Arctic Air Pollution (Studies in Polar Research)

Book Description

Arctic atmospheric pollution is now a major international issue. This volume presents the most authoritative and up-todate review of this increasingly important subject for an audience of both scientists and administrators concerned with worldwide, as well as polar, pollution problems. Arctic Air Pollution is an edited collection of papers, first presented at a conference held at the Scott Polar Research institute in Cambridge in 1985.

Arctic Alpine Ecosystems and People in a Changing Environment

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Arctic Alpine Ecosystems and People in a Changing Environment

Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540485120

Product Description

The European Arctic and Alpine regions are experiencing large environmental changes. Increased temperatures and precipitation, reduction in sea ice and glacier ice, the increased level of UV-radiation and the long-range transported contaminants are challenging new stress factors for both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. The large annual variation in the physical parameters of these extreme environments is also a key factor in structuring the biodiversity and biotic productivity, and the effect of the stress factors can be critical for the population structures and the interaction between species. These changes may also have socio-economic effects if the changes affect the bioproduction, which form the basis for the marine and terrestrial food chains. This book gives an integrated overview of the contemporary environmental changes in Arctic, Alpine Regions; Climate Change and Ecosystem Response, Long Range Transport of Pollutants and Ecotoxicology, UV-radiation and Biological Effects, Socio-economic Effects of Environmental Change.

Global Atmospheric Chemical Change (Environmental Management)

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Global Atmospheric Chemical Change (Environmental Management)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1851668896

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This book examines the ways in which human activity is affecting the composition of the global atmosphere, how both the magnitude and rates of change compare with natural cycles, and what effects these changes may have on the global climate, ecosystems, and the well-being of human life on this planet.

Pollution of the Arctic Atmosphere (Environmental Management Series)

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Pollution of the Arctic Atmosphere (Environmental Management Series)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1851666192

Airborne particulate matter from primarily geologic, non-industrial sources at levels below National Ambient Air Quality Standards is associated with outpatient ... [An article from: Environmental Research]

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Airborne particulate matter from primarily geologic, non-industrial sources at levels below National Ambient Air Quality Standards is associated with outpatient ... [An article from: Environmental Research]
M.A.R. Chimonas , and B. D. Gessner
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000PDT92M

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This digital document is a journal article from Environmental Research, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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In Anchorage, Alaska, particulates with aerodynamic diameter = <10@mm (PM"1"0) arise primarily from natural, geologic sources, and particulates with aerodynamic diameter = <2.5@mm (PM"2"."5) arise primarily from automobile emissions. The current study used a population-based time-series analysis design to evaluate the effects of daily and weekly PM"1"0 and PM"2"."5 on respiratory health outcomes among children <20 years of age residing in Anchorage enrolled in Medicaid. All generated estimating equations models were adjusted for season, year, weekends, temperature, wind speed, and precipitation. Relative to the days with PM"1"0 mass concentration = <13@mg/m^3, a significant 9.3% increase (RR: 1.093, 95% CI: 1.004-1.191) in the rate of outpatient visits for asthma occurred during days with PM"1"0 of 20-33@mg/m^3. No further dose-response occurred for days with PM"1"0 >=34@mg/m^3. A significant 18.1% increase (RR: 1.181, 95% CI: 1.010-1.381) in the rate of quick-relief medication prescriptions occurred during days with PM"1"0 of 34-60@mg/m^3, and a 28.8% increase (RR: 1.288, 95% CI: 1.026-1.619) occurred during days with PM"1"0>=61@mg/m^3. Similar results for outpatient asthma visits and quick-relief medication occurred in weekly models. There were no significant associations with PM"2"."5 in either daily or weekly models. These subtle but statistically significant associations suggest that non-industrial, geologic sources of PM"1"0 may have measurable health effects at levels below current national standards.

Arctic atmospheric contaminants in NE Greenland: levels, variations, origins, transport, transformations and trends 1990-2001 [An article from: Science of the Total Environment, The]

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Arctic atmospheric contaminants in NE Greenland: levels, variations, origins, transport, transformations and trends 1990-2001 [An article from: Science of the Total Environment, The]
N.Z. Heidam , J. Christensen , P. Wahlin , and H. Skov
Manufacturer: Elsevier
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Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000RQYWA6

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This digital document is a journal article from Science of the Total Environment, The, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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This review is based on the results obtained from the Danish AMAP programme for the Arctic atmosphere during the 1990s. The purpose of the programme is to quantify the pollution, apportion source contributions, follow the trends, and identify midlatitude source areas and transport pathways. The project has been carried out in North Greenland as integrated monitoring, which is an interacting combination of field measurements and model calculations of atmospheric transport and transformation in the Northern Hemisphere. At the monitoring site at Station Nord the large and seasonally recurrent variations in the pollutant concentrations are testimony to the influence in this region of the phenomenon of Arctic Haze. These results can only be understood in terms of long range transport from distant pollution sources. The measurements also comprise a large number of particle-born elements. These results are used to build receptor models, which show that the ambient concentrations and their variations to a high degree can be explained by the influence of only four source types of both natural and anthropogenic nature. The challenging phenomena of atmospheric ozone and mercury depletion around Polar sunrise have been studied at Station Nord over several years. The results show that these two phenomena are closely connected, presumably through photochemical reactions with atmospheric halogens released from sea ice. A large-scale Eulerian model system for the Northern Hemisphere has been developed in this AMAP project. The validity of the model is illustrated by comparisons between measured and calculated air concentrations. The model has been used to calculate both the vertical distribution and the atmospheric depositions for several pollutants at various locations in Greenland and split into quantified contributions from different and geographically distant source areas. Mercury deposition estimates for the Northern Hemisphere are also presented. They show that the mercury depletion events are accompanied by very intense depositions to land and sea of reactive mercury that may seriously affect the Arctic ecosystems. Finally, measurement and model data are combined to demonstrate, despite considerable meteorological noise, that ambient air concentrations in North-eastern Greenland have decreased during the last decade. Quantified trends, attributable to emission reductions in distant source areas, are presented for several pollutants.

Systemic effects of arctic pollutants in beluga whales indicated by CYP1A1 expression.(Research) : An article from: Environmental Health Perspectives

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Systemic effects of arctic pollutants in beluga whales indicated by CYP1A1 expression.(Research) : An article from: Environmental Health Perspectives
Joanna Y. Wilson , Suzy R. Cooke , Michael J. Moore , Daniel Martineau , Igor Mikaelian , Donald A. Metner , W. Lyle Lockhart , and John J. Stegeman
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Environmental Health Perspectives, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2005. The length of the article is 6143 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Systemic effects of arctic pollutants in beluga whales indicated by CYP1A1 expression.(Research)
Author: Joanna Y. Wilson
Publication: Environmental Health Perspectives (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 113 Issue: 11 Page: 1594(6)

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Total and methyl mercury patterns in Arctic snow during springtime at Resolute, Nunavut, Canada [An article from: Atmospheric Environment]

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Total and methyl mercury patterns in Arctic snow during springtime at Resolute, Nunavut, Canada [An article from: Atmospheric Environment]
N. Lahoutifard , M. Sparling , and D. Lean
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR7X92

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Atmospheric Environment, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Patterns of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) were monitored at 20 and 150cm above the snowpack near Resolute Bay, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada near the Upper Air Station of Environment Canada (74^o42'N, 94^o58'W) from 7 May (day 127) to 12 June (day 163) 2003. At this time of year there was 24h daylight but still a strong diel change in solar radiation. Daily patterns of GEM-tracked solar radiation with a lag of about 2h and the GEM gradient between these two heights showed the direction of flux. In addition to the previously established autocatalytic reactions involving halogens where reactive gaseous mercury and fine particulate mercury result in direct deposition to the snow, both diffusion to and volatilization from the snow occurred on a regular basis. Total mercury (THg) in the snowpack increased to near 30ngL^-^1 following 8d of atmospheric mercury depletion then decreased to values near 1ngL^-^1. Losses from the snow could not be accounted for in melt water as stream runoff values were also low. In other words, most of the mercury associated with increased levels in snow was volatilized back to the atmosphere either directly from the snow or from the water surfaces. However, using accepted mass transport coefficients, the flux appeared low and other mechanisms are suggested. In contrast to THg, methyl mercury (MeHg) in the snow reached values near 140pgL^-^1 but also declined to less than detection limit (10pgL^-^1) with the onset of warmer temperatures. MeHg in stream runoff water was similar to maximal values seen in the snow. This observation is consistent with the view that MeHg came in the snowfall or was deposited to the snow pack rather than produced in the snow. In contrast, much of the THg associated with mercury depletion events was volatilized back to the atmosphere.

Tracking long-term environmental changes in Arctic lakes and ponds: a paleolimnological perspective.(InfoNorth) : An article from: Arctic

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Tracking long-term environmental changes in Arctic lakes and ponds: a paleolimnological perspective.(InfoNorth) : An article from: Arctic
John P. Smol
Manufacturer: Arctic Institute of North America of the University of Calgary
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000B7NO4Q
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Arctic, published by Arctic Institute of North America of the University of Calgary on June 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1777 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Tracking long-term environmental changes in Arctic lakes and ponds: a paleolimnological perspective.(InfoNorth)
Author: John P. Smol
Publication: Arctic (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2005
Publisher: Arctic Institute of North America of the University of Calgary
Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Page: 227(3)

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ARCTIC AIR POLLUTION (STUDIES IN POLAR RESEARCH SERIES)

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ARCTIC AIR POLLUTION (STUDIES IN POLAR RESEARCH SERIES)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press Cambridge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IAASDQ

Book Description

All the tools necessary to understand the concepts underlying today's statistical physics

A Modern Course in Statistical Physics goes beyond traditional textbook topics and incorporates contemporary research into a basic course on statistical mechanics. From the universal nature of matter to the latest results in the spectral properties of decay processes, this book emphasizes the theoretical foundations derived from thermodynamics and probability theory that underlie all concepts in statistical physics. Each chapter focuses on a core topic and includes extensive illustrations, exercises, and experimental data as well as a section with more advanced topics and applications. This comprehensive treatment of traditional and modern topics:
* Covers equilibrium and nonequilibrium thermodynamics
* Presents the foundations of probability theory and stochastic processes
* Derives statistical mechanics from ergodic theory
* Examines the origin of thermodynamic and hydrodynamic behavior
* Emphasizes equilibrium and nonequilibrium phase transitions
* Presents theories of random walks and Brownian motion
* Discusses hydrodynamics and transport theory of chemical mixtures and discontinuous systems
* Presents transport theory on microscopic and macroscopic levels
* Includes thermodynamics of biophysical processes

Comprehensive coverage of numerous core topics and special applications gives professors flexibility to individualize course design. And the inclusion of advanced topics and extensive references makes this an invaluable resource for researchers as well as students-a textbook that will be retained on the shelf long after the course is completed.

An Instructor's Manual presenting detailed solutions to all the problems in the book is available from the Wiley editorial department.

Customer Reviews:

Reads like an encyclopedia .......2007-05-03

I used this textbook for a Graduate Statistical Mechanics course at Rutgers University.

The Bad
- terrible to learn concepts from for the first time. Makes almost no attempt to help develop intuitive feel for the concepts at hand. Problems and equations are presented with very little motivation or connection to the subject as whole. Derivations show sparse amount of steps, but with little explanation of how to get from one point to the other.
- Typos?? This book has a surprising amount of errors in it, most problematically in the equations themselves.

The good
- Covers ALOT of material that the others (Pathria, Reif) don't get near such as Renormalization Groups and pretty much every single Special Topics sections at the end of the chapters. Although I found very little use for this textbook while taking the course (Landau & Pathria were the main books I looked to) I am glad to have it for my bookshelf since it seems to offer a lot of interesting reference on the more advanced subjects.

the key physics is largely buried under the heavy notations and equations.......2006-07-11

if you don't have enough energy to bite through from the beginning, stay away from this book. The key physics is largely buried under the (unnecessarily) heavy notations and equations.

However, it may be a good source for reference.

Cumbersome.......2003-03-11

I found this book to be clumsy in its notation and sloppy in its delivery. The information presented in the book is more than comprehensive, however. Each chapter ends with a "special topics" section that covers new and old ideas in the field. Yet the book manages to fall short with its organization and presentation. When new concepts are introduced, very little background is given, and steps in calculations are often bypassed. There are many examples to follow, but even the examples seem pointless when the next step in the derivation has been skipped and it takes the reader several minutes to find the connection. In addition, the book is a somewhat poor reference in the way that many chapters cannot stand alone, due to the quirky notation that is scattered all over the book. If one is not familiar with this notation, then if one wishes to reference the book, he or she will have to waste time finding out why the author uses a capital N there and a small n here, a "mu prime" there and a "mu" here, or a vector k there and an apparently scalar k here.

In summary, the book is comprehensive, covering a wide range of ideas both new and old, but it fails in the fact that it cannot present the information in a clear manner.

The best grad-level book on this subject I've seen.......2002-09-30

This is not a book for total beginners, but those with a good math background and at least a rudimentary understanding of thermodynamics should be able to bring their knowledge to a very high level by diligently studying Reichl's text.

The book starts out with a couple of chapters on "non-statistical" thermodynamics and a few chapters on probability and stochastic processes; this provides a firm foundation for the equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics to which the latter two-thirds of the book is devoted. Throughout the book the explanations and derivations are very clear, and the inclusion of worked sample problems is a definite plus. Highly recommended for any grad student (or advanced undergrad) in physics, materials science, etc.

an excellent textbook for graduate students.......2000-04-14

I'm glad that there's "eventually" a stat-mech textbook that takes from grads' points of view. It starts from a undergrad level of thermodynamics and ends to somewhere close to renormalization group. It's a book with clear examples, figures, and explicit derivation of equations for average grad students rather than particular flock of "genius". I gave it two thumbs up.

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MODERN COURSE IN STATISTICAL PHYSICS
LINDA (UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN, USA) REICHL
Manufacturer: JOHN WILEY AND SONS LTD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5CYOW

Book Description

The Best American Political Writing 2006 is an annual compendium that culls from the nation's most influential news sources to provide the most incisive, controversial, and entertaining writing about the notable names and events of the previous year. Selections come from the nation's top political commentators.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I had hoped........2005-02-09

Be aware that this book is not from the same publisher as the well regarded "The Best American Series" by Houghton Mifflin. I had hoped for equal, in-depth and fair analysis of political issues that would increase my political IQ. Instead I felt that each essay was based more on opinion than facts, although selective facts can be used to support just about any opinion. And I don't think they were chosen with balance in mind. There is only one article which is negative about the Bush tax cuts but not a corresponding positive article. There are 6 articles on Gay Marriage however.

If possible, look closely at the sources of the articles (listed in the table of contents) and read the brief descriptions by the editor at the beginning of each article before buying this book.

Nice to know some still care.......2003-10-12

This book is filled with topics that should be at the forefront of the national conversation but are falling on the deaf ears of an apathetic populace. Doesn't anyone care anymore? This is the important stuff, folks. Hard facts and important ideas on the issues that are vital to our future are being drowned out by the legions of bickering, partisan loudmouths with an axe to grind. This book is one of the dying breed that is not for only conservatives or only liberals but for AMERICANS, lest we forget we're all in this together. Highlights for me included the essays, such as Paul Kruger's "For Richer," that reveal how the interests of the wealthy have hijacked our government to a degree never seen before and why our politicians play along, despite overwhelming public opinion against it and the damage it does to our country. Also recommended is Robert Kuttner's reminder of all the promises George W. Bush made to us during his campaign opposed to what he's actually delivered. There could hardly be more distance between the two. Since it helps to know something about your reviewer, I'll tell you that I'm a Democrat, but you'll find a mix of serious conservative, liberal and independent voices here, though not from the extreme fringes. There's no shortage of other books you can look to if that's your thing. Left, right or center, you will find that the writers whose essays make up this book care deeply about which they write and that's what we could all use a lot more of; more caring and less squawking. If you care about your country but are tired of the shrill war of words and conspiracy theories that pass for political writing these days, this book is a beacon in the dark night.

Something for everyone.......2002-12-24

I know what they say about yesterday's newspaper, but these pieces from 2001, beginning with that mind-bending election and with a special section on September 11, are a slice of history such as we hope not to see again. And besides, many are think pieces from magazines like "The New Yorker" and "The Nation," "Vanity Fair," "salon.com" and "The Atlantic Monthly."

The book is divided into six parts, each followed by a "National Conversation," with column-length opinion pieces. Election 2000 includes five pieces from the likes of Vincent Bugliosi (liberal) and Charles Krauthammer (conservative); Politics in the Bush Era features Margaret Carlson and Nicholas Lemann, with columns from Molly Ivins and Paul Krugman. Lani Guinier and Frank Rich sound off on (Not) Politics As Usual, then Barbara Ehrenreich and David Brooks give their View from Main Street. The second half of the book concentrates on September 11 and the War on Terror and we hear from Richard Perle, Fouad Ajami, Richard Rodriguez, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Henry Kissinger. Among others. The writing is lively and forceful, of course, and if the predictions are sometimes wrong, it's nice to know such opinionated people aren't right about everything. For political junkies of all persuasions.

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Polio, testosterone, and the French Disease

An interesting, diverse, and readable collection

"People don't like to face reality"

Of Interest Not Only To Science Teachers

Inspiring for science teachers

The Best American Science Writing 2001 (Best American Science Writing)
Timothy Ferris
Manufacturer: Ecco Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Best American Science Writing 2000

The Best American Science Writing 2002 (Best American Science Writing)

The Best American Science Writing 2005 (Best American Science Writing)

The Best American Science Writing 2004 (Best American Science Writing)

The Best American Science Writing 2003 (Best American Science Writing)

ASIN: 0066211646

Book Description

Gathered from the nation's leading publications by award-winning author Timothy Ferris, The Best American Science Writing 2001 is a dynamic, up-to-date collection of essays and articles by America's most prominent thinkers and writers, addressing the most controversial, socially relevant topics that recent developments in science pose.

Among the contributors: Richard Preston examines the contentious business of decoding the human genome. Malcolm Gladwell follows investigators who aim to revolutionize birth control. Tracy Kidder profiles a modern Dr. Schweitzer. Alan Lightman laments what was lost in his transformation from astrophysicist to fiction writer. Natalie Angier makes some surprising discoveries about gender in mandrill society. Stephen Jay Gould investigates the strange contrast between the 1530 poem by a physician that gave us the name for syphilis and the poetry that can be found in the map of the pathogen's genome. Legendary physicist John Archibald Wheeler celebrates the mysteries of quantum mechanics, which still perplex a century after its discovery. And John Updike contributes a witty verse musing on a biological theme.

For anyone who wants to journey to science's frontiers, understand more fully its ever-expanding role in our lives, or simply enjoy the thrill of powerful writing on fascinating topics, The Best American Science Writing 2001 is indispensable.

Customer Reviews:

Polio, testosterone, and the French Disease.......2002-08-28

Even though astronomer Timothy Ferris edited this collection of 2001 science articles, the emphasis is on biological rather than physical sciences. Some of the essays describe the way science is done, and the ways that ignorance or politics can interfere with its results.

I wish this book could have chronicled the progressive triumph of science over superstition and bureaucratic weirdness. Instead, Helen Epstein's, "The Mystery of AIDS in South Africa" shows what happens when a government backs an unproven theory on the cause of HIV infection. Another essay by Robert L. Park offers a scientific (or at least, sane) solution to a fantasy beloved of Americans: "Welcome to Planet Earth" tells the true story of what happened at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 (there actually was a secret government project).

A couple of essays struck me as inspired silliness. Stephen Jay Gould's "Syphilis and the Shepherd of Atlantis" illuminates Fracastoro's Virgilian ode to "Syphilis sive morbus Gallicus," also known as the Spanish Disease, English Disease, Neapolitan Disease, and 'Treponema pallidum.' Andrew Sullivan's "The He Hormone" was not written to be silly--the author was taking testosterone to combat the fatigue of an HIV infection--but it did very much remind me of the crowing scene in "Peter Pan."

In "Running Dry," Jacques Leslie chronicles the unassailable fact that we are running out of fresh water. Although this essay was written in 2000, it seems particularly relevant to this summer of ferocious drought and wildfire. The author develops a somber case against our current dam-building and irrigation processes.

However, "Running Dry" wasn't the book's most shocking essay--at least for me, since I was already aware of the fresh water crisis. The shocker was "The Virus and the Vaccine" by Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher. Anyone who is over the age of forty might want to read this article, which was originally published in "The Atlantic Monthly." Here is why it is so interesting:

"A breakthrough in the war against polio had come in the early 1950s, when Jonas Salk took advantage of a new discovery: monkey kidneys could be used to culture the abundant quantities of polio virus necessary to mass-produce a vaccine. In 1960 Bernice Eddy, a government researcher, discovered that when she injected hamsters with the kidney mixture on which the vaccine was cultured, they developed tumors...The cancer-causing virus was soon isolated by other scientists and dubbed SV40..."

(Incidentally, Bernice Eddy's superiors tried to suppress her discovery. She was eventually demoted and lost her laboratory. But by 1963, laboratories stopped using monkey kidneys to produce polio vaccine.)

The SV40 virus was presumed harmless to humans, and no further investigations were done until 1993 when Michele Carbone, an Italian pathologist, decided to research the origins of mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer of the mesothelial cells in the lining of the chest and lung.

Asbestos exposure was linked to mesothelioma, which takes twenty to forty years to develop-- but Dr. Carbone also wondered if the cancer might also be caused by SV40.

Read "The Virus and the Vaccine" to learn the results of Dr. Carbone's research--especially if you were vaccinated for polio between 1955 and 1963. In fact, read all of the articles in this collection. They were written to hold the attention of lay readers like me, and most of them chronicle darn interesting science.

An interesting, diverse, and readable collection.......2002-06-22

This is the first of these collections that I have read, and it is very good. The articles are chosen from a wide spectrum of publications from the year 2000, including Scientific American, National Geographic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly, etc., which means most of the essays were written in 1999 or thereabouts. There is a minor concentration on the exciting developments in genetics and microbiology, including "The Recycled Generation" by Stephen S. Hall, which is about stem-cell research; "The Genome Warrior" by Richard Preston, which is about Craig Ventor and the human genome project; "DNA on Trial" by Peter J. Boyer, focusing on lawyers Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld's Innocence Project; and a couple of articles on AIDS, "The Mystery of AIDS in South Africa" by Helen Epstein and "The Virus and the Vaccine" by Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher.

My favorite piece was "The Small Planets" by Erik Asphaug where I learned a little about the surprising physics of asteroids, in particular that they are most likely composed of rubble held lightly together by low gravity instead of being solid objects. When they collide, the "rubble piles" are disturbed, but within a few hours most of the pieces come back together again if the collision was not too violent. I also particularly liked John Terborgh's piece "In the Company of Humans" in which he demonstrates that animals can be attracted to humans for reasons as diverse as safety in numbers (like different species of birds foraging together) or being fascinated by a lemon-scented detergent used by a primatologist. He relates the story of a sick peccary that hung out near humans until it got well, that way avoiding hungry jaguars. Also fascinating was Greg Critser's "Let Them Eat Fat" which is about how the fast food industry is "super-sizing" us into obesity. (By the way, I tried for the first time a few months ago a Krispy Kreme donut, just to see what all the fuss was about. It was a warm puppy of an "empty-calorie" confection, pure white flour, made almost as light as air, smothered in fat and glazed with pure white sugar. It practically melted in my mouth. I can see how a steady diet of these babies could lead to a nutritional nightmare.)

Also good were Andrew Sullivan's "The He Hormone" about the phenomenon of testosterone, and Jacques Leslie"s "Running Dry" which is about the mixed blessing (and ultimate failure) of damming rivers, and the present and future crisis in the supply of fresh water.

There is a sprinkling of rather ordinary pieces by scientific heavyweights, John Archibald Wheeler, Ernst Mayr, Stephen Jay Gould, and Freeman J. Dyson, which are collected here perhaps as much for the prestige they lend to this volume as for the value of the essays. But you be the judge.

The interesting articles by Joel Achenbach and Robert L. Park, "Life Beyond Earth" and "Welcome to Planet Earth," respectively, serve well as introductions to their recently published books, Captured by Aliens: The Search for Life and Truth in a Very Large Universe (1999), and Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud (2000), again, respectively.

Bottom line: this eminently accessible collection is well worth the candle.

"People don't like to face reality".......2002-03-18

If you are indeed one of those people, you'd better not read this book. Nearly every page confronts you with a new reality. In some essays you'll have your nose forcibly rubbed in it. But don't despair, even with some of the grim pictures presented here, nearly all contain some message of hope, as well. Timothy Ferris has assembled an impressive array of science writing covering topics ranging from quantum physics to the water you drink. There's something here for everyone, but read them all, new doors may open for your mind. And, typically with Ferris, he begins the collection in an unexpected way - a poem from John Updike. Who but Updike could produce sensitive, compelling verse about transparent sea animals?

Examining the universe is an overwhelming challenge. Galaxies, stars, gas clouds, planets - the images appear almost daily. But what about the stuff we can't see? Michael Turner, an astronomer with impressive narrative skills, describes his quest for "dark matter," the mysterious stuff that may be impeding the expansion of the cosmos. He notes that the "missing mass" often credited with explaining why the universe isn't evolving the way we once thought, is a misnomer: "It's the light, not the mass, that's missing." Turner's explanation of what's actually happening will surprise the reader. In another essay, matter that isn't "dark," but still is behaving in unexpected ways is explained by Erik Asphaug. Asteroids, those little worlds cohabiting the solar system with us, are revealing their secret lives.

Other lives are revealed here, as well. Mandrills, a primate of bizarre appearance, also turn out to have a bizarre lifestyle. Just as we were all growing accustomed to the image of "alpha" males in the baboon and ape worlds, mandrills have evolved a unique feminist society. In Central Africa, Natalie Angier encountered huge troops of mandrills, all female. Males are relegated to a mostly "monastic" life - a pattern seen in only one other of the 225 primate species. Life at a more fundamental level is examined by Stephen Hall's account of stem cell research.

Life's condition today and its prospects for tomorrow are the topic of other essays. Greg Critser presents a grim picture of American eating habits; the "obesity epidemic" sweeping society. Which Americans are overweight and why? Critser's analysis offers some unexpected answers. Health is a concern for any people, and those who seek to restore health are too often unknown and unheralded. Helen Epstein examines the history of combating AIDS in South Africa where questions of health become interspersed with international economics and local politics. Health issues at local levels are examined in the most powerful
essay in the collection. Tracy Kidder follows "The Good Doctor" on his rounds. Paul Farmer's patients, however, are not restricted to a local hospital or clinic. He travels from Boston to Haiti, Cuba to Peru, even to Siberia as he intently seeks to restore the afflicted to health. And, incidentally, to petition the affluent for support in his work. When entreaty fails, he calls on a talent for deviousness a spy would envy. He's still out there working and he still needs your support. Find out who he is from this essay and why you should favour his requests.

There are too many issues and ideas in this collection to impart them all here. The quote acting as the title of this review comes from the person in charge of water conservation for the fastest growing metropolis in America - Las Vegas. Turn to Jacques Leslie's article to learn why that city may well lack water within the next five years. Your throat may turn dry as you read, but you will hesitate to run to the kitchen for a brimming glassful of water. Instead, you may find yourself prowling the house to stop any dripping taps. You can close the taps, but if you read this magnificent collection of essays, you will be opening your mind. If you're not afraid of reality and are willing to confront it, buy and enjoy this book. It's a treasure.

Of Interest Not Only To Science Teachers.......2002-03-02

This is a splendid anthology of scientific writing which should be of interest to the general public, as well as to teachers and students of science. Helen Epstein has a highly critical look at South Africa's response to its devastating AIDS epidemic in her essay "The Mystery of AIDS in South Africa". New York Times science writer Natalie Angier gives a humorous, mesmerizing look at mandrills in "In Mandrill Society, Life Is a Girl Thing". Distinguished evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr provides a thoughtful, profound look on "Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought". Paleobiologist Stephen Jay Gould has an interesting overview of Syphilis' early European history in his "Syphilis and the Shepherd of Atlantis". Alan Lightman offers a poignant look at his youth in "A Portrait of the Novelist as a Young Scientist". Richard Powers unearths the politics and intrigue behind the sequencing of the human genome in "The Genome Warrior". These are merely a few of the twenty two essays - and in the case of novelist John Updike, one poem - edited by Timothy Ferris for this volume.

Inspiring for science teachers.......2001-11-19

Science teachers will find this book to be good intellectual stimulation. After teaching the cell to seventh graders for five years, reading about the latest developments in cell research has renewed my enthusiasm for the subject. A lot more is going on out there in the research world than we might realize. This book will bring you up to date and renew your motivation regarding the importance of teaching some of the basics to a broad base of people in society. There are incredible ethical debates ahead. If you are a teacher, you will see your role in the wider context of what is going on, not just the humdrum repeat of the same information. For those that are not teachers, it will help you become aware of where science is at-- you will be amazed. Although I mentioned there are articles on the cell, the articles on the physical sciences are just as interesting and stimulating. The writing quality lives up to the name--it is excellent. I plan to buy additional copies to give as gifts.

The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2001 (The Best American Series)

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this is what the best american series is all about
Truth in packaging
Well-Selected and Compiled
A non-technical reader's reaview

The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2001 (The Best American Series)
Edward O Wilson
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618153594

Amazon.com

From abstract reflections on the nature of mathematical thought to an all-too-concrete tale of teetering on the edge of an active volcano, The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2001 delivers exactly what it promises. Editor Edward O. Wilson knows good writing when he sees it, and with names like David Berlinski, Barbara Kingsolver, and Jane Goodall in the table of contents, it's hard to know where to begin reading. All but the most diligent of readers will find something new herein--some topic, theory, or point of view that hasn't yet reached the mainstream. Stem cells, robots, cloning, and habitat loss all become more real thanks to the writers' vivid descriptions and imaginative explanations. The collection is a treat even for those with little background in science, as it provides an accessible overview of issues important to all informed world citizens. If only all science and nature writing were this appealing. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

Also an instant bestseller in the Best American series, this second annual Best American Science and Nature Writing volume, edited by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author, scientist, and naturalist Edward O. Wilson, promises to be another "eclectic, provocative collection" (Entertainment Weekly) that is both a science reader's dream and a nature lover's sustenance.

Customer Reviews:

this is what the best american series is all about.......2002-03-26

Edward Wilson guest edits the second in the Science and Nature Writing Series, and unlike many of the guest editors in the other Series (like the Best American Short Stories for this year), he does a phenomenal job, and shows us what this series is all about. The essays come from magazines who focus on the general reader rather than the scientist. The essays are informative. They teach the reader quite a bit and point out things that come to a surprise to most of us (such as the state of the earth's water supply). And they do it in an entertaining way. Above all else, the essays collected here are fun to read and not loaded with jargon the layman can't understand. A special note: Bill Joy's essay on technology and our future should be read at least twice and thought on long and hard.

Truth in packaging.......2002-03-01

Ed Wilson has added another brick to the edifice he's been constructing. For years he's struggled to enlighten us on our place in Nature. His building is a market where Nature's bounty and wonders are displayed. If we shop carefully, these goods will continue to be supplied. We must learn to read the labels with care and use what we take wisely. This collection of essays is part of the learning process. Reading them, one is struck by Wilson's expertise in choice. The writing is good, the subjects are worth your attention and you may come away better understanding how to browse in Nature's shop. Although the title of this book is something of a misnomer - it would be better labelled "science and society" - the compilation is enlightening in many respects.

The essays most directly related to society's concerns cover expanded roles for mathematical concepts, the emotional question of abortion, how we impact wild lands and how technology works to change our lives. David Berlinski offers a description of a mathematical artifact, the algorithm and how it affects our lives. A simple, repeatable instruction, the algorithm is now recognized as fundamental in both Nature and human culture.

Humanity's relation with Nature comprises most of the remainder of the essays. Human settlement of wild land is an topic of growing importance. Mark Cherrington's essay on this contentious issue in Israel might be duplicated in many parts of the planet. Bernd Heinrich describes the Endurance Predator, the animal whose unusual gait allowed it to occupy the whole planet. Human walking and running are unique in Nature. We test our abilities in these unusual capacities with games, and Heinrich speculates on how far those tests can take us. As we come to understand how Nature works in better detail, the impact on our cultures will be reflected in law, as well as the scientific world. Gregg Easterbrooke and Malcolm Gladwell describe new understanding of newborns and the unborn. How should the law be changed to reflect what has been learned about embryos and children?

What of adults and the natural world? Jerome Groopman provides a view of an unusual, but widespread human disorder, The Doubting Disease. Do you suffer from it? Our future health in many areas will be impacted by what we learn of our genetic base. Craig Venter, former president of human genome mapping firm, Celera, is portrayed in depth by Richard Preston.

No collection of writings on Nature would be complete without David Quammen. Here, he takes us along on his jaunt with Michael Fay as the scientist surveys the conditions in central Africa. Quammen's' ability to bring the reader into his adventures is unsurpassed. On this trek you share both his enthusiasms and painful experiences through his captivating prose. He adroitly captures the mood of the field scientist.

Regrettably, we can't say as much about the essay on Costa Rican macaws. While Barbara Kingsolver and Steven Hopp had a pleasant, interesting jaunt in the Central American jungles, the inclusion of this account in this collection seems almost far-fetched. It's a well-written story, but only sparsely appropriate here. Far more meaningful is Sandra Postel's account of water management. "Troubled Waters" is the story of just that condition, which is growing increasingly prevalent around our globe. North American water consumption is one of the major shames of our society, and Postel's survey should give every reader a moment's pause.

Well-Selected and Compiled.......2001-12-23

The Best American Series delivers another winner here, with a fascinating and varied collection of articles and essays from a variety of sources. You know you're in good hands when the editor is Edward O. Wilson, who is among the best writers out there to present scientific thought in a way the more educated of the masses can understand (although his intro to this book is rather self-aggrandizing). In addition to writings on many different scientific disciplines, you also get a variety of philosophical viewpoints, most of which are very levelheaded. The best articles in this book include "Abortion and Brain Waves" which provides the most well-rounded, informed, and realistic viewpoint on the abortion issue you will likely ever see (you surely won't get this from politicians or activists on either side of the debate); plus "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us" which gives a very insightful outlook on the future of humanity in light of genetic engineering, robotics, and nanotechnology (though this article is too long and loses its focus near the end). Other winners include "Baby Steps" concerning infant knowledge and education, and "The Genome Warrior" which covers the politics of the human genome project. The nature and ecology-related articles here are generally weaker, including Jane Goodall's sappy and sentimental "In the Forests of Gombe," and "Being Prey" which starts with a harrowing account of the author being attacked by a crocodile, but then awkwardly attempts to tie this attack to ruminations on feminism and vegetarianism (I have no problems with those doctrines, mind you). But those are just a couple of missteps in a fascinating and entertaining collection.

A non-technical reader's reaview.......2001-11-10

This is an excellent collection of articles compliled from different magazines (The New yorker, Harper's Magazine, Discover, Outside, Orion, to name a few); this adds to the readability. I feel that there is some article of interest for every reader (no just science geeks like myself).
This would be a great gift for anyone who is interested in science (nature, technology, psychology).

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The Best American Science Writing 2001
Timothy (ed. Ferris
Manufacturer: Ecco Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEZHCS

Book Description

This extraordinary one-volume guide to the modern literatures of China, Japan, and Korea is the definitive reference work on the subject in the English language. With more than one hundred articles that show how a host of authors and literary movements have contributed to the general literary development of their respective countries, this companion is an essential starting point for the study of East Asian literatures. Comprehensive thematic essays introduce each geographical section with historical overviews and surveys of persistent themes in the literature examined, including nationalism, gender, family relations, and sexuality.

Following the thematic essays are the individual entries: over forty for China, over fifty for Japan, and almost thirty for Korea, featuring everything from detailed analyses of the works of Tanizaki Jun'ichiro and Murakami Haruki, to far-ranging explorations of avant-garde fiction in China and postwar novels in Korea. Arrayed chronologically, each entry is self-contained, though extensive cross-referencing affords readers the opportunity to gain a more synoptic view of the work, author, or movement. The unrivaled opportunities for comparative analysis alone make this unique companion an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the burgeoning field of Asian literature.

Although the literatures of China, Japan, and Korea are each allotted separate sections, the editors constantly kept an eye open to those writers, works, and movements that transcend national boundaries. This includes, for example, Chinese authors who lived and wrote in Japan; Japanese authors who wrote in classical Chinese; and Korean authors who write in Japanese, whether under the colonial occupation or because they are resident in Japan. The waves of modernization can be seen as reaching each of these countries in a staggered fashion, with eddies and back-flows between them then complicating the picture further. This volume provides a vivid sense of this dynamic interplay.

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