Science and Inquiry discussion

Hey all. We've experienced some frustration during the book of the month reads about newer publications lack of availability in the library, etc.

I set up this folder for us to bring up books that look like great candidates for nomination as BOM, however, they are very recently published. It's a way to keep track of future BOM nominations.

Note: If you are self-promoting your own book, we have a folder for that purpose. Don't put your promotion in this folder. It will be deleted.

I admit, a bookshelf would keep track of these titles, but you can't really include much description there. So, post your book title here, and give us all a bit of information about the book (e.g. what's is about, early reviews, how you heard about it, excerpts, etc.)

Melissa
Coordinator

Thank you for a v. helpful thread!

I just read an uncorrected proof that I won in Firstreads Giveaway of The Neighborhood Project: Using Evolution to Improve My City, One Block at a Time

Pretty good, *very* provocative. Wilson believes that religion, economics, early childhood education, *everything,* is better studied from the perspective of evolution and natural selection. Lots of anecdotes and mini-biographies. Lots of assumptions and claims, some of which are controversial. Well-organized & pretty clearly written to be comprehensible by motivated laypeople.

Not much about the actual project because it's pretty new, but def. a worthwhile read if you're a city planner or on the school board or in social work, etc...., or even if you're just plain curious.

Sex on Six Legs: Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World

A collegue of mine is reading this book and shared some excerpts with me. She is very excited about it, finds it a great read. I am adding it to my list of books to read.

Sounds like a broad exploration of insect biology with an evolutionary angle. The author writes in an easy style: informative and humourous. One person on Amazon called it "pop science". Not sure if that is true.

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Thank you for a v. helpful thread!

I just read an uncorrected proof that I won in Firstreads Giveaway of [book:The Neighborhood Project: Using Evolution to Improve My City, One Block at a Time|108..."

Thanks for sharing this with us Cheryl. Of course the model of evolution isn't limited to biology . . . sounds interesting.

Melissa wrote: "Sex on Six Legs: Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World

...One person on Amazon called it "pop science". Not sure if that is true. "

Nothing wrong with "pop science". Doesn't that just mean it's written for the lay reader? I think it's a good thing that many books about science are written for the non-scientist. As long as they are accurate and not "pseudoscience" (not sure exactly how that's defined either).

The Mathematics of Life, published in June 2011. May not be available everywhere yet, though Amazon US has multiple formats. It looks interesting. One of my friends is reading it, but hasn't reviewed yet.

Betsy wrote: "The Mathematics of Life, published in June 2011. May not be available everywhere yet, though Amazon US has multiple formats. It looks interesting. One of my friends is reading it,..."

This book looks fascinating! I've put a hold on it, at the library.

1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created looks like a good book that was published this month. It is a sequel to the book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, that was our "Book of the Month" back in January.

David-I'm reading 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created right now and really enjoying it! I'll keep you posted.

I just finished Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men which was just published sometime mid-2011. It's about areas of the world that sex-select for male children, how that got started, and some potential consequences. Very interesting read, also very quick.

Update: If you read and liked 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, then I definitely recommend 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. 1493 has a much more global approach to the American ecosystem shifts, but is still fascinating. I also recommend it to anyone interested in ecology, history, exploration, different cultures, etc.

The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution by Keith Devlin

Blurb from Amazon: In 1202, a 32-year old Italian finished one of the most influential books of all time, which introduced modern arithmetic to Western Europe. Devised in India in the 7th and 8th centuries and brought to North Africa by Muslim traders, the Hindu-Arabic system helped transform the West into the dominant force in science, technology, and commerce, leaving behind Muslim cultures which had long known it but had failed to see its potential.

The young Italian, Leonardo of Pisa (better known today as Fibonacci), had learned the Hindu number system when he traveled to North Africa with his father, a customs agent. The book he created was Liber abbaci, the "Book of Calculation," and the revolution that followed its publication was enormous. Arithmetic made it possible for ordinary people to buy and sell goods, convert currencies, and keep accurate records of possessions more readily than ever before. Liber abbaci's publication led directly to large-scale international commerce and the scientific revolution of the Renaissance.

Yet despite the ubiquity of his discoveries, Leonardo of Pisa remains an enigma. His name is best known today in association with an exercise in Liber abbaci whose solution gives rise to a sequence of numbers--the Fibonacci sequence--used by some to predict the rise and fall of financial markets, and evident in myriad biological structures.

One of the great math popularizers of our time, Keith Devlin recreates the life and enduring legacy of an overlooked genius, and in the process makes clear how central numbers and mathematics are to our daily lives.

Kathy,

Thank you for re-posting. I think we have a number of members that are strongly interested in mathematics.

I had to work to successfully get through the math coursework in college. I did very well, but never found myself very comfortable with it, and at first glance I thought this book would not be of interest to me. However, in reading the description more closely, I am surprisingly intrigued *shakes head in confusion*.

My background in biological science gives me familiarity with the Fibonacci sequence and that the writer explores mathematics role in our lives actually interests me!

I intend to read this book.

Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance? Just published in June 2011.

Amazon description:
"Time to worry again—our lifestyle choices do impact our genetic code and that of our children (and even grandchildren!).

The potential is staggering. . . . The age of epigenetics has arrived.—Time, January 2010

Epigenetic means "on the gene," and the term refers to the recent discovery that stress in the environment can impact an individual's physiology so deeply that those biological scars are actually inherited by the next several generations. For instance, a recent study has shown that men who started smoking before puberty caused their sons to have significantly higher rates of obesity. And obesity is just the tip of the iceberg—many researchers believe that epigenetics holds the key to understanding cancer, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism, and diabetes.

Epigenetics is the first book for general readers on this fascinating and important topic. The book is driven by stories such as the Dutch famine of World War II, José Canseco and steroids, the breeding of mules and hinnies, Tazmanian devils and contagious cancer, and more. 18 illustrations"

Holy Lamarckism!

Ok, I admit, I don't know enough academic science to be able to judge the validity of epigenetics - but I am putting this book on my to-read shelf!

Betsy wrote: "Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance? Just published in June 2011.

Amazon description:
"Time to worry again—our lifestyle choices do impact our genetic code and that o..."

back in 1981 I was working a night shift and to go to sleep after I got home I was reading an article in Scientific American on Cloning potatoes. One of the things they did was raise 2nd generation plants from clones that had been stressed differently. The pictures in the article showed some very different looking plants depending on how the parent had been stressed. I was reading on this article for at least a week as it put me to sleep pretty quickly but I do remember that part so there is long history of this kind of research.

Pronouns (such as I, you, they), articles (a, an, the), prepositions (to, of, for), auxiliary verbs (is, am, have), and a handful of other common word categories are called function words. On their own, function words have very little meaning. In English, there are fewer than 500 function words yet they account for more than half of the words we speak, hear, and read every day. By analyzing their use, we begin to learn how speakers are connecting with their audiences, their friends, their conversational topics, and themselves.

The Secret Life of Pronouns is based on a large-scale research project that links natural language use to real world social and psychological processes. Using computerized text analyses on hundreds of thousands of letters, poems, books, blogs, Tweets, conversations, and other texts, it is possible to begin to read people’s hearts and minds in ways they can’t do themselves.
James W. Pennebaker

Patricrk wrote: "Pronouns (such as I, you, they), articles (a, an, the), prepositions (to, of, for), auxiliary verbs (is, am, have), and a handful of other common word categories are called function words. On their..."

Thanks for the suggestion, Patricrk; I'm always interested in psychology/linguistics. I especially like the books by Steven Pinker.

I just finished War of the Worldviews: The Struggle Between Science and Spirituality, by Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow. The two authors alternate answers to various topics. The book is rather enlightening, with Deepak Chopra taking the side of spiritualism (not religion or god), and Leonard Mlodinow taking the side of science. This book was just recently published; perhaps next year I will nominate for a book of the month. Here is my review.

I've read Sex on Six Legs; I didn't like it as much as I wanted to.

David wrote: "I just finished War of the Worldviews: The Struggle Between Science and Spirituality, by Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow. The two authors alternate answers to various topics. The..."


Hi David

You pointed out some errors/remarks by Chopra in your review, do you recall what they are? I'm a little fretful about reading anything by pop writers such as Chopra or TNH (Thich Nhat Hanh) because their works tend (I suspect) to be written by ghost writers.

Not sure if there is truly a struggle between Science and Religion per se, just different individual models for each. It is like trying to review modern software codes while knowing only Fortran and Pascal.

However, Would love to see a good book on this "debate" as a book of the month for discussion. Not knowing which one(s) to nominate among the zillions out there.

Regards, Ken

Ken wrote: "David wrote: "I just finished War of the Worldviews: The Struggle Between Science and Spirituality, by Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow. The two authors alternate answers to vario..."

Ken,
I'm trying to dredge up my memory. Hmm... Chopak claimed that neurons in the brain do not fire in a binary manner--either on or off. But I think they do. He also claimed that is absurd to think that a random process could allow organisms to evolve to the complex state where humans are, now. But, evidently Chopak does not understand that while mutations may be random, natural selection (and possibly epigenesis) are certainly not random. Mlodinow understands and explains this, but Chopak just doesn't "get it".

Also, the book is not a debate between science and religion--Chopak is not very enthused about religion. He is excited about spiritualism.

Go to amazon.com, and search for science vs religion. The first several books listed are probably pretty good.

A recent book nominated for Dec reading.

A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness

The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us

Cosmos review

Huh! Interesting. Let us know if you read it; it's one of those books that's got a somewhat intriguing premise but I wouldn't tackle it unless someone I know told me it really pulls it off.

It does sound interesting, but there are so many books I want to read, I rather doubt this one will be anywhere near the top of my list.

I'm working on Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them...it's not a highly technical read, but lots of pictures! Good for someone with passing interest in the Ocean/pollution.

Where did the science book thread go? Am I blind?

Kirsten wrote: "... Where did the science book thread go? Am I blind? "

No--You're not blind, Kirsten. The discussion thread got buried below a bunch of other topics. I've raised its visibility to the top of the "General" folder.

Thanks!

Galileo's Muse: Renaissance Mathematics and the Arts looks interesting. Just published in October 2011. Has anyone read it? Seen a review of it? Science News mentioned it, but didn't actually review it that I could find.

Betsy wrote: "Galileo's Muse: Renaissance Mathematics and the Arts looks interesting. Just published in October 2011. Has anyone read it? Seen a review of it? Science News mentioned it, but d..."

Thanks for the mention, Betsy. I will put it on my list--it's at our library.

Picked up a copy of Our Dying Planet: An Ecologist's View of the Crisis We Face as it was on the new book shelf at my local library. I feel obligated to read it as an environmental scientist...but thus far it just seems to be the typical doom and gloom.

Kirsten wrote: "Picked up a copy of Our Dying Planet: An Ecologist's View of the Crisis We Face as it was on the new book shelf at my local library. I feel obligated to read it as an environmental..."

Doom and gloom are very popular, while optimism does not sell books. An interesting antidote to the pessimism is The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves.

I've been meaning to read that book, it looks interesting.

I also just finished Cascadia's Fault, it was a great read for all those on the west coast/geology nerds. It was doom and gloom (Magnitude 9 earthquakes usually are), but I think at the same time there are really good lessons in there about how to be efficiently prepared for a lot of things, and some cool scientific discoveries in there too.

Sean Carroll's latest blog is a list of recent science books he recommends. See http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cos.... It has several very interesting suggestions.

I found this on Sam Harris' website: Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

He interviewed the two authors and it sounded interesting, especially for anyone in need of a dose of good news.

Hello. Every second week I read a brand new popular science book and write an article wherein I summarize the main argument of the book and offer up some of the juicier details and anecdotes to be found therein (at newbooksinbrief.wordpress.com). Some of the books I've covered recently include 'The Social Conquest of Earth' by E.O. Wilson; 'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg; and 'Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think' by Peter Diamandis. Feel free to drop by the site to check out my work (again, newbooksinbrief.wordpress.com)

Cheers,
Aaron,
The Book Reporter

Steve wrote: "I found this on Sam Harris' website: Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

He interviewed the two authors and it sounded interesting, especially for anyone in need of a ..."

I've written an executive-style summary of this book in case you're interested. It's at newbooksinbrief.wordpress.com

Cheers,
Aaron,
The Book Reporter

Aaron wrote: "Hello. Every second week I read a brand new popular science book and write an article wherein I summarize the main argument of the book and offer up some of the juicier details and anecdotes to be ..."

Aaron,
Thanks for letting us know about your newbooksinbrief blog. I've been taking a look at it. Some very comprehensive reviews of excellent non-fiction books. I am definitely putting some of those books on my "to read" list. Thanks!
--David

Thanks David, I think you have a great discussion group going here, and I plan to come back often.

Cheers,
Aaron,
The Book Reporter

The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live--and How You Can Change Them just came out last month and was touted by Sam Harris on his website with an interview with the author:

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/tr...

Internal Time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You're So Tired.

I'm a late chronotype and have always suffered the bias of our society which thinks early rising is a virtue, when the evidence is otherwise. So this book looks really interesting to me.

Here's a review: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph...

Something else we have in common! OK, so I don't get up before nine (because I'm retired and I can sleep in), but it's NOT that shameful. I also seldom go to sleep before 2. Nice review.

Moi, aussi! I sleep between 2 and 10 and could probably move it later if not for my cat. Thank the stars for retirement!

Betsy wrote: "Moi, aussi! I sleep between 2 and 10 and could probably move it later if not for my cat. Thank the stars for retirement!"

Amen, Sister. I used to have to be on the freeway by 6 am. Brutal!

Seven Summer Books for Smarties.

Mostly science, one sci-fi, one "graphic" science history. All look interesting.

oooh! Very nice Betsy. Thank you!

Thanks, Betsy. I'll add them to my reading list. I'll have to move 2312 up my reading list. I have the book. The reviews were mixed. Some found it boring. Then again, my favorite books are the ones that people give up on.

Aloha wrote: "I'll have to move 2312 up my reading list. I have the book. The reviews were mixed. ..."

When you do read it, be sure to let us know what you think. I started Red Mars years ago, but lost interest. Then I recently decided to try it again, but haven't gotten to it yet.

I will, Betsy. I haven't been posting my fiction reads in this forum since I didn't think it applies. I need to read the Mars series, too.

It usually doesn't apply. It depends on the book. If a fiction book seems to be especially science/math friendly or is about science/math in an interesting way, I for one would be interested in hearing about it.

I just finished reading a fascinating new book by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier. It is a collection of essays about the space program. Tyson strongly believes that NASA's space program should launch manned space flights beyond low-Earth orbit--he has some excellent reasons, too. Here is my review.