Reviews
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Fifty Minerals That Changed the Course of History by Eric Chaline
From alabaster to zinc, this book highlights the scientific, cultural and commercial significance of a bevy of alloys, metals, rocks and gemstones. Firefly, 2012, 224 p., $29.95
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Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide by Heimo Mikkola
Spectacular imagery enhances this detailed guide to 249 species of owls, including sections on owl biology, evolution and behavior. Firefly, 2012, 512 p., $49.95
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The Science of Human Perfection: How Genes Became the Heart of American Medicine by Nathaniel Comfort
A historian finds parallels between the 19th century eugenics movement and the rise of modern human genetics. Yale Univ., 2012, 316 p., $35
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The Spine of the Continent: The Most Ambitious Wildlife Conservation Project Ever Undertaken by Mary Ellen Hannibal
A journalist travels the length of the Rockies documenting efforts to create a massive wildlife corridor stretching from Canada to Mexico. Lyons Press, 2012, 272 p., $24.95
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Wonderful Life with the Elements: The Periodic Table Personified by Bunpei Yorifuji
An artist explains the properties of the elements by drawing them as quirky characters in this fun guide to the periodic table. No Starch Press, 2012, 206 p., $17.95
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BOOK REVIEW: Are We Getting Smarter? Rising IQ in the Twenty-First Century by James R. Flynn
Review by Bruce Bower.
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Ordering Life: Karl Jordan and the Naturalist Tradition by Kristin Johnson
Karl Jordan’s innovative methods of classifying insect species are highlighted in this biography of the early 20th century entomologist. Johns Hopkins Univ., 2012, 376 p., $39.95
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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
