Uncategorized
- Particle Physics
The Particle at the End of the Universe
How the Hunt for the Higgs Boson Leads Us to the Edge of a New World, by Sean Carroll.
- Earth
Shrinking polar ice caused one-fifth of sea level rise
Comprehensive analysis quantifies ice sheet loss in Greenland and Antarctica.
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The Half-life of Facts: Why Everything We Know Has an Expiration Date by Samuel Arbesman
Learning how knowledge changes over time, a mathematician contends, will help humans better make sense of their world. Current, 2012, 242 p., $25.95
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The Miracle of Trees (Wooden Books) by Olavi Huikari
Packed with drawings and engravings, this pocket guide briefly covers the science of trees, from how they grow and reproduce to whether they feel pain. Walker & Co., 2012, 58 p., $12
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Hunger, Thirst, Sex, and Sleep: How the Brain Controls Our Passions by John K. Young
A biologist delves into the varied roles of the hypothalamus, the command center in the brain that controls the most basic human drives. Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, 161 p., $39.95
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Seduced by Logic: Émilie Du Châtelet, Mary Somerville and the Newtonian Revolution by Robyn Arianrhod
The tales of two women — a French aristocrat and a Scottish commoner —intersect in an exploration of how the pair advanced Newton’s ideas about the universe. Oxford Univ., 2012, 338 p., $34.95
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Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters by George Bibel
Investigations of 17 accidents help show why trains crash and what those incidents can teach. Johns Hopkins Univ., 2012, 355 p., $29.95
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Dear Future Earthlings
A message in a bottle won’t be enough to communicate with distant generations.
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Into the Fold
Flat structures pop into 3-D forms, yielding miniature robots and tools.
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Families in Flux
As household arrangements take new directions, scientists attempt to sort out the social effects.
- Humans
Genetic diversity exploded in recent millennia
Among hundreds of thousands of DNA variants identified in a study, a large majority arose in the past 5,000 years.
- Life
Blue whales’ diet and exercise rolled into one
Marine predator performs underwater acrobatics for best chance at catching a meal.
