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The Nature of Plants: An Introduction to How Plants Work
by Craig N. HuegelChoice Outstanding Academic Title Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for General Nonfiction Plants play a critical role in how we experience our environment. They create calming green spaces, provide oxygen for us to breathe, and nourish our senses. In The Nature of Plants, ecologist and nursery owner Craig Huegel demystifies the complex lives of plants and provides readers with an extensive tour into their workings. Beginning with the importance of light, water, and soil, Huegel describes the process of photosynthesis and how best to position plants to receive optimal sunlight. He explains why plants suffer from overwatering, what essential elements plants need to flourish, and what important soil organisms reside with them. Readers will understand the difference between friendly and hostile bacteria, fungi, and insects. Sections on plant structure and reproduction focus in detail on major plant organs—roots, stems, and leaves—and cover flowering, pollination, fruit development, and seed germination. Huegel even delves into the mysterious world of plant communication, exploring the messages conveyed to animals or other plants through chemical scents and hormones. With color illustrations, photographs, and real-life examples from his own gardening experiences, Huegel equips budding botanists, ecologists, and even the most novice gardeners with knowledge that will help them understand and foster plants of all types.
The Nature of Scientific Knowledge
by Kevin MccainThis book offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the epistemology of science. It not only introduces readers to the general epistemological discussion of the nature of knowledge, but also provides key insights into the particular nuances of scientific knowledge. No prior knowledge of philosophy or science is assumed by The Nature of Scientific Knowledge. Nevertheless, the reader is taken on a journey through several core concepts of epistemology and philosophy of science that not only explores the characteristics of the scientific knowledge of individuals but also the way that the development of scientific knowledge is a particularly social endeavor. The topics covered in this book are of keen interest to students of epistemology and philosophy of science as well as science educators interested in the nature of scientific knowledge. In fact, as a result of its clear and engaging approach to understanding scientific knowledge The Nature of Scientific Knowledge is a book that anyone interested in scientific knowledge, knowledge in general, and any of a myriad of related concepts would be well advised to study closely.
The Nature of Scientific Thinking
by Jan FayeScientific thinking must be understood as an activity. The acts of interpretation, representation, and explanation are the cognitive processes by which scientific thinking leads to understanding. The book explores the nature of these processes and describes how scientific thinking can only be grasped from a pragmatic perspective.
The Nature of Selection: Evolutionary Theory in Philosophical Focus
by Elliott SoberThe Nature of Selection is a straightforward, self-contained introduction to philosophical and biological problems in evolutionary theory. It presents a powerful analysis of the evolutionary concepts of natural selection, fitness, and adaptation and clarifies controversial issues concerning altruism, group selection, and the idea that organisms are survival machines built for the good of the genes that inhabit them. "Sober's is the answering philosophical voice, the voice of a first-rate philosopher and a knowledgeable student of contemporary evolutionary theory. His book merits broad attention among both communities. It should also inspire others to continue the conversation. "-Philip Kitcher, Nature "Elliott Sober has made extraordinarily important contributions to our understanding of biological problems in evolutionary biology and causality. The Nature of Selection is a major contribution to understanding epistemological problems in evolutionary theory. I predict that it will have a long lasting place in the literature. "-Richard C. Lewontin
The Nature of Selection: Evolutionary Theory in Philosophical Focus
by Elliott SoberThe Nature of Selection is a straightforward, self-contained introduction to philosophical and biological problems in evolutionary theory. It presents a powerful analysis of the evolutionary concepts of natural selection, fitness, and adaptation and clarifies controversial issues concerning altruism, group selection, and the idea that organisms are survival machines built for the good of the genes that inhabit them. "Sober's is the answering philosophical voice, the voice of a first-rate philosopher and a knowledgeable student of contemporary evolutionary theory. His book merits broad attention among both communities. It should also inspire others to continue the conversation."-Philip Kitcher, Nature "Elliott Sober has made extraordinarily important contributions to our understanding of biological problems in evolutionary biology and causality. The Nature of Selection is a major contribution to understanding epistemological problems in evolutionary theory. I predict that it will have a long lasting place in the literature."-Richard C. Lewontin
The Nature of Sex: The Ins and Outs of Mating in the Animal Kingdom
by Carin BondarThought about sex today? Of course you have! It's about the most natural thing any animal can do. But have you ever wondered how human sex compares to that of other beasts? It's far from merely inserting part A into slot B. The sex lives of our animal cousins are fiendishly difficult, infinitely varied and often violent. They involve razor-sharp penises, murderous cannibals and chemical warfare in an epic battle between the sexes.Join renowned biologist Dr Carin Bondar on a fascinating journey from puberty to old age across the entire animal kingdom - it will forever change your idle daydreams about the nature of sex.
The Nature of Sex: The Ins and Outs of Mating in the Animal Kingdom
by Dr Carin BondarThought about sex today? Of course you have! It's about the most natural thing any animal can do. But have you ever wondered how human sex compares to that of other beasts? It's far from merely inserting part A into slot B. The sex lives of our animal cousins are fiendishly difficult, infinitely varied and often violent. They involve razor-sharp penises, murderous cannibals and chemical warfare in an epic battle between the sexes.Join renowned biologist Dr Carin Bondar on a fascinating journey from puberty to old age across the entire animal kingdom - it will forever change your idle daydreams about the nature of sex.
The Nature of Sex: The Ins and Outs of Mating in the Animal Kingdom
by Dr Carin BondarNarrated by the author.Thought about sex today? Of course you have! It's about the most natural thing any animal can do. But have you ever wondered how human sex compares to that of other beasts? It's far from merely inserting part A into slot B. The sex lives of our animal cousins are fiendishly difficult, infinitely varied and often violent. They involve razor sharp penises, murderous cannibals and chemical warfare in an epic battle between the sexes.Like us, animals must first find the perfect partner. You think we have it tough? Try having to do it while being hunted down by predators, against a backdrop of unpredictable or life-threatening conditions. Then, sperm and egg must successfully meet. Can you imagine doing this when your partner is intent on killing you or when other disgruntled singles are determined to throw you off your game? The next task is to ensure that the resultant offspring reach sexual maturity in order to keep the cycle going. The myriad ways in which this is accomplished is ingenious.Join Carin Bondar on a fascinating journey from puberty to old age across the entire animal kingdom - it will forever change your idle daydreams about the nature of sex.(p) 2015 Orion Publishing Group
The Nature of Space and Time (Princeton Science Library #40)
by Roger Penrose Stephen HawkingFrom two of the world's great physicists—Stephen Hawking and Nobel laureate Roger Penrose—a lively debate about the nature of space and timeEinstein said that the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. But was he right? Can the quantum theory of fields and Einstein's general theory of relativity, the two most accurate and successful theories in all of physics, be united into a single quantum theory of gravity? Can quantum and cosmos ever be combined? In The Nature of Space and Time, two of the world’s most famous physicists—Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time) and Roger Penrose (The Road to Reality)—debate these questions.The authors outline how their positions have further diverged on a number of key issues, including the spatial geometry of the universe, inflationary versus cyclic theories of the cosmos, and the black-hole information-loss paradox. Though much progress has been made, Hawking and Penrose stress that physicists still have further to go in their quest for a quantum theory of gravity.
The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves
by W. Brian Arthur“More than anything else technology creates our world. It creates our wealth, our economy, our very way of being,” says W. Brian Arthur. Yet despite technology’s irrefutable importance in our daily lives, until now its major questions have gone unanswered. Where do new technologies come from? What constitutes innovation, and how is it achieved? Does technology, like biological life, evolve? In this groundbreaking work, pioneering technology thinker and economist W. Brian Arthur answers these questions and more, setting forth a boldly original way of thinking about technology. The Nature of Technology is an elegant and powerful theory of technology’s origins and evolution. Achieving for the development of technology what Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions did for scientific progress, Arthur explains how transformative new technologies arise and how innovation really works. Drawing on a wealth of examples, from historical inventions to the high-tech wonders of today, Arthur takes us on a mind-opening journey that will change the way we think about technology and how it structures our lives. The Nature of Technology is a classic for our times.
The Nature of Temporal (t > 0) Science: A Physically Realizable Principle
by Francis T.S. YuThe author has shown that practically all our laws, principles, and theories are not physically realizable, since they were derived from an empty space paradigm. From which this book is started with the origin of our temporal (t > 0) universe, it shows that temporal subspace is a physically realizable space within our universe. As in contrasted with generally accepted paradigm where time is an independent variable. From which the author has shown that it is not how rigorous mathematics is, but it is the temporal (t > 0) space paradigm determines the physically realizable solution. Although Einstein’s relativity and Schrödinger's principle had revolutionized the modern science, this book has shown that both theory and principle are physically non-realizable since they were developed from an empty space paradigm. One of the most important contribution of this book must be the revolutionary idea of our temporal (t > 0) space, for which the author has shown that absolute certainty exists only at the present (t = 0) moment. Where past-time information has no physical substance and future-time represents a physically realizable yet uncertainty. From which the author has shown that all the existent laws, principles, and theories were based on past-time certainties to predict the future, but science is supposed to be approximated. The author has also shown that this is precisely our theoretical science was developed. But time independent laws and principles are not existed within our temporal universe, in view of the author’s temporal exclusive principle. By which the author has noted that timeless science has already created a worldwide conspiracy for examples such as superposition principle, qubit information, relativity theory, wormhole travelling and many others. This book has also shown that Heisenberg’s uncertainty is an observational principle independent with time, yet within our universe everything changes with time. In this book the author has also noted that micro space behaviors the same as macro space regardless of the particle size. Finally, one of interesting feature is that, that big bang creation was ignited by a self-induced gravitational force instead by time as commonly believed. Nevertheless, everything has a price to pay; a section of time ∆t and an amount of energy ∆E and it is not free. The author has also shown that time is the only variable that cannot be changed. Although we can squeeze a section of time ∆t as small as we wish but we can never able to squeeze ∆t to zero even we have all the needed energy. Nevertheless, this revolutionary book closer to the truth is highly recommended to every scientist and engineer, otherwise we will forever be trapped within the timeless fantasyland of science. This book is intended for cosmologists, particle physicists, astrophysicists, quantum physicists, computer scientists, optical scientists, communication engineers, professors, and students as a reference or a research-oriented book.
The Nature of Things
by LucretiusLucretius' poem On the Nature of Things combines a scientific and philosophical treatise with some of the greatest poetry ever written. With intense moral fervour he demonstrates to humanity that in death there is nothing to fear since the soul is mortal, and the world and everything in it is governed by the mechanical laws of nature and not by gods; and that by believing this men can live in peace of mind and happiness. He bases this on the atomic theory expounded by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, and continues with an examination of sensation, sex, cosmology, meteorology, and geology, all of these subjects made more attractive by the poetry with which he illustrates them.
The Nature of Time
by J. Woods HalleyThis book reviews and contrasts contemporary and historical perceptions of time from scientific and intuitive human points of view. Ancient and modern clocks, Augustinian ideas, the deterministic Newtonian universe, biological clocks, deep time, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and relativity all contribute to the perspective. The focus is on what can be inferred from established technologies and science as opposed to futuristic speculation. Chapter 1 describes clocks, including the cesium atomic clocks establishing the current global time standard, a history of clock development, biological clocks, phylogenetic trees, radioactive dating, and astronomical methods to determine the age of the universe. Chapter 2 poses ancient questions about time not fully addressed by an understanding of the technical nature of clocks. An early summary of some of these questions as described by Augustine in the 3rd century CE is followed by a description of how Newton, 1300 years later, introduced a conception of time which provided some answers, such as the nature of an infinitesimally short present. Implications concerning the reality of events in the past, present, and future are also discussed. The Newtonian picture is contrasted with the intuitive human one and the possibilities of time travel and temporal recurrence are briefly discussed. Chapter 3 introduces the second law of thermodynamics and addresses how it is compatible with a time-reversible Newtonian description of a universe, even though it appears to define an "arrow of time." The nature of entropy and its relation to coarse graining and emergence play a central role in the discussion. Chapter 4 discusses ways in which quantum mechanics has altered the Newtonian perspective, accounting for various interpretations of the meaning of quantum mechanics with regard to time. Chapter 5 describes basic elements of special relativity and their implications for the nature of time. Examples of time dilation and the changing order of space, such as separated events in different frames, are described. The examples are chosen to avoid evocation of currently unattainable technologies. An afterword in chapter 6 reviews questions raised by Augustine and summarizes how the development of science since then has addressed them. This book was originally developed for an interdisciplinary seminar for beginning undergraduates at the University of Minnesota. It uses a small amount of algebra, mainly in supplementary appendices, and does not assume any prior knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology, or astronomy. In contrast to many semipopular books on time, it avoids speculation either about engineering (techno-optimism) or physical theory (strings, loop quantum gravity, black hole entropy). Instead, it takes a more grounded approach and describes what is currently known (and not known) to help both students and the general reader make better sense of time.
The Nature of Ultralong C–C Bonds (Springer Theses)
by Takuya ShimajiriThis book focuses on the creation and demonstration of a carbon–carbon (C–C) single bond beyond 1.8 Å and on elucidation of its unique nature. C–C single bond is one of the most fundamental concepts in organic chemistry. The elucidation of its nature is important for further understanding chemical phenomena. The nature in the extreme state of C–C single bond is still unexplored because of the instability of compounds. In terms of its bond length, the limit had been predicted around 1.8 Å based on the experimental and theoretical studies. This book describes a first example of a C–C single bond beyond 1.8 Å by employing the original intramolecular core-shell strategy to make a weak and elongated bond stable enough. The presence of such an elongated bond was demonstrated by experimental and theoretical studies. The bond length changes could affect physical properties such as optical absorption and redox potential. Furthermore, its unique "flexibility" was discovered. This book benefits the chemists with deeper understanding of the covalent bonding.
The Nature of Visual Illusion
by Mark FinemanFascinating, profusely illustrated study explores the psychology and physiology of vision, including light and color, motion receptors, the illusion of movement, much more. Over 100 illustrations.
The Nature of X-Rays and Their Interactions with Matter (Springer Tracts in Modern Physics #288)
by Joachim StöhrThis book gives a comprehensive account of modern x-ray science, based on the use of synchrotron radiation and x-ray-free electron lasers (XFELs). It emphasizes the new capabilities of XFELs which extend the study of matter to the intrinsic timescales associated with the motion of atoms and chemical transformations and give birth to the new field of non-linear x-ray science. Starting with the historical understanding of the puzzling nature of light, it covers the modern description of the creation, properties, and detection of x-rays within quantum optics. It then presents the formulation of the interactions of x-rays with atomic matter, both, from semi-classical and first-principles quantum points of view. The fundamental x-ray processes and techniques, absorption, emission, Thomson, and resonant scattering (REXS and RIXS) are reviewed with emphasis on simple intuitive pictures that are illustrated by experimental results. Concepts of x-ray imaging and diffractive imaging of atomic and nano structures are discussed, and the quantum optics formulation of diffraction is presented that reveals the remarkable quantum substructure of light. The unique power of x-rays in providing atom and chemical-bond specific information and separating charge and spin phenomena through x-ray polarization (dichroism) effects are highlighted. The book concludes with the discussion of many-photon or non-linear x-ray phenomena encountered with XFELs, such as stimulated emission and x-ray transparency.
The Nature of the Beast: How Emotions Guide Us
by David J. AndersonA pioneering neuroscientist offers a new way of understanding how emotions drive behaviorDoes your dog get sad when you leave for the day? Does your cat purr because she loves you? Do bears attack when they&’re angry? You can&’t very well ask them. In fact, scientists haven&’t been able to reach a consensus on whether animals even have emotions like humans do, let alone how to study them. Yet studies of animal emotion are critical for understanding human emotion and mental illness. In The Nature of the Beast, pioneering neuroscientist David J. Anderson describes a new approach to solving this problem. He and his colleagues have figured out how to study the brain activity of animals as they navigate real-life scenarios, like fleeing a predator or competing for a mate. His research has revolutionized what we know about animal fear and aggression. Here, he explains what studying emotions and related internal brain states in animals can teach us about human behavior, offering new insights into why isolation makes us more aggressive, how sex and violence connect, and whether there&’s a link between aggression and mental illness. Full of fascinating stories, The Nature of the Beast reconceptualizes how the brain regulates emotions–and explains why we have them at all.
The Nature of the Beast: The first genetic evidence on the survival of apemen, yeti, bigfoot and other mysterious creatures into modern times
by Bryan SykesProfessor Bryan Sykes, the world's leading expert on human genetics, set a goal to locate and analyse as many DNA samples as possible with links to the yeti. In doing so, he found himself entering a strange world of mystery and sensationalism, fraud and obsession and even the supernatural. Protected by the ruthless vigour of genetic analysis he was able to listen to the stories of the yeti without having to form an opinion. The only opinion that mattered was the DNA.Three hair samples from the miogi, the Bhutanese yeti are the cause of the investigation. The hairs did not surrender their secrets easily, but eventually two were identified as known species of bear. The third remained a mystery. One of the many theories to account for the yeti legend is that there were small groups of Neanderthals that had managed to survive until recent times. If so, would it be possible to detect recent interbreeding between our own species and Neanderthals in the genomes of indigenous people living in remote regions? Professor Sykes has made some surprising and significant discoveries. Discoveries that could change our understanding of human origins.
The Nature of the Beast: The first genetic evidence on the survival of apemen, yeti, bigfoot and other mysterious creatures into modern times
by Bryan SykesProfessor Bryan Sykes, the world's leading expert on human genetics, set a goal to locate and analyse as many DNA samples as possible with links to the yeti. In doing so, he found himself entering a strange world of mystery and sensationalism, fraud and obsession and even the supernatural. Protected by the ruthless vigour of genetic analysis he was able to listen to the stories of the yeti without having to form an opinion. The only opinion that mattered was the DNA.Three hair samples from the miogi, the Bhutanese yeti are the cause of the investigation. The hairs did not surrender their secrets easily, but eventually two were identified as known species of bear. The third remained a mystery. One of the many theories to account for the yeti legend is that there were small groups of Neanderthals that had managed to survive until recent times. If so, would it be possible to detect recent interbreeding between our own species and Neanderthals in the genomes of indigenous people living in remote regions? Professor Sykes has made some surprising and significant discoveries. Discoveries that could change our understanding of human origins.
The Nature of the Economy: Aristotelian Essays on the Philosophy and Epistemology of Economics
by Ricardo F. CrespoThis book explores the deep meaning—the nature or essence—of the economy and its fundamental components. As a monograph on the philosophy of the economy and economics, it deduces the metaphysical nature of these two, going step by step from more general to more specific realities to finally arrive at the adequate features of the economic sciences and their methods. It builds on a largely Aristotelian approach, but also draws extensively from modern scholarship in the area. Usefully and pertinently, the book covers both general aspects of the economy and particular historically specific features. Among the important topics covered in the book are the meanings of the economy, the nature and role of economic agents, the nature of the macroeconomy, the nature and role of money, and so on. The book concludes with chapters on the nature of economics itself and its methodologies.
The Nature of the Future: Agriculture, Science, and Capitalism in the Antebellum North
by Emily PawleyThe nostalgic mist surrounding farms can make it hard to write their history, encrusting them with stereotypical rural virtues and unrealistically separating them from markets, capitalism, and urban influences. The Nature of the Future aims to remake this staid vision. Emily Pawley examines a place and period of enormous agricultural vitality—antebellum New York State—and follows thousands of “improving agriculturists,” part of the largest, most diverse, and most active scientific community in nineteenth-century America. Pawley shows that these improvers practiced a kind of science hard for contemporary readers to recognize, in which profit was not only a goal but also the underlying purpose of the natural world. Far from producing a more rational vision of nature, northern farmers practiced a form of science where conflicting visions of the future landscape appeared and evaporated in quick succession. Drawing from environmental history, US history and the history of science, and extensively mining a wealth of antebellum agricultural publications, The Nature of the Future uncovers the rich loam hiding beneath ostensibly infertile scholarly terrain, revealing a surprising area of agricultural experimentation that transformed American landscapes and American ideas of expertise, success, and exploitation.
The Nature of the Mechanical Bond: From Molecules to Machines
by J. Fraser Stoddart Carson J. Bruns"The story is told by THE inventor-pioneer-master in the field and is accompanied by amazing illustrations... [it] will become an absolute reference and a best seller in chemistry!" Alberto Credi "... the great opus on the mechanical bond. A most impressive undertaking!" Jean-Marie Lehn Congratulations to co-author J. Fraser Stoddart, a 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. In molecules, the mechanical bond is not shared between atoms--it is a bond that arises when molecular entities become entangled in space. Just as supermolecules are held together by supramolecular interactions, mechanomolecules, such as catenanes and rotaxanes, are maintained by mechanical bonds. This emergent bond endows mechanomolecules with a whole suite of novel properties relating to both form and function. They hold unlimited promise for countless applications, ranging from their presence in molecular devices and electronics to their involvement in remarkably advanced functional materials. The Nature of the Mechanical Bond is a comprehensive review of much of the contemporary literature on the mechanical bond, accessible to newcomers and veterans alike. Topics covered include: Supramolecular, covalent, and statistical approaches to the formation of entanglements that underpin mechanical bonds in molecules and macromolecules Kinetically and thermodynamically controlled strategies for synthesizing mechanomolecules Chemical topology, molecular architectures, polymers, crystals, and materials with mechanical bonds The stereochemistry of the mechanical bond (mechanostereochemistry), including the novel types of dynamic and static isomerism and chirality that emerge in mechanomolecules Artificial molecular switches and machines based on the large-amplitude translational and rotational motions expressed by suitably designed catenanes and rotaxanes. This contemporary and highly interdisciplinary field is summarized in a visually appealing, image-driven format, with more than 800 illustrations covering both fundamental and applied research. The Nature of the Mechanical Bond is a must-read for everyone, from students to experienced researchers, with an interest in chemistry's latest and most non-canonical bond.Read the Preface
The Nature-Nurture Debates
by Dale GoldhaberHow is it possible that in more than one hundred years, the nature-nurture debate has not come to a satisfactory resolution? The problem, Dale Goldhaber argues, lies not with the proposed answers, but with the question itself. In The Nature-Nurture Debate, Goldhaber reviews the four major perspectives on the issue - behavior genetics, environment, evolutionary psychology and developmental systems theory - and shows that the classic, reductionist strategies (behavior genetics and environmental approaches) are incapable of resolving the issue because they each offer a false perspective on the process of human development. It is only through a synthesis of the two holistic perspectives of evolutionary psychology and developmental systems theory that we will be able to understand the nature of human behavior.
The Nature-Study Idea: And Related Writings (The Liberty Hyde Bailey Library)
by Liberty Hyde BaileyIn The Nature-Study Idea, Liberty Hyde Bailey articulated the essence of a social movement, led by ordinary public-school teachers, that lifted education out of the classroom and placed it into firsthand contact with the natural world. The aim was simple but revolutionary: sympathy with nature to increase the joy of living and foster stewardship of the earth.With this definitive edition, John Linstrom reintroduces The Nature-Study Idea as an environmental classic for our time. It provides historical context through a wealth of related writings, and introductory essays relate Bailey's vision to current work in education and the intersection of climate change and culture. In this period of planetary turmoil, Bailey's ambition to cultivate wonder (in adults as well as children) and lead readers back into the natural world is more important than ever.
The Navier-Stokes Problem in the 21st Century
by Pierre Gilles Lemarie-RieussetPraise for the first edition “The author is an outstanding expert in harmonic analysis who has made important contributions. The book contains rigorous proofs of a number of the latest results in the field. I strongly recommend the book to postgraduate students and researchers working on challenging problems of harmonic analysis and mathematical theory of Navier-Stokes equations." —Gregory Seregin, St Hildas College, Oxford University “"This is a great book on the mathematical aspects of the fundamental equations of hydrodynamics, the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. It covers many important topics and recent results and gives the reader a very good idea about where the theory stands at present.” —Vladimir Sverak, University of Minnesota The complete resolution of the Navier–Stokes equation—one of the Clay Millennium Prize Problems—remains an important open challenge in partial differential equations (PDEs) research despite substantial studies on turbulence and three-dimensional fluids. The Navier–Stokes Problem in the 21st Century, Second Edition continues to provide a self-contained guide to the role of harmonic analysis in the PDEs of fluid mechanics, now revised to include fresh examples, theorems, results, and references that have become relevant since the first edition published in 2016.