Human learning : biology, brain, and neuroscience
By Aaron S. Benjamin
Amsterdam ; Boston : Elsevier/North-Holland, 2008.
Call# LB1060 .H8553 2008

From Elsevier:

“Human learning is studied in a variety of ways. Motor learning is often studied separately from verbal learning. Studies may delve into anatomy vs function, may view behavioral outcomes or look discretely at the molecular and cellular level of learning. All have merit but they are dispersed across a wide literature and rarely are the findings integrated and synthesized in a meaningful way. Human Learning: Biology, Brain, and Neuroscience synthesizes findings across these levels and types of learning and memory investigation. Divided into three sections, each section includes a discussion by the editors integrating themes and ideas that emerge across the chapters within each section. Section 1 discusses general topics in human learning and cognition research, including inhibition, short term and long term memory, verbal memory, memory disruption, and scheduling and learning. Section 2 discusses cognitive neuroscience aspects of human learning. Coverage here includes models, skill acquisition, declarative and non declarative memory, age effects on memory, and memory for emotional events. Section 3 focuses on human motor learning. This book is suitable for cognitive neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, kinesthesiologists, and graduate courses in learning.”

The pearl oyster
Ed. by Paul C. Southgate and John S. Lucas
Amsterdam ; London : Elsevier Science, 2008.
Call# QL430.7 .P77 P42 2008

From Elsevier:

“Audience
Oyster, mollusc and marine biologists. Aquaculturalists and practioners in oyster culture

Contents
Introduction; Taxonomy and phylogeny, Soft tissue anatomy; shell, structure and biomineralisation,; Feeding and metabolism, Reproduction development and growth; Environmental influences, Pearl oyster culture; Pearl production; Exploitation and culture of major commercial species; The pearl market; Disease and predation; Population genetics and stock improvement; Economics of pearl farming; Environmental impacts of pearl farming; Biofouling; Future development”

Antarctica : exploring a fragile eden
By Jonathan and Angela Scott
London : Collins, 2007.
Call# QH84.2 .S37 2007

From HarperCollins:

“A beautiful large-format history of a surprisingly fragile Eden.

‘A journey to Antarctica changes your life. It forces you to take a long hard look at the state of our planet and its last wild places…Antarctica promises man the chance to do something that he has never done before – commit to the preservation of a vast wilderness, simply because it exists.’ Best known for their African safaris, Jonathan and Angela Scott’s other passion lies in their travels to Antarctica. When the sun sets at the end of a hot day in the Mara-Serengeti, they long for the austere and beautiful landscape of the Antarctic.A journey to the southern ocean offers an array of emblematic creatures – penguins, albatrosses, seals and whales. A spectacular number of birds flock to the breeding colonies there each year, and whales gather in the southern oceans to feed during the Antarctic summer making it the perfect location for whale watching.But the recent boom in tourism is only the latest in a long history of man’s attempt to own and exploit this icy wilderness. Weaving together the discovery stories of explorers such as Cook, Shackleton, Scott and Amundsen, with the ecological stories of whaling, mining and the greenhouse effect, the Scotts reveal man’s impact on this remote and austere sanctuary for wildlife.”

Local cells, global science : the rise of embryonic stem cell research in India
By Aditya Bharadwaj
London ; New York : Routledge, 2009.
Call# QH588 .S83 B53 2009

From Routledge.com:

“One of the first studies of an exciting new development in global biotechnology, this cutting edge text examines the extent of the transnational movements of tissues, stem cells, and expertise, in the developing governance framework of India.

Documenting the impact of local and global governance frames on the everyday conduct of research, this groundbreaking book traces the journey of ‘spare’ human embryos in IVF clinics to public and private laboratories engaged in isolating stem cells for potential therapeutic application. The discussion also examines the gender dimension as a potential site for exploitation in the sourcing of embryonic and other biogenic materials, and suggests that a moral economy has developed in which the ethical values of the global ‘North’ support and encourage the donation of abundant and ethically ‘neutral’ embryos by the ‘South’.

This unique exploration is grounded in an empirical, multi-sited ethnographic study that takes a thoroughly comparative analysis of the ethical, religious and social issues in Europe, the United States, and organ donations already prevalent in India. In this theoretically-sensitive analysis, the authors use the resources of social anthropology and the social sciences in an innovative text which will appeal to postgraduates and professionals in the areas of STS studies, genetics, bioethics, and anthropology.”

The social behavior of older animals
By Anne Innis Dagg
Baltimore, Md. : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.
Call# QL775 .D34 2009

From Johns Hopkins University Press:

“How do young and old social animals view each other? Are aged animals perceived by others as weaker? Or wiser? What is the relationship between age and power among social animals?

Taking a cue from Frans de Waal’s seminal work examining the lives of chimpanzees, Anne Innis Dagg in this pioneering study probes the lives of older mammals and birds. Synthesizing the available scientific research and anecdotal evidence, she explores how aging affects the lives and behavior of animals ranging from elk to elephants and gulls to gorillas, examining such topics as longevity; how others in a group view senior members in regard to leadership, wisdom, and teaching; mating success; interactions with mates and offspring; how aging affects dominance; changes in aggressive behavior and adaptability; and death and dying.

At once instructive and compelling, this theme—spanning book reveals the complex nature of maturity in scores of social species and shows that animal behavior often displays the same diversity we find in ourselves.”

Darwin’s sacred cause : how a hatred of slavery shaped Darwin’s views on human evolution
By Adrian J. Desmond and James Moore
Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.
Call# GN281.4 .D47 2009

From Houghton Mifflin:

“In this remarkable book, Adrian Desmond and James Moore restore the missing moral core of Darwin’s evolutionary universe, providing a completely new account of how he came to his shattering theories about human origins.

There has always been a mystery surrounding Darwin: How did this quiet, respectable gentleman, a pillar of his parish, come to embrace one of the most radical ideas in the history of human thought? It’s difficult to overstate just what Darwin was risking in publishing his theory of evolution. So it must have been something very powerful—a moral fire, as Desmond and Moore put it—that propelled him. And that moral fire, they argue, was a passionate hatred of slavery.

To make their case, they draw on a wealth of fresh manuscripts, unpublished family correspondence, notebooks, diaries, and even ships’ logs. They show how Darwin’s abolitionism had deep roots in his mother’s family and was reinforced by his voyage on the Beagle as well as by events in America—from the rise of scientific racism at Harvard through the dark days of the Civil War.

Leading apologists for slavery in Darwin’s time argued that blacks and whites had originated as separate species, with whites created superior. Darwin abhorred such “arrogance.” He believed that, far from being separate species, the races belonged to the same human family. Slavery was therefore a “sin,” and abolishing it became Darwin’s “sacred cause.” His theory of evolution gave all the races—blacks and whites, animals and plants—an ancient common ancestor and freed them from creationist shackles. Evolution meant emancipation.

In this rich and illuminating work, Desmond and Moore recover Darwin’s lost humanitarianism. They argue that only by acknowledging Darwin’s Christian abolitionist heritage can we fully understand the development of his groundbreaking ideas. Compulsively readable and utterly persuasive, Darwin’s Sacred Cause will revolutionize our view of the great naturalist.”

Representing, modeling, and visualizing the natural environment
By Nick Mount
Boca Raton : CRC Press, 2009.
Call# GE45 .D37 R48 2009

From CRC Press:

“The explosion of public interest in the natural environment can, to a large extent, be attributed to greater public awareness of the impacts of global warming and climate change. This has led to increased research interest and funding directed at studies of issues affecting sensitive, natural environments. Not surprisingly, much of this work has required the innovative application of GIS and has led to a crucial research question: How should the environment be represented, modeled, analyzed, and visualized within a GIS?

With contributions from recognized international experts, Representing, Modeling, and Visualizing the Natural Environment explores the interplay between data representation, modeling, and visualization in environmental studies. It reviews state-of-the-art GIS applications for the natural environment and presents them in the context of a range of recent studies. This focus identifies analytical challenges and illustrates broader opportunities for applying GIS within other areas of the sciences and social sciences. The integrated approach reflects the need for a single volume covering all aspects

While many texts cover aspects of GIS application within an environmental context, few of these books focus specifically on the natural environment nor do they integrate the questions that encompass the full process of enquiry associated with GIS application in studies of the environment. The thirteenth volume in the widely recognized Innovations of GIS series, this book investigates each of these questions in turn, explicitly addressing all aspects of GIS application in the natural environment.”