Biology

We are Electric:Inside the 200-year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code and What the Future Holds

Date Reviewed

'We are Electric:Inside the 200-year Hunt for Our Body's Bioelectric Code and What the Future Holds' is a good start for author Sally Adee's first book. It explores a challenging level of scientific knowledge and history of the subject.

The 48-year-old science writer has a master's degree in science writing from Johns Hopkins University and has written for many publications. As such, she has come in contact with many scientists from different fields and that is utilized in the book.

Brief Answers to Big Questions

Date Reviewed

'Brief Answers to Big Questions' is Stephen Hawking's last book and despite promises made and almost kept, about no equations, I still found myself frequently in deep weeds of lack of understanding. But after re-reading in some areas the weeds became less thick. You may find yourself with your own “uncertainty principle” .

While I have developed no ability to imagine multiple dimensions beyond the standard three, I was persuaded to add 'time' as a fourth. I also learned that a triangle can have more than a total of 180 degrees in its three inside angles.

Cool It:The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming

Date Reviewed

‘Cool it’ by Bjorn Lomborg is another in the long line of global warming and related books. I had been led to believe by his detractors that he was a “denier”. I did not find that to be the case. He says that global warming is occurring and it is mainly caused by CO2 produced by human activities. He is even suggesting a 4.5 F temperature increase this century.

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Date Reviewed

Review

Author Frans de Waal answers the question in the title early and in the affirmative. This is the latest offering of the animal behaviouralist, whose book 'The Bonobo and the Atheist' is profiled on this site.

But in this book, the scope of his insights and observations is broader. And maybe more importantly, his political challenge is more pointed. Those who still insist on measuring animals capabilities against those of humans in a human context have to deal with a twist.

Anthill

Date Reviewed

 

 

‘Anthill’ by E.O. Wilson is that renowned biologist/naturalist’s first venture into fiction. And while I am loath to use the word “unique” he employs a technique here I have never encountered before. In the midst of a 370 page novel devoted to the story of a boy growing up in South Alabama, is a story of the life and complex societal organization of ants. Wilson, one of the world authorities on that subject, delivers what could be seen as a scientific paper, in a highly palatable narrative about the ants in their home and how they may view the world.