Book categories

Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs

Forays in Postmodern Paleontology

by Alan Feduccia, Ph.D.

11/15/2020

Birds and dinosaurs have dominated human interest for decades. In this well-supported revolutionary view of the field, critical questions are explored with credible evidence and biological thought. Are birds derived directly from advanced dinosaurs, or are they closely related dinosaur cousins? Did flight originate via the natural "gravity-assisted" trees-down model, or from the improbable “gravity-resisted” ground-up model? Were the earliest birds ground-predators or trunk-climbing gliders? Were dinosaurs hot-blooded with insulating protofeathers, or highly active, cold-blooded reptiles? These are among the questions addressed in this path-breaking book. Current consensus suggests that early birds were earth-bound and flight began on the ground. Reversing that logic, since birds are hot-...

Flat Space Cosmology

A New Model of the Universe Incorporating Astronomical Observations of Black Holes, Dark Energy and Dark Matter

by Eugene Terry Tatum and U.V.S. Seshavatharam

06/15/2021

This compilation based upon recent peer-reviewed journal publications encapsulates how the Flat Space Cosmology model (FSC) has become the primary competitor to the inflationary standard model of cosmology. New ideas concerning black holes, dark energy and dark matter are presented and shown to correlate extremely well with astronomical observations. Anyone who follows the fast-changing science of cosmology, has an interest in the latest developments, and would like to know how it is that our universe appears to follow equations one would ordinarily expect for a time-reversed black hole (!), may find this book to be fascinating. Cosmology is the study of how the universe has changed over the great span of time (roughly 14 billion years). Later centuries will look back upon the period fr...

The Florida Spiny Lobster

How to Catch It, Its Biology, A Crawfish Cookbook, and First Aid for Minor Diving Injuries

by John Kappes

01/15/2008

The Florida Spiny Lobster tells what every crawfish hunter ought to know about his quarry, what equipment he’ll need, where to find them, and how to catch them. It also provides some tried and true recipes for those lucky lobster hunters who get some of these spiny delicacies as far as the kitchen. It also delves into the rules and regulations covering its capture and gives some common sense suggestions on how to safely manage the hunt. In writing the section on the biology of the spiny lobster the author takes great care to keep everything within the grasp of the average reader. Unnecessary scientific terminology is avoided while making an effort to answer every question that is likely to be asked about the crawfish. Every lobster hunter is likely to experience some ki...

Postures and Movement Patterns of the Human Hand

A Framework for Understanding Hand Activity for Clinicians and Engineers

by Noriko Kamakura, Foreword by Catherine A. Trombly Latham

07/01/2022

Think of the complexity of ordinary hand activity and how to describe it all, both precisely and concisely. The author, a noted occupational therapist in Japan, offers a disciplined approach to doing just that. Whereas research has heretofore been limited mainly to how the hand grips, the methodology here is set up to account for grips, non-grip postures, and movement patterns, based on thousands of laboratory observations. This approach can provide hand experts with specific ways to conceptualize and study hand disabilities, artificial hands, and robotic hands. The author first surveys research over the past 100 years on forms that the hand normally assumes, noting the preponderance of studies on hand grips, with less attention having been paid to what the hand looks like when in non-g...

Double Helix of Phyllotaxis

Analysis of the Geometric Model of Plant Morphogenesis

by Boris Rozin

08/01/2020

This book is devoted to anyone who is in search of beauty in mathematics, and mathematics in the beauty around us. Attempting to combine mathematical rigor and magnificence of the visual perception, the author is presenting the mathematical study of phyllotaxis, the most beautiful phenomenon of the living nature. The distinctive feature of this book is an animation feature that explains the work of mathematical models and the transformation of 3D space.The analysis of the phyllotactic pattern as a system of discrete objects together with the mathematical tools of generalized sequences made it possible to find a universal algorithm for calculating the divergence angle. In addition, it is serving as a new proof of the fundamental theorem of phyllotaxis and analytically confirming well-known ...

Curiosity and Information Seeking in Animal and Human Behavior

A Review the Literature and Data in Comparative Psychology, Animal Cognition, Ethology, Ontogenesis, and Elements of Cognitive Neuroscience as they Relate to Animal Inquisitiveness (2nd Edition)

by Wojciech Pisula

07/01/2020

The purpose of the book is to deliver a critical review of the literature and author's research data relevant for understanding the phenomena of curiosity, information seeking behavior, and novelty seeking. The book is designed to be a comprehensive and systematic lecture of areas related to the main subject in a way that will enable the reader to grasp the notion of development in terms of the evolutionary time scale and ontogenesis. Each of the subjects is explained on the basis of three perspectives: ultimate factors, integrative levels, and proximate mechanisms. This work is intended to integrate approaches adopted within psychology, ethology, and behavioral neuroscience. The major uniqueness is related to the integrative levels framework, which is not very often utilized the the conte...

The Microcosm Within

Evolution and Extinction in the Hologenome

by William B. Miller, Jr.

01/08/2014

You are not what you think you are. New research is transforming how we understand ourselves—from a singular 'self' to a vast cooperative, co-dependent and collaborative network of cellular environments and ecologies—a microcosm within. From this unique perspective, a startling revision of evolutionary theory unfurls. Sharply reasoned and certain to be controversial, The Microcosm Within takes its readers on a sweeping scientific journey that reorganizes our thinking about our biological selves, evolution, and extinction. Darwin has dominated evolution for over a century. But many issues remain puzzling—What is the origin of self-sacrifice? Does natural selection really account for evolution? Why is homosexuality commonplace in the animal kingdom? Why were the arms of Tyrannosaurus Re...

The Mollusks

A Guide to Their Study, Collection, and Preservation

by C. F. Sturm, T. A. Pearce, and A. Valdes (eds.)

07/15/2006

Mollusks have been important to humans since our earliest days. Initially, when humans were primarily interested in what they could eat or use, mollusks were important as food, ornaments, and materials for tools. Over the centuries, as human knowledge branched out and individuals started to study the world around them, mollusks were important subjects for learning how things worked. In this volume, the editors and contributors have brought together a broad range of topics within the field of malacology. It is our expectation that these topics will be of interest and use to amateur and professional malacologists.

Genes, Polymorphisms, and the Making of Societies

A Genetic Perspective of the Divergence between East and West (Revised and Extended Edition)

by Hippokratis Kiaris

06/15/2021

Our genes determine to a large extent who we are and why we are different from others. In this book, Hippokratis Kiaris explores how various genetic polymorphisms in different ethnic populations may affect the development of distinct cultures and eventually historical decisions. It should be read by anybody interested in history, anthropology, behavior, psychology or genetics. The reader will find clues linking together these scientific disciplines and how such genetically determined behavioral traits may play an undervalued, as yet, role in shaping historical outcomes. The book initially describes some basic concepts on genetics and proceeds with an outline of human evolution, the journey of early humans Out-of-Africa, and the colonization of Earth by different human populations that eve...

Pest Control Simplified for Everyone

Kill, Repel, or Mitigate Pests With or Without Pesticides

by Danny Ledoux

03/01/2011

Why call an exterminator? Save thousands of dollars every year. Protect your family and property, and keep yourself safe from disease. This guide will teach you the art of responsible pest elimination. Have you stared at shelves of pesticides wondering which to buy, which are safe, which treatment will eliminate your pest, and how to apply it? If so, this book is for you. You only lack the trade secrets and the knowledge, such as safe application methods, how to prevent an attack in the first place, when killing is not necessary, and how all of this affects our environment. Before you buy your next can of bug spray, before you get bitten again, before you buy or sell a house, or before you go outdoors, read this book and learn how to: - Kill all types of household and yard pest...