Uncategorized
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The Secrets of Triangles: A Mathematical Journey by Alfred Posamentier and Ingmar Lehmann
This guide to the surprising properties of a fundamental shape sheds light on geometric principles. Prometheus Books, 2012, 387 p., $26
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Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall
A journalist with unusual sleep habits seeks to learn why we slumber and how sleeping — or not — affects thoughts, behavior and health. W.W. Norton & Co., 2012, 290 p., $25.95
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Overpotential: Fuel Cells, Futurism, and the Making of a Power Panacea (Studies in Modern Science, Technology, and the Environment) by Matthew N. Eisler
This history of fuel cell research considers why engineers keep trying, and failing, to produce a commercially viable technology. Rutgers Univ., 2012, 260 p., $49.95
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This is Improbable: Cheese String Theory, Magnetic Chickens and Other WTF Research by Marc Abrahams
The founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes rounds up strange studies, such as one on the best way to slice a ham sandwich. Oneworld Publications, 2012, 320 p., $15.95
- Life
Scent Into Action
Rodent responses to a whiff of predator may offer clues to instinct in the brain.
- Humans
Social Media Sway
Worries over political misinformation on Twitter attract scientists’ attention.
- Humans
Human-Neandertal mating gets a new date
Late Stone Age interbreeding between Neandertals and people may have left a mark on Europeans’ DNA.
- Space
Superfast star spotted orbiting Milky Way’s black hole
Upcoming gravitational close encounter will test relativity theories in the extreme.
- Life
Duck-billed dino could slice and dice
Ancient animal’s teeth were made of six different tissue types.
- Life
Mouse stem cells yield viable eggs
Japanese scientists’ technical feat might provide new insights about protecting and extending human fertility.
- Life
Black mamba bite packs potent painkiller
Scientists find that a component of snake venom blocks pain-sensing nerve signals.
- Animals
Right eye required for finding Mrs. Right
Finches flirt unwisely if they can only use their left eyes.
