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Ancestry Quest
by Mary Beth SammonsWho am I? Where do I come from? Why am I the way I am? In Ancestry Quest: How Stories of the Past Heal the Future, Mary Beth Sammons follows dozens of individuals as they delve deep into their family mysteries—attempting to discover the truth of their identities—all through the results of a simple DNA test and online ancestry searches. Each journey is dramatically different: some joyously unite with long-lost siblings while others are forced to reckon with a fractured and devastating past. These stories, heart-wrenching and warming, intimate and inspiring, showcase and distill the lessons learned in the search for what makes us who we really are—and promise to redefine family in ways never before possible.
Anchors—Tests Procedures and Vibratory Analysis
by Jean Jacques RincentThis book follows: Ground Anchors: Tension Force Vibratory Analysis JJ Rincent Springer Sept 2024. This new book is a summary of experience gained from the analysis of over 24 000 test curves obtained from 3000 ground anchors analysis. It provides practical feedback on the complexity of non-destructive testing. The test equipment, the rules to obtain interpretable acquisition results. The examples come from trials carried out in Brazil over the last 5 years and finally, the test methodology adopted for this experiment. These tests are generally carried out on ground anchors using strands as reinforcement or rebars several decades old. Information on their length and initial tension force is often non-existent after 40 years. That's why these vibration analysis tests provide the answers and information needed for stability and maintenance diagnostics. The examples chosen concern ground anchors equipped with bars, strands and also for nails, passive ground anchors and micro piles. Tests on prestressed dowels are described, and a test on a reinforcing bar linked to the construction of an early 16th century castle will be carried out. As a reminder that these tests results lead to define the total length of the tie bar, the free length, the diameter of the tie bar, i.e. the reinforcement with its cement grout, and finally the tension force at the time of testing. These data are essential for assessing the stability of retaining walls stabilised by tie rods. It should be stated that static tests, which are difficult to carry out at height, provide no information on lengths and run the risk of breaking old tie rods. All the tests carried out are used to construct the test method that can be adopted, taking into account the feedback acquired from thousands of static tests. For retaining structures and tie rods in particular, access to the head of the tie rods must be preserved in order to: - carry out inspection tests - re-tension the tie rods, if necessary - while protecting them from corrosion. Meeting these conditions means implementing sustainable maintenance of the structures. This test method is a diagnostic tool for ground anchors used by managers of retaining structures to design maintenance projects. The final aim is to increase the durability of the retaining structures. The tests proposed and explained using numerous examples and finally to propose a methodology for carrying out vibration analysis tests on ground anchors, as well as a framework for their interpretation.
Ancient Animals: Plesiosaur (Ancient Animals)
by Sarah L. ThomsonNinety million years ago, giant dinosaurs roamed the earth, pterosaurs flew through the air, and giant reptiles and fish hunted in the oceans. The area that is now Kansas was covered by water and one of its inhabi-tants was the plesiosaur—a reptile with an extremely long neck and a huge body. This early reader about the ancient plesiosaur brings the prehistoric world of this ocean-dwelling animal to life, explain-ing how scientists think these reptiles lived, hunted, and became extinct. Back matter explores other reptiles both ancient and modern and provides additional print, visual, and web resources.
Ancient Astronomical Observations and the Study of the Moon’s Motion (Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences)
by John M. SteeleThe discovery of a gradual acceleration in the moon's mean motion by Edmond Halley in the last decade of the seventeenth century led to a revival of interest in reports of astronomical observations from antiquity. These observations provided the only means to study the moon's 'secular acceleration', as this newly-discovered acceleration became known. This book contains the first detailed study of the use of ancient and medieval astronomical observations in order to investigate the moon's secular acceleration from its discovery by Halley to the establishment of the magnitude of the acceleration by Richard Dunthorne, Tobias Mayer and Jérôme Lalande in the 1740s and 1750s. Making extensive use of previously unstudied manuscripts, this work shows how different astronomers used the same small body of preserved ancient observations in different ways in their work on the secular acceleration. In addition, this work looks at the wider context of the study of the moon's secular acceleration, including its use in debates of biblical chronology, whether the heavens were made up of æther, and the use of astronomy in determining geographical longitude. It also discusses wider issues of the perceptions and knowledge of ancient and medieval astronomy in the early-modern period. This book will be of interest to historians of astronomy, astronomers and historians of the ancient world.
Ancient Botany (Sciences of Antiquity)
by Gavin Hardy Laurence TotelinGavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin have brought together their botanical and historical knowledge to produce this unique overview of ancient botany. It examines all the founding texts of botanical science, such as Theophrastus' Enquiry into Plants, Dioscorides' Materia Medica, Pliny the Elder's Natural History, Nicolaus of Damascus' On Plants, and Galen' On Simple Remedies, but also includes lesser known texts ranging from the sixth century BCE to the seventh century CE, as well as some material evidence. The authors adopt a thematic approach rather than a chronological one, considering important issues such as the definition of a plant, nomenclature, classifications, physiology, the link between plants and their environment, and the numerous usages of plants in the ancient world. The book also takes care to place ancient botany in its historical, social and economic context. The authors have explained all technical botanical terms and ancient history notions, and as a result, this work will appeal to historians of ancient science, medicine and technology; classicists; and botanists interested in the history of their discipline.
Ancient DNA: Methods And Protocols (Methods In Molecular Biology Series #840)
by Michael Hofreiter Beth Shapiro Axel Barlow Peter D. Heintzman Johanna L. A. Paijmans André E. R. SoaresThis fully updated second edition explores protocols that address the most challenging aspects of experimental work in ancient DNA, such as preparing ancient samples for DNA extraction, the DNA extraction itself, and transforming extracted ancient DNA molecules for sequencing library preparation. The volume also examines the analysis of high-throughput sequencing data recovered from ancient specimens, which, because of the degraded nature of ancient DNA and common co-extraction of contaminant DNA, has challenges that are unique compared to data recovered from modern specimens.Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. <P><P> Authoritative and cutting-edge, Ancient DNA: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition aims to serve both experts and beginners by presenting protocols in a manner that makes them easily accessible for everyday use in the lab.
Ancient DNA: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology #840)
by Michael Hofreiter Beth ShapiroResearch into ancient DNA began more than 25 years ago with the publication of short mitochondrial DNA sequence fragments from the quagga, an extinct relative of the zebra. Ancient DNA research really gained momentum following the invention of PCR, which allowed millions of copies to be made of the few remaining DNA molecules preserved in fossils and museum specimens. In Ancient DNA: Methods and Protocols expert researchers in the field describe many of the protocols that are now commonly used to study ancient DNA. These include instructions for setting up an ancient DNA laboratory, extraction protocols for a wide range of different substrates, details of laboratory techniques including PCR and NGS library preparation, and suggestions for appropriate analytical approaches to make sense of the sequences obtained. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Ancient DNA: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in the further study of ancient DNA and the methodological approaches in ancient research.
Ancient DNA: The Making of a Celebrity Science
by Elizabeth D JonesThe untold story of the rise of the new scientific field of ancient DNA research, and how Jurassic Park and popular media influenced its development Ancient DNA research—the recovery of genetic material from long-dead organisms—is a discipline that developed from science fiction into a reality between the 1980s and today. Drawing on scientific, historical, and archival material, as well as original interviews with more than fifty researchers worldwide, Elizabeth Jones explores the field&’s formation and explains its relationship with the media by examining its close connection to de-extinction, the science and technology of resurrecting extinct species. She reveals how the search for DNA from fossils flourished under the influence of intense press and public interest, particularly as this new line of research coincided with the book and movie Jurassic Park. Ancient DNA is the first account to trace the historical and sociological interplay between science and celebrity in the rise of this new research field. In the process, Jones argues that ancient DNA research is more than a public-facing science: it is a celebrity science.
Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps (Topics in Geobiology #50)
by Neil H. Landman Andrzej Kaim J. Kirk CochranThis volume details the function of hydrocarbon seeps, their evolution over time, the most important seep occurrences and the fauna present in ancient hydrocarbon seeps. While several publications exist that cover modern seeps and vents, fossil seeps only constitute a small component of the literature. As such, many geologists, stratigraphers and paleontologists, as well as undergraduates and graduate students, are not very familiar with ancient hydrocarbon seep deposits and their associated fauna. This text is the first to comprehensively discuss the nature of such animal groups and how to recognize them. In addition to summarizing available knowledge on these topics for specialists in the field, this book offers the background needed to be of use to students as well as the wider community of geologists and paleontologists.
Ancient Landscapes of Western North America: A Geologic History with Paleogeographic Maps
by Ronald C. Blakey Wayne D. RanneyAllow yourself to be taken back into deep geologic time when strange creatures roamed the Earth and Western North America looked completely unlike the modern landscape. Volcanic islands stretched from Mexico to Alaska, most of the Pacific Rim didn’t exist yet, at least not as widespread dry land; terranes drifted from across the Pacific to dock on Western Americas’ shores creating mountains and more volcanic activity. Landscapes were transposed north or south by thousands of kilometers along huge fault systems. Follow these events through paleogeographic maps that look like satellite views of ancient Earth. Accompanying text takes the reader into the science behind these maps and the geologic history that they portray. The maps and text unfold the complex geologic history of the region as never seen before.
Ancient Mathematics (Sciences of Antiquity)
by Serafina CuomoThe theorem of Pythagoras, Euclid's "Elements", Archimedes' method to find the volume of a sphere: all parts of the invaluable legacy of ancient mathematics. But ancient mathematics was also about counting and measuring, surveying land and attributing mystical significance to the number six. This volume offers the first accessible survey of the discipline in all its variety and diversity of practices. The period covered ranges from the fifth century BC to the sixth century AD, with the focus on the Mediterranean region. Topics include:* mathematics and politics in classical Greece* the formation of mathematical traditions* the self-image of mathematicians in the Graeco-Roman period* mathematics and Christianity* and the use of the mathematical past in late antiquity.
Ancient Meteorology (Sciences of Antiquity)
by Liba TaubThe first book of its kind in English, Ancient Meteorology discusses Greek and Roman approaches and attitudes to this broad discipline, which in classical antiquity included not only 'weather', but occurrences such as earthquakes and comets that today would be regarded as geological, astronomical or seismological. The range and diversity of this literature highlights the question of scholarly authority in antiquity and illustrates how writers responded to the meteorological information presented by their literary predecessors. Ancient Meteorology will be a valuable reference tool for classicists and those with an interest in the history of science.
Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge: Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America (McGill-Queen's Indigenous and Northern Studies #74)
by Nancy TurnerVolume 1: The History and Practice of Indigenous Plant Knowledge Volume 2: The Place and Meaning of Plants in Indigenous Cultures and Worldviews Nancy Turner has studied Indigenous peoples' knowledge of plants and environments in northwestern North America for over forty years. In Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge, she integrates her research into a two-volume ethnobotanical tour-de-force. Drawing on information shared by Indigenous botanical experts and collaborators, the ethnographic and historical record, and from linguistics, palaeobotany, archaeology, phytogeography, and other fields, Turner weaves together a complex understanding of the traditions of use and management of plant resources in this vast region. She follows Indigenous inhabitants over time and through space, showing how they actively participated in their environments, managed and cultivated valued plant resources, and maintained key habitats that supported their dynamic cultures for thousands of years, as well as how knowledge was passed on from generation to generation and from one community to another. To understand the values and perspectives that have guided Indigenous ethnobotanical knowledge and practices, Turner looks beyond the details of individual plant species and their uses to determine the overall patterns and processes of their development, application, and adaptation. Volume 1 presents a historical overview of ethnobotanical knowledge in the region before and after European contact. The ways in which Indigenous peoples used and interacted with plants - for nutrition, technologies, and medicine - are examined. Drawing connections between similarities across languages, Turner compares the names of over 250 plant species in more than fifty Indigenous languages and dialects to demonstrate the prominence of certain plants in various cultures and the sharing of goods and ideas between peoples. She also examines the effects that introduced species and colonialism had on the region's Indigenous peoples and their ecologies. Volume 2 provides a sweeping account of how Indigenous organizational systems developed to facilitate the harvesting, use, and cultivation of plants, to establish economic connections across linguistic and cultural borders, and to preserve and manage resources and habitats. Turner describes the worldviews and philosophies that emerged from the interactions between peoples and plants, and how these understandings are expressed through cultures’ stories and narratives. Finally, she explores the ways in which botanical and ecological knowledge can be and are being maintained as living, adaptive systems that promote healthy cultures, environments, and indigenous plant populations. Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge both challenges and contributes to existing knowledge of Indigenous peoples' land stewardship while preserving information that might otherwise have been lost. Providing new and captivating insights into the anthropogenic systems of northwestern North America, it will stand as an authoritative reference work and contribute to a fuller understanding of the interactions between cultures and ecological systems.
Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece
by George Sarton"There are few scholars or scientists today who write as beautifully or as interestingly as [Sarton] . . . [his] book is magnificent." -- Ashley Montagu, Saturday ReviewAlthough science did not begin in ancient Greece (millennia of work in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and other regions preceded Greek efforts) it is nevertheless true that methodic, rational investigation of the natural universe originated largely with early Hellenic thinkers. Thus, the major part of this book is of necessity devoted to Greece. Drawing wherever possible on original sources, Dr. Sarton, one of the world's foremost historians of science, paints a vivid and illuminating picture of mathematics, astronomy, physics, biology, medicine, and other sciences as they emerged from the mists of prehistory and ultimately flourished within the context of Greek society. The book is divided into three parts. Part One begins with the earliest evidence of prehistoric mathematics, astronomy, and other science. Dr. Sarton then describes the achievements of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the dawn of Greek culture and the remarkable flowering of Ionian science in the sixth century B.C. Thales of Miletos, Anaximandrox, and Xenophanes are among the important figures discussed. An entire chapter focuses on the influential doctrines of Pythagoras.Part Two opens with the glory of Athens in the fifth century B.C. and its magnificent achievements in poetry and the arts, philosophy, and science. Described in lucid detail are groundbreaking contributions of Heracleitos, Anaxagoras, Protagoras, Zenon of Elea, Parmenides, Democritos, and many others. Also included in this section are perceptive discussions of geographers and historians of the fifth century (Herodotos, Thucydides, and others) and Greek medicine of the fifth century (chiefly Hippocratic). Part Three focuses on the extraordinary Greek thinkers of the fourth century B.C.: Plato and the Academy, Aristotle, Xenophon and many others, including such important schools of thought as the cynics, stoics, skeptics, and epicureans. Major attention is given to mathematics, astronomy and physics, natural sciences and medicine, Aristotelian humanities, and historiography and other topics. "Of great value to the general historian and an exciting, arresting story for the lay reader. -- The Yale Review
Ancient Seas of Southern Florida: The Geology and Paleontology of the Everglades Region
by Edward J. Petuch David P. BerschauerThe authors have done an outstanding job of compiling decades of data collected by their own field reconnaissance and other geoscientists… This represents a significant contribution to the understanding of the development of the Florida carbonate platform, and it will assist other disciplines as they strive for better understanding of our groundwater resources, aquifer characterizations, paleoenvironmental interpretations, and historical/educational geology programs.Walt Schmidt, Florida State Geologist & Chief, Florida Geological Survey, USA (praise for the first edition)Painting a complete picture of the history of the Everglades, Ancient Seas of Southern Florida: The Geology and Paleontology of the Everglades Region, Second Edition provides an overview of the geology, paleontology, and paleoceanography of the region. It emphasizes the upper 300m of the geologic framework of the area and gives insight into the local stratigraphy, geomorphology, lithology, and historical geology. Designed to be a field guide as well as a reference, the book is illustrated in full color with brand new photographs of exposed geologic sections, stratotype localities, collection sites, and details of interesting fossil beds.In this book, the authors illustrate almost 800 of the most important and diagnostic stratigraphic index fossils found in these beds, including over 50 species of corals and almost 700 species of mollusks, along with echinoderms, crustaceans, echinoids, petrified wood, and aquatic vertebrates. A new edition of The Geology of the Everglades and Adjacent Areas, it contains larger images of fossil shells, corals, and echinoderms and includes new updated geological data and concepts, as well as an expanded iconography of stratigraphic index fossils. Based on the data gleaned from these fossils, it also offers a series of geomorphological visualizations, showing the possible appearances of the Florida Peninsula during the times when it was covered by tropical seas, from the Oligocene to the late Pleistocene.This second edition provides a new perspective on both the historical geology of southern Florida and the evolution of one of America’s most beautiful natural treasures, the Everglades.
Ancient Skies: Constellation Mythology Of The Greeks
by David Weston MarshallLook to the sky and see the stories in the stars The stars and constellations are among the few remaining objects that appear to us just as they appeared to our distant ancestors. From anywhere on Earth, a person may view the celestial panorama simply by stepping outside at night and gazing upward. This non- fiction narrative presents the tales of the forty- eight classical constellations, compiled from literature spanning a thousand years from Homer (c. 800 BC) to Claudius Ptolemy (c. 150 AD). These age- old tales have captured the human imagination from ancient times to the present, and through them we can examine the early practical astronomy, philosophical speculation on the cosmos, and fundamental moral beliefs of much of Western civilization. Illustrations and star charts carefully reconstructed from ancient sources lend a visual element and immerse the reader in the world of ancient cosmology and constellation mapping. Through Marshall’s research and storytelling, Ancient Skies brings the belief systems of the classical world to shining life.
Ancient Underground Opening and Preservation: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Scientific Problems and Long-term Preservation of Large-scale Ancient Underground Engineering (23-26 October 2015, Longyou, Zhejiang, China)
by Zhifa Yang Chikaosa TanimotoAncient Underground Opening and Preservation contains 59 papers presented at the International Symposium on Scientific Problems and Long-term Preservation of Largescale Ancient Underground Engineering (Longyou, China, 23-26 October 2015). The contributions focus on scientific and technical issues related to long-term preservation of large-scale anc
Ancient Water Technologies
by L. MaysThere is no more fundamental resource than water. The basis of all life, water is fast becoming a key issue in today's world, as well as a source of conflict. This fascinating book, which sets out many of the ingenious methods by which ancient societies gathered, transported and stored water, is a timely publication as overextraction and profligacy threaten the existence of aquifers and watercourses that have supplied our needs for millennia. It provides an overview of the water technologies developed by a number of ancient civilizations, from those of Mesopotamia and the Indus valley to later societies such as the Mycenaeans, Minoans, Persians, and the ancient Egyptians. Of course, no book on ancient water technologies would be complete without discussing the engineering feats of the Romans and Greeks, yet as well as covering these key civilizations, it also examines how ancient American societies from the Hohokams to the Mayans and Incas husbanded their water supplies. This unusually wide-ranging text could offer today's parched world some solutions to the impending crisis in our water supply. "This book provides valuable insights into the water technologies developed in ancient civilizations which are the underpinning of modern achievements in water engineering and management practices. It is the best proof that "the past is the key for the future." Andreas N. Angelakis, Hellenic Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Association, Greece "This book makes a fundamental contribution to what will become the most important challenge of our civilization facing the global crisis: the problem of water. Ancient Water Technologies provides a complete panorama of how ancient societies confronted themselves with the management of water. The role of this volume is to provide, for the first time on this issue, an extensive historical and scientific reconstruction and an indication of how traditional knowledge may be employed to ensure a sustainable future for all." Pietro Laureano, UNESCO expert for ecosystems at risk, Director of IPOGEA-Institute of Traditional Knowledge, Italy
Ancient Wheats
by Nusret Zencirci Hakan Ulukan Faheem Shehzad Baloch Shahid Mansoor Awais RasheedWheat (Triticum L.), an annual herbaceous plant in Poacae (Gramineae) family, settles in the Triticeae (Hordeae) subfamily. The grasses (Poaceae Barnhart) are the fifth largest (monocotyledonous flowering) plant family and of great importance for human civilization and life. Cereal crops such as maize, wheat, rice, barley, and millet are the domesticated ones in the family. It is still the most vital economical plant family in modern times, providing food, forage, building materials (bamboo, thatch), and fuel (ethanol). Wheat has many accessions in national and international gene banks. The estimated number of wheats by FAO in 2010 is 856,000, and, followed by rice (774,000), and barley (467,000). However, the recent consumer's (misdirected) focus on gluten content and nutritional value urges scientists to reexamine their knowledge about wheat (i.e., origin, evolution, and general and special quality characteristics), as well as their wild relatives and landraces for newer possible genetic resources. Cultured or non-cultured ancestral wheats: einkorn, emmer, wild emmer, spelt, macha, and vavilovii are still limitedly grown on the higher areas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Israel, and Balkan countries. They are exploited mostly for their desired agronomic, and specific quality. In some cultures, wheat species are believed to be therapeutic, with bioactive compounds that reduce and inhibit stubborn illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer, and cardiovascular diseases. In this book, we summarize the importance of ancestral wheat species, and provide a prospect for their future with special considerations in terms of species conservation and improvement.
Ancient Wyoming: A Dozen Lost Worlds Based on the Geology of the Bighorn Basin
by Kirk Johnson Will ClydeSponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation to the Denver Museum of Natural History. Ever wondered what the ground below you was like millions of years ago? Merging paleontology, geology, and artistry, Ancient Wyoming illustrates scenes from the distant past and provides fascinating details on the flora and fauna of the past 300 million years. The book provides a unique look at Wyoming, both as it is today and as it was throughout ancient history—at times a vast ocean, a lush rain forest, and a mountain prairie.
Ancillary Benefits of Climate Policy: New Theoretical Developments and Empirical Findings (Springer Climate)
by Anil Markandya Wolfgang Buchholz Dirk Rübbelke Stefan VögeleThis volume presents new developments in the research on ancillary benefits. Twenty years after the influential OECD report on ancillary benefits, the authors discuss theoretical innovations and offer new empirical findings on various ancillary effects in different world regions. Covering topics such as ancillary health effects associated with reduced air pollution, the influence of ancillary benefits on international cooperation on climate protection, co-effects of carbon capture and storage, ancillary effects of adaptation to climate change, multi-criteria decision analysis covering multiple effects of climate protection actions, and the analysis of primary and ancillary effects within an impure public goods framework, it provides starting points for further research on integrated climate policies seeking to address a range of policy objectives simultaneously.
Ancistrocladus Naphthylisoquinoline Alkaloids (Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products #119)
by A. Douglas Kinghorn Heinz Falk Simon Gibbons Yoshinori Asakawa Ji-Kai Liu Verena M. DirschThis book describes a unique class of secondary metabolites, the mono- and dimeric-naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids. They exclusively occur in lianas of the palaeotropical Ancistrocladaceae and Dioncophyllaceae plant families. Their unprecedented structures include stereogenic centers and rotationally hindered, and therefore stereogenic, axes. Extended recent investigations on six Ancistrocladus species from Asia, as reported in this contribution, shed light on their fascinating phytochemical productivity, with over 100 intriguing natural products. This high chemodiversity arises from a similarly unique biosynthesis from acetate-malonate units, following a novel polyketidic pathway to plant-derived isoquinoline alkaloids. Some of the compounds show most promising anti-parasitic activities. Additionally, strategies for the regio- and stereoselective total synthesis of the alkaloids, including the directed construction of the chiral axis, are also presented.
And Finally: Matters of Life and Death
by Henry MarshFrom the bestselling neurosurgeon and author of Do No Harm, comes Henry Marsh's And Finally, an unflinching and deeply personal exploration of death, life and neuroscience.As a retired brain surgeon, Henry Marsh thought he understood illness, but he was unprepared for the impact of his diagnosis of advanced cancer. And Finally explores what happens when someone who has spent a lifetime on the frontline of life and death finds himself contemplating what might be his own death sentence.As he navigates the bewildering transition from doctor to patient, he is haunted by past failures and projects yet to be completed, and frustrated by the inconveniences of illness and old age. But he is also more entranced than ever by the mysteries of science and the brain, the beauty of the natural world and his love for his family. Elegiac, candid, luminous and poignant, And Finally is ultimately not so much a book about death, but a book about life and what matters in the end.
And God Saw That It Was Good
by Ken HamA wise preacher once said that from the beginning, God's existence has been obvious to all. That is the basis for all reality. But for many years, His very creative acts have been scorned by that one creature He loved above all others: man. In this astonishing new gift book from the popular speaker Ken Ham, the wonder and distinctness of god's creative acts are shared. Each devotion touches on an aspect of our world as seen through a biblical lens. For those who delight in the unique loving Creator, and for those seekers who wonder if He is real, these selected topics will inspire. Read and believe.
And Then You're Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling over Niagara
by Paul Doherty Cody CassidyA gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine What would happen if you took a swim outside a deep-sea submarine wearing only a swimsuit? How long could you last if you stood on the surface of the sun? How far could you actually get in digging a hole to China? Paul Doherty, senior staff scientist at San Francisco’s famed Exploratorium Museum, and writer Cody Cassidy explore the real science behind these and other fantastical scenarios, offering insights into physics, astronomy, anatomy, and more along the way.Is slipping on a banana peel really as hazardous to your health as the cartoons imply? Answer: Yes. Banana peels ooze a gel that turns out to be extremely slippery. Your foot and body weight provide the pressure. The gel provides the humor (and resulting head trauma). Can you die by shaking someone’s hand? Answer: Yes. That’s because, due to atomic repulsion, you’ve never actually touched another person’s hand. If you could, the results would be as disastrous as a medium-sized hydrogen bomb. If you were Cookie Monster, just how many cookies could you actually eat in one sitting? Answer: Most stomachs can hold up to sixty cookies, or around four liters. If you eat or drink more than that, you’re approaching the point at which the cookies would break through the lesser curvature of your stomach, and then you’d better call an ambulance to Sesame Street.From the Trade Paperback edition.