Reviews
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The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World by Susan M. Schneider
A biopsychologist examines how the brain shapes behavior by learning from the consequences of actions. Prometheus, 2012, 383 p., $21
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Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond by James Trefil
A large-format guide to the universe covers astronomy basics, with eye-catching images plus a foreword by former astronaut Buzz Aldrin. National Geographic, 2012, 335 p., $50
- Health & Medicine
I Died for Beauty
Dorothy Wrinch and the Cultures of Science by Marjorie Senechal.
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Life’s Ratchet: How Molecular Machines Extract Order from Chaos by Peter M. Hoffmann
Explore life at the smallest scales in this look at how molecules within cells operate like machines to keep organisms alive. Basic Books, 2012, 278 p., $27.99
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Wind Wizard: Alan G. Davenport and the Art of Wind Engineering by Siobhan Roberts
Skyscrapers and massive bridges would not be the same without Alan Davenport, whose engineering for wind conditions improved the safety of structures around the world. Princeton Univ., 2013, 278 p., $29.95
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Mad Science: Einstein’s Fridge, Dewar’s Flask, Mach’s Speed, and 362 Other Inventions and Discoveries that Made Our World by Randy Alfred, ed.
Celebrate a technology anniversary for each day of the year with this compendium of inventions. Little, Brown and Co., 2012, 390 p., $19.99
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BOOK REVIEW: Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova
Review by Alexandra Witze.
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A Man of Misconceptions: The Life of an Eccentric in an Age of Change by John Glassie
The eccentric life of the insatiably curious, but often wrong, 17th century scholar Athanasius Kircher is explored in this tale of his influence on science. Riverhead Books, 2012, 335 p., $26.95
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Cycling Science: How Rider and Machine Work Together by Max Glaskin
The physics of two-wheeled locomotion gets deep coverage in this illustrated overview for the bike-obsessed. Univ. of Chicago, 2012, 192 p., $30
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Walking Sideways: The Remarkable World of Crabs by Judith S. Weis
A biologist pens a tribute to crabs, exploring everything from their life cycles and behavior to the many ways humans eat them. Cornell Univ., 2012, 224 p., $29.95
- Science & Society
Guesstimation 2.0
Solving Today's Problems on the Back of a Napkin 2.0 by Lawrence Weinstein.
