Reviews

  1. The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System by David Baker and Todd Ratcliff

    Tour Earth’s hottest, coldest, stormiest and stinkiest neighbors, plus the solar system’s weirdest phenomena. THE 50 MOST EXTREME PLACES IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM BY DAVID BAKER AND TODD RATCLIFF Harvard Univ. Press, 2010, 290 p., $27.95.

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  2. Spider Silk by Leslie Brunetta and Catherine L. Craig

    Arachnid evolution is woven into this history of one of the strongest natural materials. SPIDER SILK BY LESLIE BRUNETTA AND CATHERINE L. CRAIG Yale Univ. Press, 2010, 229 p., $30.

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  3. 2030: Technology That Will Change the World by Rutger van Santen, Djan Khoe and Bram Vermeer

    A survey of science and engineering breakthroughs that may lead to technological leaps. 2030: TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD BY RUTGER VAN SANTEN, DJAN KHOE AND BRAM VERMEER OxfordUniv. Press, 2010, 295 p., $29.95.

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  4. How to Mellify a Corpse by Vicki León

    Eighty-eight tales tell of science and superstition in the ancient world (including Alexander the Great’s mellification, or embalming in honey). HOW TO MELLIFY A CORPSE BY VICKI LEóN Walker, 2010, 308 p., $17.

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  5. Much Ado About (Practically) Nothing: A History of the Noble Gases by David E. Fisher

    Delve deep into the far right of the periodic table with a chemist who appreciates noble gases’ many uses. MUCH ADO ABOUT (PRACTICALLY) NOTHING: A HISTORY OF THE NOBLE GASES DAVID E. FISHER Oxford Univ. Press, 2010, 264 p., $24.95.

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  6. Book Review: Islam, Science, and the Challenge of History by Ahmad Dallal

    Review by Tom Siegfried.

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  7. Bulletproof Feathers by Robert Allen, ed.

    Photos and illustrations highlight how nature inspires technology, from airplane wings that change shape to stainproof fabrics. BULLETPROOF FEATHERS BY ROBERT ALLEN, ED. University of Chicago Press, 2010, 192 p., $35.

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  8. What’s Eating You? People and Parasites by Eugene H. Kaplan

    An ecologist takes readers on an engaging, if sometimes squirm-worthy, tour of the world’s hangers-on. WHAT’S EATING YOU? BY EUGENE H. KAPLAN Princeton University Press, 2010, 302 p., $26.95.

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  9. Off the Grid by Nick Rosen

    A journalist travels the country to visit Americans who, for a variety of reasons, have opted out of the electrical grid and into alternative lifestyles. OFF THE GRID BY NICK ROSEN Penguin, 2010, 292 p., $15.

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  10. Book Review: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach

    Review by Camille M. Carlisle.

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  11. Book Review: Here’s Looking at Euclid: A Surprising Excursion through the Astonishing World of Math by Alex Bellos

    Review by Elizabeth Quill.

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  12. The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey

    The author interweaves tales of scientists and surfers who, whether for study or an adrenaline rush, seek out monster waves. THE WAVE: IN PURSUIT OF THE ROGUES, FREAKS, AND GIANTS OF THE OCEAN BY SUSAN CASEY Doubleday, 2010, 352 p., $27.95.

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