"A fascinating and riveting read that really succeeds in bringing you right to the cutting edge of open questions in the earth sciences." —Leon Vlieger, Inquisitive BiologistToday, we know more than ever before about the powerful forces that can cause catastrophe, but significant questions remain. Why can't we better predict some natural disasters? What do scientists know about them already? What do they wish they knew? In Dangerous Earth, marine s...

When viewed from a quiet beach, the ocean, with its rolling waves and vast expanse, can seem calm, even serene. But hidden beneath the sea's waves are a staggering abundance and variety of active creatures, engaged in the never-ending struggles of life—to reproduce, to eat, and to avoid being eaten.With Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime, marine scientist Ellen Prager takes us deep into the sea to introduce an astonishing cast of fascinating and bizarre creatures that make the salty...

Could ancient giant sharks called megalodons still exist in the deep sea? What should you do if stung by a jellyfish? Can we predict lightning strikes and how is climate change affecting hurricanes?With humor, easy-to-understand language, and fun illustrations, marine scientist Ellen Prager and meteorologist Dave Jones use frequently asked and zany questions about the ocean and atmosphere to combat misinformation and make science engaging and understandable for all. From dangerous ...

When viewed from a quiet beach, the ocean, with its rolling waves and vast expanse, can seem calm, even serene. But hidden beneath the sea’s waves are a staggering abundance and variety of active creatures, engaged in the never-ending struggles of life—to reproduce, to eat, and to avoid being eaten. With Hagfish Slime and Lobster Rolls, marine scientist Ellen Prager takes us deep into the sea to introduce an astonishing cast of fascinating and bizarre creatures that make the salty...

Could ancient giant sharks called megalodons still exist in the deep sea? What should you do if stung by a jellyfish? Can we predict lightning strikes and how is climate change affecting hurricanes?With humor and easy-to-understand language, marine scientist Ellen Prager and meteorologist Dave Jones use frequently asked and zany questions about the ocean and atmosphere to combat misinformation and make science engaging and understandable for all. From dangerous marine life, coral r...

This expert guide to plant formation and the origins of life "makes the solar system an even weirder and more wonderful place than it seemed before" ( Wall Street Journal).In 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 3 revealed an astonishing truth: the far side of the moon is an enormous mountainous expanse, completely different from the vast lava-plains on the side facing Earth. But why would the two side of the moon be so different? And what might this tell us about o...

A peek inside the writerly testing grounds of Sue Grafton, Kim Stafford, Maureen Stanton, and othersThis collection of essays by well-established professional writers explores how their notebooks serve as their studios and workshops—places to collect, to play, and to make new discoveries with language, passions, and curiosities. For these diverse writers, the journal also serves as an ideal forum to develop their writing voice, whether crafting fiction, nonfiction,...

The essential one-stop sewing machine reference with hundreds of photos and diagrams, covering everything from fundamentals to advanced techniques.Discover the mysteries of your sewing machine! Learn ways to get the most out of your machine and attachments, the best tools to use, and how to sew with a variety of fabrics. Then dive into sewing techniques for beautiful garments and stunning home décor designs: Learn how to make and finish seams; lay out, cut, and mark...

Rooted in neuroscience, psychology and evolutionary biology, this study explores what happens when we stop paying attention and the effect on our behavior.If we've done our job well—and, let's be honest, if we're lucky—you'll read to the end of this description. Most likely, however, you won't. Somewhere in the middle of the next paragraph, your mind will wander off. Minds wander. That's just how it is.That may be bad news for me, but is it bad news for peopl...

The acclaimed author of Byzantium and the Crusades "offers a fresh take on this fabled but hidden civilization" across 11 centuries of history (Colin Wells, author of Sailing from Byzantium).For more than a millennium, the Byzantine Empire presided over the juncture between East and West, as well as the transition from the classical to the modern world. Rather than recounting the standard chronology of emperors and battles, leading Byzantium schol...

This volume, aimed at the general reader, presents life and times of the amazing animals that inhabited Earth more than 500 million years ago. The Cambrian Period was a critical time in Earth's history. During this immense span of time nearly every modern group of animals appeared. Although life had been around for more than 2 million millennia, Cambrian rocks preserve the record of the first appearance of complex animals with eyes, protective skeletons, antennae, and complex ecologies. Gr...

"A complete introduction to the geometric code of nature, written and illustrated by the most perceptive of its modern investigators." —John Michell, from the PrefaceYou need not be a philosopher or a botanist, and certainly not a mathematician, to enjoy the bounty of the world around us. But is there some sort of order, a pattern, to the things that we see in the sky, on the ground, at the beach? In A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe, Michael...