Below the jump, I mention the books that arrived whilst I was traveling in London. They are gifts, review copies that arrived in the mail, or are purchases I made in London. These are the books that I may review in more depth later, either here or in print somewhere in the world.
When I get new books, I like to share them with people. Unfortunately, you are all so far away, so I cannot host a book party in my crib where you can look them over, so I'll do the next best thing. I'll host a book party on my blog each Friday of the week when I either purchase books or when they arrive in the mail. In this New Book Party, I will try to be your eyes by presenting my quick "first impression" -- almost as if we are browsing the shelves in a bookstore -- and I'll also provide relevant videos about the book and links so you can get a copy of your own.
Books that arrived recently:
Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology since Darwin by Tim Birkhead, Jo Wimpenny and Bob Montgomerie [Princeton University Press, 2014; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis Ten Thousand Birds provides a thoroughly engaging and authoritative history of modern ornithology, tracing how the study of birds has been shaped by a succession of visionary and often-controversial personalities, and by the unique social and scientific contexts in which these extraordinary individuals worked. This beautifully illustrated book opens in the middle of the nineteenth century when ornithology was a museum-based discipline focused almost exclusively on the anatomy, taxonomy, and classification of dead birds. It describes how in the early 1900s pioneering individuals such as Erwin Stresemann, Ernst Mayr, and Julian Huxley recognized the importance of studying live birds in the field, and how this shift thrust ornithology into the mainstream of the biological sciences. The book tells the stories of eccentrics like Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, a pathological liar who stole specimens from museums and quite likely murdered his wife, and describes the breathtaking insights and discoveries of ambitious and influential figures such as David Lack, Niko Tinbergen, Robert MacArthur, and others who through their studies of birds transformed entire fields of biology.
Ten Thousand Birds brings this history vividly to life through the work and achievements of those who advanced the field. Drawing on a wealth of archival material and in-depth interviews, this fascinating book reveals how research on birds has contributed more to our understanding of animal biology than the study of just about any other group of organisms.
My first impression: You don't have to be an ornithologist to enjoy this accessible and enlightening book: a passion for eloquent prose and a story well-told combined with a fascination for the history of science will do it. Quite simply, this book is a masterpiece that beautifully documents how science is done -- the observations, the investigations, the mistakes made along the way, the discoveries, the many personalities involved and the direction that this field of science is moving in. As if that is not enough, it is jam-packed with lots of photographs, drawings, diagrams, data images and timelines that will captivate the curious reader. More than an authoritative work, the love and care invested into writing and producing this book shine from every page.
What is Life?: How Chemistry Becomes Biology by Addy Pross [Oxford University Press, reprint edition, 2014; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis Seventy years ago, Erwin Schrödinger posed a profound question: 'What is life, and how did it emerge from non-life?' This problem has puzzled biologists and physical scientists ever since.
Living things are hugely complex and have unique properties, such as self-maintenance and apparently purposeful behaviour which we do not see in inert matter. So how does chemistry give rise to biology? What could have led the first replicating molecules up such a path? Now, developments in the emerging field of 'systems chemistry' are unlocking the problem. Addy Pross shows how the different kind of stability that operates among replicating molecules results in a tendency for chemical systems to become more complex and acquire the properties of life. Strikingly, he demonstrates that Darwinian evolution is the biological expression of a deeper, well-defined chemical concept: the whole story from replicating molecules to complex life is one continuous process governed by an underlying physical principle. The gulf between biology and the physical sciences is finally becoming bridged.
My first impression: This deceptively slim book is a lucid and beautifully-written explanation for how chemistry forms the basis of all living things. If you are a student of either chemistry or biology, this classic book is a must-read.
Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction by Charles L. Adler [Princeton University Press, 2014; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis From teleportation and space elevators to alien contact and interstellar travel, science fiction and fantasy writers have come up with some brilliant and innovative ideas. Yet how plausible are these ideas -- for instance, could Mr. Weasley's flying car in the Harry Potter books really exist? Which concepts might actually happen, and which ones wouldn't work at all? Wizards, Aliens, and Starships delves into the most extraordinary details in science fiction and fantasy -- such as time warps, shape changing, rocket launches, and illumination by floating candle -- and shows readers the physics and math behind the phenomena.
With simple mathematical models, and in most cases using no more than high school algebra, Charles Adler ranges across a plethora of remarkable imaginings, from the works of Ursula K. Le Guin to Star Trek and Avatar, to explore what might become reality. Adler explains why fantasy in the Harry Potter and Dresden Files novels cannot adhere strictly to scientific laws, and when magic might make scientific sense in the muggle world. He examines space travel and wonders why it isn't cheaper and more common today. Adler also discusses exoplanets and how the search for alien life has shifted from radio communications to space-based telescopes. He concludes by investigating the future survival of humanity and other intelligent races. Throughout, he cites an abundance of science fiction and fantasy authors, and includes concise descriptions of stories as well as an appendix on Newton's laws of motion.
Wizards, Aliens, and Starships will speak to anyone wanting to know about the correct -- and incorrect -- science of science fiction and fantasy.
My first impression: As a teen-ager, I was an avid fan of science fiction, so the author already has my attention. I briefly read chapter three, "Why Hogwarts is so dark". In this chapter, the author discusses why a green light appears brighter to the human eye than a red light burning at the same wattage, how engineers measure brightness of a light source, and how much of the light generated by a burning candle is useful for reading. He also includes a number of equations to help illustrate the points he's making. This book looks promising as a supplement to a physics course since it provides numerous examples from science fiction and fantasy and examines whether the described phenomena are possible.
The Extreme Life of the Sea by Stephen R. Palumbi and Anthony R. Palumbi [Princeton University Press, 2014; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK/audio download UK; Amazon US/kindle US/audible audio US]
Publisher's synopsis The ocean teems with life that thrives under difficult situations in unusual environments. The Extreme Life of the Sea takes readers to the absolute limits of the ocean world -- the fastest and deepest, the hottest and oldest creatures of the oceans. It dives into the icy Arctic and boiling hydrothermal vents -- and exposes the eternal darkness of the deepest undersea trenches -- to show how marine life thrives against the odds. This thrilling book brings to life the sea's most extreme species, and tells their stories as characters in the drama of the oceans. Coauthored by Stephen Palumbi, one of today's leading marine scientists, The Extreme Life of the Sea tells the unforgettable tales of some of the most marvelous life forms on Earth, and the challenges they overcome to survive. Modern science and a fluid narrative style give every reader a deep look at the lives of these species.
The Extreme Life of the Sea shows you the world's oldest living species. It describes how flying fish strain to escape their predators, how predatory deep-sea fish use red searchlights only they can see to find and attack food, and how, at the end of her life, a mother octopus dedicates herself to raising her batch of young. This wide-ranging and highly accessible book also shows how ocean adaptations can inspire innovative commercial products -- such as fan blades modeled on the flippers of humpback whales -- and how future extremes created by human changes to the oceans might push some of these amazing species over the edge.
My first impression: This is a beautiful book. Not only is the writing passionate, engaging and informative, but the production values are truly artistic: the heavy pages consist of brilliant white paper, many lovely black-and-white diagrams and data images are embedded throughout and there're inset pages with aesthetically-pleasing colour photographs of the many finny subjects discussed in the text. Here's just one of the many evocatively-written paragraphs that will entice you to fall in love with this book:
While birds, insects and mammals, evolved flight in their own ways, a fourth model labored hidden under the waves. It was a one-off, an aerial exotic, an evolutionary miracle that has been given the ocean's most appropriate name: flying fish. ... Those fish seen from your skiff took flight for a reason. Imagine them just a few moments before, cruising in a loose echelon just below the water's surface -- gorgeous animals proudly marked with blues and purples and yellows. Their pectoral (shoulder) fins are the most eye-catching feature. Elongated into wings, stretching to either side, their delicate spines and translucent planes resemble insect wings: butterflies birthed in the sea. The school swims in formation, feeding on plankton and tiny fish. Suddenly a mahi mahi appears from the dark Tartarus below, 20 pounds of needle teeth and muscled fury on an intercept path. The formation's left outrider -- a little cerulean female -- is the closest to danger and the first to turn. Her companions follow, veteran wingmen instantly sensing the shift. [pp. 97-98]
Due out this month
The Science of Cheese by Michael H. Tunick [Oxford University Press, 2014; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis In an engaging tour of the science and history of cheese, Michael Tunick explores the art of cheese making, the science that lies underneath the deliciousness, and the history behind how humanity came up with one of its most varied and versatile of foods.
Dr. Tunick spends his everyday deep within the halls of the science of cheese, as a researcher who creates new dairy products, primarily, cheeses. He takes us from the very beginning, some 8000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, and shows us the accidental discovery of cheese when milk separated into curds and whey. This stroke of luck would lead to a very mild, and something akin to cottage, cheese-deemed delicious enough by our traveling cheese maker that he or she did it again another day.
Today we know of more than 2,000 varieties of cheese from Gorgonzola, first noted in year 879, to Roquefort in 1070 to Cheddar in 1500. But Tunick delves deeper into the subject to provide a wide-ranging overview that begins with cows and milk and then covers the technical science behind creating a new cheese, milk allergies and lactose intolerance, nutrition and why cheese is a vital part of a balanced diet. The Science of Cheese is an entertaining journey through one of America's favorite foods.
My first impression: I am halfway through this book. It's interesting, but will probably appeal most to the chemists and the serious foodies in the crowd since it places a heavy emphasis on .... you guessed it .... chemistry!
Nick and Tesla's Secret Agent Gadget Battle by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith [Quirk Books, 2014; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis In this third installment of the series, 11-year-old whiz-kids Nick and Tesla discover that someone in the quiet town of Half Moon Bay has placed their beloved Uncle Newt under electronic surveillance-but who is spying on him, and why? To expose the secret agent, Nick and Tesla build all kinds of outrageous contraptions. Throughout the book, the narrative is interrupted by blueprints and instructions so that budding young inventors can follow along. Science and electronics have never been so much fun!
My first impression: I read this entire book in one sitting yesterday. Since I am writing a review of it, I won't tell you any more, except to mention that this series appears to be longer -- possibly much longer -- than a trilogy, as I thought it was meant to be. Hmmmm.
What book(s) are you reading? How far are you along in the book? What do you think of it so far? Do you think your book is worth recommending to others?
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GrrlScientist can also be found here: Maniraptora. She's very active on twitter @GrrlScientist and sometimes lurks on social media: facebook, G+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
