A funny and fascinating look at over 300 of the world's most important inventions, from the steam engine to the light bulb; now in paperback. Meet the Brainwaves, hilarious little mischief-makers who are about to take your child on an amazing journey to discover everything about the inventions that changed the way people live. These pint-sized pals will tell them all about key inventions, the breakthroughs that lead to them, and the spectacular spin offs which followed. From when the first wheel was used and who the bright sparks that thought of the light bulb were, to what connects a teapot to a 400-kph train. Help your child discover all about the inventions that changed the world (and lead to almost everything else that's ever been invented). With fantastic foldout pages, the whole story will unravel in front of their eyes!
Explains the various systems of the body with the help of imaginary characters known as the Brainwaves, with separate sections and gatefolds covering the muscular, digestive, and respiratory systems, and explanations on how the body fights disease.
We are born with the instinct to create and invent. Indeed, our ability to do so is what separates us from the rest of the animal world. But have our creative ideas always produced desirable results? Have they always served us well? Bad Ideas? traces the fascinating history of our attempts at self-improvement but also questions their value. The dubious consequences of the development of weaponry, for example, is self-evident. But what of apparently more innocuous advances such as farming, writing and medicine? Science has produced huge good but has also had unforeseen consequences. Can science and scientists find solutions to the perils that now menace us? We join Robert Winston on a thrilling journey from our earliest days to the present. We meet some key individuals along the way and share quirky anecdotes about their lives and brainwaves. Inspiring, unusual and at times controversial, Bad Ideas? assesses the past and looks forward to the opportunities of the future. In so doing it celebrates man's extraordinary capacity for achievement and offers a hopeful way forward to protect humanity against what sometimes seem like bad ideas.
Travel with mischievous cartoon guides The Brainwaves through a range of wittily explained STEM topics Meet the Brainwaves, hilarious little mischief-makers who will be your guides to a marvelous range of mind-blowing science topics - from the wisest and wackiest inventions the world has ever seen to the adventures of pioneering astronauts, plus all the core information you need to know, such as the periodic table, energy, forces, and matter. These pint-sized pals will jump aboard the invention of the car, take you on a madcap holiday to Mars and outer space, and will even shrink down to atomic level to explore the most basic building blocks of science. Through their zany antics, readers can take a fantastical foray into a range of fields, learning about science, space, and discovering more than 300 inventions. Each exciting illustrated adventure is packed with amazing facts and core information to learn about - from why gravity sucks to how the Industrial Revolution was powered. With a host of colorful characters offering entertaining insights on each subject, the Brainwaves will both delight your eyes and broaden your knowledge.
You don’t have to be a victim of time any longer. No matter how much we try to plan ahead and organize our to-do lists, everyone seems to face the same universal struggle: there’s never enough time. But what if time, that supposedly linear, inevitable phenomenon, isn’t what you think it is? What if you could actually have all the time in the world—and more? With her groundbreaking book, All the Time in the World, researcher Lisa Broderick reveals the new science of time so you can master it for yourself. Drawing from physics, quantum law, and psychological theory, Broderick will help you shift your fixed constructs around time into something more fluid and malleable. Then, with dozens of step-by-step practices, you’ll learn to put theory into action and become the master of your own experience of time. Highlights include: • Learn powerful, science-based practices for stretching and bending time to meet your personal needs • Understand the quantum laws that govern our experience of time • Explore the moments you’ve already felt time “slowing down”—and learn to consciously create this experience on demand • Why time is not the unchanging linear property of human experience we believe it to be • Flow states and getting in the zone—how to alter your perceptions, increase focus, and accomplish your goals • Healing the past by “time traveling” through your perceptions • How “experiencing your life in advance” can help you manifest the future outcomes • Discover why upgrading your relationship with time is the secret to creating the reality you desire and living without limitations “Our ability to influence our experience of time is the key to doing what we are here to do,” writes Broderick. “As you liberate yourself from the illusion of time as we know it, you will become a confident creator of your own reality. You have all the time in the world.”
In this provocative book, Paul Glimcher argues that economic theory may provide an alternative to the classical Cartesian model of the brain and behavior. Glimcher argues that Cartesian dualism operates from the false premise that the reflex is able to describe behavior in the real world that animals inhabit. A mathematically rich cognitive theory, he claims, could solve the most difficult problems that any environment could present, eliminating the need for dualism by eliminating the need for a reflex theory. Such a mathematically rigorous description of the neural processes that connect sensation and action, he explains, will have its roots in microeconomic theory. Economic theory allows physiologists to define both the optimal course of action that an animal might select and a mathematical route by which that optimal solution can be derived. Glimcher outlines what an economics-based cognitive model might look like and how one would begin to test it empirically. Along the way, he presents a fascinating history of neuroscience. He also discusses related questions about determinism, free will, and the stochastic nature of complex behavior.
Studies of mechanisms in the brain that allow complicated things to happen in a coordinated fashion have produced some of the most spectacular discoveries in neuroscience. This book provides eloquent support for the idea that spontaneous neuron activity, far from being mere noise, is actually the source of our cognitive abilities. It takes a fresh look at the coevolution of structure and function in the mammalian brain, illustrating how self-emerged oscillatory timing is the brain's fundamental organizer of neuronal information. The small-world-like connectivity of the cerebral cortex allows for global computation on multiple spatial and temporal scales. The perpetual interactions among the multiple network oscillators keep cortical systems in a highly sensitive "metastable" state and provide energy-efficient synchronizing mechanisms via weak links. In a sequence of "cycles," György Buzsáki guides the reader from the physics of oscillations through neuronal assembly organization to complex cognitive processing and memory storage. His clear, fluid writing-accessible to any reader with some scientific knowledge-is supplemented by extensive footnotes and references that make it just as gratifying and instructive a read for the specialist. The coherent view of a single author who has been at the forefront of research in this exciting field, this volume is essential reading for anyone interested in our rapidly evolving understanding of the brain.
A funny and fascinating look at the countries of the world Meet the Brainwaves, hilarious little mischief-makers who are about to take your child on an amazing journey around the world to discover everything about our planet. These pint-sized pals will show children all about what the planet is made of, where the highest football stadium is and why Brazil is called Brazil. They’ll join the teeny travellers as they take a camel trek to the pyramids, have a ball at a bonzer Australian beach party, and play the maddest game of crazy golf across North America. Packed with fantastic fold-out pages with mad maps, perfect pull-outs and fabulous facts on places and people, your child will learn loads of stuff about climate, oceans and Earth in space. It’s a terrific tour of our world!