Retrying Galileo, 1633–1992
- Maurice A. Finocchiaro
The Roman Catholic Church's condemnation of Galileo in 1633 had enormous implications for both science and religion. This book explores the trial, its aftermath and its ramifications up to 1992, when the Pope expressed regret for the Galileo affair.
The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth
- E. O. Wilson
Ecologist E. O. Wilson rallies religious communities to join forces with scientists to save the world from environmental catastrophe, and proposes a drive to document the planet's biodiversity. Simon Conway Morris found the attempt deeply problematic, but conceded: “This clarion call, from one of the world's leading naturalists … must command respect” (Nature 443, 273; 2006).
Academic Charisma and the Origins of the Research University
- William Clark
We'd like to think that the modern university developed naturally from the high-minded pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. But William Clark argues that market forces and bureaucracy in eighteenth-century Germany played a large part by creating an environment in which academics achieved success by publishing their results.
Stephen Hawking: A Biography
- Kristine Larsen
Astronomer Kristine Larsen's wide-ranging account provides a fascinating insight into the life and work of one of the past century's most remarkable scientists. She reveals how Stephen Hawking — who recently co-wrote the children's book George's Secret Key to the Universe — came to terms with Lou Gehrig's disease and explains the ideas that took cosmology to the top of the bestseller lists.
The Trouble With Physics
- Lee Smolin
The publication of Smolin's book and Not Even Wrong (see right) last year split the physics community with their claim that string theorists are undermining the whole scientific enterprise by turning their backs on the need for testable predictions (see Nature 443, 491; 2006). George Ellis wrote that, “Smolin crystallizes what many in the physics community feel about these extravagances” (Nature 443, 507–508; 2006).
Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law
- Peter Woit
Vociferous mathematician and blogger Peter Woit, like Smolin (see left), raises hackles by arguing that string theory is a blind alley. He also expounds his view of why, culturally and sociologically, theorists have continued to focus time and money on something for which, in his opinion, they have no corroboration despite 20 years of graft.
Darwin: The Indelible Stamp
Edited by: 
- James D. Watson
With this collection of four of Darwin's great works, the editor, James Watson, sought “to provide some historical context and connection to current science, as well as some personal observations about how Darwin's writings affected their intellectual development” (Bruce H. Weber, Nature 438, 287; 2005).
A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines
- Janna Levin
It's a tale of two thinkers, as cosmologist Janna Levin fictionalizes the lives and ideas of Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. The great logician and the extraordinary code-breaker never met, but in Levin's poetic novel their stories are imaginatively intertwined. Explaining her switch from popular science, the author has said, “I didn't believe a reader would get the same visceral impact from a pedagogical lesson.“
On the Surface of Things
- Felice Frankel &
- George M. Whitesides
A handsome re-issue of Felice Frankel's startling photography reveals the extraordinary beauty of chemical surfaces. Roald Hoffmann wrote: “One holds in one's hands an obvious classic at the nexus of art and science” (Nature 389, 348; 1997).
The Intelligibility of Nature: How Science Makes Sense of The World
- Peter Dear
Science historian Peter Dear shows how the twin objectives of 'doing' and 'knowing' gave rise to modern science as a means of understanding the world. “Scientists who wish to reflect on their vocation will gain valuable insights from this beautifully contrived book” (Richard Yeo, Nature 445, 820–821; 2007).
Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics
- Mark Ronan
The quest to understand the mathematics of symmetry began 200 years ago in revolutionary France. Mathematician Mark Ronan tells the story of how a number of coincidences and a huge international collaboration finally led to the discovery of the 'monster' of symmetry — a giant snowflake with 196,884 dimensions.
The Economics of Attention
- Richard A. Lanham
This interdisciplinary book from a professor of English attempts to chart the rise of intellectual property, arguing that, in this age of information, the one resource we are short of is attention — the ability to focus on what's important. An increasing importance of style over stuff will see the arts and letters grow to be more crucial than engineering and the physical sciences. It is quite a claim.
Capitalism as if the World Matters
- Jonathon Porritt
This updated edition of Jonathon Porritt's influential book calling for renewed vigour in the environment movement has an extended section on the politics of climate change, including details of the massive upsurge in religious engagement with the topic in the United States. The core message is the same — that capitalism doesn't have to cost the Earth.
Sleepfaring: A Journey Through the Science of Sleep
- Jim Horne
We all do it, but many of us don't get enough of it. So how much sleep do we need, and what good does it do? Jim Horne's travel guide through the land of nod brings in insights from up-to-date physiology, psychology, medicine and neuroscience. Horne runs the Loughborough Sleep Research Centre in the United Kingdom.
Things That Talk: Object Lessons from Art and Science
Edited by: 
- Lorraine Daston
This collection of nine essays, edited by science historian Lorraine Daston, explores how objects attract meanings and cultural significance — and shows how they then become crystallization points for discussion. Each essay singles out one thing for close attention, including a Bosch drawing, soap bubbles, Rorschach blots and paintings by Jackson Pollock.
The Best American Science Writing 2007
Edited by: 
- Gina Kolata
The fifth anthology of features and essays about science is compiled by The New York Times' science writer, Gina Kolata. The New Yorker wins six of the 20 slots, including one for its unforgettable article 'Manifold destiny' about Grigory Perelman and the Poincaré conjecture. Also prominent is writing about the brain, notably by Joshua Davis of Wired on the condition of face blindness.
The Cutter Incident: How America's First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis
- Paul Offit
In 1955, shortly after the development of the polio vaccine, some 200,000 people were mistakenly injected with live, virulent polio vaccine. Vaccine researcher Paul Offit discusses what went wrong, and shows how it has had a devastating effect on vaccine production ever since. “A superb job,” wrote Paul-Henri Lambert (Nature Med. 12, 879; 2006).
Every Second Counts: The Extraordinary Race to Transplant the First Human Heart
- Donald McRae
Forty years ago the race was on to perform the first human heart transplant. Every Second Counts is a gripping account of how the South African doctor Christiaan Barnard came from nowhere to secure his place in medical history. McRae details how Barnard pipped to the post three other surgeons who were also poised, having spent years perfecting their techniques.
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New in Paperback. Nature 449, 977–978 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/449977b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/449977b
