|
Nature and Science December 2019
|
|
|
|
| The Number of the Heavens: A History of the Multiverse and the Quest to Understand the.... by Tom SiegfriedWhat it is: an exploration of a hotly debated idea that "refuses to stay dead," namely, is there one universe or many?
Is it for you? Coming down firmly on the side of string theory and focusing more on history than physics, The Number of the Heavens is an accessible survey of the multiverse concept from antiquity to the present.
Further reading: Brian Greene's The Hidden Reality or Sean M. Carroll's Something Deeply Hidden. |
|
| Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes that Stick by Wendy WoodWhat it's about: Drawing on current research, a psychology professor examines the science behind habit formation and offers pointers on how we can use this information to improve our own lives.
The takeaway: Conscious decision-making is overrated; most of what we do (positive or negative) is the result of unconscious habitual behaviors that can be changed and reinforced through repetition.
Who it's for: everyone interested in making a big change (especially anyone who's ever been criticized for "lacking willpower"). |
|
| The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve BrusatteWhat it is: A captivating look at what current research says about the rise, reign, and (so-called) extinction of dinosaurs.
Did you know? If the dinosaurs discussed here seem different than the ones you remember from childhood, that's because they are: paleontologists discover, on average, one new species a week(!).
About the author: American paleontologist Steve Brusatte served as the scientific consultant for the 2013 film Walking With Dinosaurs. |
|
| The Tyrannosaur Chronicles: The Biology of the Tyrant Dinosaurs by David Hone; illustrated by Scott HartmanIncludes: Everything you ever wanted to know about Tyrannosaurus rex and its relatives.
Is it for you? This comprehensive guide to tyrannosaurids takes a deep dive into taxonomy, morphology, and cladistics while examining evidence suggesting that these large carnivores were warm-blooded, surprisingly nimble, and possibly feathered.
About the author: Paleontologist David Hone is a Tyrannosaurus expert who created the popular Lost Worlds and Lost Worlds Revisited blogs. |
|
| Why Dinosaurs Matter by Kenneth Lacovara; illustrated by Mike LemanskiWhat it's about: a paleontologist debunks misconceptions about dinosaurs (e.g. that their extinction resulted from an inability to adapt to changing circumstances) and discusses what we can learn from them.
Food for thought: "Dinosaurs reigned unchallenged for 165 million years. But that's only if you exclude birds, which are truly dinosaurs. If you include the birds, now known as 'avian dinosaurs'...their incredible run spans the past 231 million years."
Don't miss: the author's entertaining list of "crackpot theories" purporting to explain the dinosaurs' demise ("they all perished of constipation") |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
|
|
|