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We Are Our Brains By:D. F. Swaab Published on 2014-01-07 by Spiegel & Grau A vivid account of what makes us human. Based groundbreaking new research, We Are Our Brains is a sweeping biography of the human brain, from infancy to adulthood to old age. Renowned neuroscientist D. F. Swaab takes us on a guided tour of the intricate inner workings that determine our potential, our limitations, and our desires, with each chapter serving as an eye-opening window on a different stage of brain development: the gender differences that develop in the embryonic brain, what goes on in the heads of adolescents, how parenthood permanently changes the brain. Moving beyond pure biological understanding, Swaab presents a controversial and multilayered ethical argument surrounding the brain. Far from possessing true free will, Swaab argues, we have very little control over our everyday decisions, or who we will become, because our brains predetermine everything about us, long before we are born, from ...

Plant Biotechnology and Genetics By:C. Neal Stewart, Jr. Published on 2012-12-13 by John Wiley & Sons Designed to inform and inspire the next generation of plant biotechnologists Plant Biotechnology and Genetics explores contemporary techniques and applications of plant biotechnology, illustrating the tremendous potential this technology has to change our world by improving the food supply. As an introductory text, its focus is on basic science and processes. It guides students from plant biology and genetics to breeding to principles and applications of plant biotechnology. Next, the text examines the critical issues of patents and intellectual property and then tackles the many controversies and consumer concerns over transgenic plants. The final chapter of the book provides an expert forecast of the future of plant biotechnology. Each chapter has been written by one or more leading practitioners in the field and then carefully edited to ensure thoroughness and consistency. The c...

Infinite Wonder By:Scott Kelly Published on 2018-10-30 by Knopf From the record-breaking astronaut, national hero, and best-selling author of Endurance, a breathtaking collection of photos documenting his journey on the International Space Station, the vastness of space, and the unparalleled beauty of our own home planet. One's perspective shifts when one lives for an entire year--as Commander Scott Kelly, and no other American astronaut in history, has--in the isolating, grueling, and utterly unforgiving vacuum of space. Kelly's photos prove that this perspective--from 250 miles above earth--while hard-won, is also almost unspeakably beautiful. He mastered the rare art of microgravity photography. Using a Nikon D4 with a long 800mm lens and a 1.4x magnifying zoom lens, he panned the camera as the shutter released in order to compensate for the space station's velocity: 17,500 mph relative to the earth. Kelly's artist's eye helped make him a social media sensation, ...