New Books: Math & Natural Sciences

Plants have impressive abilities: they communicate with one another, manipulate other species, and move in sophisticated ways. However, there is new evidence that plants may actually be sentient. Although plants may not have brains, their microscopic commerce exposes a system not unlike the neuronal networks running through our own bodies. They can learn and remember, possessing an intelligence that allows them to behave in adaptive, flexible, anticipatory, and goal-directed ways. Planta Sapiens shows how we can use tools developed to study animal cognition in a quest to understand plant intelligence.

Three decades ago, coal was the dominant source of electricity generation in the U.S. and the recipient of moderate research efforts in the synthetic fuels arena. In recent years, though coal is still heavily discussed in the media, the focus has shifted towards the ill effects that coal mining and combustion have on the environment. As it is likely that we will have to rely on coal for a major share of electricity generation for decades to come, it is increasingly important to understand the current issues that surround coal, as well as future prospects for developing or applying coal technologies that have lesser impacts on the environment.

Digital technology is fundamentally altering the world we live in, but can only be truly understood in relation to the physical world we all inhabit. From mundane devices such as mobile phones and washing machines, to esoteric research including tangible computation and body implants, we continually bridge two worlds literally touching buttons and dials and simultaneously interacting with the digital systems that lie behind them. TouchIT brings together insights from human-computer interaction and industrial design.

Lovers of mathematics, young and old, professional and amateur, will enjoy this book. It is mathematics with fun: a collection of attractive problems that will delight and test readers. Many of the problems are drawn from the large number that have entertained and challenged students, guests and colleagues over the years during afternoon tea. The problems have their roots in many areas of mathematics. They vary greatly in difficulty: some are very easy, but most are far from trivial, and quite a few rather hard. Many provide substantial and surprising results that form the tip of an iceberg, providing an introduction to an important topic.

For most, "conservation" conjures the notion of minimizing human presence on wildlands to avoid harmful impacts. But this defensive approach has often pitted local communities against conservationists, wasting opportunities for collaboration. The "Full Nature" conservation approach turns that paradigm on its head, and instead connects nature with the well-being of human communities. It seeks to promote fully functional natural landscapes that are tied to the basic needs of the communities in their midst. They become a self-sustaining cycle, where nature and people are integrated ecologically, socially, and politically.

Phylogenetic Trees Made Easy, Fifth Edition helps the reader get started in creating phylogenetic trees from protein or nucleic acid sequence data. Although aimed at molecular and cell biologists, it also serves students who have a theoretical understanding of phylogenetics but need guidance in transitioning to a practical application of the methodology. The reader is led, step by step, through identifying and acquiring the sequences to be included in a tree, aligning the sequences, estimating the tree by one of several methods, and drawing the tree for presentation.

From fire to agriculture, water wheels to electric dynamos, the rise in intensity led humans to define a new "high energy" existence during the twentieth century. Industrialization and consumption increased the connection between energy and economic and political power, clarifying its importance throughout the world wars and into the Cold War. To Have and Have Not reveals a world in which energy supply now defines global standing, starkly revealing the connection between history and current events that perfectly situates our modern conundrum of a future without fossil fuels.

Phylogenetics has myriad applications in biology, from discovering the features present in ancestral organisms, to finding the sources of invasive species and infectious diseases, to identifying our closest living hominid relatives. Taking a conceptual approach, Tree Thinking introduces readers to the interpretation of phylogenetic trees, how these trees can be reconstructed, and how they can be used to answer biological questions.

A cornucopia of engaging facts and anecdotes, this superbly researched compendium presents a wealth of incisive entries alongside stunning photos by the author and beautiful historic prints and watercolors. Myers provides brief biographies of prominent figures in ornithology and goes on to describe the etymological history of every common group bird name found in standardized English. She interweaves the stories behind the names with quotes from publications dating back to the 1400s, illuminating the shared evolution of language and our relationships with birds, and rooting the names in the history of ornithological discovery.

We are now living through an environmental emergency. Almost one-fifth of all species on Earth are at risk of extinction due to climate change, habitat loss, and other threats, and so a deeper understanding of biodiversity has never been more critical. Biodiversity encompasses the rich variety of all life on Earth - the building blocks of life that provide invaluable sources of food, medicine, clothing, building materials, and more. The Hidden Universe shows readers what's at stake in the fight to protect and restore biodiversity, but also what can and should be done now to protect and restore biodiversity and our planet's future.