Reviews

Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner

This radioactive substance has offered promise and generated peril throughout history. URANIUM: WAR, ENERGY AND THE ROCK THAT SHAPED THE WORLD BY TOM ZOELLNER Viking, 2009, 337 p., $26.95.

The Cosmic Connection: How Astronomical Events Impact Life on Earth by Jeff Kanipe

From solar output to supernovas, cosmic events affect Earth’s biosphere. Prometheus Books, 2009, 296 p., $27.98. THE COSMIC CONNECTION: HOW ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS IMPACT LIFE ON EARTH BY JEFF KANIPE

The Illustrious Dead by Stephan Talty

How an eons-old disease — typhus —defeated Napoléon’s seemingly unstoppable Great Army. Crown Publishers, 2009, 336 p., $25.95. THE ILLUSTRIOUS DEAD BY STEPHAN TALTY

Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes by Daina Taimina

Math and art interweave in this tactile, comprehensible exploration of geometry. AK Peters, 2009, 148 p., $35. CROCHETING ADVENTURES WITH HYPERBOLIC PLANES BY DAINA TAIMINA

Book Review: The Day We Found the Universe by Marcia Bartusiak

Review by Elizabeth Quill.

The Crowded Universe: The Search for Living Planets by Alan Boss

A renowned astronomer details, by day, the history of planet hunting, and argues that alien life is common and will soon be found. Basic Books, 2009, 227 p., $26. THE CROWDED UNIVERSE: THE SEARCH FOR LIVING PLANETS BY ALAN BOSS

Astronomical Spectrographs and their History by John Hearnshaw

Astronomers have used these instruments to explore the heavens since the 19th century. Cambridge Univ., 2009, 240 p., $140. ASTRONOMICAL SPECTROGRAPHS AND THEIR HISTORY BY JOHN HEARNSHAW

Book Review: Darwin’s Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin’s Views on Human Evolution by Adrian Desmond and James Moore

Review by Josh Korenblat.

Nanoscale: Visualizing an Invisible World by Kenneth S. Deffeyes and Stephen E. Deffeyes

Illustrations reveal the nanoscale world in rich detail. MIT, 2009, 133 p., $21.95. NANOSCALE: VISUALIZING AN INVISIBLE WORLD BY KENNETH S. DEFFEYES AND STEPHEN E. DEFFEYES

The Fifth Postulate: How Unraveling a Two-Thousand-Year-Old Mystery Unraveled the Universe by Jason Socrates Bardi

The story of the discovery of non-Euclidean geometry. Wiley, 2009, 253 p., $27.95. THE FIFTH POSTULATE: HOW UNRAVELING A TWO-THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY UNRAVELED THE UNIVERSE BY JASON SOCRATES BARDI

Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis: Projects and Principles for Beginning Geologists by Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori

Kid-friendly activities reveal the science behind natural disasters. Chicago Review, 2009, 136 p., $14.95 EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANOES, AND TSUNAMIS: PROJECTS AND PRINCIPLES FOR BEGINNING GEOLOGISTS BY MATTHYS LEVY AND MARIO SALVADORI

Book Review: An Orchard Invisible: A Natural History of Seeds by Jonathan Silvertown

Review by Susan Milius.