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Nature and Science December 2020
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The butterfly effect : insects and the making of the modern world
by Edward D. Melillo
Draws on research in laboratory science, agriculture, international cuisine and other disciplines to trace the historical relationship between humans and insects, detailing the role of insects in medical science, the world's food supply and other essential aspects of modern life. Illustrations.
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Pluses and minuses : how math solves our problems
by Stefan Buijsman
"A guide to changing how you think about numbers and mathematics, from the prodigy changing the way the world thinks about math. We all know math is important: we live in the age of big data, our lives are increasingly governed by algorithms, and we're constantly faced with a barrage of statistics about everything from politics to our health. But what might be less obvious is how math factors into your daily life, and what memorizing all of those formulae in school had to do with it. Math prodigy Stefan Buijsman is beginning to change that through his pioneering research into the way we learn math. Plusses and Minuses is based in the countless ways that math is engrained in our daily lives, and shows readers how math can actually be used to make problemseasier to solve. Taking readers on a journey around the world to visit societies that have developed without the use of math, and back into history to learn how and why various disciples of mathematics were invented, Buijsman shows the vital importance of math, and how a better understanding of mathematics will give us a better understanding of the world as a whole. Stefan Buijsman has become one of the most sought-after experts in math education after he completed his PhD at age 20. In Plusses and Minuses, he puts his research into practice to help anyone gain a better grasp of mathematics than they have ever had"
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Shuttle, Houston : my life in the center seat of Mission Control
by Paul Dye
NASA's longest-serving flight director explores how the high-stakes work of Mission Control and the Space Shuttle program has redefined humanity's relationship with the universe, describing the global impact of split-second decisions in dozens of high-risk missions. 40,000 first printing.
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| Counting: How We Use Numbers to Decide What Matters by Deborah StoneThe big idea: numbers can't be objective, argues political scientist Deborah Stone as she examines the cultural assumptions and social norms underlying the data we rely on to make policy decisions.
Topics include: how unemployment is measured; the ever-evolving race categories on the U.S. Census; the increasing role of automated systems in assessing everything from credit scores to recidivism rates.
Food for thought: "If every number begins with a judgment, and if we allow numbers to determine people's fates, we should hold numbers to the same ethical standards we hold our judges to." |
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Nature matrix : new and selected essays
by Robert Michael Pyle
A selection of nature-themed essays by the biologist author of Magdalena Mountain explores such subjects as his early years as a national park ranger, the “wilderness” of modern times and the life of Vladimir Nabokov. Original.
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| Molly: The True Story of the Amazing Dog Who Rescues Cats by Colin ButcherMeet: Molly, a rescue dog trained to track down lost pets; Molly's human partner, Colin, the former police officer who started the UK Pet Detective Agency, which has so far reunited 74 cats, 6 dogs and one tortoise with their families.
Read it for: Molly and Colin's heartwarming bond, details of Molly's rigorous on-the-job training, and an eye-opening tale of how they tracked down an Eastern European dognapping ring.
Other working dogs: Cat Warren's What the Dog Knows, Susannah Charleson's Scent of the Missing, or Melissa Fay Greene's The Underdogs. |
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| Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver by Jill HeinerthWho: Canadian cave diver, explorer, and filmmaker Jill Heinerth, who proudly claims that adventure is in her DNA.
Where she's been: Florida's extensive network of caverns; Mexico's Sistema Huautla, the Western Hemisphere's deepest cave network; the interior of Antarctic iceberg B-15, at the time the largest free-floating object on Earth.
You might also like: Julie Hauserman's Drawn to the Deep; William Stone's Beyond the Deep. |
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Stephen Hawking : a memoir of friendship and physics
by Leonard Mlodinow
The award-winning theoretical physicist and best-selling co-author of A Briefer History of Time presents an intimate account of his personal and professional relationship with the late Stephen Hawking throughout nearly two decades of collaborative work.
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| How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery; illustrated by Rebecca GreenFeaturing: feisty Scottish terrier Molly; Christopher Hogwood, a pig with personality; a trio of emus; tarantula Clarabelle, friend to children in French Guiana; and more!
Is it for you? Author Sy Montgomery opens up about her difficult childhood and lifelong struggle with depression, which is exacerbated by the passing of some of the animals featured in the book.
Crossover alert: Fans of the author's National Book Award finalist The Soul of an Octopus will remember charismatic cephalopod Octavia, who makes an appearance here. |
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Lab Girl
by Hope Jahren
In this moving, lyrical account that "transcends both memoir and science writing" (Kirkus Reviews), paleobiologist Hope Jahren vividly portrays her life as a scientist, beginning with her childhood in rural Minnesota, where she became fascinated by the natural world, and continuing through her student days and subsequent field work. In addition to offering glimpses into the daily life of a research scientist, Lab Girl also documents some personal challenges, such as living with bipolar disorder, while celebrating professional milestones, such as building three laboratories from scratch and a decades-long collaboration with her lab partner, Bill, who's, um, quite a character.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Rochester Hills Public Library 500 Olde Towne Rd Rochester, Michigan 48307 (248) 656-2900 rhpl.org |
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