Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Science & Engineering

For more than twenty-five years, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould wrote a column called “The View of Life” for Natural History magazine. More than thirty entries from that column comprise this collection, which covers topics from dinosaurs to baseball and nearly everything in between related to natural history and evolution.

In this fascinating history of the age-old battle between Science and Religion, evolutionist Stephen Jay Gould argues that part of living the full human experience is achieving a balance between the spiritual and the rational."

There is a major revolution sweeping astronomy as amateur astronomers, linked by the Internet, make important discoveries that are the envy of the professionals. In Seeing in the Dark, Timothy Ferris invites us all to become stargazers, capturing the exquisite experience when ancient starlight strikes the eye and incites the mind.

Based on a series of lectures given at Cambridge University, The Theory of Everything presents the most complex concepts of physics—both past and present—in a clear and accessible manner. Acclaimed physicist and author of A Brief History of Time—which has sold more than 25 million copies—Stephen Hawking enlightens audiences and exposes them to the rich history of scientific thought and the complexities of the universe in which we live. Hawking presents a compelling look at our universe, its creation, and how we see ourselves within it.

Fred Haefele has reached midlife with many wrecks behind him: a divorce, and tortured relationships with his father, son, and daughter. He has failed to sell his first novel, and a baby daughter is on the way. In a daring - maybe desperate - gesture, he buys the remains of a 1941 Indian Chief motorcycle and begins to rebuild it. Gradually the project becomes the story of a man's rebuilding his life.

For centuries, it was assumed that our universe was static. In the late 1920s, astronomers defeated this assumption with a startling new discovery. From Earth, the light of distant galaxies appeared to be red, meaning that those galaxies were receding from us. This led to the revolutionary realization that the universe is expanding. The Red Limit is the tale of this discovery, its ramifications, and the passionately competitive astronomers who charted the past, present, and future of the cosmos.

For anyone who has ever looked up at the stars and wondered what it all means, Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space is indispensable. Isaac Asimov's gift for popular and entertaining exposition has never been better deployed, with his succinct answers to the most intriguing questions about planets, stars, and galaxies. What are quasars? How was the Earth formed? Puzzled by pulsars? Perplexed by the Big Bang? Bewildered by black holes? Asimov has answers everyone can understand and enjoy.

The best selling author and evolutionary scientist holds the mirror up to all of our millennial passions in this wide-ranging discussion that reveals our foibles, absurdities, and uniqueness - in other words, our humanity.

This collection of nine performance pieces by naturalists is inspired by the words of Margaret Mead, who said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful individuals can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Together, these individuals provide a diverse story that memorializes the diversity, beauty, and fragility of our planet.

This is the story of a generation, shaped by the 60s, that has reached its time of reckoning, and of a man who must uncover the secrets of his father's past before he can live and love in the present. Mitch Rozier has spent half of his 50 years writing an environmental column for an alternative West coast paper. Now he finds himself back under his father's roof. Sisters Lexa and Mariah McCaskill wrestle with the past that has driven them away from domesticity:

For anyone who has ever looked up at the stars and wondered what it all means, Issac Asimov’s Guide to Earth and Space is indispensible. Issac Asimov’s gift for popular and entertaining exposition has never been better deployed, with his succinct answers to the most intriguing questions about planets stars and galaxies. What are quasars? How was the Earth formed? Puzzled by pulsars? Perplexed by the Big Bang? Bewildered by black holes?

Explore the secrets of the universe with selections from the works of three of the greatest scientific minds of our lifetime. Widely regarded as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein, Stephen W. Hawking has delved into today's most important scientific ideas about the cosmos, expanded upon the rich history of scientific thought, and reveled in the complexities of the universe in which we live.

For over 100 years, animal lovers have known that their dogs, cats, and other pets have complex emotional lives. Scholar and psychoanalyst Masson, with the help of Susan McCarthy, presents scientific evidence, fascinating anecdotes, and illuminating insights that offer powerful proof of the existence of animal emotion. When Elephants Weep draws upon the illuminating experiences of animal trainers and pet owners to create riveting and revolutionary stories that will permanently change and enrich the way we look at animals.

In this intriguing recording, Professor Emeritus Timothy Ferris—one of the world's most respected science writers—explores man's search for life elsewhere in the universe. Ferris combines new discoveries about the origins of life as we know it on Earth with recent revelations about the sun's planets and their moons. Ferris explains why many scientists are convinced that life is abundant throughout the cosmos, and he considers how one day radio telescopes may be used to connect us to an intergalactic Internet and link us to alien civilizations in the far reaches of the universe.

In brave and unforgettable terms, Al Gore, the passionate and lifelong defender of the environment, describes how human actions and decisions can endanger or safeguard the vulnerable ecosystem that sustains us.

From the creation of life to the exploration of the heavens and the stars—from the origins of the earth to the possibility of life on other planets, Ben Bova unveils the beauty and science behind the phenomenon of light. Bova masterfully explains how light affects us every day of our lives—from our religions to our sex drives. He examines how we use light in art, science, industry, entertainment, cosmetics, jewelry, and myriad other ways. Using accessible language, Bova provides easy-to-understand examples that explain even the most difficult and mind-bending concepts.

The first popular introduction to Hawking's work, this program discusses the mysterious world of black holes, singularities, and the "big bang"--the point at which our universe may have begun.

Few would question that humankind is the crowning achievement of evolution—that history yields progress over time from the primitive and simple to the more advanced and complex—or that identifying an existing trend can be helpful in making important life decisions. We have always identified trends as bad or good. But Stephen Jay Gould argues that this mode of interpretation is a bias that needs correcting.

What is it about humans that causes us to defy genetic programming and so often live in hope, despite all that's terrible about existence? In this audio program, Diane Ackerman shares what she has learned about human survival from working at a crisis hotline. Full of insight, drama, and self-revelation, her wisdom draws from all human knowledge - from the natural and social sciences to the insights of great artists - to show how humans, like animals, cope with stress, and to illumine the tenuous but gorgeous thread by which we all cling.

John Muir, who was born in Scotland and emigrated to America in 1849, was an advocate of U.S. forest conservation and was largely responsible for the establishment of Sequoia and Yosemite national parks in California. Muir has emerged as perhaps the greatest prophet of an era which finds itself suddenly aware of the urgent need to care for our planet.