**An update edition of *Solomon’s Code—*now The A.I. Generation—the thought-provoking examination of artificial intelligence and how it reshapes human values, trust, and power around the world.Whether in medicine, money, or love, technologies powered by forms of artificial intelligence are playing an increasingly prominent role in our lives. As we cede more decisions to thinking machines, we face new questions about staying safe, keeping a job and having a say ove...

"There comes a time in the life of a subject when someone steps up and writes the book about it. AIQ explores the fascinating history of the ideas that drive this technology of the future and demystifies the core concepts behind it; the result is a positive and entertaining look at the great potential unlocked by marrying human creativity with powerful machines." —Steven D. Levitt, bestselling co-author of FreakonomicsFrom leading data...

In this "marvel of storytelling," a journalist pursues the mysteries of human navigation across continents and deep within the brain ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review).Biologists have been trying to solve the mystery of how organisms have the ability to migrate and orient with such precision—especially since our own adventurous ancestors spread across the world without maps or instruments. In Wayfinding, M.R. O'Connor goes to the Arctic, the Austral...

Generation Robot covers a century of science fiction, fact and, speculation—from the 1950 publication of Isaac Asimov’s seminal robot masterpiece, I, Robot, to the 2050 Singularity when artificial and human intelligence are predicted to merge. Beginning with a childhood informed by pop-culture robots in movies, in comic books, and on TV in the 1960s to adulthood where the possibilities of self-driving cars and virtual reality are daily conversation, Terri Favro offers a unique perspective ...

A Princeton astrophysicist explores whether journeying to the past or future is scientifically possible in this "intriguing" volume (Neil deGrasse Tyson).It was H. G. Wells who coined the term "time machine"—but the concept of time travel, both forward and backward, has always provoked fascination and yearning. It has mostly been dismissed as an impossibility in the world of physics; yet theories posited by Einstein, and advanced by scientists including Stephen Haw...

By understanding how and when common sense fails, we can improve our understanding of the present and better plan for the future.Drawing on the latest scientific research, along with a wealth of historical and contemporary examples, Watts shows how common sense reasoning and history conspire to mislead us into believing that we understand more about the world of human behavior than we do; and in turn, why attempts to predict, manage, or manipulate social and econom...

A tour of the exotic and remote outposts where scientists seek answers to the great mysteries: "A thrilling ride around the globe and around the cosmos." —Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to HereIn The Edge of Physics, a science writer journeys to the ends of the Earth—visiting remote and sometimes dangerous places—in search of the telescopes and detectors that promise to answer the biggest questions in modern cosmology.Anil Ananthaswa...

The essential resource for anyone who reads, writes, watches, or studies science fiction.Men have walked on the Moon. Siri and Alexa manage—at least often enough to be helpful—to make sense of the things we say. Biologists have decoded DNA, and doctors have begun to tailor treatments to suit our individual genetic make-ups. In short: science and tech happen.But faster-than-light travel? Time travel? Telepathy? A six million dollar—as adjusted, of course, for inflation—man? ...

We can't afford to be complacent any more: "A formidable book . . . extremely rich in historical examples, case studies, and quantitative data." — International Journal of Constitutional LawDemocracies are in danger. Around the world, a wave of populist leaders threatens to erode the core structures of democratic self-rule. In the United States, the tenure of Donald Trump marks a decisive turning point for many. What kind of president intimidates jurors, ca...

A panoramic narrative that places ancient Africa on the stage of world historyThis book brings together archaeological and linguistic evidence to provide a sweeping global history of ancient Africa, tracing how the continent played an important role in the technological, agricultural, and economic transitions of world civilization. Christopher Ehret takes readers from the close of the last Ice Age some ten thousand years ago, when a changing climate allowed for the...

Tour the history of human invention—and its attendant breakthroughs and busts—in this history book from the New York Times-bestselling author of How the World Really Works.A BILL GATES RECOMMENDED BOOK: “Every Smil book that I own is marked up with lots of notes that I take while reading. Invention and Innovation is no exception.”The world is never finished catching up with Vaclav Smil, author of New York Time...

A NEW APPROACH TO EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY: A leading developmental psychologist proposes an evolutionary pathway to understanding human psychological agency.Nature cannot build organisms biologically prepared for every contingency they might possibly encounter. Instead, Nature builds some organisms to function as feedback control systems that pursue goals, make informed behavioral decisions about how best to pursue those goals in the current situation, and then mon...