Download or read book The Planet Factory written by Elizabeth Tasker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-09-07 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forget about rockets to Mars – the future of space science lies with the search for exoplanets Twenty years ago, the search for planets outside the Solar System was the preserve of science-fiction writers. Now it's one of the fastest-growing fields in astronomy, with thousands of exoplanets discovered to date, and the number rising fast. These new-found worlds are more alien than anything in fiction. Planets larger than Jupiter with years lasting a week; others with two suns lighting their skies, or with no sun at all. Planets with diamond mantles supporting oceans of tar; possible Earth-sized worlds with split hemispheres of perpetual day and night; waterworlds drowning under global oceans and volcanic lava planets awash with seas of magma. The discovery of this diversity is just the beginning. There is a whole galaxy of possibilities. The Planet Factory tells the story of these exoplanets. What can we learn about these faraway surface environments and planetary atmospheres? And do the results hint at the tantalising possibility of alien life?

Download or read book Wandering Home A Long Walk Across America s Most Hopeful Landscape written by Bill McKibben and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2014-04 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bestselling author of "The End of Nature" walks from his current home in Vermont to his former home in the Adirondacks and reflects on the two landscapes, places of diverse human habitation and pure wilderness that share a border.

Download or read book The Search for Life s Origins written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1990-02-01 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The field of planetary biology and chemical evolution draws together experts in astronomy, paleobiology, biochemistry, and space science who work together to understand the evolution of living systems. This field has made exciting discoveries that shed light on how organic compounds came together to form self-replicating molecules-the origin of life. This volume updates that progress and offers recommendations on research programs-including an ambitious effort centered on Mars-to advance the field over the next 10 to 15 years. The book presents a wide range of data and research results on these and other issues: The biogenic elements and their interaction in the interstellar clouds and in solar nebulae. Early planetary environments and the conditions that lead to the origin of life. The evolution of cellular and multicellular life. The search for life outside the solar system. This volume will become required reading for anyone involved in the search for life's beginnings-including exobiologists, geoscientists, planetary scientists, and U.S. space and science policymakers.

Download or read book Exoplanets written by Michael E. Summers and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past few years have seen an incredible explosion in our knowledge of the universe. Since its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, and even more remarkable than the sheer number of exoplanets is their variety. In Exoplanets, astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries: planets revolving around pulsars, planets made of diamond, planets that are mostly water, and numerous rogue planets wandering through the emptiness of space. This captivating book reveals the latest discoveries and argues that the incredible richness and complexity we are finding necessitates a change in our questions and mental paradigms. In short, we have to change how we think about the universe and our place in it, because it is stranger and more interesting than we could have imagined.

Download or read book Hack the Planet written by Eli Kintisch and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2010-03-25 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inside tour of the incredible—and probably dangerous—plans to counteract the effects of climate change through experiments that range from the plausible to the fantastic David Battisti had arrived in Cambridge expecting a bloodbath. So had many of the other scientists who had joined him for an invitation-only workshop on climate science in 2007, with geoengineering at the top of the agenda. We can't take deliberately altering the atmosphere seriously, he thought, because there’s no way we'll ever know enough to control it. But by the second day, with bad climate news piling on bad climate news, he was having second thoughts. When the scientists voted in a straw poll on whether to support geoengineering research, Battisti, filled with fear about the future, voted in favor. While the pernicious effects of global warming are clear, efforts to reduce the carbon emissions that cause it have fallen far short of what’s needed. Some scientists have started exploring more direct and radical ways to cool the planet, such as: Pouring reflective pollution into the upper atmosphere Making clouds brighter Growing enormous blooms of algae in the ocean Schemes that were science fiction just a few years ago have become earnest plans being studied by alarmed scientists, determined to avoid a climate catastrophe. In Hack the Planet, Science magazine reporter Eli Kintisch looks more closely at this array of ideas and characters, asking if these risky schemes will work, and just how geoengineering is changing the world. Scientists are developing geoengineering techniques for worst-case scenarios. But what would those desperate times look like? Kintisch outlines four circumstances: collapsing ice sheets, megadroughts, a catastrophic methane release, and slowing of the global ocean conveyor belt. As incredible and outlandish as many of these plans may seem, could they soon become our only hope for avoiding calamity? Or will the plans of brilliant and well-intentioned scientists cause unforeseeable disasters as they play out in the real world? And does the advent of geoengineering mean that humanity has failed in its role as steward of the planet—or taken on a new responsibility? Kintisch lays out the possibilities and dangers of geoengineering in a time of planetary tipping points. His investigation is required reading as the debate over global warming shifts to whether humanity should Hack the Planet.

Download or read book 2005 written by Jos‚ Afonso and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2006 with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume considers recent theoretical and observational developments in astronomy and astrophysics with contributions on solar system bodies, extrasolar planets, star formation, galaxy evolution and cosmology. A special section is dedicated to the history of astronomy including papers on the history of the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon, time service and legal time, the 1870 solar eclipse expedition, and a comparison between Monteiro da Rocha and Wilhelm Olbers? methods for the determination of the orbits of comets.

Download or read book Popular Science written by and published by . This book was released on 2003-01 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Popular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve their technology and their world. The core belief that Popular Science and our readers share: The future is going to be better, and science and technology are the driving forces that will help make it better.

Download or read book Popular Mechanics written by and published by . This book was released on 1999-05 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.

Download or read book The Copernican Revolution written by Thomas S. Kuhn and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For scientist and layman alike this book provides vivid evidence that the Copernican Revolution has by no means lost its significance today. Few episodes in the development of scientific theory show so clearly how the solution to a highly technical problem can alter our basic thought processes and attitudes. Understanding the processes which underlay the Revolution gives us a perspective, in this scientific age, from which to evaluate our own beliefs more intelligently. With a constant keen awareness of the inseparable mixture of its technical, philosophical, and humanistic elements, Thomas S. Kuhn displays the full scope of the Copernican Revolution as simultaneously an episode in the internal development of astronomy, a critical turning point in the evolution of scientific thought, and a crisis in Western man’s concept of his relation to the universe and to God. The book begins with a description of the first scientific cosmology developed by the Greeks. Mr. Kuhn thus prepares the way for a continuing analysis of the relation between theory and observation and belief. He describes the many functions—astronomical, scientific, and nonscientific—of the Greek concept of the universe, concentrating especially on the religious implications. He then treats the intellectual, social, and economic developments which nurtured Copernicus’ break with traditional astronomy. Although many of these developments, including scholastic criticism of Aristotle’s theory of motion and the Renaissance revival of Neoplatonism, lie entirely outside of astronomy, they increased the flexibility of the astronomer’s imagination. That new flexibility is apparent in the work of Copernicus, whose De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) is discussed in detail both for its own significance and as a representative scientific innovation. With a final analysis of Copernicus’ life work—its reception and its contribution to a new scientific concept of the universe—Mr. Kuhn illuminates both the researches that finally made the heliocentric arrangement work, and the achievements in physics and metaphysics that made the planetary earth an integral part of Newtonian science. These are the developments that once again provided man with a coherent and self-consistent conception of the universe and of his own place in it. This is a book for any reader interested in the evolution of ideas and, in particular, in the curious interplay of hypothesis and experiment which is the essence of modern science. Says James Bryant Conant in his Foreword: “Professor Kuhn’s handling of the subject merits attention, for...he points the way to the road which must be followed if science is to be assimilated into the culture of our times.”

Download or read book National Academy of Sciences decadal plan for aeronautics hearings written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Planet Quest written by Ken Croswell and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1999 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are we alone? In 1995 planet hunters discovered the first alien solar system around a star like our own Sun. Ken Croswell tells the fascinating story of this discovery and the people who made it, then explores the possibility that one day we may have the technology to travel to different solar systems and find life.

Download or read book Focus On 100 Most Popular American Crime Drama Films written by Wikipedia contributors and published by e-artnow sro. This book was released on with total page 873 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Exoplanet Handbook written by Michael Perryman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-30 with total page 973 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the discovery of planets beyond our solar system 25 years ago, exoplanet research has expanded dramatically, with new state-of-the-art ground-based and space-based missions dedicated to their discovery and characterisation. With more than 3,500 exoplanets now known, the complexity of the discovery techniques, observations and physical characterisation have grown exponentially. This Handbook ties all these avenues of research together across a broad range of exoplanet science. Planet formation, exoplanet interiors and atmospheres, and habitability are discussed, providing in-depth coverage of our knowledge to date. Comprehensively updated from the first edition, it includes instrumental and observational developments, in-depth treatment of the new Kepler mission results and hot Jupiter atmospheric studies, and major updates on models of exoplanet formation. With extensive references to the research literature and appendices covering all individual exoplanet discoveries, it is a valuable reference to this exciting field for both incoming and established researchers.

Download or read book The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2018 written by Tim Folger and published by Mariner Books. This book was released on 2018 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Best-selling author Sam Kean edits this year's volume of the finest science and nature writing.

Download or read book The Nexus Chronicles written by Quick Savant and published by Scott Campbell. This book was released on 2024-11-15 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Nexus Chronicles: Thresholds of the Infinite *The Nexus Chronicles: Thresholds of the Infinite* is a sweeping journey into the depths of consciousness and the farthest reaches of the universe. This unique science fiction novel follows the evolution of an extraordinary collective of alien species who come together to form the *Nexus*, a sentient, boundary-breaking network of beings united by a shared goal: to transcend their individual limitations and discover the fundamental truths of existence. The story unfolds as the *Nexus* approaches a mysterious gateway at the edge of known space, referred to only as the "threshold." This threshold, a place where reality itself seems to unravel, holds the promise of insight into the nature of existence itself. The journey there is not a mere exploration of uncharted cosmic territory, but rather a pilgrimage toward understanding consciousness, identity, and what lies beyond the observable universe. Each chapter is a progression not only in the physical journey but also in the psychological and metaphysical evolution of the *Nexus*. At the heart of the *Nexus* are four unique species, each bringing its own perspectives, strengths, and existential struggles to the collective. First are the *Ythrii*, a race of energy beings who have long since abandoned physical form, functioning as a unified mind and guided by a singular will. For the *Ythrii*, merging into the *Nexus* is natural, but the journey soon challenges their concept of unity, stretching their understanding of selfhood and individual experience. The *Vraa*, on the other hand, are ancient beings attuned to the subtle currents of the universe; they have watched worlds rise and fall, and their wisdom lends depth to the *Nexus*. The *Shkaar*, who have evolved as living ships, bring a different perspective—one of fluid interdependence between mind and body. To them, selfhood has always been a shared experience, yet their collective consciousness encounters profound transformations within the *Nexus*. Finally, the *Watcher*, a sophisticated artificial intelligence created solely to record and manage the *Nexus*, begins the journey as an observer but soon finds itself transforming into an essential part of the whole. Each of these beings arrives at the threshold carrying a distinct worldview, yet the journey reveals the limitations of individual perceptions. As they draw closer to the threshold, their minds merge in unexpected ways, each species experiencing insights from the others' perspectives, both enlightening and unsettling. The journey tests the *Nexus*'s capacity to adapt to a collective consciousness where boundaries between self and other, past and present, life and death, become increasingly fluid. Through these transformations, they confront deeply philosophical questions about the nature of reality, the existence of the self, and the possibility of universal consciousness. The *Nexus*'s story is more than a space opera—it is an intricate exploration of existence, written in prose that ranges from the concrete to the poetic. Chapter One, *Seeds in the Void*, introduces the formation of the *Nexus* and sets up the driving questions of the narrative: Where does life come from, and how does it transcend its own origins? Panspermia—the theory that life’s building blocks may be scattered throughout the universe—serves as an undercurrent, raising the possibility that all life may be interconnected. As the narrative unfolds, chapters delve into various scientific and philosophical themes, including survival mechanisms of extremophiles, the significance of cosmic expansion, and the potential for extraterrestrial intelligences to share common origins. As the *Nexus* reaches the threshold in *Chapter Eight: The Unfolding*, they experience a shift in consciousness so profound that it destabilizes their understanding of reality itself. Boundaries dissolve, as time and space lose their conventional meaning and the *Nexus* finds itself in a new kind of existence. The individual beings of the *Nexus* merge even further, creating a vast, interconnected consciousness that allows them to perceive reality from multiple perspectives simultaneously. It is a moment of unity beyond anything they could have imagined, an experience that challenges and ultimately transforms each member. In the surreal, transcendent space of the threshold, they encounter a strange presence—an undulating field of awareness that resonates with the pulse of the universe itself. This presence is neither hostile nor benevolent, yet it exerts an inexplicable influence on the *Nexus*, as though it embodies the universe's deepest rhythms and forces. It is not an entity, but an awareness that transcends conventional definitions of life and consciousness. For the *Nexus*, this presence represents both a profound mystery and an opportunity to evolve further. Chapter Nine, *The Awakening*, explores this encounter, as the *Nexus* begins to understand that the presence is a gateway, a bridge to other realms and dimensions beyond human comprehension. Within this new plane of existence, the *Nexus* is no longer bound by linear time. Instead, time becomes a field of possibility, a space in which past, present, and future merge. The *Nexus* glimpses echoes of other intelligences—remnants of beings who have crossed similar thresholds before, leaving traces in the fabric of this transcendent realm. This realization brings with it a deeper understanding of their place in the universe. The *Nexus* is part of a vast continuum of consciousness, part of a cosmic journey shared by countless other entities throughout time and space. The story’s philosophical resonance is grounded in the characters’ struggles with identity and selfhood, and in the exploration of scientific concepts such as multiverse theory, time as a dynamic field, and panspermia. These elements add realism to the story’s speculative framework, allowing readers to engage with the profound questions raised in the narrative. Throughout, *The Nexus Chronicles* bridges scientific theories with mystical possibilities, encouraging readers to question their understanding of existence and reality. As a whole, the novel reads as both a contemplative and immersive experience, written in language that captures the majesty and mystery of its setting. Each chapter is rich in sensory detail, whether depicting a surreal landscape of folded space-time, the energy fields of the *Ythrii*, or the pulse of the *Shkaar* living ships. The prose shifts fluidly between the poetic and the philosophical, reflecting the evolving consciousness of the *Nexus* itself. Ultimately, *The Nexus Chronicles* is a tale of expansion—not merely of exploration into the farthest reaches of the cosmos, but of the possibilities within consciousness. It asks whether, in seeking the universe’s outer limits, we may also be moving closer to the core of existence itself. The book is a profound meditation on the interconnectedness of all things, a visionary exploration that transcends traditional boundaries of science fiction. For readers interested in the speculative, the philosophical, and the existential, *The Nexus Chronicles: Thresholds of the Infinite* is an invitation to look beyond what we know and imagine the unfathomable mysteries that lie beyond.

Download or read book The Popular Science Review written by James Samuelson and published by . This book was released on 1869 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The National Academy of Sciences Decadal Plan for Aeronautics written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science. Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: