Publisher: IRENA
This report assesses current climate pledges in light of the challenge ahead, and explores the transformative opportunity offered by renewable energy that can serve as a vehicle for delivering the needed emission reductions.
The massively popular 1990 novel Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and its subsequent movie adaptations led to a huge resurgence in interest in dinosaurs and the prehistoric world. That interest continues to the present day, even though most of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park weren’t actually from the Jurassic period. Triceratops, Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus Rex and the huge sauropods such as Brachiosaurus that feature in the book and movies all actually belong to the Late Cretaceous period, more than 40 million years after the end of the Jurassic. Regardless, certain kinds of dinosaurs remain instantly recognizable, and among them, the “king” is undoubtedly the Tyrannosaurus. The first discovery of a Tyrannosaurus was made in 1902 and the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever found at the time quickly gripped the popular imagination. Even its name was dramatic - Tyrannosaurus Rex means “King of the Tyrant Lizards.” The T-Rex as it quickly became known didn’t appear until the last age of the Late Cretaceous period, the Maastrichtian, but when it did, it was the biggest and most terrifying of all the theropod predators. Thanks to the movie, there has been some unwitting confusion over the identity of the Velociraptor, and this confusion was due in large part to the fact the name sounds far more scary than the creature to which the name originally belonged. Moreover, the creature to which the label was applied in the novel and movie was actually a distant cousin named Deinonychus, but as the story goes, the author, Michael Crichton, thought “Velociraptor” sounded “more dramatic.” The actual Velociraptor lived not in the badlands of North America, but in the badlands of central-eastern Asia, and it was not nearly as intimidating as Deinonychus. In fact, the main species of genus Velociraptor - Velociraptor mongoliensis - was no bigger than a turkey.Show book
WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION 2023The Sunday Times Science Book of the YearAs seen on Countryfile ‘If anyone was born to save Britain’s rainforests, it was Guy Shrubsole’ Sunday Times Shortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Society Literary Prize Temperate rainforest may once have covered up to one-fifth of Britain, inspiring Celtic druids, Welsh wizards, Romantic poets, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s most loved creations. Though only fragments now remain, they are home to a dazzling variety of luminous life-forms. In this awe-inspiring investigation, Guy Shrubsole travels through the Western Highlands and the Lake District, down to the rainforests of Wales, Devon, and Cornwall to map these spectacular lost worlds for the first time. This is the extraordinary tale of one person’s quest to find Britain’s lost rainforests – and bring them back. *Guy Shrubsole's The Lost Rainforests of Britain was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2023-04-30* This Sunday Times bestselling book is an award-winning nonfiction exploration of Britain's top natural habitats. Shrubsole's environmental focus and dedication to the protection of these ecosystems make this a valuable resource for anyone interested in nature. For fans of Robin Wall Kimmerer (The Democracy of Species), Derek Gow (Birds, Beasts and Bedlam), Christopher Hart (Hedgelands [US Edition]), Yanis Varoufakis (Technofeudalism), and Isabella Tree (Wilding). HarperCollins 2022Show book
Literary Theory for Robots reveals the hidden history of modern machine intelligence, taking listeners on a spellbinding journey from medieval Arabic philosophy to visions of a universal language, past Hollywood fiction factories, and missile defense systems trained on Russian folktales. In this provocative reflection on the shared pasts of literature and computer science, former Microsoft engineer and professor of comparative literature Dennis Yi Tenen provides crucial context for recent developments in AI, which holds important lessons for the future of humans living with smart technology. Intelligence expressed through technology should not be mistaken for a magical genie, capable of self-directed thought or action. Rather, in highly original and effervescent prose with a generous dose of wit, Yi Tenen asks us to read past the artifice—to better perceive the mechanics of collaborative work. Something as simple as a spell-checker or a grammar-correction tool, embedded in every word-processor, represents the culmination of a shared human effort, spanning centuries. With its masterful blend of history, technology, and philosophy, Yi Tenen's work ultimately urges us to view AI as a matter of labor history, celebrating the long-standing cooperation between authors and engineers.Show book
The body is central to our sense of identity. Bodily awareness, says scientist-writer Moheb Costandi, is key to self-consciousness. In Body Am I, Costandi examines how the brain perceives the body, how that perception translates into our conscious experience of the body, and how that experience contributes to our sense of self. Along the way, he explores what can happen when the mechanisms of bodily awareness are disturbed, leading to such phenomena as phantom limbs, alien hands, and amputee fetishes. Costandi explains that the brain generates maps and models of the body that guide how we perceive and use it, and that these maps and models are repeatedly modified and reconstructed. Drawing on recent bodily awareness research, the new science of self-consciousness, and historical milestones in neurology, he describes a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders that result when body and brain are out of sync, including not only the well-known phantom limb syndrome but also phantom breast and phantom penis syndromes; body integrity identity disorder, which compels a person to disown and then amputate a healthy arm or leg; and such eating disorders as anorexia. Wide-ranging and meticulously researched, Body Am I offers new insight into self-consciousness by describing it in terms of bodily awareness.Show book
This is a concise summary and analysis of The Underworld , by Susan Casey. It is not the original book and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Susan Casey. Ideal those seeking a quick and insightful overview. The Underworld takes readers on an exhilarating exploration of the mysterious and often dangerous world beneath the surface of the ocean. The book delves into the lives of marine creatures, underwater explorers, and scientists who study the deep sea, shedding light on the wonders and perils of this largely unexplored realm. Through vivid storytelling and scientific insights, it highlights the significance of the ocean's depths in shaping life on Earth.Show book
This audiobook contains 22 proven tracks with Relaxing Atmospheric Sounds & Soothing Music to create a relaxing sleep environment (each lasting 20-70 minutes).**** VARIETY OF USES ****The unique tracks not only help with easy sleep by blocking out noise, but also great for concentration on study or work. Perfect for babies, kids and adults.***** WHAT YOU GET *****Sounds in the best audio quality, recorded with state-of-the-art equipment and best spatial atmosphere.***** HOW THIS PRODUCT CAN WORK FOR YOU *****For a restful night's sleep, there are several phases you go through. With each phase our sleep gets deeper, our body becomes more relaxed, and our brain wave patterns slow down. We experience our deepest sleep phase when our brain enters the delta wave state. Delta sleep is the phase in which the body regenerates and rebalances itself for the new day.Getting enough sleep is therefore essential for a healthy, productive life. This program has been proven to increase delta wave activity in your brain. The program has already helped many people to find regular, restful, and revitalizing sleep. Listen to one of the calming soundscapes whenever you want to go to sleep. NEOWAVES is a pioneer in the field of audio-acoustic research. Numerous companies, health professionals, meditation groups, and individuals swear by the NEOWAVES audio programs and their spectacular soundscapes that stimulate our brain waves and put them into a state of deep relaxation.Show book
