Reviews
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Living Color: The Biological and Social Meaning of Skin Color by Nina G. Jablonski
An anthropologist examines the evolution of human skin pigmentation, its relation to health and the role of skin color in social history. Univ. of California, 2012, 260 p., $29.95
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On a Farther Shore by William Souder
Fifty years after the publication of Silent Spring, a biographer creates a sensitive portrait of Rachel Carson’s life and research. Crown Publishers, 2012, 496 p., $30
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Measurement by Paul Lockhart
A mathematician untangles the basic concepts of symmetry, shapes and measurements in a reader-friendly way. Harvard Univ., 2012, 407 p., $29.95
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Stardust Revolution: The New Story of Our Origin in the Stars by Jacob Berkowitz
The author describes efforts by astrobiologists to put the origins of life into a cosmic context in this comprehensive history of “stardust science.” Prometheus, 2012, 376 p., $27
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Fifty Minerals That Changed the Course of History by Eric Chaline
From alabaster to zinc, this book highlights the scientific, cultural and commercial significance of a bevy of alloys, metals, rocks and gemstones. Firefly, 2012, 224 p., $29.95
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Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide by Heimo Mikkola
Spectacular imagery enhances this detailed guide to 249 species of owls, including sections on owl biology, evolution and behavior. Firefly, 2012, 512 p., $49.95
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The Science of Human Perfection: How Genes Became the Heart of American Medicine by Nathaniel Comfort
A historian finds parallels between the 19th century eugenics movement and the rise of modern human genetics. Yale Univ., 2012, 316 p., $35
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The Spine of the Continent: The Most Ambitious Wildlife Conservation Project Ever Undertaken by Mary Ellen Hannibal
A journalist travels the length of the Rockies documenting efforts to create a massive wildlife corridor stretching from Canada to Mexico. Lyons Press, 2012, 272 p., $24.95
