{"title":"Science","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"philipballcriticalmasshowonethingleadstoanother-beinganenquiryintotheinterplayofchanceandnecessityinthewaythathumanculture-customs-institutions-cooperationandconflictarise","title":"Philip Ball - Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Philip Ball. Themes include Psychology, Science, Physics, Social Science, Anthropology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIs there a 'physics of society'? Philip Ball's investigation into human nature ranges from Hobbes and Adam Smith to modern work on traffic flow and market trading, across economics, sociology and psychology. Ball shows how much of human behaviour we can understand when we cease trying to predict and analyse the behaviour of individuals and look to the impact of hundreds, thousands or millions of individual human decisions, in circumstances in which human beings both co-operate and conflict, when their aggregate behaviour is constructive and when it is destructive. By perhaps Britain's leading young science writer, this is a deeply thought-provoking book, causing us to examine our own behaviour, whether in buying the new Harry Potter book, voting for a particular party or responding to the lures of advertisers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. 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On the 'second plate', championed by the farm-to-table movement, meat is free-range and vegetables are locally sourced. It's better-tasting, and better for the planet, but the second plate's architecture is identical to that of the first. It, too, disrupts ecological balances, causing soil depletion and nutrient loss - it just isn't a sustainable way to farm or eat. The 'third plate' offers a solution: an integrated system of vegetable, cereal and livestock production that is fully supported - in fact, dictated - by what we choose to cook for dinner. The Third Plate is where good farming and good food intersect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. 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Dr Martin Blaser invites us into the wilds of the human 'microbiome', unfurling its inner workings and evolution. For thousands of years, bacteria and human cells have co-existed in a relationship that has ensured the health and equilibrium of our body. But now, much like the natural world outside of us, our internal environment is being irrevocably destroyed. The culprit: some of our most revered medical advances - antibiotics - which appear to be linked to the epidemics of asthma, eczema, obesity, certain forms of cancer, and other diseases plaguing modern society.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn a book that stands as the Silent Spring of its day, Blaser sounds a provocative alarm that we ignore at our peril.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. 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Though just 30 miles due west of San Francisco, the Farallones--nicknamed the Devil's Teeth for their ragged appearance and raging inhospitality--are utterly alien, which may explain why each autumn, packs of great whites return to gorge on the seals and sea lions that gather there before returning to the Pacific and beyond. That Casey, via her biologist buddies Peter Pyle and Scot Anderson, can even report that sharks apparently follow migratory feeding patterns is a revelation. Throughout The Devil's Teeth, Casey makes clear that year upon year of observing the sharks have given Pyle and Anderson (and by extension, us) insights into shark behavior that are entirely new and too numerous to list. The otherworldly Farallon Islands, meanwhile, also dominate Casey's engaging tale as she charts their transformation from ultradangerous source of wild eggs in the 19th century to ultradangerous real-life shark lab and bird sanctuary today. Despite the plethora of factoids on offer, Casey's style is consistently digestible and very amusing. She also has a knack for putting things into perspective. Take this characteristic passage: The Farallon great whites are largely unharassed. They might cross paths with the occasional boatload of day-trippers from San Francisco, but they're subjected to none of the behavior-altering coercion that nature's top predators regularly endure so that people can sit in the Winnebago ... and get a look at them. This is important because despite their visibility at the Farallones, and despite the impressive truth that sharks are so old they predate trees, great whites have remained among the most mysterious of creatures.\" By book's end, it's hard to know what's more captivating: The biologists' groundbreaking data, Casey's primer on the evolution of the Farallones, the islands' symbiotic relationships with the sharks, the gulls and sea lions they attract, or the outpost's resident ghosts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. 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Once ingested, they incite a kind of chemical warfare in our bodies, causing inflammatory reactions that can lead to weight gain and serious health conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt his waitlist-only clinics in California, Dr. Gundry has successfully treated tens of thousands of patients suffering from autoimmune disorders, diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases with a protocol that detoxes the cells, repairs the gut, and nourishes the body. Now, in The Plant Paradox, he shares this clinically proven program with readers around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe simple (and daunting) fact is, lectins are everywhere. Thankfully, Dr. Gundry offers simple hacks we easily can employ to avoid them, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeel your veggies. Most of the lectins are contained in the skin and seeds of plants; simply peeling and de-seeding vegetables (like tomatoes and peppers) reduces their lectin content.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShop for fruit in season. Fruit contain fewer lectins when ripe, so eating apples, berries, and other lectin-containing fruits at the peak of ripeness helps minimize your lectin consumption.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSwap your brown rice for white. 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In his new book, bestselling author Dr. Mark Hyman introduces a new weight-loss and healthy living programme based on the latest science and explains how to 'eat fat, get thin', and achieve optimum wellness along the way. Offering practical tools, meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists, as well as step-by-step, easy-to-follow advice, 'Eat fat, get thin' is the cutting edge way to lose weight, prevent disease, and feel your best.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. 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News of both the Ice Man's discovery and his age, which was put at over five thousand years, fascinated scientists and newspapers throughout the world. But what made Sykes's story particularly revelatory was his successful identification of a genetic descendant of the Ice Man, a woman living in Great Britain today. How was Sykes able to locate a living relative of a man who died thousands of years ago? In The Seven Daughters of Eve, he gives us a firsthand account of his research into a remarkable gene, which passes undiluted from generation to generation through the maternal line. After plotting thousands of Dna sequences from all over the world, Sykes found that they clustered around a handful of distinct groups. Among Europeans and North American Caucasians, there are, in fact, only seven. 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New interviews and theories! More than 30 short chapters! In this book a unique synergy is achieved between the interactive format, full-color graphics and the ability to take the complicated, dense material of mysticism, philosophy and quantum physics and boil it down to easy to understand, practical advice. What the Bleep Do We Know!? is the self-help phenomena millions have been waiting for. Key Features Forget your boring self-help books. This book has a different size, feel and look than anything else on the shelf. Uses the graphics, style, feel and basic structure of the phenomenal movie. Short chapters will be easy to understand and digest. Concise 30-step journey from the theoretic (quantum physics) to the personal (how to“create your day”). Practical exercises show how complex theories interact with daily life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat\u003c\/strong\u003e: Harcover\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. 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No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58012836725110,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9780857862310.jpg?v=1780502378"},{"product_id":"9780008241780","title":"Simon Winchester - Exactly How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Simon Winchester. Themes include Biography \u0026amp; Autobiography, Historical, Science \u0026amp; Technology, Science, Space Science.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShortlisted For The Royal Society Science Book Prize 2018 \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBestselling author Simon Winchester writes a magnificent history of the pioneering engineers who developed precision machinery to allow us to see as far as the moon and as close as the Higgs boson.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrecision is the key to everything. It is an integral, unchallenged and essential component of our modern social, mercantile, scientific, mechanical and intellectual landscapes. The items we value in our daily lives - a camera, phone, computer, bicycle, car, a dishwasher perhaps - all sport components that fit together with precision and operate with near perfection. We also assume that the more precise a device the better it is. 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Ochre first prompted humans to express themselves in art; tin and copper helped instigate the Bronze Age and later the Industrial Revolution; silver kick-started the engines of global trade. Each of these substances generated a leap forward in technology, each one opened the imagination a little further and each one brought with it a cache of unexpected dangers. Under A Metal Sky begins and ends in Philip Marsden's homeland of Cornwall, one of the world's great geological hotspots. Travelling eastwards into Europe, he examines how the extraction of peat propelled the Netherlands to world prominence but also imperilled its very existence. Continuing on up the Rhine by barge, into the heart of the continent, he uncovers more stories of potent and tempting resources, from iron-rich meteorites to radium and mercury, and the gold-bearing mountains of Georgia. At the same time he explores precious seams of ideas, from science to alchemy, mysticism to ecology and those questing souls who pursued them, like Paracelsus, the Habsburg Emperor Rudolf Ii, Goethe, William Blake and Marie Curie. Rich with revelations, Under A Metal Sky traces the dazzling achievements and dark consequences of our ability to extract what we want from the earth, and presents a fascinating new perspective on European history and on our troubled relationship with the natural world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58030703935862,"sku":null,"price":12.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9781783789627.jpg?v=1780667210"},{"product_id":"9781447259947","title":"Chris Hadfield - An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Chris Hadfield. Themes include Biography \u0026amp; Autobiography, Cultural, Ethnic \u0026amp; Regional, Science \u0026amp; Technology, Adventurers \u0026amp; Explorers, Personal Memoirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eColonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. 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No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58031052456310,"sku":null,"price":8.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9781447259947.jpg?v=1780672306"},{"product_id":"9781471149542","title":"Mike Massimino - Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Mike Massimino. 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No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58215592427894,"sku":null,"price":8.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9781784745011.jpg?v=1783353467"},{"product_id":"9780224041409","title":"Desmond Morris - The Naked Ape Trilogy","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Desmond Morris. Themes include Psychology, Human Sexuality, Social Science, Sociology, Urban.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen \"The Naked Ape\" was first published in 1967, it shocked many people and became the subject of heated debate, the main objection being that Desmond Morris had written about human beings as though they were just another animal species. In addition to breaking religious and sexual taboos, it was claimed that Morris was putting forward the idea that mankind was trapped by brutish animal instincts from which there was no escape. In fact, he refers to the inborn patterns of behaviour we have in common with animals and gives examples of forming loving pair-bonds, caring for our children, curiosity and inventiveness.;\"The Human Zoo\" examines man as captive animal under the stresses and pressures of urban living.;\"Intimate Behaviour\" is concerned with sexual relationships within the modern environment, and it looks at how as a species we can enjoy the technical comforts of present-day living, while at the same time obeying our primeval instincts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardcover\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58249252962678,"sku":null,"price":6.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9780224041409.jpg?v=1783698838"},{"product_id":"9781476733500","title":"Siddhartha Mukherjee - The Gene An Intimate History","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Themes include History, Civilization, Medical, Diseases, Genetics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe basis for the Pbs Ken Burns Documentary \u003ci\u003eThe Gene: An Intimate History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Emperor of All Maladies\u003c\/i\u003e—a fascinating history of the gene and “a magisterial account of how human minds have laboriously, ingeniously picked apart what makes us tick” (\u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Sid Mukherjee has the uncanny ability to bring together science, history, and the future in a way that is understandable and riveting, guiding us through both time and the mystery of life itself.\" –Ken Burns\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee dazzled readers with his Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003ci\u003eThe Emperor of All Maladies\u003c\/i\u003e in 2010. That achievement was evidently just a warm-up for his virtuoso performance in \u003ci\u003eThe Gene: An Intimate History\u003c\/i\u003e, in which he braids science, history, and memoir into an epic with all the range and biblical thunder of \u003ci\u003eParadise Lost\u003c\/i\u003e” (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e). In this biography Mukherjee brings to life the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates, and choices.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Mukherjee expresses abstract intellectual ideas through emotional stories…[and] swaddles his medical rigor with rhapsodic tenderness, surprising vulnerability, and occasional flashes of pure poetry” (\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e). Throughout, the story of Mukherjee’s own family—with its tragic and bewildering history of mental illness—reminds us of the questions that hang over our ability to translate the science of genetics from the laboratory to the real world. 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No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58305958510966,"sku":null,"price":12.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9781009226417.jpg?v=1784538485"},{"product_id":"9781783781980","title":"Mark O'connell - To be a Machine Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Mark O'connell. Themes include Computers, Cybernetics, Human-Computer Interaction (Hci), Literary Criticism, Medical.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMark O'connell presents us with an exploration of transhumanism: its philosophical and scientific roots, its key players and possible futures. 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If we answer the beautiful call inside these pages, we can decide who we are going to be and how we’re going to use technology in service of what it means to be fully human.”—Brené Brown, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eDare to Lead\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book Of The Year • Shortlisted for the \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eInc.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e Non-Obvious Book Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo most of us, it seems like recent developments in artificial intelligence emerged out of nowhere to pose unprecedented threats to humankind. But to Dr. Joy Buolamwini, who has been at the forefront of Ai research, this moment has been a long time in the making.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter tinkering with robotics as a high school student in Memphis and then developing mobile apps in Zambia as a Fulbright fellow, Buolamwini followed her lifelong passion for computer science, engineering, and art to Mit in 2015. As a graduate student at the “Future Factory,” she did groundbreaking research that exposed widespread racial and gender bias in Ai services from tech giants across the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnmasking Ai\u003c\/i\u003e goes beyond the headlines about existential risks produced by Big Tech. It is the remarkable story of how Buolamwini uncovered what she calls “the coded gaze”—the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products—and how she galvanized the movement to prevent Ai harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League. Applying an intersectional lens to both the tech industry and the research sector, she shows how racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism can overlap and render broad swaths of humanity “excoded” and therefore vulnerable in a world rapidly adopting Ai tools. Computers, she reminds us, are reflections of both the aspirations and the limitations of the people who create them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEncouraging experts and non-experts alike to join this fight, Buolamwini writes, “The rising frontier for civil rights will require algorithmic justice. Ai should be for the people and by the people, not just the privileged few.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardcover\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58440732836214,"sku":null,"price":12.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9780593241837.jpg?v=1786545433"},{"product_id":"9780393355505","title":"Daniel C Dennett - From Bacteria to Bach and Back The Evolution of Minds","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Daniel C Dennett. Themes include Philosophy, Mind \u0026amp; Body, Religion, Atheism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A supremely enjoyable, intoxicating work.\" —\u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow did we come to have minds? For centuries, poets, philosophers, psychologists, and physicists have wondered how the human mind developed its unrivaled abilities. Disciples of Darwin have explained how natural selection produced plants, but what about the human mind?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eFrom Bacteria to Bach and Back\u003c\/i\u003e, Daniel C. Dennett builds on recent discoveries from biology and computer science to show, step by step, how a comprehending mind could in fact have arisen from a mindless process of natural selection. A crucial shift occurred when humans developed the ability to share memes, or ways of doing things not based in genetic instinct. 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Our intellectual capacity, our introversion or extraversion, our vulnerability to mental illness, even whether we are a morning person - all of these aspects of our personality are profoundly shaped by our inherited Dna differences.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eBlueprint\u003c\/i\u003e, Robert Plomin, a pioneer in the field of behavioural genetics, draws on a lifetime's worth of research to make the case that Dna is the most important factor shaping who we are. Our families, schools and the environment around us are important, but they are not as influential as our genes. This is why, he argues, teachers and parents should accept children for who they are, rather than trying to mould them in certain directions. Even the environments we choose and the signal events that impact our lives, from divorce to addiction, are influenced by our genetic predispositions. 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Themes include Science, Life Sciences, Evolution, Genetics \u0026amp; Genomics, Ethics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A gifted and thoughtful writer, Metzl brings us to the frontiers of biology and technology, and reveals a world full of promise and peril.\" --Siddhartha Mukherjee Md, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA groundbreaking exploration of genetic engineering and its impact on the future of our species from leading geopolitical expert and technology futurist, Jamie Metzl.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt the dawn of the genetics revolution, our Dna is becoming as readable, writable, and hackable as our information technology. But as humanity starts retooling our own genetic code, the choices we make today will be the difference between realizing breathtaking advances in human well-being and descending into a dangerous and potentially deadly genetic arms race. 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Drawing on the latest research in quantum mechanics, black holes, string theory and particle physics, Existential Physics explains what modern physics can tell us about the big questions. Filled with counterintuitive insights and including interviews with other leading scientists, this clear and yet profound book will reshape your understanding of science and the limits of what we can know.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. 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If we have too much glucose in our system, we put on weight, feel tired and hungry all the time, have skin breakouts, develop wrinkles, and our hormonal balance suffers. Over time, too much glucose contributes to chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, cancer, dementia and heart disease. In Glucose Revolution, scientist and researcher Jessie Inchauspé offers timeless lessons to lower your glucose levels quickly - and for good - without going on a diet. She shares simple, surprising and science-based strategies and firsthand accounts from people who've tried them and seen incredible results. For example: How eating foods in the right order can help you shed weight without even trying; Why choosing dessert over a sweet snack can curb your cravings and bring balance to your hormones; What secret ingredient will allow you to enjoy starchy foods without guilt; And much more! 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Dreaming mollifies painful memories and creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge to inspire creativity. Walker answers important questions about sleep: how do caffeine and alcohol affect sleep? What really happens during Rem sleep? Why do our sleep patterns change across a lifetime? How do common sleep aids affect us and can they do long-term damage? Charting cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and synthesizing decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood, and energy levels; regulate hormones; prevent cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes; slow the effects of aging; increase longevity; enhance the education and lifespan of our children, and boost the efficiency, success, and productivity of our businesses. 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Themes include Literary Collections, Nature, Science, Life Sciences, Botany.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e*Shortlisted For The 2023 British Book Design \u0026amp; Production Awards*\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Irish Timesbestseller and Irish Independentbook Of The Year\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'A masterpiece' Max Porter\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'A forest of writing to be cherished'Irish Times\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'One of the most inspired items of environmental literature in recent years.' Irish Independent\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf trees have memories, respond to stress, and communicate, what can they tell us? 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Themes include Biography \u0026amp; Autobiography.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe No.1 \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A beautiful little book by a brilliant mind' \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Effortlessly instructive, absorbing, up to the minute and - where it matters - witty' \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe world-famous cosmologist and #1 bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA Brief History Of Time\u003c\/i\u003e leaves us with his final thoughts on the universe's biggest questions in this brilliant posthumous work.\u003c\/b\u003eIs there a God?How did it all begin?Can we predict the future?What is inside a black hole?Is there other intelligent life in the universe?Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?How do we shape the future?Will we survive on Earth?Should we colonise space?Is time travel possible?Throughout his extraordinary career, Stephen Hawking expanded our understanding of the universe and unravelled some of its greatest mysteries. But even as his theoretical work on black holes, imaginary time and multiple histories took his mind to the furthest reaches of space, Hawking always believed that science could also be used to fix the problems on our planet.And now, as we face potentially catastrophic changes here on Earth - from climate change to dwindling natural resources to the threat of artificial super-intelligence - Stephen Hawking turns his attention to the most urgent issues for humankind.Wide-ranging, intellectually stimulating, passionately argued, and infused with his characteristic humour, Brief Answers To The Big Questions, the final book from one of the greatest minds in history, is a personal view on the challenges we face as a human race, and where we, as a planet, are heading next.\u003ci\u003eA percentage of all royalties will go to charity.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. 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Whether one considers its role in biology, its place in the physical world (where it refuses to obey the usual rules of liquids) or its deceptively simple structure, there is still no complete answer to the question: what is water? Philip Ball's book explains what, exactly, we do and do not know about the strange character of this most essential and ubiquitous of substances.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eH20 begins by transporting its readers back to the Big Bang and the formation of galaxies to witness the birth of water's constituent elements: hydrogen and oxygen. It then explains how the primeval oceans were formed four billion years ago; where water is to be found on other planets; why ice floats when most solids sink; why, despite being highly corrosive, water is good for us; why there are at least fifteen kinds of ice and perhaps two kinds of liquid water; how scientists have consistently misunderstood water for centuries; and why wars have been waged over it.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhilip Ball's gloriously offbeat and intelligent book conducts us on a journey through the history of science, folklore, the wilder scientific fringes, cutting-edge physics, biology and ecology, to give a fascinating new perspective on life and the substance that sustains it. After reading this book, drinking a glass of water will never be the same again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58787063333238,"sku":null,"price":5.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9780753810927.jpg?v=1789994552"},{"product_id":"9781861976475","title":"Michael Brooks - 13 Things that Don't Make Sense The Most Intriguing Scientific Mysteries of Our Time","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Michael Brooks. Themes include Science.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNinety-six per cent of the universe is missing. The effects of homeopathy don’t go away under rigorous scientific conditions. The laws of nature aren’t what they used to be. Thirty years on, no one has an explanation for a seemingly intelligent signal received from outer space. The Us Department of Energy is re-examining cold fusion because the experimental evidence seems too solid to ignore. The placebo effect is put to work in medicine while doctors can’t agree whether it even exists. In an age when science is supposed to be king, scientists are beset by experimental results they simply can’t explain. But, if the past is anything to go by, these anomalies contain the seeds of future revolutions. While taking readers on an entertaining tour d’horizon of the strangest of scientific findings – involving everything from our lack of free will to Martian methane that offers new evidence of life on the planet – the author argues that the things we don’t understand are the key to what we are about to discover. -- Publisher details.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58787746808182,"sku":null,"price":8.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9781861976475.jpg?v=1790002540"},{"product_id":"9780553406634","title":"Stephen Hawking - Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Stephen Hawking. Themes include Fiction, Science, Space Science, Astronomy, Cosmology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReaders worldwide know the work of Stephen Hawking through his phenomenal bestseller \u003ci\u003eA Brief History of Time\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e In this collection of essays and other pieces - on subjects that range from warmly personal to the wholly scientific- he is revealed variously as the scientist, the man, the concerned world citizen, and - as always - the rigorous and imaginative thinker. Whether remembering his first experience of nursery school; puncturing the arrogance of those who think science can best be understood only by other scientists and should be left to them; exploring the origins and the future of the universe; or reflecting on the phenomenon of \u003ci\u003eA Brief History of Time\u003c\/i\u003e, Stephen's wit, directness of style and absence of pomp are vital characteristics at all times.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58787748020598,"sku":null,"price":4.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9780553406634.jpg?v=1790002541"},{"product_id":"9780375708114","title":"Brian Greene - The Elegant Universe Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Brian Greene. Themes include Science, Physics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, \u003cb\u003eThe Elegant Universe\u003c\/b\u003e sets a standard that will be hard to beat.\" --George Johnson, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreen uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling.    Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, \u003cb\u003eThe Elegant Universe\u003c\/b\u003e is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58787748184438,"sku":null,"price":5.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9780375708114.jpg?v=1790002540"},{"product_id":"9780008560133","title":"Max S Bennett - A brief history of intelligence: why the evolution of the brain holds the key to the future of Ai","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Bennett, Max S.. Themes include Brain, Physiology, Nervous system, Evolution, Computer simulation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe entirety of the human brain's 4-billion-year story can be summarised as the culmination of five evolutionary breakthroughs, starting from the very first brains, all the way to the modern human brains. Each breakthrough emerged from new sets of brain modifications, and equipped animals with a new suite of intellectual faculties. These five breakthroughs are the organising map to this book, and they make up our itinerary for our adventure back in time. Each breakthrough also has fascinating corollaries to breakthroughs in Ai. Indeed, there will be plenty of such surprises along the way. For instance: the innovation that enabled Ai to beat humans in the game of Go - temporal difference reinforcement learning - was an innovation discovered by our fish ancestors over 500 million years ago. The solutions to many of the current mysteries in Ai - such as 'common sense' - can be found in the tiny brain of a mouse. Where do emotions come from? Research suggests that they may have arisen simply as a solution to navigation in ancient worm brains. Unravelling this evolutionary story will reveal the hidden features of human intelligence and with them, just how your mind came to be.[Bokinfo]\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58944068551030,"sku":null,"price":6.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9780008560133.jpg?v=1791543184"},{"product_id":"9781851687800","title":"Roach, Mary - Packing for Mars: the curious science of life in space","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Roach, Mary. Themes include Space flight, Psychological aspects, Astronauts, Training of, Health and hygiene.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardcover\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58953858777462,"sku":null,"price":12.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9781851687800.jpg?v=1791630522"},{"product_id":"9780593701485","title":"Lightman, Alan P. - The miraculous from the material: understanding the wonders of nature","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten by Lightman, Alan P.. Themes include Science, Popular works, Nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A gorgeously illustrated exploration of the science behind the universe's most stunning natural phenomena-from atoms and unicellular life to rainbows, snowflakes, spider webs, the rings of Saturn, galaxies, and more Nature is capable of extraordinary phenomena. Standing in awe of those phenomena, we experience a feeling of connection to others, to wildlife, or to the cosmos. For acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, just as remarkable is that all of what we see around us-from soap bubbles and scarlet ibses to shooting stars-are made out of the same material stuff, and obey the same rules and laws. This is what Lightman calls \"spiritual materialism,\" the belief that we can embrace spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview. Pairing 36 beautiful, full-color photos evoking some of nature's most awe-inspiring phenomena with accessible, lyrical essays, The Miraculous from the Material explores the fascinating science underlying the natural world. Why do rainbows make an arc? Why does a particular waterfall at Yosimite National Park sometimes glow like it's on fire? How does a hummingbird fly? The world has so many things to marvel at-and the science is just as fascinating. Lightman journeys from the world of atoms and molecules to the animal kingdom, from places like Ha Long Bay, Vietnam and the Grand Canyon out to the solar system and beyond, illuminating the unbelievable majesty of the cosmos the remarkable science behind how it got to be the way it is. The Miraculous from the Material is a stunning, soaring ode to the beauty and wonder all around us\"-- Provided by publisher.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardcover\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll books at Vastela are pre-owned. Condition varies from good to near-new. No book is sold in unacceptable condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vastela Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58953860186486,"sku":null,"price":12.9,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/files\/9780593701485.jpg?v=1791630522"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0707\/7144\/1981\/collections\/Science_Category.png?v=1767357292","url":"https:\/\/www.vastelabooks.com\/collections\/science.oembed?page=4","provider":"Vastela Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}