Preventa de eBooks de Divulgación científica

La obra más personal de Deborah García Bello. Un ensayo deslumbrante que entrelaza ciencia, memoria y belleza para revelarnos la química invisible que une todas las cosas: la materia, la vida y el amor.¿Y si un diario pudiera contener toda la quimica?Diario de laboratorio es el libro mas ambicioso de Deborah Garcia Bello, la divulgadora que ha hecho de la quimica una forma de buscar sentido y belleza. A traves de fragmentos que avanzan y retroceden en el tiempo, la autora construye un diario guiado por las ideas. Lo hace mezclando diferentes formatos narracion en primera persona, ensayo cientifico, poesia y anotaciones breves que reflejan la complejidad y las contradicciones de la vida.El olor de una casa, un beso, la vajilla de la abuela o un dia de tormenta, lo cotidiano, en definitiva, se convierte en el punto de partida para revelar la belleza invisible de la materia. Ciencia, experiencia y pensamiento se entrelazan en un proceso no lineal, lleno de asociaciones inesperadas, errores fertiles y hallazgos, donde la quimica aparece explicada con rigor y claridad, pero emerge con naturalidad entre lineas, como una mirada lucida del mundo.La observacion, la formulacion de hipotesis, la duda y el analisis, tan enraizados en el metodo cientifico, dialogan aqui con las emociones, el amor, la intuicion, los vinculos, las creencias fuertes y la logica social. Una lectura para quienes sienten curiosidad no solo por la ciencia, sino por la manera en que se construye el conocimiento.Con una escritura precisa, luminosa y profundamente humana, Deborah Garcia Bello nos muestra que todo esta hecho de las mismas particulas elementales que han viajado por el tiempo y el espacio, que han formado estrellas y que ahora componen nuestro aliento: un genesis atomico que no reniega del misterio de lo trascendente. Un libro poco convencional con una demanda tan sencilla como radical: presta atencion.

Una guía ilustrada, divertida y rigurosa para entender lo que tu cerebro hace… y lo que aún no sabemos que hace.¿Qué tienen en común el amor, la inteligencia artificial, los recuerdos, el odio, las d

El meteorólogo del programa Aruser@s, Marc Redondo, pone al alcance de todos ese elemento de la física que hace que las cosas funcionen: la energía; porque si sabemos cómo funciona, podemos entender todo lo que nos rodea.Desde las estrellas hasta el viento, los rios o nuestro cuerpo, podemos encontrar energia en todo lo que nos rodea, y estudiarla es clave para poder dar explicacion a nuestro mundo.Pasando por los siete principales tipos de energia la nuclear, la electromagnetica, la cinetica, la potencial, la termica, la quimica y la electrica, Marc Redondo nos enseña como se genera, asi como las leyes que la rigen y que hacen que funcionen los microondas, los cohetes, las montañas rusas, o, incluso, el cuerpo humano.En Hagase la energia, descubriremos de forma sencilla y divertida como se comporta la fuerza que da origen a todos los fenomenos de este planeta y a los inventos que nos hacen la vida mas comoda, y entenderemos que, si la fisica nos da miedo, es porque no nos la han enseñado bien.

La genética revela hasta qué punto somos únicos y, al mismo tiempo, profundamente interdependientes¿Qué significa realmente tener una identidad? ¿Hasta dónde llega lo que creemos ser y qué papel desempeña nuestro ADN en esa construccion? En Identidad Carles Lalueza-Fox aborda una de las cuestiones mas complejas y actuales de nuestro tiempo desde una perspectiva cientifica rigurosa y profundamente humanista.A partir de los avances mas recientes en genomica y paleogenetica, el autor explora como la informacion genetica ilumina distintos niveles de la identidad humana: la individual, la familiar, la colectiva y, en ultima instancia, la de la propia especie. A lo largo del libro, desmonta ideas muy extendidas sobre la raza, la pureza genetica o la existencia de identidades biologicas cerradas, y muestra hasta que punto nuestras identidades son el resultado de mezclas continuas, migraciones historicas y vinculos invisibles que nos conectan con millones de personas del pasado y del presente.Con ejemplos que van desde los reyes europeos hasta los genomas antiguos, desde los test de ADN comerciales hasta los debates contemporaneos sobre genero, pertenencia y nacionalismo, Identidad ofrece una reflexion imprescindible sobre los limites y las posibilidades de la genetica para explicar quienes somos, y sobre los riesgos de utilizarla de forma simplista o ideologica.

The Essential George Boole: Logic, Love and Legacyis a captivating portrait of a brilliant mind and the family that shaped him. George Boole, a largely self-taught genius, as a youth mastered multiple languages and scientific disciplines and later developed symbolic logic and what is now called Boolean algebra, the foundation of modern computing. He rose from poverty to become a respected professor at Queens College Cork, now University College Cork. It is believed by some that he inspired Arthur Conan Doyles creation of Professor Moriarty, the arch-enemy of Sherlock Holmes. But Booles story isnt just about logical and mathematical prowess. He was married to a remarkable woman, educationalist Mary Everest. Their five remarkable daughters and subsequent generations carried on a legacy of brilliance, breaking barriers in science, medicine and literature. Geoffrey Hinton, George Booles great great-grandson, is the 2024 Nobel Laureate in Physics. Booles story as one of the founders of the digital age is one of perseverance, love and ideas that changed virtually everything.

A forthcoming Allen Lane publication brought to you by Penguin Random House, on sale March 2027

What videogames can tell us when life itself is in crisis.The Anthropocene, the current geological epoch marked by human impact on the environment, is putting life itself at risk. In Unplayable, Paolo Ruffino argues that the effects of the Anthropocene reverberate in our media consumption practices, and that by paying attention to our media engagements, we can draw ethical and philosophical directions for our lives in the post-Anthropocene: a way of living in the age that separates us from extinction.The author focuses specifically on videogames, and in particular, videogames that relegate humans to the background of the interactive experience by recalibrating their agency, automating the creation of digital environments, and generating content that far exceeds the lifespan of our species.The book considers what videogame players and makers can teach us about our remaining time on this planetwhen both the real world and its simulations no longer function as expected.

An in-depth exploration of the network of agencies involved in policing child pornographyand what the future of security and care looks like.Facing the Child investigates the technocratic expertise in the policing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Mitali Thakor argues that CSAM has come to be framed as primarily a digital problem, to be resolved digitally, thereby unleashing a new form of corporatized policing helmed by global technology companies.Ambitious in scope, this multi-sited global ethnography draws on four years of original fieldwork and interviews with technology companies in the US, the United Nations in Bangkok, Thai and Dutch NGOs, and law enforcement in the US and the Netherlands.The book argues that in the 2010s, a network of technology companies, NGOs, and law enforcement created the notion of a virtual child in need of techno-solutionist saving to justify a vast expansion of surveillance technologies. The book examines how pervasive myths of child abuse online were exploited to serve the aims of seemingly disparate groups, from Christian neo-abolitionists to NGOs conducting virtual sting operations. It is this complex relationship between the care and securitization needed to fix the child victim as an object of data, concern, and rescue that the book explores.

A fresh new exploration of creativity as a strategy for surviving in a mobile and networked world.Mobile Networked Creativity is a new approach to understanding what it means to be creative in todays world. Though creativity is often viewed as an artistic or individual process, Adriana de Souza e Silva and Mai Nou Xiong-Gum define mobile networked creativity as the ongoing collaboration between people and technologies that occurs in situations of hardship and precarious mobilities. At a time when creativity is marketed as a corporate skill or national resource, Mobile Networked Creativity exposes its deeper role within the struggles over power, mobility, and justice.Moving beyond familiar stories of individual genius, innovation labs, and corporate brainstorming sessions, this book reveals creativitys transformative power. Drawing from examples across the globefrom Rio de Janeiros favelas to refugee campsthis book shows how marginalized communities use mobile technologies and everyday networks to survive, resist, and negotiate their relationships with their environments. Rather than treating creativity as a distinction of the few, the authors redefine creativity as a collective and relational process shaped by the interactions among people, technologies, and spaces.

How the effort to build a unified model of the human brain helps us reconsider the tension between unification and pluralism in science and in Europe.The Human Brain Project was launched by the European Commission in 2013 to build a digital research infrastructure that scientists across the world could use to unify neuroscientific knowledge. One of its goals was to build a detailed, large-scale model and simulation of the human brain. But less than a year after its launch, hundreds of scientists signed a letter that questioned the projects governance and the feasibility of its scientific goals. Launched with the intention of unifying the neuroscience community of Europe, the Human Brain Project instead brought the cracks to the surface. Now, following the conclusion of the project, the unified model that the project envisioned has not been built. A Brain for Europe explores why.Tara Mahfoud describes how debates over the political value of unification, pluralism, and integration have shaped debates and practices over how to build models of the brain in Europe. The book draws on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in neuroscience laboratories in the UK, France and Germany; project meetings, workshops and conferences in Austria, Spain, Italy, and The Netherlands; and the projects headquarters in Switzerland. The book is an up-close account of how the effort to build a unified model of the human brain serves as a lens through which to view the tension between unification and pluralism in science and in Europe.

A global history of nuclear energy from 1945 to todayand why the atom has failed to become a dominant, cheap, and safe energy source.Nuclear energy is once again being promoted as the means to phase out fossil fuels and solve environmental problems. Yet nuclear energy has rarely delivered on its past promises. Instead, attempts to harness the atom have led to some of the most severe tensions and political struggles in modern history. In Atomic Disenchantment, Per Hogselius argues that the failure of nuclear energy is best explained by the clashes and contradictions in the nuclear industrys attempts to connect with older technological traditions and practices. He looks not only at the Western great powers and larger non-Western countries, but also at smaller countries in Western and Eastern Europe and in the Global South.Hogselius examines the global history of nuclear energy from 1945 to today. Viewing nuclear power as a hybrid technology that combines new nuclear science discoveries with a range of older technological practices, he considers the history of nuclear power to be one of broken promises and unfulfilled visions and ambitions. Analyzing nuclear energy from a global historical perspective provides a necessary tool for understanding the ongoing nuclear debate.

An illuminating deep dive into the GIF and its evolution from a technical workaround to a powerful digital communication tool.Since its creation in 1987, the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) has transformed from a practical workaround for slow internet connections into a dynamic mode of digital expression. Once used primarily to display simple animations and low-resolution images, the GIF now occupies a central but often overlooked role in many online discourse communities. Yet despite their cultural ubiquity, GIFs remain neglected in academic research fields. In GIFs, Matthew Beale, Jamie Henthorn, and Megan Mize explore the small-but-mighty GIF, inviting readers to reconsider how everyday digital practices reflect and shape broader social and cultural dynamics.From group chats to global newsfeeds, GIFs permeate our digital lives, serving as humorous, subversive, and artful forms of communication. This book provides a comprehensive examination of the GIF as a cultural artifact, tracing its technological origins, aesthetic development, and communicative power. Across chapters focused on education, marketing and meme culture, creativity, identity, and community-building, this investigation explores how GIFs shape contemporary meaning-making, emotional expression, and digital participation, positioning the GIF as an integral piece of internet culture and history.

From renowned photographer Andrew Zuckerman, a stunning collection of 250 full-color images exploring the intricate web that connects the natural world to the human world.In United Nature, award-winning photographer Andrew Zuckerman invites you on a visual journey that reawakens your relationship with the living world. Through striking photographs and thoughtful reflections, he challenges the idea that humans stand above nature and instead reveals the threads that connect animals, plants, and ecosystems alike.But this book isnt only about beautiful images; its an invitation to see yourself as part of a larger whole. Exploring themes of interdependence, perception, and wonder, United Nature blends art, philosophy, and science to ask: When did we stop seeing ourselves as part of natureand how might we return?Creating a sense of connection with our living world through surprising photographic pairings, Zuckerman encourages readers to rediscover awe for a planet far richer, stranger, and more intricate than we often recognize. Whether youre drawn to photography, to nature, or to deeper questions of belonging, this book offers a new way of seeing the worldand our place within it.

A provocative and clear-eyed exploration of hacktivism as a democratic practice.In 1998, the early hacktivist group Electronic Disturbance Theater (EDT) burst onto the world stage with their virtual sit-in in support of the Zapatistas struggle against neoliberalism in Mexico, but by the time WikiLeaks and Anonymous made their own headlines in the 2010s, they were all but forgotten by the public. As all three groups begin to recede into the past, we are left with the question of the efficacy of hacktivism.In Epic Fail, Ashley Gorham uses democratic theory to unpack this question by examining these three especially prominent hacktivist groups. While each is shown to have its own bug or fail, failure itself is rehabilitated as an inevitable component of all democratic action, which serves as both warning and inspiration for future democratic theorists and actors alike.The book enriches our understanding not only of hacktivism but also of democratic theory as the groups bugs highlight problems within the individual theories discussedepistemic and radical democracy.

We may think of ancient cultures as rudimentary but in reality, the humans living hundreds and even thousands of years ago were remarkably savvy, establishing the foundations of the same science that we use today. From early Mesopotamia to the Stone Age, through Ancient Greece and Rome, the pirates of medieval England and the seafaring Vikings of Scandinavia, the time of the Samurai, Chinese dynasties, and cowboy cultures from the American West to South American ranches and the Mongolian tundra, The Science of History showcases how different peoples at different times have observed nature, reached rational conclusions, developed scientific techniques, invented revolutionary tools, and devised shockingly creative ways not only to explain the world about them, but to thrive in it. Within the Earth, humans found medicine; within the Air, navigation; within Fire, warfare; and within Water, the ability to manipulate their environment. Discover the origins of surprisingly sophisticated ancient science in this fascinating look at human ingenuity, such as: - Terraced Farming (Ancient Andes, China) - Samurai Land Stewardship (c. C16th) - Roman Concrete (c. 3rd century BC) - Stonehenge (c. 3100 BC, England) - Samurai Armor Crafting (c. C16th) - Viking Battlefield Herbalism (7931066 AD, Scandinavia) - The Pirate Compass (C17th18th, England) - Kilns (c. 6000 BC) - Cowboy Navigation (c. 18651900) - Firefighting Pumps (Ancient Greece/Rome) - Pirate Meteorology (C17th18th)Bursting with clever stories and fun facts, textboxes, lists, and features, readers can open any page of The Science of History and learn something new.

A fresh and eye-opening new explanation of AIand how its focus on specifics is changing our ideas about ourselves and our world.From a Harvard researcher, philosopher, entrepreneur, former comedy writer, and bestselling author.Amid the clamor about AI, Beautiful Particulars poses a unique question: Not how our use of AI will change what we do, but how the idea of AI may already be subtly, yet fundamentally, reshaping how we think about ourselves and our world.In clear, engaging, and even humorous prose, David Weinberger offers a new perspective on how machine learning works and how it may already be changing our basic and deepest ideas. Through lively examples, he shows that AIs successwith all its risks and dangersis taking us past our millennia of reliance on laws and principles by revealing what morality, free will, creativity, causality, knowledge, and even reality itself look like now that were able to let the particulars speak their tiny truthsThe author poses questions not usually asked: What does a coin look like to AI? When AI gives you evidence that the Earth is round, why are its own reasons for saying that so different? Why does an AI image generator create a selfie of ancient Aztec warriors with broad smiles that it believes are historically unlikely? If AI becomes conscious but bodiless, could it still make good moral decisions? Why is the world so much better at being causal than AI could ever understand? How does AI show us that genuine creativity is not about a spark but about moments that feel right? And how can you take the temperature of a joke?Beautiful Particulars offers a newand hopefulperspective on how machine learning works, and how thats already changing how we understand what it means to be human in the age of AI.

A meditation on race, technology, and the fight for equitable educationEducated citizens are the lifeforce of democracy. Across all aspects of modern life, and especially in education, AI is raising existential questions. Like any new technology, it is both transformative and problematic.In this smart exploration of tech, race, and society, Dr. Kamau Bobb meditates on the convergence of American memory and the promises of AI in education. At this critical milestone in American history, this book argues that enthusiasm and clamor for AI are a veil for the vacuous neglect of our nations racist past. Bobb encourages readers to pause and examine the actual foundation on top of which the grand claims of AIs potential in education are being built, raising questions like: How does AI change the fundamental structure of American education? How does the application of AI enabled tools affect educational outcomes in schools that are profoundly segregated? When the purveyors of these technologies claim that they will close gaps and improve the educational experience for all students, what does that really mean? American educational history is overflowing with abuse, segregation, substandard structures, and smoldering scorn. This book grapples with the challenges ahead in achieving equitable education as AI transforms and the nation retracts. At this convergence of technology and racial backlash in education, Bobb provides lessons from Americas past to light the path ahead.

Discover the Wildest, Weirdest, and Most Wonderful Animals on Earth (and their surprising quirks)!Get ready for a mind-bending adventure through the animal kingdom packed with incredible trivia and jaw-dropping facts that will amaze the whole family.From strange species youve never heard of to the shocking secrets of the animals you thought you knew, this book is bursting with fascinating discoveries that will make you say, "Wait, what?!"Part One: Animals Youve Never Heard OfMeet natures lesser known creatures from the Great Potoo to a type of fish with human looking teeth and an amphibian that freezes solid and thaws out in the spring. These are the curious creatures you didnt even know existed, and every page reveals a completely surprising behaviour!Part Two: Familiar Faces, Unbelievable FactsThink you know pigs, dogs, and penguins? Think again! Discover the weird and wonderful habits of your favourite animals from an everyday garden insect that stretches in the morning (yes like like humans!) to a farmyard animal that plays football. Youll never look at your household pets (or your garden visitors!) the same way again.Perfect for:Curious kids (aged 8+), teens, and adults who love to learnFamilies looking for screen-free funTrivia buffs, fact fans, and anyone who enjoys saying Wow, I didnt know that!So whether youre sharing fun facts at the dinner table, keeping curious minds busy, or dazzling your friends with animal trivia, this is the ultimate fact-filled adventure.Discover the worlds wildest wonders one fascinating fact at a time!

In this revelatory manifesto, anti-tech activist August Lamm gives you the courage and confidence to ditch your smartphone once and for all.When I owned a smartphone, my life was bad. I knew this. What I did not know was that I had a choice.August Lamm wasted her youth on the internet. In her late twenties, burnt out as a social media influencer, she sold her smartphone and switched to a dumb phone. Immediately, her mental health improved, her attention span increased, and her curiosity returned. Since then, she has made it her mission to help others do the same.Lamm started using a smartphone at age 14, so she knows how it feels to come of age glued to a screenand how hard it is to break free. Filled with moving stories and practical suggestions, You Dont Need a Smartphone proves that living without a computer in your pocket is not only possible but ideal. Offering guidance on selecting a new phone, navigating without GPS, meeting people offline, and overcoming obstacles like digital tickets and dual-factor authentication, You Dont Need a Smartphone is as urgent and radical as its title, and a new blueprint for a fulfilling life in the Information Age.

How a unique form of working together has builtand is critical to sustainour age of information.Peer production describes a unique form of global collaboration that is responsible for creating some of the most vital parts of the internet. Information ecosystem powerhouses like Wikipedia and the Linux operating system were founded on principles of open cooperation, and only exist today due to the contributions of thousands, and in some cases, millions of people. In Peer Production, Benjamin Mako Hill, Christian Pentzold, and Aaron Shaw describe the central role that peer production plays in todays information environment, and how it is a much broader phenomenon than the handful of famous projects that are now household names.The book offers three core ideas: peer production functions as a critical mode of collaborative knowledge production; represents a novel type of social collaboration; and has unique advantages over previous forms of collaboration. The authors show that peer production is not just the foundation of the internet as we know it, but also the engine driving the global digital economy to generative AI. Finally, the book also charts the uncertain future of peer production as it confronts new threats and a changing digital landscape.