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Weird and Wonderful Nature: Tales of More Than 100 Unique Animals, Plants, and Phenomena (DK Treasures)
by Ben HoareEnjoy more than 100 extraordinary stories of unusual species, behaviors, and objects all told by author Ben Hoare.Why do Mexican jumping beans jump? How do sea cucumbers defend themselves? What causes the northern lights? This book is filled with facts about the most surprising and curious plants, animals, rocks, and phenomena in nature.Children aged 7-9 can read stories of more than one hundred unique animals, plants and phenomena and learn about the weird and wonderful side of the natural world. Weird and Wonderful Nature is the third installment of the DK Treasure&’s series, exploring the many bizarre animals and plants that are uniquely adapted to their way of life.This fascinating nature book for kids offers: - Facts from a range of topics, from animals to plants and rocks to natural phenomena, that are guaranteed to wow adults and children alike.- Large photographs that show each species or item in incredible detail, with diagrams help to support understanding.- A gold foil cover and beautiful illustrations, making this book an ideal gift for young nature lovers.In Weird and Wonderful Nature, Ben Hoare&’s friendly, informative explanations are paired with photographs and charming illustrations to make sure every page captivates the imagination, while a glossary and index help to navigate the chapters.The third title by best selling author Ben Hoare, after Nature&’s Treasures and The Secret World of Plants, this is the ideal gift book series that will be treasured for years to come.More in the SeriesWeird and Wonderful Nature is part of DK&’s Treasure&’s series. Complete the series and inspire your child's curiosity in natural world with Nature&’s Treasures, or bring out their inner botanist with The Secret World of Plants.
The Weird and Wonderful World of Bugs: A Book About Beetles, Butterflies, and Other Fascinating Insects
by Rea Manderino PhDFascinating facts and up-close photos to delight bug fans ages 5 to 7 Calling all young bug enthusiasts! Come along on a journey into The Weird and Wonderful World of Bugs. Kids from ages 5 to 7 will learn all about the insects and other arthropods we call "bugs." They'll meet moths, bees, fireflies, spiders, and mosquitos in detailed, full-color photos that bring the bugs to life from antennae to abdomen. Entomologist Rea Manderino, PhD, offers scientific facts on every page, inspiring budding bug scientists to explore their backyards with new eyes. Discover intriguing facts like: More than one-third of all the insects on Earth are beetles. There are almost 390,000 species! Some ants are farmers! They bring leaves back to the nest and use them to grow fungus, which they feed to their babies. Pillbugs are a type of crustacean—like crabs—with many legs, a hard exoskeleton, and gills that need water to breathe. Leap, fly, and crawl into a big world of small wonders with this incredible bug book for kids.
Weird Astronomical Theories of the Solar System and Beyond
by David SeargentAfter addressing strange cosmological hypotheses in Weird Universe, David Seargent tackles the no-less bizarre theories closer to home. Alternate views on the Solar System's formation, comet composition, and the evolution of life on Earth are only some of the topics he addresses in this new work. Although these ideas exist on the fringe of mainstream astronomy, they can still shed light on the origins of life and the evolution of the planets. Continuing the author's series of books popularizing strange astronomy facts and knowledge, Weird Astronomical Theories presents an approachable exploration of the still mysterious questions about the origin of comets, the pattern of mass extinctions on Earth, and more. The alternative theories discussed here do not come from untrained amateurs. The scientists whose work is covered includes the mid-20th century Russian S. K. Vsekhsvyatskii, cosmologist Max Tegmark, British astronomers Victor Clube and William Napier, and American Tom Van Flandern, a specialist in celestial mechanics who held a variety of unusual beliefs about the possibility of intelligent life having come from elsewhere. Despite being outliers, their work reveals how much astronomical understanding is still evolving. Unconventional approaches have also pushed our scientific understanding for the better, as with R. W. Mandl's approaching Einstein with regard to gravitational lensing. Even without full substantiation (and some theories are hardly credible), their hypotheses allow for a new perspective on how the Solar System became what it is today.
Weird Astronomy
by David A.J. SeargentWeird Astronomy appeals to all who are interested in unusual celestial phenomena, whether they be amateur or professional astronomers or science buffs who just enjoy reading of odd coincidences, unexplained observations, and reports from space probes that "don't quite fit." This book relates a variety of "unusual" astronomical observations - unusual in the sense of refusing to fit easily into accepted thinking, or unusual in the observation having been made under difficult or extreme circumstances. Although some of the topics covered are instances of "bad astronomy," most are not. Some of the observations recorded here have actually turned out to be important scientific breakthroughs. Included are some amusing anecdotes (such as the incident involving "potassium flares" in ordinary stars and the story of Abba 1, the solar system's own flare star!), but the book's purpose is not to ridicule those who report anomalous observations, nor is it to challenge scientific orthodoxy. It is more to demonstrate how what's "weird" often turns out to be far more significant than observations of what we expect to see.
Weird Dinosaurs: The Strange New Fossils Challenging Everything We Thought We Knew
by John PickrellFrom the outback of Australia to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the savanna of Madagascar, the award-winning science writer and dinosaur enthusiast John Pickrell embarks on a world tour of new finds, meeting the fossil hunters who work at the frontier of discovery. He reveals the dwarf dinosaurs unearthed by an eccentric Transylvanian baron; an aquatic, crocodile-snouted carnivore bigger than T. rex that once lurked in North African waterways; a Chinese dinosaur with wings like a bat; and a Patagonian sauropod so enormous it weighed more than two commercial jet airliners. Other surprising discoveries hail from Alaska, Siberia, Canada, Burma, and South Africa. Why did dinosaurs grow so huge? How did they spread across the world? Did they all have feathers? What do sauropods have in common with 1950s vacuum cleaners? The stuff of adventure movies and scientific revolutions, Weird Dinosaurs examines the latest breakthroughs and new technologies that are radically transforming our understanding of the distant past. Pickrell opens a vivid portal to a brand-new age of fossil discovery, in which fossil hunters are routinely redefining what we know and how we think about prehistory's most iconic and fascinating creatures.
Weird Dinosaurs: The Strange New Fossils Challenging Everything We Thought We Knew
by John Pickrell&“A tour de force…highlights the odd reptiles that roamed all corners of the earth millions of years ago.&”—Sydney Morning Herald From the outback of Australia to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the savanna of Madagascar, the award-winning science writer and dinosaur enthusiast John Pickrell embarks on a world tour of new finds, meeting the fossil hunters who work at the frontier of discovery. He reveals the dwarf dinosaurs unearthed by an eccentric Transylvanian baron; an aquatic, crocodile-snouted carnivore bigger than T. rex that once lurked in North African waterways; a Chinese dinosaur with wings like a bat; and a Patagonian sauropod so enormous it weighed more than two commercial jet airliners. Other surprising discoveries hail from Alaska, Siberia, Canada, Burma, and South Africa. Why did dinosaurs grow so huge? How did they spread across the world? Did they all have feathers? What do sauropods have in common with 1950s vacuum cleaners? The stuff of adventure movies and scientific revolutions, Weird Dinosaurs examines the latest breakthroughs and new technologies that are radically transforming our understanding of the distant past. &“This history of the discovery of some of the most outlandish creatures that ever lived, and the excitement of paleontological research, will be sure to both entertain and instruct.&”—Spencer Lucas, author of Dinosaurs: The Textbook, Sixth Edition &“Fascinating.... Readers learn of beautiful opalised dinosaur bones from Australia and a crested dinosaur found approximately 13,000 feet up Antarctica's Mt. Kirkpatrick, demonstrating that dinosaurs were widely distributed across the globe.&”—Publishers Weekly
Weird Earth: Debunking Strange Ideas About Our Planet
by Donald R. Prothero“A breath of intellectual fresh air . . . [an] amusing look at how to dispel endemic pseudoscience and conspiracy theories through rational thinking.” —Publishers WeeklyAliens. Ley lines. Water dowsing. Conspiracies and myths captivate imaginations and promise mystery and magic. Whether it’s arguing about the moon landing hoax or a Frisbee-like Earth drifting through space, when held up to science and critical thinking, these ideas fall flat. In Weird Earth: Debunking Strange Ideas About Our Planet, Donald R. Prothero demystifies these conspiracies and offers answers to some of humanity’s most outlandish questions. Applying his extensive scientific knowledge, Prothero corrects misinformation that con artists and quacks use to hoodwink others about geology—hollow earth, expanding earth, and bizarre earthquakes—and mystical and paranormal happenings—healing crystals, alien landings, and the gates of hell. By deconstructing wild claims such as prophesies of imminent natural disasters, Prothero provides a way for everyone to recognize dubious assertions. Prothero answers these claims with facts, offering historical and scientific context in a light-hearted manner that is accessible to everyone, no matter their background. With a careful layering of evidence in geology, archaeology, and biblical and historical records, Prothero’s Weird Earth examines each conspiracy and myth and leaves no question unanswered.Weird Earth is about the facts and the people who don’t believe them. Don Prothero describes the process of science—and the process of not accepting it. If you’re wondering if humans walked on the Moon, if you’ve wondered where the lost City of Atlantis went, or if you’re wondering what your cat will do before an earthquake, check out Weird Earth.” —Bill Nye
Weird Inventions (Anything But Ordinary)
by Jennifer KaulHumans are ingenious when it comes to meeting challenges. We invent all sorts of useful contraptions from the wheel to the can opener. But some of the things people have come up with are truly odd. Who came up with grass sandals, and why? Have you ever heard of a portable radio hat? Not many people have, but someone invented it. Get the inside scoop on these odd contraptions and many more weird inventions.
Weird Life: The Search for Life That Is Very, Very Different from Our Own
by David Toomey"Weird indeed, and not a little wonderful."--Nature In the 1980s and 1990s, in places where no one thought it possible, scientists found organisms they called extremophiles: lovers of extremes. There were bacteria in volcanic hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, single-celled algae in Antarctic ice floes, and fungi in the cooling pools of nuclear reactors. But might there be life stranger than the most extreme extremophile? Might there be, somewhere, another kind of life entirely? In fact, scientists have hypothesized life that uses ammonia instead of water, life based not in carbon but in silicon, life driven by nuclear chemistry, and life whose very atoms are unlike those in life we know. In recent years some scientists have begun to look for the tamer versions of such life on rock surfaces in the American Southwest, in a "shadow biosphere" that might impinge on the known biosphere, and even deep within human tissue. They have also hypothesized more radical versions that might survive in Martian permafrost, in the cold ethylene lakes on Saturn's moon Titan, and in the hydrogen-rich atmospheres of giant planets in other solar systems. And they have imagined it in places off those worlds: the exotic ices in comets, the vast spaces between the stars, and--strangest of all--parallel universes. Distilling complex science in clear and lively prose, David Toomey illuminates the research of the biological avant-garde and describes the workings of weird organisms in riveting detail. His chapters feature an unforgettable cast of brilliant scientists and cover everything from problems with our definitions of life to the possibility of intelligent weird life. With wit and understanding that will delight scientists and lay readers alike, Toomey reveals how our current knowledge of life forms may account for only a tiny fraction of what's really out there.
Weird Maths: At the Edge of Infinity and Beyond
by David Darling Agnijo BanerjeeIs anything truly random? Does infinity actually exist? Could we ever see into other dimensions? In this delightful journey of discovery, David Darling and extraordinary child prodigy Agnijo Banerjee draw connections between the cutting edge of modern maths and life as we understand it, delving into the strange – would we like alien music? – and venturing out on quests to consider the existence of free will and the fantastical future of quantum computers. Packed with puzzles and paradoxes, mind-bending concepts and surprising solutions, this is for anyone who wants life&’s questions answered – even those you never thought to ask.
Weird Universe
by David A. J. SeargentAs new discoveries complicate the scientific picture of the universe, the evolving theories about the nature of space and time and the origins and fate of the universe threaten to become overwhelming. Enter David Seargent. Continuing the author's series of books popularizing strange astronomy facts and knowledge, Weird Universe explains the bizarre, complicated terrain of modern cosmology for lay readers. From exploring some of the strange consequences of the theories of special and general relativity, to probing time dilation and the twin and mother-and-baby "paradoxes" and the theory that the universe can be mathematically considered as a hologram, all of the latest findings and conjectures are clearly described in non-technical language. The development of quantum physics and the more recent developments of string and M-theory are looked at, in addition to several hypotheses that have not won wide acceptance from the scientific community, such as modified gravity. Enter the wonderfully weird world of these theories and gain a new appreciation for the latest findings in cosmological research.
Weird & Wacky Inventions: More Weird And Wacky Inventions
by Jim MurphyA hair-cutting machine, a used gum receptacle, jumping shoes, and more of the strangest inventions ever! A hat that can tip itself. A suitcase that turns into a bathtub. A pair of protective eyeglasses for chickens. These are just three of the hundreds of unusual inventions that people have dreamed up over the last two centuries. Some, such as the mustache guard, made perfect sense when they first appeared. Others were considered just plain silly. Jim Murphy has compiled a collection of the weirdest and wackiest inventions and presented them in a quiz style that is challenging and fun. Simple, clear explanations are provided on how the inventions worked or failed to work. Complete with over 100 colored illustrations of these crazy creations, this is the perfect gift for any child interested in science and inventions. Ages: 9-12.
Weird Weather
by David A. SeargentThis book is, in a sense, a sequel to David Seargent's first Springer book Weird Astronomy (2010). Whereas Weird Astronomy extended over a broad range of purely astronomical topics, the present work concentrates on phenomena closer to home; the atmospheric and "shallow space" events as opposed to deep space events. The line between astronomy and meteorology is blurred - a fact that is discussed in Weird Weather. It is not primarily a book of "wonders" or of the unexplained, although some of the topics covered remain mysteries. It is primarily directed toward those who are fascinated by climate and weather, and who are open-minded when considering Earth's climate, what drives it, and what are the causes of climate change. The author, David A. J. Seargent, presents the facts with a balanced and scientific approach. Weird Weather: Tales of Astronomical and Atmospheric Anomalies is about strange, unusual, and apparently inexplicable observations of the air and sky. Primarily these are in the Earth's atmosphere, but there are corresponding phenomena in the atmospheres of other planets of the Solar System - lightning on Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn, whirlwinds and dust storms of Mars, and auroras on Jupiter. Topics include anomalous lights, anomalous sounds, spectacular effects of cloud illumination by the Sun or Moon, lightning phenomena, electrophonic sounds of lightning, aurora and meteors, tornado and whirlwind phenomena on Earth and Mars, usual atmospheric effects, mirages, and the possible astronomical influences on cloud and climate.
Weird, Wild, Amazing!: Exploring The Incredible World Of Animals
by Tim FlanneryInternationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery’s first children’s book is a humorous, informed, and accessible deep-dive into the natural world. Are zombie jellyfish real? Do frogs like opera? What’s it like to wrestle a python? Tim Flannery has the answers. Introducing some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures on Earth, from water to sky and the forests and deserts in between, he offers in- depth and often bizarre facts on extraordinary animals that live in each habitat while incorporating concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy. Did you know that lions once roamed North America, or that albatrosses sleep-fly? Have you ever heard a piranha bark, or ever wondered how the sloth got its name? Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s environment with Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.
Weird, Wild, Amazing! Desert: Exploring the World's Incredible Drylands
by Tim FlanneryInternationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery explores Earth’s deserts and grasslands and the extraordinary animals that live in them. Are zombie ants real? How high can an armadillo jump? What’s it like to wrestle a python? Tim Flannery has the answers. In this informed and accessible book, he introduces some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures in our planet’s deserts and grasslands with in-depth and often-bizarre facts. Flannery ties together concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy throughout each animal’s profile, firmly connecting it to its environment while sparking wonder at its role in the natural world. Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! Desert teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s ecosystems with Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.
Weird, Wild, Amazing! Forest: Forest
by Tim FlanneryInternationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery explores our planet’s forests and the extraordinary animals that live in them. Can spiders fly? Are dire wolves real? Do chameleons practice magic? Tim Flannery has the answers. In this informed and accessible book, he introduces some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures in Earth’s forests with in-depth and often bizarre facts. Flannery ties together concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy throughout each animal’s profile, firmly connecting the animal to its environment while sparking wonder at its role in the natural world. Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! Forest teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s ecosystems with Tim Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.
Weird, Wild, Amazing! Sky: Exploring the Incredible World in the Clouds
by Tim FlanneryInternationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery takes readers to the skies to learn about the extraordinary animals that fly in them. Can owls swim? Do woodpeckers eat wood? Are vampire bats real? Tim Flannery has the answers. In this informed and accessible book, he introduces some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures soaring through Earth’s skies with in-depth and often-bizarre facts. Flannery ties together concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy throughout each animal’s profile, firmly connecting it to its environment while sparking wonder at its role in the natural world. Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! Sky teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s ecosystems with Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.
Weird, Wild, Amazing! Water: Water
by Tim FlanneryInternationally renowned author and scientist Tim Flannery explores our planet’s rivers and oceans and the extraordinary animals that live in them. Can jellyfish become zombies? Are narwhals unicorns? Can a turtle live in a tree? Tim Flannery has the answers. In this informed and accessible book, he introduces some of the most spectacular and unusual creatures in Earth’s waters with in-depth and often bizarre facts. Flannery ties together concepts of climate change, evolution, conservation, and taxonomy throughout each animal’s profile, firmly connecting it to its environment while sparking wonder at its role in the natural world. Packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by real-life anecdotes from one of our greatest science communicators, Weird, Wild, Amazing! Water teaches readers to cherish and delight in our planet’s ecosystems with Tim Flannery’s signature mix of humor and wisdom.
Weird Worlds
by David A. Seargent"Weird Worlds" is the third book in David Seargent's "Weird" series. This book assumes a basic level of astronomical understanding and concentrates on the "odd and interesting" aspects of planetary bodies, including asteroids and moons. From our viewpoint here on Earth, this work features the most unusual features of these worlds and the ways in which they appear "weird" to us. Within our own Solar System, odd facts such as the apparent reversal of the Sun in the skies of Mercury, CO2-driven fountains of dust on Mars, possible liquid water (and perhaps primitive life!) deep within the dwarf planet Ceres, and a variety of odd facts about the planetary moons are all discussed. A special chapter is devoted to Saturn's giant moon Titan, and its methane-based weather system and "hydrological" cycle. This chapter also includes recent speculation on the possibility of methane-based organisms and the form that these might take, if they really do exist. Beyond our Solar System, the book looks at the range of worlds discovered and hypothesized. In "Weird Worlds," the author discusses planets where temperatures are so high that it rains molten iron, and others so cold that liquid methane floods across plains of ice! Worlds are described where the lightest element acts like a metal and where winds blow at thousands of miles per hour - as well as possible planets whose orbits are essentially parabolic. In keeping with previous titles in David Seargent's "Weird" series, "Weird Worlds" contains several projects that astronomers of all levels can undertake.
Weirder Maths: At the Edge of the Possible
by David Darling Agnijo BanerjeeEven the most enthusiastic of maths students probably at one time wondered when exactly it would all prove useful in &‘real life&’. Well, maths reaches so far and wide through our world that, love it or hate it, we&’re all doing maths almost every minute of every day. David Darling and Agnijo Banerjee go in search of the perfect labyrinth, journey back to the second century in pursuit of &‘bubble maths&’, reveal the weirdest mathematicians in history and transform the bewildering into the beautiful, delighting us once again.
The Weirdness of the World
by Eric SchwitzgebelHow all philosophical explanations of human consciousness and the fundamental structure of the cosmos are bizarre—and why that&’s a good thingDo we live inside a simulated reality or a pocket universe embedded in a larger structure about which we know virtually nothing? Is consciousness a purely physical matter, or might it require something extra, something nonphysical? According to the philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel, it&’s hard to say. In The Weirdness of the World, Schwitzgebel argues that the answers to these fundamental questions lie beyond our powers of comprehension. We can be certain only that the truth—whatever it is—is weird. Philosophy, he proposes, can aim to open—to reveal possibilities we had not previously appreciated—or to close, to narrow down to the one correct theory of the phenomenon in question. Schwitzgebel argues for a philosophy that opens.According to Schwitzgebel&’s &“Universal Bizarreness&” thesis, every possible theory of the relation of mind and cosmos defies common sense. According to his complementary &“Universal Dubiety&” thesis, no general theory of the relationship between mind and cosmos compels rational belief. Might the United States be a conscious organism—a conscious group mind with approximately the intelligence of a rabbit? Might virtually every action we perform cause virtually every possible type of future event, echoing down through the infinite future of an infinite universe? What, if anything, is it like to be a garden snail? Schwitzgebel makes a persuasive case for the thrill of considering the most bizarre philosophical possibilities.
Welcome Home: Where Nature's Most Creative Creatures Dwell
by Lisa MundorffIn Lisa Mundorff's Welcome Home, young readers will delight in the realistic and literal interpretations of where some of our most favorite animals live. Humans love to put their feet up at home after a long day--whether they're in a house, apartment, or cabin. Well, even animals have their own particular homes. Otters kick it on a couch, lions retreat to their dens, and pigeons (the city dwellers that they are) call lofts their home.Where we live is a part of us.
Welcome to Dweeb Club
by Betsy UhrigFor fans of Gordon Korman comes a hilarious, heartfelt middle grade adventure about a school club whose members stumble across video footage of themselves from five years in the future.What if a school club changed your life forever? In the second week of seventh grade, Jason Sloan signs up for the brand-new HAIR Club. He and his friends have no idea what it&’s about, but since they&’re the first to sign up they figure they&’ll be in charge in no time. The club turns out to be super weird: using fancy new equipment donated by a mysterious benefactor, the members are supposed to monitor school security footage. Their first assignment: find out what is stealing the cafeteria&’s croutons. Instead of the expected dark cafeteria, the computers show the club members something else entirely: actual footage of themselves as high school seniors, five years in the future! What on earth could be happening? Is it some kind of time warp, or alternate reality? Or is it just an un-funny prank? As they scramble to solve the mystery, they can&’t help but notice something else—none of them like what they see five years from now. Is there any way to change the future—and their fates? Figuring out who you are and who you want to become has never been funnier in this laugh-out-loud romp through the perils of middle school—and beyond.
Welcome to Subirdia
by Jack Delap John M. MarzluffWelcome to Subirdia presents a surprising discovery: the suburbs of many large cities support incredible biological diversity. Populations and communities of a great variety of birds, as well as other creatures, are adapting to the conditions of our increasingly developed world. In this fascinating and optimistic book, John Marzluff reveals how our own actions affect the birds and animals that live in our cities and towns, and he provides ten specific strategies everyone can use to make human environments friendlier for our natural neighbors. Over many years of research and fieldwork, Marzluff and student assistants have closely followed the lives of thousands of tagged birds seeking food, mates, and shelter in cities and surrounding areas. From tiny Pacific wrens to grand pileated woodpeckers, diverse species now compatibly share human surroundings. By practicing careful stewardship with the biological riches in our cities and towns, Marzluff explains, we can foster a new relationship between humans and other living creatures-one that honors and enhances our mutual destiny.
