Download or read book The Ig Nobel Prizes 2 written by Marc Abrahams and published by Dutton Adult. This book was released on 2005 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hilarious second installment of the popular humor series honors the world's most improbable actual research, such as a Norwegian team that documented the impact of wearing wet underwear in the cold.
Download or read book Ig Nobel Prizes written by Marc Abrahams and published by Orion Publishing Company. This book was released on 2003 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WHAT: The Ig Nobel Prize honours individuals whose achievements in science cannot or should not be reproduced. 10 prizes are given to people who have done remarkably bizarre things in science over the previous year. WHY: The 'Igs' are intended to celebrate the unusual, honour the imaginative and shine a spotlight onto the weird corners of laboratories around the world. PAST WINNERS: Peter Fong's experiment in which he fed Prozac to clams on the basis that if they chilled out more they'd taste better. Harold Hillman's report on 'The Possible Pain Experienced during Execution by Different Methods'...
Download or read book How to Dunk a Doughnut written by Len Fisher and published by Arcade Publishing. This book was released on 2003 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Details some of science behind everyday activities such as cooking, home improvement, sports, and dunking a donut.
Download or read book IgNobel Prizes 2 written by Marc Abrahams and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ig Nobel Prizes make people laugh, and then make them think. Included in this new edition are: the Dutch scientist who investigated homosexual necrophilia in mallard ducks, the Swedish team that looked into chickens' preferences in humans, and the man who made it possible for someone to rent the entire country of Liechtenstein for corporate events. Sometimes, as in the latter case, Ig Nobel Prizes could not be awarded without the entire nation getting behind the researchers.As before, there is an irresistible blend of serious science and complete incredulity at the way the human quest for knowledge takes us into ever more obscure areas of research.
Download or read book GoatMan written by Thomas Thwaites and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dazzling success of The Toaster Project, including TV appearances and an international book tour, leaves Thomas Thwaites in a slump. His friends increasingly behave like adults, while Thwaites still lives at home, "stuck in a big, dark hole." Luckily, a research grant offers the perfect out: a chance to take a holiday from the complications of being human—by transforming himself into a goat. What ensues is a hilarious and surreal journey through engineering, design, and psychology, as Thwaites interviews neuroscientists, animal behaviorists, prosthetists, goat sanctuary workers, and goatherds. From this, he builds a goat exoskeleton—artificial legs, helmet, chest protector, raincoat from his mum, and a prosthetic goat stomach to digest grass (with help from a pressure cooker and campfire)—before setting off across the Alps on four legs with a herd of his fellow creatures. Will he make it? Do Thwaites and his readers discover what it truly means to be human? GoatMan tells all in Thwaites's inimitable style, which NPR extols as "a laugh-out- loud-funny but thoughtful guide through his own adventures."
Download or read book Being a Beast written by Charles Foster and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2016-06-21 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A passionate naturalist explores what it’s really like to be an animal—by living like them How can we ever be sure that we really know the other? To test the limits of our ability to inhabit lives that are not our own, Charles Foster set out to know the ultimate other: the non-humans, the beasts. And to do that, he tried to be like them, choosing a badger, an otter, a fox, a deer, and a swift. He lived alongside badgers for weeks, sleeping in a sett in a Welsh hillside and eating earthworms, learning to sense the landscape through his nose rather than his eyes. He caught fish in his teeth while swimming like an otter; rooted through London garbage cans as an urban fox; was hunted by bloodhounds as a red deer, nearly dying in the snow. And he followed the swifts on their migration route over the Strait of Gibraltar, discovering himself to be strangely connected to the birds. A lyrical, intimate, and completely radical look at the life of animals—human and other—Being a Beast mingles neuroscience and psychology, nature writing and memoir to cross the boundaries separating the species. It is an extraordinary journey full of thrills and surprises, humor and joy. And, ultimately, it is an inquiry into the human experience in our world, carried out by exploring the full range of the life around us.
Download or read book Cats Are a Liquid written by Rebecca Donnelly and published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR). This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Celebrate cats in all their flowing, furry glory in Cats Are a Liquid, a charming picture book that examines the unusual physical properties of felines by writer Rebecca Donnelly and illustrator Misa Saburi. Cats fill./ Cats spill./ Cats flow downhill.// Cats tip./ Cats drip./ Cats grip, snip, rip.// Cats are a liquid/ Except when they’re not. Inspired by an Ig Nobel Prize–winning investigation of how cats behave like liquids, this book introduces some of the physical properties of liquids—they adapt to fit a container, they flow like fluids—and is just pure fun. Like its inspiration, it makes you laugh, then think. Back matter includes a brief introduction to the different physical states: solid, liquid, gas.
Download or read book Rock Paper Scissors written by Len Fisher and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-11-04 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praised by Entertainment Weekly as “the man who put the fizz into physics,” Dr. Len Fisher turns his attention to the science of cooperation in his lively and thought-provoking book. Fisher shows how the modern science of game theory has helped biologists to understand the evolution of cooperation in nature, and investigates how we might apply those lessons to our own society. In a series of experiments that take him from the polite confines of an English dinner party to crowded supermarkets, congested Indian roads, and the wilds of outback Australia, not to mention baseball strategies and the intricacies of quantum mechanics, Fisher sheds light on the problem of global cooperation. The outcomes are sometimes hilarious, sometimes alarming, but always revealing. A witty romp through a serious science, Rock, Paper, Scissors will both teach and delight anyone interested in what it what it takes to get people to work together.
Download or read book How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls written by David Hu and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-03 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Insects walk on water, snakes slither, and fish swim. Animals move with astounding grace, speed, and versatility: how do they do it, and what can we learn from them? In How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls, David Hu takes readers on an accessible, wondrous journey into the world of animal motion. From basement labs at MIT to the rain forests of Panama, Hu shows how animals have adapted and evolved to traverse their environments, taking advantage of physical laws with results that are startling and ingenious. In turn, the latest discoveries about animal mechanics are inspiring scientists to invent robots and devices that move with similar elegance and efficiency. Hu follows scientists as they investigate a multitude of animal movements, from the undulations of sandfish and the way that dogs shake off water in fractions of a second to the seemingly crash-resistant characteristics of insect flight. Not limiting his exploration to individual organisms, Hu describes the ways animals enact swarm intelligence, such as when army ants cooperate and link their bodies to create bridges that span ravines. He also looks at what scientists learn from nature's unexpected feats--such as snakes that fly, mosquitoes that survive rainstorms, and dead fish that swim upstream. As researchers better understand such issues as energy, flexibility, and water repellency in animal movement, they are applying this knowledge to the development of cutting-edge technology. Integrating biology, engineering, physics, and robotics, [this book] demystifies the remarkable mechanics behind animal locomotion"--Page 4 of cover.
Download or read book Essential Research Methods in Psychology written by Philip Banyard and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2022-04-05 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looking for a comprehensive and engaging research methods textbook for your psychology studies? Look no further than Essential Research Methods in Psychology! This book covers the most used methods for successful research in psychology, with a balance of quantitative and qualitative methods. It is written in an accessible and witty style that will keep you engaged and curious throughout your learning journey. With real published research examples from core domains in psychology, such as social, developmental, cognitive, biological, and individual differences, you′ll learn how to apply the methodology to real-world scenarios. Plus, you′ll develop critical thinking skills and an understanding of ethical considerations that are crucial to conducting research in an ethical and responsible manner. Other features include: Skoolkid errors (examples of) Ig Nobel Prize (satiric prizes which make you laugh and think) Whoa there! (stop and think) Whether you′re studying for an introductory methods course or designing a research project, Essential Research Methods in Psychology will equip you for success.
Download or read book Annals of Improbable Research written by and published by Improbable Research Inc. This book was released on 2013 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The magazine about research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK. There are six new issues every year.
Download or read book The Man Who Tried to Clone Himself written by Marc Abrahams and published by Plume Books. This book was released on 2006-09 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A hilarious collection of the world’s most improbable research in the sciences, arts, and humanities The Nobel Prize brings well-deserved recognition to the world’s greatest accomplishments. But for some who are not lucky enough to become Nobel laureates comes the Ig Nobel Prize, which honors the most eccentrically innovative minds and their unique endeavors. Born from the annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony at Harvard University, The Man Who Tried to Clone Himselfis a fresh collection of the unbelievable-but-true achievements that are awarded this prestigious honor, including: * The scientists who discovered that chickens prefer beautiful humans * The entire nation of Liechtenstein, which rents itself out for weddings, bar mitzvahs, or other gatherings * The Norwegian research team that documented the impact of wearing wet underwear in the cold Demonstrating the incredible lengths people will go in the pursuit of knowledge, The Man Who Tried to Clone Himselfis perfect for anyone who wants to laugh and then think.
Download or read book The Prize written by Daniel Yergin and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-09-11 with total page 928 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Prize recounts the panoramic history of oil -- and the struggle for wealth power that has always surrounded oil. This struggle has shaken the world economy, dictated the outcome of wars, and transformed the destiny of men and nations. The Prize is as much a history of the twentieth century as of the oil industry itself. The canvas of this history is enormous -- from the drilling of the first well in Pennsylvania through two great world wars to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Storm. The cast extends from wildcatters and rogues to oil tycoons, and from Winston Churchill and Ibn Saud to George Bush and Saddam Hussein. The definitive work on the subject of oil and a major contribution to understanding our century, The Prize is a book of extraordinary breadth, riveting excitement -- and great importance.
Download or read book The Sting of the Wild written by Justin O. Schmidt and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book was released on 2018-02-01 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With colorful descriptions of each venom’s sensation and a story that leaves you tingling with awe, The Sting of the Wild’s one-of-a-kind style will fire your imagination.
Download or read book The History of Radiology written by Adrian M. K. Thomas and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-05-09 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1890, Professor Arthur Willis Goodspeed, a professor of physics at Pennsylvania USA was working with an English born photographer, William N Jennings, when they accidentally produced a Röntgen Ray picture. Unfortunately, the significance of their findings were overlooked, and the formal discovery of X-rays was credited to Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. The discovery has since transformed the practice of medicine, and over the course of the past 130 years, the development of new radiological techniques has continued to grow. The impact has been seen in virtually every hospital in the world, from the routine use of ultrasound for pregnancy scans, through to the diagnosis of complex medical issues such as brain tumours. More subtly, X-rays were also used in the discovery of DNA and in military combat, and their social influence through popular culture can be seen in cartoons, books, movies and art. Written by two radiologists who have a passion for the history of their field, The History of Radiology is a beautifully illustrated review of the remarkable developments within radiology and the scientists and pioneers who were involved. This engaging and authoritative history will appeal to a wide audience including medical students studying for the Diploma in the History of Medicine of the Society of Apothecaries (DHMSA), doctors, medical physicists, medical historians and radiographers.
Download or read book Venom written by Ronald Jenner and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2017-10-17 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Venom brings readers face to face with some of the most dangerous creatures on the planet, including jellyfish, snakes, and wasps, as it uncovers the story of venom. The book explores how venom is used for predation, defense, competition, and communication by an incredible diversity of species. It examines the unique methods that these species have evolved to create and deliver their deadly toxins. The book traces venom back to its origin in early jellyfish and sea anemones, and reveals how venoms have evolved dozens of times independently all across the animal kingdom since that time. And finally, it examines the relationships between these dangerous creatures and humans. Humans have not only learned to live with them, but also to benefit from them: scientists increasingly are harnessing the power of venom to create new drugs, treatments, and anti-venoms.
Download or read book Losing the Nobel Prize A Story of Cosmology Ambition and the Perils of Science s Highest Honor written by Brian Keating and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Riveting."—Science A Forbes, Physics Today, Science News, and Science Friday Best Science Book Of 2018 Cosmologist and inventor of the BICEP (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization) experiment, Brian Keating tells the inside story of the mesmerizing quest to unlock cosmology’s biggest mysteries and the human drama that ensued. We follow along on a personal journey of revelation and discovery in the publish-or-perish world of modern science, and learn that the Nobel Prize might hamper—rather than advance—scientific progress. Fortunately, Keating offers practical solutions for reform, providing a vision of a scientific future in which cosmologists may finally be able to see all the way back to the very beginning.
