Books by Peter Ward

Epigenetics upends natural selection and genetic mutation as the sole engines of evolution, and offers startling insights into our future heritable traits. In the 1700s, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck first described epigenetics to explain the inheritance of acquired characteristics; however, his theory was supplanted in the 1800s by DarwinΓÇÖs theory of evolution by natural selection through heritable genetic mutations. But natural selection could not adequately explain how rapidly species re-diversified and repopulated after mass extinctions. Now advances in the study of DNA and RNA have resurrected epigenetics, which can create radical physical and physiological changes in subsequent generations by the simple addition of a single small molecule, thus passing along a propensity for molecules to attach in the same places in the next generation. Epigenetics is a complex process, but paleontologist and astrobiologist Peter Ward breaks it down for general readers, using the epigenetic paradigm to reexamine how the history of our speciesΓÇöfrom deep time to the outbreak of the Black Plague and into the presentΓÇöhas left its mark on our physiology, behavior, and intelligence. Most alarming are chapters about epigenetic changes we are undergoing now triggered by toxins, environmental pollutants, famine, poor nutrition, and overexposure to violence. LamarckΓÇÖs Revenge is an eye-opening and provocative exploration of how traits are inherited, and how outside influences drive what we pass along to our progeny.

In the tradition of Jon Ronson and Tim Wu,  an absorbing and revelatory  journey into the American Way of Defying Death . . . As longevity medicine revolutionizes the lives of many older people,  the quest to take the next step—to live as long as we choose—has spurred a scientific arms race in search of the elixir of life, funded by Big Tech and Silicon Valley.    Once the stuff of Mesopotamian mythology and episodes of Star Trek, the effort to make humans immortal is becoming increasingly credible as the pace of technological progress quickens. It has also empowered a wild-eyed fringe of pseudo-scientists, tech visionaries, scam-artists, and religious fanatics who have given their lives over to the pursuit of immortality.   Starting off at the Church of Perpetual Life in Florida and exploring the feuding subcultures around the cryonics industry, Peter Ward immerses himself into an eccentric world of startups, scam artists, scientific institutions, and tech billionaires to deliver this deeply reported, nuanced, and sometimes very funny exploration of the race for immortality — and the potentially devastating consequences should humanity realize its ultimate dream.

"A lucid, bright and essential work of reporting, analysis and genuine care. Peter Ward has given us a new way to think about private endeavors in space. Superb."⁠-Rivka Galchen, author of Little LaborsThis in-depth work of reportage dares to ask what's at stake in privatizing outer spaceEarth is in trouble-so dramatically that we're now scrambling to explore space for valuable resources and a home for permanent colonization. With the era of NASA's dominance now behind us, the private sector is winning this new space race. But if humans and their private wealth have made such a mess of Earth, who can say we won't do the same in space?In The Consequential Frontier, business and technology journalist Peter Ward is raising this vital question before it's too late. Interviewing tech CEOs, inventors, scientists, lobbyists, politicians, and future civilian astronauts, Ward sheds light on a whole industry beyond headline-grabbing rocket billionaires like Bezos and Musk, and introduces the new generation of activists trying to keep it from rushing recklessly into the cosmos. With optimism for what humans might accomplish in space if we could leave our tendency toward deregulation, inequality, and environmental destruction behind, Ward shows just how much cooperation it will take to protect our universal resource and how beneficial it could be for all of us.

"A beautifully written, thoroughly researched and relentlessly terrifying work, and a must-read for anybody with an interest in the environment or the future of our planet."--Salon.com

In a world where technology controls everything, sometimes your own handwriting is the only thing you can trust.Richard Henley is an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, but when he finds strange notes in his own handwriting warning that someone is trying to kill him, he is sent on a journey to places he never knew existed. With an ominous and all-powerful organisation on his trail, his only hope is to trust unexpected allies, take control of his life, and uncover the truth about what happened to the girl he loved twenty years ago. A darkly humorous commentary on our app-obsessed culture, if Richard can stay alive, his world will never be the same again.

Description:This groundbreaking and provocative book charts the recent history and impact of Christian youth work. It argues that the extraordinary growth of the evangelical movement in the UK can be attributed to its work among young people, and demonstrates how the youth work of one generation shapes the adult church of a later one. Peter Ward opens up vital areas of debate - has youth work become primarily defensive, rather than evangelical? Are we afraid to engage creatively with modern culture? What hope is there for the church of the future?Endorsements:""Pete Ward argues that the evangelical subculture is essentially shaped by what goes on in the youth fellowship. So evangelicalism is essentially adolescent? It''s a provocative idea, not to be dismissed lightly, and means that we all need to pay attention to what we are doing in youth work and consider seriously what this book claims.""--Derek Tidball, London Bible College""A challenging and controversial book which deserves the closest attention and response.""--Graham Cray, Ridley Hall""This book opens up a wider debate on issues familiar to those in frontier youth work about the roots and influence of Christian youth culture in general and the nature of evangelicalism in particular.""--Michael Eastman, Frontier Youth Trust""This book is a must for anyone concerned either with youth work or the future of the church. Whether you agree with him or not, Pete Ward shows what a rich heritage of youth work evangelicals have, and how important for the future are realism, vision, and courage.""--David McInnes, St. Aldate''s ChurchAbout the Contributor(s):Peter Ward teaches at King''s College, London, where he is involved in research into popular theology and culture. He is the author of a number of books, including Liquid Church, God at the Mall, Youthwork and the Mission of God, and Youth Culture and the Gospel.

Description:A visionary book for the emergent church.The church must be like water--flexible, fluid, changeable. This book is a vision for how the church can embrace the liquid nature of culture rather than just scrambling to keep afloat while sailing over it. Ward urges us to move away from the traditional notion of church as a gathering of people meeting in one place at one time to the dynamic notion of the emergent church as a series of relationships and communications. In the Liquid Church, membership is determined by participation and involvement. Liquid Church is continually on the move, flowing in response to the Spirit and the gospel of Jesus, the imagination and creativity of its leaders, and the choices and experiences of it worshippers. In this provocative, insightful, and challenging book, Pete Ward presents his vision of a Liquid Church that addresses the needs of the isolated consumer-Christian by providing connection and community, located in common cause and similar desire for God.Endorsements:""Pete Ward''s ideas on rethinking our perception of ''ministry'' and ''church'' will leave some storming the castle with torches and others standing at the precipice of all that they''ve been, ready to take a first step into a very new idea of what we call ''church.''""--YouthworkerAbout the Contributor(s):Pete Ward teaches at King''s College, London, where he is involved in research into popular theology and culture. He is the author of a number of books, including God at the Mall, Youthwork and the Mission of God, Growing Up Evangelical, and Youth Culture and the Gospel.

Elaborating on and updating Ward's previous work, The End of Evolution, Rivers in Time delves into his newest discoveries. The book presents the gripping tale of the author's investigations into the history of life and death on Earth through a series of expeditions that have brought him ever closer to the truth about mass extinctions, past and future.

Peter Ward looks at how spaces in the Canadian home have changed over the last three centuries, and how family and social relationships have shaped - and been shaped by - these changing spaces.

This 2-in-1 Training Kit delivers preparation plus practice for Microsoft Exam 70-462. Ace your exam prep - and enhance your job skills - with hands-on lessons, practice tests, and other resources.

In The Medea Hypothesis, renowned paleontologist Peter Ward proposes a revolutionary and provocative vision of life's relationship with the Earth's biosphere--one that has frightening implications for our future, yet also offers hope. Using the latest discoveries from the geological record, he argues that life might be its own worst enemy. This stands in stark contrast to James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis--the idea that life sustains habitable conditions on Earth. In answer to Gaia, which draws on the idea of the "e;good mother"e; who nurtures life, Ward invokes Medea, the mythical mother who killed her own children. Could life by its very nature threaten its own existence? According to the Medea hypothesis, it does. Ward demonstrates that all but one of the mass extinctions that have struck Earth were caused by life itself. He looks at our planet's history in a new way, revealing an Earth that is witnessing an alarming decline of diversity and biomass--a decline brought on by life's own "e;biocidal"e; tendencies. And the Medea hypothesis applies not just to our planet--its dire prognosis extends to all potential life in the universe. Yet life on Earth doesn't have to be lethal. Ward shows why, but warns that our time is running out. Breathtaking in scope, The Medea Hypothesis is certain to arouse fierce debate and radically transform our worldview. It serves as an urgent challenge to all of us to think in new ways if we hope to save ourselves from ourselves.

Provides an introduction for new entrants to the broadcast industry. This work is designed to prepare them for working in mainstream television by discussing essential techniques, technologies and work attitudes. It explores: the need to develop a professional approach; the occupational skills needed to meet deadlines, and more.

Studio and outside broadcast is often done with more than one camera and has its own distinct discipline and operational procedures. This book describes multi-camerawork and the techniques required to produce professional results. It includes material on widescreen shooting and provides explanations of basic concepts for easy understanding.

Aims to teach picture composition and enhance the quality of the work. This book includes compositional implications of widescreen, DV cameras, and teaches through examples of practical scenarios and problem-solving. It is useful for a practising camera and trainee camera operator, and, students and lecturers on a film production course.

Introduces digital camerawork techniques used in television and video production. This book features step-by-step instructions on camera controls, editing, lighting and sound. Talking about transition between analogue and digital acquisition/recording formats, it provides information on the different production styles and requirements.

Written by television trainers who run their own courses on Multiskilling, this book offers an introduction to a range of skills and technical knowledge required in this industry. It concentrates on the techniques associated with news and magazine programme production, where most technical operators are usually employed.

Offers an introduction to both the analogue and digital beta camera formats: Betacam, Digital Beta, Betacam SX and DV & DVCAM. This book covers various things from pre-recording checklists, to technical camera specifications, instruction on exposure and lighting, composition, editing and sound and techniques for different programme styles.