Dr Karl's Short Back & Science


Book Description

Lean back and settle in for cutting-edge scientific snippets from the trend-setting Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. In Short Back & Science, Dr Karl combs through some of the greatest scientific conundrums of our age, such as what is killing half the bacteria on Earth every two days and why don't mole rats get cancer? Why would anyone pay $40 million for a cup of tea, and how did a toilet seat help to end the First World War? Are bananas really slippery, radioactive and loaded with potassium? What do clouds weigh? And why are there scientists running around naked in the Antarctic? Brushing aside any hype about coconuts and antioxidants, there is no one better to trim down to the facts than Australia's most trusted scientist, Dr Karl. This is a specially formatted fixed layout ebook that retains the look and feel of the print book.




Dr Karl's Little Book of Climate Change Science


Book Description

Australia's favourite science guru explains the facts about climate change -- and how we can fix it How do Greenhouse Gas molecules shimmy and shake to trap 400,000 Hiroshima atom bombs' worth of the Sun's heat each day? Who did the early research into Climate Change and then spent billions trying to cover it up? What's the Hockey Stick Graph and why is it so important? How did Climate Change tip the Earth off its axis? Why was Sydney the hottest place on Earth on 4 January 2020? How can we move to zero and even negative emissions? How can kelp help? When it comes to long-haul transport, why is hydrogen the way to go? And much more! Now, in this never dull, easy-to-understand guide Dr Karl explains the science of climate change and how we can fix it. (We can!)




Conjectures and Refutations


Book Description

Conjectures and Refutations is one of Karl Popper's most wide-ranging and popular works, notable not only for its acute insight into the way scientific knowledge grows, but also for applying those insights to politics and to history. It provides one of the clearest and most accessible statements of the fundamental idea that guided his work: not only our knowledge, but our aims and our standards, grow through an unending process of trial and error.




Vital Science


Book Description

Get your pulse racing with Australia's most popular scientist, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Discover why people tell lies, why some planets are hotter than stars and how humans are terraforming the Earth. Is cockroach milk really the next Superfood? Why are birds so smart? Why do trees need each other to grow and how do they communicate? Why did a group of scientists voluntarily starve to death while surrounded by tonnes of food? How long does a decapitated head stay "alive"? What human artefacts can be seen with the naked eye from the International Space Station? Who is Bertha Benz and how did her first car trip revolutionise how we use petrol today? Finally, monitor your breathing and learn why whales are so big, why oral histories are surprisingly accurate and try the five tried-and-tested steps to becoming a wellness guru.




Feedback Systems


Book Description

The essential introduction to the principles and applications of feedback systems—now fully revised and expanded This textbook covers the mathematics needed to model, analyze, and design feedback systems. Now more user-friendly than ever, this revised and expanded edition of Feedback Systems is a one-volume resource for students and researchers in mathematics and engineering. It has applications across a range of disciplines that utilize feedback in physical, biological, information, and economic systems. Karl Åström and Richard Murray use techniques from physics, computer science, and operations research to introduce control-oriented modeling. They begin with state space tools for analysis and design, including stability of solutions, Lyapunov functions, reachability, state feedback observability, and estimators. The matrix exponential plays a central role in the analysis of linear control systems, allowing a concise development of many of the key concepts for this class of models. Åström and Murray then develop and explain tools in the frequency domain, including transfer functions, Nyquist analysis, PID control, frequency domain design, and robustness. Features a new chapter on design principles and tools, illustrating the types of problems that can be solved using feedback Includes a new chapter on fundamental limits and new material on the Routh-Hurwitz criterion and root locus plots Provides exercises at the end of every chapter Comes with an electronic solutions manual An ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate students Indispensable for researchers seeking a self-contained resource on control theory




Science is Golden


Book Description

Gold, gold, gold for Australia's mega-selling scientist's 27th book... 'Nullius in verba', the Royal Society's motto, roughly translated, means 'take nobody's word for it'. Why not do the experiment for yourself and see the reality of nature. Don't trust authority - trust nature.Does cranberry juice cure urinary tract infections? Is the hookah really a safer way to smoke? Will the Large Hadron Collider destroy the Earth and the Universe? Is the purpose of the peacock's tail to attract females? And in the unlikely event of a plane crash, are some seats safer than others?the human hand has 27 bones; Uranus has 27 moons; 27 is a perfect cube, being 3 x 3 x 3; and in this, Dr Karl's 27th book, he takes us on another exploration of the dazzling world of science.




Great Moments in Science


Book Description




Dr. Rip's Essential Beach Book


Book Description

How do waves break, and what makes good surf? What are dangerous rip currents, and how do you spot one? What should you do if you get caught in one? Australia’s best-known surf scientist, Rob “Dr. Rip” Brander, takes readers on a fascinating and entertaining journey to uncover how beaches form and behave, the science of waves and currents, and how beaches respond to storms and climate change. He explains where the sand we lay our towels on came from, how the tides that wash up new treasures each day work, why no two beaches are exactly the same, and why some of them are disappearing. He also explores some of the hazards to watch out for, from rip currents to tsunamis to the (unlikely) event you find yourself swimming with a shark. Whether you’re a surfer looking for the perfect wave or you just enjoy hitting the beach with friends and family, this book is a must-read for all ocean lovers.




Dr Karl's Little Book of Trivia 101


Book Description

Why do stars seem to twinkle? Where do all the teaspoons go? Why is the Giant Panda so paradoxical? Why does dark matter matter? The world around (and inside) us is completely astonishing. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, the most esteemed science communicator in Australia, has chosen 101 fascinating facts from his bestselling books to delight and intrigue you. Taking a microscope to everyday science he gives us insights into the surprising origins of the "selfie", the rise and rise of 3D printing, how a nit is hatched by massive amounts of farting, why humans are basically fat doughnuts, and how you can stop milk from spoiling by dropping a Russian brown frog into it. These are things you need to know. These are things you don't even know you need to know. A riveting ride through the extraordinary world of science.




Projections


Book Description

A groundbreaking tour of the human mind that illuminates the biological nature of our inner worlds and emotions, through gripping, moving—and, at times, harrowing—clinical stories “[A] scintillating and moving analysis of the human brain and emotions.”—Nature “Beautifully connects the inner feelings within all human beings to deep insights from modern psychiatry and neuroscience.”—Robert Lefkowitz, Nobel Laureate Karl Deisseroth has spent his life pursuing truths about the human mind, both as a renowned clinical psychiatrist and as a researcher creating and developing the revolutionary field of optogenetics, which uses light to help decipher the brain’s workings. In Projections, he combines his knowledge of the brain’s inner circuitry with a deep empathy for his patients to examine what mental illness reveals about the human mind and the origin of human feelings—how the broken can illuminate the unbroken. Through cutting-edge research and gripping case studies from Deisseroth’s own patients, Projections tells a larger story about the material origins of human emotion, bridging the gap between the ancient circuits of our brain and the poignant moments of suffering in our daily lives. The stories of Deisseroth’s patients are rich with humanity and shine an unprecedented light on the self—and the ways in which it can break down. A young woman with an eating disorder reveals how the mind can rebel against the brain’s most primitive drives of hunger and thirst; an older man, smothered into silence by depression and dementia, shows how humans evolved to feel not only joy but also its absence; and a lonely Uighur woman far from her homeland teaches both the importance—and challenges—of deep social bonds. Illuminating, literary, and essential, Projections is a revelatory, immensely powerful work. It transforms our understanding not only of the brain but of ourselves as social beings—giving vivid illustrations through science and resonant human stories of our yearning for connection and meaning.