We are born with the instinct to create and invent. Indeed our ability to do so is what separates we humans from the rest of the animal world. The moment man first converted a stone to a useful tool set him on a relentless path toward greater control and power over his environment. But have our creative ideas always produced desirable results in line with their original good intention? How many ill-effects and dangers have they brought about along the way? And have they really 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 from the primitive but lethal sling to the devastating nuclear bomb. But what of apparently more innocuous inventions such as farming, writing or medicine? All were initiated for the greater good but have nonetheless produced unforeseen fallout that continues to this day. What are their undesirable side-effects, how did they emerge over the years and where will they take us in the future? Written against a huge historical canvas, we join Robert Winston on a thrilling and inspiring journey from our earliest days to the present. We learn about the history of modern science, engineering, IT and much more, following the unexpected twists and turns of their progress. We meet the individuals who played a key role in their development, and share quirky anecdotes about their lives and brainwaves. Inspiring, unusual, and at times controversial, Bad Ideas? enables us by appreciating the past to look forward to the technological opportunities and ethical challenges of the future. In so doing it celebrates man's extraordinary capacity for achievement whilst warning us that his good intentions can sometimes end up as thoroughly bad ideas.

A timely investigation into the forces that are driving innovation in the four core areas of human experience: birth, food, sex and death. Sex Robots and Vegan Meat will take readers on a fascinating exploration of the changes afoot, and their implications for who we are as a society and as humans. What if we could have babies without having to bear children, eat meat without killing animals, have the perfect sexual relationship without compromise or choose the time of our painless death? To find out, Jenny Kleeman interviewed a sex robot, ate a priceless labgrown chicken nugget, watched foetuses growing in plastic bags, and attended membersonly meetings where people learn how to kill themselves.Many of the people Kleeman has met say they are finding solutions to problems that have always defined and constricted humankind. But what truly motivates them? What kind of person devotes their life to building a death machine? What kind of customer is desperate to buy an artificially intelligent sex doll - and why? Who is campaigning against these advances, and how are they trying to stop them? And what about the many unintended consequences such inventions will inevitably unleash? Sex Robots & Vegan Meat is not science fiction. It's not about what might happen one day - it's about what is happening right now, and who is making it happen. In the end, it asks a simple question: are we about to change what it means to be human forever?

Science was wrong is a fascinating collection of stories about the pioneers who created or thought up the "impossible" cures, theories, and inventions "they" said couldn't work--Cover.

Siegel profiles twenty-five iconic inventions from the Star trek television and film universe, explaining the science behind them. He also examines how close we are to achieving them in the real world. Some are pure fiction, some you're already using, and others are closer than you think!

Describes simple inventions used by the American Indians to make their life comfortable; tells how these same processes are applied to develop more sophisticated inventions today; and includes simple experiments to duplicate early Indian technology.

Describes simple inventions used by Eskimos to make their life comfortable; tells how these same processes are applied to develop more sophisticated or modern inventions today; and includes simple experiments to duplicate the early Eskimo technology.