geometrization and symmetries are meant in their widest sense, i.e., representation theory, algebraic geometry, number theory, infinite-dimensional Lie algebras and groups, superalgebras and supergroups, groups and quantum groups, noncommutative geometry, symmetries of linear and nonlinear partial differential operators, special functions, and others. Furthermore, the necessary tools from functional analysis are included. This is a large interdisciplinary and interrelated field. The topics covered in this volume from the workshop represent the most modern trends in the field: Representation Theory, Symmetries in String Theories, Symmetries in Gravity Theories, Supergravity, Conformal Field Theory, Integrable Systems, Polylogarithms, and Supersymmetry. They also include Supersymmetric Calogero-type models, Quantum Groups, Deformations, Quantum Computing and Deep Learning, Entanglement, Applications to Quantum Theory, and Exceptional Quantum Algebra for the standard model of particle physics This book is suitable for a broad audience of mathematicians, mathematical physicists, and theoretical physicists, including researchers and graduate students interested in Lie Theory.
Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz: Ein Überblick für Praktiker
by Roland Falder Constantin Frank-Fahle Peter PoleacovDieses Buch ist eine der ersten Publikationen zum neuen Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz. Der praxisbezogene Überblick stellt im Wesentlichen die neu geschaffenen Unternehmenspflichten, die Kernaspekte des Gesetzes sowie die Umsetzung der Sorgfaltspflichten dar. Zudem wird das neue Gesetz in den Kontext vergleichbarer Gesetze in anderen Jurisdiktionen und zur geplanten EU-Richtlinie gebracht, um einen internationalen Einblick in die Materie zu gewährleisten.
Lies of the Land: Painted Maps in Late Medieval and Early Modern France
by Camille SerchukLies of the Land examines the often-overlooked artistic roots of mapmaking practice in early modern France, offering an original perspective on discourses of accuracy and their relationship to the pictorial origins of modern mapmaking.Until the seventeenth century, most mapmakers in France were painters. Schooled in techniques of drawing and perspective—and in the careful study of nature that we associate with early modernity—they also learned the more expressive and imaginative Mannerist forms that dominated French painting in this period. Their maps draw on conventions of both painting and mapmaking to create beautiful, informative, and persuasive images for a wide variety of contexts and purposes. In this book, Camille Serchuk explores the strategies these cartographers deployed to weave together accuracy, ornament, and artifice in maps at all scales. Looking beyond the techniques of measurement and perspective, Serchuk shows how painterly interventions framed and manipulated the appearance and reception of cartographic objects.Lies of the Land is an important new assessment of the character and status of early modern cartography that challenges binary distinctions between art and science and between decorative and epistemic images. It will appeal especially to art historians and historians of sixteenth-century France as well as scholars of map history.
Lies, Damned Lies, and Science: How to Sort Through the Noise Around Global Warming, the Latest Health Claims, and Other Scientific Controversies
by Sherry SeethalerDon't get hoodwinked: make sense of news. . . and make smarter decisions for yourself, your family, and the world! Objective, balanced techniques for thinking about everything from diet and drugs to climate change. Identifying and getting past the biases of politicians, lobbyists, marketers. . . and even some scientific and medical professionals. By scientist Dr. Sherry Seethaler, one of the world's most respected and innovative science educators.
Life After Carbon: The Next Global Transformation of Cities
by John Cleveland Peter PlastrikIn Life After Carbon urban sustainability consultants Pete Plastrik and John Cleveland present a global pattern of reinvention from the stories of 25 "innovation lab" cities—from Copenhagento Melbourne. Plastrik and Cleveland show that four transformational ideas are driving urban climate innovation around the world: carbon-free advantage, efficient abundance, nature's benefits, and adaptive futures.Life After Carbon presents the new ideas that are replacing the pillars of the modern-city model, converting climate disaster into urban opportunity, and shaping the next transformation of cities worldwide. It will inspire anyone who cares about the future of our cities, and help them to map a sustainable pathforward.
Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart
by Brian D. MclarenWhat does faith look like when cynicism seems more plausible?What does hope look like when hope seems irrational?What does love look like when hate becomes more popular?In recent years, author and activist Brian McLaren has sensed a widespread emotional shift among growing numbers of people. More and more friends, colleagues, students, and readers confess their sense of futility, their feelings of frustration bordering on despair. They feel that human civilization has passed certain tipping points and that a tide of doom is inexorably rising. This feeling creates a deep inner divide, a tension between a sincere and hopeful commitment to action for the common good on the one hand, and on the other, a feeling that no actions can prevent the arrival of an undesirable or even dystopian future.Life After Doom is a sober analysis of how things stand in relation to climate breakdown, and a deeply insightful exploration of the challenge of living well, maintaining resilience and growing in wisdom and love in the face of nations, ecosystems, economies, religions, and other institutions in disarray. Brian McLaren is the author of Faith After Doubt and Do I Stay Christian? and is a leading and authoritative voice at the intersection of religious faith and contemporary culture.'A book of rare wisdom, genuinely profound in depth and scope'DIANA BUTLER BASS
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall
by Lynn BrunelleFollow a blue whale&’s enormous body to the bottom of the ocean, where it sets the stage for a bustling new ecosystem to flourish.All living things must one day die, and Earth&’s largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton, it will offer food and shelter at each stage to a vast diversity of organisms, over the course of a century and beyond. Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin&’s astonishing artwork enriches and amplifies engaging, well-researched text by Bill Nye the Science Guy writer Lynn Brunelle. Young lovers of the macabre will relish each page of Life After Whale. Meanwhile, those grappling with the hard subject of death will take solace in this honest look at the circle of life, which closes on a young whale enjoying the same waves as her ancestor. Additional back pages offer further info and reading recommendations on whales, whale falls, and ecosystems.A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Life As We Know It (Big Questions)
by DKAs far as we know, Earth is the only inhabited planet in the Universe. So what makes Earth such an ideal place for life to survive? And how did it all get started? Life as We Know It goes back to the beginnings of life on our planet, explaining to middle grade readers how it emerged under hostile conditions from a chemical soup as a simple self-contained unit: the cell. Key biological themes, such as how cells work, produce energy, and reproduce are explained in simple terms. This knowledge is then used to explain how more complex organisms live. The book also looks at the wide variety of plant and animal life on Earth and how it evolved, and introduces the features and characteristics of members of the six kingdoms of life. Young readers will learn how life forms have adapted to occupy particular niches and what can happen if something upsets this balance. Lavishly illustrated with images from DK's extensive natural history photo library, this encyclopedia is a visual feast as well as a thorough treatment of biology. Through DK's unique visual style, scientific ideas that might appear intimidating in a textbook are made lucid at a glance.
Life Before the Drought (Routledge Library Editions: Water Resources)
by Earl ScottLittle attention had been paid to the realities of life in the Savanna-Sahel of West Africa before the drought of 1968-74, but this book, originally published in 1984 provides a set of authoritative accounts of the way in which the inhabitants cope with what outsiders perceive as a harsh environment. The peoples of the Savanna-Sahel are shown to be developers of strategies and technologies to manage their resources. Their understanding of the environment enables them to contribute substantially to any plans for economic and ecological recovery in the region. Their cooperative modes of life lead to greater social complexity and capacity for survival. Geographers, anthropologists and social historians should find the interdisciplinary human ecological approach of the book appealing. Development economists and rural planners will find the chapters on land-use patterns, and resource use particularly valuable.
Life Below Water (Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals)
by Walter Leal Filho Tony Wall Luciana Brandli Anabela Marisa Azul Amanda Lange SalviaThe problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. It encompasses 17 volumes, each one devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume is dedicated to SDG 14 “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development". Marine and coastal bio-resources, play an essential role in human well-being and social and economic development. This volume addresses this sustainability challenge providing the description of a range of terms, which allows a better understanding and fosters knowledge about it.Concretely, the defined targets are:Prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollutionSustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceansMinimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levelsEffectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristicsConserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific informationProhibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation 16Increase the economic benefits to small island developing states and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing states and least developed countriesProvide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and marketsEnhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of “The future we want”Editorial Board</di
Life Cycle Analysis Based on Nanoparticles Applied to the Construction Industry: A Comprehensive Curriculum
by Pilar Mercader-Moyano Paula Porras-PereiraThis open access book describes in the recent years, there has been a notable upsurge in the use of nanomaterials, particularly within the construction and building sectors. The incorporation of nanoparticles introduces noteworthy changes in the physico-mechanical and physical–chemical characteristics of construction materials. Despite the acknowledged advantages of employing nanomaterials, uncertainties persist regarding their widespread adoption in development and applications, especially concerning potential environmental and human health implications. A crucial aspect in thoroughly assessing the environmental impacts of nanoproducts is the imperative quantification of effects on ecosystems and human health throughout the entire life cycle of these products. The indispensable utilization of a comprehensive tool, such as Life Cycle Assessment, becomes paramount in gaining a nuanced understanding of potential environmental and health challenges, thereby ensuring the environmental sustainability of nanomaterials. This academic publication endeavours to provide nanoproduct manufacturers, construction industry professionals, and waste managers with the necessary knowledge to comprehend the environmental and health impacts associated with the manufacturing, application, and disposal processes of nanoproducts used in the construction industry. This contribution aims to enhance their personal and professional development, consequently bolstering their employability at the European level. A thorough comprehension of potential releases throughout the entire life cycle of nanoproducts and their potential effects is imperative for ensuring the safe and sustainable utilization of these innovative materials. The application of life cycle thinking emerges as a pivotal component in appropriately evaluating the potential impacts associated with nanomaterial releases.
Life Cycle Assessment (PocketArchitecture)
by Kathrina SimonenLife Cycle Assessment addresses the dynamic and dialectic of building and ecology, presenting the key theories and techniques surrounding the use of life cycle assessment data and methods. Architects and construction professionals must assume greater responsibility in helping building owners to understand the implications of making material, manufacturing, and assemblage decisions and therefore design to accommodate more ecological building. Life Cycle Assessment is a guide for architects, engineers, and builders, presenting the principles and art of performing life cycle impact assessments of materials and whole buildings, including the need to define meaningful goals and objectives and critically evaluate analysis assumptions. As part of the PocketArchitecture Series, the book includes both fundamentals and advanced topics. The book is primarily focused on arming the design and construction professional with the tools necessary to make design decisions regarding life cycle, reuse, and sustainability. As such, the book is a practical text on the concepts and applications of life cycle techniques and environmental impact evaluation in architecture and is presented in language and depth appropriate for building industry professionals.
Life Cycle Assessment: Future Challenges
by Surjya Narayana PatiThis book offers an itemized analysis of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), for use in any processes, products, services, industries, organizations and so forth. Various challenges faced during applications of LCA, and its extension are discussed including their benefits. Further, the book provides practical examples of LCA in different core sectors, such as cement and construction. Each chapter functions as a stand-alone unit within the book and defines its individual role within the overall concept of LCA. Features: Covers Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and future challenges including its practical applications as climate change tool. Connects life cycle management and LCA/environmental management. Explains benefits of LCA studies for both internal and external purpose in terms of various impact parameters. Identifies different raw materials or alternate energy mediums for changing inputs to reduce environmental impacts. Discusses extension of LCA concept like LCC, LCSA, SCLA, and OLCA. This book is aimed at professionals in all engineering areas and environmental studies.
Life Cycle Design: An Experimental Tool for Designers (PoliTO Springer Series)
by Francesca ThiebatThis book proposes an economic and environmental assessment tool to help private and public building designers and owners determine the global sustainability value of green buildings from a life cycle perspective. As it demonstrates, sustainable life cycle tools for building design and construction can help to achieve successfully integrated architecture. The first part of the book defines the relationship between environmental and economic aspects in a sustainable design approach and illustrates how life cycle methodologies, including Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing, can be applied to life cycle design. Further, it highlights methods for calculating costs from LCA data, taking into consideration both discounted cash flow and external costs. In turn, the second part of the book presents an experimental design model, the Life Cycle Design Model (LCDM), which is based on a life cycle design approach that can be used to produce two different outcomes based on two assessment levels. The first assessment level involves creating a grid, called a Design Matrix, which is useful in the design process. The second assessment level involves drawing on LCA and LCC results to develop a user-friendly tool for designers and other actors involved in the building process so that they can assess the most sustainable design option using €CO, a factor that combines the environmental and energy effects of the building system with time and costs. Selected case studies illustrate the practical application of life cycle analysis and show how reflecting the environmental impacts and costs can improve the sustainability of buildings. The LCDM represents a transdisciplinary tool for the design team and, at the same time, allows information on users’ needs and building performance to be communicated between experts and non-experts.
Life Cycle Management
by Guido Sonnemann Manuele MargniThis book provides insight into the Life Cycle Management (LCM) concept and the progress in its implementation. LCM is a management concept applied in industrial and service sectors to improve products and services, while enhancing the overall sustainability performance of business and its value chains. In this regard, LCM is an opportunity to differentiate through sustainability performance on the market place, working with all departments of a company such as research and development, procurement and marketing, and to enhance the collaboration with stakeholders along a company's value chain. LCM is used beyond short-term business success and aims at long-term achievements by minimizing environmental and socio-economic burden, while maximizing economic and social value.
Life Cycles: Everything from Start to Finish (DK Life Cycles)
by DKTake a look into the circle of life through the life cycles of the planet and everything on it!Everything begins and everything ends — but what happens in between? Find out in this stunning nature book. Learn about human life and development, processes in nature, how animals change over time, how the universe was formed and so much more. This illustrated children&’s book for ages 7-11 includes: • More than 60 life cycles featured • Stunning photographs that capture key moments during a life cycle, like penguin chicks huddling together to keep warm and the beauty of an orchid in full bloom • Bite-size facts and stats about every animal, plant, planet and habitat featured • A great new angle on the world, the universe and our place in it If you&’re looking for facts about the universe then this is the book for you! Based on key concepts found in the STEM learning curriculum, Life Cycles captures life on the planet through captivating illustrations and photography, amazing facts and easy-to-read text. You&’ll take a closer look at the life cycles of environments, and extinct animals like the dinosaurs, too! The life cycles in this reference book have been carefully chosen to give you an amazing overview of the universe, and how everything is linked. Discover a new life cycle every time you turn the page: how a river forms and changes over time, how a tree grows, see how coral reefs form. Follow the life cycles of weather — from the water cycle to ice ages, to give you a better idea of the climate change we find ourselves in now.From the single-celled amoeba, mountains, and volcanoes to continents, oceans and the solar system — take a deeper look into life on earth and all its intricacies!
Life Design for Women: Conscious Living as a Force for Positive Change
by Ariane BurgessA hands-on guide for designing a passionate, meaningful life that benefits you and the whole planet • Provides reflective visioning exercises and practical tools to help you examine your life as it is, the influences of your past, and the future you envision for yourself • Supports you to consciously weed out the thoughts and activities that get in the way of your authenticity and resonant heart • Helps you gain clarity in how to contribute more fully to a thriving regenerative future for both yourself and our world through your choices and actions When we choose to live more consciously, we benefit not only ourselves but all of life. In these turbulent times of transition and healing, women in particular are being called to reevaluate their lives and redirect their passion and actions toward purpose and meaning. By consciously redesigning our lives, we can reclaim our life force, connect more deeply with Nature and all life, and bring positive change to the world around us. Thus we become the true sovereign of our lives. Life Design for Women engages you in a simple, reflective visioning process to help you redesign your life to be more satisfying, meaningful, and aligned with your goals. Step by step, you will examine your life as it is, the influences of your past, and the future you envision for yourself. You will survey the domains of your life--from how you create &“home&” to your relationships with loved ones, food, your body, the Earth, and even Death. Applying the regenerative principles of sustainability to life design, author Ariane Burgess provides reflective exercises and practical tools to help you examine each of these domains, engage with natural systems, honor the feminine life force, and design your future. She shows how deep work in these areas gives you the resources needed to cut ties with the past and redirect your energy and passion toward your authentic purpose. You will learn to consciously weed out the thoughts and activities that get in the way of your resonant heart, take full responsibility for being the creator of your experiences, and make decisions that nurture your authentic self, rather than living your life through the dreams and fears of others. With this hands-on guide, you can reclaim your power through the Life Design process and choose to live more consciously. Gaining clarity on how you want to be, you bring well-being into your life and become a force for positive change, contributing to a thriving, regenerative future for life on Earth.
Life Finds a Way: What Evolution Teaches Us About Creativity
by Andreas WagnerHow the principles of biological innovation can help us overcome creative challenges in art, business, and scienceIn Life Finds a Way, biologist Andreas Wagner reveals the deep symmetry between innovation in biological evolution and human cultural creativity. Rarely is either a linear climb to perfection--instead, "progress" is typically marked by a sequence of peaks, plateaus, and pitfalls. For instance, in Picasso's forty-some iterations of Guernica, we see the same combination of small steps, incessant reshuffling, and large, almost reckless, leaps that characterize the way evolution transformed a dinosaur's grasping claw into a condor's soaring wing. By understanding these principles, we can also better realize our own creative potential to find new solutions to adversity.Ultimately, Life Finds a Way offers a new framework for the nature of creativity, enabling us to better adapt, grow, and change in art, business, or science--that is, in life.
Life From, For and To Water: Memoirs of Janos J. Bogardi (Springer Biographies)
by Janos J. BogardiThis book is translated from Hungarian. It was originally published as the sixth volume of the "Building the Future in Water Resources Management" series of the Water Science Council of the Hungarian Water Resources Management Directorate. It presents the water resources management of the last 50 plus years as seen, experienced, co-shaped and narrated by Janos Bogardi, a research professor of the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest. The author is simultaneously co-opted professor at the University of Bonn and distinguished adjunct professor of the Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani, Thailand. Born into a water resources engineering family and growing up in Budapest close to the Danube river pre-determined his professional orientation. He describes with light irony, and without the usual memoir style, his search for a fulfilling professional life. He discusses his engagement with the inter-university cooperation helping the transition of Central European universities earning him numerous academic recognitions. Dr. Bogardi’s career culminated with assignments as science diplomat and manager, working at UNESCO with local scientists in Central Asia, Russia and in Africa. He served as founding director of the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security. The book concludes with reminiscences to those whose influence and collaboration shaped Dr. Bogardi’s career.
Life In The Ocean: The Story Of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
by Claire A. NivolaSylvia Earle first lost her heart to the ocean as a young girl when she discovered the wonders of the Gulf of Mexico in her backyard. As an adult, she dives even deeper. Whether she's designing submersibles, swimming with the whales, or taking deep-water walks, Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to learning more about what she calls "the blue heart of the planet." With stunningly detailed pictures of the wonders of the sea, Life in the Ocean tells the story of Sylvia's growing passion and how her ocean exploration and advocacy have made her known around the world. This picture book biography also includes an informative author's note that will motivate young environmentalists.
Life Rules
by Ellen LaconteCorporate capitalism has ravaged the planet the same way HIV ravages the human body, triggering a critical mass of cascading environmental, economic, social, and political crises. Economic and climate instability, collapsing ecosystems, peak fossil fuels, and devastating resource wars--if the Earth were a patient, her condition would be critical. Life Rules offers a comprehensive analysis of our present circumstances, combined with a holistic treatment protocol for restoring health to vulnerable human and natural communities. Predicting that Life will last, but if we don't make some fundamental changes, life as we know it--and a lot of us--won't, Life Rules identifies natural laws that have allowed non-human communities to thrive and prosper for several billion years, including: Local self-reliance Mutual interdependence Reliance on non-fossil sources of energy Resource conservation, sharing, and recycling Radically democratic self-organization and governance This sobering yet essentially optimistic manifesto is required reading for anyone concerned about our ability to live within Earth's means. A powerful tool for community transition and cultural transformation, Life Rules offers a solution to our global challenges that is at once authentically hopeful, deeply inspiring, and profoundly liberating. Ellen LaConte is acting director of the EarthWalk Alliance, a contributing editor to Green Horizon Magazine and The Ecozoic, a frequent talk show guest, and publisher of the Starting Point online newsletter. She has written two books about Helen and Scott Nearing, homesteaders and best-selling authors of Living the Good Life, and she is the author of the upcoming environmental novel Afton.
Life Sculpted: Tales of the Animals, Plants, and Fungi That Drill, Break, and Scrape to Shape the Earth
by Anthony J. Martin"There is much to love between this book’s covers. . . . There are many eureka moments in Life Sculpted—and some truly beautiful ones."—Eugenia Bone, Wall Street Journal Meet the menagerie of lifeforms that dig, crunch, bore, and otherwise reshape our planet. Did you know elephants dig ballroom-sized caves alongside volcanoes? Or that parrotfish chew coral reefs and poop sandy beaches? Or that our planet once hosted a five-ton dinosaur-crunching alligator cousin? In fact, almost since its fascinating start, life was boring. Billions of years ago bacteria, algae, and fungi began breaking down rocks in oceans, a role they still perform today. About a half-billion years ago, animal ancestors began drilling, scraping, gnawing, or breaking rocky seascapes. In turn, their descendants crunched through the materials of life itself—shells, wood, and bones. Today, such “bioeroders” continue to shape our planet—from the bacteria that devour our teeth to the mighty moon snail, always hunting for food, as evidenced by tiny snail-made boreholes in clams and other moon snails. There is no better guide to these lifeforms than Anthony J. Martin, a popular science author, paleontologist, and co-discoverer of the first known burrowing dinosaur. Following the crumbs of lichens, sponges, worms, clams, snails, octopi, barnacles, sea urchins, termites, beetles, fishes, dinosaurs, crocodilians, birds, elephants, and (of course) humans, Life Sculpted reveals how bioerosion expanded with the tree of life, becoming an essential part of how ecosystems function while reshaping the face of our planet. With vast knowledge and no small amount of whimsy, Martin uses paleontology, biology, and geology to reveal the awesome power of life’s chewing force. He provokes us to think deeply about the past and present of bioerosion, while also considering how knowledge of this history might aid us in mitigating and adapting to climate change in the future. Yes, Martin concedes, sometimes life can be hard—but life also makes everything less hard every day.