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  Biomimetics - How Lessons From...

  Brian Clegg

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  An exploration of the transformative ways in which nature has inspired the technological advancement of humankind.Biomimetics literally means emulating biology - and in a broader sense the term covers technological advances where the original inspiration came from nature. The Earth is a vast laboratory where the mechanisms of natural selection have enabled evolutionary solutions to be developed to a wide range of problems.Science writer Brian Clegg looks at how humans have piggybacked on natural experimentation, redeploying a solution to create things that make our lives easier. He looks at how the hooks on burdock seeds inspired the creation of Velcro, how the stickiness of the feet of geckos and frogs has been used to create gripping surfaces, such as tyre treads, and how even the most basic optical enhancement in the form of spectacles is itself a form of biomimetics.

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  The Home Front - Sheffield in...

  Scott Lomax

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  The First World War saw many changes to Sheffield that have helped shape what the city is today. It is apt that as we mark the centenary of the outbreak of the war, whilst paying our respects to those who were killed serving our country, we recognise the impact that the war had on those at home.This brand new publication details the human experiences, thoughts, concerns, fears and hopes of a city during one of the most important periods in its history, including the run up to war and the reaction to its outbreak; the efforts of those who could not fight; industry and how workers were instrumental in creating the weapons and tools that would help Britain win the war, along with the city's role in treating and entertaining wounded soldiers and the role of the University of Sheffield and the effect of the war on education. The part women played in the munitions factories plus a devestating Zeppelin raid over Sheffield are also covered in detail.For the first time in its history, Sheffield realised that the horrors of war were not confined to overseas battles but that they could be witnessed and experienced in their own neighbourhoods.As seen in The Yorkshire Post, Sheffield Telegraph, The Star (Sheffield), Bradway Bugle and Grapevine Magazine.

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  What Is Relativity? - An...

  Jeffrey Bennett

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  A renowned astrophysicist’s approachable introduction to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and its application in our daily lives.   It is commonly assumed that if the Sun suddenly turned into a black hole, it would suck Earth and the rest of the planets into oblivion. Yet, as prominent author and astrophysicist Jeffrey Bennett points out, black holes don't suck. With that simple idea in mind, Bennett begins an entertaining introduction to Einstein's theories of relativity, describing the amazing phenomena readers would actually experience if they took a trip to a black hole.   The theory of relativity reveals the speed of light as the cosmic speed limit, the mind-bending ideas of time dilation and curvature of spacetime, and what may be the most famous equation in history: E = mc2. Indeed, the theory of relativity shapes much of our modern understanding of the universe. It is not “just a theory”―every major prediction of relativity has been tested to exquisite precision, and its practical applications include the Global Positioning System (GPS).   Amply illustrated and written in clear, accessible prose, Bennett's book proves anyone can grasp the basics of Einstein's ideas. His intuitive, nonmathematical approach gives a wide audience its first real taste of how relativity works and why it is so important to science and the way we view ourselves as human beings.  “Well-written and uniquely readable . . . Bennett carefully avoids bombastic statements and “spectacularization” of the subject.” —Alberto Nicolis, Columbia University  “I have read lots of introductions to relativity, but none is as clear and compelling as this one.” —Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

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  The Science Of Physics - Proof...

  Michael Mathiesen

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  It all started with the discovery of the God Particle.  From here, we can infer that the universe was created for a reason.  Moving along to the next most important discovery in Science, we learned that when electrons become entangled – like two people meeting at a bar – they may fall in love and never forget about their new lover.  When the state of one of these sub-atomic life forms changes, the other ‘married’ partner changes its state to counter-act their lover.  This happens regardless of distance with zero time expanded.  Clearly something magical is happening.  Einstein called this ‘Spooky action at a distance’ and refused to believe it possible, until evidence proved that it was not only possible, but shown to happen over and over in the laboratory.  Future computers – Quantum Computers – are being designed today to exploit this new knowledge about our most basic and fundamental force of Electro-magnetism.With the invention of a new number - Zero (i) - we now have the ability to formulate the next equation in our comprehensive understanding of the universe.  0(i) = U or Zero to the power of Infinity = any number.  Any number in the universe both negative and positive, the most extremely small things all the way up to the most extremely large.  This is the connecting force that we've been searching for, the Unified Field Theory that Einstein was looking for until the day he died  Is it 'The Force' in Star Wars?  That's for you to figure out.  Maybe it's worth a shot.

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  Jungle Peace

  William Beebe

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  Naturalist, ornithologist, marine biologist, entomologist, explorer and gifted writer, William Beebe escapes from the violence of World War One into the jungles of Brittish Guiana.  Beebe's curiosity and patience magnifies natures raw details revealing the huge drama being played out in the tropical jungle.  Beebe's  scientific curiosity aboard a steamship, his study of a rare bird that never leaves home, his examination of hordes of Army Anyson the attack, an attempted capture of a huge snake crawling at night, his interaction with Hindu immigrants who work the plantations, the building of a new road by convicted prisoners, reveal an amazing scientist with great nerve and traordinary powers of observation.  William Beebe is one of the founders of the field of ecology and an early advocate for conservation.  When he wrote Jungle Peace. he was the Curator of Birds at New York Zoological Park was was director of the Tropical Research Station. Some years later, he was the first biologist to observe deep-sea life in the original underwater Bathysphere. The Listen2Read American Adventure Library is a series of historic first person accounts of extraordinary adventures by Americans or by visitors to America.  The entire series can be previewed at Listen2Read.com

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  An Enduring Wilderness -...

  Robert Burley

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  pbiFeaturing tributes from award-winning writers/b/i/p
  pIn a city sometimes referred to as “The Big Smoke,” Toronto’s extensive network of sunken rivers, forested vales, and expansive shoreline has been too often overlooked, neglected, or forgotten. However, the last 25 years has seen these distinctive landscapes rediscovered and even embraced as great civic spaces. Commissioned by the City of Toronto to chronicle the wonders of these wilderness parks, renowned photographer Robert Burley looks at these sites as integral parts of urban life, from breathtaking lake views of the Scarborough Bluffs to glimpses of the densely wooded trails in the Carolinian forests of Rouge Park, Canada’s first and only urban national park./p
  pBurley’s photos are augmented with selections of poetry and prose by some of Toronto’s best-known writers, including Anne Michaels, George Elliott Clarke, Alissa York, and Michael Mitchell. A historical essay and an appendix highlight the history, the biodiversity, and the priceless cultural value of these urban parklands. Though confined to the city limits, iAn Enduring Wilderness/i is full of surprising ecological and urban discoveries that know no limits themselves./p

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