What science book is your most recent read? What do you think about it? Pt. 2

[Betsy, co-mod]

I've been contemplating that book. Looks really interesting. However, I suspect it wouldn't work well in kindle format. What do you think?

[Katy]

Yes, Susanna. That book has looked interesting to me for a long time (well, since it came out). I am going to get a copy for myself after the holidays. Thanks for the recommendation. I will probably not do the e-book though. I'm thinking a nice hardback for this one.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Yeah, I think you would want to read a paper version, due to the maps. (I'm reading it on kindle, because that's the format the ARC came in.)

[Correen]

Kenny wrote: "Xox wrote: "An Appetite for Wonder : The Making of a Scientist"

And what did you think of it? I have this one on my TBR list."

I have read about a third of the book and find it interesting. I like the connections the author emphasizes among the scientists. Much attention is paid to the family and lifestyle. Scientific accomplishments are woven into this broader perspective.

[Kenny]

Thanks Correen! I've got it on hold from the library, anxiously awaiting it. I got "Letters to a Young Scientist" by E.O. Wilson for Christmas....will read that first, probably a good companion....

[Kenny]

Just got this one for Christmas, looks very interesting, will report back after I finish:

This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking

http://www.amazon.com/This-Will-Make-...

[Kenny]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading it. In the mean time I got "Letters to a young scientist" by E.O. Wilson for christmas so that's at the top of list ... :)

[David]

Xox wrote: "Kenny wrote: "Xox wrote: "An Appetite for Wonder : The Making of a Scientist"

And what did you think of it? I have this one on my TBR list."

I've been listening to this as an audiobook. Richard Dawkins is a fairly good narrator. At the halfway mark, it isn't really about science, just about his early years growing up. I think, though, that as he begins writing about his college years, there is increasing emphasis on his science education.

[Emanuel]

Why Evolution Is True. It was the bee's knees.

[Kenny]

Spent the day reading [B]E. O. Wilson's - Letters to a Young Scientist[/B]
http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Young-S...


4/5 stars -- excellent overview and insight into a career as a scientist. He explores the preparation, advancement and on-going career based on his own (extraordinary) experience from a boy collecting insects to one of the most respected entomologists in the world.

A short easy read. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in science.

[David]

I finished An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist. It is a delightful, short autobiography covering the first half of Dawkins' life. Here is my review.

[Kenny]

Thanks David, I'm looking forward to reading this one as soon as I get if from the library....

[Eric]

I just finished The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, and I loved it! It was very readable and informative.

[Darren]

I just joined this group, and ironically my most recently completed science book was Steven Pinker's "Better Angels of our Nature".

Here is a transcription of my review:

Although this was a long book, it was a fantastic and thorough recount of the steady decline of violence in human history, citing such logical reasons as the mass reproduction of the written word through books, the formation of democratic societies, the adoption of free trade and commerce, the evolution of the rights movements (including the abolishment of slavery, women's rights, children's rights... even animal rights), to list just a few. Despite the statistic numbers from the sketchy record-keeping of the past, Pinker unfolds the facts to reveal an undeniable downward trend in human violent behaviour on a global scale.

Although he does not commit to the continued tendency, Pinker does offer this historical trend as an optimistic hope for the future of humankind in what he calls "The new peace". I would encourage anyone interested in this topic (or fans of Pinkers previous writings) to dig in and read this gem. I am adding it to my list of top influential books I have read.

[BetseaK]

Just finished reading The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom. Here's the link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Metin]

I recently read "Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers" by Nahin as part of my research for my book. It has a lot of great examples of how to approach problems in probability from a geometric point of view. I recommend reading it if you know how to calculate areas and volumes using calculus.

[David]

Metin wrote: "I recently read "Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers" by Nahin as part of my research for my book. It has a lot of great examples of how to approach problems in probability from a geomet..."

Thanks for the recommendation, Metin. I've put a hold on the book at the library.

[Aaron]

Just finished the new book by Dan Hurley called Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain Power. The book gets past the hype of the brain-boosting industry, and explores the actual science on which it is based. Many types of interventions are explored, from brain-training exercises and activities (including meditation), to physical exercise, to diet, pills and even zapping the brain with electrodes (a la transcranial direct-current stimulation, tDCS). A timely look at a very interesting topic. I've written a full executive summary of the book available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2014/01/14...

[✿Claire✿]

I've had a bit of a break from science books as I've changed careers from science research to Ambulance technician!! But I've started back up with a re-read and I'm aiming to read nearly one a month this year. The one I'm just finishing up now is The World Without Us, a really interesting book about what would happen if humans vanished tomorrow. (view spoiler)[ Rather than just imagining what might happen, the author looks at both the world before humans and what has happened in places like Chernobyl, where humans no longer live, and talks to experts in a vast array of different fields, including fields you might not expect (hide spoiler)]

[Glynn]

Currently reading Outliers: The Story of Successand it's really good. :)

[David]

I just finished reading Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers by Paul Nahin. It's a very good book for those who enjoy puzzles that require advanced mathematics to solve. Here is my review. Metin, thanks for the recommendation!

[Steve]

After a few weeks detouring from science into the US Civil War, I came back and read The Accidental Species: Misunderstandings of Human Evolution, by Henry Gee, one of Nature's editors. I struggled to give it three stars. Here's my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Aaron]

Just finished reading the new book by Erik Brynjolfsson called The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. The book charts the rise of digital technology and how it contributes greatly to economic productivity (but also how it contributes to the growing gap between the rich and the rest). Brynjolfsson also offers up some recommendations on how the increasing inequality of the second machine age may be mitigated. It's a very insightful look into digital technology and its consequences. I've written a full executive summary available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2014/01/28...

[Kenny]

Sounds very interesting, Thanks Aaron!

[Aaron]

Just finished reading the new book by Mckenzie Funk called Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming. The book explores all the ways people are profiting off climate change (which partly helps explain why we're not doing much to stop it). A very interesting book on the most important environmental issue of our age. I've written a full executive summary available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2014/02/11...

[Gary]

Currently reading The Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson. even though published in 1992, still greatly relevant information. I'm still surprised (naively I guess) that even being in the field of science for over 10 years I am still learning about fundamental understandings in biology and other sciences.

[Patricrk]

Just finished "An Appetite for Wonder" by Richard Dawkins.

This is his autobiography upto the publishing of "The Selfish Gene" I enjoyed it.

An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist

[Kenny]

Thanks Patricrk! I just got that from the library, hope to get to it soon...

[David]

I just finished reading the book Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics by Jim Al-Khalili. It is an entertaining, and stimulating look at some of the best "stumpers" in physics. I highly recommend it--here is my review.

[Steve]

Finally got around to reading The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond, one of my favorite non-fiction authors. I enjoyed it but didn't rank it as high as his prior works. Here's my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Aaron]

Just finished the new book by Alex Pentland called Social Physics: How Good Ideas Spread— The Lessons from a New Science. Pentland addresses how digital sensors and big data are revolutionizing the social sciences. This includes Pentland's own work, which focuses on the importance of social learning, and how creativity and productivity are generated in individuals, groups and cities. It's a fascinating look at an up-and-coming science. A full executive summary of the book is available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2014/02/25...

[David]

Nice review, Aaron! Looks very interesting.

[David]

I recently finished the book Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World by Lisa Randall. This is an excellent book--I heartily recommend it to everyone. Here is my review.

[Aaron]

Just finished reading the new book by Michio Kaku called The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind. Kaku explores the advances that have occurred in neuroscience since the brain-imaging revolution of the 1990s; and also details the advances that are to come (including telepathy, telekinesis, uploading and downloading memories, and AI). It's a fascinating discussion of one of the final frontiers of science. I've written an executive summary of the book available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2014/03/11...

[David]

I just finished reading Anthill, by Edward O. Wilson. Now, this is a novel, not a book about science. However, the middle section is presented as a senior thesis by the book's main character; it is the history of a small piece of wilderness from the point of view of the ants. It is a remarkable piece of science writing that gives a perspective about nature that is rarely seen in books. Here is my review.

[Katy]

Thanks, David. I'm going to add that one.

[Daisy]

Absolutely David, it does look good! Thanks for posting.

[David]

I just finished reading the book Mind, Life, and Universe: Conversations with Great Scientists of Our Time, edited by Lynn Margulis and Eduardo Punset. It is a series of 36 interviews with prominent, contemporary scientists. None of the interviews goes into much depth, but they are fascinating glimpses into a variety of subjects--mostly related to biology and psychology. Here is my review.

[Stan]

I am reading Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade. Good book, so far.

[David]

Stan wrote: "I am reading Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade. Good book, so far."

I agree Stan--this is an excellent book!

[Stan]

David wrote: "Stan wrote: "I am reading Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade. Good book, so far."

I agree Stan--this is an excellent book!"

The other book I read was Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived. I'm fascinated by the evolution of language. I wonder if language evolved in female primates thousands of years before males were capable of language.

[Betsy, co-mod]

Stan wrote: " I'm fascinated by the evolution of language. I wonder if language evolved in female primates thousands of years before males were capable of language."

I'm also fascinated by this topic. If you know of any good books on this issue, I'd love to hear about them.

[Steve]

Stan wrote: "David wrote: "Stan wrote: "I am reading Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade. Good book, so far."

I agree Stan--this is an excellent book!"

The other book I read was [book:Last Ape St..."

I too enjoyed both of those, especially Before the Dawn. It will be interesting to see how the new field of archaeogenetics re-writes, or at least edits, the story of human evolution.

[Amanda]

The most recent science book I have read is "Death's Acre" by Bill Bass. The book is about the establishment of the forensic laboratory called the Body Farm in Tennessee. Bass is an interesting writer and the information in the book is very valuable to anyone interested in forensic science.

[David]

I just finished the book Phi: A Voyage from the Brain to the Soul, by Giulio Tononi. Three famous scientists guide Galileo through a world, exploring the brain and consciousness. The entire book is incredibly imaginative, and makes me think of Dante's Inferno. Here is my review.

[Katy]

Thanks, David. That one goes on my list.

[Oné]

Indeed, David. Thanks!

[Patricrk]

I just finished by James Kakalios . I read the e-book version and enjoyed it.

[eHead]

The last really great book I read was Moral Tribes, by Joshua Greene (?). It's about moral psychology and philosophy, and the two modes of moral thinking (fast intuitions and slow rational thought). It sort of does for moral thinking what "Thinking Fast and Slow" did for decision making in general. The last 1/4 is a passionate defense of utilitarianism, which isn't entirely convincing but is nonetheless interesting. Anyway... I highly recommend it.

[Kenny]

Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them Sounds interesting.