Books
pharyngula | June 3, 2008It's true — we're going to be promoting (or dissecting) select titles in the The ScienceBlogs Book Club, a new feature here. For our first effort, a few of us have read and are discussing Carl Zimmer's Microcosm — you should head over there and contribute. A book club session without any arguments is no fun at all.
gregladen | June 3, 2008Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture (DIY Science) is a new book by Robert Thompson. The premise is simple. The coolest thing in the world is a home chemistry set like this one from Gilbert, which combined both chemistry and microscopy:
Chemistry Set Combine the sciences of Chemistry and Microscopy in one big laboratory set! Microscope has a magnification of 60 power, plus unique Polaroid device that shows the brilliant colors of specimens under the lens. Set includes "Fun With Gilbert Chemistry", "Gilbert Microscope", "Glass Blowing" manuals and dissecting…
laelaps | June 2, 2008My time writing was cut a little short this weekend (my wife rescued me from the doldrums by suggesting we take a late-night trip to the beach) but I still was able to flesh out the sections dealing with the early history of paleoanthropology. I have the feeling that I'm going to have to edit both down (I'm already at the 19 page mark for the chapter and I haven't even gotten to A. afarensis yet, much less Orrorin and Sahelanthropus) but I'm going to leave that for another time. Indeed, the human evolution chapter may end up splitting into two at some point as there is so much material to…
neurophilosophy | June 1, 2008In the first installment of The ScienceBlogs Book Club, which was launched today, Carl Zimmer discusses his new book, Microcosm, with John Dennehy, Jessica Snyder Sachs and PZ Myers.
The discussion of the book will take place in the comments section of the book club blog, and will continue until June 14th. If it proves to be popular, it may become a regular thing.
I've got a copy of the book, and might read it after I've finished Trick or Treatment, by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst, so that I can join the discussion. If you've read it, or plan to do so in the next two weeks, why not get…
laelaps | June 1, 2008Some of you might have noticed a new blog in the feeds; the ScienceBlogs Book Club. The blog will feature discussions about the book Microcosm by my fellow Scibling Carl Zimmer, John Dennehy, PZ, Jessica Snyder Sachs, and Carl himself all offering up commentary. The discussions will unfold over the course of the next two weeks, so if you're interested in joining in head on over and check out the new blog!
I haven't read Microcosm yet (I'm still working on The Simian Tongue and Fossil Horses just came in the mail), but I am looking forward to seeing what people have to say about Carl's new…
clock | June 1, 2008Yes, there is a new blog around here - The ScienceBlogs Book Club - where the author of a book and invited guest bloggers will discuss the book. You are invited to join the discussion in the comments and we, the rest of the sciencebloggers, may add to the cacophony on our blogs as well.
The first book in this series will be Microcosm by our own Carl Zimmer. The invited bloggers are John Dennehy, PZ Myers and Jessica Snyder Sachs, and all of you, of course....
Fortunately, I recently got my copy of the book, so I may push it to the top of my reading list and join in the discussion myself.
grrlscientist | June 1, 2008tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, natural history books, ecology books
"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).
Here's this week's issue of the Birdbooker Report by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, which lists ecology, environment, natural history and bird books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.
New and Recent Titles:
Gallagher, Tim. Falcon Fever: A Falconer in the Twenty-first Century. 2008. Houghton Mifflin. Hardbound: 326 pages. Price: $25.00 U.S. [Amazon: $15.00]. SUMMARY: The authors recounts some of his…
laelaps | June 1, 2008Those of you who stopped by this blog on Friday afternoon might have quickly glimpsed a post that is now missing. There's a good reason for that. I had noticed that in May at least three books about theistic evolution/the "theology of evolution" were released (Creation and Evolution: A Conference With Pope Benedict XVI in Castel Gandolfo, The Deep Structure of Biology: Is Convergence Sufficiently Ubiquitous to Give a Directional Signal, and Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution) and I made a few snarky comments about them. Being that I haven't read any of them I didn't…
laelaps | May 31, 2008"Do we really need another book about evolution?" I ask myself this question almost every day as I pore over the stacks of books and papers cluttering my apartment, the masses of literature forming a sort of scientific strata. It has been about two years since I first started saying that I was working on a book about evolution (I figured that if I believed I could do it I would eventually become motivated enough to do something about it) but for much of that time my efforts at actually producing anything were pitiful. It is true that I had more enthusiasm than knowledge during the first…
clock | May 31, 2008Have you been to Pandagon lately? Have you seen the brand new look, design and layout? Cool!
Which reminds me that I have read Amanda's book, It's a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments, on my first 2-3 flights in Europe last month. I left it with my cousin - let's spread the new, fun kind of feminism to the Balkans!
I have been reading Amanda Marcotte online since before she joined the crew at Pandagon and I have to say that, as a white, middle-aged, middle-class man, I learned from her blogging a lot about things I used to take for…
grrlscientist | May 31, 2008tags: Alex And Me: A 30-Year Adventure, Alex & Me: Lessons from a Little Bird with a Big Heart, ethology, cognition, learning, parrots, Irene Pepperberg, book review
As a scientist, parrot researcher, aviculturist and parrot companion, I have met Irene Pepperberg several times, at both scientific meetings and also at avicultural meetings, and I have followed her research closely (but quietly) for most of my life. So, when Seed Media, which houses all of ScienceBlogs, asked me if I wanted to read and review Pepperberg's upcoming book, Alex & Me: Lessons from a Little Bird with a Big…
purepedantry | May 30, 2008I had the privilege of seeing Hamlet last night at Shakespeare in the Park. I say the privilege because the production was as usual excellent. For those of you who don't know, it is a New York tradition for the Public Theater to host plays by Shakespeare -- usually two -- over the summer free to the public. The production attract competent and relatively famous actors. This year, they decided to do Hamlet which they apparently haven't done for more than 30 years when Sam Waterston played the lead. Sam Waterston is back as Polonius. Michael Stuhlbarg plays the lead, and Lauren Ambrose…
gregladen | May 30, 2008 Bill Thompson's Young Birder's Guide The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guides) is a book that I highly recommend for kids around seven to 14 years of age. (The publishers suggest a narrower age range but I respectfully disagree.)
This is a new offering written by Bill Thompson III and published by the same people who give us the Peterson Field Guide to the Birds and many other fine titles. The book includes excellent illustrations by Julie Zickefoose.
A birder since childhood, Thompson says he would have loved a book like this one when he was just…
sporte | May 29, 2008I got my copy of "A short guide to the human genome" by Stewart Scherer today from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (2008, ISBN 978-087969791-4). Usually, I would wait until after I've read a book to write a review, but this book doesn't require that kind of study. As soon I skimmed through it and read some of the questions and answers, I knew this would be the kind of quick reference that I would like to have sitting above my desk.
Scherer has compiled a wonderful text that not only answers many of the kinds of questions that I can think to ask about the human genome, but the kinds of…
laelaps | May 29, 2008Over at Cocktail Party Physics Jennifer Ouellette has a two-part interview (1 and 2) with Eric Roston, author of the upcoming book The Carbon Age. It's definitely worth a look, and you can definitely expect to hear a bit more about The Carbon Age here in the not-too-distant future (~next Sunday, A.D.). Eric also has his own blog, Carbon Nation, and I definitely recommend that you check it out.
grrlscientist | May 29, 2008tags: My Guy Barbaro, horse racing, horses, Kentucky Derby, Edgar Prado, John Eisenberg, book review
Like most of America, I fell under the spell of the talented athlete, Barbaro. I was riveted by his brilliance and ability. Despite Barbaro's tragic end, I wanted to read a book that told his story, that gave him a voice without being maudlin or poorly-written. So thanks to one of my readers who kindly purchased this book for me, I was pleased to have the opportunity to read My Guy Barbaro: A Jockey's Journey Through Love, Triumph, and Heartbreak with America's Favorite Horse (NYC:…
clock | May 25, 2008While I was gone for 6 days in Florida, my mailbox got choked with books. Some came from publishers, others from friends who hit my amazon.com wish list. Disregard the last ClockQuotes just below - I am excited about these books and intend to read them.
First, and most exciting is Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life by my SciBling Carl Zimmer. Not surprisingly, the book has received glowing reviews everywhere. That will be the first one I tackle next week as soon as I am done with what I am reading right now.
Then, I got The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of Eastern North…
grrlscientist | May 25, 2008tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, natural history books, ecology books
"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).
Here's this week's issue of the Birdbooker Report by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, which lists ecology, environment, natural history and bird books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.
New and Recent Titles:
Floyd, Ted. Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America. 2008. Collins. Paperback: 512 pages. Price: $24.95 U.S. [Amazon: $16.47]. SUMMARY: This photographic guide comes with a DVD of bird songs…
laelaps | May 23, 2008In the process of doing some research yesterday I came across some old books that are available for free download via Google Books. I know not everyone shares my particular affinity for yellowing 19th century science books, but if you do you might want to check out some of these titles;
Georges Cuvier - Essay on the Theory of the Earth (English translation)
William Buckland - Geology and Mineralogy Considered with Reference to Natural Theology
William Buckland - Reliquiae Diluvianae
W.J. Broderip - Zoological Recreations
Robert Chambers - Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, With a…
laelaps | May 23, 2008Time flies when I'm not working on my book. The past month has been especially hectic and, in many respects, nerve wracking, so my goal of being "professional" and writing every day went out the window. I successfully survived the spring semester, however, and now I can devote more of my time to completing this project.
I spent most of yesterday refreshing my memory about horses and their evolution (appropriately enough, a new special exhibit on horses just opened at the AMNH). I knew from the very beginning of the project that I would have to include a chapter on horse evolution, but I could…