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Conservation of Architectural Heritage: Developing Sustainable Practices (Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation)
by Natsuko Akagawa Antonella Versaci Nicola Cavalagli Maria Luisa GermanàThis book presents practical, applicable solutions that contribute to built heritage conservation, discussing challenges like resource constraints, ineffective legislation, lack of coordination between different relevant bodies, and absence of public awareness and involvement. This is to maintain the beauty and cultural meaning of the architectural heritage since they are like a glimpse from the past life, representing how people lived, their religions, and beliefs in addition to the primitive but inspirational technology used in construction. As a result, this book is of significant importance to professionals in the fields of architecture, sustainability, as well as policymakers.
Conservation of Architectural Heritage: Embodiment of Identity (Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation)
by Natsuko Akagawa Antonella Versaci Claudia CennamoThis book discusses the fundamentals and practical applications of heritage conservation as an important tool of a city's development. It presents case studies that demonstrate how to achieve a balance between the promotion of tourism industry and the generation of income while also seeking optimum sustainable methods for Conserving the City's Tradition and Identity. The book in hand offers useful insights to a wide array of audience aware of the need to preserve the architectural beauty of cities, such as architects, policymakers, investors and even the wide public who is interested in ways of conserving and protecting cultural sites.
Conservation of Biodiversity in the North Eastern States of India: Proceedings of NERC 2022
by Ramagopal V. S. Uppaluri Latha RanganThis volume presents part of the proceedings of NERC 2022, with an emphasis on conservation of bio-diversity in North-east India. This is a highly challenging and involved topic due to regionally diverse physiographic, geographical and eco-climatic conditions. Henceforth, systemic and holistic frameworks are required to disseminate upon the potential of science and technology for the conservation of the region’s bio-diversity. Notable among these frameworks refers to plant, microbial and animal bio-diversity conservation, value-added product development and sharing the benefits of such research for the perspective of bio-prospects, analysing critical environmental and climatic factors and their sensitivity upon urbanization strategies. Tools that are to be deployed for such insights involve plant, animal, and microbial bioscience and biotechnology, generalized rules for product design and development and survey based strategies. Addressing relevant competent methodologies and generic pedagogies, this volume on the bio-diversity conservation in North-eastern states of India aims to demonstrate the potential of pragmatic strategies that can be applied for the bio-diversity conservation in any region of world. Thereby, opportunities for nature linked livelihood security can be sought for the long term wellbeing of the humankind and ecology.
Conservation of Built Heritage in India: Heritage Mapping and Spatializing Values (Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements)
by Vijayalaxmi J.This book focuses on the Heritage Conservation of Architecture, Historic Districts of a City and Conservation strategies with specific case studies from India, in order to highlight the need for conserving the rich piece of history through research, education, advocacy, and practice. The historic significance and the condition mapping of the subjects are carried out through primary field studies by the authors at School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, India. The cases are analysed, and appropriate solutions and sustainable strategies are evolved for the conservation of the buildings facing contemporary challenges. The contents align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 11), Target 11.4 which aims to “strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage'. This would ensure that a rich piece of history is documented and analysed to ensure that it is not erased and forgotten. This book serves as a bountiful data base of literature as well as conservation strategies for heritage conservationists, students of architectural conservation and researchers.
Conservation of Dragonflies: Sentinels for Freshwater Conservation
by Dr Michael J SamwaysDragonflies are among the most familiar and popular of all insects, deeply embedded in human cultural history. They are iconic and tell us much about the environments in which we and they live. Their conservation is an important part of biodiversity conservation. One modern dragonfly species is listed as extinct, with many others currently threatened. It is now essential to increase conservation efforts towards saving these threatened species, with strategies now available for doing this. Recovery of dragonfly populations goes hand in hand with improvements to both freshwater conditions and bank vegetation quality. In contrast, some other dragonfly species have benefitted greatly from human transformation of the landscape, with artificial ponds in particular, increasing the population levels of many species. In turn, climate change is seeing many geographical range shifts. Dragonflies are variously sensitive to the health of freshwater systems, and the quality of vegetation along rivers and around ponds. Dragonflies are excellent indicators in these times of great concern over the quality of our freshwater supplies. Their wide range of sensitivities enables us to measure the extent to which freshwater ecosystems are either deteriorating or are improving when we undertake restoration. They enable us to gauge how well we are conserving freshwaters, whether ponds and lakes, streams or rivers. They are also good umbrellas for many other freshwater inhabitants, which altogether reflect the health of a freshwater system. Conservation of Dragonflies: Sentinels for Freshwater Conservation is for naturalists, citizen scientists, entomologists and conservation scientists, as well as practitioners and policy makers around the world.
Conservation of Marine Resources and Sustainable Coastal Community Development in Malaysia
by Muhammad Mehedi MasudThis book addresses a timely and compelling emerging issue related to the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources and the sustainable development of the coastal community. Marine protected areas (MPAs) make a remarkable contribution to the protection of marine communities by providing sustainable livelihoods, deriving financial benefits from the development of fisheries and tourism, as well as by restoring ocean productivity and preventing further environmental degradation. These areas have been considered the cornerstone of a blue economy due to their substantial economic, social and environmental contributions. However, MPAs around the world are severely hampered by a multitude of issues and challenges such as inefficient management, poor socioeconomic conditions and environmental degradation due to human activities, overexploitation of marine resources, degradation of water quality, massive waste production and climate change. These are the main obstacles to economic, social and environmental sustainability. Hence, a collaborative management approach and an integrated management policy framework is urgently needed for the economic, social, political, cultural, technological, and ecological development of coastal communities.
Conservation of Modern Oil Paintings
by Aviva Burnstock Gunnar Heydenreich Katrien Keune Klaas Jan van den Berg Ilaria Bonaduce Bronwyn Ormsby Mikkel Scharff Leslie CarlyleArtists’ oil paints have become increasingly complex and diverse in the 20th Century, applied by artists in a variety of ways. This has led to a number of issues that pose increasing difficulties to conservators and collection keepers. A deeper knowledge of the artists’ intent as well as processes associated with material changes in paintings is important to conservation, which is almost always a compromise between material preservation and aesthetics. This volume represents 46 peer-reviewed papers presented at the Conference of Modern Oil Paints held in Amsterdam in 2018. The book contains a compilation of articles on oil paints and paintings in the 20th Century, partly presenting the outcome of the European JPI project ‘Cleaning of Modern Oil Paints’. It is also a follow-up on ‘Issues in Contemporary Oil Paint’ (Springer, 2014). The chapters cover a range of themes and topics such as: patents and paint manufacturing in the 20th Century; characterization of modern-contemporary oil paints and paint surfaces; artists’ materials and techniques; the artists’ voice and influence on perception of curators, conservators and scientists; model studies on paint degradation and long term stability; approaches to conservation of oil paintings; practical surface treatment and display. The book will help conservators and curators recognise problems and interpret visual changes on paintings, which in turn give a more solid basis for decisions on the treatment of these paintings.
Conservation of Rare or Little-Known Species: Biological, Social, and Economic Considerations
by Nancy Molina Martin G. Raphael Randy MolinaSome ecosystem management plans established by state and federal agencies have begun to shift their focus away from single-species conservation to a broader goal of protecting a wide range of flora and fauna, including species whose numbers are scarce or about which there is little scientific understanding. To date, these efforts have proved extremely costly and complex to implement. Are there alternative approaches to protecting rare or little-known species that can be more effective and less burdensome than current efforts? Conservation of Rare or Little-Known Species represents the first comprehensive scientific evaluation of approaches and management options for protecting rare or little-known terrestrial species. The book brings together leading ecologists, biologists, botanists, economists, and sociologists to classify approaches, summarize their theoretical and conceptual foundations, evaluate their efficacy, and review how each has been used. Contributors consider combinations of species and systems approaches for overall effectiveness in meeting conservation and ecosystem sustainability goals. They discuss the biological, legal, sociological, political, administrative, and economic dimensions by which conservation strategies can be gauged, in an effort to help managers determine which strategy or combination of strategies is most likely to meet their needs. Contributors also discuss practical considerations of implementing various strategies. Conservation of Rare or Little-Known Species gives land managers access to a diverse literature and provides them with the basic information they need to select approaches that best suit their conservation objectives and ecological context. It is an important new work for anyone involved with developing land management or conservation plans.
Conservation of Saline Wetland Ecosystems: An Initiative towards UN Decade of Ecological Restoration
by Laxmi Kant Sharma Rajashree NaikThis authored book is a comprehensive collection of information on saline wetland ecosystems, focusing on the application of advanced technologies like LiDAR, UAVs, and artificial intelligence for the conservation of these critical ecosystems. Saline lakes, known for their extreme conditions, play a vital role in global water systems. This book investigates how advanced tools such as airborne and spaceborne multispectral/hyperspectral sensors, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs), and spectroradiometers, combined with AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), can be harnessed for effective restoration and conservation efforts. The book is enriched with detailed infographics, flowcharts, graphs, and tables, making complex information accessible and engaging. A dedicated section of case studies provides practical examples that highlight the real-world impact of the discussed technologies. This book will be of interest to academicians, scientists, ecologists, hydrologists, limnologists, earth data scientists, ecosystem conservationists, environmental planners, engineers, policymakers, geologists, data analysts, climate scientists, and remote sensing and GIS specialists. It also serves as valuable reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of ecology, wetlands, and earth and environmental sciences
Conservation of Tropical Birds
by Cagan H. Sekercioglu Navjot S. Sodhi Jos Barlow Scott K. RobinsonConservation of Tropical Birds has been written by four conservation biologists whose expertise spans all the tropical regions of the world. It is the first book to cover all the major issues in tropical bird conservation. Current problems faced by tropical bird conservationists are summarised and potential solutions outlined based on the results of case studies. Birds are key indicators of ecosystem health, and such a well-studied group of organisms, that they provide an excellent lens through which to examine global conservation problems caused by phenomena such as climate change, declines in ecosystem services, habitat loss, fires, overexploitation, and invasive species. Therefore, the book also provides an engaging synopsis of the general issues in conservation and the problems faced by other wildlife. This book serves as an important resource and companion to all people interested in observing and conserving birds in the tropics and elsewhere.
Conservation of Tropical Plant Species
by M. N. Normah H. F. Chin Barbara M. ReedThe book is designed to provide a review on the methods and current status of conservation of the tropical plant species. It will also provide the information on the richness of the tropical plant diversity, the need to conserve, and the potential utilization of the genetic resources. Future perspectives of conservation of tropical species will be discussed. Besides being useful to researchers and graduate students in the field, we hope to create a reference for a much wider audience who are interested in conservation of tropical plant diversity.
Conservation of Wildlife Populations
by L. Scott MillsPopulation ecology has matured to a sophisticated science with astonishing potential for contributing solutions to wildlife conservation and management challenges. And yet, much of the applied power of wildlife population ecology remains untapped because its broad sweep across disparate subfields has been isolated in specialized texts. In this book, L. Scott Mills covers the full spectrum of applied wildlife population ecology, including genomic tools for non-invasive genetic sampling, predation, population projections, climate change and invasive species, harvest modeling, viability analysis, focal species concepts, and analyses of connectivity in fragmented landscapes. With a readable style, analytical rigor, and hundreds of examples drawn from around the world, Conservation of Wildlife Populations (2nd ed) provides the conceptual basis for applying population ecology to wildlife conservation decision-making. Although targeting primarily undergraduates and beginning graduate students with some basic training in basic ecology and statistics (in majors that could include wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecology, environmental studies, and biology), the book will also be useful for practitioners in the field who want to find - in one place and with plenty of applied examples - the latest advances in the genetic and demographic aspects of population ecology.Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com/go/mills/wildlifepopulations.
Conservation of Wildlife Populations: Demography, Genetics, and Management
by L. Scott MillsPopulation ecology has matured to a sophisticated science with astonishing potential for contributing solutions to wildlife conservation and management challenges. And yet, much of the applied power of wildlife population ecology remains untapped because its broad sweep across disparate subfields has been isolated in specialized texts. In this book, L. Scott Mills covers the full spectrum of applied wildlife population ecology, including genomic tools for non-invasive genetic sampling, predation, population projections, climate change and invasive species, harvest modeling, viability analysis, focal species concepts, and analyses of connectivity in fragmented landscapes. With a readable style, analytical rigor, and hundreds of examples drawn from around the world, "Conservation of Wildlife Populations (2nd ed)" provides the conceptual basis for applying population ecology to wildlife conservation decision-making. Although targeting primarily undergraduates and beginning graduate students with some basic training in basic ecology and statistics (in majors that could include wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecology, environmental studies, and biology), the book will also be useful for practitioners in the field who want to find - in one place and with plenty of applied examples - the latest advances in the genetic and demographic aspects of population ecology. Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com/gomillswildlifepopulations.
Conservation of the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly in Australia
by Tim R. New Donald P.A. SandsThis survey of one the longest insect conservation campaigns in Australia deals with recovery of one of the most iconic endemic butterflies, the Richmond birdwing, threatened by clearance and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia and the spread of an alien larval food-plant. Its conservation has involved many aspects of community involvement, developed over more than 20 years, and focused on habitat restoration and weed eradication, in conjunction with conservation of remaining forest fragments. The work has involved the entire historical range of the butterfly, addressed threats and emphasised landscape connectivity, and has enhanced recovery through extensive plantings of native food plants. Interest has been maintained through extensive publicity, community education and media activity, and the programme has provided many lessons for advancing insect conservation practice in the region.
Conservation, Land Conflicts and Sustainable Tourism in Southern Africa: Contemporary Issues and Approaches (Routledge Studies in Conservation and the Environment)
by Regis Musavengane and Llewellyn LeonardThis book examines the nexus between conservation, land conflicts and sustainable tourism approaches in Southern Africa, with a focus on equity, access, restitution and redistribution. While Southern Africa is home to important biodiversity, pristine woodlands and grasslands, and is a habitat for important wildlife species, it is also a land of contestations over its natural resources with a complex historical legacy and a wide variety of competing and conflicting issues surrounding race, cultural and traditional practices and neoliberalism. Drawing on insights from conservation, environmental and tourism experts, this volume presents the nexus between land conflicts and conservation in the region. The chapters reveal the hegemony of humans on land and associated resources including wildlife and minerals. By using social science approaches, the book unites environmental, scientific, social and political issues as it is imperative we understand the holistic nature of land conflicts in nature-based tourism. Discussing the management theories and approaches to community-based tourism in communities where there is or were land conflicts is critical to understanding the current state and future of tourism in African rural spaces. This volume determines the extent to which land reform impacts community-based tourism in Africa to develop resilient destination strategies and shares solutions to existing land conflicts to promote conservation and nature-based tourism. The book will be of great interest to students, academics, development experts, and policymakers in the field of conservation, tourism geography, sociology, development studies, land use and environmental management and African studies.
Conservation, Management and Monitoring of Forest Resources in India
by Mehebub Sahana Gopala Areendran Krishna RajThis volume is devoted to compiling recent advancements, methodological improvements, new processing techniques, integration methods and rigorous applications associated with conceptual techniques on the conservation and monitoring of forest resources for a scientific audience, with a focus on cases and applications in India. The primary objective of the book is to advance the scientific understanding of the recent trends and technological improvements in forest conservation, management and related research themes in forest resources and human-wildlife interactions. The book is organized into five sections: (I) Forest Conservation Ecology (II) Forest Conservation and Society (III) Forest Management (IV) Forest Monitoring using GIS and Remote Sensing and (V) Human Wildlife Conflicts. It covers various research themes related to forestry, wildlife, habitat fragmentation, forest management and human-wildlife conflict research, and therefore will be beneficial to a diverse range of researchers, scientific organizations, wildlife scientists, biologists, ecologists and planners in the fields of wildlife and forestry. The book will further be of use to post-graduates, PhD research scholars, professors, geospatial experts, modellers, foresters, agricultural scientists, biologists, ecologists, environmental consultants and big data compilers.
Conservation: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)
by Paul Jepson Richard LadleThe need to protect nature has never been so pressing. As unprecedented environmental challenges threaten to wipe out many of the planet's species, there is a battle against time to formulate new ways of defending nature. Jepson and Ladle cover all aspects of modern conservation from inspiring successes to the most urgent crises, introduce exciting new techniques such as re-wilding and adaptive management, and explain how we can all contribute. Essential reading for anyone who does not want to see the last of pandas, polar bears, and parrots. Dr. Paul Jepson and Dr. Richard Ladle both work at the University of Oxford.
Conservation: Integrating Social and Ecological Justice (Routledge Explorations In Environmental Studies)
by Helen Kopnina Haydn WashingtonThis book provides keys to decrypt current political debates on the environment in light of the theories that support them, and provides tools to better understand and manage environmental conflicts and promote environmentally friendly behaviour. As we work towards global sustainability at a time when efforts to conserve biodiversity and combat climate change correspond with land grabs by large corporations, food insecurity, and human displacement. While we seek to reconcile more-than-human relations and responsibilities in the Anthropocene, we also struggle to accommodate social justice and the increasingly global desire for economic development. These and other challenges fundamentally alter the way social scientists relate to communities and the environment. This book takes as its point of departure today’s pressing environmental challenges, particularly the loss of biodiversity, and the role of communities in protected areas conservation. In its chapters, the authors discuss areas of tension between local livelihoods and international conservation efforts, between local communities and wildlife, and finally between traditional ways of living and ‘modernity’. The central premise of this book is while these tensions cannot be easily resolved they can be better understood by considering both social and ecological effects, in equal measure. While environmental problems cannot be seen as purely ecological because they always involve people, who bring to the environmental table their different assumptions about nature and culture, so are social problems connected to environmental constraints. While nonhumans cannot verbally bring anything to this negotiating table, aside from vast material benefits that society relies on, the distinct perspective of this book is that there is a need to consider the role of nonhumans as equally important stakeholders – albeit without a voice. This book develops an argument that human-environmental relationships are set within ecological reality and ecological ethics and rather than being mutually constitutive processes, humans have obligate dependence on nature, not vice versa. This would enable an ethical position encompassing the needs of other species and giving simultaneous (without one being subordinated to another) consideration to justice for humans and non-humans alike. The book is accessible to both social scientists and conservation specialists, and intends to contribute to strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations in the field of conservation.
Conservative Conservationist: Russell E. Train and the Emergence of American Environmentalism
by J. Brooks FlippenIn the history of American environmentalism, Russell E. Train plays a starring role. Few individuals have been so influential in creating the United States' environmental policies and encouraging conservation efforts around the world. In this absorbing new biography, J. Brooks Flippen describes Train's significance within the fascinating history of the contemporary environmental movement.A lifelong Republican, Train left a successful judicial career to found the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation. As the problems of pollution and unrestrained growth became apparent, he adopted a more ecological approach to nature and became a leader of the emerging environmental movement of the 1960s. He soon headed the Conservation Foundation, one of the first organizations to appreciate that humans represent only one strand in the "web of life." President Richard Nixon appointed Train as the initial chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality just as the country celebrated its first Earth Day. There he helped craft the most important environmental legislation in U.S. history. After three years, he became administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, enforcing regulations during the Energy Crisis and much of the troubled 1970s.With the election of Democrat Jimmy Carter, Train returned to the private sector as head of the American affiliate of the World Wildlife Fund. He found himself increasingly at odds with many Republicans as a new, more ideological brand of conservatism grew and bipartisanship faded. Train's Republican credentials and environmental advocacy made him a vestige of the past and, in a sense, a hope for the future.Given complete access to the personal papers and recollections of Russell Train, Flippen casts an unbiased eye on this remarkable man and the causes he has so fervently promoted. Of a prominent Washington family, Train has known every president from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush. His life and career illustrate the political dynamics of modern environmentalism and illuminate the insider culture of Washington, D.C.
Conserving Biocultural Landscapes in Malaysia and Indonesia for Sustainable Development
by Sun-Kee Hong Saiful Arif Abdullah Amin Setyo LeksonoThis book presents perspective on the importance of natural and cultural relationships for conserving bio-cultural landscapes. It explores the approaches and concepts used to conserve bio-cultural landscapes in Malaysia and Indonesia. The book highlights the importance of bio-cultural landscape in sustainable development framework and its link to sustainable development goals are also included. It fills the gap in literature with special focus on this region. The book is of interest to teachers, researchers, climate change scientists, conservationists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also it serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of ecology, and environmental sciences. National and international environmental scientists, policy makers also find this to be a useful read.
Conserving and Managing Historical Urban Landscape: An Integrated Morphological Approach (The Urban Book Series)
by Xiaoxi Li Ye ZhangThis book focuses on urban morphology and its application to urban conservation and management. The rapid disappearance of historical urban landscapes, especially in developing countries, is largely attributed to the lack of historic awareness and broad-brush demolition and redevelopment in urban development. The book provides a new, integrated morphological approach that enables fine-grained and cross-scale examination of urban form based on both its historicity and socio-economic potential, with the aims of informing more responsive and context-specific conservation and management of historical urban landscapes. The robustness of this new approach and the feasibility of its application to urban conservation practice are tested and demonstrated by three case studies in drastically different cultural contexts, namely Ludlow, a medieval town in the UK, Chinatown in Singapore and a historic quarter in Nanjing, China. Combining historico-geographical and configurational approaches, the book also makes a significant breakthrough in terms of coordinating and synthesizing different traditions of urban morphology, which has been a key challenge to this field over the past decades. In addition, by using multi-source data, ranging from conventional cartographic maps to computer-generated and open online data, the integrated approach innovatively relates qualitative and quantitative aspects of urban form and links the qualitative and quantitative analyses of formal structure. As an interdisciplinary study merging geography, urban history, urban planning and design, this book is to be primarily used as a reference book for graduate students and scholars in various fields who are interested in urban form and urban conservation and management. In addition, it offers practitioners in urban planning and design a useful tool for managing changes in historical urban landscapes. Lastly, it contributes to developing a common platform to facilitate dialogues among various stakeholders and participants in urban conservation practice.
Consider a Spherical Patent: IP and Patenting in Technology Business
by Joseph E. GortychGet Critical Insight into the Modern Patenting Scene We are now living in the "IP Era of the Information Age" where technology businesses are placing increasing emphasis on intellectual property (IP) as a way to add to their bottom lines. As a consequence, those working in a technology business or organization will inevitably be thrust into working
Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat
by Bee WilsonSince prehistory, humans have striven to tame fire and ice, and have braved the business ends of mashers, scrapers, and razor-sharp knives--all in the name of creating something delicious (or, at least, edible). The technology of food matters even when we barely notice it is there, but in recent years kitchen technology has become increasingly elaborate and eye-catching, transforming the old-fashioned home kitchen into a bristling stainless steel laboratory. Far from a new development, however, the modern kitchen is only the most recent iteration of an ancient lineage of food technology, as acclaimed food historian Bee Wilson reveals in Consider the Fork. Many of our technologies for preparing food have remained strikingly consistent for thousands of years. The Greeks and Romans already had pestles and mortars. Knives--perhaps mankind's most important gastronomic tool--predate the discovery of that other basic technology, fire. Other tools emerged quite suddenly (like the microwave, whose secrets were unlocked during radar tests conducted during World War II) or in fits and starts (like the fork, which had to endure centuries of ridicule before finally gaining widespread acceptance). For every technology that has endured, others have fallen by the wayside. We no longer feel the need for andirons and bastables, cider owls and dangle spits, even though in their day these would have seemed no more superfluous than our oil drizzlers and electric herb choppers. The evolution of food technology offers a unique window into human history, and Wilson blends history, science, and personal anecdotes as she traces the different technologies that have shaped--or slashed, pounded, whisked, or heated (and reheated)--our meals over the centuries. Along the way she reveals some fascinating facts--showing, for instance, how China's cuisine, its knives, and its eating utensils are all the product of the country's historically scarce fuel supply. To conserve energy, chefs rendered their ingredients quick-cooking by using large, multi-purpose chopping knives to reduce food to small, bite-sized morsels. This technique, in turn, gave rise to the chopstick, which cannot cut. What's more, the discovery of the knife--in Asia and elsewhere--was likely what gave humans our distinctive overbite. Before humans learned to fashion knives out of sharpened rocks, many of us cut our food by clamping it in our front teeth, which gave us perfectly aligned rows of teeth. But Wilson shows that, far from being adventurous innovators, cooks are a notoriously conservative bunch, and only adopt new technologies with great reluctance. The gas range revolutionized cooking when it was first introduced in the 19th century by promising to end "hearth deaths," a constant danger for women wearing billowing, flammable clothing. But indoor gas cooking--safer and more efficient--was nevertheless greeted with widespread suspicion when it was first introduced. Many chefs feared it would taint their food or poison their guests. The same hold true for the refrigerator, which was initially condemned as an unnatural technology that risked changing the fundamental "essence" of food. Perhaps the one exception to this technophobia, says Wilson, was the egg beater, new patents for which proliferated so astonishingly in late 19th-century America. In this fascinating history, Wilson reveals the myriad innovations that have shaped our diets today. An insightful look at how we've changed food and how food has changed us, Consider the Fork reveals the astonishing ways in which the implements we use in the kitchen affect what we eat, how we eat, and how we relate to food.
Consider the Platypus: Evolution through Biology's Most Baffling Beasts
by Maggie Ryan Sandford*FINALIST FOR THE 2020 GENERAL NONFICTION MINNESOTA BOOK AWARDS*Interested in the origins of the species? Consider the Platypus uses pets such as dogs and cats as well as animal outliers like the axolotl and naked mole rat to wittily tackle mind-bending concepts about how evolution, biology, and genetics work.Consider the Platypus explores the history and features of more than 50 animals to provide insight into our current understanding of evolution. Using Darwin's theory as a springboard, Maggie Ryan Sandford details scientists' initial understanding of the development of creatures and how that has expanded in the wake of genetic sequencing, including the:Peppered Moth, which changed color based on the amount of soot in the London air;California Two-Spotted Octopus, which has the amazing ability to alter its DNA/RNA not over generations but during its lifetime;miniscule tardigrade, which is so hearty it can withstand radiation, lack of water and oxygen, and temperatures as low as -328°F and as high 304 °F;and, of course, the platypus, which has so many disparate features, from a duck's bill to venomous spur to mammary patches, that scientists originally thought it was a hoax. Surprising, witty, and impeccably researched, Sandford describes each animal's significant features and how these have adapted to its environment, such as the zebra finch's beak shape, which was observed by Charles Darwin and is a cornerstone of his Theory of Evolution. With scientifically accurate but charming art by Rodica Prato, Consider the Platypus showcases species as diverse as the sloth, honey bee, cow, brown kiwi, and lungfish, to name a few, to tackle intimidating concepts is a accessible way.
Considerations on the AI Endgame: Ethics, Risks and Computational Frameworks (Chapman & Hall/CRC Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Series)
by Soenke Ziesche Roman V. YampolskiyThis seminal volume offers an interdisciplinary exploration into the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence and its societal implications. Written by leading scholars Soenke Ziesche and Roman V. Yampolskiy, the book delves into a multitude of topics that address the rapid technological advancements in AI and the ethical dilemmas that arise as a result.The topics explored range from an in-depth look at AI welfare science and policy frameworks to the mathematical underpinnings of machine intelligence. These subjects include discussions on preserving our personal identity in technological contexts as well as on the question of AI identity, innovative proposals towards the critical AI value alignment problem and a call to merge Western and non-Western approaches towards universal AI ethics. The work also introduces unconventional yet crucial angles, such as the concept of "ikigai" in AI ethics and a pioneering attempt to map a potential AI-driven ikigai universe as well as the role of design formalisation, or "Designometry," in the creation of artefacts.By offering a balanced mix of theoretical and applied insights, the book serves as an invaluable resource for researchers, policymakers and anyone interested in the future of AI and the extent of its impact on society.