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What is your most recently read science book? What did you think of it? Part 3
Mod
Thanks for the recommendation, Jim! This looks great!
I finished my first Bill Bryson book - The Body: A Guide for Occupants. I can't say that a lot of the information was new or truly vital to read if you've read or had some medical science training. I could have done without the old medical experiments. Nonetheless, it was interesting.My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3396472137
Mod
I just finished reading the book, too. Well--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. His voice is rather soft, but still quite clear. I agree, some of the experiments are a bit gruesome--Sometimes I just skip ahead!
Mod
Thanks for the recommendation, Brian. I put it on my to-read list.
I finished reading Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach. Ms. Roach does an excellent job covering topics that most people won't think about when it comes to space flight- vomiting, going to the bathroom, affects on bones, hygiene, and chimps. It sounds gross, but it really isn't. She did a wonderful job investigating claims that are made in other works about space flight. She's also pretty hilarious. I strongly recommend this book as well asGrunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War.
Mary Roach does have a great sense of humor. I was thrilled when she published "Stiff", her first book. Before that I'd known her from the column she wrote in Reader's Digest. She & her family are about the same age as we are, so her humor always tickled. My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places is a compilation of them all.Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, & Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal are my favorites. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife was my least favorite, but I still liked it. That sort of thing has never interested me, though.
How Contagion Works: Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crises by Paolo Giordano was a very good, short essay written at the beginning (Feb/Mar2020) of the Covid mess. Giordano is an Italian who was self-isolating early, so cranked this out. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished The Body: A Guide for Occupants. It helped me a lot to identify the challenges of today's medical science.I gave it 4 stars cause my brain doesn't satisfy without seeing mathematical calculations and chemical reactions.
Here is my review.
Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Gary F. Marcus was a great look at the evolutionary reasons for the way our brains work. Enthralling! I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The book heavily exceeded my expectations. Check my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Prior to this book, I already finished The Gene: An Intimate History by the same author, and that was my definitive book for contextualizing the history of genetics for an undergraduate molecular biology student. Now, after the Emperor, I can even say that studying cancer in the future is not far fetched.
John, I also thought The Emperor of All Maladies is great.I just finished The Next Pandemic: On the Front Lines Against Humankind's Gravest Dangers by Dr. Ali S. Khan, and think it is quite good also. He mixes a lot of technical principles and microbe education in with anecdotes of his career with the CDC. He had the help of a professional writer, and that seems to have been a benefit.
George P. wrote: "John, I also thought The Emperor of All Maladies is great.I just finished The Next Pandemic: On the Front Lines Against Humankind's Gravest Dangers by Dr. Ali S. Khan, and think it..."
Thanks for this recommendation! I'll check this out soon since I am really into popular science books in biology.
In Oceans Deep: Courage, Innovation, and Adventure Beneath the Waves by Bill Streever was pretty good. It was more about the technical aspects of diving than I appreciated, but there was still a lot of interesting material. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I recently tried to read The Spice Islands Voyage: The Quest for the Man Who Shared Darwin's Discovery of Evolution. The author is recreating the journey that Alfred Wallace took in Malaysia. I DNF'd it. I work in biology (conservation/restoration is where I hope to end up) and am already depressed about the state of the world. Reading about more organisms/ecosystems being destroyed/killed/etc was just too much for me.
I'm finally getting around to reading The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. Here's my reaction so far:What a great book. Just read the part about the WWI era German takeover of Bartlett Mountain, a molybdenum mine in Colorado. Previously the mine had been abandoned after discovery that rather than containing lead or tin, which would have fetched a few cents a pound, it contained molybdenum which was not only practically unpronounceable but also cost more to extract than it was worth. The original claimed of the mine sold his rights to an enterprising banker from Nebraska, who "adopted a new extraction technique that no one had bothered to invent before and quickly liberated 5800 pounds of pure molybdenum -- which more or less ruined him. Those nearly 3 tons exceeded the yearly world demand for molybdenum by nearly 50 percent, which meant that King hadn't just flooded the market, he'd drowned it."
The effort did merit a mention in US mineralogical bulletin in 1915, escaping the attention of everyone but a tentacle of the huge German mining company Metallgesesellschraft, which happened to have a subsidiary in NY with the patriotic name ""American Metal."
Turns out that molybdenum was the secret ingredient for the infamous German guns Big Bertha, which could "hurl a 16", 2200 lb she'll 9 miles in just seconds." (Thus generating so much heat that the steel barrels in the guns quickly warped.) A sprinkle of molybdenum, which melts at 4750F, froze the iron, holding the guns together.
So Metallgesesellschraft sends its Man in Colorado to harass King to sell his claim.
"The more belligerent claim jumpers threatened the wives and children of miners and destroyed their camp during a winter in which temperatures dropped to 20 below"... the German thugs managed to assault King, "mugging him with knives and pickaxes on a mountain pass and hurling him off a sheer cliff. Only a well placed snowball saved his neck."
At this point the US had not entered the war and no one seemed to know or care what the Germans wanted with all that molybdenum. "When the government began asking questions around 1918, American Metal claimed that it legally owned the mine, since the harried Otis King had sold it ... for a paltry $40,000. It also admitted that, um, it just happened to ship all the molybdenum to Germany....As late as 1918, Germany used moly steel guns to shell Paris from the astonishing distance of 75 miles. "
I imagine most of my science buff friends have read this popular and fast moving book (by the same author as the wonderful "The Violinist's Thumb") but I recommend it for everybody. It's a captivating read.
Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control by Stuart Russell was a real eye-opener & plain fantastic. Even though I work with computers daily (I'm the IT dept for a company.) I've never understood much about AI. I still don't, but Russell did a great job of explaining so many basics that I hadn't even considered. The only downside was not enough examples from SF, but that's a minor point. I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You Can Stop Humming Now: A Doctor's Stories of Life, Death, and in Between by Daniela Lamas was interesting & good. I'm torn between 3 & 4 stars since I don't think she dug deep enough for all the good info presented. My review is here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have just finished 
by
Chris C. MooneyHe keeps the complicated science to a minimum to reach a larger audience. He does not leave out liberals since we are all predisposed to believe things that may not be true. In particular with liberals he focused on nuclear power and fracking.
But the damage being done to science by the so-called "conservative" movement is enormous.
I am so frustrated talking to people who say they don't "believe" in evolution or climate change or vaccinations. I have discussions recently with Republicans telling me humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time, and dinosaurs were on the ark. How do I even counter that?
He also wrote
Sounds interesting! As a fiscal conservative with a strong concern for the environment, I find both sides irrational. However, of COURSE humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time! Haven't you ever watched The Flintstones?
I have just finished How To by Randall Munroe. I enjoy how the author weaves science and humor in a way that is both relaxing and enlightening. Here is my review.
Jimmy wrote: "I have discussions recently with Republicans telling me humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time,"Only in the sense that birds are a sub-group of dinos, but that's probably not what they meant ;) In any case, I'm guessing you've also read "Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future".
I read Cosmos by Carl Sagan it takes the reader to a journey through the breathtaking wonders of cosmos.
Bill wrote: "I read Cosmos by Carl Sagan it takes the reader to a journey through the breathtaking wonders of cosmos."Have you read Sampson's Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life? It's basically a dino-centric version of "Cosmos" ( https://chasmosaurs.blogspot.com/2010... ).
Two recent science books I have finished:Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy Here is My Review
Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves. I bought the book in last year's National Book Festival and had the book signed by the author. My Review
My favorite science author is Carlo Rovelli. He has written four wonderful books beginning with a very short Seven Lessons on Physics, then an expansion of the first in The Universe is Not What It Seems, a book on time and a more philosophical Anaximander.
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson is about Edward Oscar Heinrich whose incredibly innovative investigation techniques helped solve thousands of crimes. Incredibly, he doesn't have a Wikipedia page at this time, though! Unfortunately, the presentation was terrible. I only gave it a 3 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom. It is a short but sweet book (around 90 pages). I enjoyed learning more about the nuclear meltdown in1986 and some of the research taking place. I do wish it had more details about the studies, but I understand why much of it would be left out.
On 9/6/20, I posted my 34th pair of reviews, 1 for Peter Zallinger's Dinosaurs and Other Archosaurs (which is great: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) & 1 for Jenkins' "Big Golden Book of Dinosaurs" (which is terrible: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ).
I recently finished When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi. This may be more of a memoir, but I enjoyed learning about his journey as a neurosurgeon. I did write a review.
Brian wrote: "I recently finished When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi. This may be more of a memoir, but I enjoyed learning about his journey as a neurosurgeon. I did write a review."Very good review. I grudgingly admit that you've talked me into putting this one on my list. I hate books about fatal illnesses and people dying. I'm OK with blood and gore but people I white coats and hospital scenes give me the creeps. But it sounds like such a GOOD book.
Nancy wrote: "Brian wrote: "I recently finished When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi. This may be more of a memoir, but I enjoyed learning about his journey as a neurosurgeon. I did write a review."Ver..."
Thanks Nancy! Glad I could help.
I just finished
Mindfulness
by Ellen Langer. It was a very intriguing book that made me rethink the way I go about my daily life. Here is my review.
I recently read Beyond Infinity: An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics by Eugenia Cheng I liked how it's written for a layman to understand it easily. Here's a short review
Mod
So, I read the book (it is huge--over 600 pages). The first third of the book is an excellent description of the discovery and operation of DNA, and how it conveys information. After that, the book attempts to justify intelligent design. I found the argument to be very deceptive and glib. I gave it 1 star--and that single star is totally undeserved.
Here is my review.
David wrote: "Just recently, the book Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design was nominated for our book of the month. The book received high ratings and it claims that ..."Good review. Thanks.
Finished two pop science books (medicine):Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, a book about aging, dying and end-of-life care. My review
An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives, a book about immune system. Informative but I don't like the writing. My review
The three most recent were Lab Girl, the author is a very interesting person and I enjoyed the book a lot; The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, I had high expectations for this book, I learned a lot and is a very interesting subject, but I thought the author kept "bitching" a lot mostly at the end of the book which I found kind of annoying; and On Immunity: An Inoculation, I wasn't sure if it counted as a science book or is more like a memoir, it's a very personal account of a journalist and the issues regarding vaccines, it has a lot of good information and insight. It was fine.
Veronica wrote: "The three most recent were Lab Girl, the author is a very interesting person and I enjoyed the book a lot; The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, I had h..."I love Lab Girl. The author has a new book The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here and I am yet to read.
Camelia Rose wrote: "Veronica wrote: "The three most recent were Lab Girl, the author is a very interesting person and I enjoyed the book a lot; [book:The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable..."Thanks for the tip, I'll put it on my amazon wishlist.
I have just finished reading The Removable Root Cause of Cancers and other Chronic Diseases : The Effort Theory of Evolution, Chronic Diseases and Extinction by Paul Ola again.This scientific theory, which even those who are not familiar with science will enjoy reading, describes age-related changes, viruses, and other factors which previous theories proposed to be causes of diseases as factors that are only essential for the production of manifestations by these diseases but not their cause at all and describes their cause as a single factor which we can remove from our bodies to produce cure, the disappearance of manifestations of diseases, such as the ruthless malignancy of cancer and those manifestations that cause COVID-19 deaths, which appeared incurable for as long as we thought that age-related changes, viruses, and other factors which we cannot remove from our bodies are causes of these diseases.
I completed the last chapter saturated with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we can finally prevent the millions of premature deaths that these manifestations cause every single year despite our inability to remove age-related changes, viruses and other factors that are essential for their production from our bodies.
David wrote: "Just recently, the book Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design was nominated for our book of the month. The book received high ratings and it claims that there are testable hypotheses that support Intelligent Design[...]I found the argument to be very deceptive and glib."Are you honestly surprised? In any case, it's worth repeating what I said about that back then.
Quoting myself ( https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ): "Nancy wrote: "According to reviewers, the author presents a good case."
According to some reviewers, yes, but not all. Most importantly, actual experts on the subject say otherwise (E.g. "If the object of the book is to show that the Intelligent Design movement is a scientific movement, it has not succeeded. In fact, what it has succeeded in showing is that it is a popular movement grounded primarily in the hopes and dreams of those in philosophy, in religion, and especially those in the general public": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signatu... ).
Take it from an enthusiast who regularly reviews educational books about a very popular science subject: I'm no expert, but I am well-read enough to know what makes for a good book; Unfortunately, most reviewers are NOT experts or enthusiasts, but casual readers who don't know (& thus, have no idea how accurate or authoritative a book is); Point being, popularity among casual readers =/= overall quality."
I just finished Miracle Cure: The Creation of Antibiotics and the Birth of Modern Medicine by William RosenHighly recommend this history of how various antibiotics were discovered and developed, and how that in turn led to the development of the modern pharmaceutical industry.
just finished Nicolaus of Damascus Life of Augustus; - Primary Source Edition the Original Bios “Καῖσαρ” KaiCaros (in Slavic "Like the King") Bio of Ceazar. Some most inspiring exploration into Alternative Slavic and Ancient Greek History Learning from Book KaiCaros Nicolaus of Damascus
Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures was fantastic. I gave it a 5 star review. It's a great companion to Plight of the Living Dead: What Real-Life Zombies Reveal about Our World--And Ourselves which was more fun (My 5 star review.), but this one covers areas it missed & in a different way. It focused more on how parasites are a necessary part of the environment. In some ways, it reminded me of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life which I also gave a 5 star review. That also made the point that we evolved with & depend on them. I highly recommend reading all three. Together they show just how intertwined the ecosystem is & how small changes to one portion can snowball throughout.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. I liked it more than I had expected, and I see why my library has such a long wait for a 6- year old title. My review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3626501629
Woman Reading wrote: " Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. I liked it more than I had expected, and I see..."I was really impressed too. Homo Deus is also very cool.
The Unexpected Truth About Animals: A Menagerie of the Misunderstood by Lucy Cooke was a fantastic read. I had a lot of fun learning so much about them & how my previous 'understandings' were shaped. Eye-opening barely describes it. I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
On 11/7/20, I posted my 35th pair of reviews, 1 for Rey's Extreme Dinosaurs Part 2: The Projects (which is great: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) & 1 for Davis' "Dinosaur Dinners" (which is terrible: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... )
Science and Inquiry
Books mentioned in this topic
Dinosaur!: Based on the Acclaimed Four-Part Television Series Hosted by Walter Cronkite (other topics)Wild Predators (Wild Kratts) (other topics)
Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior: What They Did and How We Know (other topics)
Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life (other topics)
Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Patchen Barss (other topics)James Bradley (other topics)
Peter Godfrey-Smith (other topics)
Brian Klaas (other topics)
Chris Lintott (other topics)
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...