Science Recent Picks

June 2009

The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution by Nick Lane.
"'If Charles Darwin sprang from his grave, I would give him this fine book to bring him up to speed. It's a breathless bulletin from the accelerating rush of news about the secrets of life on planet earth.' Matt Ridley. 'An original and awe-inspiring account. The first two chapters are the most coherent and convincing summaries of the dawn of life and of DNA that I have ever read... An exhilarating tour of some of the most profound and important ideas in biology. Anyone interested in life should read it. Highly recommended' Michael Le Page, New Scientist." (Amazon.com)

Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man's Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science by Curtis Ebbesmeyer.
"Curtis Ebbesmeyer is no ordinary scientist. Though he has degrees in engineering and oceanography, he's never held a traditional academic post, choosing instead to consult, for everyone from the oil companies to Seattle sewage treatment facilities to the Navy, and then, along the way, he's followed his interests, researching many different aspects of ocean currents. In May 1990 a Korean freighter was wracked by a storm and spilled its cargo - over 60,00 Nike sneakers - into the North Pacific. Soon, these sneakers were carried away on the ocean's currents and found washing up on coasts around the world. Ebbesmeyer realized that he could use the exact time and location of the spill, along with the location that each sneaker (conveniently individually tagged) was salvaged to track the ocean current which brought it there!This new science technique quickly captured the imaginations of beachcombers and media around the world, particularly after the spill of 29,000 plastic bath toys in 1992. Ebbesmeyer gathered a worldwide team of volunteers, and continued to search out and document the location at which the objects, set afloat by cargo spills, finally hit the shore. It is a fascinating look at the creativity and energy of a most unusual man - as well as offering an amazing look at what currents have meant for the world and especially mankind through the centuries." (Amazon)

Every Living Thing: Man's Obsessive Quest to Catalog Life, from Nanobacteria to New Monkeys, by Rob Dunn.
"In a series of vivid portraits of determined - even obsessed - scientists, Rob Dunn shows that we are not even close to knowing all life on earth. We are not close to naming it, studying it, not even close to knowing the basic kinds of organisms. How much is left to know? If history is a lesson, there is more left to know than we have yet discovered. And yet, biologists and lay people alike have repeatedly through history claimed victory over life. A thousand years ago we thought we knew almost everything; a hundred years ago too. But, even today we are unable to see what is beyond our immediate radar. Discoveries we can't yet imagine still await.The narrative telescopes from a scientist's attempt to find one single thing (a rare ant-emulating beetle species) to a scientist's attempt to find everything (all the insects living in a section of the Smoky Mountains). His scientific heroes include: Lynn Margulis, who explained how our cells gained the ability to make energy; Carl Woese, who defined a new kingdom of life in 1977; and, Carl Sagan, who pioneered the search for life in space." (Amazon)

Science: A Four Thousand Year History, by Patricia Fara.
"Fara's book could not be more wide-ranging, beginning [with] the quest to take the story of science as far back as she possibly can, and ending bang up to date. Jim Bennett, BBC History Magazine It is a book to provoke thought and argument. An impressive achievement. Jim Bennett, BBC History Magazine Patricia Fara has written a fascinating account." (Amazon)

The Lives, Loves and Deaths of Splendidly Unreasonable Inventors, by Jeremy Coller (Author), Christine Chamberlain (Collaborator).
"The lives, loves and deaths of splendidly unreasonable inventors" is a brilliant analysis of 20 inventors who changed the world. Coller argues that there are basic personality types - Principal, Broker and Consultant - typified by certain traits that dictate the potential for success in the arena of invention. Few people have the full package and failure results when an individual who excels in one area of competence attempts to become all things. Coller focuses on the person rather the invention and the way in which he or she did or did not succeed in bringing that vision to fruition.On one level it is a collection of fascinating stories; on another level these stories provoke an unconventional look at the inventive process that created such life-changing products as: the telephone; the sewing machine; dynamite; the cinema; the safety razor; and vulcanized rubber, for tyres. Only historical figures are included, allowing the authors to examine the complete arc of success or failure. Each of the stories, all of which are personal, colourful and packed with quirky nuggets of information, illustrates a particular aspect of the inventive personality." (Amazon.com)

The Georgian Star: How William and Caroline Herschel Revolutionized Our Understanding of the Cosmos, by M Lemonick.
"Responsible for the greatest advances in astronomy since Copernicus, William and Caroline Herschel transformed our view of the heavens. A trained musician, amateur scientist William found international fame after discovering the planet Uranus in 1781. His partnership with his sister Caroline yielded groundbreaking work, including techniques that remain in use today. The duo pioneered comprehensive surveys of the night sky, carefully categorising every visible object in the void. Caroline wrote an influential catalogue of nebulae and William discovered infrared radiation. Michael Lemonick guides readers through the depths of the solar system and into his protagonists' private lives. Erudite and accessible, "The Georgian Star" is a lively portrait of the pair who invented modern astronomy." (Amazon.com)

Darwin's Lost World: The Hidden History of Life on Earth, by Martin Brasier.
"Engaging account. New Scientist If there is one book in this crop that Darwin himself would surely have appreciated, it is 'Darwin's Lost World'." (Amazon.com)

A Brief Guide to the Great Equations, by Robert Crease.
"Here are the stories of the ten most popular equations of all time as voted for by readers of "Physics World", including - accessibly described here for the first time - the favourite equation of all, Euler's equation. Each is an equation that captures with beautiful simplicity what can only be described clumsily in words. Euler's equation [eip + 1 = 0] was described by respondents as 'the most profound mathematic statement ever written', 'uncanny and sublime', 'filled with cosmic beauty' and 'mind-blowing'. Collectively these equations also amount to the world's most concise and reliable body of knowledge. Many scientists and those with a mathematical bent have a soft spot for equations. This book explains both why these ten equations are so beautiful and significant, and the human stories behind them." (Amazon)

When Science Goes Wrong: Twelve Tales from the Dark Side of Discovery, by Simon Levay.
"Science is the world's new religion - but what happens when it goes terribly wrong? An innocent young black man is convicted of rape and sent to prison for 25 years on the basis of `infallible' DNA evidence. which turns out to be completely bogus. A long-distance runner's Parkinson's Disease is treated with revolutionary neuroscience techniques. which leave a foetus growing in his brain. A study into why children stutter ends up ruining their lives when scientists deliberately introduce speech impediments. and, to their horror, find they are permanent." (Amazon)

A Single Swallow: Following an Epic Journey from South Africa to South Wales, by Horatio Clare.
"'Fine lyrical writing and a gift for inventive, unexpected metaphor. A brave, modern, multicultural and open-hearted approach to travel itself'." (Amazon)

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