NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the renowned astronomer and author of Cosmos comes a “powerful [and] stirring defense of informed rationality” (The Washington Post Book World) in a world where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace.LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE WINNER • “Glorious . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought.”—Los Angeles TimesHow can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience, New Age thinking, and fundamentalist zealotry and the testable hypotheses of science? Casting a wide net through history and culture, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. He examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies as witchcraft, faith healings, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today’s so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning, with stories of alien abduction, “channeling” past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect.  As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms. Read more

The bestselling landmark account of the first emergence of the Ebola virus. Now a mini-series drama starring Julianna Margulies, Topher Grace, Liam Cunningham, James D'Arcy, and Noah Emmerich on National Geographic.A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is scarier than fiction. Read more

An all-encompassing guide to skeptical thinking from podcast host and academic neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine Steven Novella and his SGU co-hosts, which Richard Wiseman calls "the perfect primer for anyone who wants to separate fact from fiction." It is intimidating to realize that we live in a world overflowing with misinformation, bias, myths, deception, and flawed knowledge. There really are no ultimate authority figures-no one has the secret, and there is no place to look up the definitive answers to our questions (not even Google). Luckily, The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe is your map through this maze of modern life. Here Dr. Steven Novella-along with Bob Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Bernstein-will explain the tenets of skeptical thinking and debunk some of the biggest scientific myths, fallacies, and conspiracy theories-from anti-vaccines to homeopathy, UFO sightings to N- rays. You'll learn the difference between science and pseudoscience, essential critical thinking skills, ways to discuss conspiracy theories with that crazy co- worker of yours, and how to combat sloppy reasoning, bad arguments, and superstitious thinking. So are you ready to join them on an epic scientific quest, one that has taken us from huddling in dark caves to setting foot on the moon? (Yes, we really did that.) DON'T PANIC! With The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, we can do this together. "Thorough, informative, and enlightening, The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe inoculates you against the frailties and shortcomings of human cognition. If this book does not become required reading for us all, we may well see modern civilization unravel before our eyes." -- Neil deGrasse Tyson "In this age of real and fake information, your ability to reason, to think in scientifically skeptical fashion, is the most important skill you can have. Read The Skeptics' Guide Universe; get better at reasoning. And if this claim about the importance of reason is wrong, The Skeptics' Guide will help you figure that out, too." -- Bill Nye Read more

'For all those who want their audiences to listen and understand' JEREMY BOWEN | 'Precision, deftness and a calming expertise' THE TIMES Do you worry about holding people's attention during presentations?Are you unsure where to start when faced with writing an essay or report?Are you preparing for an interview and wondering how to get all your points across?Explanation - identifying and communicating what we want to say - is an art. And the BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos, is something of a master of the form. In this book, Ros shares the secrets he has learned from years of working in high-pressure newsrooms, identifying the ten elements of a good explanation and the seven steps you need to take to express yourself with clarity and impact.Whether at work, school, university or home, we all benefit from being able to articulate ourselves clearly. Filled with practical examples, The Art of Explanation is a must-read for anyone who wants to sharpen their communication skills. Read more

“Engaging . . . touches on advanced computing, essential differences between men and women, the power of the will to live, mysteries of the cosmos and more.” —The Washington Post   The atom. The Big Bang. DNA. Natural selection. All are ideas that revolutionized science—and all were dismissed out of hand when they first ap­peared. The surprises haven’t stopped in recent years, and in At the Edge of Uncertainty, bestselling author Michael Brooks investigates the new wave of radical insights that are shaping the future of scientific discovery.   Brooks takes us to the extreme frontiers of what we understand about the world. He journeys from the observations that might rewrite our story of how the cosmos came to be, through the novel biology behind our will to live, and on to the physi­ological root of consciousness. Along the way, he examines the gender im­balance in clinical trials, explores how merging hu­mans with other species might provide a solution to the shortage of organ donors, and finds out whether the universe really is like a computer or if the flow of time is a mere illusion.   “Absorbing . . . scintillating . . . the edgy edge of scientific investigation presented with verve.” —Kirkus Reviews   “Mind-bending . . . Brooks handily works his way through these thorny problems, highlighting current research and researchers along the way.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Read more

The author of Medical Nihilism examines the philosophical complications and controversies underlying medicine.The philosophy of medicine has become a vibrant and complex intellectual landscape, and Care and Cure is the first extended attempt to map it. In pursuing the interdependent aims of caring and curing, medicine relies on concepts, theories, inferences, and policies that are often complicated and controversial. Bringing much-needed clarity to the interplay of these diverse problems, Jacob Stegenga describes the core philosophical controversies underlying medicine in this unrivaled introduction to the field.The fourteen chapters in Care and Cure present and discuss conceptual, metaphysical, epistemological, and political questions that arise in medicine, buttressed with lively illustrative examples ranging from debates over the true nature of disease to the effectiveness of medical interventions and homeopathy. Poised to be the standard sourcebook for anyone seeking a comprehensive overview of the canonical concepts, current state, and cutting edge of this vital field, this concise introduction will be an indispensable resource for students and scholars of medicine and philosophy.Praise for Care & Cure“An exceptionally clear, accessible, and organized introduction to key concepts and central debates in the philosophy of medicine. There is as yet no single-author, comprehensive introduction to this new field. Stegenga’s excellent book fills this lacuna.” —Anya Plutynski, Department of Philosophy, Washington University in St. Louis, author of Explaining Cancer: Finding Order in Disorder“Care and Cure cogently argues that while scholarship on ethics and the practice of medicine are in plenitude, there is a dearth of scholarship grappling with a host of other philosophical questions and issues concerning medicine as a discipline. A balanced overview.” —Mark H. Waymack, Department of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago“As an introductory text in the philosophy of medicine, Care and Cure offers a comprehensive overview of the field which is accessible to beginners in philosophy. Notably for a philosophical book on medicine, it is not a work in medical ethics, but in applied philosophy of science. Well-written and well-structured, Stegenga’s book is a very welcome addition to the philosophy of medicine literature.” —Hane Maung, Department of Philosophy, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester Read more

A practical introduction to qualitative research across fields and disciplinesQualitative Research in Practice offers a hands-on introduction to qualitative research design, methods, data, and analysis. Designed as a companion text for any course involving qualitative research, this book explores the different types of qualitative studies with relevant examples and analysis by the researchers themselves. The workbook format makes it easy to use in the classroom or the field, and the depth of information makes it a valuable resource for students of social work, psychology, counseling, management, education, health care, or any field in which qualitative research is conducted.While quantitative research is primarily concerned with numerical data, qualitative research methods are more flexible, responsive, and open to contextual information. To a qualitative researcher, a situation is defined by the participants’ perspectives, making it the primary method of inquiry for understanding social phenomena through the lens of experience. This book introduces the essentials of qualitative research, bolstered by expert analysis and discussion that provides deeper insight than a traditional textbook format would allow. Understand the fundamental nature of qualitative researchLearn how to accurately assess and evaluate qualitative researchExplore qualitative research’s many forms and applicationsGain insight on qualitative research in a variety of fields and disciplinesHow does one codify an experience? Is it possible to measure emotion in units? Qualitative research fills the void where numbers cannot reach. It is the best tool we have for studying the unquantifiable aspects of the human experience, and it is an essential tool in a wide variety of fields. Qualitative Research in Practice provides translatable skills in a practical format to quicken your transition from “learning” to “using.” Read more

*Winner of the 2015 Outstanding Book Award from the American Educational Research Association’s Qualitative Research Special Interest Group (SIG).* What does it mean to conduct research for justice with youth and communities who are marginalized by systems of inequality based on race, ethnicity, sexuality, citizenship status, gender, and other categories of difference? In this collection, editors Django Paris and Maisha Winn have selected essays written by top scholars in education on humanizing approaches to qualitative and ethnographic inquiry with youth and their communities. Vignettes, portraits, narratives, personal and collaborative explorations, photographs, and additional data excerpts bring the findings to life for a better understanding of how to use research for positive social change. Read more

Learn about our world, the universe, and groundbreaking discoveries in The Science Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Science in this overview guide to the subject, great for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Science Bookbrings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Science, with:- More than 100 ground-breaking ideas in this field of science- Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understandingThe Science Book is the perfect introduction to every area of this topic – astronomy,biology, chemistry, geology, maths, and physics, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you’ll discover 80 trail-blazing scientific ideas, which underpin our modern world, giving us everything from antibiotics to gene therapy, electricity to space rockets, and batteries to smart phones.Your Science Questions, Simply ExplainedWhat is string theory or black holes? And who discovered gravity and radiation? If you thought it was difficult to learn structure and behavior of the physical and natural world, The Science Book presents key information in a clear layout. Learn about the history of science, covering topics like why Copernicus’s ideas were controversial, how Einstein developed his theories of general and special relativity, and how Crick and Watson suggested a structure for DNA - with fantastic mind maps and step-by-step summaries.The Big Ideas SeriesWith millions of copies sold worldwide, The Science Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand. Read more

Reproducibility is fundamental to the scientific method. After reading a paper describing research findings, a scientist should be able to repeat the experiment and obtain the same results. Yet an alarming number—perhaps as high as 90 percent—of published biomedical research papers face challenges in independent replication. Such issues range from honest mistakes to outright fraud. The scope of this crisis, however, underscores deeper systemic issues within the scientific community: its culture, incentives, and institutions.In Unreliable, the distinguished scientist Csaba Szabo examines the causes and consequences of the reproducibility crisis in biomedical research, showing why the factors that encourage misconduct stem from flaws in real-world science. There are many culprits, including commonplace research methods and dubious statistical techniques. Academic career incentives, hypercompetition for grant funding, and a bias toward publishing positive results have exacerbated the problem. Deliberate data manipulation and fabricated findings churned out by “paper mills” are disturbingly common. Academic institutions and publishers, for their part, have perpetuated a culture of impunity.Szabo explores how these failures have hindered scientific progress and impeded the development of new treatments, and he introduces readers to the “science sleuths” who tirelessly uncover misconduct. He proposes comprehensive reforms, from scientific training to the grant system through the publication process, to address the root causes of the crisis. Written in clear language and leavened with a keen sense of irony, Unreliable is an essential account of the reproducibility crisis that gives readers an inside look at how science is actually done. Read more

“As part of the rising concern for global biodiversity, Christopher Kemp makes clear the value of preserved specimens in basic research.” —Edward O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize–winning biologist and authorThe tiny, lungless Thorius salamander from southern Mexico, thinner than a match and smaller than a quarter. The lushly white-coated Saki, an arboreal monkey from the Brazilian rainforests. The olinguito, a native of the Andes, which looks part mongoose, part teddy bear. These fantastic species are all new to science—at least newly named and identified; but they weren’t discovered in the wild, instead, they were unearthed in the drawers and cavernous basements of natural history museums. As Christopher Kemp reveals in The Lost Species, hiding in the cabinets and storage units of natural history museums is a treasure trove of discovery waiting to happen.With Kemp as our guide, we go spelunking into museum basements, dig through specimen trays, and inspect the drawers and jars of collections, scientific detectives on the hunt for new species. We discover king crabs from 1906, unidentified tarantulas, mislabeled Himalayan landsnails, an unknown rove beetle originally collected by Darwin, and an overlooked squeaker frog, among other curiosities. In each case, these specimens sat quietly for decades—sometimes longer than a century—within the collections of museums, before sharp-eyed scientists understood they were new. The Lost Species vividly tells these stories of discovery—from the latest information on each creature to the people who collected them and the scientists who finally realized what they had unearthed—and will inspire many a museumgoer to want to peek behind the closed doors and rummage through the archives.“An unexpectedly delightful and rewarding jaunt.” —The Wall Street Journal Read more

“The author brings curatorial work to life through absorbing stories about fossils, gems, and other natural objects and the men and women who find them.” —Kirkus ReviewsOver the centuries, natural history museums have evolved from being little more than musty repositories of stuffed animals and pinned bugs, to being crucial generators of new scientific knowledge. They have also become vibrant educational centers, full of engaging exhibits that share those discoveries with students and an enthusiastic general public. At the heart of it all from the very start have been curators. Yet after three decades as a natural history curator, Lance Grande found that he still had to explain to people what he does. This book is the answer—and, oh, what an answer it is: lively, exciting, up-to-date, it offers a portrait of curators and their research like none we’ve seen, one that conveys the intellectual excitement and the educational and social value of curation. Grande uses the personal story of his own career—most of it spent at Chicago’s storied Field Museum—to structure his account as he explores the value of research and collections, the importance of public engagement, changing ecological and ethical considerations, and the impact of rapidly improving technology. Throughout, we are guided by Grande’s keen sense of mission, of a job where the why is always as important as the what. This beautifully written and richly illustrated book is a clear-eyed but loving account of natural history museums, their curators, and their ever-expanding roles in the twenty-first century. Read more

This text provides comprehensive coverage of the key methods for analyzing, interpreting, and writing up qualitative research in a single volume, and drawing on the expertise of major names in the field. Covering all the steps in the process of analyzing, interpreting, and presenting findings in qualitative research, the authors utilize a consistent chapter structure that provides novice and seasoned researchers with pragmatic, "how-to" strategies. Each chapter introduces the method; uses one of the authors′ own research projects as a case study of the method described; shows how the specific analytic method can be used in other types of studies; and concludes with questions and activities to prompt class discussion or personal study. Read more

Thoroughly updated throughout, this classic, practical text on how to write and publish a scientific paper takes its own advice to be "as clear and simple as possible.""The purpose of scientific writing," according to Barbara Gastel and Robert A. Day, "is to communicate new scientific findings. Science is simply too important to be communicated in anything other than words of certain meaning."This clear, beautifully written, and often funny text is a must-have for anyone who needs to communicate scientific information, whether they're writing for a professor, other scientists, or the general public. The thoughtfully revised 9th edition retains the most important material-including preparing text and graphics, publishing papers and other types of writing, and plenty of information on writing style-while adding up-to-date advice on copyright, presenting online, identifying authors, creating visual abstracts, and writing in English as a non-native language.A set of valuable appendixes provide ready reference, including words and expressions to avoid, SI prefixes, a list of helpful websites, and a glossary. Students and working scientists will want to keep How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper at their desks and refer to it at every stage of writing and publication. Read more

This book presents a pedagogical treatment of a wide range of numerical methods to suit the needs of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and teachers and researchers in physics, mathematics, and engineering. For each method, the derivation of the formula/algorithm, error analysis, case studies, applications in science and engineering and the special features are covered. A detailed presentation of solving time-dependent Schrödinger equation and nonlinear wave equations, along with the Monte Carlo techniques (to mention a few) will aid in students’ understanding of several physical phenomena including tunnelling, elastic collision of nonlinear waves, electronic distribution in atoms, and diffusion of neutrons through simulation study.The book covers advanced topics such as symplectic integrators and random number generators for desired distributions and Monte Carlo techniques, which are usually overlooked in other numerical methods textbooks. Interesting updates on classical topics include: curve fitting to a sigmoid and Gaussian functions and product of certain two functions, solving of differential equations in the presence of noise, and solving the time-independent Schrödinger equation.Solutions are presented in the forms of tables and graphs to provide visual aid and encourage a deeper comprehension of the topic. The step-by-step computations presented for most of the problems can be verifiable using a scientific calculator and is therefore appropriate for classroom teaching. The readers of the book will benefit from acquiring an acquittance, knowledge, experience and realization of significance of the numerical methods covered, their applicability to physical and engineering problems and the advantages of applying numerical methods over theoretical methods for specific problems. Read more

ONLY $2.99 TODAY + FREE BONUS BOOK INCLUDED = RN105 Nursing Practice Questions on Oncology Nursing Care! Read more

Take a deep dive into autistic burnout—a phenomenon that affects many autistics and carries with it severe risks of suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety. ‘The Ultimate Guide to Autistic Burnout’ summarizes and explains the most current research on the topic and provides you with the tools to identify and recover from autistic burnout safely.The book is written by adult autistics and is based on research clinical experience and the lived experience of autistic people Researched and written by Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht ND RP (an authority in adult autism), neuroscientist Dr. Debra Bercovici PhD, Eva Silvertant, and Kendall Jones; and brought to life by award-winning graphic designer and illustrator Eva Silvertant BDes—making it a valuable resource for clinicians and the autistic community alike.The book pulls together a scattered field and presents actionable information with a very compassionate and patient-centered approach – Dr. Kathy Murphy, neuroscientist; late-diagnosed AuDHD.The book takes the reader through the causes, diagnostic criteria, co-occurrences, and risk- and protective factors, and offers resources for prevention and recovery by incorporating the latest research and personal stories from many autistic contributors.The book is divided into a clinical version and a non-clinical version—making it relevant to healthcare professionals, autistic individuals, educators, and anyone curious about autism. Read more

This book enables STEMM researchers to write effective papers for publication as well as other research-related texts such as a doctoral thesis, technical report, or conference abstract.Science Research Writing uses a reverse-engineering approach to writing developed from extensive work with STEMM researchers at Imperial College London. This approach unpacks current models of STEMM research writing and helps writers to generate the writing tools needed to operate those models effectively in their own field. The reverse-engineering approach also ensures that writers develop future-proof strategies that will evolve alongside the coming changes in research communication platforms.The Second Edition has been extensively revised and updated to represent current practice and focuses on the writing needs of both early-stage doctoral STEMM researchers and experienced professional researchers at the highest level, whether or not they are native speakers of English. The book retains the practical, user-friendly format of the First Edition, and now contains seven units that deal separately with the components of written STEMM research communication: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Abstract and Title, as well as extensive FAQ responses and a new Checklist and Tips section. Each unit analyses extracts from recent published STEMM journal papers to enable researchers to discover not only what to write, but, crucially, how to write it.The global nature of science research requires fast, accurate communication of highly complex information that can be understood by all participants. Like the First Edition, the Second Edition is intended as a fast, do-it-yourself guide to make both the process and the product of STEMM research writing more effective.Related Link(s) Read more

Qualitative Research: Analyzing Life, Second Edition presents a fresh approach to teaching and learning qualitative methods for social inquiry—one that focuses on analysis from the very beginning of the text. By exploring qualitative research through a unique analytic lens, then cumulatively elaborating on methods in each successive chapter, this innovative work cultivates a skill set and literacy base that prepares readers to work strategically with empirical materials in their own fieldwork. Johnny Saldaña and Matt Omasta combine clear, accessible writing and analytic insight to show that analysis, in its broadest sense, is a process undertaken throughout the entire research experience. The Second Edition provides a number of updates including more on digital materials and methods, including sentiment analysis of social media data, and ethics in social media research. Resources for instructors and students are available on a website to accompany the book. Read more

Millions have seen the movie and thousands have read the book but few have fully appreciated the mathematics developed by John Nash’s beautiful mind. Today Nash’s beautiful math has become a universal language for research in the social sciences and has infiltrated the realms of evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and even quantum physics. John Nash won the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics for pioneering research published in the 1950s on a new branch of mathematics known as game theory. At the time of Nash’s early work, game theory was briefly popular among some mathematicians and Cold War analysts. But it remained obscure until the 1970s when evolutionary biologists began applying it to their work. In the 1980s economists began to embrace game theory. Since then it has found an ever expanding repertoire of applications among a wide range of scientific disciplines. Today neuroscientists peer into game players’ brains, anthropologists play games with people from primitive cultures, biologists use games to explain the evolution of human language, and mathematicians exploit games to better understand social networks. A common thread connecting much of this research is its relevance to the ancient quest for a science of human social behavior, or “a Code of Nature,” in the spirit of the fictional science of psychohistory described in the famous Foundation novels by the late Isaac Asimov. In A Beautiful Math, acclaimed science writer Tom Siegfried describes how game theory links the life sciences, social sciences, and physical sciences in a way that may bring Asimov’s dream closer to reality. Read more