Reviews
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Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind by Mark Pagel
A biologist examines the development of human culture and argues that evolutionary history has shaped humankind’s social tendencies. W.W. Norton & Co., 2012, 416 p., $29.95
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Vesuvius (Wonders of the World) by Gillian Darley
This history of the famous Italian volcano examines its role as a cultural icon through the ages. Harvard Univ., 2011, 245 p., $22.95
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Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America’s Clovis Culture by Dennis J. Stanford and Bruce A. Bradley
A pair of archaeologists explore the earliest days of the first humans in North America and suggest these people may have had European roots. Univ. of California, 2012, 336 p., $34.95
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How Not to Be Eaten: The Insects Fight Back by Gilbert Waldbauer
Insects’ ingenious means of avoiding becoming lunch are examples of evolutionary one-upmanship in action. Univ. of California, 2012, 221 p., $27.95
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The Life of Super-Earths: How the Hunt for Alien Worlds and Artificial Cells Will Revolutionize Life on Our Planet by Dimitar Sasselov
The astronomer who coined the term “super-Earth” reviews the hunt for these possibly life-holding planets. Basic Books, 2012, 240 p., $25.99
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BOOK REVIEW: The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It by Ricki Lewis
Review by Alexandra Witze.
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Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science by Michael Nielsen
Review by Rachel Ehrenberg.
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Babel No More: The Search for the World’s Most Extraordinary Language Learners by Michael Erard
Review by Nathan Seppa.
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Lights of Mankind: The Earth at Night as Seen from Space by L. Douglas Keeney
Panoramic images of Earth at night illustrate the story of humankind’s global spread. Lyons Press, 2012, 282 p., $32.50
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Roald Hoffmann on the Philosophy, Art, and Science of Chemistry by Jeffrey Kovac and Michael Weisberg, eds.
A selection of the Nobel laureate’s essays reveals his thoughts on everything from the beauty of molecules to teaching strategies. Oxford Univ., 2012, 416 p., $35
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The Wandering Gene and the Indian Princess: Race, Religion, and DNA by Jeff Wheelwright
A breast-cancer gene is the thread weaving together the history of Sephardic Jews, the Spanish Inquisition and the 1999 death of a Colorado woman. Norton, 2012, 260 p., $26.95
