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Searching for Science Policy
by Jonathan B. ImberThe findings of scientific research often provide an important baseline to the formation of public policy. However, effective communication to the larger public about what scientists do and know is a problem inherent to all democratic societies. It is the prerogative of democratic societies to determine what kind of scientific research will be funded. Searching for Science Policy offers innovative ways of thinking about how the rhetoric and practice of science operates in various institutional contexts.The book is divided into two parts. Part 1, "Policy Uses and Misuses of Science," explores the various ways in which scientific claims are inevitably mediated by how they are used. Joel Best, draws on statistics involving missing children, violence against women, and attendance figures at political demonstrations to demonstrate how the motivations to use inaccurate and misleading numbers stems directly from the ideological and organizational interests of those using them. Judith Kleinfeld analyzes recruitment policies for women scientists at MIT, showing how hiring practices that may be justifiable on extra-scientific factors are carried out based on pseudo-scientific studies not subject to public scrutiny. Robert MacCoun addresses the journalistic misuse of drug and drug abuse statistics and shows how this profoundly distorts policy implications drawn from them. And Allan Mazur examines the role scientific evidence has come to play in the law, pointing out the pitfalls of its intrinsic quality and how such evidence may be interpreted or misinterpreted by judges and juries.Part 2, "Searching for Science Policy," extends discussion of the role of science to specific ideas about how public policy-making might be improved in matters of law, family, environment, drug use, and health. Mark Kleiman weighs the sometimes conflicting claims of science and social order in formulating drug policy. Norval Glenn calls for closer cooperation between professional associations, the media, and researchers in reporting provisional social science findings to the public. Stanley Rothman and S. Robert Lichter examine the dynamic by which environmental organizations shape public perceptions of risk and harm. And in the concluding chapter, Sheila Jasanoff looks closely at differences between the provisional nature of science as normally practiced and the more contentious sphere of litigation that demands ultimate resolution.In a time when scientists find themselves subject to more public scrutiny than ever before, the well-informed citizen is no longer a moral ideal but rather a social imperative. Searching for Science Policy helps to clarify the grounds and the circumstances of more effective use of science in public discourse.
Searching For Stars on an Island in Maine
by Alan LightmanAs a physicist, Alan Lightman has always held a purely scientific view of the world. Even as a teenager, experimenting in his own laboratory, he was impressed by the logic and materiality of the universe, which is governed by a small number of disembodied forces and laws. Those laws decree that all things in the world are material and impermanent. But one summer evening, while looking at the stars from a small boat at sea, Lightman was overcome by the overwhelming sensation that he was merging with something larger than himself - a grand and eternal unity, a hint of something absolute and immaterial.Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine is the result of these seemingly contradictory impulses, written as an extended meditation on an island in Maine, where Lightman and his wife spend their summers. Framing the dialogue between religion and science as a contrast between absolutes and relatives, Lightman explores our human quest for truth and meaning and the different methods of religion and science in that quest. Along the way, he draws from sources ranging from St. Augustine's conception of absolute truth to Einstein's relativity, from a belief in the divine and eternal nature of stars to their discovered materiality and mortality, from the unity of the once indivisible atom to the multiplicity of subatomic particles and the recent notion of multiple universes. What emerges is not only an understanding of the encounter between science and religion but also a profound exploration of the complexity of human existence.
Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine
by Alan LightmanFrom the acclaimed author of Einstein's Dreams, here is an inspires, lyrical meditation on religion and science that explores the tension between our yearning for permanence and certainty, and the modern scientific discoveries that demonstrate the impermanent and uncertain nature of the world. <P><P>As a physicist, Alan Lightman has always held a scientific view of the world. As a teenager experimenting in his own laboratory, he was impressed by the logic and materiality of a universe governed by a small number of disembodied forces and laws that decree all things in the world are material and impermanent. <P><P>But one summer evening, while looking at the stars from a small boat at sea, Lightman was overcome by the overwhelming sensation that he was merging with something larger than himself—a grand and eternal unity, a hint of something absolute and immaterial. <P><P> Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine is Lightman's exploration of these seemingly contradictory impulses. He draws on sources ranging from Saint Augustine's conception of absolute truth to Einstein's theory of relativity, from the unity of the once-indivisible atom to the multiplicity of subatomic particles and the recent notion of multiple universes. <P><P>What he gives us is a profound inquiry into the human desire for truth and meaning, and a journey along the different paths of religion and science that become part of that quest.
Searching for the Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitor
by Robert Allan Mesler IIINominated as an outstanding thesis by the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of New Mexico, this thesis seeks to identify the gamma-ray burst (GRB) progenitor. GRBs are extragalactic explosions that briefly outshine entire galaxies, but the mechanism that can release that much energy over a In this book, the author uses the Zeus-MP astrophysical hydrodynamics code to model the environment around a stellar progenitor prior to the burst. He then develops a new semi-analytic MHD and emission model to produce light curves for GRBs encountering these realistic density profiles. The work ultimately shows that the circumburst medium surrounding a GRB at the time of the explosion is much more complex than a pure wind, and that observed afterglows are entirely consistent with a large subset of proposed stellar progenitors.
Searching for the Oldest Stars: Ancient Relics from the Early Universe
by Anna FrebelAstronomers study the oldest observable stars in the universe in much the same way that archaeologists study ancient artifacts on Earth. Here, Anna Frebel--who is credited with discovering several of the oldest and most primitive stars using the world's largest telescopes--takes readers into the far-flung depths of space and time to provide a gripping firsthand account of the cutting-edge science of stellar archaeology.Weaving the latest findings in astronomy with her own compelling insights as one of the world's leading researchers in the field, Frebel explains how sections of the night sky are "excavated" in the hunt for these extremely rare relic stars--some of which have been shining for more than 13 billion years--and how this astonishing quest is revealing tantalizing new details about the earliest times in the universe. She vividly describes how the very first stars formed soon after the big bang and then exploded as supernovae, leaving behind chemical fingerprints that were incorporated into the ancient stars we can still observe today. She shows how these fingerprints provide clues to the cosmic origin of the elements, early star and galaxy formation, and the assembly process of the Milky Way. Along the way, Frebel recounts her own stories of discovery, offering an insider's perspective on this exciting frontier of science.Lively and accessible, this book sheds vital new light on the origins and evolution of the cosmos while providing a unique look into life as an astronomer.
Searching for Velociraptor
by Lowell Dingus Mark A. NorellAn account of the search for, recovery, preservation, and study of the fossilized remains of the dinosaur Velociraptor as narrated by 2 paleontologists who led the expedition to Mongolia.
Searching Minds by Scanning Brains
by Marc Jonathan BlitzThis book examines the ethical and legal challenges presented by modern techniques of memory retrieval, especially within the context of potential use by the US government in courts of law. Specifically, Marc Blitz discusses the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable searches and the Fifth Amendment's self-incrimination clause. He also argues that we should pay close attention to another constitutional provision that individuals generally don't think of as protecting their privacy: The First Amendment's freedom of speech. First Amendment values also protect our freedom of thought, and this--not simply our privacy--is what is at stake if government engaged in excessive monitoring of our minds.
Sears and Zemansky's: University Physics, Volume 2
by Hugh D. Young Roger A. Freedman A. Lewis FordUniversity Physics Volume 2 (Chapers 21-37), 13/e continues to set the benchmark for clarity and rigor combined with effective teaching and research-based innovation. University Physics is known for its uniquely broad, deep, and thoughtful set of worked examples-key tools for developing both physical understanding and problem-solving skills. The Thirteenth Edition revises all the Examples and Problem-Solving Strategies to be more concise and direct while maintaining the Twelfth Edition's consistent, structured approach and strong focus on modeling as well as math. To help students tackle challenging as well as routine problems, the Thirteenth Edition adds Bridging Problems to each chapter, which pose a difficult, multiconcept problem and provide a skeleton solution guide in the form of questions and hints. The text's rich problem sets-developed and refined over six decades-are upgraded to include larger numbers of problems that are biomedically oriented or require calculus. The problem-set revision is driven by detailed student-performance data gathered nationally through MasteringPhysics®, making it possible to fine-tune the reliability, effectiveness, and difficulty of individual problems.
Sears and Zemansky's University Physics: with Modern Physics, 11th Edition
by Hugh D. Young Roger A. Freedman A. Lewis FordThis book is the product of more than half a century of innovation in physics education. When the first edition of University Physics by Francis W. Sears and Mark W. Zemansky appeared in 1949, it was revolutionary among calculus-based physics textbooks in its emphasis on the fundamental principles of physics and how to apply them. The success of University Physics with generations of students and educators throughout the world is a testament to the merits of this approach. In preparing this new Eleventh Edition, we have further enhanced and developed University Physics to emphasize two key objectives: helping students develop conceptual understanding, and helping them build strong problem- solving skills.
The Seas of Doom
by Steve Cole Woody FoxSomething very big and very dangerous is swimming in the seas of planet Aqua Minor. It's destroying all of the fish factories and making mincemeat out of all the submarines. So Captain Teggs and the brave crew on the DSS Sauropod set off to investigate. What do they find? A gigantic liopleurodon has made Aqua Minor its home. At first all the evidence points to him as the culprit behind the mass destruction. But then new evidence is uncovered that shows it couldn't be the liopleurodon. Is another monster lurking beneath the seas as well?
The Seas of Doom
by Steve Cole Woody FoxSomething very big and very dangerous is swimming in the seas of planet Aqua Minor. It's destroying all of the fish factories and making mincemeat out of all the submarines. So Captain Teggs and the brave crew on the DSS Sauropod set off to investigate. What do they find? A gigantic liopleurodon has made Aqua Minor its home. At first all the evidence points to him as the culprit behind the mass destruction. But then new evidence is uncovered that shows it couldn't be the liopleurodon. Is another monster lurking beneath the seas as well?
Seascape Ecology
by Simon J. PittmanSeascape Ecology provides a comprehensive look at the state-of-the-science in the application of landscape ecology to the seas and provides guidance for future research priorities. The first book devoted exclusively to this rapidly emerging and increasingly important discipline, it is comprised of contributions from researchers at the forefront of seascape ecology working around the world. It presents the principles, concepts, methodology, and techniques informing seascape ecology and reports on the latest developments in the application of the approach to marine ecology and management. A growing number of marine scientists, geographers, and marine managers are asking questions about the marine environment that are best addressed with a landscape ecology perspective. Seascape Ecology represents the first serious effort to fill the gap in the literature on the subject. Key topics and features of interest include: The origins and history of seascape ecology and various approaches to spatial patterning in the sea The links between seascape patterns and ecological processes, with special attention paid to the roles played by seagrasses and salt marshes and animal movements through seascapes Human influences on seascape ecology—includes models for assessing human-seascape interactions A special epilogue in which three eminent scientists who have been instrumental in shaping the course of landscape ecology offer their insights and perspectives Seascape Ecology is a must-read for researchers and professionals in an array of disciplines, including marine biology, environmental science, geosciences, marine and coastal management, and environmental protection. It is also an excellent supplementary text for university courses in those fields.
Seashells: More Than a Home
by Melissa StewartProlific, award-winning nonfiction author Melissa Stewart reveals the surprising ways seashells provide more than shelter to the mollusks that inhabit them.Young naturalists discover thirteen seashells in this elegant introduction to the remarkable versatility of shells. Dual-layered text highlights how shells provide more than a protective home in this expository nonfiction exploration. The informative secondary text underscores characteristics specific to each shell. Elegant watercolor illustrations create a scrapbook feel, depicting children from around the world observing and sketching seashells across shores.
Seashells: Jewels from the Ocean
by Budd TitlowThey have done time as jewelry and tools, as medicines, currency, and symbols of industry--and they have intrigued people, from beach-combing toddlers to serious scientists, since time began. Native interest meets natural history in this exquisitely illustrated account of the science and culture of seashells. With closeup photography and basic explanations of different shell types--univalves, bivalves, and cephalopods--how they are formed, what mollusks inhabit them, their morphology and life cycles, and much more, this is the book for anyone with an interest in seashells. This book includes information on the bewildering array of shell shapes, colors, sizes, and types, and describes where the different shells can be found throughout the world. As informative as it is visually arresting, the book will appeal to amateur and expert, collector and casual beachcomber. Picture captions included.
Seashells in My Pocket: A Child's Nature Guide Exploring the Atlantic Coast (2nd Edition)
by Judith HansenFrom the book Jacket: There is always something new for children to learn when they visit the seashore, and Seashells in My Pocket helps them to explore. Packed with scores of fascinating facts and new illustrations, this completely revised and expanded edition of Seashells in My Pocket tells kids all about nature along the Atlantic coast. The new Seashells in My Pocket includes: Sections on common shells, shore birds, sea creatures, seashore plants, and a new section on insects. A greatly expanded territory, now covering nature from Maine all the way to Florida. Dozens of species added. Locator maps showing where each species may be found. A convenient, carry-along size and sturdy, waterproof cover for long-lasting use. Perfect for taking to the beach. Tips on safety and protecting the shoreline environment.
Seashells of Southern Florida: Living Marine Mollusks of the Florida Keys and Adjacent Regions: Bivalves
by Paula M. Mikkelsen Rüdiger BielerLocated where the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea converge, the Florida Keys are distinctive for their rich and varied marine fauna. The Keys are home to nearly sixty taxonomic families of bivalves such as clams and mussels--roughly half the world's bivalve family diversity. The first in a series of three volumes on the molluscan fauna of the Keys and adjacent regions, Seashells of Southern Florida: Bivalves provides a comprehensive treatment of these bivalves, and also serves as a comparative anatomical guide to bivalve diversity worldwide. Paula Mikkelsen and Rüdiger Bieler cover more than three hundred species of bivalves, including clams, scallops, oysters, mussels, shipworms, jewel boxes, tellins, and many lesser-known groups. For each family they select an exemplar species and illustrate its shell and anatomical features in detail. They describe habitat and other relevant information, and accompany each species account with high-resolution shell photographs of other family members. Text and images combine to present species--to family-level characteristics in a complete way never before seen. The book includes fifteen hundred mostly color photographs and images of shells, underwater habitats, bivalves in situ, original anatomical and hinge drawings, scanning electron micrographs, and unique transparent--shell illustrations with major organ systems color-coded and clearly shown. Seashells of Southern Florida: Bivalves is the most complete guide to subtropical bivalves available. It is an essential tool for students and teachers of molluscan diversity and systematics, and an indispensable identification guide for collectors, scuba divers, naturalists, environmental consultants, and natural-resource managers.
Seashore Plants of California (California Natural History Guides #47)
by E. Yale Dawson Michael S. FosterThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1982.
Seashore Plants of Southern California (California Natural History Guides #19)
by E. Yale DawsonThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1966.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived</DIV
Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth
by Alanna MitchellIn Seasick, Alanna Mitchell dives beneath the surface of the worlds oceans to give readers a sense of how this watery realm can be managed and preserved, and with it life on earth.
Season to Taste: How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way
by Molly Birnbaum“A rich, engrossing, and deeply intelligent story….This is a book I won’t soon forget.”—Molly Wizenberg, bestselling author of A Homemade Life“Fresh, smart, and consistently surprising. If this beautifully written book were a smell, it would be a crisp green apple.”—Claire Dederer, bestselling author of PoserSeason to Taste is an aspiring chef’s moving account of finding her way—in the kitchen and beyond—after a tragic accident destroys her sense of smell. Molly Birnbaum’s remarkable story—written with the good cheer and great charm of popular food writers Laurie Colwin and Ruth Reichl—is destined to stand alongside Julie Powell’s Julie and Julia as a classic tale of a cooking life. Season to Taste is sad, funny, joyous, and inspiring.
Seasonal Flood Forecasts and Warning Response Opportunities: ENSO Applications in Bangladesh (Disaster Risk Reduction)
by Md. Rashed ChowdhuryThis book explores the feasibility of using El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-based forecasts and early warning systems to prevent losses from floods and droughts in Bangladesh. Despite advances in short-range flood forecasting and information dissemination systems in Bangladesh, the present system is less than satisfactory. This is due to short lead-time products, outdated dissemination networks, and lack of direct feedback from the end-user. One viable solution is to produce long-lead seasonal forecasts—the demand for which is significantly increasing in Bangladesh— and disseminate these products through appropriate channels. As observed in other regions, the success of seasonal forecasts, in contrast to short-term forecasts, depends on consensus among the participating institutions. Therefore, the primary objective of the book is to revisit and modify the framework of an ideal warning response system for issuance of consensus seasonal flood forecasts in Bangladesh. The book discusses issues related to the 5-stage Flood Forecasts, Warning, and Response System (FFWRS) and emphasizes the role of the seasonal ‘Climate Outlook Forum (COF)’ in Bangladesh. The book also identifies ways to improve forecasting and early warning systems by utilizing ENSO-based climate data and models, and discusses a comprehensive and participatory approach to seasonal flood hazard management in Bangladesh.Several successful case examples of ENSO-based seasonal forecasts and early warning systems from other ENSO-sensitive regions have been documented. The primary audience includes academics and students, government policymakers, engineers, and business leaders.
Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests: Ecology and Conservation
by Harold A. Mooney Hillary S. Young Gerardo Ceballos Rodolfo DirzoThough seasonally dry tropical forests are equally as important to global biodiversity as tropical rainforests, and are one of the most representative and highly endangered ecosystems in Latin America, knowledge about them remains limited because of the relative paucity of attention paid to them by scientists and researchers and a lack of published information on the subject. Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests seeks to address this shortcoming by bringing together a range of experts in diverse fields including biology, ecology, biogeography, and biogeochemistry, to review, synthesize, and explain the current state of our collective knowledge on the ecology and conservation of seasonally dry tropical forests. The book offers a synthetic and cross-disciplinary review of recent work with an expansive scope, including sections on distribution, diversity, ecosystem function, and human impacts. Throughout, contributors emphasize conservation issues, particularly emerging threats and promising solutions, with key chapters on climate change, fragmentation, restoration, ecosystem services, and sustainable use. Seasonally dry tropical forests are extremely rich in biodiversity, and are seriously threatened. They represent scientific terrain that is poorly explored, and there is an urgent need for increased understanding of the system's basic ecology. Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests represents an important step in bringing together the most current scientific information about this vital ecosystem and disseminating it to the scientific and conservation communities.
Seasons (Cycles of Nature)
by Jaclyn JaycoxWhat time of year do leaves change color? Why can’t flowers grow in the snow? Track all four seasons and discover the importance of weather patterns to plant and animal life,
Seasons (Be an Expert!)
by Erin KellyKids love to be the experts! Now they can feel like real pros with this exciting nonfiction series for beginning readers. Kids will be hooked on the thrilling real-world topics and big, bright photos. Each book features simple sentences and sight words that children can practice reading. Then, with support, kids can dig deeper into the extra facts, Q&As, and fun challenges.Fans of this series will be eager to become real experts!Some are warm and sunny. Some are cold and wet. There are four different seasons in a year! What do you know about winter, spring, summer, and fall? With this book you can become an expert!
Seasons of Life: The biological rhythms that enable living things to thrive and survive
by Russell G. Foster Leon KreitzmanIn this fascinating book, Russell G. Foster and Leon Kreitzman draw on remarkable recent scientific advances to explain how seasonal change affects organisms, and how plants and animals over countless generations have evolved exquisite sensitivities and adaptations to the seasons. The authors also highlight the impact of seasonal change on human health and well-being. They conclude with a discussion of the dangers posed when climate changes disrupt the seasonal rhythms on which so much life depends.