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The Lost Language of Plants: The Ecological Importance of Plant Medicine to Life on Earth
by null Stephen Harrod BuhnerNautilus Book Awards: Ecology/EnvironmentForeWord Reviews Book of the Year: Silver Medal, EnvironmentIn the &“pharmaceutical Silent Spring&” well-known author, teacher, lecturer, and herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner has produced a book that is certain to generate controversy. Inside The Lost Language of Plants, you'll find:A critique of technological medicine, and especially the dangers to the environment posed by pharmaceuticals and other synthetic substances that people use in connection with health care and personal body care.A new look at Gaia Theory, including an explanation that plants are the original chemistries of Gaia and those phytochemistries are the fundamental communications network for the Earth&’s ecosystems.Extensive documentation of how plants communicate their healing qualities to humans and other animals. Western culture has obliterated most people&’s capacity to perceive these messages, but this book also contains valuable information on how we can restore our faculties of perception.The book will affect readers on rational and emotional planes. It is grounded in both a New Age spiritual sensibility and hard science. While some of the author&’s claims may strike traditional thinkers as outlandish, Buhner presents his arguments with such authority and documentation that the scientific underpinnings, however unconventional, are completely credible.The overall impact is a powerful, eye-opening exposé of the threat that our allopathic Western medical system, in combination with our unquestioning faith in science and technology, poses to the primary life-support systems of the planet. At a time when we are preoccupied with the terrorist attacks and the possibility of biological warfare, perhaps it is time to listen to the planet. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned about the state of the environment, the state of health care, and our cultural sanity.
Lost Maps of the Caliphs: Drawing the World in Eleventh-Century Cairo
by Yossef Rapoport Emilie Savage-SmithAbout a millennium ago, in Cairo, an unknown author completed a large and richly illustrated book. In the course of thirty-five chapters, this book guided the reader on a journey from the outermost cosmos and planets to Earth and its lands, islands, features, and inhabitants. This treatise, known as The Book of Curiosities, was unknown to modern scholars until a remarkable manuscript copy surfaced in 2000.Lost Maps of the Caliphs provides the first general overview of The Book of Curiosities and the unique insight it offers into medieval Islamic thought. Opening with an account of the remarkable discovery of the manuscript and its purchase by the Bodleian Library, the authors use The Book of Curiosities to re-evaluate the development of astrology, geography, and cartography in the first four centuries of Islam. Their account assesses the transmission of Late Antique geography to the Islamic world, unearths the logic behind abstract maritime diagrams, and considers the palaces and walls that dominate medieval Islamic plans of towns and ports. Early astronomical maps and drawings demonstrate the medieval understanding of the structure of the cosmos and illustrate the pervasive assumption that almost any visible celestial event had an effect upon life on Earth. Lost Maps of the Caliphs also reconsiders the history of global communication networks at the turn of the previous millennium. It shows the Fatimid Empire, and its capital Cairo, as a global maritime power, with tentacles spanning from the eastern Mediterranean to the Indus Valley and the East African coast. As Lost Maps of the Caliphs makes clear, not only is The Book of Curiosities one of the greatest achievements of medieval mapmaking, it is also a remarkable contribution to the story of Islamic civilization that opens an unexpected window to the medieval Islamic view of the world.
Lost on a Mountain in Maine
by Donn Fendler Joseph EganAll he had was hope.When twelve-year-old Donn Fendler gets tired of waiting for his father and brothers to join him on the summit of Maine's highest peak, he decides to find his own way back to camp. But Donn doesn't expect a fast-moving fog to obscure his path, knocking him completely off course. He doesn't count on falling down an embankment that hides him from sight. And he never could have imagined taking a wrong turn that leaves him alone to wander aimlessly for nearly two weeks in the empty mountain wilderness.A true and inspiring story about a boy's harrowing journey through nature's unforgiving terrain.
LOST Opportunities
by Reed Stevens Philip Bell Aria Razfar Bronwyn BevanLearning in informal settings is attracting growing attention from policymakers and researchers, yet there remains, at the moment, a dearth of literature on the topic. Thus this volume, which examines how science and mathematics are experienced in everyday and out-of-school-time (OST) settings, makes an important contribution to the field of the learning sciences. Conducting research on OST learning requires us to broaden and deepen our conceptions of learning as well as to better identify the unique and common qualities of different learning settings. We must also find better ways to analyze the interplay between OST and school-based learning. In this volume, scholars develop theoretical structures that are useful not only for understanding learning processes, but also for helping to create and support new opportunities for learning, whether they are in or out of school, or bridging a range of settings. The chapters in this volume include studies of everyday and 'situated' processes that facilitate science and mathematics learning. They also feature new theoretical and empirical frameworks for studying learning pathways that span both in- and out-of-school time and settings. Contributors also examine structured OST programs in which everyday and situated modes of learning are leveraged in support of more disciplined practices and conceptions of science and mathematics. Fortifying much of this work is a leading focus on educational equity--a desire to foster more socially supportive and intellectually engaging science and mathematics learning opportunities for youth from historically non-dominant communities. Full of compelling examples and revealing analysis, this book is a vital addition to the literature on a subject with a fast-rising profile.
The Lost Orchid: A Story of Victorian Plunder and Obsession
by Sarah BilstonThe forgotten story of a decades-long international quest for a rare and coveted orchid, chronicling the botanists, plant hunters, and collectors who relentlessly pursued it at great human and environmental cost.In 1818, a curious root arrived in a small English village, tucked—seemingly by accident—in a packing case mailed from Brazil. The amateur botanist who cultivated it soon realized that he had something remarkable on his hands: an exceptionally rare orchid never before seen on British shores. It arrived just as “orchid mania” was sweeping across Europe and North America, driving a vast plant trade that catered to wealthy private patrons as well as the fast-growing middle classes eager to display exotic flowers at home. Dubbed Cattleya labiata, the striking purple-and-crimson bloom quickly became one of the most coveted flowers on both continents.As tales of the flower’s beauty spread through scientific journals and the popular press, orchid dealers and enthusiasts initiated a massive search to recover it in its natural habitat. Sarah Bilston illuminates the story of this international quest, introducing the collectors and nurserymen who funded expeditions, the working-class plant hunters who set out to find the flower, the South American laborers and specialists with whom they contracted, the botanists who used the latest science to study orchids in all their varieties, and the writers and artists who established the near-mythic status of the “lost orchid.” The dark side of this global frenzy was the social and environmental harm it wrought, damaging fragile ecologies on which both humans and plants depended.Following the human ambitions and dramas that drove an international obsession, The Lost Orchid is a story of consumer desire, scientific curiosity, and the devastating power of colonial overreach.
The Lost Planets: Peter van de Kamp and the Vanishing Exoplanets around Barnard's Star (The\mit Press Ser.)
by John WenzA fascinating account of the pioneering astronomer who claimed (erroneously) to have discovered a planet outside the solar system.There are innumerable planets revolving around innumerable stars across our galaxy. Between 2009 and 2018, NASA's Kepler space telescope discovered thousands of them. But exoplanets—planets outside the solar system—appeared in science fiction before they appeared in telescopes. Astronomers in the early decades of the twentieth century spent entire careers searching for planets in other stellar systems. In The Lost Planets, John Wenz offers an account of the pioneering astronomer Peter van de Kamp, who was one of the first to claim discovery of exoplanets. Van de Kamp, working at Swarthmore College's observatory, announced in 1963 that he had identified a planet around Barnard's Star, the second-closest star system to the Sun. He cited the deviations in Barnard's star's path—“wobbles” that suggested a large object was lurching around the star. Van de Kamp became something of a celebrity (appearing on a television show with “Mr. Wizard,” Don Henry), but subsequent research did not support his claims. Wenz describes van de Kamp's stubborn refusal to accept that he was wrong, discusses the evidence found by other researchers, and explains recent advances in exoplanet detection, including transit, radial velocity, direct imaging, and microlensing. Van de Kamp retired from Swarthmore in 1972, and died in 1995 at 93. In 2009, Swarthmore named its new observatory the Peter van de Kamp Observatory. In the 1990s, astronomers discovered and confirmed the first planet outside our solar system. In 2018, an exoplanet was detected around Barnard's Star—not, however, the one van de Kamp thought he had discovered in 1963.
Lost Sex
by Isa Schön Peter Van Dijk Koen MartensSex is the queen of problems in evolutionary biology. Generations of researchers have investigated one of the last remaining evolutionary paradoxes: why sex exists at all. Given that sexual reproduction is costly from an evolutionary point of view, one could wonder why not all animals and plants reproduce asexually. Dozens of contemporary hypotheses attempt to explain the prevalence of sex and its advantages and predict the early extinction of fully asexual lineages. The major theme of this book is: what is the fate of animal and plant groups in which sex is lost? Initial chapters discuss theory behind asexual life: what major disadvantages do asexual groups have to face, what are the genetic and ecological consequences and what does this theory predict for more applied aspects of asexual life, for example in agricultural pests, diseases as well as in cultural crops such as grapes. Cases studies in many animals (focusing on both invertebrates and vertebrates) and plants reveal parallel, but also singularly novel adaptations to the absence of meiosis and syngamy. And last but not least, are asexuals really doomed to early extinction or do genuine ancient asexuals exist? This book assembles contributions from the most important research groups dealing with asexual evolution in eukaryotes. It is a milestone in research on parthenogenesis and will be useful to undergraduate as well as graduate students and to senior researchers in all fields of evolutionary biology, as the paradox of sex remains its queen of problems.
The Lost Species: Great Expeditions in the Collections of Natural History Museums
by Christopher KempThe tiny, lungless Thorius salamander from southern Mexico, thinner than a match and smaller than a quarter. The lushly white-coated Saki, an arboreal monkey from the Brazilian rainforests. The olinguito, a native of the Andes, which looks part mongoose, part teddy bear. These fantastic species are all new to science—at least newly named and identified; but they weren’t discovered in the wild, instead, they were unearthed in the drawers and cavernous basements of natural history museums. As Christopher Kemp reveals in The Lost Species, hiding in the cabinets and storage units of natural history museums is a treasure trove of discovery waiting to happen. With Kemp as our guide, we go spelunking into museum basements, dig through specimen trays, and inspect the drawers and jars of collections, scientific detectives on the hunt for new species. We discover king crabs from 1906, unidentified tarantulas, mislabeled Himalayan landsnails, an unknown rove beetle originally collected by Darwin, and an overlooked squeaker frog, among other curiosities. In each case, these specimens sat quietly for decades—sometimes longer than a century—within the collections of museums, before sharp-eyed scientists understood they were new. Each year, scientists continue to encounter new species in museum collections—a stark reminder that we have named only a fraction of the world’s biodiversity. Sadly, some specimens have waited so long to be named that they are gone from the wild before they were identified, victims of climate change and habitat loss. As Kemp shows, these stories showcase the enduring importance of these very collections. The Lost Species vividly tells these stories of discovery—from the latest information on each creature to the people who collected them and the scientists who finally realized what they had unearthed—and will inspire many a museumgoer to want to peek behind the closed doors and rummage through the archives.
The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder
by Douglas PrestonFrom the #1 bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God, a jaw-dropping discovery of an Egyptian tomb opens up a slew of archaeological mysteries and deadly tales. Now in paperback with an EXCITING BONUS ADVENTURE! What&’s it like to be the first to enter an Egyptian burial chamber that&’s been sealed for thousands of years? What horrifying secret was found among the prehistoric ruins of the American Southwest? Who really was the infamous the Monster of Florence? From the jungles of Honduras to macabre archaeological sites in the American Southwest, Douglas Preston's explorations have taken him across the globe. The Lost Tomb brings together a compelling collection of true stories about buried treasure, enigmatic murders, lost tombs, bizarre crimes, and other fascinating tales of the past and present.
Lost World
by Tom KoppelFor decades the issue seemed moot. The first settlers, we were told, were big-game hunters who arrived from Asia at the end of the Ice Age some 12,000 years ago, crossing a land bridge at the Bering Strait and migrating south through an ice-free passage between two great glaciers blanketing the continent. But after years of sifting through data from diverse and surprising sources, the maverick scientists whose stories Lost World follows have found evidence to overthrow the "big-game hunter" scenario and reach a new and startling and controversial conclusion: The first people to arrive in North America did not come overland -- they came along the coast by water. In this groundbreaking book, award-winning journalist Tom Koppel details these provocative discoveries as he accompanies the archaeologists, geologists, biologists, and paleontologists on their intensive search. Lost World takes readers under the sea, into caves, and out to the remote offshore islands of Alaska, British Columbia, and California to present detailed and growing evidence for ancient coastal migration. By accompanying the key scientists on their intensive investigations, Koppel brings to life the quest for that Holy Grail of New World prehistory: the first peopling of the Americas.
The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate (The Lost World Series #Volume 1)
by John H. Walton2016 Christianity Today Biblical Studies Award of Merit For centuries the story of Adam and Eve has resonated richly through the corridors of art, literature and theology. But for most moderns, taking it at face value is incongruous. And even for many thinking Christians today who want to take seriously the authority of Scripture, insisting on a "literal" understanding of Genesis 2–3 looks painfully like a "tear here" strip between faith and science. How can Christians of good faith move forward? Who were the historical Adam and Eve? What if we've been reading Genesis—and its claims regarding material origins—wrong? In what cultural context was this couple, this garden, this tree, this serpent portrayed? Following his groundbreaking Lost World of Genesis One, John Walton explores the ancient Near Eastern context of Genesis 2–3, creating space for a faithful reading of Scripture along with full engagement with science for a new way forward in the human origins debate. As a bonus, an illuminating excursus by N. T. Wright places Adam in the implied narrative of Paul's theology. The Lost World of Adam and Eve will be required reading for anyone seeking to understand this foundational text historically and theologically, and wondering how to view it alongside contemporary understandings of human origins.
The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate (The Lost World Series #Volume 2)
by John H. WaltonIn this astute mix of cultural critique and biblical studies, John H. Walton presents and defends twenty propositions supporting a literary and theological understanding of Genesis 1 within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world and unpacks its implications for our modern scientific understanding of origins.Ideal for students, professors, pastors and lay readers with an interest in the intelligent design controversy and creation-evolution debates, Walton's thoughtful analysis unpacks seldom appreciated aspects of the biblical text and sets Bible-believing scientists free to investigate the question of origins.
The Lost World of the Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secrets of the Prehistoric Age
by Armin Schmitt"An insightful and informative meander through the evolution of dinosaurs and other extinct species, with a touch of personal flair.&”—Steve Brusatte, professor and paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh and New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the DinosaursAn enrapturing tale of the age of the dinosaurs, tracing their earliest origins, their astounding two-hundred-million-year reign and their infamous demiseDinosaurs. No other class of animals captures the hearts of both children and adults alike. Paleontologist Armin Schmitt brings us a firsthand account of the latest research on dinosaurs and their lives millions of years ago, including his spectacular global excavations and fascinating discoveries in the field. With the help of cutting-edge technology and unbelievable new finds, the age-old tale of the dinosaurs is now revitalized for the very first time, complete with astonishing illustrations by Ben Rennen that help us imagine dinosaurs like never before.Though we&’re all familiar with popular dinosaurs such as the renowned Tyrannosaurus rex—every dino fan&’s favorite—Schmitt answers the questions we&’ve all been asking, such as: What is excavating at a dig site like? Why did birds survive the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous, unlike the rest of the dinosaurs? How has the field of paleontology changed since the Bone Wars? Does climate change and its effects on the dinosaurs&’ survival compare to our current climate crisis today?The Lost World of the Dinosaurs is an all-encompassing exploration traveling back in time into the world of the primeval giants, perfect for anyone interested in the largest land creatures that ever inhabited Earth.
Lothar Meyer: Modern Theories and Pathways to Periodicity (Classic Texts in the Sciences)
by Gisela Boeck Alan J. RockeThis book provides an English translation of the early fundamental contributions of Lothar Meyer (1830-1895) regarding his independent discovery, coincident with that of Dmitrii Mendeleev, of the periodic system of the elements. Although an English translation of the 5th edition of Meyer´s book Modern Theories of Chemistry and their Significance for Chemical Statics was published in 1888, this will be the first time that these crucial early texts will be available in English. These writings reveal details regarding Meyer´s research pathway to the idea of periodicity and to an arrangement of the chemical elements in tables and graphs.An introductory commentary and interpolated editorial footnotes to the texts clarify the (physico)-chemical background regarding the various shifts in thought during the crucial period from 1860 to the early 1870s. A short biography of Lothar Meyer completes the book.The volume includes a complete translation of the first edition of Modern Theories of Chemistry and their Significance for Chemical Statics (1864), the ground-breaking paper “The Nature of the Chemical Elements as a Function of their Atomic Weights” in Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, suppl. vol. 7 (1870), 354-64, and portions of the revised second edition of Modern Theories of Chemistry and their Significance for Chemical Statics (1872).
Lothar Meyer: Moderne Theorien und Wege zum Periodensystem (Klassische Texte der Wissenschaft)
by Gisela Boeck Alan J. RockeDieser Band stellt die grundlegenden Beiträge von Lothar Meyer im Zusammenhang mit seiner Entdeckung des Periodensystems vor, die zwar fast zeitgleich, aber unabhängig der von Dmitrij I. Mendeleev erfolgte. Dafür wurden folgende Texte ausgewählt: Die modernen Theorien der Chemie und ihre Bedeutung für die chemische Statik. 1. Auflage (1864); Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, VII. Supplementband (1870) und Auszüge aus der zweiten Auflage des Werkes Die modernen Theorien der Chemie und ihre Bedeutung für die chemische Statik (1872). Anhand dieser Texte zeigen die Kommentatoren Meyers Weg zur Erkenntnis der Periodizität der Eigenschaften der Elemente und deren Anordnung in einer Tafel und in einem Graphen. Im einführenden Kommentar stellen sie neben der Biographie von Meyer viele Details zum physikochemischen Hintergrund und zu Veränderungen in den chemischen Theorien der 1860er- und in den frühen 1870er-Jahren zusammen.
Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes: Patterns In Nature
by Stephen R. SwinburneA book about patterns that appear in nature, from animal colorings to physical phenomena.
Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes
by Stephen R. SwinburneWith a simple text and vivid full-color photographs, Stephen R. Swinburne shows children a wide range of nature's exquisite designs. He invites children to open their eyes and look for patterns in water and on land, in the air and on the ground, and in their own neighborhoods. They will see the world as they've never seen it before.
The Lotus japonicus Genome
by Satoshi Tabata Jens StougaardThis book provides insights into some of the key achievements made in the study of Lotus japonicus (birdsfoot trefoil), as well as a timely overview of topics that are pertinent for future developments in legume genomics. Key topics covered include endosymbiosis, development, hormone regulation, carbon/nitrogen and secondary metabolism, as well as advances made in high-throughput genomic and genetic approaches. Research focusing on model plants has underpinned the recent growth in plant genomics and genetics and provided a basis for investigations of major crop species. In the legume family Fabaceae, groundbreaking genetic and genomic research has established a significant body of knowledge on Lotus japonicus, which was adopted as a model species more than 20 years ago. The diverse nature of legumes means that such research has a wide potential and agricultural impact, for example, on the world's protein production.
Loudness
by Richard R. Fay Arthur N. Popper Mary FlorentineLoudness is the primary psychological correlate of intensity. When the intensity of a sound increases, loudness increases. However, there exists no simple one-to-one correspondence between loudness and intensity; loudness can be changed by modifying the frequency or the duration of the sound, or by adding background sounds. Loudness also changes with the listener's cognitive state. Loudness provides a basic reference for graduate students, consultants, clinicians, and researchers with a focus on recent discoveries. The book begins with an overview of the conceptual thinking related to the study of loudness, addresses issues related to its measurement, and later discusses the physiological effects of loud sounds, reaction times and electrophysiological measures that correlate with loudness. Loudness in the laboratory, loudness of steady-state sounds and the loudness of time-varying sounds are also covered, as are hearing loss and models.
Loudspeaker Physics and Forced Vibration
by William H. WatkinsThis book is a study of the workings of dynamic loudspeakers and dynamically forced vibration. With its wealth of practical observations and real-life examples, this work will prove invaluable to the practicing motor design or loudspeaker design engineer, as well as researchers and students in electroacoustics. The book is based on a lifetime’s accumulated knowledge by acclaimed speaker designer William H. (Bill) Watkins. It differs from the usual tone of most technical books on this subject by initially presenting, and analyzing in full, the function of each key parameter of a reference dynamic loudspeaker. Each parameter’s value is then calculated and also confirmed via lab measurements to vividly illustrate all energy-transduction facets of loudspeaker operation and the forced vibration. This presentation style makes the analysis both more engaging, intuitive, and easier to comprehend compared to most previous works in the field. The principles of this book apply to all direct reciprocating motors, not just those in a dynamic loudspeaker. Unique to the book is an entire chapter dedicated to the discussion of back-EMF voltage, discussed from several technical points of view and analyzed in depth as related to the dynamic transfer of energy between the mechanical and electrical domains. Another unique feature is a detailed discussion of Watkins’ patented dual-motor concept to achieve high dynamic speaker performance in the region of its low-frequency resonance.
Louis Agassiz: Creator of American Science
by Christoph IrmscherCharismatic and controversial, Louis Agassiz is our least known revolutionary—some fifty years after American independence, he became a founding father of American science. One hundred and seventy-five years ago, a Swiss immigrant took America by storm, launching American science as we know it. The irrepressible Louis Agassiz, legendary at a young age for his work on mountain glaciers, focused his prodigious energies on the fauna of the New World. Invited to deliver a series of lectures in Boston, he never left, becoming the most famous scientist of his time. A pioneer in field research and an obsessive collector, Agassiz enlisted the American public in a vast campaign to send him natural specimens, dead or alive, for his ingeniously conceived museum of comparative zoology. As an educator of enduring impact, he trained a generation of American scientists and science teachers, men and women alike. Irmscher sheds new light on Agassiz’s fascinating partnership with his brilliant wife, Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, a science writer in her own right who would go on to become the first president of Radcliffe College. But there’s a dark side to the story. Irmscher adds unflinching evidence of Agassiz’s racist impulses and shows how avidly Americans looked to men of science to mediate race policy. The book’s potent, original scenes include the pitched battle between Agassiz and his student Henry James Clark as well as the merciless, often amusing exchanges between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray over Agassiz’s stubborn resistance to evolution. A fascinating life story, both inspiring and cautionary, for anyone interested in the history of American ideas.
Louis Agassiz as a Teacher: Illustrative Extracts on His Method of Instruction
by Lane CooperBy a succession of living pictures, as it were, this book shows the eminent naturalist in the very act of teaching. Sometimes he himself speaks, sometimes distinguished pupils of his reveal in their own words the process by which they were led to nature through direct and independent observation. The enthusiasm of their accounts is contagious.This collection of illustrative extracts on the ideals and practice of Louis Agassiz is probably unique in giving the actual methods of a great man of science in developing good students who could, in their turn, wisely instruct others. The book should be in the hands of all teachers, and of those who are preparing to teach.
Louis Harold Gray
by Sinclair WynchankThis book is a scientific biography of Louis Harold ("Hal") Gray, FRS (1905-65), a pioneer in radiobiology - a little known science that is nevertheless extremely important since it constitutes the basis of radiotherapy. Hal Gray's work also played a vital role in ensuring that radiography would be a safe procedure for the hundreds of millions of persons in whom X-ray pictures have been taken. The book offers fascinating insights into both the history of radiobiology and the life of Hal. It contains much unique biographical material made available to the author over the past 35 years by Hal's contemporaries, many of whom have since died. Great influences on Hal's life and studies, including his unusual high school, Christ's Hospital, and his firm moral beliefs, are described. But his life was not merely a gentle, cloistered existence in academia. Its ups and downs included events that would not have been out of place in a Hollywood drama. The book, the first biography of Hal, is intended for all who enjoy this genre (including those without a scientific background) or have an interest in the history of radiobiology and radiotherapy.
Louis Pasteur: Founder Of Modern Medicine (Sower Ser.sower Series Biographies)
by John H. Tiner Michael L. DenmanLearn about his early life as the son of a tanner. Experience his years of struggle as an unknown scientist and enjoy his triumph as one of the world's most celebrated heroes.