This post was originally published in “Download the Universe,” a multi-author blog about science ebooks edited by Carl Zimmer.
SMILE: The Astonishing Power of a Simple Act. By Ron Gutman. Published by TED Books, 2011.
Reviewed by David Dobbs
February 28, 2012
Continue reading “SMILE: The Astonishing Destructive Power of Positive Thinking”
Download the Universe, the new science ebook review that I and a group of other writers and scientists recently launched, is now entering its second week. I’ve written this week’s first review, of an ebook called Controlling Cancer, by evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald. Ewald argues that the best way to reduce the death rate from cancer is to treat it like an infectious disease–which, to a surprising extent, it really is. Check it out.
[Image: Dividing lung cancer cell/NIH]
Originally published February 27, 2012. Copyright 2012 Carl Zimmer.
This post was originally published in “Download the Universe,” a multi-author blog about science ebooks edited by Carl Zimmer.
Controlling Cancer: A Powerful Plan for Taking On the World’s Most Daunting Disease. By Paul Ewald. Published by TED Books, 2012.
Reviewed by Carl Zimmer
February 27, 2012
Joseph LeDoux of New York University has built his career on studying emotions, especially fear. But now he’s arguing that scientists don’t really have a good definition of emotions. In fact, he is issuing a call to avoid using the e-word at all costs. At Txchnologist, I reflect on how we can understand emotions without the emotions. Check it out.
Originally published February 24, 2012. Copyright 2012 Carl Zimmer.
We’ve come to the end of the first week of Download the Universe, a science ebook review. Today’s review is from Maggie Koerth-Baker, the science editor of Boing-Boing and author of the forthcoming Before the Lights Go Out, a book about the future of energy. She reviews Into the Forbidden Zone by William Vollmann, in which the author recounts his journey into Japan’s post-tsunami hell. Maggie weaves in her own reflections on how hard it can be for us to judge the real risks we face from nature and from our own technology.
It’s been a great experience to see the idea for this project go from conference-hallway gabbing to actual publication. Here are the rest of this week’s offerings: