Reviews

  1. Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light by Jane Brox

    The history of lighting is a microcosm of scientific and technological advances since the Stone Age. BRILLIANT: THE EVOLUTION OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHT BY JANE BROX Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010, 368 p., $25.

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  2. The Smart Swarm by Peter Miller

    The behavior of animal swarms, schools and colonies holds lessons for technology and design. THE SMART SWARM BY PETER MILLER Avery Press, 2010, 336 p., $20.

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  3. Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control by James Rodger Fleming

    Humans have long tried — and mostly failed — to engineer weather and climate, a historian of science shows. FIXING THE SKY: THE CHECKERED HISTORY OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE CONTROL BY JAMES RODGER FLEMING Columbia Univ. Press, 2010, 344 p., $27.95.

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  4. Book Review: Almost Chimpanzee: Searching for What Makes Us Human, in Rainforests, Labs, Sanctuaries, and Zoos by Jon Cohen

    Review by Bruce Bower.

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  5. Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths by Vicki Oransky Wittenstein

    A look at exoplanet hunting based on one astronomer’s life and work. Aimed at young adults.  PLANET HUNTER Boyds Mills Press, 2010, 48 p., $17.95.

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  6. The Nesting Season: Cuckoos, Cuckolds, and the Invention of Monogamy by Bernd Heinrich

    A naturalist explores how birds find a mate and what this process says — and what it doesn’t say — about human relationships. Belknap Press, 2010, 404 p., $29.95. THE NESTING SEASON

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  7. Book Review: Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience by Stephen S. Hall

    Review by Rachel Zelkowitz.

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  8. Book Review: Voyager: Seeking Newer Worlds in the Third Great Age of Discovery by Stephen J. Pyne

    Review by Alexandra Witze.

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  9. Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do by Albert-László Barabási

    Mining digital data reveals patterns in seemingly spontaneous human behavior. BURSTS: THE HIDDEN PATTERN BEHIND EVERYTHING WE DO BY ALBERT-LáSZLó BARABáSI Dutton, 2010, 310 p., $26.95.

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  10. Professor Stewart’s Hoard of Mathematical Treasures by Ian Stewart

    The math professor returns with more brain teasers, puzzles and facts designed to reveal the fun side of the subject. PROFESSOR STEWART’S HOARD OF MATHEMATICAL TREASURES BY IAN STEWART Basic Books, 2010, 339 p., $16.95.

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  11. Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar

    The story of quantum mechanics and the decades-long argument about how to interpret it. QUANTUM: EINSTEIN, BOHR, AND THE GREAT DEBATE ABOUT THE NATURE OF REALITY BY MANJIT KUMAR W.W. Norton & Co., 2010, 448 p., $27.95.

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  12. Dogs: Domestication and the Development of a Social Bond by Darcy F. Morey

    An anthropologist describes the evolution of the dog and explores how this creature became man’s best friend. DOGS: DOMESTICATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SOCIAL BOND BY DARCY F. MOREY Cambridge Univ. Press, 2010, 356 p., $45.

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