Science All books
Pierre Lemarquis
Aesthetic Empathy
The powerful impact of art on the human brain, in the light of the latest advances in the neurosciences
James Lovelock
The Ages of Gaia A Biography of Our Living Earth
The fascinating, controversial and most-worshipped hypothesis of ecologists - that of considering the Earth as the biggest living organism, referred to as Gaïa. It is here discussed by its inventor in person, who shows us that if our planet hasn't always had the same face, it's because there have been several ages corresponding to the predominance of very different species. In three centuries, humanity has wrought more modifications to the face of Gaïa than natural evolution did in millions of years. Although he does not doubt that the Earth, today turned completely upside-down by industrial activities, will find a new equilibrium, he does suppose that it could at the price of the disappearance of man, whose reign represents only one of the ages of Gaïa. Born in 1919, James Lovelock is the author of The Gaïa Hypothesis, a book which shook up the scientific world in the beginning of the seventies and met with great public acclaim.
Janine Thibault
The Air We Breathe
What is air? What is pollution? Whether with regard to the atmosphere, the effects of pollutants, or the weather, teachers will find in this book elementary theoretical information on air, and the essential foundation needed to instruct their pupils with a civic-minded, and preventive attitude to the air they breathe.
Jean-Pierre Bibring
Alone in the Universe
Since the first observations made with space probes, everything seems to indicate that the Earth, the product of a long chain of coincidences, is unique in its kind. Is life not therefore a generic property of the universe?
Bernard Croisile
Alzheimer Everything You Need to Know about Alzheimer’s
A reference work that offers hope, by a top specialist on Alzheimer’s disease
Thierry Lodé
Amorous Biodiversity Sex and Evolution
A new approach to evolution, linked to sexuality, for a better understanding of the history of biodiversity
Lionel Naccache
An Apologia for Discretion What does it mean to be part of the universe in the 21st century?
In the great tradition of essays, the author draws on cognitive neuroscience and neurology, mathematics, physics, biology, philosophy, psychoanalysis, Judaism and literature.
Alain Grandjean, Nicolas Dufrêne
An Ecological Currency to Save the Planet
The economy is being shaped to adapt to the ecological crisis; what is the scope for action? An original solution to save the planet: the ex nihilo creation of a “green currency.”
Douglas Hofstadter, Emmanuel Sander
Analogy:Surfaces and Depths A New Theory of Mind
Could analogy, which we use unconsciously every day, lie at the core of human thought?
Alain Prochiantz
The Anatomies of Thought What do squid think about ?
When we watch a squid facing up to a predator, we see it recoil, agitate the tentacles, spray a jet of ink, and then make use of the temporary blindness of the predator in order to escape to a safe hiding place. Are we able to say what it is thinking ? Evidently, we know that this behaviour is not the result of a reflex unleashed by the sight of an enemy. The mollusc is not however conscious of its acts, at least not in the sense that we, as human beings, understand this term. It is true that we are the product of a evolution of species, and that, although this may not be welcome news for everyone, we share a common ancestry with the octopus, or even the fly. Even if the structure of our cortex, and the invention of language allows us to write about octopuses (or flies), and not the other way round, the fact remains that these evolutive roots, in the same way as other animal species, including invertebrates, have something to teach us about the nature of our thoughts. Alain Prochiantz
Éric Baratay
And Man Created the Animal History of a Condition
In this book, Baratay holds a mirror up to humanity. He reviews the changing status of animals throughout human history: from ancient myths about animal domestication to the invention of bullfighting, from the great pastoral epics to modern slaughterhouses, from the ancient role played by animals in the human imagination to modern laboratory testing. Eric Baratay is a historian specialising in the contemporary world and in the status of animals.
David Elbaz
Another Way of Looking at the Universe The art of seeing the invisible
An overview of the major issues in astrophysics and cosmology. “Dark” matter and energy are undetectable: either they don’t in fact exist, or we don’t know how to see them... Above and beyond the astrophysical phenomena themselves, this book offers epistemological reflections that are only rarely addressed.
Alain Berthoz, Claude Debru
Anticipating and Predicting A Colloquium — From Thought to Mental Journey
What are the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms that enable humans to anticipate events and actions?
Philippe Kourilsky
The Architects of Heredity
Is man on the verge of controlling heredity? Will the characteristics of living creatures soon depend on our choice ? Do genetic manipulation, cloning and mutation warrant the fear they inspire? Philippe Kourilsky is the General Director of the Pasteur Institute. He is a professor at the Collège de France, and a member of the Academy of Sciences.
John Dixon Hunt
The Art of the Garden and its History (Product of the Collège de France)
What can a garden reveal about ourselves and our culture ?
John Haugeland
Artificial Intelligence: The Very Idea
At once philosophical and instructive, this work offers a synthesis of a discipline that marks a revolution, both intellectual and technological, in the approach of the human spirit. John Haugeland teaches philosophy at the University of Pittsburg.
Albert Goldbeter
At the Heart of Life Rhythms Oscillating Life
A thorough review of all the mechanisms that regulate the principal life rhythms. In a jargon-free style this book examines the origin of various types of oscillation and shows what unites them, beyond their specific mechanisms.