Washoe County Library System

"Follow Rothman's inquisitive mind and engaging artwork along shorelines, across the open ocean, and below the waves to explore the hows and whys of the watery universe, from how the world's oceans formed to why the sea is salty."--

In Cheats and Deceits, Martin Stevens describes the remarkable range of adaptations in nature, and considers how they have evolved and increasingly been perfected as part of an arms race between predator and prey or host and parasite. He explores both classic and recent research of naturalists and biologists, showing how scientists find ways of testing the impact of particular behaviors and colorings on the animals it is meant to fool. Drawing on...

The source of the earth's great variety of animals was a scientific mystery until Charles Darwin proposed the idea of natural selection. Nova presents breakthroughs in a new science nicknamed "evo devo" that are linking the enigma of origins to another of nature's mysteries, the development of embryos.

"The renowned Nobel Prize-winning scientist's elegant and concise explanation of the fundamental ideas in biology and their uses today. Hailed by Philip Pullman as "a great communicator" who is also "as distinguished a scientist as there could be," Paul Nurse writes with delight at life's richness and a sense of the urgent role of biology in our time. With What Is Life? he delivers a brief but powerful work of popular science in the vein of Carlo...

"Giraffes have long necks. Polar bears have thick fur and large feet. Octopuses change colors. All of these are adaptations. Adaptations help living things survive. Whether it's hiding from predators, the ability to catch prey, or traits that increase reproduction, adaptations are important"--

"Some animals hide to hunt for food, and others hide to avoid becoming dinner. It's easy to see why a disappearing act is important for many reasons. From octopus to polar bear, and from the praying mantis to the hawk, discover how and why many animals cleverly use camouflage."--

An exploration of Earth's natural systems discusses how they influence each other, what happens when the system gets out of sync, and whether lifeforms can communicate across species boundaries.

Sifting through rich layers of scientific evidence, Dawkins' "The Greatest Show on Earth" is a stunning counterattack on advocates of "Intelligent Design," explaining the evidence for evolution while exposing the absurdities of the creationist "argument."

Presents the many threads of modern work in genetics, paleontology, geology, molecular biology, and anatomy that demonstrate the indelible stamp of the evolutionary processes first proposed by Darwin.