All humans share three origins: the beginning of our individual lives, the appearance of life on Earth, and the formation of our planetary home. Life through Time and Space brings together the latest discoveries in both biology and astronomy to examine our deepest questions about where we came from, where we are going, and whether we are alone in the cosmos.A distinctive voice in the growing field of astrobiology, Wallace Arthur combines embryological, evolutionary, and co...

Are we alone in the universe, or are there other life forms 'out there'? This is one of the most scientifically and philosophically important questions that humanity can ask. Now, in the early 2020s, we are tantalizingly close to an answer. As this book shows, the answer will almost certainly be that life forms are to be found across the Milky Way and beyond. They will be thinly spread, to be sure. Yet the number of inhabited planets probably runs into the trillions. Some are close enough ...

IN the year 360 B.C. the position of Athens in the Greek world was, to all appearance, a very strong one. The battle of Mantinea had put an end for the time to the rivalry of Thebes; the influence of Sparta even in the Peloponnese itself was held in check by the recently established powers of Messene and Megalopolis; the Athenians had made up their differences with the minor Peloponnesian states; there was no city which could at the moment compete with Athens in naval and military strength...

What do we know about animal evolution in the early twenty-first century? How much more do we know today than Darwin did? What are the most exciting discoveries that have been made in the last few decades? Covering all the main animal groups, from jellyfish to mammals, this book considers all of these questions and more. Its 30 short chapters, each written in a conversational, nontechnical style and accompanied by numerous original illustrations, deal equally with the pattern and the proce...

The two most fascinating questions about extraterrestrial life are where it is found and what it is like. In particular, from our Earth-based vantage point, we are keen to know where the closest life to us is, and how similar it might be to life on our home planet. This book deals with both of these key issues. It considers possible homes for life, with a focus on Earth-like exoplanets. And it examines the possibility that life elsewhere might be similar to life here, due to the existence ...

Humanity is fast approaching the point of being able to answer the age-old question: Are we alone in the cosmos? The answer will almost certainly turn out to be 'no'. This is virtually guaranteed by two discoveries made in the last hundred years or so: that the Milky Way is just one of countless galaxies; and that the number of planets beyond our solar system — 'exoplanets' — is vast.But what is extraterrestrial life actually like? What kinds of creatures roam the surfaces of alien...

The pulp magazines of the early to mid 20th Century are often "politically incorrect" by modern standards. However, the "Spicy" magazines -- Spicy-Adventure Stories, Spicy Mystery, Spicy Western, etc. -- were politically incorrect by their own contemporary standards as well. With the occasional passing glimpse of a creamy-smooth thigh (or other womanly part!), and often filled with sexism, racism, and over-the-top plots and language, they nevertheless manage to t...

Why do the best-known examples of evolutionary change involve the alteration of one kind of animal into another very similar one, like the evolution of a bigger beak in a bird? Wouldn't it be much more interesting to understand how beaks originated? Most people would agree, but until recently we didn't know much about such origins. That is now changing, with the growth of the interdisciplinary field evo-devo, which deals with the relationship between how embryos develop in the short term a...

The most important aspect of evolution, from a philosophical viewpoint, is the rise of complex, advanced creatures from simple, primitive ones. This "vertical" dimension of evolution has been downplayed in both the specialist and popular literature on evolution, in large part because it was in the past associated with unsavory political views. The avoidance of evolution's vertical dimension has, however, left evolutionary biology open to the perception, from outside, that it deals merely w...

The Public Orations of Demosthenes (Vol. 1&2) gathers the Athenian statesman's major speeches on civic policy, foreign danger, and constitutional duty, including the Philippics and Olynthiacs that confront Macedonian expansion. Composed for delivery in the democratic assembly and courts, these orations unite forensic precision, political urgency, and moral exhortation. Their style is famously compact, vehement, and rhythmically controlled, standing at the summit of classical Attic prose an...

Collected here are 20 tales of darkest crime and criminals, by some of the foremost mystery writers of the pulp era. Included are:THE ART OF MURDER, by Norman A. DanielsSEX MURDER IN CAMERON, by Michael FessierHOT-MOTOR HOMICIDE, by Norman Ober“GIVE ME A BREAK,” by Norman StruberEAR-WITNESS, by Maurice BeamTHE GENTLEST OF THE BROTHERS, by David AlexanderAUTHOR’S ADVENTURE, by Upton SinclairONE WAY BRIDGE, by Phil HinerONE DRIN...

Light a candle, draw a protective circle, and chant your prayers because you’re about to encounter tales of the occult and supernatural, all with a decidedly dark turn. Ancient curses, tribal rites, the horrors of the crucifixion -- even Old Scratch himself makes an appearance! Assembled in this volume of classic tales by 19th and 20th Century masters are:THE SUICIDE IN THE STUDY, by Robert BlochTHE GOLGOTHA DANCERS, by Manly Wade WellmanPOLLOCK AND THE PORROH MAN, by...