Reviews

  1. Bad Science by Linda Zimmermann

    A brief history of science blunders through the ages, including radium cures and phrenology, the reading of head bumps. Eagle Press, 2011, 224 p., $14.95.

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  2. Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku

    A physicist interviews over 300 scientists and lays out a mostly rosy vision of research advances that he predicts will shape the world by 2100. Doubleday, 2011, 389 p., $28.95.

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  3. Book Review: The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene

    Review by Tom Siegfried.

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  4. Book Review: The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement by David Brooks

    Review by Bruce Bower.

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  5. Cosmic Challenge: The Ultimate Observing List for Amateurs by Philip S. Harrington

    This guide to observing the heavens beckons backyard astronomers to find 187 targets using instruments ranging from bi­noculars to monster scopes. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011, 469 p., $45.    

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  6. Discoverers of the Universe: William and Caroline Herschel by Michael Hoskin

    An in-depth account of the lives of sibling astronomers William and Caroline Herschel, who discovered Uranus, comets galore and much more. Princeton Univ. Press, 2011, 237 p., $29.95.        

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  7. How Old is the Universe? by David A. Weintraub

    An astronomer outlines the research showing that the universe is 13.7 billion years old. Princeton Univ. Press, 2011, 370 p., $29.95.           

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  8. Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted by C. Renée James

    A lighthearted tour of everyday phenomena like light, time and gravity that also explores what makes Earth special and the evolution of life. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2011, 240 p., $25.    

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  9. Meteorites by Caroline Smith, Sara Russell and Gretchen Benedix

    A well-illustrated overview of the science and (literal) impacts of these space rocks. Firefly Books, 2011, 112 p., $19.95.

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  10. Book Review: The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek

    Review by Ron Cowen.

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  11. Book Review: The Natural Navigator: A Watchful Explorer’s Guide to a Nearly Forgotten Skill by Tristan Gooley

    Review by Sid Perkins.

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  12. Book Review: Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams

    Review by Daniel Strain.

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