Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/18/2011
ISBN-13: 9780393081091
ISBN-10: 0393081095

In this companion volume to the PBS special of the same name, Penn State geologist Richard Alley examines the ways in which energy, sustainable or otherwise, influences human activity and how these interactions affect climate change. As a contributor to the Nobel Prize-winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) who has also worked for an oil company, Alley brings a balanced perspective to the topic as he provides a historical survey of human energy use, from wood to whale oil to fossil fuels, and looks at the future of energy, including wind, solar, and geothermal.

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Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780385533065
ISBN-10: 0385533063

In 2009, author Brian Christian got the chance to participate in the annual Loebner Prize competition, a version of the Turing Test that pits man against machine as humans and artificial intelligence programs interact, anonymously, with a panel of judges. Christian's job? To convince the judges he was not a computer--a task that proved to be more challenging than he anticipated. Readers fascinated by AI should also check out Lee Gutkind's Almost Human: Making Robots Think, about the scientists at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute. And fans of Mary Roach's books may enjoy Brian Christian's irreverent, thought-provoking, and frequently hands-on approach to science writing.

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Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/05/2011
ISBN-13: 9780802119766
ISBN-10: 080211976X

As the world's human population increases exponentially and places ever greater demands on Earth's finite resources, can our species and our planet survive? To answer this question, Australian scientist and environmentalist Tim Flannery evaluates two hypotheses, each informed by evolutionary theory. The Medean suggests that the human race will exploit natural resources to the point of environmental collapse (followed by mass extinction), while the Gaian more optimistically maintains that the Earth is self-regulating and resilient, enabling humans to learn from their mistakes and change their behavior. Don't miss this thought-provoking read by a "wonderful writer, an original scientist, and a gifted populariser" (The Guardian).

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Publisher: Dutton Adult
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/05/2011
ISBN-13: 9780525952091
ISBN-10: 0525952098

On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. Or that you enjoy looking at granny porn. (Yes, it exists. See Internet Rule 34.) For A Billion Wicked Thoughts, authors Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam analyzed data from over 1 billion web searches, millions of online classified ads, and thousands of adult web sites, erotic stories, and more to illuminate the complex, confusing, and often self-contradictory territory of human desire. Using principles from computational neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, they explore questions like: What do the desires of gay and straight men have in common? Why is there no Viagra for women? Find out their surprising answers in this "enjoyable, exhaustive and often insightful look at what turns us on" (Kirkus Reviews).

Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/21/2011
ISBN-13: 9780393070552
ISBN-10: 0393070557

Today, a blood transfusion is considered a safe and routine medical treatment. But in the 17th century, it was a highly controversial practice whose detractors believed would create monsters. In 1667, pioneering French physician Jean-Baptiste Denis performed the first blood transfusions involving human patients--and wound up accused of murder when one died. But the real culprit, maintains medical historian Holly Tucker, may have been a cabal attempting to discredit Denis. The trial became a landmark event in the history of science, ending further research into blood transfusions for the next 150 years. Readers interested in the history of science, true crime stories, and medical ethics won't want to miss this gripping, often gruesome book.

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Publisher: Free Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/24/2006
ISBN-13: 9780743250221
ISBN-10: 0743250222

Shortly after New Yorker Holley Bishop moved to a farm in Connecticut, she tasted honey from a neighbor's beehives and fell in love with both the liquid gold and the industrious insects who made it. Bishop's newfound obsession led her to learn everything she could about the history, science, and art of bees and beekeeping. From making friends and finding mentors to starting her own hives and harvesting honey, Bishop's transformation from apis aficionado into full-fledged beekeeper will fascinate fans of Sue Hubbell's A Book of Bees--And How to Keep Them.

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Publisher: Bantam Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/30/2006
ISBN-13: 9780553382662
ISBN-10: 0553382667

"Do we love life enough to save it?" asks entomologist and conservationist Stephen Buchmann. Maintaining that human beings possess an innate "biophilia," a deep love of all that is alive, Buchmann traces the history of honeybee-human relations from prehistoric times to the present. As a scientist, Buchmann has much to teach readers about the life cycle and pollinating activities of bees; as an amateur beekeeper, he presents a clear and accessible outline of the basics of beekeeping, from managing a hive to keeping it healthy despite the many threats that honeybees face, including diseases, pesticides, and habitat destruction.

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Publisher: Bloomsbury
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/16/2008
ISBN-13: 9781596915374
ISBN-10: 1596915374

Even if you don't like bees, you probably enjoy food--and since 80 percent of everything we eat depends in some way on pollination, this makes Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, a major threat not just to honeybees but to humans as well. In this "intelligent, important assessment of a confusing phenomenon" (Kirkus Reviews), author Rowan Jacobsen examines the possible causes of CCD, ranging from parasites to viral infections to industrial agriculture (which depends heavily on large-scale monocrops and pesticides). Although some hypotheses he handily debunks (e.g. cell phones), Jacobsen concludes that human activity plays a big role the crisis, which has led to the disappearance of over 30 billion bees since 2006 and could demolish the rest of the population in the future.

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Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/03/2010
ISBN-13: 9780312629816
ISBN-10: 0312629818

In this blend of travelogue and science reporting, Australian journalist Grace Pundyk travels to ten countries in search of the world's best honey. From Yemen--which produces the rare, $150 per pound sidr honey, to China, which exports more honey than any country on Earth, Pundyk's quest often reveals a darker side of this sweet substance as she uncovers links between honey and smuggling, terrorism, and environmental devastation. Whether searching for Borneo's giant honey bee, apis dorsata (which can grow to over an inch long), or sampling New Zealand's manuka honey (whose antibacterial properties can treat MRSA infections), you'll find Pundyk a knowledgeable and interesting travel companion and guide to the world of bees and honey.

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Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/10/2007
ISBN-13: 9780312371241
ISBN-10: 0312371241

What would human civilization be without bees? Not much, according to appropriately named food journalist Bee Wilson. Thanks to the efforts of apis mellifera, the humble honeybee, our species gained a reliable source of food, drink (mead), medicine (honey has antibacterial properties), and light (in the form of beeswax candles). On an intellectual level, the honeybee has also played an important role in politics, religion, and philosophy. Wilon's "engaging tribute" (Booklist) to this longstanding, mostly mutually beneficial relationship between bees and humans will appeal to fans of Hattie Ellis' Sweetness and Light: The Mysterious History of the Honeybee.

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