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Laidler, Keith J
to light such a candle Oxford University Press, 1998ISBN: 0198500564
cover In order to understand the place of science in our society, it is important to distinguish it from technology, but at the same time to realise that the two are closely related. In to light such a candle, Keith J. Laidler looks at the relationship between basic science and the technology we are familiar with today. Continued..
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Lane, Nick
Oxygen: The molecule that made the world Oxford University Press, 2002ISBN: 0198607830
cover Oxygen is vital to life, and so most people would see it as beneficial. But if you read Oxygen: The molecule that made the world by Nick Lane then you may come to see it in a different light - as much a poison as a protector. We all know about how antioxidants are supposed to help us. Lane gives a critical look at some of the claims made for them, but goes on to consider how understanding the effect of oxygen on our bodies may indeed lead to new ways of dealing with ageing an disease - a subject of interest to us all. Continued..
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Power, sex, suicide Oxford University Press, 2005ISBN: 0192804812
cover
Mentioned in
Full Review
It is thought that approximately one and a half billion years ago two types of bacteria forged a symbiotic union to create the eukaryotic cell. Those that became mitochondria may seem to have the subservient role, but in this work by Nick Lane we hear how recent discoveries in the subject are changing this view. The presence of mitochondria not only allowed eukaryotic cells to become much larger than bacteria, but also enabled them to join together to form multicellular organisms. Mitochodnria then had an important part to play in preventing cells from rebelling. They were also involved in the evolution of sex, and explain why there are two distinct sexes. Continued..
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Life Ascending Profile Books, 2009ISBN: 9781861978486
cover In Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution, Nick Lane tells the reader how ten of the most important steps in the development of life on Earth are thought to have come about. These steps are the origin of life, DNA, photosynthesis, the complex cell, sex, movement, sight, hot blood, consciousness and death. Continued..
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Laughlin, Greg
The Five Ages of the Universe Free Press, 1999ISBN: 0684854228
cover
Co-author
Adams,Fred
The universe might seem to have been around for a very long time, but in The Five Ages of the Universe Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin show that it might be considered to still be in its early stages. They divide the life of the universe into five eras, starting with the primordial era - the 100000 years following the big bang. Then comes the stelliferous era , which is the one we live in. This is followed by the degenerate era, the black hole era, and finally, when all of the black holes have evaporated, by the dark era. Continued..
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Layzer, David
Cosmogenesis Oxford University Press, 1990ISBN: 0195069080
cover In Cosmogenesis David Layzer starts from two fundamental principles, and develops a wide ranging world view which encompasses quantum theory, cosmology, evolution and the philosophy of mind. The first principle is that an suitably infinite system may seem to be random on small scales, but in total may be thought of as not being random at all. Thue second is that emergent properties of systems should be thought of as being something new, rather than taking the reductionist view that such properties are latent in the underlying system. Continued..
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Lazarus, Sarah
Troubled Waters Natural History Museum, 2006ISBN: 0565091921
cover There's a lot of controversy at the moment concerning whaling - some countries consider whale populations are sufficient to resume full scale hunting, while others believe the ban on whaling should be extended. In Troubled Waters Sarah Lazarus examines how the relationship between humans and whales (and other cetaceans such as dolphins) has developed over time. She looks at how human activity brought many species to the brink of extinction, at how attitudes have changed, and at the many problems which still remain. If you want to find out about what we are doing to these intelligent creatures then you will find this book of great interest. Continued..
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Le Couteur, Penny
Napoleon's Buttons Penguin, 2004ISBN: 9781585423316
cover
Co-author
Burreson,Jay
In Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History, Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson describe how different chemicals have played an important part in history. Continued..
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Leary, Christopher
A friendly introduction to mathematical logic Prentice HallISBN: 0130107050
cover
Mentioned in
fermat undecidable
Gdel's incompleteness theorem
Succeeds in dealing with the advanced concepts of mathematical logic in a readable manner.
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Lederman, Leon
The God particle DeltaISBN: 0385312113
cover
Mentioned in
Interstellar travel
Co-author
Teresi,Dick
Aimed at the non technical reader, with plenty of humour. Ledermann looks at the idea of fundamental particles, from the Greeks up to the Higgs boson. This does make the book a bit long, and the description of the Higgs boson (the God particle) doesn't get much of the book. The book would be useful to find out about particle accelerators, on which Lederman is an expert.
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Lemonick, Michael D
Echo of the Big Bang Princeton University Press, 2003ISBN: 0691102783
cover We now know the composition of the universe with surprising precision. Half a percent of it is visible, with ordinary matter that we can't see making up another 4%. Dark matter makes up 23% and the rest is mysterious Dark Energy. In Echo of the Big Bang, Michael D Lemonick tells how this precision was achieved with the development of the WMAP satellite.

Lemonick starts with the history of cosmology, from Einstein's theories and Hubble's observations at the start of the 20th century, through the discovery of the Cosmological microwave background radiation in the 1960's to the results from the COBE satellite in the 1990's Continued..

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Leonov, Alexei
Two Sides of the Moon Pocket, 2004ISBN: 0743450671
cover
Co-author
Scott,David
In Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race Astronaut David Scott and Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov tell of their involvement in the space programs aimed at moon landings. Continued..
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Lesmoir-Gordon, Nigel
INTRODUCING Fractal Geometry Icon books, 2006ISBN: 1840467134
cover
Co-authors
Rood,Will
Edney,Ralph
I was a bit doubtful when I picked up INTRODUCING Fractal Geometry as to whether such a book could contain anything of use. Its quirky pictures make it look more like a comic strip than a book on mathematics. But surprisingly the format seems to work very well. Much of the useful information about a subject can be summarised in short pieces of text, but on its own such text would be excessively terse. The pictures in the book help to make a book that is easy to skim through, but still gives the reader a helpful introduction to the subject. Continued..
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Levi, Primo
The Periodic Table AbacusISBN: 0349121982
cover Each of the 21 chapters has the name of a chemical element and comprises a story linked to that element (no chemical knowledge is required). Mostly the chapters are autobiographical, although some are episodes from other peoples lives, and a few are short stories which Primo Levi has written. We see Levi's early life followed by a struggle to find employment in Fascist Italy. There is just one chapter of his time in Auschwitz - Levi has written about this in other books. After the war he struggles with self-employed, but finds he is better suited to working in large companies. We get a unique insight into the mind of a scientist turned author, the chapters are very well written, and I think all readers will find this book highly enjoyable Continued..
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Levin, Janna
How the universe got its spots Weidenfield & NicholsonISBN: 0297646516
cover
Mentioned in
stretchy space
The study of Cosmology needs knowledge of several areas of physics - special and general relativity and quantum theory as well as much of classical physics. This requirement can be intimidating to the beginner. Janna Levin took this into account in writing 'How the universe got its spots', which is based on a collection of letters to her mother. Hence it will be useful for those readers who would like a gentle introduction to those the ideas of modern physics required for cosmology as well as anyone wanting an insight into the life of a (perhaps not so typical) cosmologist. Continued..
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A madman dreams of Turing machines Oxford University Press, 2008ISBN: 9780297645467
cover
Mentioned in
Gdel's incompleteness theorem
Kurt Godel and Alan Turing were two of the most prominent mathematicians of the twentieth century, but their desire for privacy means that it is hard for a biography to tell what they were really like. Janna Levin solves this problem by making clear that much of what she is writing is fiction. In A madman dreams of Turing machines she tells their stories. Continued..
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Levinson, Paul
Realspace Routledge, 2003ISBN: 0415277434
cover In the 1960's we thought that the human exploration of space would soon reach Mars and elsewhere. But it didn't happen. Paul Levinson thinks that we have become too inward looking, tied to our web browsers, at the expense of travelling and seeing the universe. Personally I think that too many people are going backwards and forwards for no particular purpose and the online revolution has further to go. The trouble with this book is that it does nothing to deal with such arguments, rather it consists of vague generalities. While there are a few interesting points made in this book, like the idea that when the movement west had reached its limit in California, people had to find somewhere else to go. But if you want persuasive arguments then you should look elsewhere. Continued..
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Liddle, Andrew
Cosmological Inflation and Large-Scale Structure Cambridge University PressISBN: 052166022X
Co-author
Lyth,David
This is a textbook which looks at models of the universe with an inflationary phase due to a scalar field. It examines how such models can be used to account for the structure we see now, that is the cosmological microwave background and the clustering of galaxies. Its approach is analytic rather than being based on numerical simulations, and it's impressive how much can be achieved with this approach. It would suit graduate students, and possibly those at an advanced undergraduate level - it is laid out as a textbook which the student can work through, rather than being a collection of research papers Continued..
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Lienhard, John H
How Invention Begins Oxford University Press, 2006ISBN: 019530599X
cover We like to have a clear picture of who invented what - the Wright brothers for the aeroplane, Edison for the light bulb and so on. In How invention begins John H Lienhard shows that this picture is often a myth. He looks at inventions such as the steam engine and the printing press, and shows how they proceeded through various stages, with the accepted inventor playing an important, but not overwhelming part. Lienhard also looks at 'the invention of invention' - how sometime around 1840 inventions stopped being a one-off thing, and became an accepted part of industry. If you're interested in how our modern world came about then you should give this book a try. Continued..
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Lindley, David
Boltzmann's Atom Free Press, 2001ISBN: 0684851865
cover The revolution in physics at the start of the 20th century didn't spring from nowhere. In Boltzmann's Atom David Lindley tells the story of the Viennese physicist Ludwig Boltzmann, and how his work in the second half of the 19th century played an important part in setting the scene for later advances in physics. In particular his work on the kinetic theory of gases helped to demonstrate the existence of atoms. Not everyone agreed with him though - the book isn't just about Boltzmann, it also looks at the views of other scientists in the debate about thermodynamics and the validity of results such as Boltzmann's H-theorem. Continued..
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Degrees Kelvin Aurum press, 2004ISBN: 1845130006
cover Lord Kelvin is often thought of nowadays as a reactionary, someone who couldn't accept the sweeping changes which were occuring in science in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, during his life, he was feted as one of the greatest living scientists. In Degrees Kelvin : The Genius and Tragedy of William Thompson David Lindley looks into this contradiction. Continued..
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Lintott, Chris
Bang! The complete history of the Universe Carlton Books, 2006ISBN: 1844425525
Co-authors
May,Brian
Moore,Patrick
In Bang! The complete history of the Universe the authors have put together an impressive overview of the history of the universe and our place in it. It goes in chronological order, so that it starts with the big bang, then goes on to the evolution of galaxies, the formation of the solar system, and the evolution of life on earth. The book then looks further, beyond the present to the collision of our galaxy with M31, to the destruction of the Earth and on to consider the ultimate fate of the universe. It finishes with useful chapters on astronomy for the amateur, and on the lives of some well known astronomers. Continued..
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Lister-Kaye, John
Nature's Child Abacus, 2004ISBN: 0349117608
cover When John Lister-Kaye's daughter Hermione started to take an interest in the natural world, he decided to encourage this interest as much as possible. In Nature's Child he tells their story. Continued..
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Livio, Mario
The equation that couldn't be solved Souvenir press, 2005ISBN: 0285637439
cover Symmetry has always played a large part in the development of mathematics. This book shows how ideas of symmetry were used to settle a long standing question - for which polynomial equations could a formula be found for their roots? The book gives biographical details of the mathematicians working on this problem, and in particular the tragic story of Evariste Galois who was killed in a duel at the age of twenty, having spent the night before hurriedly writing down some of his most important mathematical ideas. Thus Livio makes an abstract mathematical topic accessible to the reader with no previous knowledge of the subject. Continued..
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Lockwood, Michael
The Labyrinth of Time Oxford University Press, 2005ISBN: 0199249954
cover Previously when I've read books on the philosophy of time I've often found them to be full of obscure arguments (whose main purpose seems to be to show that the author is smarter than everyone else). Now Michael Lockwood has produced a work which doesn't get bogged down in abstract philosophising. That's not to say that you won't find some of the ideas in 'The Labyrinth of Time' challenging, but if you've read other 'popular science' type books then you shouldn't have too much trouble following this one. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in the nature of time (and who isn't?) Continued..
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Loewenstein, Werner
The touchstone of life PenguinISBN: 0140289496
cover The advent of computers has led to a new way of looking at scientific subjects - in terms of the flow of information. In The Touchstone of Life Werner Loewenstein uses this viewpoint to look at the behaviour of cells and so the nature of living things. The book is in three parts. The first introduces the concepts required, and then goes on to look at the origin of life in terms of networks of chemical reactions. The second part looks at information flow within living cells - at how the instructions coded for in DNA are carried out, and at the workings of enzymes. Continued..
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Lomborg, Bjorn
Cool it Cyan, 2007ISBN: 9780462099125
cover Global warming is considered by many to be the greatest problem facing mankind today. Bjorn Lomborg disagrees. In Cool it: the skeptical environmentalist's guide to global warming he argues that resources put into combatting global warming would be much better used for other things. Continued..
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Longair, Malcolm
Our evolving universe CyanISBN: 0521550912
cover
Mentioned in
stretchy space
The large format and colour pictures make this look like a 'coffee table book', but in fact it provides a thorough grounding in cosmology
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The cosmic century Cambridge University Press, 2006ISBN: 0521474361
cover When teaching a subject, some people feel that it helps to move away from its historical development. However, if you want an overview of a subject, or you are interested in current research, then a view of the history is much more important. In The cosmic century : a history of astrophysics and cosmology Malcolm Longair provides such a viewpoint. The book is in five parts. It splits the subject into pre and post-World War II sections, and within each has a section dealing with each of astrophysics and cosmology. In the middle there is a chapter on the boost which came from the opening up of the electromagnetic spectrum - the development of radio, X-ray, infrared and other forms of astronomy. Continued..
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Luminet, Jean-Pierre
The Wraparound Universe AK Peters, 2008ISBN: 9781568813097
cover Einstein thought that the universe curved round on itself, and so was finite, but recent measurements suggest that the curvature is very small, so the universe is either infinite, or consideerably bigger than what we see. Some people, though, don't agree with this interpretation - the universe might be much smaller than the curvature suggests. The Wraparound Universe Jean-Pierre Luminet explains this idea. Continued..
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Lund, Nick
Language and thought Routledge, 2003ISBN: 0415282918
cover The occurrence of language raises some interesting questions about the brain. Is it like a general purpose computer, with language production being just one of its abilities? Or does language form the basis of our thought - an idea called the linguistic relativity hypothesis (LRH). In Language and Thought Nick Lund gives a detailed look at such questions. There's a lot packed into this short book, and it's highly suitable for its target audience, that is students in higher education who are studying psychology and related subjects. However, I felt it was less suited to the general reader who has an interest in these questions. Continued..
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Lynas, Mark
Six degrees : our future on a hotter planet Fourth Estate, 2007ISBN: 9780007209040
cover Global Warming is much in the news nowadays and so it should be - most of the other problems we have pale into insignificance compared to what global warming might bring. InSix degrees : our future on a hotter planet Mark Lynas tells the reader just how bad it might get. Continued..
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Lyth, David
Cosmological Inflation and Large-Scale Structure Cambridge University PressISBN: 052166022X
Co-author
Liddle,Andrew
This is a textbook which looks at models of the universe with an inflationary phase due to a scalar field. It examines how such models can be used to account for the structure we see now, that is the cosmological microwave background and the clustering of galaxies. Its approach is analytic rather than being based on numerical simulations, and it's impressive how much can be achieved with this approach. It would suit graduate students, and possibly those at an advanced undergraduate level - it is laid out as a textbook which the student can work through, rather than being a collection of research papers Continued..
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