In this book, Dr. Robert Edwards brings a fresh, mathematical perspective to the Voynich manuscript and sets out a strategy whereby the interested reader could extract meaning from the seemingly impenetrable symbols . . . if meaning is there to be found. The Voynich manuscript has been described as the most mysterious document in the world. In 1637, a Bohemian scholar sent a mysterious manuscript to the celebrated professor Athanasius Kircher in Rome. Kircher promised to decipher it when the mood took him. He never did. Later, antiquarian bookseller Wilfrid Voynich claimed that he had discovered it in 1912 in a castle in Europe. • Contains hundreds of bizarre illustrations that seem to represent plants, stars, animals, zodiac signs, strange receptacles, and naked women in pools and streams of green water. • Throughout its over 200 pages are strings of glyphs or symbols that look like words; but the symbols do not belong to any known living or extinct languages. • No one knows what these symbols mean—or even whether they mean anything, though hundreds of scholars have tried to decipher them for 500 years. • Today, all that we know for sure is that the parchment probably dates from the early 15th century.

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Nearly 300 letters reveal Chopin as both man and artist and illuminate his fascinating world — Europe of the 1830s and 1840s. "Delightful gossip . . . merry rather than malicious . . . engagingly witty." — Books. Preface. Index.

Ever heard of the hidden figures of science? Not the movie, but the real deal. "The Silenced Voices of Science" spills the tea on the unsung heroes, the buried inventions, and the "what ifs" of scientific history. It's a wild ride through the underbelly of progress, where you'll meet the folks who got sidelined or straight-up forgotten, even though their ideas were total game-changers. We're talking women scientists, marginalized geniuses, and groundbreaking tech that got buried for shady reasons. This book isn't afraid to get real about how science, society, and power all mix together. It'll make you question everything you thought you knew about "valid" knowledge. Imagine revolutionary medical treatments that never saw the light of day because someone wanted to make a buck, or inventions that could've changed the world if it weren't for good old-fashioned prejudice. Get ready to have your mind blown by the role of chance in scientific discovery, and the crazy alternative paths science could've taken. But this book isn't just about history—it's a wake-up call. It's time to start recognizing the contributions of those who've been overlooked and to challenge the systems that keep certain voices silent. By giving the forgotten their time to shine, this book opens up a whole new world of possibilities for science. It's a chance to embrace a more diverse, representative understanding of how science shapes our lives. So, buckle up and get ready to have your perspective on science totally transformed.

The author takes a look at the Voynich manuscript, the Book of Enoch, a lost subterranean labyrinth in Ecuador, and the mysterious lines in the desert of Nazca.

In academia, a looming challenge threatens the very foundations of education as we know it. This formidable adversary is none other than the demographic cliff, a phenomenon that casts a long shadow over the future of higher learning. Simultaneously, the shifting perceptions of education in our modern world have given rise to fierce competition for students. This has resulted in a series of revisions in admission and transfer policies, causing enthusiastic debates about the rightful place of credits within a student's academic journey. Restructuring General Education and Core Curricula Requirements is a groundbreaking book that emerges as the solution to these pressing challenges. This remarkable work serves as a beacon of hope in these turbulent times, offering a comprehensive exploration of the core curricula dilemma and paving the way for transformative change. It addresses the need for thoughtful reflection on the meaning of core curricula in the modern world, diving into its history, and presenting innovative solutions for institutions seeking to provide students with a rigorous and relevant core education.

This account of two extinct bird species offers “an amazing amount of history, references, facts, maps, and illustrations” (Library Journal). The Dodo and the Solitaire is the most comprehensive book to date about these two famously extinct birds. It contains all the known contemporary accounts and illustrations of the dodo and solitaire, covering their history after extinction and discussing their ecology, classification, phylogenetic placement, and evolution. Both birds were large and flightless and lived on inhabited islands some five hundred miles east of Madagascar. The first recorded descriptions of the dodo were provided by Dutch sailors who encountered them in 1598—and within a century, the dodo was extinct. So quickly did the bird disappear that there is insufficient evidence to form an entirely accurate picture of its appearance and ecology, and the absence has led to much speculation. This extraordinary book pieces together the story of these two lost species from the fragments that have been left behind. “An up-to-date and comprehensive review of everything we know about the dodo and solitaire.” —Journal of Verterbrate Paleontology

This book presents the proceedings of the Eighth National Conference of the Italian Systems Society. The contributions underline the need for Systemics and Systems Science in order to address multiple, changing systems involving several coherent versions. The conference focused on identifying, discussing, and understanding possible interrelationships between fundamental theoretical advances in different disciplines. Given their scope, these proceedings represent a valuable asset for all researchers whose work involves multiple systems.

Nearly 300 letters reveal Chopin as both man and artist and illuminate his fascinating world -- Europe of the 1830s and 1840s. ..."delightful gossip...merry rather than malicious...engagingly witty." -- "Books." Preface. Index.