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The recent massive attack by fundamentalist Christians on the teaching of evolution in the schools has left scientists indignant and somewhat bewildered. Creationist arguments have seemed to them a compound of ignorance and malevolence, and, indeed, there has been both confusion and dishonesty in the creationist attack. First, there has been a confusion, partly deliberate, of the fact that organism have evolved with theories about the detailed mechanics of the process. The facts of evolution are...

"The legendary biologist, provocateur, and bestselling author mounts a timely and passionate defense of science and clear thinking with this career-spanning collection of essays, including twenty pieces published in the United States for the first time. For decades, Richard Dawkins has been the world's most brilliant scientific communicator, consistently illuminating the wonders of nature and attacking faulty logic. Science in the Soul brings together forty-two essays, polemics, and paeans--all...

Controversies surrounding a plethora of issues, from the MMR vaccine to mobile phones, from BSE to genetically-modified foods, have led many to ask how the public's faith in government advice can be restored. At the heart of the matter is the role of the expert and the question of whose opinion to trust. In this book, prominent participants in the debate tell us their views.

In this retrospective of Gerald Weissmann's best-known essays, the reader is treated to his unique perspective on what C. P. Snow once dubbed "the Two Cultures"-art and science. In Darwin's Audubon, Weissmann examines the powerful influence that the two exert over one another and how they have helped each other evolve. From listening to the scientists who gather ever year to sing at the Woods Hole Cantata Consort to looking at the influence of Audubon's watercolours on Darwin's On the Origin of...

Michael Ruse is one of the foremost Charles Darwin scholars of our time. For forty years he has written extensively on Darwin, the scientific revolution that his work precipitated, and the nature and implications of evolutionary thinking for today. Now, in the year marking the two hundredth anniversary of Darwin's birth and the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of his masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, Ruse reevaluates the legacy of Darwin in this collection of new and recent essays. Beginni...

American prosperity and military superiority cannot be maintained with the current shortage of scientists with advanced degrees. How we arrived at this crisis-the embedding of scientific research at male-dominated universities-is less important than what we do to redress it. Approximately ten percent of full professors in the S.T.E.M. disciplines in the United States, and four percent of full professors in physics and engineering, are women, one of the lowest rates among highly developed nations...

This book looks for the roots of the public's waning faith in science. Providing a clear and accessible introduction to key areas of modern scientific thought, the authors challenge our new fear and loathing of science.

Questions about the physical world, the mind, and technology in conversations that reveal a rich seam of interacting ideas.Science today is more a process of collaboration than moments of individual “eurekas.” This book recreates that kind of synergy by offering a series of interconnected dialogues with leading scientists who are asked to reflect on key questions and concepts about the physical world, technology, and the mind. These thinkers offer both specific observations and broader comments...

This book describes the biodiversity and biogeography of nothern Mexico, documents the biological importance of regional ecosystems and the impacts of human land use on the conservation status of plants and wildlife. It should become the standard source document for the conservation status of species and ecosystems in this region, which is of unusual biological interest because of its high biodiversity and highly varied landscape and biological zonation.

In the history of physics, there has been no greater visionary than Albert Einstein. Through his revolutionary Theory of Relativity, he fundamentally changed the way we look at the universe. But there is more to Einstein than just E=mc2 - and this anthology of 30 fascinating essays, presented by three renowned scientist/editors, captures his various facets. Complete with more than 125 colour illustrations and explanatory sidebars that make the information accessible to the layperson, these revel...

This is an inspirational new title from Clifford Pickover, author of the hugely successful The Math Book and The Physics Book. It makes a wonderful gift for science and math enthusiasts. From Clifford Pickover - the ingenious author of the phenomenally successful The Math Book and The Physics Book - comes an inspirational volume that celebrates the beauty and wisdom of physics. This gorgeous compendium features a physics quotation and stunning art on every page, along with biographical facts and...

For fifteen years, bestselling author Michael Shermer has written a column in Scientific American magazine that synthesizes scientific concepts and theory for a general audience. His trademark combination of deep scientific understanding and entertaining writing style has thrilled his huge and devoted audience for years. Now, in Skeptic, seventy-five of these columns are available together for the first time; a welcome addition for his fans and a stimulating introduction for new readers.