4 results for "Science"

Bad ideas? an arresting history of our inventions

Winston, Robert M. L.
We are born with the instinct to create and invent. Indeed, our ability to do so is what separates us from the rest of the animal world. But have our creative ideas always produced desirable results? Have they always served us well? Bad Ideas? traces the fascinating history of our attempts at self-improvement but also questions their value. The dubious consequences of the development of weaponry, for example, is self-evident. But what of apparently more innocuous advances such as farming, writing and medicine? Science has produced huge good but has also had unforeseen consequences. Can science and scientists find solutions to the perils that now menace us? We join Robert Winston on a thrilling journey from our earliest days to the present. We meet some key individuals along the way and share quirky anecdotes about their lives and brainwaves. Inspiring, unusual and at times controversial, Bad Ideas? assesses the past and looks forward to the opportunities of the future. In so doing it celebrates man's extraordinary capacity for achievement and offers a hopeful way forward to protect humanity against what sometimes seem like bad ideas.
Bantam 2011 558 pages

The human mind: and how to make the most of it

Winston, Robert M. L.
The most mysterious object in the universe is covered in a dull grey membrane and resembles a gigantic fungus. It is, of course, the human brain. Technology has helped us understand how the brain gives rise to the human mind. We can now tell which regions of the brain use energy and which cells generate electricity, as we fall in love, tell a lie or dream of a lottery win. In this accessible and entertaining book, Robert Winston explains how memories are formed or lost, how the ever-changing brain is responsible for toddler tantrums, teenage angst, and the battle of the sexes, and reveals the truth behind extra-sensory perception, deja vu and out-of-body experiences. But paradoxically, science may never quite explain the remarkable mechanism that makes each of us unique.
BBC Large Print 2004-06 512 pages