A brief look at four books that should appeal to your inner scientist!
Below the jump, I mention the books that I received recently, either as gifts or as review copies, or that I purchased somewhere. These are the books that I may review in more depth later, either here or in print somewhere in the world.
When I get new books, I like to share them with people. Unfortunately, you are all so far away, so I cannot host a book party in my crib where you can look then over, so I'll do the next best thing. I'll host a book party on my blog each Friday of the week when I either purchase books or when they arrive in the mail. In this New Book Party, I will try to be your eyes by presenting my quick "first impression" -- almost as if we are browsing the shelves in a bookstore -- and I'll also provide relevant videos about the book and links so you can get a copy of your own.
Books that arrived this week:
Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record by Errol Fuller [Bloomsbury Natural History, 2013; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis A photograph of an animal long-gone evokes a feeling of loss more than a painting ever can. Often tinted sepia or black-and-white, these images were mainly taken in zoos or wildlife parks, and in a handful of cases featured the last known individual of the species. There are some familiar examples, such as Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon, or the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, recently fledged and perching happily on the hat of one of the biologists that had just ringed it. But for every Martha there are a number of less familiar extinct birds and mammals that were caught on camera prior to their demise.
The photographic record of extinction is the focus of this remarkable book, written by the world's leading authority on vanished animals, Errol Fuller. Lost Animals features photographs dating from around 1870 to as recently as 2004, the year that saw the demise of the Hawaiian Po'ouli. From a mother Thylacine and her pups to now-extinct birds such as the Heath Hen and Carolina Parakeet, Fuller tells the tale of each animal, why it became extinct, and discusses the circumstances surrounding the photography itself, in a book rich with unique images.
The photographs themselves are poignant and compelling. They provide a tangible link to animals that have now vanished forever, in a book that brings the past to life while delivering a warning for the future.
My first impression: What is it about seeing a photograph -- even a blurry one -- that is often so evocative? This question underpins this new book about extinct species of birds and mammals. Written by Errol Fuller, who previously wrote the similarly affecting book, Extinct Birds, this book provides a brief glimpse of some iconic lost animals, and describes (when possible) how the photographs were captured. The first 2/3rds of this hardcover book focuses on lost bird species before moving on to discuss a few lost mammal species. Based on my reading bout the paradise parrot, Psephotus pulcherrimus, and the quagga, Equus quagga quagga, this book is mostly concerned with sharing images of these animals and how they were made, and only briefly mentions the reasons for these species' ultimate demise. Since many of the photographs are black-and-white and are probably inadequate representations of the species mentioned, the book includes an appendix of colour paintings of some of these animals. Also included is a section of further readings and an index.
Invasive Species: What Everyone Needs to Know by Daniel Simberloff [Oxford University Press, 2013; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis Of the 7,000 estimated non-native species present in North America, approximately 1,000 are invasive. Clearly, invasive species are in the minority, but their small numbers don't keep them from causing billions of dollars in economic and ecological harm each year. Policymakers and ecologists continue to try to figure out which species might be harmful, which invasive species are doing the most damage, and which of these might respond best to eradication efforts. Invasive species reports and case studies are prevalent in political, environmental, and scientific news cycles, and a significant portion of the public is concerned about the issue.
In this book, Simberloff will first cover basic topics such as how non-native species are introduced, which areas have incurred the most biological invasions, and how the rates of biological invasions have shifted in recent years. He then moves on to the direct and indirect impacts of the impacts of invasive species on various ecosystems, such as habitat and resource competition, how invasive species transmit pathogens, and how introduced plants and animals can modify a habitat to favor other non-native species. Simberloff's final chapters will discuss the evolution of invasive species, the policies we currently have in place to manage them, and future prospects for controlling their spread. The book will also contain a section dedicated to the more controversial topics surrounding invasive species: invasive natives, useful non-native species, animal rights versus species rights, and non-native species' impacts on the biodiversity of an ecosystem.
My first impression: Although this paperback would have benefitted from careful rewriting, it is nevertheless fascinating reading, full of interesting stories that illustrate points that the author is making. For example, in Chapter 7: Can we predict species invasions?, I ran across this passage, which is particularly illuminating:
Consider the sequence of events by which the introduction of Chinese grass carp in Arkansas threatened a native fish in Utah, the woundfin. First, the carp needed to arrive with an Asian tapeworm. Next the tapeworm had to infect native fishes, and one of those had to be a popular baitfish that would be carried westward to the Colorado River. From the Colorado River, infected fish would have to reach parts of Utah with the native fish species. It would have required a form of clairvoyance for someone considering possible impacts of the Chinese grass carp in North America to have concocted this unlikely sequence of events as a possible route to be a harmful impact. [Daniel Simberloff (2013), Invasive Species, Oxford University Press, p. 148]
The book includes data tables and some useful (although rather grainy) bblack-and-white photographs, a 25-page appendix of scientific names and the pages where they apply, a glossary, chapter notes (very brief), index and suggested readings.
Undiluted Hocus-Pocus: The Autobiography of Martin Gardner by Martin Gardner, Persi Diaconis and James Randi [Princeton University Press, 2013; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis Martin Gardner wrote the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American for twenty-five years and published more than seventy books on topics as diverse as magic, philosophy, religion, pseudoscience, and Alice in Wonderland. His informal, recreational approach to mathematics delighted countless readers and inspired many to pursue careers in mathematics and the sciences. Gardner's illuminating autobiography is a disarmingly candid self-portrait of the man evolutionary theorist Stephen Jay Gould called our "single brightest beacon" for the defense of rationality and good science against mysticism and anti-intellectualism. Gardner takes readers from his childhood in Oklahoma to his college days at the University of Chicago, his service in the navy, and his varied and wide-ranging professional pursuits. Before becoming a columnist for Scientific American, he was a caseworker in Chicago during the Great Depression, a reporter for the Tulsa Tribune, an editor for Humpty Dumpty, and a short-story writer for Esquire, among other jobs. Gardner shares colorful anecdotes about the many fascinating people he met and mentored, and voices strong opinions on the subjects that matter to him most, from his love of mathematics to his uncompromising stance against pseudoscience. For Gardner, our mathematically structured universe is undiluted hocus-pocus -- a marvelous enigma, in other words.
Undiluted Hocus-Pocus offers a rare, intimate look at Gardner's life and work, and the experiences that shaped both.
My first impression: I was unimpressed by this book -- it was repetitive and the prose was not particularly compelling -- but it's likely that fans of Martin Gardner's work will enjoy it.
Einstein and the Quantum: The Quest of the Valiant Swabian by A. Douglas Stone [Princeton University Press, 2013; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US/kindle US]
Publisher's synopsis Einstein and the Quantum reveals for the first time the full significance of Albert Einstein's contributions to quantum theory. Einstein famously rejected quantum mechanics, observing that God does not play dice. But, in fact, he thought more about the nature of atoms, molecules, and the emission and absorption of light -- the core of what we now know as quantum theory -- than he did about relativity.
A compelling blend of physics, biography, and the history of science, Einstein and the Quantum shares the untold story of how Einstein -- not Max Planck or Niels Bohr -- was the driving force behind early quantum theory. It paints a vivid portrait of the iconic physicist as he grappled with the apparently contradictory nature of the atomic world, in which its invisible constituents defy the categories of classical physics, behaving simultaneously as both particle and wave. And it demonstrates how Einstein's later work on the emission and absorption of light, and on atomic gases, led directly to Erwin Schrödinger's breakthrough to the modern form of quantum mechanics. The book sheds light on why Einstein ultimately renounced his own brilliant work on quantum theory, due to his deep belief in science as something objective and eternal.
A book unlike any other, Einstein and the Quantum offers a completely new perspective on the scientific achievements of the greatest intellect of the twentieth century, showing how Einstein's contributions to the development of quantum theory are more significant, perhaps, than even his legendary work on relativity.
My first impression: I am not a scholar of Einstein's life nor his contributions to physics, but I think this book is one of the few that is written specifically for the scientifically literate reader that recounts his contributions to the development of quantum theory. As such, it only focuses on that particular portion of his life, but that focus provides great depth and detail. The book also includes appendices of the important physicists of the time, and the three thermal radiation laws, 24 pages of chapter notes, 6 pages of references, and an 8 page index. On one hand, this book is quite interesting and engaging, but on the other hand, it would have benefitted from a careful editing; the typos and grammatic errors in the one chapter that I read were distracting. Additionally, I am utterly confused by the meaning behind "The Valiant Swabian".
What book(s) are you reading? How far are you along in the book? What do you think of it so far? Do you think your book is worth recommending to others?
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GrrlScientist can also be found here: Maniraptora. She's very active on twitter @GrrlScientist and sometimes lurks on social media: facebook, G+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
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