Uncategorized
-
Science Future for July 30, 2011
August 8Hear an anthropologist speak in Houston on the evolving relationship between humans and water. Go to www.hmns.org August 12–13The weeklong Perseid meteor shower peaks. Watch after midnight. For more info go to http://bit.ly/Ln3pCr August 20In Ann Arbor, Mich., bring preschoolers on a morning hike to explore the outdoors. For more info, see www.lesliesnc.org
-
SN Online
BODY & BRAINInfants may learn speech sounds as they snooze. Read “Sleeping babies learn in an eyeblink.” LIFEResearchers find a natural screwlike joint — in a beetle’s hip. See “Weevils evolved nut-and-screw joint.” MATTER & ENERGY An acoustic cloak made of metamaterials reflects sound off a bump as though it were a flat wall. Read “You haven’t […]
-
BOOK REVIEW: The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty by Simon Baron-Cohen
Review by Erika Engelhaupt.
-
-
The Stem Cell Hope: How Stem Cell Medicine Can Change Our Lives by Alice Park
A narrative account explores the history of stem cells through the stories of scientists and patients. Hudson Street Press, 2011, 318 p., $25.95
-
Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity are Revolutionizing our View of Human Nature by Douglas T. Kenrick
Anecdotes enliven a psychologist’s take on the role of evolution in murderous fantasies, racial prejudice and other unsavory aspects of human nature. Basic Books, 2011, 238 p., $26.99
-
Saving Sea Turtles: Extraordinary Stories from the Battle against Extinction by James R. Spotila
A turtle biologist makes a plea to save sea turtles, remarkable creatures that start life buried in up to two feet of sand. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2011, 216 p., $24.95
-
The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song by Elena Mannes
A music lover interviews scientists and musicians in this fun exploration of the science of music. Walker & Company, 2011, 263 p., $26
-
The Quest for the Cure: The Science and Stories Behind the Next Generation of Medicines by Brent R. Stockwell
In this well-researched look into the complexities of making medicines, a chemical biologist gives a history of drug making and details innovative methods of drug discovery. Columbia Univ. Press, 2011, 265 p., $27.95
-
Letters
Irrational with money Bruce Bower’s excellent article on “Simple heresy” (SN: 6/4/11, p. 26) showcases the blindness of mainstream economics. Namely, economics is often more like the weather than a game of dice: chaotic — with catastrophes, cycles and all manner of weird behavior. Yet economists continue to use statistical models that work “until they don’t.” So […]
-
Men to Mars Possible in 60’s, Experts Say
Experts had forecast that astronauts would walk on Mars by 1970, but such a feat is still 20-plus years out.
-
