Reviews

  1. On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear by Richard Ellis

    The natural history of polar bears entwines with human history in this science writer’s ode to the world’s largest land carnivore. ON THIN ICE: THE CHANGING WORLD OF THE POLAR BEAR BY RICHARD ELLIS Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, 400 p., $28.95.

    By
  2. So You Want to Be a Scientist? by Philip A. Schwartzkroin

    A neuroscientist describes the pros, cons and politics of a career in research for aspiring scientists. SO YOU WANT TO BE A SCIENTIST? BY PHILIP A. SCHWARTZKROIN Oxford University Press, 2009, 192 p., $19.95.

    By
  3. Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life by Scott D. Sampson

    The past three decades have seen a plethora of major discoveries, described here, about dinosaurs and prehistoric Earth. DINOSAUR ODYSSEY: FOSSIL THREADS IN THE WEB OF LIFE BY SCOTT D. SAMPSON University of California Press, 2009, 332 p., $29.95.

    By
  4. Gifts from the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of Bering Strait by William W. Fitzhugh, Julie Hollowell and Aron L. Crowell, eds.

    The histories of Arctic cultures are explored through scholarly essays, illustrations and photos of the region’s intricately carved relics. GIFTS FROM THE ANCESTORS: ANCIENT IVORIES OF BERING STRAIT BY WILLIAM W. FITZHUGH, JULIE HOLLOWELL AND ARON L. CROWELL, EDS. Yale University Press, 2009, 328 p., $55.

    By
  5. Before the Big Bang: The Prehistory of Our Universe by Brian Clegg

    A scientist-writer explains theories of the universe’s origin for the nonscientist. BEFORE THE BIG BANG: THE PREHISTORY OF OUR UNIVERSE BY BRIAN CLEGG St. Martin’s Press, 2009, 306 p., $25.99.

    By
  6. The Humans Who Went Extinct: Why Neanderthals Died Out and We Survived by Clive Finlayson

    An evolutionary ecologist argues that humans weren’t superior to other hominid species, only luckier. THE HUMANS WHO WENT EXTINCT: WHY NEANDERTHALS DIED OUT AND WE SURVIVED BY CLIVE FINLAYSON Oxford University Press, 2009, 273 p., $29.95.

    By
  7. Book Review: Communicating Science: Professional, Popular, Literary by Nicholas Russell

    Review by Rachel Zelkowitz.

    By
  8. Book Review: The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved & Why It Endures by Nicholas Wade

    Review by Bruce Bower.

    By
  9. Write an Effective Funding Application: A Guide for Researchers & Scholars by Mary W. Walters

    A step-by-step guide to creating successful funding proposals. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009, 151 p., $22. WRITE AN EFFECTIVE FUNDING APPLICATION: A GUIDE FOR RESEARCHERS & SCHOLARS BY MARY W. WALTERS

    By
  10. Laboratory Disease: Robert Koch’s Medical Bacteriology by Christoph Gradmann and Elborg Forster, translator

    A science historian examines the origins of the field of medical bacteriology and the life of one of its founders. Laboratory Disease: Robert Koch’s Medical Bacteriology by Christoph Gradmann and Elborg Forster, translator Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009, 318 p., $35.

    By
  11. Understanding Solid State Physics by Sharon Ann Holgate

    The authors explain basic physics principles with undergraduates in mind. UNDERSTANDING SOLID STATE PHYSICS BY SHARON ANN HOLGATE CRC Press, 2010, 349 p., $79.95.

    By
  12. The Nature Study Movement by Kevin C. Armitage

    A scholar describes the amateur naturalists of the late 19th century and their influence on modern environmentalism. THE NATURE STUDY MOVEMENT BY KEVIN C. ARMITAGE University Press of Kansas, 2009, 291 p., $34.95.

    By