Understand the complexity of movement in this revised edition of the definitive guide to the physiology and mechanics of upright walking—now updated with 50% new material.   Incorporates the Anatomy Trains model of human anatomy, plus the latest science on assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and sports medicine. The ability to walk upright on two legs is one of the major traits distinguishing us as humans, and yet the reasons for its development remain a mystery among scientists. In Born to Walk, author James Earls explores the mystery of walking’s evolution by describing the complex mechanisms enabling us to be efficient in bipedal gait. Viewing the whole body as an interconnected unit, he explains how we can regain a flowing efficiency within our gait—an efficiency which is part of our natural design. Based on Thomas Myers’s Anatomy Trains model of human anatomy, as well as the latest science in paleoanthropology, sports medicine, and anatomy, Earls’s work demonstrates how the whole body collaborates in walking, and distills the complex actions into a simple sequence of “essential events” that engage the myofascia and utilize its full potential. Offering a unique combination of anatomy, body reading assessment, and technique, this revised edition provides bodyworkers, physical therapists, and movement teachers with new research on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment approaches. Earls offers a convenient model for understanding the complexity of movement while gaining a deeper insight into the physiology and mechanics of the walking process. This book is designed for movement therapy practitioners, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, and bodyworkers hoping to understand gait and its mechanics. It will also appeal to anyone with an interest in evolution and movement.

A mesmerizing trip to the strange world of white holes from the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and The Order of TimeLet us journey, with beloved physicist Carlo Rovelli, into the heart of a black hole. We slip beyond its horizon and tumble down this crack in the universe. As we plunge, we see geometry fold. Time and space pull and stretch. And finally, at the black hole’s core, space and time dissolve, and a white hole is born. Rovelli has dedicated his career to uniting the time-warping ideas of general relativity and the perplexing uncertainties of quantum mechanics. In White Holes, he reveals the mind of a scientist at work. He traces the ongoing adventure of his own cutting-edge research, investigating whether all black holes could eventually turn into white holes, equally compact objects in which the arrow of time is reversed.Rovelli writes just as compellingly about the work of a scientist as he does the marvels of the universe. He shares the fear, uncertainty, and frequent disappointment of exploring hypotheses and unknown worlds, and the delight of chasing new ideas to unexpected conclusions. Guiding us beyond the horizon, he invites us to experience the fever and the disquiet of science—and the strange and startling life of a white hole.

Is the universe infinite, or is it just really big? Does nature abhor infinity? In startling and beautiful prose, Janna Levin's diary of unsent letters to her mother describes what we know about the shape and extent of the universe, about its beginning and its end. She grants the uninitiated access to the astounding findings of contemporary theoretical physics and makes tangible the contours of space and time—those very real curves along which apples fall and planets orbit.Levin guides the reader through the observations and thought-experiments that have enabled physicists to begin charting the universe. She introduces the cosmic archaeology that makes sense of the pattern of hot spots left over from the big bang, a pursuit on the verge of discovering the shape of space itself. And she explains the topology and the geometry of the universe now coming into focus—a strange map of space full of black holes, chaotic flows, time warps, and invisible strings. Levin advances the controversial idea that this map is edgeless but finite—that the universe is huge but not unending—a radical revelation that would provide the ultimate twist to the Copernican revolution by locating our precise position in the cosmos.As she recounts our increasingly rewarding attempt to know the universe, Levin tells her personal story as a scientist isolated by her growing knowledge. This book is her remarkable effort to reach across the distance of that knowledge and share what she knows with family and friends—and with us. Highly personal and utterly original, this physicist’s diary is a breathtaking contemplation of our deep connection with the universe and our aspirations to comprehend it.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning view of the continent, across the fortieth parallel and down through 4.6 billion yearsTwenty years ago, when John McPhee began his journeys back and forth across the United States, he planned to describe a cross section of North America at about the fortieth parallel and, in the process, come to an understanding not only of the science but of the style of the geologists he traveled with. The structure of the book never changed, but its breadth caused him to complete it in stages, under the overall title Annals of the Former World.Like the terrain it covers, Annals of the Former World tells a multilayered tale, and the reader may choose one of many paths through it. As clearly and succinctly written as it is profoundly informed, this is our finest popular survey of geology and a masterpiece of modern nonfiction.Annals of the Former World is the winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction.

From ancient megalodons to fearsome Great Whites, this book tells the complete, untold story of how sharks emerged as Earth’s ultimate survivors, by world-leading paleontologist John Long.“Will keep you on the edge of your seat from its first page to its last page.”—Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and SteelSharks have been fighting for their lives for 500 million years and today are under dire threat. They are the longest-surviving vertebrate on Earth, outlasting multiple mass extinction events that decimated life on the planet. But how did they thrive for so long? By developing superpower-like abilities that allowed them to ascend to the top of the oceanic food chain. John Long, who for decades has been on the cutting edge of shark research, weaves a thrilling story of sharks’ unparalleled reign. The Secret History of Sharks showcases the global search to discover sharks’ largely unknown evolution, led by Long and dozens of other extraordinary scientists. They embark on digs to all seven continents, investigating layers of rock and using cutting-edge technology to reveal never-before-found fossils and the clues to sharks’ singular story.  As the tale unfolds, Longintroduces an enormous range of astonishing organisms: a thirty-foot-long shark with a deadly saw blade of jagged teeth protruding from its lower jaws, a monster giant clams crusher, and bizarre sharks fossilized while in their mating ritual. The book also includes startling new facts about the mighty megalodon, with its sixty-six-foot-long body, massive jaws, and six-inch serrated teeth. With insights into the threats to sharks today, how they contribute to medical advances, and the lessons they can teach us about our own survival, The Secret History of Sharks is a riveting look at scientific discovery with ramifications far beyond the ocean.

“[A] shimmering new book . . . This is the place to look to learn about our best scientific understanding of what it means to be human.” —Steven Pinker, New York Times bestselling author of The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works“A cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara (and one of the inventors of the field), takes us on a lively tour through the latest research on brain evolution.” —The New York Times Book ReviewWhat happened along the evolutionary trail that made humans so unique? In his accessible style, Michael Gazzaniga pinpoints the change that made us thinking, sentient humans different from our predecessors. He explores what makes human brains special, the importance of language and art in defining the human condition, the nature of human consciousness, and even artificial intelligence.“As wide-ranging as it is deep, and as entertaining as it is informative . . . will please a diverse array of readers.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “A rich testimony to the incredible accomplishments of the human brain in coming to understand itself.” —New York Sun“Truly engaging.” —CNBC.com“A savvy, witty guide to neuroscience today.” —Kirkus Reviews“Brilliantly written and utterly fascinating.” —Robert Bazell, Chief Science Correspondent, NBC News“Sweeping, erudite and humorous . . . If you are looking for one book that gives you a Cook’s Tour of the human brain, where it came from and where it is heading, this would be an excellent choice.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette