Helen Czerski Libri

"Earth is home to a huge story that is rarely told - that of our ocean. Not the fish or the dolphins, but the massive ocean engine itself: what it does, why it works, and the many ways it has influenced animals, weather and human history & culture. This is the spectacular story of Earth's dynamic ocean"--Publisher's description.

FINANCIAL TIMES 2023 HIGHLIGHT'Helen Czerski weaves together physics and biology, history and science, in a beautifully poetic way.'Professor Alice Roberts'In Helen Czerski's hands, the mechanical becomes magical. An instant classic.'Tristan Gooley, author of How to Read Water'Blue Machine is quite simply one of the best books I have ever read.'Dr George McGavin, zoologist, entomologist and broadcaster'A fascinating dive into the essential engine that drives our world. Czerski brings the oceans alive with compelling stories that masterfully navigate this most complex system.'Gaia Vince, science journalist, broadcaster and author of Nomad Century All of the Earth's ocean, from the equator to the poles, is a single engine powered by sunlight - a blue machine.Earth is home to a huge story that is rarely told - that of our ocean. Not the fish or the dolphins, but the massive ocean engine itself: what it does, why it works, and the many ways it has influenced animals, weather and human history & culture.In a book that will recalibrate our view of this defining feature of our planet, physicist Helen Czerski dives deep to illuminate the murky depths of the ocean engine, examining the messengers, passengers and voyagers that live in it, travel over it, and survive because of it. From the ancient Polynesians who navigated the Pacific by reading the waves to permanent residents of the deep such as the Greenland shark that can live for hundreds of years, she explains the vast currents, invisible ocean walls and underwater waterfalls that all have their place in the ocean's complex, interlinked system.Timely, elegant and passionately argued, Blue Machine presents a fresh perspective on what it means to be a citizen of an ocean planet. The understanding it offers is crucial to our future. Drawing on years of experience at the forefront of marine science, Helen Czerski captures the magnitude and subtlety of Earth's defining feature, showing us the thrilling extent to which we are at the mercy of this great engine.

This book links the little things - the unexpected pinkness of blueberry jam or the way the air smells before it rains - with the big in a book that will alter the way you see the world. Helen Czerski shows how the familiar, from coffee stains to ketchup bottles, can shed light on Antarctic winds, medical tests and our future energy needs. Did you know that it is the small amount of water contained in popcorn that, when heated, blows the kernel inside out? Or that this science also explains the lungs of a whale, a popping champagne cork and a supersonic jet? Hidden in familiar, everyday objects is the science that explains the human body, planet Earth and the way our civilisations works. And once you know the principle involved in boiling an egg, or sticking a magnet to a fridge, or jumping into a pool of water, pieces of a much larger puzzle will slot into place. Beautifully written and accessible for all, this leaves the reader empowered to make their own observations, and most importantly it is enormous fun.

A physicist explains daily phenomena from the mundane to the magisterial. Take a look up at the stars on a clear night and you get a sense that the universe is vast and untouchable, full of mysteries beyond comprehension. But did you know that the key to unveiling the secrets of the cosmos is as close as the nearest toaster? In Storm in a Teacup, Helen Czerski provides the tools to alter the way we see everything around us by linking ordinary objects and occurrences, like popcorn popping, coffee stains, and fridge magnets, to big ideas like climate change, the energy crisis, or innovative medical testing. She guides us through the principles of gases, gravity, size and time. She provides answers to vexing questions: How does water travel from the roots of a redwood tree to its crown? How do ducks keep their feet warm when walking on ice? Why does milk, when added to tea, look like billowing storm clouds? In an engaging voice at once warm and witty, Czerski shares her stunning breadth of knowledge to lift the veil of familiarity from the ordinary. You may never look at your toaster the same way.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Bubbles is a clear, surprising and entertaining introduction to the science of bubbles. Bubbles are beautiful, ephemeral, fun, fragile, jolly and slightly unpredictable. We're all familiar with them, but we don't often ask what they actually are. The great scientists of the Western world - Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, Lord Rayleigh and more - studied bubbles seriously. They recognised that they had a lot to say about the nature of the physical world, and they poked, prodded and listened to find out what it was. In the years since, we've learned that this bulbous arrangement of liquid and gas does things that neither the gas or the liquid could do by itself. Written by the celebrated physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski, Bubbles explores how everything from the way drinks taste to the Earth's temperature are influenced by bubbles. This book has a message: never underestimate a bubble! Written by the leading lights and most outstanding communicators in their fields, the Ladybird Expert books provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions to subjects drawn from science, history and culture. For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

Just as Freakonomics brought economics to life, so Storm in a Teacup brings physics into our daily lives and makes it fascinating. What is it that helps both scorpions and cyclists to survive? What do raw eggs and gyroscopes have in common? And why does it matter? In an age of string theory, fluid dynamics and biophysics, it can seem as if the science of our world is only for specialists and academics. Not so, insists Helen Czerski - and in this sparkling new book she explores the patterns and connections that illustrate the grandest theories in the smallest everyday objects and experiences. Linking what makes popcorn pop to Antarctic winds, coffee stains to blood tests or ketchup bottles to aliens in space, every thread you pull in the fabric of everyday life shows you something new about the intricate patterns of our world. Read Storm in a Teacup and you will see and understand the world as you never did before.

Vysloví-li někdo slovo „fyzika“, co vás napadne jako první? Einstein a jeho teorie relativity, tajemné částice z urychlovače, černé díry ve vesmíru, nebo trochu otravné příklady s nakloněnou rovinou ze školních lavic? Britská vědkyně Helen Czerski to vidí trochu jinak: fyzika je úplně všude kolem nás, v každé maličkosti a kdekoliv, kam se podíváme. Stačí jen vědět, kam se dívat – a svět už nikdy nebude takový, jako dřív. Co se odehrává při kynutí těsta? Jak funguje sloní chobot? Proč může být problém si zacvičit na palubě lodi? Co všechno dokážou bubliny? Jaké fyzikální procesy nám umožní vytřít podlahu? Proč je fascinující fyzika kečupu v lahvi? Co má společného šálek čaje a Hooverova přehrada? Které fyzikální principy nám odhalí topinka? Jak využili fyziku polárníci z lodi Fram? Dají se ze středověkého obléhacího stroje metat holínky? Autorka popisuje zdánlivě prosté, ale vlastně složité jevy jednoduše a s velkou dávkou tradičního britského humoru a nadhledu, což činí četbu této knihy skutečným zážitkem. Dveře do světa fyziky jsou nyní doširoka otevřené pro každého! „Každá kapitola začne nějakou drobností z každodenního života, něčím, co jsme viděli už mnohokrát, ale možná jsme o tom nikdy nepřemýšleli. Pak ale uvidíme, jak se pomocí stejného principu dají vysvětlit některé z nejdůležitějších vědeckých objevů a technologií naší doby.“

Fizyk wyjaśnia codzienne zjawiska przyrodnicze, zarówno te przyziemne, jak i kosmiczne. Spójrz na najjaśniejsze gwiazdy rozbłyskujące na czystym niebie, a będziesz miał wrażenie, że wszechświat jest niezmierzony i niedostępny, pełen tajemnic, poza zasięgiem ludzkiego rozumowania. Ale czy wiesz, że klucz do rozwikłania tajemnic kosmosu, znajduje się tak blisko, jak… najbliższy toster? W książce „Burza w szklance wody” Helen Czerski dostarcza nam narzędzia pozwalające zmienić sposób patrzenia na otaczającą nas rzeczywistość, zestawiając zwykłe przedmioty i zdarzenia, takie jak strzelający popcorn, plamy z kawy i magnesy na lodówkę z dużymi zjawiskami, jak zmiany klimatyczne, kryzys energetyczny lub rozwój technologii medycznych. W tej wciągającej książce znajdziemy odpowiedzi na różne pytania: jak podróżuje woda z korzeni sekwoi do jej korony? W jaki sposób kaczki utrzymują w dobrej kondycji swoje stopy podczas chodzenia po lodzie? Dlaczego mleko po dodaniu do herbaty przypomina sztormowe chmury? Helen Czerski z wdziękiem dzieli się szeroką wiedzą, pozwalając czytelnikowi w przyjemny sposób oderwać się od szarej codzienności. Już nigdy nie spojrzysz ponownie na toster w ten sam sposób.