From the Critics: "...the boldness, coherence, and sweep of the book are impressive...Ofek has good and highly persuasive ideas about his main concern, which is the importance and centrality of economic analysis from an early point in human evolution...Second Nature is an exhilarating and interesting read that raises powerful questions about how humans got here and how we should be studied." Alan Grafen (Professor of Biological Sciences, Oxford University) Science “This is without a doubt one of the most important books to be published in the field of socio-economics in recent years. Ofek has done a superb job in linking what he calls Bioeconomics with Paleoeconomics to explain the transition from Homo Erectus to Homo Sapiens . . . . Briefly put, any reader would benefit from the wealth of new ideas that virtually jump out from almost each and every page.” Warren Young (Professor of Economics, Bar Ilan University) European Journal of Political Economy "Ofek synthesizes an enormous range of research on human origins to advance to the key role of exchange of goods and services in the evolution of distinctively human species.... This superb book seems poised to be a touchstone for work in prehistory and human origins for the foreseeable future; essential for all academic libraries; highly recommended for others." D. Bantz (University of Alaska) Choice "Ofek's book is, in fact, remarkable because it gives interesting, exhausting and insightful answers to old problems and, at the same time, it provides a new way to approach human evolution from the economic viewpoint." Joao Ricardo Faria (Professor of Economics, University of Texas) Economic History Network “Altogether this is a stimulating and well-done book. It’s even written better than most books involving either biology or anthropology. It seems to me that it should be the beginning of a major revamping of our views of the early history of our ancestors. Its interest to economists is of course particularly great, but I would hope that biologists and anthropologists will find it equally stimulating.” Gordon Tullock (economics and law professor at George Mason University) Journal of Bioeconomics

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.

This book presents the foreign plants which originate in other countries and have become invaders in Israel.

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.

Organometallic chemistry that combines organic and non-organic, is an important field in chemistry that was especially developed in the last 10 years. This field greatly contributes to catalytic processes in the plastics industry and the production of medical and agricultural materials. Several Nobel prizes have been awarded to scientists dealing with this subject in the last few years. The book is organized by the periodic table. The subjects introduced in the chapters of this book are: organometallic compounds, Transition elements (arranged according to the ligands attached to them ), Catalysts and catalytic systems in polymerization or synthesis in coupling, metathesis or cyclization reactions. This book is intended for university and college students taking a course in the organometallic compound field.

Delivers fascinating insights into the development of the modern theory of stars Attractively illustrated with clear diagrams and beautiful colour pictures Delights the reader with entertaining anecdotes alongside deep philosophical excursions This beautifully illustrated book describes the birth and evolution of the theory of stellar structure through the vehement controversy between biology (as presented by Darwin) and physics (as presented by Kelvin) about the age of the Earth, which culminated with Rutherford suggesting radioactive dating. Shaviv analyzes critically many proclaimed scientific results, showing how and why they were wrong, and explains why it took decades to find the now accepted scientific answers - where there are such - and why there remains much more to be done before we can say we fully understand what happens up there in the heavens. The Life of the Stars provides fascinating reading for all those interested in the stars, in the history of astronomy and in what their story tells us about how science progresses. Moreover, it will bring readers up-to-date on current problems in astrophysics.

Most of us suspect that climate change is happening, but is it a terrible threat to our world or an exaggerated beat up? Or is it something in between - an issue that humanity must eventually face, but not yet? In this groundbreaking and essential new book, Tim Flannery argues passionately for the urgent need to address - NOW - the implications of a global climate change that is damaging all life on earth and endangering our very survival. This book is unimpeachable in its authority, deftly and accessibly written in its vision for what each of us can do to avoid catastrophe. It is a global call to arms, laying out plainly if not controversially what we know, what we think might happen, and what tools we have available to us to make a difference. The Weather Makers will change your life. It is a difficult subject and hard for people to evaluate dispassionately because it entails deep political and industrial implications, and because it arises from the very core processes of our civilisation's success. Right now our fate is in our hands, for we are the weather makers and we already possess the tools required to avoid catastrophic climate change.