Download or read book Thumbs Toes and Tears written by Chip Walter and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fascinating evolutionary links between six seemingly unremarkable traits that make us the very remarkable creatures we are. Countless behaviors separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom, but all of them can be traced one way or another to six traits that are unique to the human race-our big toe, our opposable thumb, our oddly shaped pharynx, and our ability to laugh, kiss, and cry. At first glance these may not seem to be connected but they are. Each marks a fork in the evolutionary road where we went one way and the rest of the animal kingdom went another. Each opens small passageways on the peculiar geography of the human heart and mind. Walter weaves together fascinating insights from complexity theory, the latest brain scanning techniques, anthropology, artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and robotics to explore how the smallest of changes over the past six million years - all shaped by the forces of evolution -- have enabled a primate once on the brink of extinction to evolve into a creature that would one day create all of the grand and exuberant edifices of human culture. As the story of each trait unfolds, Walter explains why our brains grew so large and complex, why we find one another sexually attractive, how toolmaking laid the mental groundwork for language, why we care about what others think, and how we became the creature that laughs and cries and falls in love. Thumbs, Toes and Tears is original, informative, and delightfully thought-provoking.
Download or read book Last Ape Standing written by Chip Walter and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2013-01-29 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past 150 years scientists have discovered evidence that at least twenty-seven species of humans evolved on planet Earth. These weren't simply variations on apes, but upright-walking humans who lived side by side, competing, cooperating, sometimes even mating with our direct ancestors. Why did the line of ancient humans who eventually evolved into us survive when the others were shown the evolutionary door? Chip Walter draws on new scientific discoveries to tell the fascinating tale of how our survival was linked to our ancestors being born more prematurely than others, having uniquely long and rich childhoods, evolving a new kind of mind that made us resourceful and emotionally complex; how our highly social nature increased our odds of survival; and why we became self aware in ways that no other animal seems to be. Last Ape Standing also profiles the mysterious "others" who evolved with us-the Neanderthals of Europe, the "Hobbits" of Indonesia, the Denisovans of Siberia and the just-discovered Red Deer Cave people of China who died off a mere eleven thousand years ago. Last Ape Standing is evocative science writing at its best-a witty, engaging and accessible story that explores the evolutionary events that molded us into the remarkably unique creatures we are; an investigation of why we do, feel, and think the things we do as a species, and as people-good and bad, ingenious and cunning, heroic and conflicted.
Download or read book Last Ape Standing written by Chip Walter and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2013-01-29 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seeks to explain why homo sapiens survived while other hominids did not, drawing on recent scientific discoveries and examining the survival value of such factors as premature births, long childhoods, and an extremely social nature.
Download or read book Why Only Humans Weep written by Ad Vingerhoets and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-02-28 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crying has fascinated mankind for millenia. Since ancient times, we have known that our ability to produce emotional tears is unique human characteristic. This book is one of the first to explore this complex phenomenon. Written by a leading authority in the field, it will contribute significantly to a scientific understanding of this topic.
Download or read book Immortality Inc written by Chip Walter and published by Disney Electronic Content. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This gripping narrative explores today's scientific pursuit of immortality, with exclusive visits inside Silicon Valley labs and interviews with the visionaries who believe we will soon crack into the aging process and cure death. We live in an age when billionaires are betting their fortunes on laboratory advances to prove aging unnecessary and death a disease that can be cured. Researchers are delving into the mysteries of stem cells and the human genome, discovering what it means to grow old and how to keep those processes from happening. This isn't science fiction; it's real, it's serious, and it's on track to revolutionize our definitions of life and mortality. In Immortality, Inc., veteran science journalist Chip Walter gains exclusive access to the champions of this radical cause, delivering a book that brings together for the first time the visions of molecular biologist and Apple chairman Arthur Levinson, genomics entrepreneur Craig Venter, futurist Ray Kurzweil, rejuvenation trailblazer Aubrey de Grey, and stem cell expert Robert Hariri. Along the way, Walter weaves in fascinating conversations about life, death, aging, and the future of the human race.
Download or read book The Science of Facial Expression written by José-Miguel Fernández-Dols and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-14 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The importance of facial expressions has led to a steadily growing body of empirical findings and theoretical analyses. Every decade has seen work that extends or challenges previous thinking on facial expression. The Science of Facial Expression provides an updated review of the current psychology of facial expression . This book summarizes current conclusions and conceptual frameworks from leading figures who have shaped the field in their various subfields, and will therefore be of interest to practitioners, students, and researchers of emotion in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biology, anthropology, linguistics, affective computing, and homeland security. Organized in eleven thematic sections, The Science of Facial Expression offers a broad perspective of the "geography" of the science of facial expression. It reviews the scientific history of emotion perception and the evolutionary origins and functions of facial expression. It includes an updated compilation on the great debate around Basic Emotion Theory versus Behavioral Ecology and Psychological constructionism. The developmental psychology and social psychology of facial expressions is explored in the role of facial expressions in child development, social interactions, and culture. The book also covers appraisal theory, concepts, neural and behavioral processes, and lesser-known facial behaviors such as yawing, vocal crying, and vomiting. In addition, the book reflects that research on the "expression of emotion" is moving towards a significance of context in the production and interpretation of facial expression The authors expose various fundamental questions and controversies yet to be resolved, but in doing so, open many sources of inspiration to pursue in the scientific study of facial expression.
Download or read book Human written by Michael S. Gazzaniga and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[A] shimmering new book . . . This is the place to look to learn about our best scientific understanding of what it means to be human.” —Steven Pinker, New York Times bestselling author of The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works “A cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara (and one of the inventors of the field), takes us on a lively tour through the latest research on brain evolution.” —The New York Times Book Review What happened along the evolutionary trail that made humans so unique? In his accessible style, Michael Gazzaniga pinpoints the change that made us thinking, sentient humans different from our predecessors. He explores what makes human brains special, the importance of language and art in defining the human condition, the nature of human consciousness, and even artificial intelligence. “As wide-ranging as it is deep, and as entertaining as it is informative . . . will please a diverse array of readers.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “A rich testimony to the incredible accomplishments of the human brain in coming to understand itself.” —New York Sun “Truly engaging.” —CNBC.com “A savvy, witty guide to neuroscience today.” —Kirkus Reviews “Brilliantly written and utterly fascinating.” —Robert Bazell, Chief Science Correspondent, NBC News “Sweeping, erudite and humorous . . . If you are looking for one book that gives you a Cook’s Tour of the human brain, where it came from and where it is heading, this would be an excellent choice.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Download or read book Immortality Inc written by Chip Walter and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Veteran journalist Chip Walter takes us deep inside Silicon Valley's boardrooms and the world's most advanced biomedical labs to reveal the incredible new science of extending human lifespan. Here are the bold business moves funded by Google and made by Apple chairman and Calico CEO Arthur Levinson; the pioneering stem cell techniques developed by scientist Robert Hariri; the transformative enterprises established by genomics genius Craig Venter; and the mind-bending future envisioned by thought leader Ray Kurzweil--all pointing toward a time not too long from now when we will live without disease or diminished faculties far beyond the age of 100. It's an audacious cast of characters, and through their stories you will come to understand how groundbreaking discoveries in gene therapy, molecular biology, and artificial intelligence are cracking the aging process--and could even lead to immortality. As Walter reveals, the quest to cheat death isn't science fiction anymore. It's real, it's serious, and it will change absolutely everything--including our definition of what it means to be alive."--Dust jacket.
Download or read book Advances and Obstacles in Contemporary Nonverbal Communication Research written by Miles L. Patterson and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2022-01-24 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book 20 20 Money written by Michael Hanson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 20/20 Money: See the Markets Clearly and Invest Better Than the Pros To be a more successful investor, you need to see the investment landscape more clearly. 20/20 Money—from Fisher Investments Press—can help you achieve this goal. Designed to help you think differently about your investing choices, this reliable resource addresses new ideas and challenges widely held conventions. With 20/20 Money as your guide, you'll quickly learn how gaining a firm understanding of various concepts—from stock market and systems theory to neuroscience and psychology—can help you begin making better investment decisions. Along the way, you'll also discover some of the most successful strategies for thinking and learning, and how they can be applied to your investing endeavors. To become a better investor, you have to have the discipline to make tough choices—choices that may not always be in line with tradition or commonly accepted invested wisdom. But the approach outlined throughout these pages can help you gain the vision to begin making better-informed investment decisions.
Download or read book Why We Dance written by Kimerer L. LaMothe and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2015-04-07 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Within intellectual paradigms that privilege mind over matter, dance has long appeared as a marginal, derivative, or primitive art. Drawing support from theorists and artists who embrace matter as dynamic and agential, this book offers a visionary definition of dance that illuminates its constitutive work in the ongoing evolution of human persons. Why We Dance introduces a philosophy of bodily becoming that posits bodily movement as the source and telos of human life. Within this philosophy, dance appears as an activity that humans evolved to do as the enabling condition of their best bodily becoming. Weaving theoretical reflection with accounts of lived experience, this book positions dance as a catalyst in the development of human consciousness, compassion, ritual proclivity, and ecological adaptability. Aligning with trends in new materialism, affect theory, and feminist philosophy, as well as advances in dance and religious studies, this work reveals the vital role dance can play in reversing the trajectory of ecological self-destruction along which human civilization is racing.
Download or read book Quirks of Human Anatomy written by Lewis I. Held, Jr and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-05-29 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the emergence of the new field of evolutionary developmental biology we are witnessing a renaissance of Darwin's insights 150 years after his On the Origin of Species. Thus far, the exciting findings from 'evo-devo' have only been trickling into college courses and into the domain of non-specialists. With its focus on the human organism, Quirks of Human Anatomy opens the floodgates by stating the arguments of evo-devo in plain English, and by offering a cornucopia of interesting case studies and examples. Its didactic value is enhanced by 24 schematic diagrams that integrate a host of disparate observations, by its Socratic question-and-answer format, and by its unprecedented compilation of the literature. By framing the 'hows' of development in terms of the 'whys' of evolution, it lets readers probe the deepest questions of biology. Readers will find the book educational and enjoyable, as it revels in the fun of scientific exploration.
Download or read book Inside Out Back Again written by Thanhha Lai and published by Univ. of Queensland Press. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moving to America turns H&à's life inside out. For all the 10 years of her life, H&à has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by, and the beauty of her very own papaya tree. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. H&à and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, H&à discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape, and the strength of her very own family. This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.
Download or read book Sacred Bovines written by Douglas Allchin and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-06-16 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some assumptions about biology are so deeply rooted in our thinking that they seem beyond question. These concepts - expressed in playful jargon - are our sacred bovines. With a light-hearted spirit, Douglas Allchin sets out to challenge many of these common beliefs about science and life. Allchin draws on fascinating insights from science to illustrate the ironies in many widespread beliefs. Be prepared to challenge the notion that male and female are fixed natural categories. Or that evolution implies cutthroat competition in human society. Or that we struggle against a fundamental immoral nature. Or that genes establish our identity. Or that science progresses through rare leaps of genius. Or that politics and emotions inevitably taint good science. Sacred Bovines revels in revelations about the nature of science. Reflecting on the many errors in commonly accepted, everyday ideas also fosters creative thinking. How do we challenge assumptions? How do we "think outside the box"? The many examples here provide inspiration and guidance, further elaborated in a retrospective epilogue. An additional "Afterword for Teachers" highlights how the essays can foster learning about the nature of science and describes some practical classroom strategies.
Download or read book Scientific American Reader to Accompany Schacter Gilbert Wegner written by Daniel L. Schacter and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2008-07 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The result of an exclusive partnership with Scientific American, the articles in this collection were personally selected from the pages of world's foremost scientific magazine by the authors Dan Schacter, Dan Gilbert, and Dan Wegner.
Download or read book Human Evolution and Male Aggression written by and published by Cambria Press. This book was released on with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Carbon Age written by Eric Roston and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-08-09 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do bubbles in a soft drink, a bullet-proof vest, a plastic chair, and our DNA have in common? Carbon. It is, and forever has been, the ubiquitous architect of life and civilization, forming the chemical backbone of every living creature. And yet, when we hear the word today, it is more often than not in a crisis situation: carbon dioxide emissions are destroying the ozone layer and warming the planet; the volatile Middle East explodes atop its stores of hydrocarbons; carbohydrates threaten obesity and diabetics. Carbon, thus, sustains us and threatens us in equal measure, Eric Roston illuminates this essential element in all its forms, cleverly recreating the intricate carbon cycle on the page by tracing its journey from the Big Bang to Earth and its extraordinary infiltration of this planet and, in time, influence on humankind and civilization. Evoking its ubiquity-more than 99% of all 31 million known substances contain carbon-Roston chronicles the ways we have used it, often to surprising, and sometimes to catastrophic, effect: having sped up the carbon cycle in the last two centuries, we are now attempting to wrestle Earth's geochemical cycle back from the brink. Blending the latest science with original reporting, Roston makes us aware, as never before, of the seminal impact carbon has, and has had, on our lives.
