Blackett’s War is an uneven but very interesting account of how basic science and engineering techniques, now called “operations research” or “operational research,” were applied to solving military problems during World War II.
All in Science
Christopher Kemp’s FLOATING GOLD: A NATURAL (AND UNNATURAL) HISTORY OF AMBERGRIS
It’s an oddly touching book. The author bounces around modern day buyers and sellers, lone wolf secretive ambergris “prospectors,” whaling museums, and frequent trips to walk along the beach after high tide. It seems disjointed but is worth a reading if the unusual interests you.
Tiffany Shlain's BRAINPOWER: FROM NEURONS TO NETWORKS
I’ve been interested in reading about the human brain ever since a family member had successful brain surgery. Given that my consulting frequently touches on Internet related issues, combining brain- and Internet-related topics in a single book seemed like a “no-brainer” to appeal to my interests.
Oliver Sacks' HALLUCINATIONS
The Audible download of this book became a slog after a while. I kept with it since it is very educational.
Richard Holmes' THE AGE OF WONDER: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
This book covers the development of British science from the time of Cook’s famous voyage (which stopped at Tahiti) up to Darwin’s Beagle voyage. It concentrates on a few key luminaries (the Herschels, Davy, Mungo Park, Farady, Banks) and at the same time explores the relationship, sometimes synergistic, between art and science.
Bob Berman's THE SUN'S HEARTBEAT: And Other Stories from the Life of the Star That Powers Our Planet
At a profound level this book readably demonstrates human intelligence and creativity at their best.
Len Fisher's WEIGHING THE SOUL: THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENTIFIC BELIEFS
The theme of this book is that scientists do sometimes believe things that seem opposed to reality or common sense.
Herman Wouk's THE LANGUAGE GOD TALKS
At first I thought this book was both meandering and annoying. It wasn’t till page 69 (out of only 183) that I finally figured out what it’s about.
Peter Bernhardt's “THE ROSE'S KISS: A NATURAL HISTORY OF FLOWERS”
I started paying attention to flowers last year. My son gave me a camera that takes decent closeups. I started carrying the camera while walking our dog down by the creek near our house and while working in our yard.
Richard Corfield's LIVES OF THE PLANETS: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Corfield starts at Mercury and works his way out. In the process he summarizes what we know now about the solar system (circa 2007) now that we’ve had several decades of (mostly) robot exploration.
Richard Corfield's THE SILENT LANDSCAPE: THE SCIENTIFIC VOYAGE OF HMS CHALLENGER
In 1872 the HMS Challenger left England on a two year voyage of scientific discovery.
Ed Regis' WHAT IS LIFE: INVESTIGATING THE NATURE OF LIFE IN THE AGE OF SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
In this fascinating and accessible book Ed Regis concludes that the maintenance of metabolic processes is really the primary indicator of “life.” But by the time that point is reached in the book, it doesn’t really matter.
Sue Halpern's “FOUR WINGS AND A PRAYER”
The subtitle of this book is “Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly.” I was caught by this book’s beguiling tone, its lovely writing, and its respect for science and the mystery of the unknown that drives people to “do science.”
Oliver Sacks' SEEING VOICES: A JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF THE DEAF
This 3-part book by Oliver Sacks from 1989 reviews the history of deaf education and language, the neurological underpinnings of language acquisition and deafness, and the student uprising at Gallaudet College in 1988.
Evelyn Fox Keller's THE CENTURY OF THE GENE
Cloning, evolution, and the Human Genome Project are often in the news. One of my 2008 New Years’ Resolutions was to learn more about genetics and molecular biology. I had resolved to “get smarter” about DNA and its role in evolution and in generation-to-generation stability and inheritance.
Lisa Jardine's INGENIOUS PURSUITS: BUILDING THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
Late 17th Century London and the Royal Society provide the setting for this book. It concentrates on the “great men” who created modern Western science.
Stephen Jay Gould's ROCKS OF AGES
Scientist Gould in this short book attempts to demonstrate both (a) how Science and Religion can learn to co-exist and (b) how efforts to control Science through Religion-imposed limits are prime examples of the two “magisteria,” as he refers to Science and Religion, transgressing on each other’s territory.
Michael Carlowicz and Ramon Lopez' STORMS FROM THE SUN
Many years ago my dad and my brothers and I would take our telescope out to the back yard during the day and point it at the sun. Holding a white card about a foot away from the eyepiece we would watch sunspots projected on the card, the easily visible evidence of massive solar magnetic storms.
Freeman Dyson's “THE SCIENTIST AS REBEL”
This collection of essays and reviews by the physicist/mathematician Freeman Dyson makes for fascinating reading. The range of topics is broad and the style of writing is clear and approachable. Topics include religion, hydrogen bombs, Isaac Newton, the relative roles of technology and ideas in the advancement of science, the future of humanity in space (think: comets), and the role of amateurs in scientific research.
Gerard J. DeGroot's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
As a longtime fan of the U.S. space program my current lack of interest in the International Space Station and the recently announced Lunar Colony comes as a bit of a surprise to me.