Reviews
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Relics: Travels in Nature’s Time Machine by Piotr Naskrecki
Explore the world of modern species with ancient lineages in this collection of striking photographs. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2011, 342 p., $45
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Models.Behaving.Badly: Why Confusing Illusion with Reality Can Lead to Disaster, on Wall Street and in Life by Emanuel Derman
A physicist and Wall Street strategist examines why people rely on models, economic or otherwise — and why that can be a bad idea. Free Press, 2011,231 p., $26
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Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone
A mouthwatering love letter to fungi from a food writer explores mushrooms as culinary delicacies, biofuels, hallucinogens and more. Rodale Books, 2011, 384 p., $25.99
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The First Scientist: Anaximander and His Legacy by Carlo Rovelli
A physicist introduces Anaximander, who in the sixth century B.C. paved the way for astronomy, physics, geography, meteorology and biology. Westholme Publishing, 2011, 209 p., $24.95
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A Strange Wilderness: The Lives of the Great Mathematicians
Learn about mathematicians from Archimedes to Alexander Grothendieck, who learned math in a Nazi concentration camp. Sterling, 2011, 284 p., $24.95
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Genentech: The Beginnings of Biotech (Synthesis) by Sally Smith Hughes
A genetic engineering company’s meteoric rise illustrates the development of the biotech industry. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2011, 213 p., $25
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Better than Human: The Promise and Perils of Enhancing Ourselves (Philosophy in Action) by Allen Buchanan
A philosopher examines biomedical enhancement — from improving memory to increasing stamina — and approaches to its future applications. Oxford Univ. Press, 2011, 199 p., $21.95
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Fascinating Mathematical People: Interviews and Memoirs, Donald J. Albers and Gerald L. Alexanderson, eds.
Interviews reveal people who have shaped mathematics, like “mathemagician” Arthur Benjamin and Harold Bacon, who taught calculus to an Alcatraz prisoner. Princeton Univ. Press, 2011, 328 p., $35
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The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2011, Mary Roach, ed.
Relive or discover nonfiction science writing from the last year on topics from captive orcas to organ selling. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011, 384 p., $14.95
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Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality (FT Press Science) by Samuel Barondes
A psychiatrist describes how findings in personality research can be used in everyday life to understand others and improve relationships. FT Press, 2011, 230 p., $25.99
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