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‘This book is not just about life, but about discovery itself. It is about error and hubris, but also about wonder and the reach of science. And it is bookended with the ultimate question: How do we define the thing that defines us?’ – Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Gene We all assume we know what life is, but the more scientists learn about the living world – from protocells to brains, from zygotes to pandemic viruses – the harder they find it to locate the edges of life, where it begins and ends. What exactly does it mean to be alive? Is a virus alive? Is a foetus? Carl Zimmer investigates one of the biggest questions of all: What is life? The answer seems obvious until you ...
This book constitutes the proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems, Living Machines 2017, held in Stanford, CA, USA, in July 2017.The 42 full and 19 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 63 submissions. The theme of the conference encompasses biomimetic methods for manufacture, repair and recycling inspired by natural processes such as reproduction, digestion, morphogenesis and metamorphosis.
Religion and violence share a complex and enduring history. Viewing violence and religion from an evolutionary perspective situates both within a broader framework of aggressive, affiliative, and signaling behaviors across species. In this work the authors review genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that influence violence, distinguishing two types of aggression that differ in underlying physiology and intent. The use of communicative signals to delimit aggression across species is surveyed and the emergence of human symbolic ritual as a signaling system for creating alliances and promoting in-group cooperation is proposed. Using Wallace's typology of religion, this Element explores differences across religious systems in relation to socioecological variation and examines the underlying mechanisms by which religion 'works'. The use of violence as both an 'honest signal' and a mechanism for inculcating religious belief is discussed, and the use of religion to incite, validate, and justify violence is reviewed.
Is mankind alone in the universe? Will we ever encounter intelligent life beyond Earth? These questions have been asked for centuries. Recent advances in the fields of astrophysics, astronomy and astrobiology make it more likely than ever before, that Earth may not be the only inhabited planet, and that humanity may not the only intelligent species in the universe. What would be the consequences of contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence? This question is at the heart of the emerging discipline of exosociology. According to the authors, first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence poses enormous risks for humanity. These risks come not only from extraterrestrials, but above all from ourselves. We should be prepared. Michael Schetsche and Andreas Anton's comprehensive introduction to exosociology was first published in German in 2019. The book has been widely acclaimed in Germany and internationally. It is now available in English for the first time.
An introduction to the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence through the lens of Fermi's paradox, discussing methodology and potential solutions.
노벨상 수상자 제니퍼 다우드나, 퓰리처상 수상자 싯다르타 무케르지, 에드 용 추천작! PEN/에드워드 윌슨 과학 저술상 최종후보작(2022) 뉴욕타임스 선정 주목해야 할 책 100선(2021) 사이언스 뉴스 선정 최고의 과학책 중 하나(2021) 스미스소니언 선정 최고의 과학책 10권 중 하나(2021) 생명이란 무엇인가? 생명과 생명 아닌 것을 구분하는 기준은 과연 명확할까? 우리가 ‘생명’에 대해 잘 안다고 생각하는 것이 실은 착각이 아닐까? 생명의 진정한 의미를 찾아 나서는 기이하고 놀라운 과학적 탐구 여정! 우리는 모두 생명이 무엇인지...
Landslides and Engineered Slopes. Experience, Theory and Practice contains the invited lectures and all papers presented at the 12th International Symposium on Landslides, (Naples, Italy, 12-19 June 2016). The book aims to emphasize the relationship between landslides and other natural hazards. Hence, three of the main sessions focus on Volcanic-induced landslides, Earthquake-induced landslides and Weather-induced landslides respectively, while the fourth main session deals with Human-induced landslides. Some papers presented in a special session devoted to "Subareal and submarine landslide processes and hazard” and in a “Young Session” complete the books. Landslides and Engineered Slo...
何謂活著? 越是尋找生命的祕密, 越會發現生命的定義根本不存在…… 「受精卵」是一個活著的人,還是一個活細胞? 讓全球秩序大亂的新冠病毒只是「半活著」? 地表最強生物水熊,滴水之後可以瞬間「復活」? 追尋生命之旅最終帶我們進入原子和電子的世界, 然而原子、電子根本沒有生命!? 我們都認為自己完全知道「生命」是什麼,但是當生物學家對生命的世界瞭解得越多(例如從原始細胞到形成大腦、從受精卵到流行性病毒等相關知識),就會發現越難找到跨越生命邊界的那條線。 卡爾‧齊默研究了這個世界�...
Contemporary research in the field of robotics attempts to harness the versatility and sustainability of living organisms with the hope of rendering a renewable, adaptable, and robust class of technology that can facilitate self-repairing, social, and moral--even conscious--machines. This landmark volume surveys this flourishing area of research.
Как отличить живое от неживого? Где пролегает граница между ними? На первый взгляд, детские вопросы. И тем не менее уже много столетий ученые и философы не могут прийти к удовлетворяющему всех ответу. Этой теме — что такое жизнь — и посвящена новая книга Карла Циммера. Автор полагает, что нет другого объекта научного познания, которому было бы дано столь много определений. И сущест...