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  Monarchs and Milkweed - A...

  Anurag Agrawal

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  Monarch butterflies are one of nature's most recognizable creatures, known for their bright colors and epic annual migration from the United States and Canada to Mexico. Yet there is much more to the monarch than its distinctive presence and mythic journeying. In Monarchs and Milkweed, Anurag Agrawal presents a vivid investigation into how the monarch butterfly has evolved closely alongside the milkweed—a toxic plant named for the sticky white substance emitted when its leaves are damaged—and how this inextricable and intimate relationship has been like an arms race over the millennia, a battle of exploitation and defense between two fascinating species.The monarch life cycle begins each spring when it deposits eggs on milkweed leaves. But this dependency of monarchs on milkweeds as food is not reciprocated, and milkweeds do all they can to poison or thwart the young monarchs. Agrawal delves into major scientific discoveries, including his own pioneering research, and traces how plant poisons have not only shaped monarch-milkweed interactions but have also been culturally important for centuries. Agrawal presents current ideas regarding the recent decline in monarch populations, including habitat destruction, increased winter storms, and lack of milkweed—the last one a theory that the author rejects.

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  Carving Out a Living on the Land...

  Emmet Van Driesche, Verlyn...

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  New Exclusive Content: The author in conversation with editors Michael Metivier and Nick Kaye on site at his Christmas tree farm 
  When he first envisioned becoming a farmer, author Emmet Van Driesche never imagined his main crop would be Christmas trees, nor that such a tree farm could be more of a managed forest than the conventional grid of perfectly sheared trees. Carving Out a Living on the Land tells the story of how Van Driesche navigated changing life circumstances, took advantage of unexpected opportunities, and leveraged new and old skills to piece together an economically viable living, while at the same time respecting the land’s complex ecological relationships. 
  From spoon carving to scything, coppicing to wreath-making, Carving Out a Living on the Land proves that you don’t need acres of expensive bottomland to start your land-based venture, but rather the creativity and vision to see what might be done with that rocky section or ditch or patch of trees too small to log. You can lease instead of buy; build flexible, temporary structures rather than sink money into permanent ones; and take over an existing operation rather than start from scratch. What matters are your unique circumstances, talents, and interests, which when combined with what the land is capable of producing, can create a fulfilling and meaningful farming life.

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  Beyond Star Trek - From Alien...

  Lawrence M. Krauss

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  The author of The Physics of Star Trek “expands his scope to address other sci-fi hits, ranging from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey to TV’s The X-Files” (Kirkus Reviews). 
   
  In the bestselling The Physics of Star Trek, the renowned theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss took readers on an entertaining and eye-opening tour of the Star Trek universe to see how it stacked up against the real universe. Now, responding to requests for more as well as to a number of recent exciting discoveries in physics and astronomy, Krauss takes a provocative look at how the laws of physics relate to notions from our popular culture—not only Star Trek, but other films, shows, and popular lore—from Independence Day to Star Wars to The X-Files.What’s the difference between a flying saucer and a flying pretzel?Why didn’t the aliens in Independence Day have to bother invading Earth to destroy it?What’s new with warp drives?What’s the most likely scenario for doomsday?Are ESP and telekinesis impossible?What do clairvoyance and time travel have in common?How might quantum mechanics ultimately affect the fate of life in the universe? 
   
  “Combining hard science and popular culture, this delightful follow-up to Krauss’s The Physics of Star Trek continues to explore the possibilities, principles and improbabilities of science fiction . . . Relaxed and full of lively conversation, Krauss is the physics teacher we all wish we had had in high school.” —Publishers Weekly

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  The First Three Minutes - A...

  Steven Weinberg

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  A Nobel Prize-winning physicist explains what happened at the very beginning of the universe, and how we know, in this popular science classic.  Our universe has been growing for nearly 14 billion years. But almost everything about it, from the elements that forged stars, planets, and lifeforms, to the fundamental forces of physics, can be traced back to what happened in just the first three minutes of its existence.In this book, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg describes in wonderful detail what happened in these first three minutes. It is an exhilarating journey that begins with the Planck Epoch - the earliest period of time in the history of the universe - and goes through Einstein's Theory of Relativity, the Hubble Red Shift, and the detection of the Cosmic Microwave Background. These incredible discoveries all form the foundation for what we now understand as the "standard model" of the origin of the universe. The First Three Minutes examines not only what this model looks like, but also tells the exciting story of the bold thinkers who put it together.  Clearly and accessibly written, The First Three Minutes is a modern-day classic, an unsurpassed explanation of where it is that everything really comes from.

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  Summary: American Prometheus -...

  Brooks Bryant

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  Disclaimer: This is not the official book, but a summary & it does not accompany the official. 
  Journey into the intricate life of a genius, the making of the atomic bomb, and the drama of the Cold War. 'American Prometheus' unravels the gripping story of J. Robert Oppenheimer — a man heralded for his monumental contribution to the Manhattan Project, only to face a dramatic fall from grace during America's Red Scare. Dive into our comprehensive summary of Kai Bird's Pulitzer-winning biography, where we present the highs and lows of Oppenheimer's life, his groundbreaking discoveries, and the ethical dilemmas that haunted him. 
  Through our concise exploration, encounter the brilliant physicist who forever changed the course of history, the moral ramifications of scientific advancement, and the political machinations of mid-century America. 'American Prometheus' serves as a cautionary tale of genius and its unintended consequences, and our summary brings this tale to life in an accessible, engaging format. 
  Dive deep into the legacy of a man who stood at the crossroads of science and society, whose choices still resonate today. Be prepared to be captivated, enlightened, and provoked.

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  Return to Earth

  Buzz Aldrin, Wayne Warga

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  Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s courageous, candid memoir of his return to Earth after the historic moon landing and his personal struggle with fame and depression. “We landed with all the grace of a freight elevator,” Buzz Aldrin relates in the opening passages of Return to Earth, remembering Command Module Columbia’s abrupt descent into the gravity of the blue planet. With that splash, Aldrin takes readers on a journey through the human side of the space program, as one of the first two men to land on the moon learns to cope with the pressures of his new public persona.   In honest and compelling prose, Aldrin reveals a side of instant fame for which West Point and NASA could never have prepared him. One day a fighter pilot and engineer, the next a cultural hero burdened with the adoration of thousands, Aldrin gives a poignant account of the affair that threatened his marriage, as well as his descent into alcoholism and depression that resulted from trying to be too many things to too many people.   He didn’t realize that when he landed on his home planet his odyssey had just begun. As Aldrin puts it, “I traveled to the moon, but the most significant voyage of my life began when I returned from where no man had been before.”  Return to Earth is a powerful and moving memoir that exposes the stresses suffered by those in the Apollo program and the price Buzz Aldrin paid when he became an American icon.  

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