Uncategorized
-
Science Past from the issue of September 12, 1959
Mushrooms aid mental ills — The mentally ill may be able to get peace and quiet with their steak and mushrooms, providing they eat some special mushrooms described at the 9th International Botanical Congress meeting in Montreal. The clue to the possible medical usefulness of these mushrooms was uncovered as a result of studies of […]
-
Letters
Philosophers strike back As someone who has taught philosophy of science and history of science for 30 years, I must take exception with Tom Siegfried’s editorial, “Philosophers don’t know what scientists can’t do” (SN: 7/18/09, p. 2). Of course, they don’t! But neither do scientists! Immanuel Kant and Auguste Comte were just as wrong about […]
-
A place removed from ‘the pressure of received ideas’
Murray Gell-Mann, winner of the 1969 Nobel Prize in physics for his work on elementary particles (see Page 24 in this issue), was one of the originators of the Santa Fe Institute, an interdisciplinary research center in New Mexico that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Gell-Mann recently addressed a group of about 150 […]
-
-
-
Finding the Big Bang
P. James E. Peebles, Lyman A. Page Jr. and R. Bruce Partridge, eds.
-
From Axons to Identity: Neurological Explorations of the Nature of the Self by Todd E. Feinberg
A neuroscientist considers the intimate relationship between the brain and sense of self. W.W. Norton & Co., 2009, 304 p., $25.95. FROM AXONS TO IDENTITY: NEUROLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS OF THE NATURE OF THE SELF BY TODD E. FEINBERG
-
The Spirit of Invention by Julie M. Fenster
A historian explores the role of innovation in American history, illustrated with archival photos and news clippings. Smithsonian Books/Collins, 2009, 256 p., $29.99. THE SPIRIT OF INVENTION BY JULIE M. FENSTER
-
Poseidon’s Steed: The Story of Seahorse, from Myth to Reality by Helen Scales
A marine biologist distinguishes fact from fiction about these famous and elusive fish. Gotham Books, 2009, 254 p., $24. POSEIDON’S STEED: THE STORY OF SEAHORSE, FROM MYTH TO REALITY BY HELEN SCALES
-
What Bluebirds Do by Pamela F. Kirby
Young readers can learn basic facts about the life history and ecology of these familiar backyard birds. Boyds Mill Press, 2009, 48 p., $18.95. WHAT BLUEBIRDS DO BY PAMELA F. KIRBY
- Humans
New genes give gut bacteria antibiotic resistance
Scientists find new genes for antibiotic resistance in common bacteria in the human gut.
- Life
Domesticated silkworms’ secrets
After mapping the genetic book of instructions for wild and domesticated silkworms, scientists identify changes associated with the taming of these caterpillars.
