National Network for Equitable Library Service

Did you know Toll House Cookies were created accidentally in an old Toll House in Massachusetts by a woman hurrying to make a tasty snack for her patrons? And did you know that Liquid Paper (or white-out) was invented because of one small typing mistake? Often overshadowed by famous male inventors, women have also made many significant contributions to science and industry. This audiobook profiles women like Stephanie Kwolek who created Kevlar body armor.

Would you believe it if I told you that every bird you see- even the smallest hummingbird'is a dinosaur' Well, that's what many scientists now believe! Follow along as scientists examine ancient fossils and pose new theories on how prehistoric dinosaurs evolved into today's modern birds.

There are tons of movies about aliens coming to Earth. Sometimes they come to be our friends, sometimes they come to destroy us-and sometimes they come to make circles in our cornfields. But what about reality? Do scientists actually believe there is intelligent life somewhere out in space? In fact, many scientists spend their days looking for signs of life throughout the galaxy. Others look for ways to make contact with aliens if they exist. And still others try to figure out how life beyond Earth would even be possible.

Archetypal wild man Edward Abbey and proper, dedicated Wallace Stegner left their footprints all over the western landscape. Now, the award-winning nature writer David Gessner follows the ghosts of these two remarkable writer-environmentalists- from Stegner's birthplace in Saskatchewan to the site of Abbey's pilgrimages to Arches- braiding their stories and asking how they speak to the lives of all those who care about the West. What is the future of a region beset by droughts and fires, by fracking and drilling?

In this provocative and optimistic rebuke to the catastrophists, Robert Bryce shows how innovation and the inexorable human desire to make things Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is providing consumers with Cheaper and more abundant energy, Faster computing, Lighter vehicles, and myriad other goods. That same desire is fostering unprecedented prosperity, greater liberty, and yes, better environmental protection.

Carson's writing teems with stunning, memorable images--the newly formed Earth cooling beneath an endlessly overcast sky; the centuries of nonstop rain that created the oceans; giant squids battling sperm whales hundreds of fathoms below the surface; and incredibly powerful tides moving 100 billion tons of water daily in the Bay of Fundy. Quite simply, she captures the mystery and allure of the ocean with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise.

The Edge of the Sea introduces a world of teeming life where the sea meets the land.

Warner presents his study of the pugnacious Atlantic blue crab and of its Chesapeake Bay territory.

Rosanna Hansen explains the work that she and others are doing to protect cheetahs.