bakudreamer's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't know the ' Conficker ' computer worm was such a big deal
carrie562's review against another edition
"The Mess He Made" -- author's personal experience with hoarding. Not very science-y, but interesting.
"What Broke My Father's Heart" -- another personal essay, about the downside of a pacemaker artificially extending the life of an elderly man unable to care for himself after a stroke. Powerful & informative.
"What Broke My Father's Heart" -- another personal essay, about the downside of a pacemaker artificially extending the life of an elderly man unable to care for himself after a stroke. Powerful & informative.
alexctelander's review against another edition
3.0
BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE WRITING 2007 EDITED BY GINA KOLATA: Since this is the “best American science writing” of the year, you know it’s going to be good. What’s amazing is the variety of subject matter that just the term “science” covers. The result is a collection of incredible articles covering the latest discoveries and breakthroughs in the many different fields of science.
While this collection may not be for the average person who has little-to-no knowledge of science – some background is necessary – the beauty of a collection of articles, like a collection of short stories, is if you don’t like the particular article or find it too complicated, you can simply skip to the next. The first article, “The Theory of Everything” by Tyler Cabot covers the completion next year of a vastly superior particle accelerator in Switzerland. With the results from this giant machine, physics and science may be advanced greatly, with astonishing discoveries made. Cabot talks about this new device, as well as providing a summary of the important theories in science right now proposing possible answers to the famous Unification Theory: the theory linking relativity and quantum mechanics, or in Douglas Adams’s words: “Life, the Universe, and Everything.”
Robin Marantz Henig provides the latest ideas and technology on telling whether someone is lying or not in “Looking for the Lie.” Joshua Davis discusses the unique condition of prosopagnosia, or “face blindness.” A lot of people don’t even realize they have it; some develop it after a severe head wound or a stroke. It is a condition where the person simply does not recognize faces at all, as if they are blank pages that mean nothing to that person. The people suffering from this condition often have to use clues like clothes and the sound of a voice to recognize a person. But now with online groups linking these people together, breakthroughs are being made, as science goes one step closer to finding out the root cranial cause of this condition.
In “A Depression Switch,” David Dobbs talks about a new technique for helping patients who suffer from a form of depression so severe that no medication will help, and they are left with no choice but to remain in a padded cell. The procedure involves implanting tiny electrodes to a specific point in the brain, known as Area 25, attached to a small pacemaker that emits a minute four-volt charge. Miraculously, patients feel the depression go away, and whatever was missing in their lives returns instantly. It really seems to act like a switch and be as simple as that. With almost twenty patients, the new procedure is very much still in its infant stages, but could one day be a successful cure to this form of severe depression.
Oliver Sacks, Elizabeth Kolbert, Sylvia Nasar and Atul Gawande are just a few of the authors whose articles are featured in this collection, running the gamut from space and the universe, to mathematics, to neuroscience, to global warming and environmental awareness, to what science aids on blockbuster movies like The Hulk actually do. The Best American Science Writing 2007 will teach you things you never even knew were being studied, as well as give you hope that there are still many people out there working to make this place a better world.
While this collection may not be for the average person who has little-to-no knowledge of science – some background is necessary – the beauty of a collection of articles, like a collection of short stories, is if you don’t like the particular article or find it too complicated, you can simply skip to the next. The first article, “The Theory of Everything” by Tyler Cabot covers the completion next year of a vastly superior particle accelerator in Switzerland. With the results from this giant machine, physics and science may be advanced greatly, with astonishing discoveries made. Cabot talks about this new device, as well as providing a summary of the important theories in science right now proposing possible answers to the famous Unification Theory: the theory linking relativity and quantum mechanics, or in Douglas Adams’s words: “Life, the Universe, and Everything.”
Robin Marantz Henig provides the latest ideas and technology on telling whether someone is lying or not in “Looking for the Lie.” Joshua Davis discusses the unique condition of prosopagnosia, or “face blindness.” A lot of people don’t even realize they have it; some develop it after a severe head wound or a stroke. It is a condition where the person simply does not recognize faces at all, as if they are blank pages that mean nothing to that person. The people suffering from this condition often have to use clues like clothes and the sound of a voice to recognize a person. But now with online groups linking these people together, breakthroughs are being made, as science goes one step closer to finding out the root cranial cause of this condition.
In “A Depression Switch,” David Dobbs talks about a new technique for helping patients who suffer from a form of depression so severe that no medication will help, and they are left with no choice but to remain in a padded cell. The procedure involves implanting tiny electrodes to a specific point in the brain, known as Area 25, attached to a small pacemaker that emits a minute four-volt charge. Miraculously, patients feel the depression go away, and whatever was missing in their lives returns instantly. It really seems to act like a switch and be as simple as that. With almost twenty patients, the new procedure is very much still in its infant stages, but could one day be a successful cure to this form of severe depression.
Oliver Sacks, Elizabeth Kolbert, Sylvia Nasar and Atul Gawande are just a few of the authors whose articles are featured in this collection, running the gamut from space and the universe, to mathematics, to neuroscience, to global warming and environmental awareness, to what science aids on blockbuster movies like The Hulk actually do. The Best American Science Writing 2007 will teach you things you never even knew were being studied, as well as give you hope that there are still many people out there working to make this place a better world.
davidr's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful collection of essays about science. Here, the word "science" is loosely defined, and includes a grab-bag of topics, all absolutely fascinating.
Here I learned that the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig was not the worst aspect of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster was worsened by BP's actions; cover-up, and terrible clean-up operations that worsened the disaster instead of mitigating it. BP used a chemical called Corexit to disperse the oil in and above the water, despite being ordered to stop. While both oil and Corexit are toxic to life, oil treated with Corexit is even more toxic! Then they set out boom, which does exactly the opposite of dispersal, so the clean-up actions conflict with each other!
I learned about the use of LSD in psychopharmacology. I learned about people who are obsessed with hoarding. I learned about the sad story of people who like to be cruel to animals. I learned of underground seams of coal that are burning all over the world, releasing toxins and polluting groundwater. I learned about a very bad computer virus, the so-called Conficker worm, that remains a mystery. I learned why many TV weathermen are of the strangely of the opinion that the global climate is not warming; some even think that it is a scam!
There are many more topics, all engaging and never dull. While most of the essays are doom and gloom, there is a fun essay about the longest-range baseball home run that is physically possible; 748 feet from home plate!
Here I learned that the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig was not the worst aspect of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster was worsened by BP's actions; cover-up, and terrible clean-up operations that worsened the disaster instead of mitigating it. BP used a chemical called Corexit to disperse the oil in and above the water, despite being ordered to stop. While both oil and Corexit are toxic to life, oil treated with Corexit is even more toxic! Then they set out boom, which does exactly the opposite of dispersal, so the clean-up actions conflict with each other!
I learned about the use of LSD in psychopharmacology. I learned about people who are obsessed with hoarding. I learned about the sad story of people who like to be cruel to animals. I learned of underground seams of coal that are burning all over the world, releasing toxins and polluting groundwater. I learned about a very bad computer virus, the so-called Conficker worm, that remains a mystery. I learned why many TV weathermen are of the strangely of the opinion that the global climate is not warming; some even think that it is a scam!
There are many more topics, all engaging and never dull. While most of the essays are doom and gloom, there is a fun essay about the longest-range baseball home run that is physically possible; 748 feet from home plate!
raerei's review against another edition
3.0
Kindest Cut by [a:Larissa MacFarquhar|1341233|Larissa MacFarquhar|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]
I didn't even realize that donating your kidney to a strange was thought of as suspicious and strange. But this article showed this issue clearly and placed the issue in the larger historical and cultural setting.
The Truth about Grit by [a:Jonah Lehrer|428923|Jonah Lehrer|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1195929426p2/428923.jpg]
I've read two books by Lehrer now and his name in this book is one of the reasons I got this book. (That name and Steven Pinker's name). This is a short article on the power of grit and getting things done and genius.
I didn't even realize that donating your kidney to a strange was thought of as suspicious and strange. But this article showed this issue clearly and placed the issue in the larger historical and cultural setting.
The Truth about Grit by [a:Jonah Lehrer|428923|Jonah Lehrer|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1195929426p2/428923.jpg]
I've read two books by Lehrer now and his name in this book is one of the reasons I got this book. (That name and Steven Pinker's name). This is a short article on the power of grit and getting things done and genius.
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