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Tempestade de Areia
by Michael R. SternComo se diz não para o Presidente dos Estados Unidos quando ele lhe pede para parar uma guerra nuclear? Depois que Fritz Russell descobriu que a porta da sua sala de aulas era um portal através do espaço e do tempo, ele ajudou os Estados Unidos a resolver uma emergência na política internacional. Agora o presidente quer que ele use o portal para evitar a ameaça vinda de uma nação do Oriente Médio, que está prestes a desenvolver armas nucleares.
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World
by Temple Grandin Sy MontgomeryWhen Temple Grandin was born, her parents knew that she was different. Years later she was diagnosed with autism. While Temple's doctor recommended a hospital, her mother believed in her. Temple went to school instead. Today, Dr. Temple Grandin is a scientist and professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Her world-changing career revolutionized the livestock industry. As an advocate for autism, Temple uses her experience as an example of the unique contributions that autistic people can make. This compelling biography complete with Temple's personal photos takes us inside her extraordinary mind and opens the door to a broader understanding of autism.
Temple Stream: A Rural Odyssey
by Bill RoorbachI call the stream ours because our house is in its valley and a corner of our land touches the stream at a dramatic bend, and because my wife and our daughter (always in the company of our dogs) walk down to that bend every morning, every season. The stream is our point of contact with all the waters of the world. Great blue herons, yellow birches, damselflies, and beavers are among the many runes by which Bill Roorbach discovers a universe of nature along the stream that runs by his home in Farmington, Maine. Populated by an oddball cast of characters to whom the generous-spirited Roorbach (aka "The Professor") and his family might always be outsiders, these pages chronicle one man's determination - sometimes with hilarious results - to follow his stream directly to its elusive source. Acclaimed essayist as well as award-winning author of fiction, Bill Roorbach brings his singular literary gifts to a book that is inspirational, funny, loving, and filled with the wonder of living side by side with the natural world. Praise for Bill Roorbach "Roorbach falls, for me, into that small category of writers whose every book I must read, then reread. " --Jay Parini, author of The Apprentice Lover "Here is a narrator who makes you glad to be alive, giddy to be in his presence, grateful to love friends and family and dogs with generosity and abandon, to show tenderness and thus be saved by strangers. " --Melanie Rae Thon, author of First, Body "Roorbach is a master at capturing and expressing joy. " --Hartford Courant "Roorbach has a knack for tapping into deep undercurrents and bringing them to the surface with the least amount of fanfare or fuss. " --L. A. Weekly From the Hardcover edition.
Tempo And Mode In Evolution: Genetics And Paleontology 50 Years After Simpson
by National Academy Of SciencesSince George Gaylord Simpson published Tempo and Mode in Evolution in 1944, discoveries in paleontology and genetics have abounded. This volume brings together the findings and insights of today's leading experts in the study of evolution, including Ayala, W. Ford Doolittle, and Stephen Jay Gould.The volume examines early cellular evolution, explores changes in the tempo of evolution between the Precambrian and Phanerozoic periods, and reconstructs the Cambrian evolutionary burst. Long-neglected despite Darwin's interest in it, species extinction is discussed in detail.Although the absence of data kept Simpson from exploring human evolution in his book, the current volume covers morphological and genetic changes in human populations, contradicting the popular claim that all modern humans descend from a single woman.This book discusses the role of molecular clocks, the results of evolution in 12 populations of Escherichia coli propagated for 10,000 generations, a physical map of Drosophila chromosomes, and evidence for "hitchhiking" by mutations.
Temporal Bone
by Robert J. Witte John I. LaneImaging of the temporal bone has recently been advanced with multidetector CT and high-field MR imaging to the point where radiologists and clinicians must familiarize themselves with anatomy that was previously not resolvable on older generation scanners. Most anatomic reference texts rely on photomicrographs of gross temporal bone dissections and low-power microtomed histological sections to identify clinically relevant anatomy. By contrast, this unique temporal bone atlas uses state of the art imaging technology to display middle and inner ear anatomy in multiplanar two- and three-dimensional formats. In addition to in vivo imaging with standard multidetector CT and 3-T MR, the authors have employed CT and MR microscopy techniques to image temporal bone specimens ex vivo, providing anatomic detail not yet attainable in a clinical imaging practice. Also included is a CD that allows the user to scroll through the CT and MR microscopy datasets in three orthogonal planes of section.
Temporal Bone CT and MRI Anatomy: A Guide to 3D Volumetric Acquisitions
by Jan Kopřiva Jan ŽižkaThis book, featuring more than 180 high spatial resolution images obtained with state-of-the-art MDCT and MRI scanners, depicts in superb detail the anatomy of the temporal bone, recognized to be one of the most complex anatomic areas. In order to facilitate identification of individual anatomic structures, the images are presented in the same way in which they emanate from contemporary imaging modalities, namely as consecutive submillimeter sections in standardized slice orientations, with all anatomic landmarks labeled. While various previous publications have addressed the topic of temporal bone anatomy, none has presented complete isotropic submillimeter 3D volume datasets of MDCT or MRI examinations. The Temporal Bone MDCT and MRI Anatomy offers radiologists, head and neck surgeons, neurosurgeons, and anatomists a comprehensive guide to temporal bone sectional anatomy that resembles as closely as possible the way in which it is now routinely reviewed, i.e., on the screens of diagnostic workstations or picture archiving and communication systems (PACS).
Temporal Bone Imaging Made Easy (Medical Radiology)
by Ashish Chawla Geoiphy George Pulickal Tiong Yong TanThis book presents standard imaging techniques, basic anatomy and an approach to common pathology encountered in temporal bone imaging. Intended as a survival guide for residents and general radiologists, it covers all topics comprehensively, and provides intuitive point-by-point summaries, similar to those of popular radiology reference sites, for easy comprehension at a glance. The book also offers guidance on the pertinent points that need to be included in a report and how to answer basic questions that are likely to be asked by the referring clinician or supervising radiologist. This book will be a valuable resource for general radiologists, radiology residents, ENT residents, otology surgeons and anyone involved in the occasional temporal bone study.
Temporal Dynamics and Ecological Process
by Colleen K. Kelly Michael G. Bowler Gordon A. Fox Colleen K. Kelly Michael G. BowlerIn contrast with the fundamental ecological expectation that similarity induces competition and loss of species, temporal dynamics allows similar species to co-occur. In fact, the coexistence of similar species contributes significantly to species diversity and could affect ecosystem response to climate change. However, because temporal processes take place over time, they have often been a challenge to document or even to identify. Temporal Dynamics and Ecological Process brings together studies that have met this challenge and present two specific aspects of temporal processes: reproductive scheduling and the stable coexistence of similar species. By using plants to extract general principles, these studies uncover deep ties between temporal niche dynamics and the above central ecological issues, thereby providing a better understanding of what drives temporal processes in nature. Written by leading scientists in the field, this title will be a valuable source of reference to research ecologists and those interested in temporal ecology.
Temporal Network Theory (Computational Social Sciences)
by Jari Saramäki Petter HolmeThis book focuses on the theoretical side of temporal network research and gives an overview of the state of the art in the field. Curated by two pioneers in the field who have helped to shape it, the book contains contributions from many leading researchers. Temporal networks fill the border area between network science and time-series analysis and are relevant for the modeling of epidemics, optimization of transportation and logistics, as well as understanding biological phenomena. Network theory has proven, over the past 20 years to be one of the most powerful tools for the study and analysis of complex systems. Temporal network theory is perhaps the most recent significant development in the field in recent years, with direct applications to many of the "big data" sets. This monograph will appeal to students, researchers and professionals alike interested in theory and temporal networks, a field that has grown tremendously over the last decade.
Temporal Network Theory (Computational Social Sciences)
by Jari Saramäki Petter HolmeThis book focuses on the theoretical side of temporal network research and gives an overview of the state of the art in the field. Curated by two pioneers in the field who have helped to shape it, the book contains contributions from many leading researchers. Temporal networks fill the border area between network science and time-series analysis and are relevant for epidemic modeling, optimization of transportation and logistics, as well as understanding biological phenomena. Over the past 20 years, network theory has proven to be one of the most powerful tools for studying and analyzing complex systems. Temporal network theory is perhaps the most recent significant development in the field in recent years, with direct applications to many of the “big data” sets. This book appeals to students, researchers, and professionals interested in theory and temporal networks—a field that has grown tremendously over the last decade. This second edition of Temporal Network Theory extends the first with three chapters highlighting recent developments in the interface with machine learning.
Temporal Networks
by Jari Saramäki Petter HolmeThe concept of temporal networks is an extension of complex networks as a modeling framework to include information on when interactions between nodes happen. Many studies of the last decade examine how the static network structure affect dynamic systems on the network. In this traditional approach the temporal aspects are pre-encoded in the dynamic system model. Temporal-network methods, on the other hand, lift the temporal information from the level of system dynamics to the mathematical representation of the contact network itself. This framework becomes particularly useful for cases where there is a lot of structure and heterogeneity both in the timings of interaction events and the network topology. The advantage compared to common static network approaches is the ability to design more accurate models in order to explain and predict large-scale dynamic phenomena (such as, e.g., epidemic outbreaks and other spreading phenomena). On the other hand, temporal network methods are mathematically and conceptually more challenging. This book is intended as a first introduction and state-of-the art overview of this rapidly emerging field.
Temporal Patterns of Communication in Social Networks
by Giovanna MiritelloThe main interest of this research has been in understanding and characterizing large networks of human interactions as continuously changing objects. In fact, although many real social networks are dynamic networks whose elements and properties continuously change over time, traditional approaches to social network analysis are essentially static, thus neglecting all temporal aspects. Specifically, we have investigated the role that temporal patterns of human interaction play in three main fields of social network analysis and data mining: characterization of time (or attention) allocation in social networks, prediction of link decay/persistence, and information spreading. In order to address this we analyzed large anonymized data sets of phone call communication traces over long periods of time. Access to these observations was granted by Telefonica Research, Spain. The findings that emerge from our research indicate that the observed heterogeneities and correlations of human temporal patterns of interaction significantly affect the traditional view of social networks, shifting from a very steady to a highly complex entity. Since structure and dynamics are tightly coupled, they cannot be disentangled in the analysis and modeling of human behavior, though traditional models seek to do so. Our results impact not only the way in which social network are traditionally characterized, but more importantly also the understanding and modeling phenomena such as group formation, spread of epidemics, and the dissemination of ideas, opinions and information.
Temporal Points of View
by Margarita Vázquez Campos Antonio Manuel Liz GutiérrezThis book seeks to arrive at a better understanding of the relationships between the objective and subjective aspects of time. It discusses the existence of fluent time, a controversial concept in many areas, from philosophy to physics. Fluent time is understood as directional time with a past, a present and a future. We experience fluent time in our lives and we adopt a temporal perspective in our ways of knowing and acting. Nevertheless, the existence of fluent time has been debated for both philosophical and scientific reasons, thus creating a rift between the subjective and objective aspects of time. Starting from the basic notion of points of view, or perspectives, this book explores the relationships between objective or external time, as it has been conceptualized by science, and subjective or internal time, which is involved in our lived experiences. It establishes a general framework encompassing the nature, structure and mode of existence of points of view, in which the objective and subjective aspects of time can be integrated. The book mainly addresses researchers and postgraduates in philosophy and logic. Additionally, it offers inspiration for physicists and computer scientists involved in the modeling and simulation of complex behaviors for which the representation of internal time should be considered together with the notion of objective, external time.
Temporal Quantum Correlations and Hidden Variable Models
by Costantino BudroniIn this thesis, the main approach to the characterization of the set of classical probabilities, the correlation polytope approach, is reviewed for different scenarios, namely, hidden variable models discussed by Bell (local), Kochen and Specker (non-contextual), and Leggett and Garg (macrorealist). Computational difficulties associated with the method are described and a method to overcome them in several nontrivial cases is presented. For the quantum case, a general method to analyze quantum correlations in the sequential measurement scenario is provided, which allows computation of the maximal correlations. Such a method has a direct application for computation of maximal quantum violations of Leggett-Garg inequalities and it is relevant in the analysis of non-contextuality tests. Finally, possible applications of the results for quantum information tasks are discussed.
Temporal Topos Methods for the Philosophy of Natural Sciences: The Nexus of Ontology and Epistemology
by Goro C. KatoThis book is a first attempt to unify and explain, through the language of pure mathematics called categories and sheaves, the mechanism of mental activities. Humanities and philosophy meet physics and mathematics at both levels of the microcosm and macrocosm. The purpose of this book is to provide systematic and unifying methods for the physical and the cognitive aspects of a conscious entity. The philosophical thoughts of the West and the East will be formulated and presented in terms of categories and sheaves using pure mathematics. A definition-based rigorous approach and method using categorical sheaf theory is a completely new attempt to formulate the ontological philosophies, which must be consistent with quantum physics. For example, it is the author’s intent to capture reality as a pair of the cognitive realm and the physical realm, for which the author uses the notion of (temporal) topos theory, as a pair of an initial object and a terminal object of temporal topos. This book allows philosophers and natural scientists to interact to discuss and observe the physical world and the cognitive world. That is, a brain existing in the physical world is simultaneously functioning in the cognitive world. The author provides detailed descriptions for the process from the small to the large, which is a part of descent-sheaf theory in mathematics by gluing the local data to obtain a global object. A description of a process of “understanding” (and realizing-recognizing-discovering) is also formulated in terms of temporal topos language. The author provides all the needed mathematical background so that readers whose main interests are in humanities can enjoy and appreciate the rigorousness and the harmony of humanities and natural sciences.
Temporary Appropriation in Cities: Human Spatialisation in Public Spaces and Community Resilience
by James Thompson Alessandro Melis Jose Antonio Lara-HernandezThis book conceptualises and illustrates temporary appropriation as an urban phenomenon, exploring its contributions to citizenship, urban social sustainability and urban health. It explains how some forms of appropriation can be subversive, existing in a grey area between legal and illegal activities in the city. The book explores the complex and the multi-scalar nature of temporary appropriation, and touches on its relationship to issues such as: sustainability and building re-use; culture; inclusivity, including socio-spatial inclusion; streetscape design; homelessness; and regulations controlling the use of public spaces. The book focuses on temporary appropriation as a necessity of adapting human needs in a city, highlighting the flexibility that is needed within urban planning and the further research that should be undertaken in this area. The book utilises case studies of Auckland, Algiers and Mexico City, and other cities with diverse cultural and historical backgrounds, to explore how planning, design and development can occur whilst maintaining community diversity and resilience. Since urban populations are certain to grow further, this is a key topic for understanding urban dynamics, and this book will be of interest to academics and practitioners alike.
Ten Billion Tomorrows: How Science Fiction Technology Became Reality and Shapes the Future
by Brian CleggAn exciting book about real-life technology derived from science fiction and its impact on the world.Science fiction is a vital part of popular culture, influencing the way we all look at the world. TV shows like Star Trek and movies from Forbidden Planet to Inception have influenced scientists to enter the profession and have shaped our futures. Science fiction doesn't set out to predict what will happen - it's far more about how human beings react to "What if?…" - but it is fascinating to see how science fiction and reality sometimes converge, sometimes take extraordinarily different paths.Ten Billion Tomorrows brings to life a whole host of science fiction topics, from the virtual environment of The Matrix and the intelligent computer HAL in 2001, to force fields, ray guns and cyborgs. We discover how science fiction has excited us with possibilities, whether it is Star Trek's holodeck inspiring makers of iconic video games Doom and Quake to create the virtual interactive worlds that transformed gaming, or the strange physics that has made real cloaking devices possible. Mixing remarkable science with the imagination of our greatest science fiction writers, Ten Billion Tomorrows will delight science fiction lovers and popular science devotees alike.
Ten Birds That Changed the World
by Stephen MossFrom &“a captivating storyteller&” (Wall Street Journal), the natural history of humankind told through our long relationship with birds For the whole of human history, we have lived alongside birds. We have hunted and domesticated them for food; venerated them in our mythologies, religions, and rituals; exploited them for their natural resources; and been inspired by them for our music, art, and poetry. In Ten Birds That Changed the World, naturalist and author Stephen Moss tells the gripping story of this long and intimate relationship through key species from all seven of the world&’s continents. From Odin&’s faithful raven companions to Darwin&’s finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening, and endlessly engaging work of natural history.
Ten Breaths to Happiness
by Thich Nhat Hanh Jason Deantonis Glen SchneiderSimple practices to help us cultivate happiness and fulfillment in the course of our daily lives.Happiness is far more than a positive feeling that comes and goes, happiness is wired into the physiology of our brains. It is a skill we can all develop through cultivating mindfulness and concentration. In Ten Breaths to Happiness Schneider presents a series of simple practices and guided meditations that allow you to literally rewire your neural pathways to experience deeper and more lasting fulfillment and peace.Studies in neuroscience show that it takes about thirty seconds to build a new neural-pathway. Schneider takes these findings and combines them with mindfulness practices based on the teachings of Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. For example, he encourages us to take ten conscious breaths whenever we encounter something beautiful or have a meaningful experience. Consistently exercising this simple practice creates an opportunity for the brain to move from its default reaction of protection to one of appreciation and spaciousness.In ten short chapters, Schneider discusses the nature of happiness and its role in our evolution. He shows how our brains can make us happy or create suffering, and he introduces simple, proven techniques that will shape our brains over
Ten Chapters in Turbulence
by Peter A. DavidsonTurbulence is ubiquitous in science, technology and daily life and yet, despite years of research, our understanding of its fundamental nature is still tentative and incomplete. More generally, the tools required for a deep understanding of strongly interacting many-body systems remain underdeveloped. Inspired by a research programme held at the Newton Institute in Cambridge, this book contains reviews by leading experts that summarize our current understanding of the nature of turbulence from theoretical, experimental, observational and computational points of view. The articles cover a wide range of topics, including the scaling and organized motion in wall turbulence, small scale structure, dynamics and statistics of homogeneous turbulence, turbulent transport and mixing, and effects of rotation, stratification and magnetohydrodynamics, as well as superfluidity. The book will be useful to researchers and graduate students interested in the fundamental nature of turbulence at high Reynolds numbers.
Ten Drugs: How Plants, Powders, and Pills Have Shaped the History of Medicine
by Thomas Hager“The stories are skillfully told and entirely entertaining . . . An expert, mostly feel-good book about modern medicine” from the award-winning author (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).Behind every landmark drug is a story. It could be an oddball researcher’s genius insight, a catalyzing moment in geopolitical history, a new breakthrough technology, or an unexpected but welcome side effect discovered during clinical trials. Piece together these stories, as Thomas Hager does in this remarkable, century-spanning history, and you can trace the evolution of our culture and the practice of medicine. Beginning with opium, the “joy plant,” which has been used for 10,000 years, Hager tells a captivating story of medicine. His subjects include the largely forgotten female pioneer who introduced smallpox inoculation to Britain, the infamous knockout drops, the first antibiotic, which saved countless lives, the first antipsychotic, which helped empty public mental hospitals, Viagra, statins, and the new frontier of monoclonal antibodies. This is a deep, wide-ranging, and wildly entertaining book.“[An] absorbing new book.” —The New York Times Book Review“[A] well-written and engaging chronicle.” —The Wall Street Journal“Lucidly informative and compulsively readable.” —Publishers Weekly“Entertaining [and] insightful.” —Booklist“Well-written, well-researched and fascinating to read Ten Drugs provides an insightful look at how drugs have shaped modern medical practices. Towards the end of the book Hager writes that he ‘came away surprised by some of the things he had learned.’ I had the very same reaction.” —Penny Le Couteur, coauthor of Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History
Ten Equations to Explain the Mysteries of Modern Astrophysics: From Information and Chaos Theory to Ghost Particles and Gravitational Waves
by Santhosh MathewThis book introduces ten equations that transcend the boundaries of time and space. It takes readers through a journey of self-discovery where they will learn the history, science, and significance of these equations in the context of their lives. Moreover, the mathematical beauty of these equations is presented in a profoundly modest fashion to highlight the idea that equations are eternal but humans are transient. Each chapter offers readers a sublime experience and provides insights into the laws of nature that address the ever-expanding intricacy of our universe. The history of humankind, according to Franz Kafka, is the instant between two strides taken by a traveler. Therefore, what remains eternal when we finish our journey on this tiny rocky planet is our deep desire to connect with everything else in this universe. These equations capture the essence of that aspiration and remain everlasting while we continue our trivial human pursuits. Additionally, these ten equations change the way we live and view the world and will outlast even the most enduring signs of our civilization. They have the potential to take us from planet to planet and perhaps to make us a cosmic species. They can destroy the last strand of DNA to terminate life as we know it and generate life again from the fundamental laws of nature. While these equations are intangible, they can create a tangible world yet remain truly eternal. REVIEWS and WORDS OF PRAISE: In this enlightening, accessible, and brief book each highlighted equation receives a chapter that is an essay on its history and implication. This is a work written for a popular audience. No prerequisite mathematical sophistication is required to appreciate the mathematical beauty of these simple equations and their descriptive potential. It is the equation’s implication, not technical underpinnings, that is explored here. Each equation is a departure point to consider accepted and considered views on the nature of reality.... Reviewed by Tom Schulte on 07/28/2019. Read the rest of the review at The Mathematical Association of America. A fascinating overview of ten equations that describe the richness of reality from the laws of physics that control the physical universe to counting alien civilizations in the biological universe. Using philosophically inspired, yet scientifically accurate language, Santhosh Mathew captures the essence of these fundamental equations and their implications for our understanding of reality as well as what might become of it in the next century. Avi Loeb, Chair of the Astronomy Department, Harvard University and Founding Director, Black Hole Initiative (BHI) One chapter of this book introduces us to the Shannon entropy which underpins information theory. One can derive information only if it is unknown, since what is known is fixed and provides little or no new information. Does the quest for a complete explanation of the laws of physics then reduce the probability of new laws being found and proposed? If more is known about our existence, then will there be fewer future surprises? Physical laws and their mathematical representations express the beauty of our universe and underpin the universe. It is up to us to harness these laws for the greater good and prevent injurious applications. Ishwar K. Puri, Dean and Professor, Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Ten Lessons in Public Health: Inspiration for Tomorrow's Leaders
by Alfred SommerA riveting personal tale of the rise of public health.There are occasions when a story told from a personal viewpoint can illuminate a profession. Alfred Sommer’s epidemiological memoir is such a book. Adventurous, illuminating, and thought provoking, Ten Lessons in Public Health is more than the story of one man’s work. It tells the tale of how epidemiology grew into global health. The book is organized around ten lessons Sommer learned as his career took him around the world, and within these lessons he explains how the modern era of public health research was born. Three themes emerge from Sommer's story: the duty to help your fellow human beings by traveling to places where there are problems; the knowledge that data-driven research is the key to improving public health; and the need to persevere with sensitivity and strength when science and cultural or sociological forces clash. Nothing in this compelling, sometimes controversial, history is glossed over, as the book’s goal is to explain when and why public health efforts triumph or fail. Readers will travel to Bangladesh, Iran, Indonesia, South America, and the Caribbean, where they will learn about spreading epidemics, the aftermath of storms, and vexing epidemiological problems. Sommer reveals the inner politics of world health decisions and how difficult it can be to garner support for new solutions. Triumph, tragedy, frustration, and elation await those who set off on careers in public health, and Ten Lessons in Public Health is destined to become a classic book that puts the field into perspective.
Ten Materials That Shaped Our World
by M. Grant NortonThis book examines ten materials—flint, clay, iron, gold, glass, cement, rubber, polyethylene, aluminum, and silicon—explaining how they formed, how we discovered them, why they have the properties they do, and how they have transformed our lives. Since the dawn of the Stone Age, we have shaped materials to meet our needs and, in turn, those materials have shaped us.The fracturing of flint created sharp, curved surfaces that gave our ancestors an evolutionary edge. Molding clay and then baking it in the sun produced a means of recording the written word and exemplified human artistic imagination. As our ability to control heat improved, earthenware became stoneware and eventually porcelain, the most prized ceramic of all. Iron cast at high temperatures formed the components needed for steam engines, locomotives, and power looms—the tools of the Industrial Revolution. Gold has captivated humans for thousands of years and has recently found important uses in biology, medicine, and nanotechnology. Glass shaped into early and imperfect lenses not only revealed the microscopic world of cells and crystals, but also allowed us to discover stars and planets beyond those visible with the naked eye. Silicon revolutionized the computer, propelling us into the Information Age and with it our interconnected social networks, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence.Written by a materials scientist, this book explores not just why, but also how certain materials came to be so fundamental to human society. This enlightening study captivates anyone interested in learning more about the history of humankind, our ingenuity, and the materials that have shaped our world.
Ten Materials That Shaped Our World (Copernicus Books)
by M. Grant NortonThis Premium Edition of Ten Materials That Shaped Our World is part of a small audiobook pilot program at Springer Nature. It includes audio files accessible online via the Springer Nature MoreMedia App. This book examines ten materials—flint, clay, iron, gold, glass, cement, rubber, polyethylene, aluminum, and silicon—explaining how they formed, how we discovered them, why they have the properties they do, and how they have transformed our lives. Since the dawn of the Stone Age, we have shaped materials to meet our needs and, in turn, those materials have shaped us. The fracturing of flint created sharp, curved surfaces that gave our ancestors an evolutionary edge. Molding clay and then baking it in the sun produced a means of recording the written word and exemplified human artistic imagination. As our ability to control heat improved, earthenware became stoneware and eventually porcelain, the most prized ceramic of all. Iron cast at high temperatures formed the components needed for steam engines, locomotives, and power looms—the tools of the Industrial Revolution. Gold has captivated humans for thousands of years and has recently found important uses in biology, medicine, and nanotechnology. Glass shaped into early and imperfect lenses not only revealed the microscopic world of cells and crystals, but also allowed us to discover stars and planets beyond those visible with the naked eye. Silicon revolutionized the computer, propelling us into the Information Age and with it our interconnected social networks, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence. Written by a materials scientist, this book explores not just why, but also how certain materials came to be so fundamental to human society. This enlightening study captivates anyone interested in learning more about the history of humankind, our ingenuity, and the materials that have shaped our world.