Reviews

Portraits of the Mind by Carl Schoonover

From hand-drawn sketches to high-tech views of single neurons, a neuroscientist unpacks the visual history of brain imaging. PORTRAITS OF THE MIND BY CARL SCHOONOVER Abrams, 2010, 239 p., $35.

The Weather of the Future by Heidi Cullen

Review by Sid Perkins.

Book Review: Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception by Charles Seife

Review by Alexandra Witze.

Book Review: The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

Review by Rachel Ehrenberg.

The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System by David Baker and Todd Ratcliff

Tour Earth’s hottest, coldest, stormiest and stinkiest neighbors, plus the solar system’s weirdest phenomena. THE 50 MOST EXTREME PLACES IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM BY DAVID BAKER AND TODD RATCLIFF Harvard Univ. Press, 2010, 290 p., $27.95.

Spider Silk by Leslie Brunetta and Catherine L. Craig

Arachnid evolution is woven into this history of one of the strongest natural materials. SPIDER SILK BY LESLIE BRUNETTA AND CATHERINE L. CRAIG Yale Univ. Press, 2010, 229 p., $30.

2030: Technology That Will Change the World by Rutger van Santen, Djan Khoe and Bram Vermeer

A survey of science and engineering breakthroughs that may lead to technological leaps. 2030: TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD BY RUTGER VAN SANTEN, DJAN KHOE AND BRAM VERMEER OxfordUniv. Press, 2010, 295 p., $29.95.

How to Mellify a Corpse by Vicki León

Eighty-eight tales tell of science and superstition in the ancient world (including Alexander the Great’s mellification, or embalming in honey). HOW TO MELLIFY A CORPSE BY VICKI LEóN Walker, 2010, 308 p., $17.

Much Ado About (Practically) Nothing: A History of the Noble Gases by David E. Fisher

Delve deep into the far right of the periodic table with a chemist who appreciates noble gases’ many uses. MUCH ADO ABOUT (PRACTICALLY) NOTHING: A HISTORY OF THE NOBLE GASES DAVID E. FISHER Oxford Univ. Press, 2010, 264 p., $24.95.

Book Review: Islam, Science, and the Challenge of History by Ahmad Dallal

Review by Tom Siegfried.

Bulletproof Feathers by Robert Allen, ed.

Photos and illustrations highlight how nature inspires technology, from airplane wings that change shape to stainproof fabrics. BULLETPROOF FEATHERS BY ROBERT ALLEN, ED. University of Chicago Press, 2010, 192 p., $35.

What’s Eating You? People and Parasites by Eugene H. Kaplan

An ecologist takes readers on an engaging, if sometimes squirm-worthy, tour of the world’s hangers-on. WHAT’S EATING YOU? BY EUGENE H. KAPLAN Princeton University Press, 2010, 302 p., $26.95.