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The sirens of Mars : searching for life on another world / by Johnson, Sarah Stewart,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A young planetary scientist intimately details the search for life on Mars, tracing our centuries-old obsession with this seemingly desolate planet. Mars was once similar to Earth, but today there are no rivers, no lakes, no oceans. Coated in red dust, the terrain is bewilderingly empty. And yet multiple spacecraft are circling Mars, sweeping over Terra Sabaea, Syrtis Major, the dunes of Elysium, and Mare Sirenum--on the brink, perhaps, of a staggering find, one that would inspire humankind as much as any discovery in the history of modern science. In this beautifully observed, deeply personal book, Georgetown scientist Sarah Stewart Johnson tells the story of how she and other researchers have scoured Mars for signs of life, transforming the planet from a distant point of light into a world of its own. Johnson's fascination with Mars began as a child in Kentucky, turning over rocks with her father and looking at planets in the night sky. She now conducts fieldwork in some of Earth's most hostile environments, such as the Dry Valleys of Antarctica and the salt flats of Western Australia, developing methods for detecting life on other worlds. Here, with poetic precision, she interlaces her own personal journey--as a female scientist and a mother--with tales of other seekers, from Percival Lowell, who was convinced that a utopian society existed on Mars, to Audouin Dollfus, who tried to carry out astronomical observations from a stratospheric balloon. In the process, she shows how the story of Mars is also a story about Earth: This other world has been our mirror, our foil, a telltale reflection of our own anxieties and yearnings. Empathetic and evocative, The Sirens of Mars offers an unlikely natural history of a place where no human has ever set foot, while providing a vivid portrait of our quest to defy our isolation in the cosmos"--
Subjects: Johnson, Sarah Stewart.; Life on other planets.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Make ink / by Logan, Jason,author.; Ondaatje, Michael,1943-writer of foreword,interviewer.; Kolyn, Lauren,photographer.; Toronto Ink Company.;
Includes bibliographical references.The Toronto Ink Company was founded in 2014 by designer and artist Jason Logan as a citizen science experiment to make eco-friendly, urban ink from street-harvested pigments. In Make Ink, Logan delves into the history of inkmaking and the science of distilling pigment from the natural world. Readers will learn how to forage for materials such as soot, rust, cigarette butts, peach pits, and black walnut, then how to mix, test, and transform these ingredients into rich, vibrant inks that are sensitive to both place and environment. Organized by color, and featuring lovely minimalist photography throughout, Make Ink combines science, art, and craft to instill the basics of ink making and demonstrate the beauty and necessity of engaging with one of mankind's oldest tools of communication.
Subjects: Dyes and dyeing.; Ink.; Color in nature.; Nature craft.; Ink painting.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The CBC : how Canada's public broadcaster lost its voice (and how to get it back) / by Cayley, David,author.;
Conceived as an institution that would embody Canada as a whole, the CBC now struggles in a fractured media landscape. Its narrow programming choices, dogmatic politics, and politically correct hosts cater to ever shrinking audiences. The once proud broadcaster has alienated so many viewers and listeners that Canada's Conservative Party now sees a winning strategy in promising to defund it. Author and producer David Cayley, who for three decades made radio documentaries for CBC Radio's Ideas, goes back to the CBC's roots to examine how it lost its way and to ask searching questions about the nature of media and the "public" in the twenty-first century. He calls for a bold new vision-a CBC that transcends its recent past and rebuilds as a unifying force, championing curiosity, dialogue, and a pluralistic Canadian identity.
Subjects: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; Public broadcasting;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Rethinking diabetes : what science reveals about diet, insulin, and successful treatments / by Taubes, Gary,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.In 'Rethinking Diabetes', Gary Taubes explores the history and the treatment of diabetes, types 1 and 2, elucidating how decades-old research that is rife with misconceptions has continued to influence the guidance physicians offer-at the expense of their patients' long-term well-being.
Subjects: Diabetes; Diabetes;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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More and more and more : an all-consuming history of energy / by Fressoz, Jean-Baptiste,author,translator.; Orr, David W.,1944-translator.; translation of:Fressoz, Jean-Baptiste.Sans transition.English.;
Includes bibliographical references."It has become habitual to think of our relationship with energy as one of transition: with wood superseded by coal, coal by oil, oil by nuclear and then at some future point all replaced by green sources. Jean-Baptiste Fressoz's devastating but unnervingly entertaining book shows what an extraordinary delusion this is. Far from the industrial era passing through a series of transformations, each new phase has in practice remained almost wholly entangled with the previous one. Indeed the very idea of transition turns out to be untrue. The author shares the same acute anxiety about the need for a green transition as the rest of us, but shows how, disastrously, our industrial history has in fact been based on symbiosis, with each major energy source feeding off the others. Using a fascinating array of examples, Fressoz describes how we have gorged on all forms of energy-with whole forests needed to prop up coal mines, coal remaining central to the creation of innumerable new products and oil still central to our lives. The world now burns more wood and coal than ever before. This book reveals an uncomfortable truth: 'transition' was originally itself promoted by energy companies, not as a genuine plan, but as a means to put off any meaningful change. More and More and More forces its readers to understand the modern world in all its voracious reality, and the true nature of the challenges heading our way"--
Subjects: Energy consumption; Energy development; Energy industries; Energy transition.; Power resources; Science; Technology;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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War : how conflict shaped us / by MacMillan, Margaret,1943-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."War, the instinct to fight, is inherent in human nature; peace is the aberration in history. War has shaped humanity, its institutions, its states, its values and ideas. Our very language, our public spaces, our private memories, some of our greatest cultural treasures reflect the glory and the misery of war. War is an uncomfortable and challenging subject not least because it brings out the most vile and the noblest aspects of humanity. Margaret MacMillan looks at the ways in which war has shaped human history and how, in turn, changes in political organization, technology, or ideologies have affected how and why we fight. The book considers such much-debated and controversial issues as when war first started; whether human nature dooms us to fight each other; why war has been described as the most organized of all human activities and how it has forced us to become still more organized; how warriors are made and why are they almost always men; and how we try to control war. Drawing on lessons from a sweep of history, from classical history to modern warfare, and from all parts of the globe, MacMillan reveals the many faces of war--the way it shapes our past, our future, our views of the world, and our very conception of ourselves"--
Subjects: War and society.; War;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Conspiracy : a history of b*llocks theories, and how not to fall for them / by Phillips, Tom(Journalist),author.; Elledge, Jonn,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 351-373).From the Satanic Panic to the anti-vaxx movement, the moon landing to Pizzagate, it's always been human nature to believe we're being lied to by the powers that be (and sometimes, to be fair, we absolutely are). But while it can be fun to indulge in a bit of Deep State banter on the group chat, recent times have shown us that some of these theories have taken on a life of their own and in our dogged quest for the truth, it appears we might actually be doing it some damage. In Conspiracy, Tom Phillips and Jonn Elledge take us on a fascinating, insightful and often hilarious journey through conspiracy theories old and new, to try and answer a vital question for our times: how can we learn to log off the QAnon message boards, and start trusting hard evidence again?
Subjects: Conspiracy theories; Conspiracy theories;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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How to be a Renaissance woman : the untold history of beauty & female creativity / by Burke, Jill,1971-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Plunge into the intimate history of cosmetics, and discover how, for centuries, women have turned to make-up as a rich source of creativity, community and resistance. The Renaissance was an era obsessed with appearances. And beauty culture from the time has left traces that give us a window into an overlooked realm of history-revealing everything from 16th-century women's body anxieties to their sophisticated botanical and chemical knowledge. 'How to be a Renaissance Woman' allows us to glimpse the world of the female artists, artisans and businesswomen carving out space for themselves, as well as those who gained power and influence in the cut-throat world of the court. In a vivid exploration women's lives, Professor Jill Burke invites us to rediscover historical cosmetic recipes and unpack the origins of the beauty ideals that are still with us today"--
Subjects: Aesthetics.; Beauty culture; Cosmetics; Renaissance.; Sex role.; Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Rodale's 21st-century herbal : a practical guide for healthy living using nature's most powerful plants / by Balick, Michael J.,1952-; Weil, Andrew.; Organic Gardening.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.A global history -- The basics of herbal botany -- How herbs work -- Cooking with herbs -- Health and healing with herbs -- Herbs for beauty and bath -- Herbs for the home -- Growing herbs -- Herb garden planning and design.
Subjects: Herb gardening.; Herbals.; Herbs; Herbs; Herbs; Herbs.; Organic gardening.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The greatest polar expedition of all time : the Arctic mission to the epicenter of climate change / by Rex, Markus,author.; Göring, Marlene,author.; Pybus, Sarah,translator.; translation of:Rex, Markus.Eingefroren am Nordpol.English.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A captain's tell-all about the world's largest Arctic expedition--an illuminating account of seafaring adventure, Arctic natural history, and cutting-edge climate science. The book about the Mosaic Expedition: as seen in the documentary film Arctic Drift, Atmospheric scientist Markus Rex recounts the monumental Arctic expedition he captained for one year in this gripping and authoritative book. A groundbreaking step towards understanding the climate crisis, the MOSAiC expedition--launched in 2019 by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research--was the first of its kind, journeying deep into the epicentre of climate change, the Arctic, to seek hard-to-find and potentially world-changing scientific data. Rex begins with life aboard the Polarstern, a powerful icebreaker ship that is frozen into fragile ice and carried across the Arctic by the Transpolar Drift. Away from the rest of the world, the team prepares for life under brutal conditions, constructing "cities" and "towns" on the ice where they will study the Arctic ecosystem, its atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, and more. A terrifying feat that had never been attempted before, the team of hundreds of scientists perform their research during terrifying storms, cracking ice floes, frost-bite, and even quarantines as Covid-19 sweeps the globe. But there are heartwarming moments, too, as Markus Rex describes Christmas parties on the ice and polar bears playing with scientific equipment like puppies. He muses on expeditions past, such as the ill-fated Franklin Expedition, and Fridtjof Nansen's Fram expedition, which he follows as a guide. And he explores answers to the pressing questions facing the Arctic today: How will climate change impact this precious ecosystem--and therefore the rest of the world? What is the best way to protect the Arctic? Interweaving history, science, and memoir, The Greatest Polar Expedition of All Time is a page-turner about the teamwork it takes to complete a risky goal, all in the name of understanding--and responding to--the climate crisis"--
Subjects: Polarstern (Ship); MOSAiC expedition (2019); Global warming; Global warming; Scientific expeditions;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Results 161 to 170 of 360 | « previous |