Science and technology

The New Encyclopedia of Birds is the definitive single-volume guide to birds of the world. Entries prepared by a team of renowned biologists and conservationists give a systematic account of every family, covering their form and function, distribution, diet, social behaviour, and breeding biology. With one-eighth of all bird species now under threat, special attention is given to environmental and conservation issues.

With around one million species, insects and their allies are by far the most successful, variable and bizarre group of living things to have evolved on our planet. Yet much of their biology continues to remain a mystery. In this definitive and beautifully written book, Christopher O'Toole has compiled an authoritative overview of all the world’s terrestrial anthropods. Written by the world’s leading experts in entomology, the accounts are accessible to both scientific and general readers. Taking each group in turn, from millipedes to mantids and from spiders to scorpions, this volume provides a summary of the current scientific understanding of this fascinating group of animals. Exceptionally illustrated with specially commissioned artwork illuminating the text, this work is the one-stop guide to the host of largely unseen 'mini-beasts' that share our world.

‘Highly recommended…very attractive…Excellent accounts of the biology are given, each written by experts in the field’ - BBC Wildlife

There has been a huge surge of interest in reptiles and amphibians over the past few years in both scientific research and common interest. This superbly designed and illustrated encyclopedia has brought together a wealth of new and fascinating information on amphibians and reptiles in one volume. Written by a stream of distinguished zoologists and brought together by internationally renowned experts, Tim Halliday and Kraig Adler, the encyclopedia gives an excellent and authoritative overview of reptiles and amphibians. Vividly illustrated, it manages to combine scientific research with easy to read essays thus appealing simultaneously to a general audience interested in natural history and to specialists requiring an accurate up to date reference work.

"A handy guide to more than a hundred types of food for which health claims have been made." Catholic Library World

The health food industry is a billion-dollar business in the United States today and is thriving worldwide. However, despite the widespread consumption of these foods, little information is available to validate their actual therapeutic and nutritional value.

The Oxford Book of Health Foods is a comprehensive, up-to-date, and scientifically based guide to a variety of foods associated with good health. From fruits, herbs, and grains to vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements, this resource offers not only the claims associated with each food, but also the scientific truths behind these claims. Written in elegant and accessible prose, the book begins with an account of modern concepts of human nutrition, followed by a series of over one hundred entries on individual health foods and dietary supplements. Each entry provides full information on the food's origins, a thorough description, the claims and myths associated with it, and the scientific evidence to support - or refute - these claims. The text is further supplemented by a glossary explaining the more technical terms. A straightforward and authoritative reference, The Oxford Book of Health Foods is a must-have for all who are interested in general health and nutrition.

Consciousness is undoubtedly one of the last remaining scientific mysteries and hence one of the greatest contemporary scientific challenges. How does the brain's activity result in the rich phenomenology that characterizes our waking life? Are animals conscious? Can we define what consciousness is? Can we measure it? Can we use experimental results to further our understanding of disorders of consciousness, such as those seen in schizophrenia, delirium, or altered states of consciousness?

These questions are at the heart of contemporary research in the domain. Answering them requires a fundamentally interdisciplinary approach that engages not only philosophers, but also neuroscientists and psychologists in a joint effort to develop novel approaches that reflect both the stunning recent advances in imaging methods as well as the continuing refinement of our concepts of consciousness.

In this light, The Oxford Companion to Consciousness is the most complete authoritative survey of contemporary research on consciousness. Structured as an easy-to-use dictionary and extensively cross-referenced, the Companion offers contributions from philosophy of mind to neuroscience, from experimental psychology to clinical findings, so reflecting the profoundly interdisciplinary nature of the domain. This is a unique compendium that will prove indispensable to anyone interested in consciousness, from beginning students wishing to clarify a concept to professional consciousness researchers looking for the best characterization of a particular phenomenon.

The Oxford Companion to Cosmology is a comprehensive, yet highly accessible, encyclopedic overview of this enduringly popular subject. Its 350+ in-depth entries - ranging from cosmic inflation and dark energy to Higgs boson and neutrinos - both illuminate the ideas behind the current understanding of the universe and outline the fundamental physics from which those ideas emerge. Subjects covered include the structure of the universe, the evolution of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and cold dark matter. It deals with both theoretical ideas, such as alternative cosmologies, as well as the various types of observational evidence, including redshift surveys and cosmic microwave background radiation. Appearing at a time when there is a growing consensus about the origins and development of the universe, centred on the hot Big Bang and the emerging Standard Cosmological Model, it offers an introductory overview of this fundamental issue that brings the reader up to date on current thinking.

Extensive cross-referencing and a glossary allow the reader to unravel the ideas behind the terminology, while selected illustrations bring the subject to life. Entry-level web links direct the reader to recommended online resources. Written by established experts in theoretical and observational cosmology, the Companion is an invaluable and authoritative reference resource for students, teachers, science writers, and anyone with a serious interest in cosmology.

‘Clear, thorough, and meticulously researched. An invaluable resource for our changing world.’ - Elizabeth Kolbert, author, Field Notes from a Catastrophe The Oxford Companion to Global Change is an up-to-date, comprehensive, interdisciplinary guide to the range of issues surrounding natural and human-induced changes in the Earth's environment. The Companion brings together current knowledge about the relations between technological, social, demographic, economic, and political factors as well as biological, chemical, and physical systems. It is an essential reference work for students, teachers, researchers, and other professionals seeking to understand any aspect of global change.

The Oxford Companion to the Body is a fascinating and authoritative guide to every aspect of the body. It provides concise and readable accounts of the structure and function of all the major systems of the body and the causes of disorders that affect them. Interwoven with this coverage of the science of the body, are entertaining and informative articles on social and religious attitudes to the body, and its significance for artists, philosophers and writers.

The Oxford Companion to the Earth is a unique reference work, offering unrivalled coverage of the Earth Sciences, from volcanoes to flood plains, diamonds to meteors, deserts to deep seas. All aspects of geology, including climatology, mineralogy, and oceanography, are covered. In addition, there are many eclectic entries, for example on dinosaur hunters, and fossils and folklore, as well as biographies of the key figures involved.

Written by more than 200 prominent scholars, The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science presents an unparalleled history of the field invaluable to anyone with an interest in the technology, ideas, discoveries, and learned institutions that have shaped our world over the past five centuries. Focusing on the period from the Renaissance to the early twenty-first century, the articles cover all disciplines, historical periods, concepts, and methodologies and philosophies. Coverage is international, tracing the spread of science from its traditional centers and explaining how the prevailing knowledge of non-Western societies has modified or contributed to the dominant global science as it is currently understood. One hundred biographies of the most iconic historic figures, chosen for their contributions to science and the interest of their lives, are also included.