Uncategorized
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Book Review: Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson
Review by Sid Perkins.
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A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer
The engaging essays in this slim volume are chock-full of information about viruses, from the common cold to smallpox. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2011, 109 p., $20.
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Inside Jokes by Matthew M. Hurley, Daniel C. Dennett, Reginald B. Adams Jr.
http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Jokes-Using-Humor-Reverse-Engineer/dp/026201582X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307032679&sr=1-1 Humor isn’t just fun, these authors argue; it’s evolution’s mechanism for building a brain that handles open-ended thinking. MIT Press, 2011, 359 p., $29.95.
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Fizzics by F. Ronald Young
A friendly foray into the humble bubble, from honeycombs and soaps to sunset flashes, written by a physicist in the field. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2011, 114 p., $25.
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Earth: The Operator’s Manual by Richard B. Alley
A climate scientist uses real-world stories to survey climate problems and solutions. A companion PBS documentary is available online. W.W. Norton & Co., 2011, 479 p., $27.95.
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Plastic: A Toxic Love Story by Susan Freinkel
A well-researched history shows how plastics became a staple and examines current health and environmental concerns. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011, 324 p., $27.
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Science Past from the issue of June 17, 1961
LONG-RANGE SYSTEM FOR SPOTTING SUBMARINES — A sonar system for detecting and tracking enemy submarines long before they reach United States shores is being developed by the U.S. Navy.… The sound transmitter, or transducer, which is five stories high and weighs hundreds of tons, will be carried on a former Navy tanker, the USNS Mission […]
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Science Future for June 18, 2011
June 29In Portland, Ore., learn about the chemistry of beer. See www.omsi.edu/afterdark July 29Delta Aquarid meteor shower. Go to http://bit.ly/l4xX7m July 31Sea turtle migration marathon begins in Florida. Track swimmers at www.tourdeturtles.org
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SN Online
ATOM & COSMOSA fireball over Indonesia sent sound waves around the world. Read “News in Brief: Atom & Cosmos.” MOLECULESChemists create a possible pain reliever from crepe jasmine (flowers shown). See “Natural pain-killing chemical synthesized.” BODY & BRAINBacteria can linger on woodwinds for days. Read “Don’t share that clarinet.” EARTHA hot pocket, not a plume, […]
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Letters
NASA budget blunder My thanks and admiration to Ron Cowen for writing about NASA’s “culture of deception” in his recent article on the James Webb Space Telescope mission (“Star cents,” SN: 4/9/11, p. 22). If the astronomy community (and Congress) had decided years ago that spending $7 billion or $8 billion on JWST would be […]
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Freon: Destroying the ozone layer?
Scientists discovered in the 1970s that chlorofluorocarbons such as Freon were hurting Earth’s ozone layer.
