The reader is introduced to the basic principles of mushroom hunting. Different mushroom characteristics are explained to facilitate a thorough identification process. Only the 18 most identifiable and delicious edible mushrooms are included here with a focus on Northeast North America. The 5 deadliest mushrooms are also included. The mushrooms are all sorted by color. Each mushroom description includes a careful comparison with its lookalikes and tips on how to tell them apart. The mushro...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the final book of his astonishing career, Carl Sagan brilliantly examines the burning questions of our lives, our world, and the universe around us.These luminous, entertaining essays travel both the vastness of the cosmos and the intimacy of the human mind, posing such fascinating questions as how did the universe originate and how will it end, and how can we meld science and compassion to meet the challenges of the coming c...

A brilliant book celebrating improbability as the engine that drives life, by the acclaimed author of The Selfish Gene and The Blind Watchmaker.The human eye is so complex and works so precisely that surely, one might believe, its current shape and function must be the product of design. How could such an intricate object have come about by chance? Tackling this subject—in writing that the New York Times called "a masterpiece"—Richard Dawkins builds a car...

**Fifty-two inspiring and insightful profiles of history’s brightest female scientists.“Rachel Swaby’s no-nonsense and needed Headstrong dynamically profiles historically overlooked female visionaries in science, technology, engineering, and math.”—Elle**In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise th...

The Big Questions series is designed to let renowned experts address the 20 most fundamental and frequently asked questions of a major branch of science or philosophy. Each 3000-word essay simply and concisely examines a question that has eternally perplexed enquiring minds, and provides answers from history's great thinkers. This ambitious project is a unique distillation of humanity's best ideas.

Physics can be a complex and intimidating subject. Idiot's Guides: Physics breaks down the complex topics of physics and makes them easy to understand. Readers will learn from numerous examples and problems that teach all of the fundamentals — Newton's Laws, thermodynamics, mass, energy and work, inertia, velocity and acceleration, and more!

An all-new volume of science questions to delight, entertain, and inform readers of all ages, from bestselling author Jay Ingram.Bestselling author and commentator Jay Ingram is back to explain the magic and mysteries of the world around us.Jay takes readers on a tour of the universe, exploring wonders big and small. From the farthest reaches of space to the most perplexing historical riddles to the marvels of who we are and what we’re made of, Jay answers ...

"[Gardner] zaps his targets with laserlike precision and wit."—Entertainment WeeklyMartin Gardner is perhaps the wittiest, most devastating unmasker of scientific fraud and intellectual chicanery of our time. Here he muses on topics as diverse as numerology, New Age anthropology, and the late Senator Claiborne Pell's obsession with UFOs, as he mines Americans' seemingly inexhaustible appetite for bad science. Gardner's funny, brilliantly unsettling exposés...

A comprehensive and accessible guide to understanding how radiation affects our everyday livesNuclear energy, X-rays, radon, cell phones . . . radiation is part of the way we live on a daily basis, and yet the sources and repercussions of our exposure to it remain mysterious. Now Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Wayne Biddle offers a first-of-its-kind guide to understanding this fundamental aspect of the universe. From fallout to radiation poisoning, alpha particl...

Science fiction is the playground of the imagination. If you are interested in science or fascinated with the future then science fiction is where you explore new ideas and let your dreams and nightmares duke it out on the safety of the page or screen. But what if we could use science fiction to do more than that? What if we could use science fiction based on science fact to not only imagine our future but develop new technologies and products? What if we could use stories, movies and comi...

We all know the world works in mysterious ways! But have you ever itched to know why? Why don't heavier things fall faster? Why do we have more energy when we're sitting upstairs? Is time travel really possible? And what happened to Schrodinger's poor cat? Why Balloons Rise and Apples Fall is an accessible look at the fascinating, awe-inspiring and sometimes downright weird world of physics. It covers all the basics we learnt at school from: what is physics; motion and forces; wor...

The sixth title in the bestselling Collins Guide series, this book covers the fungi of the British Isles, with considerable relevance for Europe and the wider temperate world.Leading mycological artists have been specially commissioned to ensure accurate, detailed illustrations. Where possible, species are described and illustrated on the same page, with up-to-date authoritative text aiding identification. Nearly 2,400 species are illustrated in full colour, with detailed notes on ...