Books in Mysteries of Science series

Emma Hawthorne and Sarah planned to spend their precious summer vacation in sleepy, little East Bay, Minnesota swimming in Olivia’s pool, hanging out with their friends on the banks of the St. Croix River, and finding wildflowers and butterflies in the nearby woods. That all changed as soon as Emma 2.0 showed up. Emma 2.0 is the latest in artificial intelligence, a computer that combines the best of machine and human intelligence. Emma 2.0 is a digital super sleuth, and it needs to be. Because from the moment that Emma 2.0 shows up, mysteries abound, and Emma Hawthorne and Sarah soon find themselves locked in a crime solving competition with Emma 2.0. Will Emma 2.0 triumph the way that computers have already triumphed in chess and on at least one game show? Or will Emma and Sarah win one for humanity?

The Standard Model explains how the universe works at distances a billion times smaller than the size of an atom. However, in the Standard Model, none of the particles have mass, yet one only has to look around to see that things do have mass. Explaining the source of mass has been the goal of particle physicists for over half a century, culminating in the discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012. Supporting the Next Generation Science Standards' emphasis on scientific collection and analysis of data and evidence-based theories, this book simplifies the difficult concept of the Higgs mechanism through analogies to everyday experiences as well as pictures, diagrams, and intuitive explanations.

On December 26, 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected gravitational waves generated from merging black holes for the first time in human history. Through an engaging, easily accessible approach, the origins, dynamics, and ultimate fate of black holes are thoroughly unraveled so that students without a scientific background can grasp complex physics theories. This book supports the Next Generation Science Standards' emphasis on scientific collection and analysis of data and evidence-based theories by discussing the methods research universities and space agencies use to explore black holes.

"In September of 2015, the scientific world was buzzing: gravitational waves had been detected. It was a dramatic and conclusive demonstration of Einstein's theory of general relativity--the most complex and far-reaching theory in the history of physics. Through detailed diagrams, relatable analogies, and informative sidebars, this text cuts through the complexity and sophistication, providing an accessible introduction to the physics of waves, the implications of general relativity, and the ways in which gravitational waves can bring new understanding of the universe around us."--

"Since the time of Einstein, ideas of parallel universes have grown from far-out concepts to mature scientific theories. Using everyday analogies and do-it-yourself models to simplify intimidating concepts, students will learn about the most fascinating topics in modern cosmology, such as the big bang theory, inflation, wormholes, and higher dimensions. Student learning is enhanced by illuminating diagrams and informative sidebars that explore related timely topics in depth. This book supports the Next Generation Science Standards' emphasis on evidence-based theories by discussing past observations and future tests of each parallel universe theory."--