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The contact paradox : challenging our assumptions in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence / by Cooper, Keith(Journalist),author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 322-326) and index.What will happen if humanity makes contact with another civilization on a different planet? In The Contact Paradox, space journalist Keith Cooper tackles some of the myths and assumptions that underlie SETI-- the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. In 1974 a message was beamed towards the stars by the giant Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico, a brief blast of radio waves designed to alert extraterrestrial civilizations to our existence. Of course, we don't know if such civilizations really exist. But for the past six decades a small cadre of researchers have been on a quest to find out, as part of SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The silence from the stars is prompting some researchers, inspired by the Arecibo transmission, to transmit more messages into space, in an effort to provoke a response from any civilizations out there that might otherwise be staying quiet. However, the act of transmitting raises troubling questions about the process of contact. We look for qualities such as altruism and intelligence in extraterrestrial life, but what do these mean to humankind? Can we learn something about our own history when we explore what happens when two civilizations come into contact? Finally, do the answers tell us that it is safe to transmit, even though we know nothing about extraterrestrial life, or as Stephen Hawking argued, are we placing humanity in jeopardy by doing so? In The Contact Paradox, author Keith Cooper looks at how far SETI has come since its modest beginnings, and where it is going, by speaking to the leading names in the field and beyond. SETI forces us to confront our nature in a way that we seldom have before-- where did we come from, where are we going, and who are we in the cosmic context of things? This book considers the assumptions that we make in our search for extraterrestrial life, and explores how those assumptions can teach us about ourselves.
Subjects: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Study group : U.S.); Life on other planets.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Easy masks to sew : sizes and styles to make for kids and adults / by Boutique-Sha,author.;
"Learn how to make fabric face masks with this collection of simple designs that are quick and easy to sew. This book includes three basic styles--classic, pleated, and contoured--allowing you to choose the mask design best suited for your personal preferences and comfort. Each mask style is available in different sizes, so you can make masks for everyone in your family, from kids to adults. Personalize the design and incorporate your favorite fabrics or add special details, like appliqué or embroidery. You can even create a face mask to match your outfit!"--Back cover.
Subjects: Mask making.; Sewing.; Protective clothing.; Medical supplies.; COVID-19 (Disease);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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COVID-19 : the pandemic that never should have happened and how to stop the next one / by MacKenzie, Debora,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Over the last 30 years of epidemics and pandemics, we learned every lesson needed to stop this coronavirus outbreak in its tracks. We heeded almost none of them. The result is a pandemic on a scale never before seen in our lifetimes. In this captivating, authoritative, and eye-opening book, science journalist Debora MacKenzie lays out the full story of how and why it happened: the previous viruses that should have prepared us, the shocking public health failures that paved the way, the failure to contain the outbreak, and most importantly, what we must do to prevent future pandemics. Debora MacKenzie has been reporting on emerging diseases for more than three decades, and she draws on that experience to explain how COVID-19 went from a potentially manageable outbreak to a global pandemic. Offering a compelling history of the most significant recent outbreaks, including SARS, MERS, H1N1, Zika, and Ebola, she gives a crash course in Epidemiology 101--how viruses spread and how pandemics end--and outlines the lessons we failed to learn from each past crisis. In vivid detail, she takes us through the arrival and spread of COVID-19, making clear the steps that governments knew they could have taken to prevent or at least prepare for this. Looking forward, MacKenzie makes a bold, optimistic argument: this pandemic might finally galvanize the world to take viruses seriously. Fighting this pandemic and preventing the next one will take political action of all kinds, globally, from governments, the scientific community, and individuals--but it is possible. No one has yet brought together our knowledge of COVID-19 in a comprehensive, informative, and accessible way. But that story can already be told, and Debora MacKenzie's urgent telling is required reading for these times and beyond. It is too early to say where the COVID-19 pandemic will go, but it is past time to talk about what went wrong and how we can do better"--
Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Coronaviruses.; Coronavirus infections; Communicable diseases; Communicable diseases; Epidemics; Emerging infectious diseases;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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