There may be 100 million pet cats in this country, but who says that means they’re domesticated? Sure, they clean themselves, use a litter box, and hunt rodents, but cats are also territorial beasts who think furniture is meant for claw sharpening, and that running water is always better than still. In this inventive, surprisingly funny, and highly entertaining and practical book, Mac Delaney addresses the quirks of cat behavior through the mindset of an aerospace engineer (because that’s what he is!)—and gives us 10 projects that solve the most common sources of friction affecting cats and their doting owners. Take that preference for running water. Because cats don’t trust still water (in the wild, a stagnant pool can harbor disease), they’re often dehydrated and cranky. Here’s how to build not one but two different fountains that will provide fresh, moving water. Or another problem: Cats, diminutive in stature, can feel inferior around humans, causing them to act out in negative ways. The solution: Erect a cat shelf on your wall, giving your pet a prime perch and a height advantage. And that furniture scratching problem? Construct the Cat Cave—it has angled surfaces for optimal scratching, a curved top for ergonomic lounging, a carpeted interior for perfect napping, and an escape route out back for emergency exits. For any cat lover with a modicum of DIY skills, here’s a whole new approach to living happily ever after with your pet(s).

There may be 100 million pet cats in this country, but who says that means they’re domesticated? Sure, they clean themselves, use a litter box, and hunt rodents, but cats are also territorial beasts who think furniture is meant for claw sharpening, and that running water is always better than still. In this inventive, surprisingly funny, and highly entertaining and practical book, Mac Delaney addresses the quirks of cat behavior through the mindset of an aerospace engineer (because that’s what he is!)—and gives us 10 projects that solve the most common sources of friction affecting cats and their doting owners. Take that preference for running water. Because cats don’t trust still water (in the wild, a stagnant pool can harbor disease), they’re often dehydrated and cranky. Here’s how to build not one but two different fountains that will provide fresh, moving water. Or another problem: Cats, diminutive in stature, can feel inferior around humans, causing them to act out in negative ways. The solution: Erect a cat shelf on your wall, giving your pet a prime perch and a height advantage. And that furniture scratching problem? Construct the Cat Cave—it has angled surfaces for optimal scratching, a curved top for ergonomic lounging, a carpeted interior for perfect napping, and an escape route out back for emergency exits. For any cat lover with a modicum of DIY skills, here’s a whole new approach to living happily ever after with your pet(s).

In this timely and controversial work, Sue Hubbell contends that the concept of genetic engineering is anything but new, for humans have been tinkering with genetics for centuries. Focusing on four specific examples -- corn, silkworms, domestic cats, and apples -- she traces the histories of species that have been fundamentally altered over the centuries by the whims and needs of people.

"Full of ideas and well-explained principles that will bring new understanding of everyday things to both scientists and non-scientists alike."—R. McNeill Alexander, Nature Nature and humans build their devices with the same earthly materials and use them in the same air and water, pulled by the same gravity. Why, then, do their designs diverge so sharply? Humans, for instance, love right angles, while nature's angles are rarely right and usually rounded. Our technology goes around on wheels—and on rotating pulleys, gears, shafts, and cams—yet in nature only the tiny propellers of bacteria spin as true wheels. Our hinges turn because hard parts slide around each other, whereas nature's hinges (a rabbit's ear, for example) more often swing by bending flexible materials. In this marvelously surprising, witty book, Steven Vogel compares these two mechanical worlds, introduces the reader to his field of biomechanics, and explains how the nexus of physical law, size, and convenience of construction determine the designs of both people and nature. "This elegant comparison of human and biological technology will forever change the way you look at each."—Michael LaBarbera, American Scientist

Packed with fascinating facts, practical tips, and more than 750 spectacular full-color photos, The Ultimate Cat Book is the most beautiful and authoritative feline guidebook ever published. Full-color photos.

Winner of 2014 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Best Young Adult Science Book Longlisted for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award One of Nature's Summer Book Picks One of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Spring 2013 Science Books For centuries, we've toyed with our creature companions, breeding dogs that herd and hunt, housecats that look like tigers, and teacup pigs that fit snugly in our handbags. But what happens when we take animal alteration a step further, engineering a cat that glows green under ultraviolet light or cloning the beloved family Labrador? Science has given us a whole new toolbox for tinkering with life. How are we using it? In Frankenstein's Cat, the journalist Emily Anthes takes us from petri dish to pet store as she explores how biotechnology is shaping the future of our furry and feathered friends. As she ventures from bucolic barnyards to a "frozen zoo" where scientists are storing DNA from the planet's most exotic creatures, she discovers how we can use cloning to protect endangered species, craft prosthetics to save injured animals, and employ genetic engineering to supply farms with disease-resistant livestock. Along the way, we meet some of the animals that are ushering in this astonishing age of enhancement, including sensor-wearing seals, cyborg beetles, a bionic bulldog, and the world's first cloned cat. Through her encounters with scientists, conservationists, ethicists, and entrepreneurs, Anthes reveals that while some of our interventions may be trivial (behold: the GloFish), others could improve the lives of many species-including our own. So what does biotechnology really mean for the world's wild things? And what do our brave new beasts tell us about ourselves? With keen insight and her trademark spunk, Anthes highlights both the peril and the promise of our scientific superpowers, taking us on an adventure into a world where our grandest science fiction fantasies are fast becoming reality.

This self-help guide is for programmers who need to improve their management and leadership skills.