Naturvidenskab

Why do you lose arguments with people who know MUCH LESS than you? Why can you recognise that woman, from that thing... but can't remember her name?And why, after your last break-up, did you find yourself in the foetal position on the sofa for days, moving only to wipe the snot and tears haphazardly from your face?Here's why: the idiot brain. For something supposedly so brilliant and evolutionarily advanced, the human brain is pretty messy, fallible and disorganised. For example, did you know that your memory is egotistical? That conspiracy theories and superstitions are the inevitable effects of a healthy brain? Or that alcohol can actually improve your memory?** In The Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett tours our mysterious and mischievous grey (and white) matter. Along the way he explains the human brain's imperfections in all their glory and how these influence everything we say, do and experience. Expertly researched and entertainingly written, this book is for anyone who has wondered why their brain appears to be sabotaging their life, and what on earth it is really up to.**Editor's note: please read the book before testing this conclusion.

The International Bestseller by 'The Galileo of number crunchers' (Independent)Every time we choose a route to work, decide whether to go on a second date, or set aside money for a rainy day, we are making a prediction about the future. Yet from the financial crisis to ecological disasters, we routinely fail to foresee hugely significant events, often at great cost to society. The rise of 'big data' has the potential to help us predict the future, yet much of it is misleading, useless or distracting.In The Signal and the Noise, the New York Times political forecaster Nate Silver, who accurately predicted the results of every state in the 2012 US election, reveals how we can all develop better foresight in an uncertain world. From the stock market to the poker table, from earthquakes to the economy, he takes us on an enthralling insider's tour of the high-stakes world of forecasting, showing how we can all learn to detect the true signals amid a noise of data. 'Remarkable and rewarding' Matthew D'Ancona, Sunday Telegraph'A lucid explanation of how to think probabilistically' Guardian

From the author of Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive is a visionary study of the mysterious downfall of past civilizations.Now in a revised edition with a new afterword, Jared Diamond's Collapse uncovers the secret behind why some societies flourish, while others founder - and what this means for our future.What happened to the people who made the forlorn long-abandoned statues of Easter Island?What happened to the architects of the crumbling Maya pyramids?Will we go the same way, our skyscrapers one day standing derelict and overgrown like the temples at Angkor Wat?Bringing together new evidence from a startling range of sources and piecing together the myriad influences, from climate to culture, that make societies self-destruct, Jared Diamond's Collapse also shows how - unlike our ancestors - we can benefit from our knowledge of the past and learn to be survivors.'A grand sweep from a master storyteller of the human race' - Daily Mail'Riveting, superb, terrifying' - Observer'Gripping ... the book fulfils its huge ambition, and Diamond is the only man who could have written it' - Economis'This book shines like all Diamond's work' - Sunday Times

A clarion call to save humanity's most essential fellow creatures and our health Far beneath our skin exists an unfathomable, ancient universe an internal ecosystem that is critical to our health. Dr Martin Blaser invites us into the wilds of the human ';microbiome', unfurling its inner workings and evolution. For thousands of years, bacteria and human cells have co-existed in a relationship that has ensured the health and equilibrium of our body. But now, much like the natural world outside of us, our internal environment is being irrevocably destroyed. The culprit: some of our most revered medical advances antibiotics which appear to be linked to the epidemics of asthma, eczema, obesity, certain forms of cancer, and other diseases plaguing modern society. In a book that stands as the Silent Spring of its day, Blaser sounds a provocative alarm that we ignore at our peril.

THE PHENOMENAL BESTSELLER'There's a book I've been carrying around like a small Bible, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics' - Benedict CumberbatchEverything you need to know about modern physics, the universe and your place in the world in seven enlightening lessonsThese seven short lessons guide us, with simplicity and clarity, through the scientific revolution that shook physics in the twentieth century and still continues to shake us today. In this beautiful and mind-bending introduction to modern physics, Carlo Rovelli explains Einstein's theory of general relativity, quantum mechanics, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, elementary particles, gravity, and the nature of the mind. In under eighty pages, readers will understand the most transformative scientific discoveries of the twentieth century and what they mean for us. Not since Richard Feynman's celebrated best-seller Six Easy Pieces has physics been so vividly, intelligently and entertainingly revealed.

Musik påvirker mennesker. Men hvordan, hvor meget og hvorfor? Hvad er det der sker, når musikken giver os store oplevelser? Hvorfor har vi ofte stor glæde af velkendt musik, mens nyere musik falder os sværere at begribe? Hvordan er nogle velkomponerede lyde i stand til at udtrykke følelser? Hvilken rolle spiller det for vores oplevelser at se en udøvende musiker? Hvordan påvirkes vi af baggrundsmusik? Kan musisk træning gøre os klogere? Er der nogen, der er født med et større musisk talent end andre? Og kan musik nogen gange være farlig og påvirke vores etiske vurderinger eller måske direkte få os til at handle forkert? I denne bog behandles alle disse store spørgsmål – og flere til. Der sker ud fra to helt forskellige perspektiver. På den ene side ud fra alle de erfaringer og overvejelser man gør sig, når man har levet et liv viet til musikken. På den anden side ud fra videnskabelige forskning, der indbefatter både psykologiske eksperimenter og hjernestudier. Musikken og hjernen er et must read for alle, der interesserer sig for musik eller blot forundres over musikkens dragende effekt og dens store betydning for mennesker.

“Et lille skridt for mennesket, men et stort skridt for menneskeheden”.Med de ord satte astronauten Neil Armstrong i 1969 foden på Månen. Chris Hadfield er ti år gammel og følger tryllebundet med på skærmen fra forældrenes dagligstue på en bondegård i det sydlige Ontario i Canada. Han har altid været fascineret af himmelrummet, men den dag beslutter han sig for, at han vil være astronaut. I 1992 bliver Chris Hadfield sendt op i Rummet første gang. I dag kalder BBC kalder ham for ”den mest berømte astronaut siden Neil Armstrong”.Chris Hadfield har rejst, vandret og boet i Rummet, og han har haft en utraditionel livsfilosofi med sig i baglommen: Forbered dig på det værste – og nyd hvert eneste øjeblik!I Astronautens guide til livet på Jorden kommer du med Chris Hadfield på rumrejse, øjenåbnende rumvandringer, kritiske missioner og retur igen. Han fortæller indgående om, hvordan man bliver astronaut, og hvad man egentlig laver, om landvindingerne inden for rumforskning og om, hvad et liv uden tyngdekraft byder på af indsigt og udfordringer – både i Rummet og på Jorden.

These simple math secrets and tricks will forever change how you look at the world of numbers. Secrets of Mental Math will have you thinking like a math genius in no time. Get ready to amaze your friends-and yourself-with incredible calculations you never thought you could master, as renowned "mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin shares his techniques for lightning-quick calculations and amazing number tricks. This book will teach you to do math in your head faster than you ever thought possible, dramatically improve your memory for numbers, and-maybe for the first time-make mathematics fun. Yes, even you can learn to do seemingly complex equations in your head; all you need to learn are a few tricks. You'll be able to quickly multiply and divide triple digits, compute with fractions, and determine squares, cubes, and roots without blinking an eye. No matter what your age or current math ability, Secrets of Mental Math will allow you to perform fantastic feats of the mind effortlessly. This is the math they never taught you in school.

For many complaints and conditions, the benefits from surgery are lower, and the risks higher, than you or your surgeon think. In this book you will see how commonly performed operations can be found to be useless or even harmful when properly evaluated. That these claims come from an experienced, practising orthopaedic surgeon who performs many of these operations himself, makes the unsettling argument particularly compelling.Of course no surgeon is recommending invasive surgery in bad faith, but Ian Harris argues that the evidence for the success for many common operations, including knee arthroscopies, back fusion or cardiac stenting, become current accepted practice without full examination of the evidence. The placebo effect may be real, but is it worth the recovery time, expense and discomfort?

Chemistry For Dummies, 2nd Edition (9781119293460) was previously published as Chemistry For Dummies, 2nd Edition (9781118007303). While this version features a new Dummies cover and design, the content is the same as the prior release and should not be considered a new or updated product.

The 'extended phenotype' is Dawkins' key contribution to the gene's eye view of evolution given in The Selfish Gene. He shows that the influence of genes can extend far beyond the bodies in which they reside, manipulating the environment and the behaviour of other individuals. A worldwide bestseller and a classic work of scientific exposition.

As relevant and influential today as when it was first published, this classic exposition of evolutionary thought, widely hailed for its stylistic brilliance and deep scientific insights, stimulated whole new areas of research. This extended edition includes a new epilogue from the author and two key chapters from The Extended Phenotype.

Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Ever since Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity burst upon the world in 1915 some of the most brilliant minds of our century have sought to decipher the mysteries bequeathed by that theory, a legacy so unthinkable in some respects that even Einstein himself rejected them.

Din have myldrer af liv. Travle jordhumler, flaksende citronsommerfugle og vimsende gærdesmutter genskaber naturens magi for øjnene af os. Uden at spørge om lov gror græsset. Vedbenden vokser. Og skvalderkålen skyder mellem stauderne. Naturen indtager haven, og vi kan stritte imod eller læne os tilbage og nyde livet. Vi kan også lege med. Vi kan lægge den sirlige haveplan væk og dyrke havens mange muligheder for at vokse sig vild med vilje. Lave en kvasbunke og lade plænen blomstre med kodrivere og violer. Finde et område, hvor merian og hvidtjørn kan stå i fred, og lade den gamle træstamme stå. I Den uendelige have klæder Rasmus Ejrnæs, biolog og forsker fra Aarhus Universitet, os på til at fremme naturen lige uden for døren. Med haven som træningslejr forklarer han de økologiske principper for biodiversitet og kommer med gode råd og tips til, hvad vi helt konkret kan gøre for at hjælpe os selv og naturen på vej i vores egne haver. Så skal det nok komme til at myldre med snøftende pindsvin og glade haveejere. Bogen er illustreret med 140 farvefotos af naturfotografen Bert Wiklund.

Strukturalismen - Videnskab i virkeligheden kapitel 7.Videnskab i Virkeligheden tager afsæt i de studerendes fremtid som vidensarbejdere. Andreas Beck Holm kombinerer en grundig gennemgang af videnskabsteoretiske positioner og problemstillinger med en perspektivering til vidensarbejdernes udfordringer i virksomheder og organisationer og til, hvordan de studerende selv kan arbejde med teorierne. Stoffet præsenteres tilgængeligt og overskueligt, bl.a. gennem opsummerende kapitler, fremhævning af nøglebegreber, samt arbejds- og refleksionsspørgsmål.

Kuhns paradigmeteori -" Videnskab i virkeligheden" - kapitel 4."Videnskab i Virkeligheden" tager afsæt i de studerendes fremtid som vidensarbejdere. Andreas Beck Holm kombinerer en grundig gennemgang af videnskabsteoretiske positioner og problemstillinger med en perspektivering til vidensarbejdernes udfordringer i virksomheder og organisationer og til, hvordan de studerende selv kan arbejde med teorierne. Stoffet præsenteres tilgængeligt og overskueligt, bl.a. gennem opsummerende kapitler, fremhævning af nøglebegreber, samt arbejds- og refleksionsspørgsmål.

Whether we like it or not, the AI revolution is coming to education. In Brave New Words, Salman Khan, the visionary behind Khan Academy, explores how artificial intelligence and GPT technology will transform learning, offering a roadmap for teachers, parents, and students to navigate this exciting (and sometimes intimidating) new world.An insider in the world of education technology, Khan explains the ins and outs of these cutting-edge tools and how they will forever change the way we learn and teach. Rather than approaching the ChatGPT revolution with white-knuckled fear, Khan wants parents and teachers to embrace AI and adapt to it (while acknowledging its imperfections and limitations), so that every student can complement the work they're already doing in profoundly new and creative ways, to personalize learning, adapt assessments, and support success in the classroom.But Brave New Words is not just about technology - it's about what this technology means for our society, and the practical implications for administrators, guidance counsellors, and hiring managers who can harness the power of AI in education and the workplace. Khan also delves into the ethical and social implications of AI and GPT, offering thoughtful insights into how we can use these tools to build a more accessible education system for students around the world.

In the tradition of The Second Machine Age and Superintelligence comes the first book on the next internet: the metaverse

Richard Dawkins explores the wonder of flight. A book for ages 8-80 about flying - from the mythical Icarus, to the sadly extinct but magnificent bird Argentavis magnificens, to the British Airways pilots of today.

Every night, above our heads, a drama of epic proportions is playing out. Diamond planets, zombie stars, black holes heavier than a billion Suns. The cast of characters is extraordinary, and each one has its own incredible story to tell.

'You'll never think about your largest organ the same way again' David Epstein, author of RangeIntroducing the new science of skin and a more natural approach to being clean. Our skin plays an essential role in our health.

From the first detailed drawing of the moon to the first sketch of a cell, the earliest computer to black holes, trace the visual history of knowledge in this far-reaching collection of science illustrations. Some 300 milestones across anatomy, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and more, chronicle humanity's greatest discoveries through the work...