An exhilarating chronicle of the most revolutionary advancements in recent-and future-technologyWhich new technologies are bound to have the biggest impact on our lives in the years ahead? This groundbreaking book looks at the latest technological superstars destined to reshape the upcoming century and offers easy-to-understand, engaging explanations of what they are, how they work, and how they will affect our lives. Written by a senior editor of
Scientific American, the world's premier science magazine, and based on in-depth interviews with today's leading innovators as well as extensive research of the latest scientific literature,
Who Gives a Gigabyte? takes you on a fast-paced tour into the brave new world of gene therapy, quantum computation, designer drugs, and recyclable cars.
Surveying the wide range of technological wonders, the authors investigate such diverse realms of scientific advancement as computing, telecommunications, laser beams, bioengineering materials, and alternative energy sources. From the Human Genome Project, which aims to spell out every letter of our genetic inheritance, to the implications of altering genes in important agricultural projects, to new strategies for attacking malignant cancer cells without the damaging side effects of traditional treatments, to the startling but still unsuccessful attempts to make computer software more like the human mind,
Who Gives a Gigabyte? demystifies the technology of today and provides an enlightening glimpse into the limitless possibilities of tomorrow.
"An enjoyable and rewarding book."
—Choice"An informative overview of new and emerging technologies."
—Booklist"The reward for the reader is a solid grounding in technological literacy."
—Scientific American
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""An enjoyable and rewarding book.""
—Choice From Scientific American Stix (an associate editor at Scientific American) and Lacob (a freelance writer) provide a crackerjack tutorial in modern technology for those they call the technologically perplexed. Almost everybody could answer to that designation in one field or another. The fields that the authors discuss are computer hardware, software, telecommunications, lasers, genetic engineering, medical technology, molecular biology, materials science, energy, and environmental science. Numerous boxes focus a spotlight on such subjects as computer language, the electromagnetic spectrum and the polymerase chain reaction, and several of the chapters contain a helpful glossary of common terms in the field. The reward for the reader is a solid grounding in technological literacy.
Stix, a senior editor for Scientific American, and Lacob, a freelance science writer, present an informative overview of new and emerging technologies. The authors first tackle the all-pervasive computers, explaining how they do the marvelous things they do, the mysteries of software programs, and a concise history of the Internet. There's also a long section about DNA and gene splitting, and the implications the latter has for the future of humanity--some good, some very troubling. The authors end on an environmental tack, examining the many problems high tech has created for the planet's air, water, and soil, but also how technology might ultimately be a boon to the environment. Although the writing is clear and jargon free, this isn't a book for those completely ignorant about the topics. Recommended readers will have at least a nodding acquaintance with the high-tech areas discussed. Brian McCombie
