Libros de Divulgación Científica, página 39 de 178

AI expert Jerry Kaplan explains how generative AI will revolutionize virtually every human activity Highly recommended Francis Fukuyama Political scientist and author of The End of History and the Last Man Advances in Generative Artificial Intelligence GAI have created a new class of computer systems that exhibit astonishing proficiency on a wide variety of tasks with superhuman performance producing novel text images music and software by analyzing enormous collections of digitized information Soon these systems will provide expert medical care offer legal advice draft documents write computer programs tutor our children and generate music and art These advances will accelerate progress in science art and human knowledge but they will also bring new dangers Have we finally discovered the holy grail of AI machines that match or exceed human intelligence Which industries and professions will thrive and which will wither What risks and dangers will it pose How can we ensure that these systems respect our ethical principles Will the benefits be broadly distributed or accrue to a lucky few How will GAI alter our political systems and international conflicts Are we merely a stepping stone to a new form of non biological life or are we just

Galaxies are the building blocks of the Universe standing like islands in space each is made up of many hundreds of millions of stars in which the chemical elements are made around which planets form and where on at least one of those planets intelligent life has emerged Our own galaxy the Milky Way is just one of several hundred million other galaxies that we can now observe through our telescopes Yet it was only in the 1920s that we realised that there is more to the Universe than the Milky Way and that there were in fact other islands out there In many ways modern astronomy began with this discovery and the story of galaxies is therefore the story of modern astronomy Since then many exciting discoveries have been made about our own galaxy and about those beyond how a supermassive black hole lurks at the centre of every galaxy for example how enormous forces are released when galaxies collide how distant galaxies provide a window on the early Universe and what the formation of young galaxies can tell us about the mysteries of Cold Dark Matter In this Very Short Introduction renowned science writer John Gribbin describes the extraordinary things that astronomers are learning about galaxies and explains how this can shed light on the origins a

An earthquake shatters Haiti and a hurricane slices through Texas We hear that nature runs rampant seeking to destroy us through these natural disasters Science recounts a different story however disasters are not the consequence of natural causes they are the consequence of human choices and decisions We put ourselves in harm s way we fail to take measures which we know would prevent disasters no matter what the environment does This can be both hard to accept and hard to unravel A complex of factors shape disasters They arise from the political processes dictating where and what we build and from social circumstances which create and perpetuate poverty and discrimination They develop from the social preference to blame nature for the damage wrought when in fact events such as earthquakes and storms are entirely commonplace environmental processes We feel the need to fight natural forces to reclaim what we assume is ours and to protect ourselves from what we perceive to be wrath from outside our communities This attitude distracts us from the real causes of disasters humanity s decisions as societies and as individuals It stops us accepting the real solutions to disasters making better decisions This book explores stories of some of our wo

Now in its fifth edition Diffusion of Innovations is a classic work on the spread of new ideas In this renowned book Everett M Rogers professor and chair of the Department of Communication & Journalism at the University of New Mexico explains how new ideas spread via communication channels over time Such innovations are initially perceived as uncertain and even risky To overcome this uncertainty most people seek out others like themselves who have already adopted the new idea Thus the diffusion process consists of a few individuals who first adopt an innovation then spread the word among their circle of acquaintances a process which typically takes months or years But there are exceptions use of the Internet in the 1990s for example may have spread more rapidly than any other innovation in the history of humankind Furthermore the Internet is changing the very nature of diffusion by decreasing the importance of physical distance between people The fifth edition addresses the spread of the Internet and how it has transformed the way human beings communicate and adopt new ideas

A Crack in Everything is the story of how black holes came in from the cold and took cosmic centre stage As a journalist Marcus Chown interviews many of the scientists who made the key discoveries and as a former physicist he translates the most esoteric of science into everyday language The result is a uniquely engaging page turner that tells one of the great untold stories in modern science What is space What is time Where did the universe come from The answers to mankind s most enduring questions may lie in science s greatest enigma black holes A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing not even light can escape This can occur when a star approaches the end of its life Unable to generate enough heat to maintain its outer layers it shrinks catastrophically down to an infinitely dense point When this phenomenon was first proposed in 1916 it defied scientific understanding so much that Albert Einstein dismissed it as too ridiculous to be true But scientists have since proven otherwise In 1971 Paul Murdin and Louise Webster discovered the first black hole Cygnus X 1 Later in the 1990s astronomers found that not only do black holes exist supermassive black holes lie at the heart of almost every galaxy It would

Marvel at the wonders of the miniature world and its complex lifeforms in this fascinating hardback guide illustrated throughout with spectacular full colour photography With the latest developments in scanning electron microscopy the miniature world has now been revealed to us in never before seen detail With accomplished science writer Marianne Taylor as your guide you will learn about the microbes that are at the heart of the world s ecosystems the composition of minerals the structure of cells in the human body and much more besides Includes Microorganisms Mineral structures Nanotechnology The text is brought to life by superb full colour photos charts maps and infographics to reveal the miniature world in all its splendor A fascinating guide to the world which can be enjoyed by the whole family ABOUT THE SERIES Arcturus Discovering series brings together spectacular hardback guides which explore the science behind our world brought to life by eye catching photography

A brand new and updated edition for 2024 including the latest insights on diet and weight management drugs gene editing cancer testing anti ageing ultra processed foods and much more Professor Tim Spector number one bestselling author of SPOON FED and FOOD FOR LIFE reveals the astonishing new science that is changing everything we thought we knew about genes and identity Since the discovery of DNA scientists have believed that genes are fixed entities that cannot be changed by environment Spector s pioneering epigenetics studies and the latest genetic research show that our genes are more like plastic able to change shape and evolve and these changes can be passed on to future generations This dazzling guide to the hidden world of our genes will make you rethink everything from sexuality to religion cancer to autism politics to pubic hair clones to bacteria and what it is that makes us all so unique and quintessentially human Tim Spector s book turns genetics on its head Lucid surprising and with a very human face It brings epigenetics alive It is a great read Michael Mosley

Very Short Introductions Brilliant Sharp InspiringIn the last few years global awareness of climate change has grown very rapidly through the school strikes led by Greta Thunberg groups like Extinction Rebellion the IPCC s recent high impact reports tv documentaries and declarations from governments around the world that we are in a climate emergency This awareness is continuing to grow as the science shows us that our planet and our species are facing a massive crisis which we ourselves have caused Climate change is one of the few scientific theories that make us examine the whole basis of modern society It is a challenge that has politicians arguing sets nations against each other queries individual lifestyle choices and ultimately asks questions about humanity s relationship with the rest of the planet This Very Short Introduction draws on the very latest science from the 2021 IPCC Report examining the evidence that climate change is already happening and discussing its potential catastrophic impacts in the future Mark Maslin also explores the geopolitics of climate change and the win win solutions we can employ to avoid the very worst effects of climate change Throughout he demonstrates how we must develop new modes of thinking for the 21st

This science book shows how the subject really works with amazing photographs showing the ins and outs of chemistry physics and biology Welcome to the Explanatorium where the wonders of science are revealed Watch as mixtures merge and matter changes state Discover how some chemical changes can be reversed yet others can t and why some reactions produce a bang This science book for kids aged 9 12 answers the biggest and smallest questions about our Universe whether it s elements evolution or energy Exploratorium of Science brings science to life with striking photographic explanations helping kids to understand just how the world works This fact filled science compendium for children offers An extensive chemistry physics and biology guide explaining more than 100 scientific principles including matter reactions materials forces energy life and Earth Supports the science curriculum in schools up to Key Stage 3 Detailed close up photography plus incredible macro images cross sections exploded views time lapse x ray and ultra violet photography This impressive visual guide explains every aspect of science from gigantic galaxies to tiny cells and miniscule atoms Kids will love to see bacteria at work in the world around us and e

In this classic work that continues to inspire many readers Jim Lovelock puts forward his idea that the Earth functions as a single organism Written for non scientists Gaia is a journey through time and space in search of evidence in support of a radically different model of our planet In contrast to conventional belief that life is passive in the face of threats to its existence the book explores the hypothesis that the Earth s living matter influences air ocean and rock to form a complex self regulating system that has the capacity to keep the Earth a fit place for life Since Gaia was first published Jim Lovelock s hypothesis has become a hotly debated topic in scientific circles In a new Preface to this edition he outlines his view of the present state of the debate Oxford Landmark Science books are must read classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas and shaped the way we think

A fascinating celebration of the impact that structural engineering has on all our lives an eye opening book The Sunday Times In BUILT structural engineer Roma Agrawal takes a unique look at how construction has evolved from the mud huts of our ancestors to skyscrapers of steel that reach hundreds of metres into the sky She unearths how engineers have tunnelled through kilometres of solid mountains how they ve bridged across the widest and deepest of rivers and tamed Nature s precious and elusive water resources She tells vivid tales of the visionaries who created the groundbreaking materials in the Pantheon s record holding concrete dome and the frame of the record breaking Eiffel Tower Through the lens of an engineer Roma examines tragedies like the collapse of the Quebec Bridge highlighting the precarious task of ensuring people s safety they hold at every step With colourful stories of her life long fascination with buildings and her own hand drawn illustrations Roma reveals the extraordinary secret lives of structures

Frank Close delves into fundamental particles and forces to find clues to a deep unsolved mystery of physics why is matter neutral Human beings have long been aware of the electric and magnetic forces around us from the electrostatic charge built up by rubbing amber with fur to the pull of the lodestone and scientific investigation showed that the two are intimately connected as electromagnetism Lightning shows how devastating electricity can be in nature while humans learned to exploit the flow of negatively charged electrons that make up an electric current In the early part of the 20th century the experiments of Ernest Rutherford showed that at the heart of atoms lies a positively charged nucleus The positive charge comes from protons Atoms are neutral because the charges of the electron and proton cancel out And that enables the much weaker force of gravity always attractive to dominate at large scales building planets stars and galaxies Things would have been very different had the charges not cancelled As far as we know the charges of the proton and electron are opposite and exactly equal even though the proton is far bigger and composed of three quarks tightly bound within it while the electron is a fundamental particle But why are they

Most people remember chemistry from their schooldays as largely incomprehensible a subject that was fact rich but understanding poor smelly and so far removed from the real world of events and pleasures that there seemed little point except for the most introverted in coming to terms with its grubby concepts spells recipes and rules Peter Atkins wants to change all that In this Very Short Introduction to Chemistry he encourages us to look at chemistry anew through a chemist s eyes in order to understand its central concepts and to see how it contributes not only towards our material comfort but also to human culture Atkins shows how chemistry provides the infrastructure of our world through the chemical industry the fuels of heating power generation and transport as well as the fabrics of our clothing and furnishings By considering the remarkable achievements that chemistry has made and examining its place between both physics and biology Atkins presents a fascinating clear and rigorous exploration of the world of chemistry its structure core concepts and exciting contributions to new cutting edge technologies ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every sub

In For the Love of Physics beloved MIT professor Walter Lewin whose riveting physics lectures made him a YouTube super star takes readers on a remarkably fun inventive and often wacky journey that brings the joys of physics to life For the Love of Physics captures Walter Lewin s extraordinary intellect passion for physics and brilliance as a teacher Bill Gates For more than thirty years as a renowned professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lewin s lectures made physics not only accessible but fun whether putting his head in the path of a wrecking ball supercharging himself with three hundred thousand volts of electricity or demonstrating why the sky is blue and clouds are white In For the Love of Physics Lewin takes readers on a marvelous journey opening our eyes as never before to the wonders of physics and its amazing ability to reveal the beauty and power embedded in our world Could it be true that we are shorter standing up than lying down Why can we snorkel no deeper than about one foot below the surface Why are the colors of a rainbow always in the same order can we stretch a hand out and touch one Using superbly clear and simple explanations of phenomena we ve always wondered about such as what the big bang would have sound

AN INTRIGUING AND BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF YORICK WILKS INSIDERS GUIDE TO AIThe benefits and potential nightmares of artificial intelligence have long inspired science fiction writers but in a world where most of us carry a portable device that knows infinitely more than we do these are increasingly real concerns Artificial Intelligence is the essential companion to this unsettling science It surveys the history philosophies and current state of AI and asks key questions such as how should robots think and can machines really learn With subjects ranging from the World Wide Web to artificial companions the book considers such ethical issues as automated warfare internet surveillance and fake news speculating on just how far robots will infiltrate our future This illustrated edition combines compelling photographs with circuit board infographics to lift the curtain on the hidden world of AI

Learn about the most important discoveries and theories of this science in The Biology Book Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format Learn about Biology in this overview guide to the subject brilliant for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike The Biology Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Biology with More than 95 ideas and events key to the development of biology and the life sciences Packed with facts charts timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Biology Book is a captivating introduction to understanding the living world and explaining how its organisms work and interact whether microbes mushrooms or mammals Here you ll discover key areas of the life sciences including ecology zoology and biotechnology through exciting text and bold graphics Your Biology Questions Simply Explained This book

Una descripción del universo; es decir, de todo el mundo exterior, de contenido científico y divulgativo. El pasado siglo XX nos ha aportado enormes avances en el conocimiento científico: El concepto de la unidad espaciotiempo La relacion intima entre masa y energia La estructura del atomo La constitucion del genomaEstos nuevos conocimientos cientificos nos permit...

¿Sabes que hiciste hace 8 minutos y 19 segundos? Ese es el tiempo que tarda en llegar la luz del sol a la Tierra, y el Sol es la estrella que nos ilumina y calienta, la más cercana a nosotros y sin la cual no habria vida en nuestro planeta. Pero surgen muchas mas preguntas: ¿cuanto de lejos esta el agujero negro del centro de nuestra galaxia, la Via Lactea? ¿Cuanto de nuestras galaxias vecinas como Andromeda? ¿Cuanto hace que salio la luz de Andromeda, cuantos millones de kilometros recorrio hasta llegar a nuestro planeta y que sucedia entonces en la Tierra? Este libro nace del dialogo entre un astrofisico y un prehistoriador cuando conversan sobre el tiempo que transcurrio en llegar la luz de ciertos astros o eventos astronomicos a la Tierra y que sucedia en aquellos momentos en la historia de la humanidad. A traves de sus paginas podremos averiguar la luz de que astro alcanzo la Tierra cuando nuestros antepasados inventaron la escritura, nuestra especie Homo sapiens dio sus primeros pasos o nuestros tataratatarabuelos los Austrolopithecus vivieron en Çfrica.

Este relato, que hemos titulado El caso Oppenheimer, es un ensayo sobre el juicio al que fue sometido Oppenheimer en 1954 para probar su lealtad hacia su patria y negar su pertenencia al partido comunista.Estrictamente hablando, no fue un juicio, sino un conjunto de audiciones de testigos (hearings, en ingles) para discutir si se mantenia su derecho a recibir informacion sec...

En esta esplendida obra, con un enfoque ameno y riguroso, el autor explora la separación histórica y la actual reconciliación entre ciencia y espiritualidad. A traves de un análisis perspicaz, revela que el siglo XXI es testigo de una creciente convergencia entre estas tradiciones aparentemente dispares. Nos invita a contemplar la nueva cosmovision que impulsa esta reconciliacion y a examinar la evidencia que hara que personas materialistas y religiosas cuestionen sus creencias. Este fascinante ensayo demuestra que la confluencia entre ciencia y espiritualidad es un proceso individual. Desvela como llevar a cabo nuestro propio viaje hacia ese encuentro, abrazando la riqueza de ambas tradiciones humanas. El autor nos invita a formar parte de la transformacion personal y global que esta dando lugar a una nueva y armonica era en la Madre Tierra, donde ciencia y espiritualidad se potencian mutuamente.