Showing titles in Science & Technology

Discover the science behind the most popular sci-fi franchise of all time. Capturing the imagination and hearts of crowds worldwide, Star Wars is a fantastic feat of science fiction and fantasy. We marvel at the variety of creatures and technology and the mystery behind the force. But how much of the Star Wars world is rooted in reality? Could we see some of the extraordinary inventions materialize in our world?

In spring of 1918, World War I was underway, and troops at Fort Riley, Kansas, found themselves felled by influenza. By the summer of 1918, the second wave struck as a highly contagious and lethal epidemic and within weeks exploded into a pandemic, an illness that travels rapidly from one continent to another. It would impact the course of the war, and kill many millions more soldiers than warfare itself.

Artificial intelligence is shaping our world in fascinating ways, from digital assistants to self-driving cars. But AI can seem complex and intimidating. This fun and engaging book unravels the mysteries of AI for pre-teens and teens ages 10-19 in an accessible way. In ‘AI for Smart Pre-Teens and Teens Ages 10-19’, you will learn all about the building blocks of AI, including machine learning, deep learning and neural networks. The book covers the history of AI from early computational systems up through the cutting-edge innovations powering the future. You will discover how AI already ...

Veteran video-game designer Dustin Hansen takes YA listeners on a fun and fascinating trip through the brief but intensely innovative history of video games. Find out about the fast and furious growth and evolution of video games (including how they are quickly taking over the world!) by looking at some of the most popular, innovative, and influential games ever, from Pong, the very first arcade game ever, to modern hits like Uncharted.

In The Equations of Life, biologist Charles S. Cockell makes the forceful argument that the laws of physics narrowly constrain how life can evolve, making evolution's outcomes predictable. If we were to find something very much like a lady bug eating something very much like an aphid on a distant planet, we shouldn't be surprised. The forms of life are guided by a limited set of rules, and, as a result, there is a narrow set of solutions to the challenges of existence.

This book describes the location of the countries and major features within them for someone who cannot see a map or who is not a visual learner. You don't need to see to understand geography.

Try to put aside your pre-conceived notions about the world of online gaming and its players. Prepare yourself to enter an alternate universe made up of strange places, and at times, stranger folks, to understand how playing games has become a viable, and lucrative, lifestyle for those with the skills. In our years of providing career guidance, this is certainly not one that we have suggested often or more accurately, at all, but it is one worth learning more about. The non-traditional pathway to career success includes quite a few potential pitfalls, but the rewards for investing in it are...

The climate crisis that our nation currently faces, from rising temperatures, unfathomable drought, devastating floods, unprecedented fires, just to name a few, are alarming precursors to what awaits us if we continue on our current path. In this adaptation for young adults from the #1 New York Times bestseller, journalist David Wallace-Wells tells it like it is, and it is much worse than anyone might think. Global warming is effecting the world, if left unchecked, it promises to transform global politics, the meaning of technology and the trajectory of human progress.

You’ve heard of the space race, but do you know the whole story? The most ambitious race humankind has ever undertaken was masterminded in the shadows by two engineers on opposite sides of the Cold War - Wernher von Braun, a former Nazi officer living in the US, and Sergei Korolev, a Russian rocket designer once jailed for crimes against his country - and your textbooks probably never told you. From Amy Cherrix comes the extraordinary hidden story of the space race and the bitter rivalry that launched humankind to the moon.

world of Fun Science! I'm Charlie, also known across the Internet as charlieissocoollike. In my book I'll be taking you on an awesome journey through the cosmos, beginning with the big bang through to the solar system and the origins of life on Earth, all the way down to the particles that make up everything around us (including you and me!). Expect frequent digressions into not-so-sciencey things (e.g., a microwave flying through space) and audio packed with my all-time favourite mind-bending science facts.

Did you know that only five percent of all your decisions are consciously made? Most decisions are made by the subconscious brain, perhaps this factually explains why humans are prone to rash judgment. Read on to discover more facts that can aid not only your structural and functional understanding of the brain but also help improve your cognitive skills.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin started out as two Stanford college students with a wild idea: They were going to organize the world’s information. From that one deceptively simple goal, they created one of the most influential and innovative companies in the world. The word google has even entered our vocabulary as a verb. Now, find out the true history of Google - from its humble beginnings as a thesis project made out of “borrowed” hardware and discount toys through its revolution of the world’s relationship with technology to a glimpse of where they might take us next.

Elon Musk is the visionary behind SpaceX and CEO of the electric car company Tesla. He is working on unique and daring improvements to both public transit and solar energy. And then, there's his highly-publicized plans for colonizing Mars.... But behind the mind-blowing headlines and legendary drive is the story of a bullied and beaten school boy, who through creativity and determination decided to rewrite his story and find his own way to make the world a better place. And to do so with a sense of fun and style.

Python is one of the most popular and versatile programming languages used today. Python for Teens provides a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to Python tailored for teenagers and beginners. This book will take you from writing your first Python script all the way to building real-world applications and tools. The book begins with an overview of programming basics, installation, and a simple "Hello World" script to get started. It then covers core Python syntax like variables, data types, operators, loops, functions, and OOP concepts. Practical examples make these concepts easy to ...

Making earth science accessible and entertaining, The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth explains how our planet works - and how we can protect it - from its diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants to the levels of ecology, the importance of biodiversity, the cycles of nature, and more. Science- and nature-loving listeners of all ages will delight in this utterly charming guide to our amazing home.

Jack wouldn't give up. After a dear family friend died of pancreatic cancer, Jack Andraka decided to create a better method of early detection. It took 200 letters before Jack found lab space to pursue his idea and months of work to make it a reality, but in the end he did it. Jack's early-detection test for pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancers has the potential to be more than 400 times more effective than the medical standard and costs only three cents. Jack was 15 at the time.

Discover how Galileo worked out his scientific theories of motion and inertia, why Isaac Newton gets the credit for them, and what the discovery of DNA meant. All the big scientific ideas are brought to life with pithy quotes and step-by-step 'mind maps' - from evolution and continental drift to black holes and genetic engineering, showing how the ideas of famous scientists have affected our understanding of the world.

Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists. In this installment, Earth Guardians Youth Director and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez shows us how his music feeds his environmental activism and vice versa. Martinez visualizes a future that allows us to direct our anger, fear, and passion toward creating change. Because, at the end of the day, we all have a part to play.

For hundreds of years, humans and animals have had special bonds with each other. We've lived side-by-side through thick and thin - these relationships are not just about raising pets and farm animals. In Animal Kind, Emma Lock of YouTube fame shares stories of the incredible ways that animals keep us healthy and happy, physically and mentally. You'll be inspired by the tales of remarkable recovery, from vision-impaired individuals who have gained independence with the help of seeing-eye dogs, to the woman who found new life as an equestrian champion after an arm amputation.

Tim Flannery's international best seller The Weather Makers changed minds and hearts about global warming. We Are the Weather Makers is a concise and revised edition that allows listeners of all ages to learn the facts about climate change. In this passionate book Tim Flannery writes about cyclones and droughts, about coral reefs and polar bears, about wind energy and nuclear power. He reminds us that climate connects us all, from the Arctic to the Outback. And our climate is influenced by how we choose to live - how we use our fuels, our water and our land.