Uncategorized
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Alien Life Imagined: Communicating the Science and Culture of Astrobiology by Mark Brake
See how humans’ fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial life has evolved over the centuries. Columbia Univ., 2013, 279 p., $35
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Radiation: What It Is, What You Need to Know by Robert Peter Gale and Eric Lax
A medical doctor and a writer team up to dispel misconceptions about radioactivity and explain the risks of everyday exposures. Knopf, 2013, 270 p., $26.95
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Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are by Carlin Flora
Citing studies on evolution and psychology, this exploration of the nature of friendship shows the importance of making and keeping friends. Doubleday, 2013, 288 p., $25.95
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Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of a Mysterious Continent by Gabrielle Walker
A science writer takes readers on a journey to the bottom of the Earth through firsthand accounts of her travels with scientists. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, 388 p., $27
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The Enlightenment Vision: Science, Reason, and the Promise of a Better Future by Stuart Jordan
A physicist reviews the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries — considered the “rise of reason” — and the progression of scientific knowledge since. Prometheus, 2013, 295 p., $26
- Physics
As Erebus Lives and Breathes
The Antarctica volcano’s long-lived lava lake coughs up clues to the physiology of volcanoes .
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- Humans
Twitter maps New York City, language by language
Apart from Spanish tweets that blanket the area, non-English tweets cluster in neighborhoods.
- Life
Disease threatens garden impatiens
Surprising scientists, once-mild downy mildew has struck the popular blooms in 33 states.
- Health & Medicine
Disrupted brain chatter produces schizophrenia-like symptoms in mice
By quieting part of the thalamus, researchers create rodents with cognitive deficits that mirror those in people with the condition.
- Life
Giant squid population is one big happy species
Elusive deep ocean dwellers have low genetic diversity despite living around the globe.
- Tech
Cell phone data analysis dials in crime networks
A new program mines mobile provider records for suspicious patterns.
