false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175043225m/472614.jpg 472614 3 Billed as "A Biography of Water," <I>Life's Matrix</I> would seem to have taken on a nearly insurmountable challenge. Yet author Philip Ball, science writer and consulting editor for <I>Nature</I>, covers the very interesting chemistry and physics of the substance and our species' long relationship with it without losing the reader--after all, each of us is mostly made of the wet stuff. From the ancients' conception of water as an element, recognizing its importance and primacy among terrestrial matter, to our current understanding of the intricate dance of hydrogen bonds that give water its unique, life-giving properties, Ball always finds the right angle to keep the story compelling. Chapters covering the nuts and bolts of water, which the reader might reasonably expect to be a bit dry, consistently remind us of its crucial role in so many aspects of our lives, from ocean currents to irrigation to tears. Some of the cutting-edge scientific reports are weirdly fascinating--the discovery of several different conformations of liquid and solid water and their odd behavior will provoke plenty of brow-furrowing, even if none of us will ever find ice-nine cubes in our cocktails at happy hour. The book closes with the now-obligatory look at what a mess we've made of the book's subject when seen as a natural resource, and offers potential short- and long-term solutions. Facing these issues is vital if we want to remember "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink" as great poetry rather than apocalyptic prophecy. <I>--Rob Lightner</I> 76104 1999 Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water total:17|5:6|4:8|3:3|2:0|1:0| 17 71 38 4 5 0 false false Thu Nov 19 14:47:09 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 14:47:58 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Wed Aug 12 22:36:32 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 22:36:42 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Tue Oct 16 08:00:46 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 16 08:03:19 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Dec 04 14:21:13 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 04 14:21:45 -0800 2007 0 0 false false Mon Nov 23 11:55:30 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 23 11:55:30 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Nov 13 09:16:35 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 13 09:16:38 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Mon Oct 19 16:47:52 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 16:47:52 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Sep 03 18:43:46 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 18:43:46 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Aug 16 08:13:12 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 19:08:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jun 19 12:13:31 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 12:23:21 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jun 12 17:29:05 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 17:29:05 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jun 08 12:33:58 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 12:33:58 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Apr 28 06:47:27 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 06:47:27 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Mar 02 03:31:09 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 03:31:52 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Wed Feb 11 08:35:17 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 08:35:17 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Feb 06 18:47:29 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 18:47:29 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sun Jan 18 15:25:24 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 15:25:24 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jan 15 20:13:21 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 20:13:29 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jan 04 12:35:28 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 13:16:53 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Nov 29 20:14:25 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 29 20:14:25 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=472614