Reviews

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog

Review by Susan Milius.

The Abacus and the Cross: The Story of the Pope Who Brought the Light of Science to the Dark Ages by Nancy Marie Brown

The story of Pope Sylvester II, who introduced Islamic math and science to the West. THE ABACUS AND THE CROSS: THE STORY OF THE POPE WHO BROUGHT THE LIGHT OF SCIENCE TO THE DARK AGES BY NANCY MARIE BROWN Basic Books, 2010, 328 p., $27.95.

Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter

Learn the science behind sautéing and other cooking techniques in this combination recipe book and introduction to food chemistry. COOKING FOR GEEKS BY JEFF POTTER O’Reilly Media, 2010, 432 p., $34.99.

Pluto by Barrie W. Jones

An astronomer explores the demoted planet and shows how it has contributed to scientists’ knowledge of the solar system. PLUTO BY BARRIE W. JONES Cambridge Univ. Press, 2010, 231 p., $35.99.

Book Review: Shark: In Peril in the Sea by David Owen

Review by Sid Perkins.

Death in a Small Package by Susan D. Jones

Part of the Johns Hopkins Biographies of Disease series, this history of anthrax describes the bacteria’s transformation from agricultural disease to biological weapon. DEATH IN A SMALL PACKAGE BY SUSAN D. JONES Johns Hopkins Univ., 2010, 329 p., $24.95.

Lenin’s Laureate by Paul R. Josephson

A historian explores Soviet science in this biography of Zhores Alferov, who won a Nobel Prize for discovering the heterojunction used in LEDs. LENIN’S LAUREATE BY PAUL R. JOSEPHSON MIT, 2010, 307 p., $29.95.

The Species Seekers by Richard Conniff

Tales relate the adventures of early naturalists who risked life and limb in the quest to discover new species. THE SPECIES SEEKERS BY RICHARD CONNIFF W.W. Norton, 2010, 464 p., $26.95.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Giant Crossbow by Matthew Landrus

A da Vinci expert takes a technical look at the design and engineering underlying one of the artist’s most popular but least understood drawings. LEONARDO DA VINCI’S GIANT CROSSBOW BY MATTHEW LANDRUS Springer, 2010, 180 p., $59.95.

The Best American Science Writing 2010 by Jerome Groopman, ed.

Highlights some of the most intriguing science articles of 2009, including a tale of sexual evolution by Science News’ Susan Milius. THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE WRITING 2010 BY JEROME GROOPMAN, ED. Ecco, 2010, 346 p., $14.99.

Book Review: The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett III: Multiple Universes, Mutual Assured Destruction, and the Meltdown of a Nuclear Family by Peter Byrne

Review by Tom Siegfried.

Physics of the Human Body by Richard P. McCall

Looking at the body as a physics laboratory lends a fresh perspective, from how the properties of light affect eyesight to the fluid dynamics of the circulatory system. A good resource for doctors or the general reader. PHYSICS OF THE HUMAN BODY BY RICHARD P. MCCALL Johns Hopkins Univ., 2010, 301 p., $45.