Spring Reading at Yale: Science Spotlight

With winter firmly behind us, we thought we’d take a stroll through our Yale spring reading favourites, with a spotlight on our exciting titles in the area of science.

ScienceWhether you’d rather go shopping with Joseph Turow, kick the addiction with Judson Brewer, explore the mystery of sleep with Meir Kryger, or learn a bit (too much) about cadavers with Naomi Pfeffer – our science reading list should keep you occupied well into the summer.


Science Spotlight

Science

Is sleep a mystery?

How much sleep do we need? Why do we experience jet lag? Is snoring normal? Dr. Meir Kryger, a world expert, is here to help with an authoritative, up-to-date guide to the science of slumber that will captivate those with sleep disorders and the curious alike.

‘Meir Kryger is the oracle when it comes to the conundrums of when, why, and how we sleep. I cannot recommend him highly enough.’
—Dotun Adebayo, BBC Radio 5


ScienceCan we break bad habits?

We are all vulnerable to addiction. Whether it’s a compulsion to constantly check social media, binge eating, smoking, excessive drinking, or any other behaviours, we may find ourselves uncontrollably repeating. Why are bad habits so hard to overcome?

In this important book a leading neuroscientist and pioneer in the study of mindfulness explains not only why addictions are so tenacious but also how they can be conquered.

‘Brewer’s book brings our everyday addictions into clear view, helping us see how we get caught up in our habits, and giving us simple, grounded steps that we can take to overcome them.’
—Jewel, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and author


ScienceWho’s watching your shopping?

Most Americans move through stores unaware of the beacons, lighting, sound signals, bar codes, and purchase histories that retailers use to track them and to decide how to treat them. In this timely and eye-opening call to attention, media expert Joseph Turow details this unfolding shopping revolution and assesses its repercussions.

‘Turow shows shopping today to be an exercise in unwitting self-revelation—and not only online.’
The Wall Street Journal


ScienceIs there a global trade in body parts?

The existence of for-profit cadaver purveyors is no secret.  Yet, it remains a largely invisible issue. This thought-provoking work documents the history, politics, and ethics of the cadaver part trade in the United States and Britain as well as the incredible profits made from unpaid—and often unwitting—sources.

Pfeffer goes behind the mortuary door to reveal the technical, imaginative, and sometimes underhanded practices that have facilitated the global industry of transforming human fragments into branded convenience products.

 


Don’t forget to take a look at our new Autumn/Winter 2017 catalogue!

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Featured Image: “The First E=MC^2” by Peat Bakke, licensed for use on Flickr.

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