Rebecca Stefoff

Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior. It was widely thought that animal play, mostly in mammals, was part of Darwinian natural selection and somehow fit into survival of the fittest. However, animal researchers believe that animals play out of pure joy, rather than aiding in their survival. This jovial book about animal play, tells the secrets of, and the science behind, clever baboons that know which cars to break into for snacks,...

Alchemy is an idea based on superstition and philosophical global traditions spanning hundreds of years. Alchemists made medicines and pharmaceuticals from the earth's materials and purified objects through philosophy, magic, and spirituality. Chemistry is based on the material principles of mixed bodies, and spans all natural or physical sciences in its practices. This book on alchemy and chemistry shows the scientific method at work, proves, and...

Animals communicate through a myriad of ways including body language and pheromones. This thoughtful book surrounding ethology and how animals communicate through smell, taste, sight, sound, and feel reveals the secrets and science behind animals. Elephants will show affection with each other by entwining their trunks. Kangaroos and rabbits thump their hind legs to warn others of impending danger. Explanative text by award-winning author Rebecca Stefoff...

It can be hard to imagine a time when it was generally believed that the shape of our earth was a flat plane or disk. This book exposes the bizarre and sometimes-hilarious history of science, explores pseudo-scientific theories from the past, and the scientific progress made since then through use of the scientific method. Through the scientific method, anecdotes, historic facts, and the scientific theories themselves, it tells the story of why people...

Through centuries of storytelling, giants have evolved into monstrous fairy tale creatures with unique powers. This book explores many stories about giants and discusses their place in history as well as in today's society.

We say that the sun "rises" in the morning and "sets" at night, but is it really moving? Readers will learn about the long, sometimes dangerous struggle to discover whether the sun revolves around Earth, or Earth around the sun, and find out what scientists now know about our planet's place in the universe.

Discover all about coal: its history, uses, benefits and downfalls, and what it means for the future of the planet.

In the nineteenth century, over half a million men, women and children traveled west on the Oregon Trail. Stretching two thousand miles from Independence Missouri, to the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon Trail was the longest overland route used in the westward expansion. Crossing mountains and deserts, fighting disease, short of both food and water, pioneers endured many hardships to follow the trail west with their hopes and dreams of seeking fortunes...

Dams change the landscape, providing reservoirs of freshwater and even producing electricity. Discover the engineering behind dams.

Magic is an art form that effects events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. Much of magic is rooted in tricking the viewer to look elsewhere while the effect, or trick, is performed. Medicine is rooted in science and is the practice of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. This book on magic and medicine shows the scientific method at work. It explores a branch of modern science or a major scientific milestone, comparing and contrasting...