Category Archives: science

The Cancer Chronicles

Posted on July 17, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Cancer Chronicles: Unlocking Medicine’s Deepest Mystery © 2013 George Johnson 304 pages As a kid,  Cancer was an ominous abstract monster, mentioned only in whispers,  that struck without warning and left no survivors.   You just hoped it didn’t happen to you.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

What Einstein Told His Cook

Posted on July 5, 2019 by smellincoffee

What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained© 2002  Richard Wolke369 pages What did Einstein tell his cook?  ..I still don’t know. I have learned, however, that it is possible to make a jello out of champagne;  that concrete sidewalks, … Continue reading →

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A Forest in the Clouds

Posted on March 11, 2019 by smellincoffee

A Forest in the Clouds © 2018 John Fowler336 pages John Fowler’s A Forest in the Clouds is his account of studying gorillas alongside famous naturalist Dian Fossey.   Although I picked it up for the gorillas (as one would), the … Continue reading →

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The Big Ones

Posted on February 5, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us (and What We Can Do About Them)© 2018 Lucy Jones256 pages Earth is not a peaceful place; even it were stripped of all life, it would still teem with energy, from … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, science | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe

Posted on February 1, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe: How to Know What’s Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake© 2018 Dr. Steven Novella, Bob Novella,  Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Burnstein512 pages …wow.  Okay, so…back in 2006 I … Continue reading →

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Heavens on Earth

Posted on January 24, 2019 by smellincoffee

Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopiapub. 2018 Michael Shermer320 pages Alone among the animals, human beings live in the knowing shadow of our own mortality.  It is rarely a specter which is embraced,  and … Continue reading →

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She Has Her Mother’s Laugh

Posted on January 8, 2019 by smellincoffee

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity© 2018 Carl Zimmer672 pages Overhearing discussion of heredity a few hundred years ago would have meant only one thing:  being in the presence of noblemen, who stood to … Continue reading →

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Seeing Further

Posted on December 23, 2018 by smellincoffee

Seeing Further: The Story of Science, Discovery, and the Genius of the Royal Society© 2010 Bill Bryson512 pages Although Bill Bryson is  chiefly known for his humorous travelogues, he has been known to venture into other nonfiction at times, and … Continue reading →

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Science Report Card 2018

Posted on December 17, 2018 by smellincoffee

The last couple of years I’ve imposed a little order on my science reading, forcing myself to read across fields more deliberately; so far I’ve enjoyed it and will continue the structure in the future. I just finished the last … Continue reading →

Posted in General, science | Tagged , | 8 Comments

The Ends of the World

Posted on July 25, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions© 2017 Peter Brannen336 pages Earth has tried to kill us five times before, and now it’s at it again. (To be fair, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments