The theory of evolution evolved in the last 200 years. The book presents, for the first time in Hebrew, a survey of the ideas brought forward by scientists about the origin and the diversity of the living world, from the 18th to the end of the 20th century. Every chapter focuses on one of these scientists, to illustrate the uniqueness of his ideas against the views prevalent at the time. The contributions of Georges Cuvier and Jean Baptiste Lamarck in France, and of Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace and Thomas Henry Huxley in England, are emphasized, as well as the opposition to Darwin's views expressed by Bishop Sam Wilberforce, the biologist George Mivart, and the engineer Fleeming Jenkin. The description of the first mutations in plants and the re-discovery of a paper by Gregor Mendel in 1900 began the era of genetics. The Dutch botanist Hugo de Vries suggested a theory of mutations which was enthusiastically endorsed by the geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan when many "mendelian" mutations were discovered in his laboratory cultures of Drosophila. Genetic methods were employed in field studies of Drosophila by Theodosius Dobzhansky and his associates, and cooperation with Ernst Mayr yielded the genetic definition of the term species. Following the geneticists, mathematicians developed the theory of population genetics in evolution - R.A.Fisher, J. B. S.Haldane, and Sewall Wright. The combination of these models with Darwin's natural selection yielded the "Modern Synthesis " of the theory of evolution. Dissenting views of Richard Goldschmidt caused re-thinking about some established evolutionary principles.The introduction of electrophoretic and later molecular methods into field research on evolution in the mid-20th century caused a change in emphasis, giving more weight to random processes than to natural selection in evolution at the molecular level (The "neutrality" hypothesis of Motoo Kimura). The theory of evolution will no doubt continue to evolve in the future.

The Truth of Scientific Medicine is an attempt to deal with one of the crucial problems in modern medicine: the rapid rate of exchange of truths serving as the foundation of medical practice. Unstable truths are a source of skepticism and concern among many physicians. They are also one of the main reasons for the crisis undermining the trust between patient and physician. The quest for the truth in modern medicine passes through the six core concepts of scientific truth: paradigms, methods, borders, criteria, interpretation and inference. The author deliberates each of these concepts through concrete examples at three levels: the historical, the theoretical and the political. The issues serving as the basis of the discussion are of concern to the medical world, and appear at the core of professional and sometimes the public debate: management of coronary heart disease, treatment of bronchial asthma, hormone replacement in menopausal women, early detection of breast cancer, drug therapy for diabetes, conventional vs. alternative medicine.

The Gulf of Aqaba-Eilat is a unique pocket-sized tropical coral ocean, functioning in a subtropical environment. This book, the first one to treat the Gulf in an interdisciplinary collection of contributed chapters, celebrates also the 40 years of existence of the Heinz Steinitz Marine Biology Laboratory in Eilat. The authors of the 28 chapters are mainly Israeli scientists , but many are also from abroad, chiefly from Germany. The results presented, relate to Israeli, Jordanian and Egyptian waters. In presenting the Gulf, virtually unknown some 50 years ago and today a major diving tourist hub , the issues of coral reef preservation and restoration are predominant in this richly illustrated book. How many marine biological laboratories are there in the world where you have clear water, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and deep reefs off your door step? This multiple-author volume edited by Dov Por deals optimistically with the elimination of the sources of pollution and the challenge of restoration of the marine habitats of the Gulf, especially the coral reefs. (John E. Randall, Bernice Bishop Museum Hawaii)

How did cooperative social groups evolve? This is one of the major questions that concern evolutionary biologists ever since Darwin. One of the first explanations was selection at the level of the group: groups with cooperating individuals increase their reproduction and survival as a whole. Alternative explanations exist, such as selection at the level of the individual: a former beneficiary later rewords a cooperating organism or the seemingly altruist increases its social status thus increases its chances of finding a mate. Another explanation involves selection at the level of the gene: although an individual helping its relatives reduces its direct fitness, measured by its expected number of viable offspring, it enhances the frequency of genes identical to its own in the population. Each one of these models claims centrality or even exclusivity - theoretical primacy - in answering the question of the evolution of altruism. The book is an original and interdisciplinary contribution to the study of the evolution of cooperation. It facilitates a renewed discussion, from a fresh point of view, of classical problems in the fields of evolutionary biology and philosophy of biology; and raises fascinating questions about the history and sociology of science and the complex ties between science and values. From the Introduction by Prof. Yemima Ben Menahem and Prof. Eva Jablonka: Shavit's book discusses the different explanations to the evolution of altruism and how evolutionary researchers commonly decide between them. The author elucidates the nature of the problems and predicaments in this field, tries to identify their sources, and by using these insights offer new ways of thought that will avoid such pit falls in the future. The disposition to undermine observations and experiments of the local population while seeking the cause for universal altruism, and use of a narrow concept of 'group', biases researchers toward a semantic dispute, which completely denies group selection or spots this process everywhere. According to the author the roots of this practice lie, at least partly, in the socio-political echoes of the concept of 'group selection' since World War II. The author explicates an implicit and multifaceted dialog between science and values and argues for a plurality of selection processes in the evolution of altruism. This book is intended for anyone interested in the nature behind the well-known about the human nature. .

The book The Truth of Scientific Medicine tries to cope with one of the central problems of modern medicine: the quick pace in which the truths in the base of medicine practice are changed. Unstable truths are the reason for doubts and fears among many who practice medicine. Furthermore, they are one of the main reasons for the credibility crisis between doctor and patient.

"…This unique book has no equal … to date…I enjoyed its flowing style and its simple explanations and I would like to have this book in my library as it should be in the library of anyone who enjoys a treasure such as the Dead Sea" - Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld The Dead Sea - the world's ultimate natural healing resort for diseases of the skin, joints, lungs, and heart, among others summarizes knowledge on the efficacy of the Dead Sea in the treatment of a broad range of diseases. It details the different diseases that can be treated successfully at the Dead Sea and describes, in simple terms that anyone can understand, the principles, mechanisms of action and advantages upon which the various treatments that are available at the health spas are based. Prof. Shaul Sukenik is a specialist in internal medicine and joint diseases. He has served as the head of Internal Medicine Department "D" of the Soroka University Medical Center since 1989 and was recently appointed as the head of the Division of Internal Medicine. Over the past 15 years Prof. Sukenik has conducted research on the Dead Sea as a unique health spa site for the treatment of joint diseases and has gained an international reputation in the field of balneotherapy and health tourism. He has published over 160 papers in the medical literature.

Contents: Zvi Ben Avraham and Michael Lazar- The structure and development of the Dead Sea basin Gideon Baer- A view from space on movements in the earth’s crust at the dead sea basin Shmuel Marco- Lake sediments of the Dead Sea basin as paleoseismometers Abraham Kaplan- Bromine of the Dead sea – production and applications Aharon Oren- Life in the Dead Sea – past, present and future Gideon Hadas- ‘Ein Gedi, where they grow the best dates and the opobalsamum (balsam)’

This book explains in simple and understandable words all the principles, mechanisms of action and advantages of all the treatment modalities at health resort areas. This book describes all the diseases that can be treated successfully at the Dead Sea. and is the first one that was written and directed for the general public.

The ideal gift for all science lovers. This beautifully designed book features a significant number of previously unreleased documents and photographs from the Albert Einstein Archives and links them together with short introductions to chapters about Einstein’s private life, his scientific achievements and his political activities. The new volume represents a substantially enlarged English edition of a title originally published as a version to supplement the permanent exhibition on Albert Einstein at the Jewish National and University Library

Contents: Zvi Garfunkel- The tectonics of the Dead Sea transform Mordechai Stein- Climate change in the Dead Sea basin and the evolution of human culture in Israel and the neighboring regions during the Holocene Avinoam Danin- Vegetation in the Dead Sea basin Yoseph Yechieli and Meir Abelson- Sink-holes on the Dead Sea shore Nir Moscovitch and Oren Bar-Yosef- The magnesium metal era – the future is light Shimon Moses- The Dead Sea – a natural site for therapy and health