Dr. Mike Goldsmith

A brief introduction to Earth, its geography, and its geology.

Amazing Science-Delve into the how’s and why’s of science in this fact-filled series. These books answer kids’ questions about the world around them—and encourage them to ask more.

More than 50 flaps to open in this large board book discussing digestion, toilets, sewage treatment, and everything else to do with waste.

Noise is a widely recognized problem and health concern in the modern world. Given the importance of managing noise levels and developing suitable "soundscapes" in contexts such as industry, schools, or public spaces, this is an area of active research for acousticians. But noise, in the sense of dissonance, can also be used positively; composers have employed it from Baroque music to Rock feedback; medicine harnesses it to shatter kidney stones and treat cancer; and even the military usesit in (real and rumoured) weapons. Mike Goldsmith looks back at the long history of the battle between people and noise - a battle that has changed our lives and moulded our societies. He investigates how increasing noise levels relate to human progress, from the clatter of wheels on cobbles to the sound of heavy machinery; he explains how our scientific understanding of sound and hearing has developed; and he looks at noise in nature, including the remarkable ways in which some animals, suchas shrimps, use noise as a weapon or to catch prey. He concludes by turning to the future, discussing the noise sources which are likely to dominate it and the ways in which new science and new ideas may change the way our future will sound.

As late twentieth century news coverage began to raise serious questions about aircraft safety and airport security, James Kaplan offered his 1996 behind-the-scenes account of John F. Kennedy International Airport transporting the reader "inside" the sprawling J.F.K. to expose the lifeblood of a major metropolitan airport. He presented a panoramic, intimately detailed and highly personal view of the world of flying, and of a fabled airport's inner life, which even seasoned travelers never got to see. While writing The Airport, Kaplan spoke to a variety of key players among the 44,000 employees hired to work around-the-clock at JFK, including administrators, technicians, crime investigators, pilots and skycaps. He interviewed people who held bizarre posts, such as Kennedys notorious "Birdman" who patroled the runways for "laughing seagulls"; the leader of the "Beagle Brigade" who used beagles to track the illegal entry of unwanted materials; and one of the airport's medical team who had to contend with airport "mules," men and women who smuggled drugs by ingesting large quantities of drug packets into their bodies. Kapplan also assessed the crucial role deregulation had played thus far in shaping the airline industry, producing lower fares that allowed more people to fly, but in a manner that felt "progressively more inconvenient." He suggested that deregulation may have contributed to dangerous declines in maintenance and safety standards and examined other elements affecting airline safety such as traffic control, weather, runway maintenance, radar and other sensing equipment, pilot and flight attendant training and disaster crews.

Even though they're dead, inventors are still full of surprises - and the ten in this book are more surprising than most. Now you can get the inside story from their long lost notebooks, read the ground-breaking news as their inventions hit the headlines, and find out about their bright ideas.

Presents an introductory look at space, including information on the solar system, the history of space exploration, and space in the future.

From black holes and supernovas to monster trucks and jet engines, Space & Mighty Machines contains astonishing facts and awesome photographs with extraordinary stories of the weird and wonderful.

Riotous robots are taking over the world, and this cybernetic guide tells you just how they are doing it. Read on and you'll discover a robot that's forced to snack on slugs for a living and a robo-alligator that works as a scarecrow. You'll also learn how to tell your cyborgs from your cyberpets.

Inspires readers by showing the very human aspects of these scientific explorers and by investigating the various motivations that drove their work.--