What have you read recently/are you Reading at the Moment?

Passenger · 07-01-2009 2:42am #1

What are you reading at the moment or what have you read recently that provoked some thought or debate with you?

Quiet a significant portion of the books I have read/yet to read would fall under the Popular Science umbrella.

As I mentioned in another thread I read Jared Diamonds Guns, Germs & Steel and I'm going to give another one of his books a read, probably Collapse [2005] as apparently it is a kind of an antithesis to Guns, Germs & Steel.

13-01-2009 11:16pm

I just finished reading Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot a few days ago. It's not one of his best books but it's a good read none the less!

Marvinthefish · 13-01-2009 11:39pm

I read "The Chemistry of Life" by Steven Rose over Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it. He discusses a wide variety of biochemistry topics in a style that is very readable(although the chapter on genetics gets pretty dense) . The tone is always light and he includes some wonderful analogies.

Maybe some wouldn't class it as a "Popular science" book, but the first two chapters introduce well the main concepts and the chemistry necessary for an enjoyable reading.

crisco10 · 14-01-2009 12:49pm

Passenger wrote: »

What are you reading at the moment or what have you read recently that provoked some thought or debate with you?

Quiet a significant portion of the books I have read/yet to read would fall under the Popular Science umbrella.

As I mentioned in another thread I read Jared Diamonds Guns, Germs & Steel and I'm going to give another one of his books a read, probably Collapse [2005] as apparently it is a kind of an antithesis to Guns, Germs & Steel.

i read this a year or two ago. The subject matter was interesting but myself and my dad found that it read a bit like a text book. We both felt like we should be learning these things off by heart which sort of took away from the enjoyment. And we both would read alot of popular science books....

Svenolsen · 14-01-2009 2:05pm

One of the finest Popular Science books ever written was "The Sleepwalkers" by Arthur Koestler:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sleepwalkers

Still fresh and still in print:

http://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalkers-History-Changing-Vision-Universe/dp/0140192468

It reads like a novel and after reading it you will never look at scientists in the same way ever again.

.

lisbon_lions · 19-01-2009 11:14pm

Reading "The fabric of the cosmos" by Brian Greene at the moment. Its pretty deep with some thought provoking stuff on what makes our universe the way it is. He uses analogies a lot which puts what he is trying to convey nicely into the picture. One thing I will take away from this book, quantum mechanicsworld is a crazy crazy place to be.

nesf · 19-01-2009 11:42pm

Just finished: The Origin of Virtue - Matt Riddley

In the middle of:

The Cash Nexus - Niall Ferguson

Next book after that probably:

A Term at the Fed: An Insider's View - Laurence Meyer

The latter two aren't popular science per se, but are interesting faction nonetheless. Oh and beware of Brian Greene, he believes in String Theory...

RHRN · 22-01-2009 7:25pm

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Origin of Species.

Blink was actually very interesting, kinda surprised me.

Scarinae · 23-01-2009 4:11am

I'm currently reading The Big Splat by Dana Mackenzie - it is an unfortunate name, but it is a great read about the formation of the moon. Next on my list is The Red Queen by Matt Ridley, my brother recommended it to me.

Passenger · 23-01-2009 4:30am

Svenolsen wrote: »

One of the finest Popular Science books ever written was "The Sleepwalkers" by Arthur Koestler:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sleepwalkers

This is going on my reading list.

Porkpie · 27-01-2009 1:17pm

Read the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, thought it was pretty good.

Passenger · 22-02-2009 8:58pm

Giving James Lovelock's Gaia a read atm.

Lovelock is an English independent scientist, author, researcher, environmentalist, and futurist.

Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis proposes that all living and non-living parts of the earth form a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. Named after the Greek goddess Gaia, the hypothesis postulates that the biosphere has a regulatory effect on the Earth's environment that acts to sustain life.

Just started it but it's a fascinating theory.

5uspect · 27-02-2009 3:37pm

Freedom Evolves by Daniel Dennett. Deals with the concept of free will in a deterministic universe.

Helix · 14-03-2009 7:11pm

im currently reading "the problem with physics" by lee smolin

enjoying it so far

Mellowsh · 22-03-2009 7:43pm

Haven't read it yet myself but I've been recommended Alice in Quantum Land - quantum physics explained through Alice in Wonderland analogies. As I am a big fan of Alice in Wonderland, this sounds fantastic.

book smarts · 26-03-2009 4:43am

http://www.popularscience.co.uk/

darjeeling · 15-05-2009 11:18pm

'Coral - a Pessimist in Paradise' by Steve Jones.

Taking coral as his central theme, Jones branches out to discuss Darwin's discovery of how coral reefs form, symbiosis and the pitched battles that often underlie it, stem cells and immortality, chaos, and the future of the planet in the era of rising CO2 and climate change.

An absorbing and sardonically funny, if at times bleak, book from the John Peel of genetics.

nitrogen · 26-05-2009 1:09pm

I was thinking of picking up Chaos: Making a New Science or The Never-ending Days of Being Dead. Both on my list. Anyone read either, what you think?

Porkpie · 16-06-2009 10:20am

Currently reading 'The Happiness Hypothesis' by Jonathan Haidth. It's in no way another silly self help book but rather a very interesting study of ancient and modern ideas of what brings us true happiness, told in an accessible, practical style. Very good so far.

Futurism · 20-06-2009 1:44am

Eventually finished Hyperspace by Michio Kaku. I'll have to give it a more thorough read when the leaving cert isn't in the way.

Found Cosmos by Carl Sagan today in the library. Looking forward to it.

5uspect · 20-06-2009 12:07pm

Futurism wrote: »

Eventually finished Hyperspace by Michio Kaku. I'll have to give it a more thorough read when the leaving cert isn't in the way.

Found Cosmos by Carl Sagan today in the library. Looking forward to it.

Cosmos has aged somewhat. Its still a great read tho.

Futurism · 20-06-2009 9:32pm

5uspect wrote: »

Cosmos has aged somewhat. Its still a great read tho.

I can't help but hear Sagan's voice when I'm reading it. :pac:

Passenger · 21-06-2009 7:27pm

Aye, Cosmos really is superb. It is still relevant though and a great introduction to Popular Science literature.

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Sagan is a terrific read too btw. I might even recommend this ahead of Cosmos.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World

briano.de.rhino · 25-06-2009 9:23pm

God wants you dead - cant remember the 2 co-authors.
A fantastic treatise of higher powers and idea-organisms. Really helped me out with thought and ideas. Best book I read sine the God Delusion or the end of faith by sam harris in this vein.

jackdaw · 02-07-2009 1:14pm

Passenger wrote: »

What are you reading at the moment or what have you read recently that provoked some thought or debate with you?

Quiet a significant portion of the books I have read/yet to read would fall under the Popular Science umbrella.

As I mentioned in another thread I read Jared Diamonds Guns, Germs & Steel and I'm going to give another one of his books a read, probably Collapse [2005] as apparently it is a kind of an antithesis to Guns, Germs & Steel.

Try Rise and Fall of the 3rd Chimpanzee ... excellent book ..

Coriolanus · 04-07-2009 7:19pm

Bad Science.

After that I have Carl Sagan's Cosmos, haven't read it since I was a kid.

5uspect · 05-07-2009 3:05pm

Bad Science is a great read.

Coriolanus · 07-07-2009 11:17am

5uspect wrote: »

Bad Science is a great read.

Yep, finished it, it really is good. Not just for the information in it, the author is really entertaining.

Reading Cosmos and "The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science ..." which is pretty entertaining too.

marco_polo · 14-07-2009 11:04am

Currently reading Earth: An intimate History by Richard Fortley and I am really enjoying it. I would recomend it to anyone looking for a easy introductory Geology book (A rare thing).

Aside from one can't go wrong with anything written by Matt Ridley, Daniel C. Dennett or Richard Dawkins. Their highlights for me would be Genome, Darwins Dangerous Idea and the Selfish Gene respectivley.

Next on the list: Cosmos (finally)

EORaghallaigh · 20-07-2009 9:28pm

13 things that don't make sense - Michael Brooks

Interesting read, even for the lay person

Reesy · 19-08-2009 10:51pm

marco_polo wrote: »

Aside from one can't go wrong with anything written by Matt Ridley, Daniel C. Dennett or Richard Dawkins. Their highlights for me would be Genome, Darwins Dangerous Idea and the Selfish Gene respectivley.

The Selfish Gene is one of the few books I've read 3x. I'd recommend it.

Have just finished 'Parasite Rex', recommended to me by a very nice microbiologist in TCD, at the 'infected' exhibition (thanks!). Highly recommended by me too. It's all about the central role that parasites have on our planet - a great read, skin-crawling but fascinating & awe-inspiring. There's a parasite that has one stage of its life in rats & the next in cats. Once it infests the rat it changes the rat's behaviour to no longer to be scared of cats...). 'The Red Queen' (recommended by another poster) is mentioned in it, too.

What have you read recently/are you Reading at the Moment?

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