"What is nanotechnology and how will it affect us? Nanobots, nanoprobes, nanoswarms, nanogenes--the list goes on. Nanotechnology is a staple of science fiction and has a chequered history in public perception: will swarms of sentient nanomachines ultimately take over the world? As this Very Short Introduction shows, the science underpinning nanotechnology is as fascinating as the best science fiction. Philip Moriarty introduces the key scientific...

"What does it mean to be an American? African American history illuminates the United States' core paradoxes, inviting profound questions about what it means to be an American, a citizen, and a human being. This Very Short Introduction narrates the creation of racialized chattel slavery, the dismantling of that system during the Civil War, and the civil rights disputes that have erupted in the years since Emancipation, including the Black Lives Matter...

"Biodiversity, the diversity of life, is not only fascinating and beautiful, it is the engine of all the world's natural cycles, and the source of many of the resources on which humanity depends. Biodiversity conservation is, therefore, everyone's concern. In this Very Short Introduction, David W. Macdonald introduces the concept of biodiversity and the basic biological processes that it involves--evolutionary, ecological, and behavioural. He considers...

"The Civil Rights Movement was one of the most remarkable mass movements in American history. Not only did it decisively change the legal and political status of African Americans, it prefigured the moral premises and methods of struggle for other historically oppressed groups seeking equal standing in American society. Thomas C. Holt provides an informed and nuanced understanding of the origins, character, and objectives of the mid-twentieth-century...

"Democracy refers to both ideal and real forms of government. The concept of democracy means that those governed ― the demos ― have a say in government. But different conceptions of democracy have left many out. Naomi Zack provides here a fresh treatment of the history of this idea and its key conceptions. In the ancient world, direct and representative democracy in Athens and Rome privileged elites, as did democratic deliberative bodies in Africa,...

"In this very short introduction to the gene, Jonathan Slack explores the discovery, nature, and role of genes in evolution and development. Looking at how genes are understood as a concept, the nature of genetic variation, and how their mutation can lead to disease, this is an ideal guide for anyone curious about what genes are and how they work. Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring In this exploration of the concept of the gene,...

"Emotions are complex mental states that resist reduction. They are visceral reactions but also beliefs about the world. They are spontaneous outbursts but also culturally learned performances. They are intimate and private and yet gain their substance and significance only from interpersonal and social frameworks. And just as our emotions in any given moment display this complex structure, so their history is plural rather than singular. The history...

This Very Short Introduction provides a clear definition of invasive species, and considers the myriad ways they are moved around the globe. Julie L. Lockwood and Dustin J. Welbourne discuss the ecological, social, and economic impacts they often impose; policy and management approaches to combating their ill-effects; and how invasive species fit within the broader context of environmental change. -- Back cover.

"I owe a great debt to the many jurors, judges, lawyers, trial consultants, historians, and academics around the world from whom I have had the pleasure of learning about the jury. Traci Emerson Spackey of the George Washington University Law Library provided extraordinarily creative and effective help in locating images and other sources. Clifford Ando gave valuable recommendations about sources for the ancient world, and Daniela Cammack kindly provided...

Until only a few decades ago, our knowledge about the Universe came entirely from observing visible light. Since then, the dramatic expansion of observable wavelengths from radio waves to gamma rays, as well as neutrino and gravitational waves detectors, are revealing exploding stars, pulsars, quasars, colliding galaxies, merging black holes, extrasolar planets, and the cosmic web. New telescopes are probing into deep space and time, enabling us to...