{"title":"Science \u0026 Geography","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"geofuels-energy-and-the-earth","title":"Geofuels : Energy and the Earth","description":"\u003cspan\u003eOur energy use and its consequences (including climate change) motivate some of the most contentious and complex public debates of our time. Although these issues are often cast in terms of renewable versus non-renewable energy, in reality both depend on finite Earth resources. The evolution of the Earth itself therefore offers a uniquely illuminating perspective from which to evaluate alternative pathways toward energy and environmental sustainability. Geofuels: Energy and the Earth systematically develops this perspective using informal, nontechnical language laced with humor. It is well suited to a broad readership, ranging from beginning university students to lifelong learners who are interested in how the Earth's past will influence their own future. It also provides simplified explanations of controversial topics, such as energy return on energy investment, peak oil, and fracking. The focus throughout is on building a sound physical understanding of how natural resources constrain our use of energy.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"handzwrite","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32513592852616,"sku":"","price":44.57,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0336\/0843\/3800\/products\/7.jpg?v=1582612935"},{"product_id":"the-improbable-primate-how-water-shaped-human-evolution","title":"The Improbable Primate : How Water Shaped Human Evolution","description":"\u003cspan\u003eTaking an ecological approach to our evolution, Clive Finlayson considers the origins of modern humans within the context of a drying climate and changing landscapes. Finlayson argues that environmental change, particularly availability of water, played a critical role in shaping the direction of human evolution, contributing to our spread and success. He argues that our ancestors carved a niche for themselves by leaving the forest and forcing their way into a\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003elong-established community of carnivores in a tropical savannah as climate changes opened up the landscape. They took their chance at high noon, when most other predators were asleep. Adapting to this new lifestyle by shedding their hair and developing an active sweating system to keep cool, being close to\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003efresh water was vital. As the climate dried, our ancestors, already bipedal, became taller and slimmer, more adept at travelling farther in search of water. The challenges of seeking water in a drying landscape moulded the minds and bodies of early humans, and directed their migrations and eventual settlements.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn this fresh and provocative view of a seven-million-year evolutionary journey, Finlayson demonstrates the radical implications for the interpretation of fossils and technologies and shows that understanding humans within an ecological context provides insights into the emergence and spread of Homo sapiens sapiens worldwide.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"handzwrite","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32513596620936,"sku":"","price":10.52,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0336\/0843\/3800\/products\/8.jpg?v=1582612979"},{"product_id":"the-intelligent-web-search-smart-algorithms-and-big-data","title":"The Intelligent Web : Search, smart algorithms, and big data","description":"\u003cspan\u003eAs we use the Web for social networking, shopping, and news, we leave a personal trail. These days, linger over a Web page selling lamps, and they will turn up at the advertising margins as you move around the Internet, reminding you, tempting you to make that purchase. Search engines such as Google can now look deep into the data on the Web to pull out instances of the words you are looking for. And there are pages that collect and assess information to give you a\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003esnapshot of changing political opinion. These are just basic examples of the growth of \"Web intelligence\", as increasingly sophisticated algorithms operate on the vast and growing amount of data on the Web, sifting, selecting, comparing, aggregating, correcting; following simple but powerful rules to\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003edecide what matters. While original optimism for Artificial Intelligence declined, this new kind of machine intelligence is emerging as the Web grows ever larger and more interconnected.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGautam Shroff takes us on a journey through the computer science of search, natural language, text mining, machine learning, swarm computing, and semantic reasoning, from Watson to self-driving cars. This machine intelligence may even mimic at a basic level what happens in the brain.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"handzwrite","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32513601863816,"sku":"","price":12.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0336\/0843\/3800\/products\/9.jpg?v=1582613019"}],"url":"https:\/\/handzwrite.myshopify.com\/collections\/science-geography.oembed","provider":"handzwrite","version":"1.0","type":"link"}