Bøger i Popular Science serien

This book is designed to offer a comprehensive high-level introduction to transhumanism, an international political and cultural movement that aims to produce a "paradigm shift" in our ethical and political understanding of human evolution. Transhumanist thinkers want the human species to take the course of evolution into its own hands, using advanced technologies currently under development - such as robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cognitive neurosciences, and nanotechnology - to overcome our present physical and mental limitations, improve our intelligence beyond the current maximum achievable level, acquire skills that are currently the preserve of other species, abolish involuntary aging and death, and ultimately achieve a post-human level of existence. The book covers transhumanism from a historical, philosophical, and scientific viewpoint, tracing its cultural roots, discussing the main philosophical, epistemological, and ethical issues, and reviewing the state of the art in scientific research on the topics of most interest to transhumanists. The writing style is clear and accessible for the general reader, but the book will also appeal to graduate and undergraduate students.

Emigrating Beyond Earth puts space colonization into the context of human evolution. Rather than focusing on the technologies and strategies needed to colonize space, the authors examine the human and societal reasons for space colonization. They make space colonization seems like a natural step by demonstrating that if will continue the human species' 4 million-year-old legacy of adaptation to difficult new environments. The authors present many examples from the history of human expansion into new environments, including two amazing tales of human colonization - the prehistoric settlement of the upper Arctic around 5,000 years ago and the colonization of the Pacific islands around 3,000 years ago - which show that space exploration is no more about rockets and robots that Arctic exploration was about boating!

Telecommunications is a major global industry, and this unique book chronicles the development of this complex technology from the electric telegraph to the Internet in a simple, accessible, and entertaining way. The book opens with the early years of the electric telegraph. The reader will learn how the Morse telegraph evolved into an international network that spanned the globe, starting with the development of international undersea cables, and the heroic attempts to lay a trans-Atlantic cable. The book describes the events that led to the invention of the telephone, and the subsequent disputes over who had really invented it. It takes a look at some of the most important applications that have appeared on the Internet, the mobile revolution, and ends with a discussion of future key developments in the telecommunications industry.

Having always been fascinated by these singular landscapes, Sergio Rossi reconstructs some of the episodes that have marked the exploration of these territories, such as the dramatic race between Amundsen and Scott to conquer the South Pole, and Captain Shackleton's odyssey to save his crew from certain death.

The book goes on to describe the various stages the body passes through as it decomposes following death. Inevitably, your body will support the continuation of life on our beautiful planet - this book describes how all this happens.

It is not limited to small arms but also looks at the science of enormous guns such the Paris Gun, for example, and reviews the efforts to build a gun to launch projectiles into space. Extremely fast guns are also covered, such as two-stage guns and rail guns.

This is a book about the mathematical nature of our Universe. Armed with no more than basic high school mathematics, Dr. Joel L.

This book reveals the multi-generational process involved in humanity's first major scientific achievement, namely the discovery of modern physics, and examines the personal lives of six of the intellectual giants involved.

In 2016, scientist Rosaly Lopes and artist Michael Carroll teamed up as fellows of the National Science Foundation to travel to Mount Erebus, the world¿s southernmost active volcano in Antarctica. The logistics of getting there and complex operations of Antarctica's McMurdo Station echo the kinds of strategies that future explorers will undertake as they set up settlements on Mars and beyond. This exciting popular-level book explores the arduous environment of Antarctica and how it is similar to other icy worlds in the Solar System.The bulk of this story delves into Antarcticäs infrastructure, exploration, and remote camps, culminating on the summit of Erebus. There, the authors explored the caves and ice towers on the volcanös flanks, taking photographs and generating original art depicting scenes in Antarctica and terrestrial analogs on other planets and moons. Readers will see an intimate side of Mount Erebus and Antarctica while surveying the region¿s history, exploration, geology, and volcanology, which includes research funded by the National Science Foundation¿s United States Antarctic Programs. Richly illustrated with photographs and stunning paintings showcasing the beauty of the harsh continent, the book captures the spirit and splendor of the authors¿ journey to Erebus.

"Contradictions" is a general interest book that exposes the incompatibility between popular religious beliefs and the scientific view of human nature.

This collection of stories shows the human face of science. 'Eurekas and Euphorias' contains around 200 anecdotes illustrating scientists in all their shapes: the obsessive and the dilettantish, the genial, the envious, the preternaturally brilliant and the slow-witted who sometimes see further in the end, the open-minded and more.

This volume comprises the 1998 Oxford Amnesty Lectures. Topics discussed include: are eugenics practices morally defensible?; who should have access to genetic information about particular individuals?; and what dangers for cultural and racial diversity do developments in genetics pose?

This book is about how electronics, computing, and telecommunications have profoundly changed our lives - the way we work, live, and play. Today our lives are ruled by electronics as they control the home and computers dominate the workspace.

At the same time, it analyzes competing trends and theories, the lack of scientific knowledge of large sections of the population, the dogmas of pseudoscience, and the growing suspicion of science and technology, which may inevitably lead to scientific stagnation.

In this book, Dr. Andras Sobester reviews the science behind high altitude flight. Flying high makes very high speeds possible -- what are the practical limits?The key advantage of stratospheric flight is that the aircraft will be 'above the weather' - but is this always the case?

The Franklin/Wilkins story has often been told as an example of the unjustness of male scientists towards their women colleagues, and questions have been raised over whether credit was distributed fairly when the Nobel Prize was awarded. In this autobiography Wilkins attempts to tell his side of the story.

Describing the anatomy and physiology of the steam train, this work covers engine design, converting fuel into mechanical traction, and the function and design of the various components of the engine.

Carl Djerassi was responsible for the chemical synthesis of the first steroid oral contraceptive: he is widely referred to as the 'father of the Pill'. In This Man's Pill, Djerassi reflects on the impact the invention of the oral contraceptive pill has had on the world, and on Djerassi himself.

Along the way it covers a bit of the engineering, reactor history, different kinds of reactors and what can go wrong with them. Much of this is seen from the viewpoint of a trainee operator on a Pressurised Water Reactor - the most common type of nuclear reactor in the world.

This full color book provides a quantitative view of our civilization over the next 100,000 years. The authors present the dangers and stress the importance of taking decisions in the 21st century to ensure the long-term survival of people on Earth.

Performing in a high G environment is extremely demanding on the body: pulling G forces blood to the body's extremities, putting the pilot, astronaut or driver at risk of G-Induced Lack of Consciousness (G-LOC).

This book tells the story of the catastrophic impact of the giant 10 Km asteroid Chicxulub into the ancient Gulf of Mexico 65.5 million years ago. The aftermath of the Chicxulub's event initiated decades and more of major global climate changes including a "Nuclear Winter" of freezing darkness and blistering greenhouse warming.

Any formula for predicting human survival will invite controversy. This book provides a unique analysis of the chances of human survivability in the short and long term. It develops a formula for survival based on four separate measures.

Part III of the book looks at how we can protect our satellites, preparing for the worst, reducing the growth and amount of orbital debris, preventing acts of war in space and hardening against space radiation.

Humans have the ability to imitate and copy behaviours, or memes, from one another. This is an investigation of whether genes and memes can lead to discoveries about the nature of the inner self and whether the inner self is only an illusion created by the memes for the sake of replication.

From Aspirin to Viagra, insulin to penicillin, and vaccines to vitamin supplements, drugs have become part of our everyday lives.

In 2016, scientist Rosaly Lopes and artist Michael Carroll teamed up as fellows of the National Science Foundation to travel to Mount Erebus, the worldΓÇÖs southernmost active volcano in Antarctica. The logistics of getting there and complex operations of Antarctica''s McMurdo Station echo the kinds of strategies that future explorers will undertake as they set up settlements on Mars and beyond. This exciting popular-level book explores the arduous environment of Antarctica and how it is similar to other icy worlds in the Solar System.The bulk of this story delves into AntarcticaΓÇÖs infrastructure, exploration, and remote camps, culminating on the summit of Erebus. There, the authors explored the caves and ice towers on the volcanoΓÇÖs flanks, taking photographs and generating original art depicting scenes in Antarctica and terrestrial analogs on other planets and moons. Readers will see an intimate side of Mount Erebus and Antarctica while surveying the regionΓÇÖs history, exploration, geology, and volcanology, which includes research funded by the National Science FoundationΓÇÖs United States Antarctic Programs. Richly illustrated with photographs and stunning paintings showcasing the beauty of the harsh continent, the book captures the spirit and splendor of the authorsΓÇÖ journey to Erebus.

The Electric Century examines how we got from then to now. The nineteenth is often described as the century of steam from the impact it had on employment and transport, and The Electric Century makes a similar claim as the description of the twentieth.