Science and Inquiry discussion

Please post a comment below to nominate a book for the group to read for October 2022.

Please use the "add book/author" link just above the comment box to insert a link to the Goodreads book page for the book you are nominating, so other members can more easily assess it. Apparently this only works on the desktop version of the site; if you use the app, the link is not available yet, so just be sure to put the full title and author.

To check whether a book has been previously read or already selected to be read, check the following list: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

You may nominate a book which has been suggested previously and did not win. You may nominate more than one book, but we might not include all of your nominations in the voting.

Authors and publishers may not nominate their own books.

Please do not nominate a book which is unlikely to be available to most members, such as one which was just published within the last three months or which is only available on Kindle in the U.S.

Nominations will close on August 21 or when we have about 10 good nominations, whichever occurs first.

Seeking Ultimates: An Intuitive Guide to Physics

Sangharsh wrote: "Seeking Ultimates: An Intuitive Guide to Physics"

It seems that this book is not easily available. Although Amazon US sells various editions, there are limited numbers available and they are very expensive. Even the kindle edition costs about $53. And the hardback is over $100. I don't think we can expect people to pay that.

I nominate Dinosaurs: How they lived and evolved. It's the best natural history of dinos for adults. I reviewed the 1st edition ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ). Also, this group needs more dino love ;) Seriously, the last time a dino book won was March 2019 ( https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... ).

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Vital Question by Nick Lane

I would like to nominate “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden World Around Us” by Ed Yong. This book describes how we and other animals perceive the world using a surprisingly diverse range of senses. A fascinating read and a real eye opener. Ed Yong is an excellent writer - his previous book “I Contain Multitudes” won the Pulitzer Prize.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Martin wrote: "I would like to nominate “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden World Around Us” by Ed Yong. This book describes how we and other animals perceive the world using a surprisingly div..."

This book was just published at the end of June, so it's still a little too new to be eligible. Please nominate again in a couple months.

Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space (2021)

I'd like to nominate Beyond. It's one of the best books I've read about space exploration, and especially topical now that the future of US-Russian collaboration in the International Space Station looks uncertain given the current sociopolitical situation. This book is an excellently-written, engaging account of the early space race and parallels the US's and the USSR's projects to launch a human into orbit.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ by Monty Lyman

I would like to nominate “Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs” by Lisa Randall

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 

Michael wrote: "Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... "

Excellent book. But we already read it. In February 2021. Here is the discussion thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I would like to nominate The Greatest Story Ever Told—So Far: Why Are We Here? by Lawrence M. Krauss

First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 

Potentially a prelude to "new" fossil light images from the space telescopes and several under-construction ground-based ones.

Michael wrote: "First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 

Potentially a prelude to "new" fossil light images from the space telescopes and sever..."

This sounds like a good one. I am currently reading The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth's Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
This talks about the big radio and mirror telescopes around the world, it is very good! Switching on the Stars sounds like a great followup for that one.

Susanne wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Vital Question by Nick Lane"
I second this nomination. We should read all of Nick Lane's books. His Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life was one of the most discussed books we've read.

Nancy wrote: "I am currently reading The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth's Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe."

Do you want to nominate this book? I'm assuming not, unless you let us know.

Betsy wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I am currently reading The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth's Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe."

Do you want to nominate this book? I'm assuming not, unless you let ..."
Well I didn't want to compete with Michael's nomination, which sounds like a similar book.

Kim wrote: "I would like to nominate “Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs” by Lisa Randall"

We already read Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe, in July 2016. Here is the discussion thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Nominations are now closed. I will post a poll shortly.

Because we only had seven valid nominations, I added the two second place selections from the Sept 2022 poll.

Please vote for your choice at the following poll:

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

Voting will be open through August 28.