Christchurch Photo Hunt 2015
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‘Arrivals and Departures — The Journeys that Have Shaped Us’. Take ownership of your city’s heritage: send in some of your old photos to help grow a photographic archive. You could win a tablet or eReader. Copies of photograph entries may be displayed in libraries and uploaded to Kete Christchurch.
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| The reason for flowers: Their history, culture, biology, and how they change our lives by Stephen BuchmannDid you know that flowers blush when they're pollinated? Although the phenomenon is due to a change in pH rather than emotion, it underscores the complexity of flowering plants. In this compendium of all things floral, biologist Stephen Buchmann visits a variety of topics, providing insight into flower origins and evolution (floral mutualism, or the match between flowers and their pollinators); anatomy (all are hermaphrodites); and reproductive habits (they prefer outcrossing to self-pollination and utilise double fertilization). Buchmann examines their representation in art and literature, as well as their role in science and medicine. |
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The boy who played with fusion: Extreme science, extreme parenting, and how to make a star by Tom ClynesBy the age of 11, Taylor Wilson had mastered the science of rocket propulsion. At 13, his grandmother's cancer diagnosis drove him to investigate medical uses for radioactive isotopes. And at 14, Wilson became the youngest person in history to achieve nuclear fusion. How could someone so young achieve so much, and what can Wilson's story teach parents and teachers about how to support high-achieving children? In "The Boy Who Played with Fusion", science journalist Tom Clynes follows Taylor Wilson's extraordinary journey - from his Arkansas home where his parents encouraged his intellectual passions, to the present, when now-17-year-old Wilson is winning international science competitions with devices designed to prevent terrorists from shipping radioactive material into the US. Brilliant, funny and inspiring, this book will delight anyone who believes in the ability of gifted children to change the world.
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| Big science: Ernest Lawrence and the invention that launched the military industrial complex by Michael HiltzikIn this engaging biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Hiltzik introduces Berkeley researcher Ernest Orlando Lawrence, whose 1930 invention of the cyclotron (a type of particle accelerator) revolutionised the nascent field of nuclear physics. The invention launched industrial-scale scientific research that would result in innovations such as the atomic bomb, the space programme, and the Large Hadron Collider. It also inextricably linked scientific research to the military-industrial complex. In addition to placing Lawrence in his scientific and historical contexts, Hiltzik discusses the impact of the shift from pure to applied research, wherein big investments must increasingly yield big returns. |
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While glaciers slept: Being human in a time of climate change by M. Jackson"While glaciers slept" weaves together the parallel stories of what happens when the climates of a family and a planet change. M. Jackson, a noted scientist and National Geographic Expert, reveals how these events are deeply intertwined, and how the deterioration of her parents' health was as devastating as the inexorable changing of Earth's climate. Jackson poses a stark question: if losing one's parents is so devastating, how can we survive the destruction of the planet that sustains us? Jackson draws both literal and metaphorical parallels between the degradation of the climate and her parents' struggles with cancer. Nonetheless, Jackson shows that even in the darkest of times we cannot lose hope. Jackson guides us to solar, wind, and geothermal solutions, bringing us along on her expeditions to research climate change and to educate people about how to stop it.
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| The vital question: Energy, evolution, and the origins of complex life by Nick LaneIn the 350 years since we identified cells, we have yet to discover exactly how they came to be and why they do what they do. And it is this "evolutionary black hole" that biochemist Nick Lane attempts to explain in this thought-provoking book. Since eukaryotic cells -- distinguished by their membrane-bound organelles -- otherwise share many structural and functional similarities with their prokaryotic counterparts (bacteria and archaea), it's logical to conclude that both had a common ancestor. Going further, Lane asserts that all complex life stems from a single endosymbiotic event in which one unicellular organism entered another and created the mighty mitochondrion. |
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| Beyond words: What animals think and feel by Carl SafinaThere's much to be learned from "simply seeing what animals do, and asking why they do it," according to conservationist Carl Safina. Observing elephants in Kenya, wolves in Yellowstone National Park, and orcas in the Pacific Northwest, Safina also surveys current research to explore manifestations of higher-level intelligence -- thinking and feeling, memory and recognition, joy and grief -- in a variety of nonhuman animal species and concludes that animals have rich inner lives, as evidenced by their behaviour and relationships with others of their kind. |
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| Spirals in time: The secret life and curious afterlife of seashells by Helen ScalesDeep in the basement of London's Natural History museum lurks what the curators call the "cabinet of horrors," containing (among other items) garish decorations made of seashells -- the sort that beachgoers might purchase as souvenirs. Not only are such objects tacky, maintains author and marine biologist Helen Scales, they also represent an incredible waste of some extraordinary creatures. From microscopic plankton to giant mollusks (which have survived multiple mass extinction events over millions of years), many marine organisms make and use shells. Considering both the shells and the creatures within, Scales reflects on their ecological roles as well as their contributions to art, medicine, and industry. |
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"I think, therefore I am." ~ René Descartes (1596-1650), French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist
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| Incognito: The secret lives of the brain by David EaglemanComprised of three pounds of neurons and glia (that's hundreds of billions of individual cells!), the human brain is one of the most complex systems in existence. And when it changes, so do we -- whether we realise it or not. In fact, as author and neuroscientist David Eagleman explains, consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg; we have no access to or control over what happens in the innermost recesses of our own minds. Thought-provoking yet accessible, "Incognito" will, says "Kirkus Reviews", "leave you looking at yourself -- and the world -- differently." |
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| The ghost in my brain: How a concussion stole my life and how the new science of brain plasticity helped me get it back by Clark ElliottA music prodigy turned researcher in artificial intelligence, Clark Elliott lived a life of the mind until traumatic brain injury changed everything. In addition to causing pain, nausea, and seizures, Elliott's condition affected his motor skills, muscle control, memory, sensory perception, and decision-making abilities. Working with Donalee Markus, a specialist in cognitive restructuring, and Deborah Zelinsky, an expert in neuro-optometric rehabilitation, Elliott embarked upon a long and arduous journey of recovery that would change his entire worldview. |
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| The future of the mind: The scientific quest to understand, enhance, and empower the mind by Michio KakuThe author of the popular Physics of the Impossible and Physics of the Future, theoretical physicist and well-known futurist Michio Kaku's work can sometimes read like science fiction. In "The Future of the Mind", Kaku turns his attention to the possibilities of neuroscience, combining analyses of current research and tantalising speculations -- including telepathy, telekinesis, artificial memories, mind control, and more -- for an accessible, highly entertaining look at how science might one day make possible the seemingly impossible. |
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| The organized mind: Thinking straight in the Age of information overload by Daniel J. LevitinMultitasking is a myth. Moreover, daydreaming may be the brain's most productive state. These revelations and more can be found in neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin's book, which assesses the ways in which humans have adapted (or not) to an age of information overload. Focusing on attention, working memory, categorisation, and decision-making, Levitan offers practical strategies that work with -- rather than against -- our mental processes, allowing us to organise our lives and prevail over distraction. Forget everything you thought you knew about thinking and check out this book. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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