Science Recent Picks
November 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.
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins.
"Dawkins begins The Greatest Show on Earth with a short history of his writing career. He explains that all of his previous books have naïvely assumed the fact of evolution, which meant that he never got around to laying out the evidence that it [evolution] is true. This shouldn't be too surprising: science is an edifice of tested assumptions, and just as physicists must assume the truth of gravity before moving on to quantum mechanics, so do biologists depend on the reality of evolution. It's the theory that makes every other theory possible.Yet Dawkins also came to realize that a disturbingly large percentage of the American and British public didn't share his enthusiasm for evolution. In fact, they actively abhorred the idea, since it seemed to contradict the Bible and diminish the role of God. So Dawkins decided to write a book for these history-deniers, in which he would dispassionately demonstrate the truth of evolution beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt." (Amazon.co.uk)
Newton and the Counterfeiter by Thomas Levenson.
"Already famous throughout Europe for his theories of planetary motion and gravity, Isaac Newton decided to take on the job of running the Royal Mint. And there, Newton became drawn into a battle with William Chaloner, the most skilful of counterfeiters, a man who not only got away with faking His Majesty's coins (a crime that the law equated with treason), but was trying to take over the Mint itself. But Chaloner had no idea who he was taking on. Newton pursued his enemy with the cold, implacable logic that he brought to his scientific research. Set against the backdrop of early eighteenth-century London with its sewers running down the middle of the streets, its fetid rivers, its packed houses, smoke and fog, its industries and its great port, this dark tale of obsession and revenge transforms our image of Britain's greatest scientist." (Amazon)
The Joy of X: How Algebra Shapes Your Daily Life, by Michael Willers.
"Discover what a formula really is, how to calculate mortgage interest, plan a journey time, or simply enjoy the theory and history of algebra. Combines background information with absorbing problems and puzzles. Explores the lives and discoveries of key mathematicians from the history of algebra. Understand algebra and all other branches of mathematics and arithmetic will suddenly open up in front of you. The Joy of x is a collection of problems some with practical applications, others designed as purely theoretical puzzles designed to explain the basic elements of algebra to everyone, no matter what their level of mathematical ability. Although it can be read from cover to cover, The Joy of x can also be read on a potluck basis, picking a page or problem at random. Its easy-to-follow format guides the reader through this fascinating subject, with a combination of exercises, profiles and background information." (Amazon)
Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves, by James Le Fanu.
"“Scientists do not ‘do’ wonder,” he writes in his introduction. “Rather . . . they have interpreted the world through the prism of supposing there is nothing in principle that cannot be accounted for.” But Le Fanu argues that there is nothing so full of wonder as life itself. As revealed by recent scientific research, it is simply not possible to get from the monotonous sequence of genes strung out along the double helix to the infinite beauty and diversity of the living world, or from the electrical activity of the brain to the richness and abundant creativity of the human mind. Le Fanu’s exploration of these mysteries, and his analysis of where they might lead us in our thinking about the nature and purpose of human existence, form the impassioned and riveting heart of Why Us?." (Amazon)
As Easy As Pi: Stuff about numbers that isn't (just) maths: All the Stuff That Isn't (Just) Maths, by Jamie Buchan.
"It's hard to imagine a world without numbers in this day and age, when our whole life is centred around commerce and money, and it is the only language that is the same the world over. However, did you know that for a long period of time people could not get their heads around the idea of zero, a figure representing nothing, and that it was even regarded as heretical in some circles? "Easy as Pi" is an entertaining and accessible guide, written for those who love numbers - and those who don't - and uncovers a great deal of lore and intriguing information, including: snippets of fascinating numerical facts; myths and mysticism in the world of numbers; numbers in language and used as slang; pop-culture trivia; and, useful mathematical rules to remember (and some that it would be easier to forget). Taking a quirky and insightful look at the world of numbers, "Easy as Pi" will delight and entertain any number enthusiast." (Amazon)
The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China and the West, by Toby E. Huff.
"This study examines the long-standing question of why modern science arose only in the West and not in the civilizations of Islam and China, despite the fact that medieval Islam and China were more scientifically advanced. To explain this outcome, Tony E. Huff explores the cultural - religious, legal, philosophical, and institutional - contexts within which science was practised in Islam, China, and the West. He finds in the history of law and the European cultural revolution of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries major clues as to why the ethos of science arose in the West, permitting the breakthrough to modern science that did not occur elsewhere. This line of inquiry leads to novel ideas about the centrality of the legal concept of corporation, which is unique to the West and gave rise to the concepts of neutral space and free inquiry." (Amazon)
The Fallen Sky: An Intimate History of Shooting Stars, by Christopher Cokinos.
"In 1894, fifteen years before his storied expedition to the North Pole, Robert Peary crossed a treacherous expanse of ice in Greenland in search of another prize: a massive meteorite laden with rare metals from outer space. In this hefty, industrious book, Cokinos retraces Peary’s steps, and those of other meteor “obsessives,” in an idiosyncratic hunt of his own. The book pairs, sometimes awkwardly, exciting tales of scientific adventure and unself-conscious rumination—particularly on the subject of the author’s failed first marriage, the pain of which, he insists, is “part and parcel of the hunt, my hunt, for the meteorite hunters.” As often as not, though, the original meteorite hunters had a more prosaic view of their quests. Peary, for instance, had a simple desire for glory and riches; when he finally found that meteorite, which the local Inuits had dubbed Woman (another, nearby, they called Dog), he called it “the brown mass." (Amazon)
Wholly Irresponsible Science: 120 Daring Experiments to Do in Your Home and Garden, by Sean Connolly.
"This book works like alchemy - it succeeds in making the ordinary extraordinary. It's weird, wild, wacky...and utterly addictive. With its quirky experiments, eye-catching design and witty yet informative text, it's the perfect hands-on introduction to the principles of science. The bestselling "Wholly Irresponsible Experiments" and "Wholly Irresponsible Exploits" and their international editions have been amazing readers around the world since mid-2007. "Wholly Irresponsible Science" takes things a step further in the quest to blow the lid off our understanding of bangs and explosions. Fasten your seat belts and prepare for a voyage to the wilder outer fringes of science. Irresponsible? Dip into these pages and decide for yourself." (Amazon)
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