Most science chronicles present a triumphant march through time, with revolutionary thinkers and their discoveries following in orderly progression. The truth, however, is somewhat different. Scientific Feuds is a collection of the most vicious battles among the greatest minds of our time. It features such contests as Huxley and Wilberforce's debate on Darwin's theory of evolution, Franklin and Wilkins' fight over the discovery of DNA, and the "War of Currents" between Tesla and Edison (wh...

Can you really tell a criminal by the bumps on his head? What does a memory look like? Can a machine think? Why are some people shy? Is it better not to feel so much?These are some of the many questions that have troubled the minds of some of the greatest thinkers in human civilization and are discussed in this comprehensive yet accessible introduction to psychology.The complex workings of the mind have fascinated mankind for centuries, but the key theories...

Celebrating the stories and symbolism of the king of mythical beasts, the Pocket Book of Dragons explores dragons throughout history and across the world.Overflowing with ancient and modern dragon tales from every corner of the globe and beautifully illustrated with a curated archive of the finest dragon art, this little book contains a world of fantastical facts. Explore the myth, magic, and meaning of one of legend's most fabulous and fearsome beasts, in...

Meltdown investigates and recreates the dramatic events behind the most notorious nuclear accidents in history, as well as those shrouded in secrecy. Combining human tragedy with intriguing science, each account reveals new aspects of humanity's complex relationship with nuclear power and the ongoing struggle to harness and control it.From the pioneers of Los Alamos who got up close and personal with the cores of atomic bombs, to the hapless engineers in Soviet fuel-proces...

A clear, concise and fascinating guide to philosophical thought experiments and how they’ve shaped our understanding of the world.From Plato’s Cave to Descartes’ Demon, and from Zeno’s paradoxes to Hilbert’s Hotel, great thinkers have used thought experiments and paradoxes to try and work out complex ideas in the simplest way possible.Perhaps the most famous thought experiment is that of Zeno’s Achilles and the tortoise. If both Achilles and the tortoise mo...

Meltdown investigates and recreates the dramatic events behind the most notorious nuclear accidents in history, as well as those shrouded in secrecy.Combining human tragedy with intriguing science, each account reveals new aspects of humanity's complex relationship with nuclear power and the ongoing struggle to harness and control it. From the pioneers of Los Alamos who got up close and personal with the cores of atomic bombs, to the hapless engineers in Soviet fuel-processing plan...

Explore the fascinating world of the human psyche with this accessible and concise guide to the fundamentals of psychology.Broken down by subject, from the psychology of ageing to the psychology of relationships, happiness to mental illness (and with everything in between), this book brings together all the major theorists and arguments you should know, ranging back in time to the ancient Greeks – who practiced a form of dream therapy 2,500 years before Freud and J...

Freudian Slips presents the essential facts and findings of the fascinating subject of psychology in an accessible and enjoyable way, leaving no slip or phallic symbol unexamined.From psychoanalysis to behaviour therapy, via the subconscious and the unconscious, the book charts a path through the subject's controversial history, and encounters the work of all the big names in the field, such as Freud, Jung, Skinner, Bandura, Piaget and Köhler.There are many phrases a...

Why?: Scientific Answers to Fundamental Questions sets out to provide simple answers to the most fundamental questions about the world. Asking why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why do we need sleep? Why are there 24 hours in a day? Why is light faster than sound?, this book gets to grips with concepts that appear so basic and everyday, yet we struggle to find an answer for. For each question the author provides a simple, single line answer followed by more in-depth informatio...