National Network for Equitable Library Service

Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know-like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn' What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains' Why is multi-tasking a myth' Why is it so easy to forget-and so important to repeat new knowledge' Is it true that men and women have different brains' In Brain Rules, Dr.

David Miller elegantly and provocatively reformulates critical rationalism-the revolutionary approach to epistemology advocated by Karl Popper-by answering its most important critics. He argues for an approach to rationality freed from the debilitating authoritarian dependence on reasons and justification. "Miller presents a particularly useful and stimulating account of critical rationalism. His work is both interesting and controversial... of interest to anyone with concerns in epistemology or the philosophy of science." -Canadian Philosophical Reviews

The concepts of evolution and complexity theory have become part of the intellectual ether permeating the life sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, and more recently, management science and economics. In this new title, John Mayfield elegantly synthesizes core concepts from across disciplines to offer a new approach to understanding how evolution works and how complex organisms, structures, organizations, and social orders can and do arise based on information theory and computational science. This is a big picture book intended for the intellectually adventuresome.

So much to read, so little time' This brief overview of The Sixth Extinction tells you what you need to know-before or after you read Elizabeth Kolbert's book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.

The riveting true story of the world's fastest plane and the first manned flights into outer space. First tested in 1959, the X-15 rocket plane was at the forefront of the space race. Developed by the US Air Force and the National aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in collaboration with North American Aviation, the X-15 was sleek, black, and powerful'a missile with stubby wings and a cockpit on the nose. By 1961 it could reach speeds over three thousand miles per hour and fly at an altitude of thirty-one miles above the earth's surface'the lower reaches of outer space.

Explorers of the Black Box is a scientific adventure story. The "Black Box" is the brain. The "Explorers" are neuroscientists in search of how nerve cells record memories, and they are as ruthless and dauntless as any soldiers of fortune. The book centers around the early, often-controversial research Nobel Prize-winner Eric Kandel. It takes readers behind the scenes of laboratories at Woods Hole, Columbia, Yale, and Princeton to create an absorbing account of how the brain works and of how science itself works.

In 1831 British naturalist Charles Darwin joined a five-year expedition on the ship HMS Beagle. As the crew explored the southern hemisphere, Darwin took extensive notes on the organisms he encountered and how they differed from the species back home in England. He began to formulate ideas about the effect of natural selection on the evolution of species over time. The evidence he gathered, especially finch specimens collected from South America and the GalApagos Islands, provided further proof for his theory.

On a global scale, humans create around 2.6 trillion pounds of waste every year. None of this trash is harmless-landfills and dumps leak toxic chemicals into soil and groundwater, while incinerators release toxic gases and particles into the air. What can we do to keep garbage from swallowing up Earth' Reducing, reusing, recycling, and upcycling are some of the answers.

Most scientists agree that Earth is warming rapidly. Glaciers are melting and rising seawaters are submerging islands and coastal cities. In the coming decades, millions will likely have to escape extreme weather caused by climate change. Some scientists say we need to act faster and with radical new technologies-now-to save our planet. They propose geoengineering, or "engineering Earth," to reset our global thermostat. Ideas include thickening clouds with chemicals to reduce the amount of sunlight and pulling carbon dioxide from the air with machines.

Chris P. Bacon was born with malformed legs, but with the help of a wheelchair made of construction toys, he's become a hero to people with similar challenges. Nancy Furstinger profiles Chris P. Bacon and many other animals in Unstoppable-all of whom are making their way around with the help of prosthetics, braces, orthotics and wheelchairs! Readers will meet the caretakers, prosthetists, vets, and loving families that help to make recovery possible.