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Author recounts spending the summer of 2008 in mission control of the Phoenix Mars expedition with one hundred thirty scientists…
and engineers. Describes the team's discovery of ice on Mars, discusses the possibility of life on the planet, and addresses conspiracy stories about the mission's findings. 2011
Detailed account of college intern Thad Roberts's theft of moon rocks from NASA in 2002 and the FBI sting that…
snared him. Describes Roberts's sheltered upbringing, his estrangement from his parents, and his romance with a coworker that motivated the heist. Some strong language. 2011
Theoretical physicist and author of From Eternity to Here (DB 71474) explains the research involved in and the potential impact…
of the 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson, also known as the God particle, that gives particles their mass. Details the role of engineers, theorists, and experimentalists. 2012
Journalist explores the rivalry between financier Henry Graves Jr. and automobile magnate James Ward Packard to build and own the…
most remarkable watch in history. Graves and Packard spurred Swiss watchmaker Patek Phillipe to manufacture the Graves Supercomplication--the most complex mechanical watch ever created. Details early-twentieth-century watchmaking techniques. 2013
Arizona State University cosmologist challenges belief in a divine creator and describes modern research in quantum mechanics that suggests the…
universe originated out of nothing--and could eventually return to that. Includes afterword by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, author of The Greatest Show on Earth (DB 70102). 2012
Physicist and author of The House of Wisdom (DB 75023) discusses nine theories and ideas that seem to defy common…
sense, including the Paradox of the Twins and Achilles and the Tortoise. Explains the science and math required to understand these brainteasers. 2012
Journalist chronicles historical and contemporary explorations into the nature of light, both scientific and artistic. Discusses creation myths, Greek philosophers,…
religious representations, scientific investigations and feuds, filmmaking, and the development of such artistic movements as Romanticism. 2016
Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, scientific advisor for Christopher Nolan's film Interstellar, guides readers through the science at work throughout the…
movie. Chapters provide context for each of the film's scientific concepts, in addition to explaining the theory and mechanics of such subjects as wormholes, planet dynamics, and quantum gravity. 2014
Philosopher Crease and physicist Goldhaber discuss the lasting legacy of the research into quantum physics in the early 1900s. Present…
material from their cross-disciplinary course that explores how science and human behavior meet in the definition of "quantum." Describe the impact of quantum research on science and popular culture. 2014
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Weinberg examines the development of scientific reasoning across the world in a number of different fields. Chronologically…
examines the advancements of the ancient Greeks, Europe, and the Arab world in the Middle Ages, and the scientific revolution during the Enlightenment. 2015
Journalist examines the growth of discoveries of exoplanets--planets that orbit stars other than the Sun--in the late twentieth and early…
twenty-first centuries and what it means for the identification of extraterrestrial life. Profiles astronomers and planetary scientists responsible for this batch of identified planets. 2013
Theoretical physicist examines advances in brain research that once could only be imagined in science fiction. Explores possibilities such as…
connecting brains to computers to power exoskeletons for those with paralyzed limbs, learning new subjects through artificial memory, and constructing a "brain-net" to link minds across the world. Bestseller. 2014
Journalist focuses on the experiences of the people working at NASA from the aftermath of the 1986 Challenger shuttle explosion…
to the July 2011 final shuttle flight. Interviews flight controllers, shuttle workers, and astronauts. Covers the 2003 loss of the Columbia. Includes foreword by astronaut Jerry Ross. 2013
Examination of the lives of Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) and their contributions in the development of…
physics. Discusses Faraday's early life of poverty--and the challenges he faced because of his background--and Maxwell's ability to support Faraday's theories with mathematical formulas. 2014
Journalist St. John and engineer Ramirez examine the game of football and discuss the behavioral and mechanical science concepts behind…
it. The authors explore the notion that chaos theory--as explained to them by MacArthur Fellow Stephan Wolfram--is the underpinning for Cincinnati Bengals' coach Sam Wyche's no-huddle. 2013
Molecular geneticist McFadden and physicist Al-Khalili, author of Paradox (DB 75728), present the emerging field of quantum biology. They discuss…
the introduction of quantum mechanics theory into the field of biology and explore investigations into puzzles facing biologists, including the ways migrating birds know where to go, interpreting scents, and gene replication. 2014
Examines the effects of light pollution. Beginning at the "brightest beam of light on Earth" at the Luxor casino in…
Las Vegas and ending at the Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah, Bogard travels across the world searching for places where only natural light exists. 2013
Astrophysicist discusses the legacy of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543). Examines discoveries and scientific advancements in the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries…
to posit that, while it is not the center of the universe, the Earth does occupy a unique position in space, time, and scale. Explores astronomy, biology, and physics. 2014
Journalist details the life and intellectual career of Taylor Wilson (born 1994). Discusses his early educational ventures into rocket propulsion…
and the investigation of medical isotopes, his transfer to a private gifted school in Nevada, and his development of nuclear fusion. Argues for increased attention to gifted education opportunities. 2015
Neil deGrasse Tyson and physicist James Trefil explore the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia--How did life…
begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone?--and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories