Science, Technology & Environment

The Gift of Thanks: The Roots, Persistence and Paradoxical Meanings of a Social Ritual

Why do English speakers say “thank you” incessantly, and why are we obsessed with teaching our children such social niceties? These questions prompted acclaimed cultural historian Margaret Visser to meditate on the history and significance ... Read More »

September 29, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear

By Dan Gardner

Reading Dan Gardner’s new book produces two fascinating yet frustrating results: the simultaneous undermining of one’s fears about the many perceived dangers in modern life, and the awareness of one’s condition as a human being, ... Read More »

September 29, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature

By Daniel Levitin

Daniel Levitin’s new book follows closely on the heels of his surprise bestseller This Is Your Brain on Music, an entertaining overview of the emerging field of music cognition. While that book contained plenty of ... Read More »

September 29, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

The Quantum Ten

By Sheilla Jones

The course of scientific advancement never runs smoothly, and few fields are as tangled and rocky as theoretical physics. At the turn of the previous century, a group of scientists began to unlock the inner ... Read More »

September 26, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of English

By Mark Abley

Radical changes are taking place in language in nearly every corner of the globe, but Mark Abley believes we are asking the wrong questions about the phenomenon. Instead of lamenting linguistic decline, Abley thinks we ... Read More »

September 26, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

Dangerous World: Natural Disasters, Manmade Catastrophes, and the Future of Human Survival

By Marq de Villiers

In the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami and 2005’s Hurricane Katrina comes Dangerous World, veteran author and journalist Marq de Villiers’ popular-science overview of Earth’s extreme events – and how they affect humanity. Most of ... Read More »

August 28, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

The Sexual Paradox: Extreme Men, Gifted Women and the Real Gender Gap

By Susan Pinker

While psychologist Susan Pinker’s examination of gender in the workplace should arouse a great deal of interest both inside and outside academia, one thing it oughtn’t to do is stir up controversy. However, as the ... Read More »

August 28, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

Soul of the World: Unlocking the Secrets of Time

By Christopher Dewdney

In Acquainted with the Night, poet and non-fiction writer Christopher Dewdney explored the nighttime realm through the complementary lenses of science and art. Now, in Soul of the World, Dewdney brings this two-pronged approach to ... Read More »

July 31, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

★ Dry Spring: The Coming Water Crisis of North America

By Chris Wood

Growing out of an award-winning piece that veteran journalist Chris Wood wrote for The Walrus, Dry Spring exhaustively reports from dozens of sites in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico that have experienced firsthand the effects ... Read More »

March 27, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting

By Carl Honore

With Under Pressure, Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slow, aims his sights on the youngest members of society. Using research studies and hundreds of interviews, he has pulled together a comprehensive look at ... Read More »

February 25, 2008 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

Prev 11 121314 15....49 50 Next