Science to Fascinate You

Science to Fascinate You Why a Curveball Curves: The Incredible Science of Sports by Frank Vizard Published 2008 by Hearst Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781588164759 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: Sports. They get our blood pumping and our hearts racing. Fans scream and cheer as their favorite athletes run, throw, pedal, dive, or swing their way to victory. But what makes an athlete successful? Why do some players excel when others fall behind? ... More... The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch a Sketch, Boomerang, and More by Ed Sobey Published 2008 by Chicago Review Press Paperback, English. ISBN: 9781556527456 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: A Selection of the Scientific American Book ClubProfiling 50 of the world's most popular playthings--including their history, trivia, and the technology involved--this guide uncovers the hidden science of toys. Discover how an Etch A Sketch writes on its gray screen, why a boomerang returns after it is thrown, and how an RC car responds to a remote control device.... More... Sacred Geometry: Deciphering the Code by Stephen Skinner Published 2006 by Sterling Publishing (NY) Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781402741296 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: "The Da Vinci Code "has awakened the public to the powerful and very ancient idea that religious truths and mathematical principles are intimately intertwined. "Sacred Geometry" offers an accessible way of understanding how that connection is revealed in nature and the arts.... More... Animal Architects: Building and the Evolution of Intelligence by James L. Gould Published 2007 by Perseus Books Group Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780465027828 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: Animal behavior has long been a battleground between the competing claims of nature and nurture, with the possible role of cognition in behavior as a recent addition to this debate. There is an untapped trove of behavioral data that can tell us a great deal about how the animals draw from these neural strategies: The structures animals build provide a superb window on the workings of the animal mind.... More... Beyond Human: Living with Robots and Cyborgs by Gregory Benford Published 2007 by Forge Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780765310828 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: Concepts once purely fiction -- robots, cyborg parts, artificial intelligences -- are becoming part of everyday reality. Soon robots will be everywhere, performing surgery, exploring hazardous places, making rescues, fighting fires, handling heavy goods.... More... Invisible Allies: Microbes That Shape Our Lives by Jeanette Farrell Published 2005 by Farrar Straus Giroux Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780374336080 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: Microbes are everywhere, and humans could not survive without them. To emphasize their amazing ubiquity, Farrell considers the invisible bugs essential to an everyday event: the eating of a light lunch consisting of a cheese sandwich and a chocolate bar. Illustrations. Young Adult. More... Codebreaker: The History of Codes and Ciphers, from the Ancient Pharaohs to Quantum Cryptography by Stephen Pincock Published 2006 by Walker & Company Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780802715470 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: This edition surveys the entire history of codes through an eloquent narrative and an evocative range of illustrations, paying special attention to famous codes that have never been broken, such as the Beale Ciphers, the Voynich manuscript, the Easter Island code, and many more. More... Rat: How the World's Most Notorious Rodent Clawed Its Way to the Top by Jerry Langton Published 2007 by St. Martin's Press Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780312363840 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: From its origins in the swamps of Southeast Asia to its role in the medieval Black Death to its unshakeable niche in modern urban centers, the rat has incredible evolutionaru advantages. Combining biology with history, and social commentary with firsthand experience, Rat dispels the myths and exposes the little-known facts about the ubiquitous rodent.... More... Leonardo's Machines: Da Vinci's Inventions Revealed by Mario Taddei Published 2006 by David & Charles Publishers Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780715324448 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: Unlocking the mysteries surrounding Da Vinci's notebooks, these full-color pages breathe life into Leonardo's inventions, from flying and war machines to musical instruments. More... Too Far from Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space by Chris Jones Published 2007 by Doubleday Books Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780385514651 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: In the 37 years since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, space travel has seemed more and more a routine enterprise--at least until the shuttle "Columbia" blew up, and the "Challenger" before it. Now, this true-life adventure vividly captures the dangerous realities of space travel. More... What's Science Ever Done for Us?: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us about Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe by Paul Halpern Published 2007 by John Wiley & Sons Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780470114605 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: Is the universe shaped like a donut? Homer proposed such a theory. Do three-eyed fish swim near nuclear power plants? Bart managed to catch one. Are perpetual-motion machines suitable for school projects? Lisa constructed a working model. The Simpsons(R), the world's most popular and longest-running animated series, is a treasure-trove of scientific ideas and a clever mixture of fact and fancy.... More... Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns Published 2007 by Houghton Mifflin Company Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780618581313 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: Aided by an army of beachcombers, oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news; it is important scientific data.... More...