The Science Shelf

The Manga Guide to Physiology
Etsuro Tanaka, Keiko Koyama, and Becom Co., Ltd.
No Starch Press
www.nostarch.com
9781593274405 $24.99 pbk / $14.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Manga-Guide-Physiology-Guides/dp/1593274408

Synopsis: Student nurse Kumiko has just flunked her physiology exam and has=
one last shot at passing her makeup test. Lucky for her, newbie health sci= ence professor Kaisei needs a guinea pig for his physiology lectures.

Join Kumiko in The Manga Guide to Physiology as she examines the inner work= ings of the body while training hard for the campus marathon. You'll learn = all about:

How the digestive system and the Citric Acid Cycle break food down into nut= rients and energy
How the body regulates temperature and vital fluids
The body's powerful cell defense system, led by helper T cells and enforced=
by macrophages
The architecture of the central nervous system
The kidneys' many talents: blood filtration, homeostasis, and energy produc= tion

You'll also gain insight into medical procedures like electrocardiograms, b= lood pressure tests, spirograms, and more.

Whether you're cramming for a test like Kumiko or just want a refresher, Th=
e Manga Guide to Physiology is your fun, cartoon guide to the human body.

Critique: Illustrated with a black-and-white manga (Japanese comics) framin=
g story about a student nurse studying for her make-up exam with help from =
a neophyte health science professor, The Manga Guide to Physiology is a tho= roughly accessible and user-friendly guide to physiology, the scientific st= udy of functions and mechanisms in a living body. Chapters examine how diff= erent bodily systems work, including the circulatory system, the respirator=
y system, the digestive system, the sensory nervous system, the musculoskel= etal system, the endocrine system, and much more. The Manga Guide to Physio= logy is an excellent text for classroom use or self-study, and especially i= deal for students with a keen interest in careers related to health care! H= ighly recommended especially for high school, college, and public library s= cience collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The = Manga Guide to Physiology is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.99).

Fundamental Research in High Energy Density Science
Consensus Study Report
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309694148, $28.00, PB, 148pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fundamental-Research-Energy-Density-Science/dp/03096= 94140

Synopsis: High energy density (HED) science has critical applications for s= ociety from fusion energy to sustaining the US nuclear deterrent, while als=
o contributing to broader scientific questions such as understanding planet=
s and their origins.

The next decade of HED science will be instrumental to growing our understa= nding and in the development of new technologies and processes. "Fundamenta=
l Research in High Energy Density Science" identifies key challenges and sc= ience questions for the field for the coming decade and proposes ways to ad= dress them.

Critique: A Consensus Study Report that is the joint project of the Committ=
ee on the assessment of High Energy Density Science, the Board on Physics a=
nd Astronomy, and the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, "Funda= mental Research in High Energy Density Science" is enhanced for the reader = with a four page Executive Summary, occasional illustrations, and seven App= endices. "Fundamental Research in High Energy Density Science" is unreserve= dly recommended for personal, professional, college and university library = High Energy Density collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medici=
ne are private, nonprofit institutions that provide expert advice on some o=
f the most pressing challenges facing the nation and world. Our work helps = shape sound policies, inform public opinion, and advance the pursuit of sci= ence, engineering, and medicine. (https://www.nationalacademies.org)

Biocivilisations
Predrag B. Slijepcevic
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
85 North Main Street, Suite 120, White River Junction, VT 05001 www.chelseagreen.com
9781645021384, $24.95, PB, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Biocivilisations-New-Look-Science-Life/dp/1645021386

Synopsis: What is life? Many scientists believe life can be reduced to 'mec= hanistic' factors, such as genes and information codes. Yet there is a grow= ing army of scientists, philosophers and artists who reject this view. The = gene metaphor is not only too simplistic but deeply misleading. If there is=
a way to reduce life to a single principle, that principle must acknowledg=
e the creativity of life, turning genetic determinism on its head.

The term biocivilisations is the acknowledgement of this uncertainty of lif=
e, as opposed to a quasi-certainty of the human position governed by a narr=
ow time window of the scientific revolution. Life existed without humans fo=
r more than 99.99 percent of the Earth's existence. Life will also continue=
without humans long after our inevitable extinction.

With the publication of "Biocivilisations: A New Look at the Science of Lif= e", Dr Predrag Slijepcevic shows how bacteria, amoebas, plants, insects, bi= rds, whales, elephants and countless other species not only preceded human = beings but demonstrate elements of how we celebrate human civilization -- c= omplex communication, agriculture, science, art, medicine and more.

Humans must try to adopt this wisdom from other biocivilisations that have = long preceded our own. By rethinking the current scientific paradigm, Dr Sl= ijepcevic makes clear that a transformation (from a naive young species int=
o a more mature species in tune with its surroundings) will save us from ou=
r own violence and the violence we inflict on the rest of our living planet=
which, if unchecked, will result in the demise and extinction of our own s= pecies.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, and as fasci= nating as it is informative, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, "Biocivilis= ations: A New Look at the Science of Life" will have a very special appeal = and relevance to readers with an interest in bacteriology, microbiology, ev= olution, nature and ecology. Enhanced with the inclusion of an two page Epi= logue (A Report to an Academy), twenty-nine pages of Notes, and a six page = Index, "Biocivilisations: A New Look at the Science of Life" will prove a h= ighly prized and appreciated addition to personal, professional, community,=
college, and university library Biological Sciences collections and supple= mental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Biocivilisations:=
A New Look at the Science of Life" is also available in a digital book for= mat (Kindle, $18.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (978166663= 8158, $24.99).

Editorial Note: Predrag B. Slijepcevic is a senior lecturer in the Departme=
nt of Life Sciences at Brunel University London. He is bio-scientist intere= sted in the philosophy of biology. In particular, Predrag investigates how = biological systems, from bacteria to animals and beyond, perceive and proce=
ss environmental stimuli (that is, biological information) and how this pro= cessing, which is a form of natural learning, affects the organism-environm= ent interactions. He aims to identify those elements in the organization of=
biological systems that lead to forms of natural epistemology, or biologic=
al intelligence, that might qualify those systems as cognitive agents. He h=
as published widely in peer-reviewed journals across all areas of this book=
.. (https://www.chelseagreen.com/writer/predrag-b-slijepcevic)

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Midwest Book Review
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