Uncategorized
-
How Women Got Their Curves and Other Just-So Stories: Evolutionary Enigmas by David P. Barash and Judith Eve Lipton
A sociobiologist and a clinical psychiatrist explore why women evolved the way they did. HOW WOMEN GOT THEIR CURVES AND OTHER JUST-SO STORIES: EVOLUTIONARY ENIGMAS BY DAVID P. BARASH AND JUDITH EVE LIPTON Columbia Univ., 2009, 224 p., $29.95.
-
Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner
This radioactive substance has offered promise and generated peril throughout history. URANIUM: WAR, ENERGY AND THE ROCK THAT SHAPED THE WORLD BY TOM ZOELLNER Viking, 2009, 337 p., $26.95.
-
The Cosmic Connection: How Astronomical Events Impact Life on Earth by Jeff Kanipe
From solar output to supernovas, cosmic events affect Earth’s biosphere. Prometheus Books, 2009, 296 p., $27.98. THE COSMIC CONNECTION: HOW ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS IMPACT LIFE ON EARTH BY JEFF KANIPE
-
The Illustrious Dead by Stephan Talty
How an eons-old disease — typhus —defeated Napoléon’s seemingly unstoppable Great Army. Crown Publishers, 2009, 336 p., $25.95. THE ILLUSTRIOUS DEAD BY STEPHAN TALTY
-
Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes by Daina Taimina
Math and art interweave in this tactile, comprehensible exploration of geometry. AK Peters, 2009, 148 p., $35. CROCHETING ADVENTURES WITH HYPERBOLIC PLANES BY DAINA TAIMINA
-
Science Past from the issue of June 6, 1959
Space Flight Succeeds — Two little monkeys, one clad in a space suit and the other lying in a special capsule with her knees drawn up under her, were blasted 300 miles into space on Thursday, May 28, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has revealed. Drama of the experiment was […]
-
Science Future for June 6, 2009
June 7–19 High school students compete in the USA Biology Olympiad national finals in Fairfax, Va. See www.cee.org/programs/usabo July 11–15 American Society for Virology annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada. See www.asv2009.com September 15 Deadline for the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. Visit www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports
-
Letters
Hormones, milk and fat I find it difficult to understand why the hormone content of skim milk is greater than that of 2% low-fat milk, which in turn is greater than whole milk (“Scientists find a soup of suspects while probing milk’s link to cancer,” SN: 3/28/09, p. 5). To the extent that 2% and […]
- Humans
The inner worlds of conspiracy believers
A study of British volunteers finds that those who endorse 9/11 conspiracy theories also believe in other sorts of conspiracies and share certain personality characteristics.
- Chemistry
Beryllium-beryllium bond illuminated
Scientists study the partnership between two atoms of beryllium, which chemical theory says shouldn’t exist.
- Health & Medicine
Neurons take a break during stage 2 sleep
Electrical markers associated with stage 2 sleep indicate downtime for neurons.
- Animals
For some birds, chancy climates mean better singers
In the mockingbird family, the most accomplished musical species tend to live in treacherous climates.
