The Best American Science Writing 2007
by Gina Kolata, Jesse Cohen
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gina Kolata, Jesse CohenEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-18
ISBN: 0061345776
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of The Best American Science Writing 2007
Book Review: An exciting, eloquent, eclectic collection
Summary: 5 Stars
From the Theory of Everything to the perfect "boiled" egg and the pursuit of the infallible lie detector, this year's compilation of science essays carries, as usual, a high Wow factor.
Showcasing cutting-edge science for the curious reader, the pieces come mostly from general publications and cover the gamut of human innovation and discovery. What all these pieces have in common is fabulous, enthusiastic writing and a focus on the people driving the work.
Neurological science is heavily represented, as new brain imaging technologies allow greater insight into how the brain fires, misfires, and does what it does. Experiments testing what portions of the brain react during various emotions and activities allow scientists to develop new methods of treatment, directed at particular areas of the brain.
In "A Depression Switch?" David Dobbs ("New York Times Magazine") profiles a woman whose profound, resistant depression left her feeling disconnected from what mattered most in her life - her family. This feeling of loss was instantly lifted during brain surgery (yes, while awake!) involving electrical stimulation of a section of the brain. But don't throw away your Prozac just yet - the operation costs $40,000 and some doctors remain skeptical of its longterm benefits.
"Looking for the Lie," Robin Marantz Henig's ("New York Times Magazine") survey of state-of-the-art lie detection, explores the latest brain mapping techniques - which can actually expose a lie before the person speaks it - as well as the almost as scary, easily teacheable, low-tech system of reading involuntary "microexpressions" on anyone's face. This Facial Action Coding System was developed by psychologist Paul Eckman who insists he would never use his expertise on his family. But scarier yet is the response Eckman got when he offered his system to federal agencies after 9/11. He was turned down, one person stating, " ` I can't support anything unless it ends in a machine doing it.' "
Understanding the mind on money is the new province of neuroeconomists using brain imaging to track what happens when people make irrational economic choices. John Cassidy's first-person "Mind Games" ("The New Yorker") shows how emotions and logic battle each other from different corners of the brain.
Brain mapping is also helping doctors understand the strange disorder of prosopagnosia - the inability to recognize faces. In "Face Blind," Joshua Davis ("Wired") profiles several sufferers and their compensations as well as the researcher who all but stumbled on his life's work.
The amazing ability of the brain to go around hurdles is also apparent in "Stereo Sue," Oliver Sacks' ("The New Yorker") profile of a woman who suddenly began to see 3-D in mid-life, never having realized what she was missing.
In "The Score" ("The New Yorker," excerpted from his terrific book "Better"), Atul Gawande shows how the Apgar Score, by allowing nurses to rate a newborn's condition on a numbered scale, transformed infant health by allowing medical professionals to track procedures and their benefits. It also led to the rise in C-sections, often unnecessarily.
Lawrence K. Altman ("The New York Times") profiles the man and the ethical issues involved in 97-year-old heart surgeon Michael DeBakey's amazing recovery from risky heart surgery - a surgery his family insisted on despite his stated refusal to have it. DeBakey was, in the end, glad to have his wishes disregarded.
In "Truth and Consequences," Jennifer Couzin ("Science") shows what happens to the whistle blowers when a research leader falsifies data. In "Schweitzer's Dangerous Discovery" ("Discover"), Barry Yeoman profiles the paleontologist who captured the excitement of Creationists by discovering remnants of tissue in dinosaur bones.
There are two essays which explore global warming from different perspectives, a profile of the man bringing science to Hollywood, a look at the inventor of an inventing computer, a visit with the man who demonstrates that science belongs in the kitchen, an interview with the reclusive mathematician who believes his mind-boggling work is reward enough, and profiles of the scientists whose various theories, if proved, would unite all the contradictory theories of the universe.
Every essay focuses on the people behind the breakthroughs and each essay is seamlessly organized to bring the general reader into the full picture, including dissenting views and possibilities for the future.
This is an exciting, eloquent collection, which will be enjoyed by anyone with a glimmer of curiosity.
Summary of The Best American Science Writing 2007
Provocative and engaging, this collection brings together the premiere science writing of the year. Featuring the imprimatur of bestselling author and New York Times reporter Gina Kolata, one of the nation's foremost voices in science and medicine, and with contributions from Atul Gawande, Elizabeth Kolbert, and Oliver Sacks, among others, The Best American Science Writing 2007 is a compelling anthology of our most advanced, and most relevant, scientific inquiries.
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