Field Notes on Science and Nature

Field Notes on Science and Nature PDF Author: Michael R. Canfield
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674072065
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
Once in a great while, as the New York Times noted recently, a naturalist writes a book that changes the way people look at the living world. John James Audubon’s Birds of America, published in 1838, was one. Roger Tory Peterson’s 1934 Field Guide to the Birds was another. How does such insight into nature develop? Pioneering a new niche in the study of plants and animals in their native habitat, Field Notes on Science and Nature allows readers to peer over the shoulders and into the notebooks of a dozen eminent field workers, to study firsthand their observational methods, materials, and fleeting impressions. What did George Schaller note when studying the lions of the Serengeti? What lists did Kenn Kaufman keep during his 1973 “big year”? How does Piotr Naskrecki use relational databases and electronic field notes? In what way is Bernd Heinrich’s approach “truly Thoreauvian,” in E. O. Wilson’s view? Recording observations in the field is an indispensable scientific skill, but researchers are not generally willing to share their personal records with others. Here, for the first time, are reproductions of actual pages from notebooks. And in essays abounding with fascinating anecdotes, the authors reflect on the contexts in which the notes were taken. Covering disciplines as diverse as ornithology, entomology, ecology, paleontology, anthropology, botany, and animal behavior, Field Notes offers specific examples that professional naturalists can emulate to fine-tune their own field methods, along with practical advice that amateur naturalists and students can use to document their adventures.

Field Notes on Science and Nature

Field Notes on Science and Nature PDF Author: Michael R. Canfield
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674072065
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 315

Get Book Here

Book Description
Once in a great while, as the New York Times noted recently, a naturalist writes a book that changes the way people look at the living world. John James Audubon’s Birds of America, published in 1838, was one. Roger Tory Peterson’s 1934 Field Guide to the Birds was another. How does such insight into nature develop? Pioneering a new niche in the study of plants and animals in their native habitat, Field Notes on Science and Nature allows readers to peer over the shoulders and into the notebooks of a dozen eminent field workers, to study firsthand their observational methods, materials, and fleeting impressions. What did George Schaller note when studying the lions of the Serengeti? What lists did Kenn Kaufman keep during his 1973 “big year”? How does Piotr Naskrecki use relational databases and electronic field notes? In what way is Bernd Heinrich’s approach “truly Thoreauvian,” in E. O. Wilson’s view? Recording observations in the field is an indispensable scientific skill, but researchers are not generally willing to share their personal records with others. Here, for the first time, are reproductions of actual pages from notebooks. And in essays abounding with fascinating anecdotes, the authors reflect on the contexts in which the notes were taken. Covering disciplines as diverse as ornithology, entomology, ecology, paleontology, anthropology, botany, and animal behavior, Field Notes offers specific examples that professional naturalists can emulate to fine-tune their own field methods, along with practical advice that amateur naturalists and students can use to document their adventures.

Universal Foam

Universal Foam PDF Author: Sidney Perkowitz
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 9780385720700
Category : Colloids
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Physicist Sidney Perkowitz, whom the Washington Post calls "a gloriously lucid science writer," exposes the full dimensions of foam in our lives, from cappuccino to the cosmos. Foam affects the taste of beer, makes shaving easier, insulates take-out coffee cups and NASA space shuttles, controls bleeding in trauma victims, aids in drilling for oil, and captures dust particles from comets. The foam of ocean whitecaps affects Earth's climate, and astronomers believe the billions of galaxies that make up the universe rest on surfaces of immense bubbles within a gargantuan foam. From the cultural uses of foam to the cutting edge of foam research in cosmology and quantum mechanics, Perkowitz's investigations will delight readers of Henry Petroski, James Gleick and Michio Kaku.

Natural Connections

Natural Connections PDF Author: Emily Stone
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780997206128
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
Come explore all four wonderful seasons in the Northwoods with a knowledgeable guide. At the heart of this book is Emily's passion for sharing her discoveries with both kids and adults. Join her on a hike, paddle, or ski, and you'll soon be captivated by her animated style and knack for turning any old thing into a shining bit of stardust. In stories about the smell of rain, cheating ants, photosynthesizing salamanders, and more, she delves deeply into the surprising science behind our Northwoods neighbors, and then emerges with a more complex understanding of their beauty. Themes like adaptations, symbiotic relationships, the cycles of nature, and the fluidness of life and death float through every chapter. While this book contains many of your familiar friends, through Emily's research and unique perspective, you will discover something new on every page and around every bend in the trail.

Exploring Nature

Exploring Nature PDF Author: Gaud Morel
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780886829469
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
Describes the many ways in which humans use nature and how animals and plants exist in the wild.

Science and Nature

Science and Nature PDF Author: Carolyn Merchant
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351620665
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 474

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Book Description
Science and Nature brings together the work and insights of historian Carolyn Merchant on the history of science, environmental history, and ethics. The book explores her ideas about the interconnections among science, women, nature, and history as they have emerged over her academic lifetime. Focusing on topics such as "The Death of Nature," the Scientific Revolution, women in the history of science and environment, and partnership ethics, it synthesizes her writings and sets out a vision for the twenty-first century. Anyone interested in the interactions between science and nature in the past, present, and future will want to read this book. It is an ideal text for courses on the environment, environmental history, history of science, and the philosophy of science.

The Science of Describing

The Science of Describing PDF Author: Brian W. Ogilvie
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226620867
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
Out of the diverse traditions of medical humanism, classical philology, and natural philosophy, Renaissance naturalists created a new science devoted to discovering and describing plants and animals. Drawing on published natural histories, manuscript correspondence, garden plans, travelogues, watercolors, and drawings, The Science of Describing reconstructs the evolution of this discipline of description through four generations of naturalists. In the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, naturalists focused on understanding ancient and medieval descriptions of the natural world, but by the mid-sixteenth century naturalists turned toward distinguishing and cataloguing new plant and animal species. To do so, they developed new techniques of observing and recording, created botanical gardens and herbaria, and exchanged correspondence and specimens within an international community. By the early seventeenth century, naturalists began the daunting task of sorting through the wealth of information they had accumulated, putting a new emphasis on taxonomy and classification. Illustrated with woodcuts, engravings, and photographs, The Science of Describing is the first broad interpretation of Renaissance natural history in more than a generation and will appeal widely to an interdisciplinary audience.

The Book Of Scientific Discovery

The Book Of Scientific Discovery PDF Author: D. M. Turner
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781017044850
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Your Brain On Nature

Your Brain On Nature PDF Author: Eva M. Selhub, MD
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118114493
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
How to safely de-tox from IT overload—with the healing effects of nature Scientific studies have shown that natural environments can have remarkable benefits for human health. Natural environments are more likely to promote positive emotions; and viewing and walking in nature have been associated with heightened physical and mental energy. Nature has also been found to have a positive impact on children who have been diagnosed with impulsivity, hyperactivity, and attention deficit disorder. A powerful wake-up call for our tech-immersed society, Your Brain on Nature examines the fascinating effects that exposure to nature can have on the brain. In Your Brain on Nature, physician Eva Selhub and naturopath Alan Logan examine not only the effects of nature on the brain—but the ubiquitous influence of everyday technology on the brain, and how IT overload and its many distractions may even be changing it. Offering an antidote for the technology-addicted, the book outlines emerging nature-based therapies including ecotherapy, as well as practical strategies for improving your (and your children's) cognitive functioning, mental health, and physical well-being through ecotherapeutic, nutritional, and behavioural means. Details the back to nature movement and the benefits of nature on the brain and body, from reducing the symptoms of ADHD to improving mood and physical energy Explains the effects of air quality, aromas, light and sound on the brain, including SAD and sleep loss A fascinating look at the effects that both nature and technology have on the brain's functioning and one's overall well-being, Your Brain on Nature is every tech-addict's guide to restoring health and balance in an increasingly IT-dependent world.

Reading the Book of Nature

Reading the Book of Nature PDF Author: Jonathan R. Topham
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226815765
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 590

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Book Description
"When Darwin returned to Britain from the Beagle voyage in 1836, the most talked-about scientific books were the Bridgewater Treatises. This series of eight books was funded by a bequest of the last Earl of Bridgewater, and they were authored by leading men of science, appointed by the President of the Royal Society, and intended to explore "the power, wisdom, and goodness of God, as manifested in the creation." Securing public attention beyond all expectations, the series gave Darwin's generation a range of approaches to one of the great questions of the age: how to incorporate the newly emerging disciplinary sciences into Britain's overwhelmingly Christian culture. Drawing on a wealth of archival and published sources, including many unexplored by historians, Jonathan R. Topham examines how and to what extent the series contributed to a sense of congruence between Christianity and the sciences in the generation before the infamous Victorian "conflict between science and religion." He does so by drawing on the distinctive insights of book history, using close attention to the production, circulation, and use of the books to open up new perspectives not only on aspects of early Victorian science but also on the whole subject of science and religion. Its innovative focus on practices of authorship, publishing, and reading helps us to understand the everyday considerations and activities through which the religious culture of early Victorian science was fashioned. And in doing so, Reading the Book of Nature powerfully reimagines the world in which a young Charles Darwin learned how to think about the implications of his theory"--

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative PDF Author: Florence Williams
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393242722
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
"Highly informative and remarkably entertaining." —Elle From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas—and the answers they yield—are more urgent than ever.