What science book is your most recent read? What do you think about it? Pt. 1

[Kirsten]

Insomnia and I are constant companions.
When I was little, I wanted the library that Belle had in Beauty and the Beast.

Additionally, I just started The God Delusion

[David]

I just finished the book Physics and Psychics: The Search for a World Beyond the Senses by Victor Stenger. The author is a physicist, and he shows that the claims of many parapsychologists are directly at odds with the accepted theories of special relativity and quantum mechanics. Although the book is 20 years old, it still seems relevant today.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

My treatment for insomnia (and I have it badly sometimes) is generally either Victorian novels or big fat non-fiction. If I don't go to sleep, at least I feel I've accomplished something!

[Sasha]

Kirsten, every time you post I get a flash of excitement because that's my wife's name. Even though she's totally not on this site and I know that.

Neither of us loved God Delusion; she liked it a little better because she's a little more militant about atheism. We're both atheists, but I'm generally bored by talking about it.

I am a horrible insomniac.

David, I gotta look that book up.

Susanna, that's my favorite cure for insomnia too; either way, I win.

[Afiq]

Greeting,

I've just read Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. this book full with interesting information about the taboo topic, sex. alas her writing in bonk quite complicated to me because she use too many indirect words to explain the sex topics. nice book to read though.

another one, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance. I got to tell you, you gotta read this. his writing is smooth, easy to understand. basically in this book he show you the perspective of medical world. albeit he is full time doctor, adviser to Obama, he still have time to write several books.

[Donna]

I just read Allies and Enemies: How the World Depends on Bacteria. It's a very short book and a really quick read but it was interesting. I'm fascinated by bacteria and viruses and this had some interesting information. By the way, I read it on the Kindle and the photographs and illustrations looked good.

[Kirsten]

Alex-thanks? It's an uncommon name, so I can understand your confusion. The real question is, how does she pronounce it?

I'm not an atheist, but I'm not exactly religious either. It was given to me as a gift by a friend, and I'm wondering what exactly he is trying to tell me.

I used that insomnia cure in school. My professors were all impressed that I had the readings all done. Even if I looked like a zombie half the time.

I'll have to look up that book on surgeons...but maybe after my surgery.

[Afiq]

Someone here ever read:
1. The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story
2. Adventures among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions?

I want to buy it soon. I've gotta order it online, no local bookstore ever sold this one. Want to ask your opinion. Is it good?

[David]

Afiq, I don't know if The Hot Zone is a good book--but I do know, that the events took place in the town where I live!

[Donna]

I loved The Hot Zone. I re-read it this year. I would say it's very worth reading.

[Sasha]

Afiq, I've read and loved other stuff by Preston; The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring comes to mind. And he edited my favorite installment of The Best American Science and Nature Writing. I'm a fan of that dude.

Kirsten, it's properly Curseten, but she's recently started introducing herself as Keersten because people just can't seem to understand Curseten. (I know, it doesn't seem that hard to me either.) I hope your upcoming surgery is routine and successful!

And yeah, I'd wonder why someone was giving me God Delusion too. I assume he's an atheist? Maybe he's trying to get you off the fence. I wouldn't do that myself - there's nothing wrong with the fence - but it makes sense.

[Adam]

The last book I finished reading was The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman. Which I thought was pretty good. Except for the last essay, where I think Feynman is fairly ignorant on what the Bible ACTUALLY says vs. what people say the Bible says. So, in that, I felt the final essay on "Science vs. Religion" to be rather misinformed, though he and I are on the same page with our feelings about Philosophy and such. The rest of the stuff was great though. Even though the book had loads of overlap with Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character I still enjoyed this one.

I am currently in the middle of reading Supercontinent: Ten Billion Years in the Life of Our Planet, which is a book David might like if he hasn't read it yet.

In other tidbits... got these today and I have no idea what to read next other than I want to read them all!...

Perfect Rigor: A Genius and the Mathematical Breakthrough of the Century
An Introduction to Programming with Mathematica, Third Edition
Collider
Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science
Present at the Creation: The Story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider

Yay for science books...

[Kirsten]

I found Supercontinent: Ten Billion Years in the Life of Our Planet to be like a geologic acid trip. My geology professor is now reading it for that reason.

Alex-According to my family it's "sheersten" but to the Americans in my life I pronounce it "Keersten". Or try to, it's amazing how difficult people find that.

Thanks, I'm having a nerve moved, not sure how routine that is, but the doc is confident that I'm young and athletic enough to recover quickly.

That's a legit point, he's not really one for fence sitting, but I don't see the harm in being on the fence.

I got a large giftcard with which to buy books, and I can't decide what to get...

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

What a wonderful quandry! Good luck in picking good ones, Kirsten.

[Adam]

Kirsten I just finished Supercontinent today. I thought it was very good and well written. A little dense at parts, so I didn't fully understand everything, but I think I got the basic gist of everything. I especially liked a lot of the historical references made and where science overcame the nonsense.

I'm not sure I would say it's a geological acid trip... but I have a hard time understanding drug references anyway, so maybe I misunderstand the analogy.

[Kirsten]

I have a lot of training in geology, and the whole book was just scattered and unorganized to me. He kept sketching out all these random stories, and the whole time I was just like what the hell dude?

I understood what points he was trying to make, but sometimes the analogies he used, or the scenarios he came up with were just a bit...unrelated to what he was trying to relay.

Could be that I have never read a popular science geology book before. Perhaps acid isn't the one I want, but it was different.

Glad you liked it though, it's a very interesting topic, one I wish I had more time to delve into in my studies.

[Sasha]

Now I'm interested in this. I'm not great at geology, but I did minor in acid. :P

[Steve]

Kirsten wrote: "I have a lot of training in geology, and the whole book was just scattered and unorganized to me...."

Kirsten, I'm curious if you have read Earth: An Intimate History. I loved it. I had three years of geology, but that was more 40 years ago. The theory of plate tectonics was just coming out at that time. I thought Fortey's book was excellent.

[Sasha]

Oh, Richard Fortey! I haven't read Earth, but I read Life several years back and thought it was great.

[Steve]

Alex wrote: "Oh, Richard Fortey! I haven't read Earth, but I read Life several years back and thought it was great."

I've also read his Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution, but not Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth, however it is on my To Read list. Trilobite is pretty much for true geology/paleontology geeks, but I enjoyed it.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Alex wrote: "Now I'm interested in this. I'm not great at geology, but I did minor in acid. :P"

I was much amused to see Antonia on Top Chef say she spent most of high school "smoking pot."

[Patricrk]

I like the roadside geology books of the various states. such as [:Roadside Geology of Texas (Roadside Geology Series)|1707030]

[Kirsten]

Now I'm interested in this. I'm not great at geology, but I did minor in acid. :P

I don't judge. I went to school on the west coast...If you don't like geology much, I'd recommend other, better books, though.

Steve-I haven't read that book but I've heard it's awesome. Same with the Trilobite one.

The Roadside guides are great. Washington, Oregon, and California's were extensively used in my classes.

[Jenny]

I recently read Sean Carroll's book Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species. I really enjoyed the different chapters about different discoveries in geology, paleontology, and DNA studies. Each chapter tells about the people who made the discoveries as well as the discoveries themselves.

[Mike]

I received The Ghost Map for Christmas!The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World

[Adam]

Kirsten wrote: "I have a lot of training in geology, and the whole book was just scattered and unorganized to me. He kept sketching out all these random stories, and the whole time I was just like what the hell d..."

Yeah, I wish I had more time to delve into the topic as well. I do know what you mean, the structure of the book is pretty chaotic. But I'm thinking that might have had to do with the author trying to relate everything to historical discoveries. When you study science historically things are very chaotic. They're presented in very linear logical fashion in school, but the actual way science went about figuring out some of these problems is ALL over the spectrum and all over the world. So I wonder if that was one of the failings with him trying to do that...

[Kirsten]

That's very possible. Some of the scientists of the past (and present too) drive me nuts with the chaos of their discoveries. I blame it on being half Scandinavian.

I'm going to go raid the post Christmas sales at Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Half Price books tomorrow. Even though all of them have meager at best science sections, I'm still stoked.

[Sasha]

Jenny wrote: "I recently read Sean Carroll's book Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species. I really enjoyed the different chapters about different discoverie..."

Hey Jenny, I have this book on my shelf but haven't read it; I'm nervous that it'll cover some Darwin or Wallace stuff that I already know. Can you reassure (or unassure) me?

[Sasha]

And Susanna, I watch Top Chef (as you know) and was highly entertained by that remark too.

[Jenny]

Alex wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I recently read Sean Carroll's book Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species. I really enjoyed the different chapters about differ..."

The book starts out with Darwin, and was published to coincide with his 150th anniversary, and includes chapters on Wallace and Bates. They are interesting, fairly short, and don't reveal a lot that is new. The rest of the book focuses on other fossil discoverers, mostly Americans, and people who have done research into early humans. You could probably skim through the Darwin and Wallace chapters and then focus on the rest of the book.

Carroll does include people like Linus Pauling who is not normally known for his work in biochemistry in the book. Many of the people highlighted in Remarkable Creatures are also quire modern -- some of them are still doing research today. There was an interview with Jack Horner on 60 minutes last night. He continues to work on connections between dinosaurs and birds.

[Kirsten]

I got a huge stack of books today. It was awesome. Let the games begin!

I have liked all of Sean Carroll's books (often required reading for school, go professors go!), so I'm curious about Remarkable Creatures.

[Sasha]

Okay, Jenny, thanks. That does renew my interest.

I've also heard that his The Making of the Fittest is the best lay explanation of DNA around. Since I've completely failed to understand DNA so far, I should probably pick that up too.

[Afiq]

Hey, nice book there Alex:
The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution

I always looking for evolution explanation in an aspect of molecular biology, not from fossilized, skeleton and hand drawing evidence. Any one can suggest me another books to consider in explaining evolution in term of molecular biology?

The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring also another great book I should consider to read, never read a book about plant especially timber plant before.

Thanks guys! this Science and Inquiry group have so many wise members and readers. Keep it up folks.

...and now, I've so many books to read ahead of me.

[David]

Kirsten wrote: "I got a huge stack of books today. It was awesome. Let the games begin! ..."

Every year I give myself a birthday present, an order for a bunch of books...it's great when they arrive! :-)

[Sasha]

I do that too, every birthday time I get drunk.

[Kirsten]

Every time I see my mom she buys me a stack of books. I keep the visits rare enough that it works every time. If I followed Alex's strategy...I'm not sure what would happen, but maybe I should try it?

[David]

I just finished reading two books about the human mind:

Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Gary Marcus is a fun, easy read. It is a pop-psychology book that describes a whole bunch of quirks of the mind.

But, if you really want to learn about the human mind, I would instead highly recommend How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker. This book describes--in great detail--how natural selection has shaped the evolution of the mind: Why the mind makes the decisions that it does, and how evolution gave us our belief systems, family values, our sense of vision, and our reasoning abilities. This book is awesome!

[Sasha]

Ooh, that sounds cool

Has anyone read The Mind's Eye by Oliver Sacks? I got it for Christmas.

[Kirsten]

How did you manage to finish Pinker's book so quickly?!

[David]

Kirsten wrote: "How did you manage to finish Pinker's book so quickly?!"

I'm taking a break from work this week. :-)

[Kirsten]

For some reason that book is taking me a while to get through. I've also chosen snowboarding over reading at the moment. Got to get in those last few days of freedom before I'm in a cast.

Alex-I have read excerpts of The Mind's Eye for class, but never the whole thing.

[Julie]

Alex wrote: "Ooh, that sounds cool

Has anyone read The Mind's Eye by Oliver Sacks? I got it for Christmas."

No but it's on my list so let us know how it is.
Apparently this is my first post in this group, which I didn't realize. Hi everyone!

[Melissa]

Your posts are welcome Julie *waves* Hi back atcha!

[Sasha]

Oh hey Julie! I know you! We're in a different group together as well. Julie's super cool.

Will let y'all know whenever I get to Sacks. (Who knows when that'll be.)

[Bobbi]

http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/w...

For Oliver Sacks fans, here is a link to a fun podcast to get you motivated to read Minds Eye. As a chemistry teacher, this amused me.

[Kirsten]

Will let y'all know whenever I get to Sacks. (Who knows when that'll be.)

Sounds like you have the same problem as I do. So many books, so little time. Insomnia does increase the amount of time I have for reading, though.

A chemistry teacher?! Hot damn. I have to take chem next semester, I love this group. Y'all are good at things I'm going to need convincing to love.

[Sasha]

Agreed, Kirsten: insomnia is great.

(Says the guy who slept for maybe an hour last night.)

[Kirsten]

You win, I slept maybe three hours last night. But I finished my book!

[Kirsten]

Update: I'm not sure I'm atheist enough for The God Delusion. My beliefs aren't too strong one way or the other, so this is just kind of like being in church minus the Jesus part.

[Sasha]

Yeah, that's how I felt too. And I'm pretty freakin' atheist, so that's saying something. Dawkins is just...kindof a dick, y'know?