Science and Natural History discussion

Seeing as other groups have a place for members to introduce themselves and start a dialogue it's about time we had one too. I'll get the ball rolling.

Hi all! I'm Emma the olive nibbling, butterfly enthusiast, science geek. My undergrad was in environmental science, my MSc was ecology and the environment and I have a particular love of bugglies, soil science and geology. Since graduating I've taken to protected species surveying. I currently reside in Cheshire where my life has been taken over by bats.

Hello Emma and Anna!
You both have very intriguing interests! Both protected species surveying and underwater cultural heritage are topics I would love to hear more about. It sounds like you both have a very specialized niche in life?
I love to explore knowledge of different kinds. It comes naturally as I have been trained as a biologist and currently teach zoology and marine biology at a college in California. However, my heart rests in the humanities and the arts as well so the books that somehow walks around in my house at night making new piles tend to be of all kinds. Currently I am attempting to dive into a study of the indigenous people of the Americas at the same time as I keep reading the western canon (lifetime project). Still, I need a dose of natural history on a daily basis. I am new to Good reads so I am browsing for good groups. This group is a new one and small (which I like) so I am jumping in. I presume you are the originator Emma? I ordered the book and will have it on Saturday to jump into the discussion. I am looking forward to reading your (and future members') perspectives on things in the natural world.

Hi Haaze!

A warm welcome to the group and to Goodreads as well. I hope you're enjoying it so far.
It's lovely of you to have joined us and you're certainly a great addition what with your background and being so friendy. I look forward to chatting books and sharing ideas with you.
I like your profile picture by the way ^_^.

Emma wrote: "Hi Haaze!

A warm welcome to the group and to Goodreads as well. I hope you're enjoying it so far.
It's lovely of you to have joined us and you're certainly a great addition what with your backgro..."

Thanks Emma!
My book just arrived, so I will embark upon the journey. Plants are not one of my strengths so this will be fun. The book certainly looks enticing.
I am discovering that GoodReads has a lot of literary temptations as numerous groups look interesting. Most likely I will just end up with two (this will be one as it fulfills my urge to read all those more popular science books I have been gathering). Thanks again for creating this group!

Greeting and salutations, denizens of the group. I've been avoiding this for weeks as I never quite know what to write. With that in mind, I'll keep it succinct:

I have just completed an MRes in Biodiversity and Conservation and am hoping to get a PhD or conservation-based job. I'm a general science nut though I do tend to lean towards physics and biological science. I can't promise to read all the group books as I have limited funds but I'll do my very best.

Anthony wrote: "Greeting and salutations, denizens of the group. I've been avoiding this for weeks as I never quite know what to write. With that in mind, I'll keep it succinct:

I have just completed an MRes in B..."

Hello Anthony! Glad to see that the group is awakening! I love your background in biodiversity and conservation and suspect that you will bring fantastic perspectives to the books in this group. How do you combine your interests in physics and conservation (as they seem a bit bipolar.... ; -)? By the way, are the MRes degrees part of the PhD track? Is this a UK based pattern? Just being curious...

Anthony wrote: "Greeting and salutations, denizens of the group. I've been avoiding this for weeks as I never quite know what to write. With that in mind, I'll keep it succinct:

I have just completed an MRes in B..."

YAY! You finally took the plunge! Welcome, welcome! I'm getting rather excited at how many members are getting involved in the group. We're going to have some killer biological science discussions going on and now we have a physics enthusiast in the fray. Excellent!

P.S. Don't worry about being to protective of my copy of "Oxygen". You'll notice a huge crease along the back cover where I sat on it so dog ears, etc. don't matter now ^_^.

@Haaze: I like your optimism regarding the potential quality of my input. I'll try to live up to it. ^_^. An MRes degree isn't part of the PhD track any more than is an MSc really. However, being able to conduct two research projects is thought by some to better prepare a student for life as a research scientist. Which makes sense, really. I have a passion for research so even if I did not want to pursue a PhD, it really wasn't a hard choice.

As for conservation and physics... are they really that bipolar? I can honestly say I'd not considered my interests to be such. My interest in conservation ultimately stems from what I consider to be the moral and ethical imperatives placed upon us as the dominant species on the planet. My interest in physics (to the point of reading textbooks at least) occurred much later than my interest in biology and conservation (a life-long passion). I'd always been interested in physics - just as I am other sciences like geology, chemistry and cosmology - but didn't really get pulled in until I started to delve into the subatomic world. To put it simply, I find both biology and physics to be utterly majestic subjects full of wonder and beauty. I'm not sure I answered your question that well.

@Emma: Does that mean I'll be talking about physics with myself? And as for Oxygen... you know I don't work that way. Creases or no creases, extra damage results in guilt. :P

@Anthony: I am always enthusiastic (hee hee)! In terms of physics I can see the attraction (my brother was way into astrophysics) and I have had quite a dose of chemistry myself. Perhaps I never gained the "physics" lens of seeing the world... so my questions probably stemmed from my own selfish perspective in not viewing organisms or systems from a physics angle. All these field are indeed majestic subjects. Well put Anthony! I often find myself in awe as I attempt to understand (or simply take in) the complexity of organisms and their interactions.

@Emma & Anthony: Do you always sit on each others books? Is that a prerequisite for reading them?

@Anthony: If you'd like to talk about physics with yourself that's fine ^_^

@Haaze: This particular sitting on book event was sheer clumsiness but who knows? Maybe it will become a ritual!

@Haaze & Emma: There shall be no sitting on books! (>o<)

I thought human culture was all about rituals...? No wonder Emma is getting textbooks now rather than flimsy paperbacks.... ; -)

This is a bit off topic:
I just heard that Lynn Margulis passed away! I have always been interested in her ideas (as well as a female scientist that fought the dogma of the day) in bringing focus to the importance of the microbial realm. Her renewed effort to bring forward symbiotic interactions as a major driving force (and in particular the organelles such as the nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts and flagella as results of interactions between ancestral eukaryotic cells and bacteria) are paramount for our understanding of life. Amazing ideas that turned out to be solidified by genetic data. The world is indeed mesmerizing in its complexity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/25/sci...

Welcome Bharath! Glad to have you aboard! I share your feelings about physics books (except perhaps for astronomy :), but we are all a brave bunch here. There is a likely to be a bias towards natural history although the majority will bring forward future selections. I am quite excited about the theme of this group as well!

Bharath wrote: "Hello everyone! Seems like this group has just the right flavor for me so a pretty enthusiastic greeting to all of you! I'm a third-year medical student from India and quite naturally I have a dist..."

Excellent to have you on board Bharath! I'm sure you'll fit in really well with the group. Since studying the history of medicine at school medical science has fascinated me. I look forward to your book recommendations and your insight. Most of us have a natural history background so having you onboard will undoubtedly open our eyes to a different perspective. Don't worry about the physics books. I'm sure you're more than capable and we’ll all help each other along or be confused together.

Hi everyone! I guess I should introduce myself since I just posted in another thread.

I'm a bookwork/photographer (both hobbies that take up so much time) who's really into science, particularly wildlife and the environment/conservation. I love reading related books and hope to somehow use the knowledge I'm gaining to obtain some kind of related job. Right now, work-wise, I have nothing to do with science, sadly! I did IT/psychology as an undergrad, way before I realized what I should have done (marine biology!) and maybe one day I'll go back to school.

In the meantime, I'll keep reading and I'm glad to have found this group with people whose interests parallel my own!

Anna wrote: "Hello to all the Members of this venerable group! :) I just wanted to say it's been a pleasure to meet you all and I'm happy to be a part of this team. Also, I would like to wish Everyone joy, heal..."

Thank you Anna! It's a pleasure to have you with us! Wishing you all the best for the new year. May it be even better than the last ^_^

Preeti wrote: "Hi everyone! I guess I should introduce myself since I just posted in another thread.

I'm a bookwork/photographer (both hobbies that take up so much time) who's really into science, particularly w..."

Welcome to the group Preeti! We've got a real mix of knowledge and experience in the group and it's wonderful that you've decided to join us and bring yours into the mix. I'll keeping an eye out for your marine biology suggestions. Happy reading!

Hey, I'm Andrew! I'm an aspiring naturalist working towards going back to school for a biology degree. I have a Bachelor's in East Asian Studies, but that was a waste of time. I now realize my calling in life is to save wildlife and the environment from humans, thanks in a large part to David Attenborough and his amazing documentaries. I have been reading as much as I can about evolution and ecology in the past year or so, attempting to make up for lost time. Hoping this group can help me find some books to read :)

Andrew wrote: "Hey, I'm Andrew! I'm an aspiring naturalist working towards going back to school for a biology degree. I have a Bachelor's in East Asian Studies, but that was a waste of time. I now realize my call..."

Hi Andrew! Thanks for joining us. Glad to have you with us. How wonderful that you've decided to go back to study after getting "the calling". I'm sure you'll catch up in no time but saying that there is so much to learn and new things being discovered all the time. I'm not sure anyone can ever really be completely up to speed. The wonders of the world huh?
Sir David Attenborough is certainly an amazing individual. Very inspirational indeed.

Hi, I’m Rob. A London-based amateur naturalist interested in all things ecology, entomology and evolution.

Alas I did a mechanical engineering degree for my sins and ended up working in IT. I hope to do a biology or env. sci degree part time through the OU once I get my act together and find the time for it. For now I spend my weekends in the field where possible – nothing like sweep-netting with some friends on some chalk downland on a hot summer day; the smell of marjoram in the air and a net full of interesting little critters to identify and learn about.

I like to read pop-sci natural history, the odd bit of technical stuff and quite a bit of nature writing (despite the often purple prose).

Also secretly a massive palaeontology geek.

Robert wrote: "Hi, I’m Rob. A London-based amateur naturalist interested in all things ecology, entomology and evolution.

Alas I did a mechanical engineering degree for my sins and ended up working in IT. I hope..."

Hi Rob! Another member who wants to go back and study! Highly commendable. Thanks for joining us. I’m rather relieved I’ve found a fellow entomologist. You’ll have to recommend some buggly reads to convert anyone who is a bit dubious about or little friends.

Hi Rob and Andrew. You sound like you'll fit right in here. Good luck with your future studies - I too left a job (IT) to pursue my passion for science and the natural world. It's a leap but it's certainly worth it.

Hi! I am Becky. I am a physician by vocation. I have been an ardent naturalist since I won the top conservation essay prize in the third grade. The bulk of my library (other than medicine and medical history) is devoted to ornithology, evolution, and just about any natural history book that I cross paths with in bookstores or on Amazon. I am looking forward to learning from the members of this group!

Rebecca wrote: "Hi! I am Becky. I am a physician by vocation. I have been an ardent naturalist since I won the top conservation essay prize in the third grade. The bulk of my library (other than medicine and me..."

Hi Becky! Welcome to our little but very friendly group.
It's great to see that you're so keen and a fellow bird enthusiast to boot. As a group we have a lot of different interests and I'm sure you'll have a lot of interesting books and opinions to add. Glad you joined us!

Hello - just found this group. I don't currently work in the sciences, but I have an MS in Forestry - multiresource management - and some of my favorite reading is in the topics of biodiversity and evolution. Hoping to get some good hints on new books from this group! I grew up in some isolated rural environments and still live in one, so I have a lot of opportunities to view wildlife & natural processes such as wildland fire. Now off to browse the group...

K.A. wrote: "Hello - just found this group. I don't currently work in the sciences, but I have an MS in Forestry - multiresource management - and some of my favorite reading is in the topics of biodiversity and..."

Hi K.A. Thanks for joining us. I'm rather jealous you are living in what sounds like a rather excellent place. I bet you are never bored! We look forward to picking up some good books and ideas from you too.

Boredom doesn't seem to be one of my issues! I really like the area here although sometimes I could use a little more human contact...

Hello everyone.

I'm not in involved in the science field at all, but in fact, design.
My interest in science still remains from my younger days, though I have ways to go, I try to improve my understanding through reading.

I look forward to learning many things from this group.

Hello, just joined this group as science is my main source of reading. Don't work in the field myslef but have a great deal of interest in the subject as a layman.

Hi Suki and Lance! Thanks for introducing yourselves. I have much admiration for those that read about science and natural history when it's not necessarily their field. I'm sure you'll have a lot to contribute and will give many of us a new perspective to consider when discussing books and other topics. Welcome aboard!

Hello, everyone.

After a first career as a research chemist, I left corporate life to become a technical writer. Now doing quite a bit of web design and computer coaching, as well. My interest in science and technology started when I was very small. My mother majored in math and physics in the early 1940s, when women were discouraged from working in the sciences. While she eventually became a high school math teacher, her recreational reading included Scientific American and a number of other serious science journals, so I was raised with the attitude that the universe is a really cool place and understanding the details of how it works is a noble ambition. Looking forward to discussing science books here!

Welcome Kat! Sounds like you've had a very interesting and varied life so far. Great stuff. Wow, your Mom must be such an inspiration to you. How amazing to be a trailblazer. Glad you joined us.

Hi everyone, I'm Nikki from the Philippines, I really love science and found it interesting to study more. ;)I love to study science specially chemistry which I really find interesting. And guess what, Im planning to take Chemistry as my course for college, but still haven't decided yet.

Howdy everyone, I'm Campbell from Liverpool. Well, I say 'from' when I actually mean 'residing in'; I'm actually from just outside Glasgow but I now consider myself to be an adopted Scouser as I've been living hereabouts now for a little over 11 years (still not lost my accent, though!).

My background is chemistry and, all going well, I should be starting my PhD in the next few months. I'm hoping that by joining this group I'll be able to get back into reading some good science-based non-fiction. For the last 2 years or so I've been reading mainly crime fiction and WWII history, lightly interspersed with some science fiction and it's time for a change of pace.

Anyway, that's (more than) enough from me. Thanks for having me!

Welcome Nikki and Campbell! Fancy that, two chemistry students. Very interesting subject but I only fully appreciated it at university. It's a bit tricky finding good chemistry reads so if you find any let us know. Great to have you guys in the group!

By the way. Voting for our April group read is taking place. There's a poll on the home page near the bottom so please feel free to vote.

Hello everyone! I'm Kara and I live in Chicago. I like to think of myself as a cool geek (I have a tattoo of the noble gases?!) I had a local science book club that I belonged but everyone has moved away and I'm left with a hole in my life. I'm hoping that I can meet some new people to chat up Science books with here.

I've got a background in Chemistry and an interest in evolutionary biology but I'm just as likely to be reading something like 1Q84 as I am non-fiction.

I would love to hear from anyone in the group and look forward to participating in discussions!

Welcome to the group Kara! Yay! for another chemistry enthusiast.
It's too bad the local science book club disbanded. It's nice to encourage science in the local community and to meet like minded people as well. Thinking about it, my village has a science festival so maybe they have a science book club too. I'll have to rummage.
Can't wait to hear your views and reviews and feel free to vote on the April read poll on the group page.

Hello, I'm Vicky from Abeerdeenshire but currently living in Milton Keynes. I started out in marine biology, then went on to study environmental management and currrently work as a countryside ranger specialising in environmental education.

I love the sea and hope to get back to the coast again soon, but spend most weekends there messing about in boats, diving and watching wildife. My other big interests are natural history, ecology, anthropology and how humans interact with their environments.

Looking forward to joining in some discussions.

Welcome to the group Vicky!
We seen to have gained quite a number of new members recently and the discussions topics have been much more of a hive of activity. Lots of interesting points being put forward and I'm sure you'll have some good input.
How are you finding environmental education? With so much concern about children not being educated about the environment let alone coming into contact with it I'm interested to know what it's like on the ground.
Great to have you aboard!

Hello folks! I'm Karen from Portland, Oregon. Mostly retired now, but taught elementary school in south Seattle and English in Denmark. I don't have any special education in any scientific field, but I have always wanted to know how things work and have always been a book reader. I probably read one non-fiction work for every two or three fiction, from Tuchman to Winchester, from Dawkins to Hawking. On a lucky whim last fall I savored Lucretius' "On the Nature of the Universe" and then was given Stephen Greenblatt's "The Swerve" at Christmas! It was even better than chocolate on strawberries!

Karen wrote: "Hello folks! I'm Karen from Portland, Oregon. Mostly retired now, but taught elementary school in south Seattle and English in Denmark. I don't have any special education in any scientific field,..."

Thanks for joining the group Karen! Sounds like You've moved about a bit. You must have some interesting stories to tell.
Sounds like you have a good reading balance. I'm really intrigued about The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt. It wasn't on my radar until it was nominated as a potential group read and since then a number of members have mentioned how good it is.

Emma wrote: "Karen wrote: "Hello folks! I'm Karen from Portland, Oregon. Mostly retired now, but taught elementary school in south Seattle and English in Denmark. I don't have any special education in any sci..."

Thanks, Emma. I have so many interesting stories that I hardly know where to begin! And the teacher in me strongly recommends that you read Lucretius before "The Swerve." It will be worth it - the language is gorgeous and the concepts profound.

Kara wrote: "Hello everyone! I'm Kara and I live in Chicago. I like to think of myself as a cool geek (I have a tattoo of the noble gases?!) I had a local science book club that I belonged but everyone has mo..."

Hi, Kara! Have you read "The Ancestor's Tale" by Richard Dawkins? From what you say, it sounds like just your cup of tea.

Rhys wrote: "Hi, I'm Rhys! I'm a public librarian who is murderously slowly finishing a library sciences M.A. I have no formal educational or professional background in the sciences, but am interested in many ..."

Welcome Rhys! You work in a library?! However do you choose your next read? It's good to hear that you've held onto your childhood interests. More people should rediscover the awesomeness of dinosaurs. I hope you enjoy the group and I look forward to your input.

Rhys wrote: "With great difficulty do I choose what to read! I have many, many interests & would like to re-read many of the books I read in the past. My 'to-read' list is up over 300 books. I work in a small t..."


Do you earn enough money in a public library?

Hi all! I'm Marc, new to Goodreads and just signing up to a few groups -- don't quite know how active I'll be here yet. My first degree was in Physics & Philosophy, then I did research for a while in the History & Philosophy of Astronomy; now I'm teaching physics and philosophy in a school in the north-east of England.

I'm always hugely interested in the history of science, and have written a collection of short historical-fiction stories about my field (which is slowly lumbering towards publication with a small press) but I don't know how the group feels about shameless self-promotion!

Hi, everyone. I joined goodreads a couple of years ago but I've just started to get involved with the site. I'm a computer scientist, but I've always been interested in other areas, in particular biology (I've enjoyed Stephen Jay Gould, Lewis Thomas, and Ernst Mayr), cognitive science (Daniel Dennett, Andy Clark, Allen Newell and Herb Simon, George Lakoff), and the intersection between these two areas (Kim Sterelny, Steven Mithen). That sounds kinda specialized, but I hope there are others who might be interested in talking about such topics.

Hi, joined Goodreads a few years ago but only started posting a bit more recently.

Secondary school biology teacher in England. Originally studied biomedical science then switched to psychology BSc so my background is psychology and human sciences, but I've a broad interest in history, philosophy and sociology of science, and did a sociology MA for the fun of it.

In biology I'm a big fan of scientists with a political dimension; Steven Rose, and sociologist Hilary Rose, Richard Lewontin, Stephen Jay Gould, though I'll happily critically read the 'other side' too ;) Dawkins, Pinker, Wilson et al

Have a lot of time for philosophy of biology - Philip Kitcher, Michael Ruse, Elliott Sober, Massimo Pigliucci etc

Have recently been reading more cognitive science/linguistics/philosophy of mind; Dennett, Fodor, Chomsky, McGinn but that's a more recent interest and something I'm still getting my head round.

Welcome to the group Marc, Robert and Conor.
A number of great autors mentioned and a few I will be looking up as well. I hope you all enjoy being part of the group.