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Whenever I get the latest Analog the first thing I read is Stanley Scmidt's editorial, and not just because it's the first thing in the magazine. Now the best of them are finally in book form. Scmidt has an opinion on everything from education to the environment to scientific "heresy." All of these topics are discussed with logic, common sense, disdain for "correctness". Schmidt does not suffer fools lightly, and always provokes more thought than the sound bites on the nightly news. True, these essays were first published in an sf magazine, but you don't have to be a fan to appreciate them. Read this book. Better yet, send a copy to your nearest elected official. It might do some good. ... Read more

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From the secrets of the universe to the healing powers of music, this book draws on the passions of eight professionals who explore the "power" behind their own particular fields of interest, from the arts and humanities to the natural sciences. Their essays span the fascinating world of microscopic biochemical machines; the power of the cinema screen; democracy; mathematical knot theory; innovative new ways of producing energy to meet increasing world demands as well as the power of life and death. ... Read more

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Harold Morowitz has long been regarded highly both as an eminent scientist and as an accomplished science writer. The essays in The Wine of Life, his first collection, were hailed by C.P. Snow as "some of the wisest, wittiest and best informed that I have read," and Carl Sagan called them "a delight to read." In later volumes such as Mayonnaise and the Origin of Life and The Thermodynamics of Pizza, he has established a reputation for a wide-ranging intellect, an ability to see unexpected connections and draw striking parallels, and a talent for communicating scientific ideas with optimism and wit. Kirkus Reviews praised Mayonnaise as "wonderfully diverting and very wise." Nature wrote of Thermodynamics, "his chocolate-coated nuggets of science will continue to entertain and do surreptitious good."

With Entropy and the Magic Flute, Morowitz once again offers an appealing mix of brief reflections on everything from litmus paper to the hippopotamus to the sociology of Palo Alto coffee shops. Many of these pieces are appreciations of scientists that Morowitz holds in high regard. In the title piece, for instance, Morowitz tells of his pilgrimage to the grave of Ludwig Boltzmann, buried in the same cemetery--Vienna's Central Cemetery--as Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms. He also writes of J. Willard Gibbs ("thought by many to be the greatest scientist yet produced by the United States"), Jean Perrin (author of Les Atomes, a now-forgotten classic that convinced virtually everyone in science of the validity of the atomic hypothesis), Einstein, Newton (on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of his Principia, a date that passed virtually unnoticed except by Morowitz), Murray Gell-Mann, and Aristotle. Of Aristotle, Morowitz observes that "most people whose information comes from academic philosophy fail to appreciate that--among his many fields of expertise--first and foremost, Aristotle was a biologist." Indeed, fully a third of Aristotle's writings are on the life sciences, almost all of which has been left out of standard editions of his work. Many other pieces focus on health issues--such as America's obsession with cheese toppings, the addiction to smoking of otherwise intelligent people, questionable obstetric practices--and several touch upon ethics, whistle-blowing, and scientific research. There is also a fascinating piece on the American Type Culture Collection, a zoo or warehouse for microbes that houses some 11,800 strains of bacteria, and over 3,000 specimens of protozoa, algae, plasmids, and oncogenes.

Here then are over forty light, graceful essays in which one of our wisest experimental biologists comments on issues of science, technology, society, philosophy, and the arts. ... Read more

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Are there any limits to what science can ever know, and how far it can be used to change the world, or is science limited by matters of ideology, politics and power? Does the new biology tell us that we are the prisoners of our genes or does our biology make us free? Is a neutral science being misused for military purposes and the abuse of animal rights, or are the new arms race in genetic engineering and the millions of laboratory animals killed each year the inevitable consequences of a science done not’ for the people’ but to meet the needs of the military, of profit, and of a reductionist scientific imperialism? How should conditions like depression, anxiety and schizophrenia be explained—as products of disordered biochemistry, or of a disordering society? In this set of essays, the author sets out to ask and to answer these questions. Drawing on his own experience as a researcher working at the interface between biology and psychology studying the cellular mechanisms involved in learning and the storage of memory he shows how it may be possible to achieve a unified, non-reductionist science which transcends the sterile old dichotomies of biology and culture, nature and nurture, gene and environment, mind and brain. This book raises important questions about the methods, uses and purposes of science, especially the new theories and techniques of biology after the DNA revolution. Written in clear and non-technical language, the essays in Molecules and Minds will be of interest to students of biology, psychology and philosophy, or indeed to anyone concerned with understanding what the biological revolution of the last 25 years can tell us about the past, present and future of the human condition. ... Read more

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Decoding The Universe is an overhaul and refinement of Project Genesis, which was written in a passionate frenzy, with new stuff added. It connects things on a cosmic scale to the chemical elements, which forged history. That takes us one step closer, perhaps, to understanding why and how we got here. It is a work in progress, and the author is trying to get to the crux of things, from which he feels he is one step away. ... Read more

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Inspiring, enriching essays describe the amazing features of the night sky, telling beginning star-gazers where to look for and how to find specific celestial objects with the naked eye. No particular knowledge of astronomy is needed to understand the book and most technical expressions are explained as they appear in the text. A glossary at the end defines terms and concepts. Astronomy magazine advises anyone interested in the night sky to "find a place for [this book] on your library shelf." 5 illustrations.
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Since the revelation of the double helical structure of DNA by Watson and Crick fifty years ago, research into this important molecule has had a dramatic impact on science and society. This volume brings together some of the key workers in the field to explore DNA fingerprinting, the extraction of DNA from archaeological and palaeontological remains; the ethical implications of the genetic knowledge encoded in DNA; the complex role of DNA in cancer research and reproductive medicine; and finally, how genetic disorders teach us about human communication. ... Read more

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This book presents a collection of linked essays written by one of the leading philosophers of biology, Kim Sterelny, on the topic of biological evolution. The first half of the book explores most of the main theoretical controversies about evolution and selection, while the second half applies some of these ideas in considering cognitive evolution. These essays, some never before published, form a coherent whole that defends not just an overall conception of evolution, but also a distinctive take on cognitive evolution. ... Read more

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To this, his highest ideal of duty, Joseph Priestley sacrificed the vulgar prizes of life, which, assuredly, were within easy reach of a man of his singular energy and varied abilities. For this object he put aside, as of secondary importance, those scientific investigations which he loved so well, and in which he showed himself so competent to enlarge the boundaries of natural knowledge and to win fame. In this cause he not only cheerfully suffered obloquy from the bigoted and the unthinking, and came within sight of martyrdom; but bore with that which is much harder to be borne than all these, the unfeigned astonishment and hardly disguised contempt of a brilliant society. ... Read more

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The Universe in which we live is unimaginably vast and ancient, with countless star systems, galaxies, and extraordinary phenomena such as black holes, dark matter, and gamma ray bursts.What phenomena remain mysteries, even to seasoned scientists? Our Universe is a fascinating collection of essays by some of the world's foremost astrophysicists.Some are theorists, some computational modelers, some observers, but all offer their insights into the most cutting-edge, difficult, and curious aspects of astrophysics. Compiled, the essays describe more than the latest techniques and findings.Each of the ten contributors offers a more personal perspective on their work, revealing what motivates them and how their careers and lives have been shaped by their desire to understand our universe.S. Alan Stern is Director of the Department of Space Studies at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.He is a planetary scientist and astrophysicist with both observational and theoretical interests.Stern is an avid pilot and a principal investigator in NASA's planetary research program, and he was selected to be a NASA space shuttle mission specialist finalist.He is the author of more than 100 papers and popular articles.His most recent book is Pluto & Charon (Wiley, 1997). Contributors: Dr. John Huchra, Harvard University Dr. Esther Hu, University of Hawaii, Honolulu Dr. John Mather, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Dr. Nick Gnedin, University of Colorado, Boulder Dr. Doug Richstone, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Dr. Bohdan Paczynski, Princeton University, NJ Dr. Megan Donahue, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD Dr. Jerry Ostriker, Princeton University, New Jersey G. Bothun, University of Oregon, Eugene ... Read more