The Species Seekers

Download or read book The Species Seekers: Heroes, Fools, and the Mad Pursuit of Life on Earth written by Richard Conniff and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2011-10-25 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conniff tells the story of bold adventurers who risked death to discover strange life forms in the farthest corners of planet Earth.

Download or read book The Longevity Seekers written by Ted Anton and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-05-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[A] beautifully told story of twenty-first-century researchers in pursuit of the secrets of longevity . . . a book both engaging and illuminating.” —Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author People have searched for the fountain of youth everywhere from Bimini to St. Augustine. But for a steadfast group of scientists, the secret to a long life lies elsewhere: in the lowly lab worm. By suppressing the function of just a few key genes, these scientists were able to lengthen worms’ lifespans up to tenfold, while also controlling the onset of many of the physical problems that beset old age. As the global population ages, the potential impact of this discovery on society is vast—as is the potential for profit. With The Longevity Seekers, science writer Ted Anton takes readers inside this tale that began with worms and branched out to snare innovative minds from California to Crete, investments from big biotech, and endorsements from TV personalities like Oprah and Dr. Oz. Some of the research was remarkable, such as the discovery of an enzyme in humans that stops cells from aging. And some—like an oft-cited study touting the compound resveratrol, found in red wine—proved highly controversial, igniting a science war over truth, credit, and potential profit. As the pace of discovery accelerated, so too did powerful personal rivalries and public fascination, driven by the hope that a longer, healthier life was right around the corner. Anton has spent years interviewing and working with the scientists at the frontier of longevity science, and this book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the state-of-the-art research and the impact it might have on global public health, society, and even our friends and family

Download or read book The Pattern Seekers written by Simon Baron-Cohen and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking argument about the link between autism and ingenuity. Why can humans alone invent? In The Pattern Seekers, Cambridge University psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen makes a case that autism is as crucial to our creative and cultural history as the mastery of fire. Indeed, Baron-Cohen argues that autistic people have played a key role in human progress for seventy thousand years, from the first tools to the digital revolution. How? Because the same genes that cause autism enable the pattern seeking that is essential to our species's inventiveness. However, these abilities exact a great cost on autistic people, including social and often medical challenges, so Baron-Cohen calls on us to support and celebrate autistic people in both their disabilities and their triumphs. Ultimately, The Pattern Seekers isn't just a new theory of human civilization, but a call to consider anew how society treats those who think differently.

Download or read book The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide written by Richard Conniff and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2003-10-17 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A tantalizing, droll study of the idiosyncratic existence of the very rich, through the unexpected lens of the naturalist. Journalist Richard Conniff probes the age-old question "Are the rich different from you and me?" and finds that they are indeed a completely different animal. He observes with great humor this socially unique species, revealing their strategies for ensuring dominance and submission, their flourishes of display behavior, the intricate dynamics of their pecking order, as well as their unorthodox mating practices. Through comparisons to other equally exotic animals, Conniff uncovers surprising commonalities.

Download or read book Seekers #1: The Quest Begins written by Erin Hunter and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-06 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book in a thrilling animal fantasy series following the epic journey of three bears, from the #1 nationally bestselling author of Warriors. When three young bears from different species—black, polar, and grizzly—are separated from their families, fate brings them together on a path that will change their lives forever. Along the way, they will face great danger, terrible tragedies, new landscapes, and situations that require all their ingenuity to survive. For fans of Warriors, Survivors, and animal fantasy series like Wings of Fire and Foxcraft, Seekers is a sweeping and incredible journey through the beautiful, dangerous world of wild bears.

Download or read book A Guide to Academia written by Prosanta Chakrabarty and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-03-20 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Guide to Academia is a handbook for all those individuals thinking seriously about going to graduate school. Written by an author with extensive experience navigating the academic world, the book explains all the steps and potential bumps in the road that a student might encounter as they take the plunge into academia. Each chapter begins with a section called the "hard truth," which will help students determine if they are on the right path. Starting with an undergraduate student looking for a graduate school, the reader is taken on a journey up the academic ladder through graduate studies, a postdoctoral fellowship and an assistant professorship. Each chapter gives advice on not only how to survive the current stage but how to get to the next stage quickly. Enhanced with material from the author's own job applications and interview presentations, A Guide to Academia provides concrete examples of the tools needed for a successful career in academia.

Download or read book Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time: My Life Doing Dumb Stuff with Animals written by Richard Conniff and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2010-06-28 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An award-winning nature writer takes readers on a thrilling journey deep intothe domains of strange--and often dangerous--animals.