Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny Le Couteur This book is a combination of chemistry and anthropology/history of science. There are a lot of books out there, many of them well written, about the history of science and how scientific advances and discoveries changed changed civilizations, but very few books that mix …
Tag: science
Jan 02
Book Review: Dog Inc.
Dog, Inc.: The Uncanny Inside Story of Cloning Man’s Best Friend by John Woestendiek This is the kind of book I usually like very much–topical science written for the layperson. It starts out good; the subject is narrow enough to really delve into it, and Woestendiek knows to use biographical information to create a narrative …
Jul 23
Book Review: Spark
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey My friend recommended this to me as good solid research for how exercise improves your brain. Not only does exercise make you think faster, it also improves your mood, makes you live longer, and can reverse soem of the effects of …
Mar 10
Book Review: The Smart Swarm
The Smart Swarm by Peter Miller This is one of those rare, great books that manage to talk about many different fields of science and weave them together. It uses the habits and organizations of social animals (bees, ants, starlings, etc.) and relates it to how people interact with one another. It touches on everything …