Are we on the brink of a new Dark Age of irrationality and superstition? In this book, the writer shows how scientific thinking is necessary to safeguard our democratic institutions and our technical civilization. This book is more personal and richer in moving and revealing human stories than anything the author has previously written. With illustrations from his own childhood experience as well as engrossing tales of discovery, he shows how the method of scientific thought can cut through prejudice and hysteria to uncover the often surprising truth. He convincingly debunks "alien abduction," "channelers," faith-healer fraud, the "face" on Mars, and much else. Along the way, he refutes the arguments that science destroys spirituality or is just another arbitrary belief system, asks why scientific study is often stigmatized, discusses the dangers of the misuse of science, and provides a "baloney detection kit" for thinking through political, social, religious, and other issues. -- Jacket

Book by Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger

This all-new and long-awaited sequel to Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan's international bestseller Cosmos takes readers to worlds only now emerging with the advent of new technologies. With lucid prose that recalls the best-selling and beloved Cosmos, Ann Druyan takes readers on an extraordinary journey through the vast and unexplored realms of Earth and space, past and future, fact and imagination. Written and published in coordination with the sensational international television debut of a second season of National Geographic's Cosmos, Cosmos: Possible Worlds travels through more than 14 billion years of cosmic evolution and into an astonishing future where probes travel by light beams to distant stars, helping us solve enduring mysteries of our origins and dream of an unimaginable time ahead. Along the way, we meet the colorful characters who push beyond the boundaries of knowledge—both the little-known but monumental visionaries of the past and the scientists whose work is shaping our future. Color photographs, art, and diagrams based on graphics created for the television series—plus a foreword by Neil deGrasse Tyson, best-selling author, wildly popular science commentator, and host of Cosmos on the National Geographic Channel—complete this highly anticipated package.

In this engaging study of the physical world, Asimov explores the natural scientific phenomena that people question on a daily basis. Unabridged selections. 4 cassettes. *****COPY SAYS UNABRIDGED SELECTIONS*****

planets by carl sagan

Over the past twenty years, astronomers have identified hundreds of extrasolar planets--planets orbiting stars other than the sun. Recent research in this burgeoning field has made it possible to observe and measure the atmospheres of these exoplanets. This is the first textbook to describe the basic physical processes--including radiative transfer, molecular absorption, and chemical processes--common to all planetary atmospheres, as well as the transit, eclipse, and thermal phase variation observations that are unique to exoplanets. In each chapter, Sara Seager offers a conceptual introduction, examples that combine the relevant physics equations with real data, and exercises. Topics range from foundational knowledge, such as the origin of atmospheric composition and planetary spectra, to more advanced concepts, such as solutions to the radiative transfer equation, polarization, and molecular and condensate opacities. Since planets vary widely in their atmospheric properties, Seager emphasizes the major physical processes that govern all planetary atmospheres. Moving from first principles to cutting-edge research, Exoplanet Atmospheres is an ideal resource for students and researchers in astronomy and earth sciences, one that will help prepare them for the next generation of planetary science. The first textbook to describe exoplanet atmospheres Illustrates concepts using examples grounded in real data Provides a step-by-step guide to understanding the structure and emergent spectrum of a planetary atmosphere Includes exercises for students

Worlds in Collision by Immanuel Velikovsky.

Aliens are big in America. Whether they've arrived via rocket, flying saucer, or plain old teleportation, they've been invading, infiltrating, or inspiring us for decades, and they've fascinated moviegoers and television watchers for more than fifty years. About half of us believe that aliens really exist, and millions are convinced they've visited Earth. For twenty-five years, SETI has been looking for the proof, and as the program's senior astronomer, Seth Shostak explains in this engrossing book, it's entirely possible that before long conclusive evidence will be found. His informative, entertaining report offers an insider's view of what we might realistically expect to discover light-years away among the stars. Neither humanoids nor monsters, says Shostak; in fact, biological intelligence is probably just a precursor to machine beings, enormously advanced artificial sentients whose capabilities and accomplishments may have developed over billions of years and far exceed our own. As he explores what, if anything, they would tell us and what their existence would portend for humankind and the cosmos, he introduces a colorful cast of characters and provides a vivid, state-of-the-art account of the past, present, and future of our search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The beginning of the 21st century is a watershed in modern science, a time that will forever change our understanding of the universe, Susskind contends. Several decades ago, he introduced the revolutionary concept of string theory to the world of physical science. In doing so, he inspired a generation of physicists who believed that the theory would uniquely predict the properties of our universe. Now, in his first book, Susskind argues that the very idea of such an "elegant theory" no longer suits our understanding of the universe, and that our narrow 20th-century view of a unique universe will have to give way to the much broader concept of a gigantic cosmic landscape--a megaverse, pregnant with new possibilities.--[Résumé de l'éditeur].

A radically new view of the nature of the universe that suggests that the cosmosas a whole is best understood not as mechanical and clockwork, but as complete and evolving, more akin to a living entity than a machine. Comparable in its acope and ambition to Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking, and readable than either.

SIZE: 5 ½ x 8 ½ (approximately) PAGES: 178 pages.

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Does the Universe extend forever or is there an end somewhere? Does it expand and contract like an accordion with each cosmic spasm lasting millions of years? Was there a time when it exploded and will the flying fragments separated until our own fragment is virtually alone? Does it renew itself and is it eternal, unborn and undying? This is a complete scientific survey of all that is known about the Universe, presented with the clarity and precision so characteristic of the writing of Isaac Asimov. Beginning with chapters on the earth and our solar system, he guides the reader through exploration and discovery of the unimaginably distant reaches of outer space. Barely fifty years ago, their horizons of our known universe were pushed back. The Milky Way was recognized as only a drop in a huge black ocean; other galaxies were discovered; the Universe was found to be expanding - its rim many billions of light-years away. And as man daily probes further into the unknown, it is becoming clear that discoveries dwarfing all those of the past may actually be at hand.

Is it possible to combine faith and science to fully understand the beginning of the universe and the origins of time and space? Scientific discovery and the Big Bang theory go into exquisite detail about the development of the universe after that first instant, but we remain in the dark about how it all began. Or do we? Join the authors in a riveting exploration of science’s latest advancements in cosmology, and the Bible’s esoteric dimension, which teaches the deepest cosmological insights into the fundamental workings of the universe. Read Mysteries of the First Instant and find answers to what has eluded science about the origins of time, space, elementary particles, the laws of physics, and the birth of the universe. Explore: - what came before the Big Bang - what happened in the first instant of the universe’s existence - the link between science’s 13.8 billion-year timeline and the six-day creation account - the beginning and nature of space - the beginning, nature, and direction of time - elementary particles—the basic building blocks of everything - the spooky behavior of the microscopic world and how quantum mechanics gives rise to our reality - the forces of nature and Einstein’s relativity - what undiscovered particles dark matter is made of - whether the universe will continue to expand - how and why the parameters of the universe are fine-tuned for life to exist Daniel Friedmann P.Eng., M.A.Sc., a Readers' Favorite 2013 International Book Award Winner, studies the origin of the universe and life on earth from both the scientific and biblical perspectives. His work on reconciling the biblical account with scientific observation utilizing his biblical clock formula has been reported in conferences, various newspapers, magazines, television and radio talk shows. Mysteries of the First Instant is a fascinating and entertaining read, digging deep into the universe’s beginning to solve its well-kept mysteries. No scientific or biblical background required. Order your copy today.

Flying Saucers and Science is a comprehensive look at the scientific data on the flying saucer phenomenon. Nuclear physicist and lecturer Stanton T. Friedman has distilled more than 40 years of research on UFOs, and shares his work on a wide variety of classified advanced nuclear and space systems. He answers a number of physics questions in layman's terms, and establishes that travel to nearby stars is within reach, without violating the laws of physics. This book presents intriguing data from a number of large-scale scientific UFO studies that almost no one has discussed in detail. It deals with ''why'' questions, such as reasons for a cover-up, reasons for aliens to come to Earth, and reasons for them not landing on the White House lawn. Friedman unveils the SETI program and details the antipathy of science-fiction writers to UFOs. He also reviews false notions about those who believe in alien visitors and the adequacy of coverage by media and the scientific community. After reading Flying Saucers and Science, you will never think the same way about UFOs again.

Two world-renowned scientists present an audacious new vision of the cosmos that “steals the thunder from the Big Bang theory.” — Wall Street JournalThe Big Bang theory—widely regarded as the leading explanation for the origin of the universe—posits that space and time sprang into being about 14 billion years ago in a hot, expanding fireball of nearly infinite density. Over the last three decades the theory has been repeatedly revised to address such issues as how galaxies and stars first formed and why the expansion of the universe is speeding up today. Furthermore, an explanation has yet to be found for what caused the Big Bang in the first place.In Endless Universe , Paul J. Steinhardt and Neil Turok, both distinguished theoretical physicists, present a bold new cosmology. Steinhardt and Turok “contend that what we think of as the moment of creation was simply part of an infinite cycle of titanic collisions between our universe and a parallel world” ( Discover ). They recount the remarkable developments in astronomy, particle physics, and superstring theory that form the basis for their groundbreaking “Cyclic Universe” theory. According to this theory, the Big Bang was not the beginning of time but the bridge to a past filled with endlessly repeating cycles of evolution, each accompanied by the creation of new matter and the formation of new galaxies, stars, and planets.Endless Universe provides answers to longstanding problems with the Big Bang model, while offering a provocative new view of both the past and the future of the cosmos. It is a “theory that could solve the cosmic mystery” ( USA Today ).

A Kabbalistic Universe is about how and why Existence came into being. It sets out the general scheme of the four Worlds of Emanation, Creation, Formation and Action and heir various archangelic, angelic, demonic and organic inhabitants. Drawing upon ancient, medieval and modern material this book brings the Kabbalistic tradition up to date so that the current generation can perceive what Existence is about and how they might play a conscious part in humanity's role of aiding God to behold God in the Mirror of Existence. This is a revised edition with additional graphics. These make the Divine principles involved more comprehensible. Once the terms and metaphysics are mastered, then new perceptions are possible regarding not only the structure and dynamics of Existence but also the workings of the angelics and demonics, Nature and the process of human evolution and its purpose.