The Utterly, Completely, and Totally Useless Science Fact-O-pedia

The Utterly, Completely, and Totally Useless Science Fact-O-pedia

Author: Wendy Leonard

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9780007927791

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Organised from A (Amino Acids) to Z (Zombie Etiquette) and packed with great cartoons The Utterly, Completely, and Totally Useless Science Fact O Pedia is a treasure trove of fun facts for the inquiring mind.


Faith Vs. Science

Faith Vs. Science

Author: Jerome Goddard

Publisher: First Edition Design Pub.

Published: 2012-07-09

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 1622870158

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This is not a book on theology, nor is it a highly technical scientific analysis. It's really just a conversation-between me and a hypothetical, non-hostile unbeliever. My purpose is to help scientific people see that religion is not just for kooks and to help religious people see that science is not just for atheists. Persons skilled in debate will quickly notice that I have utilized a variety of methods to advance my arguments such as logic, rhetoric, presentation of scientific/experimental data, and even narrative. I realize this mixture of methods is in itself a fault and sometimes appears self-contradictory. However, keep in mind that this book is written in a conversational tone. In real life conversations, people utilize a variety of methods to make their points. That's what I'm doing here-opening up a reasonable, educated conversation about God, science, and life itself in ways that work best for me. AUTHOR BIO - He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in biological science from the University of Mississippi in 1979 and 1981, and his Ph. D. degree in medical entomology from Mississippi State University in 1984. In December of 1985 he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and served as a medical entomologist in the Epidemiology Division of the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas, for three and a half years. In 1988 he was named Best Academic Instructor in the Residents in Aerospace Medicine Course and Company Grade Officer of the Year. For two decades, Dr. Goddard served in the capacity of State Medical Entomologist at the Mississippi Department of Health, Jackson, Mississippi, where he designed, implemented, and supervised all vector control programs relating to public health throughout the state of Mississippi. Dr. Goddard has authored or co-authored over 160 scientific publications in the field of medical entomology and is the author of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Affecting Military Personnel, published by the U.S. Air Force, Infectious Diseases and Arthropods, Second Edition, published by Humana Press, and Physician's Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance, Fifth Edition, published by Taylor and Francis (CRC). In 2003, the physician's guide won an award in the British Medical Association's best medical book of the year competition. Dr. Goddard has been featured in Reader's Digest and on a series entitled Living with Bugs on the Learning Channel. In 2001, Dr. Goddard published a novel about a mosquito-borne disease outbreak entitled, The Well of Destiny, and in 2006-07, published two more novels, this time about virus behavior (Vital Forces) and unethical scientific research (Endless Present). Dr. Goddard frequently presents seminars and guest lectures nationally and internationally on Arthropods and Medicine and related topics. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Mississippi Mosquito and Vector Control Association, and the Mississippi Entomological Association. His main research interests are the ecology and epidemiology of tick-borne diseases, but he also publishes on a wide range of medically important arthropods. Keywords - Faith, Science, Religion, Evolution, String Theory, Fossils, Prophets, God, Human, Universe, Bible, Creation


The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge

The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge

Author: Abraham Flexner

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2017-02-06

Total Pages: 105

ISBN-13: 1400884624

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A short, provocative book about why "useless" science often leads to humanity's greatest technological breakthroughs A forty-year tightening of funding for scientific research has meant that resources are increasingly directed toward applied or practical outcomes, with the intent of creating products of immediate value. In such a scenario, it makes sense to focus on the most identifiable and urgent problems, right? Actually, it doesn't. In his classic essay "The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge," Abraham Flexner, the founding director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the man who helped bring Albert Einstein to the United States, describes a great paradox of scientific research. The search for answers to deep questions, motivated solely by curiosity and without concern for applications, often leads not only to the greatest scientific discoveries but also to the most revolutionary technological breakthroughs. In short, no quantum mechanics, no computer chips. This brief book includes Flexner's timeless 1939 essay alongside a new companion essay by Robbert Dijkgraaf, the Institute's current director, in which he shows that Flexner's defense of the value of "the unobstructed pursuit of useless knowledge" may be even more relevant today than it was in the early twentieth century. Dijkgraaf describes how basic research has led to major transformations in the past century and explains why it is an essential precondition of innovation and the first step in social and cultural change. He makes the case that society can achieve deeper understanding and practical progress today and tomorrow only by truly valuing and substantially funding the curiosity-driven "pursuit of useless knowledge" in both the sciences and the humanities.


Science Unshackled

Science Unshackled

Author: C. Renée James

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2014-09-15

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1421415003

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Reveals how obscure studies of natural phenomena - including curved space-time, poisonous cone snails, exploding black holes, and the precise chemical makeup of the sun-led unexpectedly to WiFi, GPS, genetic sequencing, pain medications, and cancer treatments.


The Big Book of Useless Science Knowledge

The Big Book of Useless Science Knowledge

Author: Neon Squid

Publisher: Neon Squid

Published: 2025-05-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 1684493773

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An encyclopedia of mind-bogglingly random science facts that will lodge in your brain and refuse to leave. Heard about the poisonous tree in the Amazon rainforest that grows exploding fruit? Did you know that manatees control their buoyancy with farts? Or that the first vending machine was invented in ancient Egypt? In this compendium of obscure facts readers will be treated to baffling scientific knowledge they would never learn at school. Broken into chapters including engineering, space, and biology, a team of experts has scoured the margins to find the silliest and most pointless science facts that the world has to offer. Accompanied by hilarious illustrations, kids will meet the ants turned to zombies by a deadly fungus, discover why astronauts left their poop on the Moon, and find out about the rainstorm that lasted a million years (before umbrellas were invented!). They will also learn completely useless information like that all of the hair on your head could hold the weight of two elephants. (SPOILER: the information in this book isn’t really useless. It will inspire, shock, and amuse the reader–and maybe spark an interest that will last a lifetime. It just won’t help you with any exams!)


Science as Salvation

Science as Salvation

Author: Mary Midgley

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 0415062713

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Science as Salvationdiscusses the high spiritual ambitions which tend to gather round the notion of science. Officially, science claims only the modest function of establishing facts. Yet people still hope for something much grander from it--namely, the myths by which to shape and support life in an increasingly confusing age. Our faith in science is abused by some scientists whose adolescent fantasies have spilled over into their professional lives. Salvation, immortality, mastery of the universe, humans without bodies, and intelligent self-reproducing computers are just some of the notions and speculations that are now found--not on the pages of science fiction--but on the pages of science itself. The danger is that these concepts are given to a myth-hungry public who turn to science now that religion has lost its ability to create myth. Science as Salvationdiscusses the function and meaning of such fantasies. Midgley examines the need for and the use of myth in science, and how science and religion are related. She argues that we need to develop a realistic understanding of scientific imagination and its importance. Taking them seriously as symptoms of a genuine myth-hunger, it suggests that the proper function of science may need to include wider perspectives, which would make it plain that such desperate, compensatory dramas are unnecessary.


Has Science Made God Unnecessary?

Has Science Made God Unnecessary?

Author: Ransom Poythress

Publisher: Christian Focus

Published: 2022-03-11

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9781527107731

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There is a widespread assumption that there is no space for God in science, and no space for science in Christianity. This book addresses the question of whether the search for answers excludes belief in a Deity. Ransom Poythress' logical and well-reasoned look at the common arguments will be a fascinating read for any with a genuine interest in pursuing truth. Contents include: Introduction: Understanding the Question The Conflict Thesis God of the Gaps Arguments Behind the Curtain of Science, Part I: Objectivity and Truth Behind the Curtain of Science, Part II: Materialist Assumptions Behind the Curtain of Science, Part III: Materialist Limitations Behind the Curtain of Science, Part IV: What's Actually Necessary for Science Behind the Curtain of Science, Part V: Scientific Laws Behind the Curtain of Science, Part VI: Supernatural Assumptions and a Christian Philosophical Foundation for Science Miracles Evidence: What Does It Look Like? Big Bang and Fine-Tuning Origin of Life Evolution: The Big Picture Evolution: Darwin's Defenders Conclusion Appendix: Additional Resources Each chapter includes a summary of the main points covered. The Big Ten: Critical Questions Answered is a Christian apologetics series which addresses ten commonly asked questions about God, the Bible, and Christianity. Each book, while easy to read, is challenging and thought-provoking, dealing with subjects ranging from hell to science. A good read whatever your present opinions.