How does the foetus - a foreign body - survive inside the mother? The placenta is the extraordinary organ that allows this to happen; but this remarkable feat of evolution is only just being fully appreciated by science. Y.W. Loke explores the fascinating nature of the placenta and what it can tell us about evolution, development, and genetics.

In this book Kornhaber and Woodward explore the vital connections which link generations to each other and expose a new social contract that destroys the emotional bonds between grandparents and grandchildren., This is the first book which reviews, in a careful ethnographic manner, the relationship of grandchildren to grandparents and the place of love at one end and abandonment at the other by grandparents. The authors probe the deep, unexplored emotional histories of hundreds of grandparents; how they feel about themselves, their grandchildren, and their loss of function within today's nuclear family., With sharp increases in the number of broken families and working mothers, grandparents are more vital than ever and also more available than ever. This basic research document shows how grandparents recover their natural role as elders of the family and of society. The author's basic premise is that to exist is to be connected, and that no matter how grandparents act, they affect the emotional well-being of their grandchildren, for better or for worse, simply because they exist., In an age when mounting economic and social pressures make it increasingly easier to split a family than to sustain one, the authors alert us to a forgotten source of family strength, the power of grandparents to enrich the lives as a whole. The case studies reported in this volume represent a first effort in an area left unexplored by developmental researchers. There are lessons here for social scientists, but even more for our alienated society.—Urie Bronfenbrenner, Cornell University

There is a link between the water you drink and your health. We tend to take our drinking water for granted. We don't stop to consider the vital role water plays in the health of the human body and we underestimate the risks of water-borne contaminants. This book will help you understand the science behind water, update you about the safety of water supplies, and give you the basic information you need to make wise decisions about the water your family consumes. You owe it to yourself and your family to read the science behind water, presented here in straightforward terms by one of world's foremost experts on water purity, Eldon C. Muehling.

A leading environmental journalist travels to the most fragile places on Earth to show how what individuals do at home affects people, places, and things across the globe. 8-page 4-color photo insert.

To maintain the link of communication between battlefields and HQ, between commanders and soldiers, between physically distant Corps is the vital job of the Royal Signal. But the responsibility of the Signals extends beyond the logistical requirements of inter-personal contact Electronic Intelligence and Electronic Warfare are major departments within the organisation, each of which supports the other. The Vital Link examines these diverse aspects and traces the complex developments in techniques, technology and signals tactics since the Second World War. The book, however, is more an historical story then an exhaustive tract for reference purposes. It records the growth of the Signals through its people, the 'high quality' ordinary solder to the odd character, all of whom help to define the Royal Signals. With anecdotes from individual's achievements, both personal and professional, the history of this essentially military branch is presented in an accessible and enjoyable manner.