Data Science (the Mit Press Essential Knowledge) Data Science (the Mit Press Essential Knowledge)

An accessible introduction to the history, fundamental concepts, challenges, and controversies of the fMRI by one of the pioneers in the field.

An overview of recycling as an activity and a process, following different materials through the waste stream.

The development, manufacturing, and use of contraceptive methods from the late nineteenth century to the present, viewed from the perspective of reproductive justice.

An exploration of quantum entanglement and the ways in which it contradicts our everyday assumptions about the ultimate nature of reality.

How biofabricated materials and machines powered by living biological cells can tackle technological challenges in medicine, agriculture, and global security.

One in twenty-three people carry the genes for the synesthesia. Not a disorder but a neurological trait – like perfect pitch – synesthesia creates vividly felt cross-sensory couplings. A synesthete might hear a voice and at the same time see it as a color or shape, taste its distinctive flavor, or feel it as a physical touch. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Richard Cytowic, the expert who returned synesthesia to mainstream science after decades of oblivion, offers a concise, accessible primer on this fascinating human experience.

Are we living in a post-truth world, where "alternative facts" replace actual facts and feelings have more weight than evidence? How did we get here? In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Lee McIntyre traces the development of the post-truth phenomenon from science denial through the rise of "fake news," from our psychological blind spots to the public's retreat into "information silos."

An accessible synthesis of ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence that moves beyond hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions.