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 The neurons firing in our brains. The electromagnetic fields surrounding us. The quantum theory behind tomorrow's most advanced computers. This month we're turning our focus toward three fascinating, once unheard of processes. Read on to learn about how our brains create consciousness, the history of the discovery of the electromagnetic field, and what's on the horizon in computer science.
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The Mind-Brain Connection
Discovering how the mysterious three-pound organ in our heads creates the rich array of human mental experience, including the sense of self and consciousness, is one of the great challenges of twenty-first-century science. In Mental Biology, veteran neuroscientist W. R. Klemm presents the latest research findings on this elusive brain-mind connection in an accessible and engaging narrative.
The author focuses on how mind emerges from nerve-impulse patterns in the densely packed neural circuits that make up most of the brain, suggesting that the conscious mind can be viewed as a sort of neural-activity-based avatar. Against researchers who argue that the conscious mind is merely a passive observer and that free will is an illusion, the author presents evidence showing that mental creativity, freedom to act, and personal responsibility are very real.
Written in a jargon-free style understandable to the lay reader, this is a fascinating synthesis of recent neuroscience and intriguing hypotheses.
Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Amazon * IndieBound
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W. R. Klemm
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W. R. Klemm, DVM, PhD, is a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University and the author of over five hundred publications, including sixteen previous books. A retired colonel in the Air Force Reserves, Klemm is also a business consultant, and the project director for five educational outreach grants.
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Two Men Who Revolutionized Science
Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field by veteran science writers Nancy Forbes and Basil Mahon is the lively story of two of the boldest and most creative scientists of all time. Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell - an unlikely duo separated by over 40 years - discovered the existence of the electromagnetic field and devised a radically new theory that overturned the strictly mechanical view of the world that had prevailed since Newton's time.
Faraday was a creative thinker with no mathematical training while Maxwell was highly regarded as one of the most brilliant mathematical physicists of the age. But when Maxwell translated Faraday's ideas into mathematical language, thus creating field theory, this unified framework of electricity, magnetism, and light became the basis for much of later, twentieth-century physics.
Faraday and Maxwell's collaborative efforts gave rise to many of the technological innovations we take for granted today. Told with panache, warmth, and clarity, this captivating story of their greatest work and their inspiring lives will bring new appreciation for these giants of science.
Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Amazon * IndieBound
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Nancy Forbes Photo by Diana Adams
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Nancy Forbes is an experienced science writer with over twenty-five publications in the area of science and technology including Imitation of Life. She has also served as a contributing editor for The Industrial Physicist of the American Institute of Physics, and IEEE's Computing in Science and Engineering. Currently, she works for the US Department of Defense.
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Basil Mahon
Photo by Emily Mahon
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Basil Mahon is the author of The Man Who Changed Everything, among other publications. With degrees in engineering and statistics, Mahon was formerly an officer in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and until his retirement worked for the British Government Statistical Service. |
A Future of Super Computers
The quantum computer is no longer the stuff of science fiction. In Computing with Quantum Cats, John Gribbin updates his previous views on the nature of quantum reality, arguing for a universe of many parallel worlds where "everything is real." Looking back to Alan Turing's work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle. He takes us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore their practical applications - from machines that learn through "intuition" and trial and error to unhackable laptops and smartphones. And he investigates the potential for this extraordinary science to create a world where communication occurs faster than light and teleportation is possible.
Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Amazon * IndieBound
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John Gribbin
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John Gribbin gained a PhD from the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge before working as a science journalist for Nature and later New Scientist. He is the author of a number of bestselling popular science books, is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Sussex, and in 2000 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
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Marcus Aurelius said, "Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life." We hope these words inspire you to explore the world around you and observe the greatness of science.
Remember, our current nonfiction catalog and other
catalogs are always available online for you to browse.
Lisa Michalski
Prometheus Books
publicity@prometheusbooks.com
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