New Releases by Mary Roach

The Animal Intelligence Bundle: “Minds of Their Own” by Virginia Morell (March 2008) “Almost Human” by Mary Roach (April 2008) “The Genius of Swarms” by Peter Miller (July 2007) In “Minds of Their Own,” Virginia Morell provides an overview of the science of animal intelligence. She introduces you to an African gray parrot named Alex, a bonobo named Kanzi, and a border collie named Betsy. Each of these animals tells us something interesting about the way they perceive and manipulate their world. The article also looks at what scientists are learning about the intelligence of dolphins and crows, beyond mere communication. In “Almost Human,” Mary Roach takes us to the savannahs of Senegal to meet a group of 34 chimpanzees, whose behavior and social structures have given scientists some important clues about the nature of their communication and intelligence. In “The Genius of Swarms,” Peter Miller looks at the collective behavior of ants, bees, and other insects for what they can tell us about social organization and how sometimes intelligence lies outside of the individual brain. This article served as the basis for his book, The Smart Swarm: How Understanding Flocks, Schools, and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making, and Getting Things Done.

"Roach explica en este libro por qué la excitación sexual y el orgasmo (dos de los fenómenos naturales más complejos, curiosos y gratos) pueden ser tan difíciles de alcanzar y qué está haciendo la ciencia para lograr que la cama sea un mueble cada vez más ameno pars sus usuarios"--Page 4 of cover.

Wenn es beim äMüssenä mal daneben geht, 14 Tage bei minimaler Hygiene im Raumanzug, seltsam anmutende Stresstests wie das Falten von Kranichen, Flüge im äKotzbomberä, Belastungstests an lebenden und toten Objekten u.a.: salopper und oft ironischer Blick hinter die Kulissen der Hochglanzraumfahrt.

The author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can''t walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As the author discovers, it''s possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA''s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), she takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Beschrijving van ongewone aspecten van ruimtereizen zoals de psychologie van eenzame opsluiting en de gevolgen van gewichtsloosheid.

Roach shows how and why sexual arousal and orgasm can be so hard to achieve and what science is doing to make the bedroom a more satisfying place.

- 5 disturbing tales of horror - "A Witch By Any Other Name" by Cynthia Jerkins - Interview with Mary Roach, author of "Stiff", "Spook" and "Bonk" - twisted artwork "Uranophobia" by Erika "Thrivis" Harm - Creepy cover art "Terrorific" by Jonatan Iversen-Ejve

Does the light just go out and that''s that - the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness, persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my laptop?" Mary Roach trains her considerable humour and curiosity on the human soul, seeking answers from a varied and fascinating crew of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die. Along the way she encounters electromagnetic hauntings, out-of-body experiences, ghosts and lawsuits: Mary Roach sifts and weighs the evidence in her hilarious, inimitable style.

The bestselling author of "Stiff" turns her outrageous curiosity and infectious wit on the most alluring scientific subject of all: sex. 16 illustrations.

Las macabras entidades que integran el dramatis personae de la última obra de Mary Roach figurarían, sin lugar a dudas, entre las más infelices que pueda concebir la fantasía si no fuera por la penosa circunstancia de que no son hijas de la imaginación. Pese al escalofrío o el desaliento que invade al delicado lector tras un primer acercamiento a tan lúgubre materia, la lectura de estas páginas acaba provocando involuntarias sonrisas y recias carcajadas. Porque Fiambres es una exploración contagiosamente alegre de las crueles diligencias practicadas con algunos de nuestros cuerpos cuando, una vez exhalado el último suspiro, los abandonamos a su suerte en los escatológicos umbrales de la tumba: cadáveres abiertos en canal y en el altar de la ciencia, difuntos que contribuyen al progreso de la medicina con los genitales perforados o los ojos extraídos, fiambres arrojados desde aviones o cosidos a balazos para verificar la eficiencia de nuevas armas, despojos crucificados como Nuestro Señor o devorados por gusanos, materia inerte que alcanza por fin la transubstanciación en forma de abono... Por muy gris que haya sido su existencia en este valle de lágrimas, cualquiera puede redimirse post mortem e incluso, con un poco de suerte, incorporarse a la grandiosa epopeya del conocimiento humano: “Un tipo de lo más normal que decide donar sus órganos puede convertirse, de repente, en un héroe”. La intrépida Mary Roach ha escrito con morbosa erudición e irreverente ingenio una obra que se adentra en el más allá para mostrarnos el lado más visible y deplorable de la otra vida. Mary Roach es periodista y licenciada en psicología. Sus artículos han sido publicados por Salon, Wired, Outside, GQ, Discover, Reader’s Digest, Vogue y New York Times Magazine. Vive y trabaja en San Francisco

本书记述了历史上人们对灵魂的探索历程,并亲自进行了从印度农村开始到弗吉尼亚大学的一间手术室结束,长达一年的探索。

Draws on the achievements of scientists, engineers, and mediums to consider the feasibility of life after death, from a reincarnation researcher''s experimentation with out-of-body experiences to laboratory investigations into ghosts.

Depuis deux mille ans, nous participons après notre mort, volontairement ou non, aux avancées les plus audacieuses et aux expériences les plus étranges de la science. Autrefois disséqués dans les amphithéâtres des écoles de médecine, les cadavres ont contribué aux progrès de la chirurgie. Plus récemment, ils ont notamment permis de démontrer l''utilité de la ceinture de sécurité, ont aidé un étudiant du Tennessee à discréditer la théorie de la combustion spontanée du corps humain et ont été analysés dans un laboratoire parisien pour évaluer l''authenticité du suaire de Turin. Cette enquête pimentée d''un humour noir jubilatoire s''attache à montrer à quel point l''univers du cadavre est immense et ses usages, infinis. Des laboratoires-ateliers de chirurgie esthétique aux centres de recherche sur le compost humain en passant par les écoles de thanatopraxie, c''est un voyage dans un au-delà très concret qui nous est proposé.

A look inside the world of forensics examines the use of human cadavers in a wide range of endeavors, including research into new surgical procedures, space exploration, and a Tennessee human decay research facility.

Teacher''s guide.