Books
Bellwether by
Connie Willis has won more Hugo and Nebula awards than any other science fiction author. Now, with her trademark wit and inventiveness, she explores the intimate relationship between science, pop culture, and the arcane secrets of the heart. Sandra Foster studies fads--from Barbie dolls to the grunge look--how they start and what they mean. Bennett O'Reilly is a chaos theorist studying monkey group behavior. They both work for the HiTek corporation, strangers until a misdelivered package brings them together. It's a moment of synchronicity--if not serendipity--which leads them into a chaotic system of their own, complete with a million-dollar research grant, caffé latte, tattoos, and a series of unlucky coincidences that leaves Bennett monkeyless, fundless, and nearly jobless. Sandra intercedes with a flock of sheep and an idea for a joint project. (After all, what better animal to study both chaos theory and the herd mentality that so often characterizes human behavior?) But scientific discovery is rarely straightforward and never simple, and Sandra and Bennett have to endure a series of setbacks, heartbreaks, dead ends, and disasters before they find their ultimate answer. . . . Praise for Bellwether "One of science fiction's best writers."--The Denver Post "Connie Willis deploys the apparatus of science fiction to illuminate character and relationships, and her writing is fresh, subtle, and deeply moving."--The New York Times Book Review "Keen social satire touched with genuine humanity . . . Connie Willis's fiction is one of the most intelligent delights of our genre."--Locus "A sheer pleasure to read . . . Sprightly, intelligent fun."--Publishers Weekly
ISBN: 9780553562965Publication Date: 1997-06-02
Ethics and Integrity in Health and Life Sciences Research by
Life and health sciences and biomedical studies havedeveloped rapidly over the last few decades raising previously unanticipatedethical concerns and questions. New and emerging technologies require novelapproaches, protocols and raised awareness to ensure adequate levels ofbiosecurity and biosafety as well as the implementation of special measures toprevent their potential misuse or dual use. This volume brings together an international collection ofprominent ethics experts in health and life sciences, with the aim of providingclear and comprehensive guidelines for the establishment of efficient ethicalstrategies related to current and emerging biotechnologies and health research. Important current topics in research ethics includingCRISPR-Cas9 technologies, gene editing, 'big data' in healthcare and lifesciences, nutrition in medicine among other topics have found their place inthis volume. In addition, the volume discusses the prospects for theimplementation of an international unification of ethical standards in lifesciences.
ISBN: 9781787435728Publication Date: 2018-12-06
The Ministry for the Future by
From legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a remarkable vision of climate change over the coming decades. The Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. Its setting is not a desolate, postapocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us--and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face. It is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, and it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written. One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2020 "If I could get policymakers, and citizens, everywhere to read just one book this year, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future." --Ezra Klein "The best science fiction-nonfiction novel I've ever read." --Jonathan Lethem, Vanity Fair "A breathtaking look at the challenges that face our planet in all their sprawling magnitude and also in their intimate, individual moments of humanity." --Booklist (starred) "A sweeping, optimistic portrait of humanity's ability to cooperate in the face of disaster. This heartfelt work of hard science-fiction is a must-read for anyone worried about the future of the planet." --Publishers Weekly (starred) "The Ministry for the Future ranks among Robinson's best recent works, a collection of actions and observations that adds up to more than the sum of its eclectic and urgent parts." --Sierra Also by Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Moon New York 2140 2312 Aurora Shaman
Call Number: PS3568.O2893 M56 2020ISBN: 9780316300131Publication Date: 2020-10-06
Science and Moral Imagination by
The idea that science is or should be value-free, and that values are or should be formed independently of science, has been under fire by philosophers of science for decades. Science and Moral Imagination directly challenges the idea that science and values cannot and should not influence each other. Matthew J. Brown argues that science and values mutually influence and implicate one another, that the influence of values on science is pervasive and must be responsibly managed, and that science can and should have an influence on our values. This interplay, he explains, must be guided by accounts of scientific inquiry and value judgment that are sensitive to the complexities of their interactions. Brown presents scientific inquiry and value judgment as types of problem-solving practices and provides a new framework for thinking about how we might ethically evaluate episodes and decisions in science, while offering guidance for scientific practitioners and institutions about how they can incorporate value judgments into their work. His framework, dubbed "the ideal of moral imagination," emphasizes the role of imagination in value judgment and the positive role that value judgment plays in science.
ISBN: 0822946262Publication Date: 2020-11-17
What Science Is and How It Really Works by
Scientific advances have transformed the world. However, science can sometimes get things wrong, and at times, disastrously so. Understanding the basis for scientific claims and judging how much confidence we should place in them is essential for individual choice, societal debates, and development of public policy and laws. We must ask: what is the basis of scientific claims? How much confidence should we put in them? What is defined as science and what is not? This book synthesizes a working definition of science and its properties, as explained through the eyes of a practicing scientist, by integrating advances from philosophy, psychology, history, sociology, and anthropology into a holistic view. Crucial in our political climate, the book fights the myths of science often portrayed to the public. Written for a general audience, it also enables students to better grasp methodologies and helps professional scientists to articulate what they do and why.
Call Number: Q175.32.R45 Z56 2019ISBN: 9781108476850Publication Date: 2019-07-18
Why Trust Science? by
Why the social character of scientific knowledge makes it trustworthy Do doctors really know what they are talking about when they tell us vaccines are safe? Should we take climate experts at their word when they warn us about the perils of global warming? Why should we trust science when our own politicians don't? In this landmark book, Naomi Oreskes offers a bold and compelling defense of science, revealing why the social character of scientific knowledge is its greatest strength--and the greatest reason we can trust it. Tracing the history and philosophy of science from the late nineteenth century to today, Oreskes explains that, contrary to popular belief, there is no single scientific method. Rather, the trustworthiness of scientific claims derives from the social process by which they are rigorously vetted. This process is not perfect--nothing ever is when humans are involved--but she draws vital lessons from cases where scientists got it wrong. Oreskes shows how consensus is a crucial indicator of when a scientific matter has been settled, and when the knowledge produced is likely to be trustworthy. Based on the Tanner Lectures on Human Values at Princeton University, this timely and provocative book features critical responses by climate experts Ottmar Edenhofer and Martin Kowarsch, political scientist Jon Krosnick, philosopher of science Marc Lange, and science historian Susan Lindee, as well as a foreword by political theorist Stephen Macedo.
Call Number: Q175.5 .O75 2019ISBN: 9780691179001Publication Date: 2019-10-22
Databases
- BioCyc (SRI) This link opens in a new windowBioCyc is a collection of 7613 Pathway/Genome Databases (PGDBs), plus software tools for understanding their data. Tier 1 databases have received at least one person-year of literature-based curation, and are the most accurate. EcoCyc and MetaCyc have each received more than 20 person-years of curation.
Tier 2 and Tier 3 databases contain computationally predicted metabolic pathways, predictions as to which genes code for missing enzymes in metabolic pathways, and predicted operons.-From Publisher - Environmental Studies (Gale) This link opens in a new windowEnvironmental case studies, scholarly articles, images and more. Complete, colorful and well laid out. Sound source for speech, presentations and research papers on the environment.
- Science in Context This link opens in a new windowAuthoritative reference information on hundreds of significant science topics.
- Science Online This link opens in a new windowPresents a broad range of scientific disciplines through extensive definitions, essays, diagrams, biographies, and experiments.
- Today's Science (Infobase) This link opens in a new windowIn-depth explanations of important advances in biology, chemistry, the environment, space, physics, and technology. Contains articles that help place news and discoveries in context, and interviews with scientists that bring the research to life.
Videos
News
- ScienceScience has been at the center of important scientific discovery since its founding in 1880—with seed money from Thomas Edison. Today, Science continues to publish the very best in research across the sciences, with articles that consistently rank among the most cited in the world.
- Science DailyScienceDaily features breaking news about the latest discoveries in science, health, the environment, technology, and more -- from leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.
- Science NewsScience News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. Today, our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them.
- Scientific AmericanScientific American covers the advances in research and discovery that are changing our understanding of the world and shaping our lives. Founded 1845, it is the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States and now reaches more than 10 million people around the world each month through its website, print and digital editions, newsletters and app. Authoritative, engaging features, news, opinion and multimedia stories from journalists and expert authors—including more than 200 Nobel Prize winners—provide need-to-know coverage, insights and illumination of the most important developments at the intersection of science and society.