Reviews

Viruses, Plagues, & History: Past, Present, and Future by Michael B.A. Oldstone

An immunobiologist describes how microbes have shaped history and may affect the future. Oxford University Press, 2009, 383 p., $17.95. VIRUSES, PLAGUES, & HISTORY: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE BY MICHAEL B.A. OLDSTONE

Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth by Alanna Mitchell

Ocean degradation is widespread and portends trouble for life on dry land, a journalist argues. University of Chicago Press, 2009, 161 p., $25. SEASICK: OCEAN CHANGE AND THE EXTINCTION OF LIFE ON EARTH BY ALANNA MITCHELL

Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: Natural History in Early America by Lee Alan Dugatkin

For the third American president, natural history was a matter of national pride. University of Chicago Press, 2009, 166 p., $26. MR. JEFFERSON AND THE GIANT MOOSE: NATURAL HISTORY IN EARLY AMERICA BY LEE ALAN DUGATKIN

Take-Home Physics: 65 High-Impact, Low-Cost Labs by Michael Horton

A former physics teacher offers ideas for home-based experiments that are appropriate for high school students. NSTA Press, 2009, 295 p., $24.95. TAKE-HOME PHYSICS: 65 HIGH-IMPACT, LOW-COST LABS BY MICHAEL HORTON

Over the Coasts: An Aerial View of Geology by Michael Collier

Review by Sid Perkins.

Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up by K.C. Cole

Review by Laura Sanders.

The Religion and Science Debate: Why Does It Continue? Edited by Harold W. Attridge

Scholars from the humanities and natural and social sciences discuss the interminable tensions between religion and science. Yale Univ. Press, 2009, 221 p., $16. THE RELIGION AND SCIENCE DEBATE: WHY DOES IT CONTINUE? EDITED BY HAROLD W. ATTRIDGE

Mythematics: Solving the 12 Labors of Hercules by Michael Huber

Math could have saved the ancient hero time and muscle, a professor writes. Princeton Univ. Press, 2009, 183 p., $24.95. MYTHEMATICS: SOLVING THE 12 LABORS OF HERCULES BY MICHAEL HUBER

The Greatest Science Stories Never Told by Rick Beyer

True stories about scientists show that the path to innovation is rarely straight- forward. Harper, 2009, 224 p., $19.99. THE GREATEST SCIENCE STORIES NEVER TOLD BY RICK BEYER

Hybrid: The History & Science of Plant Breeding by Noel Kingsbury

Breeders have taken an active role in plants’ reproduction throughout human history. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2009, 493 p., $35. HYBRID: THE HISTORY & SCIENCE OF PLANT BREEDING BY NOEL KINGSBURY

Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World by Lance Grande and Allison Augustyn

Gemstones are more than pretty baubles. Gems and their geological features are depicted in text and beautiful photographs. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2009, 369 p., $45. GEMS AND GEMSTONES: TIMELESS NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE MINERAL WORLD BY LANCE GRANDE AND ALLISON AUGUSTYN

Quantum Leaps by Jeremy Bernstein

Review by Tom Siegfried.