Spring is in full bloom, and the long-awaited fifth issue of "New Discoveries: Popular Science Booklist" is finally here!
"New Discoveries Popular Science Booklist" is the first booklist brand in China to specifically review popular science books, with the purpose of leading readers to pay attention to scientific reading, adhering to the value proposition of "science into the future", and is committed to gathering good popular science books from all over the country, and regularly launching a national popular science book list with selection credibility, social influence and market recognition. The book list is divided into three sub-lists: Science and Humanities, Science Life, and Science Youth.
At present, 46 shortlisted books have been produced, and today's two good book recommendations are freshly released, so stay tuned~
Science and Humanities: Sub-Booklist 07
By Kate Crawford
Translated by Ding Ning, Li Hongcheng and Fang Wei
9787522129334
China Atomic Energy Press
China Science and Technology Press
March 2024
Introduction
AI is a form of exercising power and a way of seeing, as well as a highly organized manifestation of capital, and it is entirely dependent on a broader set of political and social structures. Kate Crawford introduces the Atlas to discuss the economic, political, cultural, and historical forces that shape AI, and it is only by linking AI to these broader structural and social systems that it is possible to move away from purely technical concepts. In today's world where artificial intelligence is prevalent, it is only through continuous questioning and critical thinking about artificial intelligence that we can gradually get closer to the real answer.
Expert recommendation
At present, most of the books on artificial intelligence on the market basically discuss and analyze the characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence from a technical perspective. The book takes a different approach to the economic, cultural, political, and historical impact of AI by introducing an atlas. With the exponential growth of AI computing power and the continuous improvement of algorithms, AI has transformed from a productive tool to one of the key factors determining the future. Therefore, in a sense, AI has broken through the narrow theory of technological tools and demonstrated its far-reaching impact in all fields of society. Moreover, this force has penetrated into all levels of society, reshaping the structure of future society, triggering new technological innovations, and even shaping and constructing a new human civilization. Therefore, AI will only be able to move away from purely technical concepts if it is linked to these broader social structures. Only through the continuous questioning and critical thinking of artificial intelligence can we gradually get closer to the real answer.
08
By Robin Dunbar
Translated by Yang Guang
9787568098298
Huazhong University of Science and Technology Press
August 2023
Introduction
This book is a special fund project for the publication of public welfare academic works in Hubei Province in 2021, and was recommended by Yin Ye, CEO of BGI. Evolution is one of the most important processes in life. Not only does it explain in detail the history of life on Earth, but its scope extends to many aspects of our contemporary behavior—who we are, how we got here, our psychology, our culture—and has greatly influenced advances in modern medicine and conservation biology. Perhaps its most important claim to science is that it provides an all-encompassing framework that integrates many life sciences into a single, unified whole. However, evolution – especially evolutionary biology – has been, and continues to be, doubted by many. Understanding how and why evolution works, and what it can tell us, is perhaps the most important contribution to the public's understanding of science.
This book provides an overview of the underlying theory and shows how its implications are widely present in the life sciences, social sciences, and even the humanities. In this book, author Robin Dunbar illustrates these processes with examples of plants and animals. Evolutionary science has important advantages. Most scientific studies are about the microcosm that we can't see, which is difficult to understand, but evolution is the study of the macrocosm of our lives and activities, which undoubtedly makes it easier for the average reader to appreciate and understand. This book takes a broad view of evolution, exploring both the core theory itself and its impact on different aspects of the world we live in, from the iconic debates of the 19th century, to viruses and superbugs, to human evolution and behavior.
Expert recommendation
From "Evolution and Natural Selection" and "Evolution and Adaptation" to "Evolution of Complexity" and finally to "Evolution of Social Behavior" and "Evolution of Culture", this book is similar to "100 Whys", through 10 topics, each of which contains the keyword "evolution", and answers 100 questions related to evolution in an easy-to-understand manner. From ancient times to the present, up to "will the Internet change the course of our human evolution", the author has unique insights into the eight fallacies that people misunderstand the theory of evolution.
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