Science and Inquiry discussion

Packing for Mars- Mary Roach. She is one of my most favorite sciencey authors. This is an easy read hardly any technical jargon and full of humor. Things I never even contemplated about the space race and nice tidbits on the difficulties on waste elimination/eating/ copulating in zero G. Things like orbiting the earth naked and floating fecal matter have stuck in my mind. I love how she combines humor and interesting footnotes while weaving a factual tapestry of fun!

I've read several by Mary Roach and enjoyed them all. I have Packing for Mars waiting for me.

I finished Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know, and I have to say, I didn't learn a lot. Maybe because my mom is a vet? LOVED the drawings inside of it, though. I thought she could have left out about half of what she said, but a great book for dog lovers.

North Pole, South Pole: The Quest to Understand Earth's Magnetism was a really interesting read, it explains the history of our understanding of geomagnetism. I would almost classify this book as a history book with some science, not the other way around. You don't have to have a strong background in the topic to read it, just a strong interest.

Just finished The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe. Not what I was expecting. Rather disappointing. Have just started re-reading We, the Navigators: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific. I first read this over 20 years ago and thought it was a fascinating study of Polynesian and Micronesian methods of navigating their voyaging canoes on long ocean passages between islands in the South Pacific.

I finished reading The Grand Design. It is a good overview but I felt like it kind of raced through the information.

I've just finished The Wollemi Pine: The Incredible Discovery of a Living Fossil from the Age of the Dinosaurs. It's a nice and easy read - written by a journo - and nice coverage of the discovery of the species.

I recently read The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition. It was very interesting. And accessible for a non-scientist like myself.

Yes, that was a very interesting read.

I've finally read Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything and I was not overly impressed. Almost everything was either something I knew, or something I don't care about (personal problems of long-dead geologists), or was out-of-date (status of Pluto). If he'd kept better to the promise of the prologue, to explore exactly 'how' scientists know all that stuff, it'd have been better. But at least he did explain some things that some people might be learning for the first time, such as Carbon-14 dating. I suppose the book is a good introduction to lots of science for novice autodidacts.

Just finished In Search of Deep Time: Beyond the Fossil Record to a New History of Life. I found it interesting and readable, but he seemed to repeat himself a lot. Each new chapter, he would begin a new topic, then repeat his central point: you can't posit relationships between species in deep time because there is no way to prove it. I kept thinking, okay, I get it. I felt rather like a student in a lecture. Which may be appropriate since I'm a non-scientist, but it wasn't that difficult a concept.

I wonder if he repeated the point for the sake of scientists who already have notions - if the book is a refutation of others' ideas that maybe you can posit those r'ships. I've tried to read other science books that are all about arguments referencing previous works, and since I'm not familiar with all previous works, the current book reads awkwardly.

I'm reading Pandora's Locks: The Opening of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, which I find fascinating given where I live and hang out, and also Nature's Ghosts: Confronting Extinction from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Ecology which is very well researched and objective, but a bit dry.

The autobiography of Tesla. It amazes me what he was able to envision a 100 years ago. How electrifying it must have been to discover all that for the first time.

I'm reading "Faraday as a Discoverer" by John Tyndall. The second edition preface is dated 1869 and the book asks the question "What good is electricity?" and the only application besides the telegraph is brighter light house lights. I looked up to see when Edison started his work and his first patent in dated 1869. Tesla starts his work a few years later. It is interesting to read about how the ground work for electrical theory was researched.

Sounds like a cool book, Patric.

Finishing up Pandora's Locks: The Opening of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway and I really enjoyed it. Partially because I have great interest in the area, partially because it's just an interesting book. Talks about the ecological damage of invasive species in the Great Lakes, and how it could have been stopped/slowed, but Canada and the U.S. both did nothing.

Starting The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21st Century's Sustainability Crises in earnest now, even though it's a not a strictly science book, it's very very interesting.

Just finished Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul. As I said in my review, if you're looking for a less strident, more religion-friendly exposition of the many and various lines of scientific evidence that support evolution, you may find it here.

The author, unlike many of his pro-evolution contemporaries, is not an agnostic, secular humanist or atheist. He’s a Christian who has comfortably reconciled his religious faith with his scientific knowledge of the facts.

That one put me in the mood for
Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature which I have just started.

I just finished reading The Playful Brain: the Surprising Science of How Puzzles Improve Your Mind. The author, Richard Restak, is a neuroscientist who has written 19 books. This book is a fast, easy read with lots of puzzles that explore different categories of thinking. Restak shows some evidence that practicing puzzles like these can help improve one's thinking abilities, and reduce mental deterioration later in life. Highly recommended!

David, looks interesting. Does it have a lot of graphics? I'm wondering how it would do on a kindle. Graphics are included in a kindle edition, but they're usually pretty small, and currently no color.

I plan to read by Brian Greene next. I know I'm a little late, the book was published in 1999 and I'm sure some of the information presented in the book has been updated/challenged/disproved, as we've made leaps and bounds in the fields the book explores.

I found The Elegant Universe very interesting, and well-written.

That's good to hear. The back of the book mentions how theories are explained through everyday things, like an ant on a hosepipe or what not. I like the sound of that.

Betsy wrote: "David, looks interesting. Does it have a lot of graphics? I'm wondering how it would do on a kindle. Graphics are included in a kindle edition, but they're usually pretty small, and currently no..."

Betsy, yes. Many of the puzzles and brain exercises involve graphics.

Working through Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization, I'm glad I decided against buying this book. It's interesting, but after taking several water resources classes, I find I'm a bit bored learning about the entire history of the world. Would be a good book for people who are interested in history and like Jared Diamond's books, though.

Just finished Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature. I read the Kindle version and there were quite a few photos, illustrations and graphics. The photos were all fine. Some of the graphics were too tiny to read even when using the Kindle zoom feature. However, in several cases I was able to find the same graph on Wikipedia. I enjoyed the book. It will be a tad repetitive if you have already read books on horse, whale or human evolution, but if you are new to paleontology and want a good introduction and a history of the science itself, this is a good one. Here's my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Belatedly - yeah, Max, Greene explains string theory as well as anyone can (including Hawking). You have a terrific book in your hands.

I'm reading Thomas de Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater, which is more scientific than it sounds but only a little. Leary certainly knew about this book. :)

Not sure how much science this is, but I'm reading Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale And Why We Bought It. It's a SUPER quick read about the effects of bottled water on local systems and why people buy into it. Pretty interesting stuff.

I've read a couple of articles recently pointing out that your tap water is fine and you're paying for an awful lot of plastic and shipping and whatnot - that, in fact, tap water's probably better for you because it has added flouride. (I think I'm getting that argument right.) Is that the kind of thing your book is saying too?

That's what I've read too, in fact I wrote a long argument in my water resources class about it spring semester of my senior year. The school I attended did not sell bottled water.

Kind of. Right now she's mostly talking about the damage that bottled water does where it's bottled. More the socio-political aspects, ownership of water rights, commercialization of water, and some about the impacts of water bottles and tap water as a whole. The book is ADD and not broad enough in some respects all at once. I'm only half done, I'll write a full report when I finish the book. It's only a little over 200 pages, I'm sure I'll finish it up pretty quickly.

Cool. Drop a note here so I can check out your report.

Will do! I've been reading a lot of politics/history lately, so it's nice for me to get back into books that are "easier" for me to read...like science! Especially water science.

I'd like to see your report too. Here in Nevada water rights are, of course, a big issue.

I just received a goodreads giveaway science book: Drifting on Alien Winds. So far all I can say is that it's more text and fewer pictures than I'd like. :)

Uh oh, pressure is on for me to write something halfway intelligent!!

Yeah, I heard all about the water issues in the west, I think I read like 5 books on the Colorado River alone while at school. Which kids from Seattle, San Fran, and the Willamette Valley failed to grasp the point of.

Well then they just need to look out the window or pay attention at the Natural History museums. Especially those from SF. The hills across the bay support drought-resistant species.

Another argument for more & better science education in the schools. At least it's cool that more interesting and valuable popular science books are being published for adults who want to learn more.

Kirsten wrote: "Uh oh, pressure is on for me to write something halfway intelligent!!...."

I'd like to read it too. Personally I do buy bottled water (only the "spring water"). It's for one reason only...I think it tastes best. I am very unscientific when it comes to that. :-)

I just read Icarus at the Edge of Time, by Brian Greene. Gorgeous photos, science seems to be (and should be, given Greene's credentials) sound. If your library has it you might want to share it with students or children, but it wasn't amazing. Imo.

I wrote a pretty long review of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale And Why We Bought It...but how do I post that here?

Kirsten, if you click on the "(some html is ok)" link above the comment box, it will tell you how to insert a link. Just put the address of your review in there instead of the goodreads.com they have in the example and whatever text you want in the link.

This is your review

Thank you!!

The next book I plan on reading is The Tipping Point. I haven't heard stellar things, but I feel like I should read it anyway.

ETA: I just used that in the Green Group, it works!! Thanks, Julie :)

I just finished Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors by Nicholas Wade. I thought it was excellent. It discusses the recent advances in genetics that are helping to better explain the evolution of humans and human nature.

Donna wrote: "I just finished Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors by Nicholas Wade. I thought it was excellent. It discusses the recent advances in geneti..."

I too found the Wade book fascinating. It's amazing how much the human genome can tell us about human prehistory and migrations.

Before the Dawn's waiting for me on my shelves. Really looking forward to it.

Kirsten, I quit on Tipping Point. Really didn't do it for me.

Kirsten ... I read The Tipping Point and really liked it. It was a fascinating take on how things change.

Thank you Kirsten for the thorough review. I liked it, and learned from it, and gave your review a 'like' too.

I've been meaning to read The Tipping Point - but I don't have high expectations. Maybe I'll be able to get a copy handily from the library so I can read it now-ish.

Thanks, guys! I tried to outline the main issues, you probably don't even have to read the book at this point... Keep in mind about half is my commentary, the other half is summary.

Everyone I know seems to have read Tipping Point, and they either love it or hate it.

Betsy wrote: "Kirsten ... I read The Tipping Point and really liked it. It was a fascinating take on how things change."

I've read that one, and I really enjoyed it. It had some interesting studies. I didn't agree with everything the author said, but I definitely think it was worth the read.

Hm, well thus far I'm agreeing with Alex. I'm 43 pages in and...I'm not even sure what I am. Bored maybe? Does it have a slow start?

It's a love hate book. If you don't like it by the first 40 pages, my guess is that you won't like the book.

Kirsten wrote: "Thank you!!

The next book I plan on reading is The Tipping Point. I haven't heard stellar things, but I feel like I should read it anyway.

ETA: I just used that in the Green Group, it..."

The Tipping Point was the least interesting book I read from Gladwell. I wouldn't recommend to begin with it, but with Outliers or Blink.

And on the other hand, I totally don't recommend Blink! It really didn't say anything we don't already know - it wasn't enlightening or eye-opening.