New Releases by Carl Sagan

Por que gastar fortunas com programas espaciais quando há tantos problemas aguardando solução a poucos metros de nossas casas? Para Sagan, um dia o conhecimento do espaço poderá significar nossa sobrevivência como espécie. ''Pálido ponto azul'' revela como as descobertas científicas alteraram nossa percepção de quem somos e do lugar que ocupamos no Universo - e nos incita a refletir sobre o uso que daremos a esse conhecimento.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Exciting and provocative . . . A tour de force of a book that begs to be seen as well as to be read.”—The Washington Post Book World World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a Roots for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a thrilling saga that starts with the origin of the Earth. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits—self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics—are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Sagan and Druyan conduct a breathtaking journey through space and time, zeroing in on critical turning points in evolutionary history, and tracing the origins of sex, altruism, violence, rape, and dominance. Their book culminates in a stunningly original examination of the connection between primate and human traits. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a triumph of popular science.

“A history of the human brain from the big bang, fifteen billion years ago, to the day before yesterday . . . It''s a delight.”—The New York Times Dr. Carl Sagan takes us on a great reading adventure, offering his vivid and startling insight into the brain of man and beast, the origin of human intelligence, the function of our most haunting legends—and their amazing links to recent discoveries. “How can I persuade every intelligent person to read this important and elegant book? . . . He talks about all kinds of things: the why of the pain of human childbirth . . . the reason for sleeping and dreaming . . . chimpanzees taught to communicate in deaf and dumb language . . . the definition of death . . . cloning . . . computers . . . intelligent life on other planets. . . . Fascinating . . . delightful.”—The Boston Globe “In some lost Eden where dragons ruled, the foundations of our intelligence were laid. . . . Carl Sagan takes us on a guided tour of that lost land. . . . Fascinating . . . entertaining . . . masterful.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“The scientific discoveries described in this book may turn out . . . to have been the most important research findings in the long history of science.” —Lewis Thomas, from the Foreward

Beschouwingen van een bekend Amerikaans astronoom over wetenschapsbeoefening, pseudo-wetenschap, UFO''s, science fiction, de samenleving, evolutie, buitenaards leven en godsdiensten.

A partir des données scientifiques sur l''évolution de l''homme à travers l''univers, l''auteur dégage des éléments prospectifs sur l''avenir de l''intelligence de l''homme.

The well-known astronomer and astrobiologist surveys current knowledge of the development of intelligence on Earth in various forms of life and explains his persuasion that intelligence must have developed along similar lines throughout the universe.

Discusses practical applications of astronomy, various aspects of our solar system, and the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence.

Contrary to the conclusions previously drawn, the polar-cap recession data suggest the dark areas are highlands, because of the greater wind velocities and frost-vaporization rates anticipated for highlands. From the quasi-specular component of the radar power reflectivity and from the radar Doppler spectra, both functions of Martian longitude, the Martian dark areas are found to tend to have systematically higher elevations than the adjacent bright areas. Mean slopes of a few degrees or less are deduced, and elevation differences up to 17 km are inferred.