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

Passenger

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Origin of Species.

Blink was actually very interesting, kinda surprised me.

Scarinae

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

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

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

Passenger

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

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

Helix

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

enjoying it so far

Mellowsh

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

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

darjeeling

'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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5uspect

Bad Science is a great read.

Coriolanus

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

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

13 things that don't make sense - Michael Brooks

Interesting read, even for the lay person

Reesy

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.

D0nners

Im reading "Sex, Drugs and DNA" at the moment. Not the most interesting read but enjoyable nonetheless.
I will probably delve into one of the Dawkins books I bought recently once I finish.
The Blind Watchmaker is strong contender at the moment.

TheManWho

I read Parallel Worlds by Michu Kaku a while back, very interesting but I don't have much to compare it to.

I recently read The God Delusion simultaniously with Hitchens God is Not Great and I was more impressed with the latter.

BendiBus

Currently reading "The Trouble with Physics" by Lee Smolin. Very interesting but I have to read it slowly. And a second time!

Also carrying around a short pocket-sized book called "Einstein and the Birth of Big Science" by Peter Coles which I picked up for €1.99 in Chapters. A much simpler read.

Porkpie

Currently reading Quirkology by Richard Wiseman. Read about 50 pages, very interesting and entertaining so far. He gives an account of some really interesting and amusing psychological experiments carried out in the name of science.

maninasia

Ditto Hyperspace and Parallel Worlds by Michio Ikaku, a really inspiring storyteller who isn't afraid to wonder at all the possibilities. He's also great to catch in a seminar if you get the chance even if he does talk about himself a tad too much!

The Black Swan by Nicholas Taleb is an excellent book for examining what we don't know we know and what we think what we know but probably don't.
Read it 2 or 3 times and it gets you thinking....

BendiBus

Just finished Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman.

Went straight out and bought Six Not-so-easy Pieces this afternoon!

Technodrome

Just finished Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku, pretty interesting stuff in there, especially if you're a sci-fi fan!

Ronanc1

reading "oxygen the molecule that made the world" by nick lane, really very interesting but can be a slight bit heavy in some spots

Macha

Just finished Leviathan by Philip Hoare. It won the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. I'm a sucker for an award and it was recommended by a friend.

It's basically a book about whales. From the most famous book about whales, Moby Dick and it's author, to a depressing history of whaling and recent conservation efforts. But it's also an amazing read full of fascinating facts and you're left with a deep respect for the enormous intelligent animals and a sadness at the fate they've suffered at human hands (at the industry's peak in the 1930s, 50 000 whales were killed every year) as well as a realisation of how little we really know about them.

A definite recommended read from me.

Helix

midway through The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene its a very enjoyable read. getting on a bit at 11 years old though, the most up to date stuff from it seems to be the mid to late 90s, but id recommend it as a nice introduction to string theory and the search for a theory of everything. some really nice background stuff

Agricola

The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. Good introductions to the main areas of physics. Easy to read, the simple everyday examples really illuminate concepts that would be otherwise pretty hard to grasp.
Finishes up with interesting stuff like the possibility of timetravel in the future.

maninasia

Brian Greene's books are excellent to get a good basic understanding of fundamental physics. Michio Kaku's Hyperspace was an awesome read and goes into a lot of string theory ideas.

SeaFields

Just finished Cosmos. It was a great read. Its a shame Carl Sagan is still not around to bring out an up to date edition.

Am going to get Pale Blue Dot later today!

KittyeeTrix

Trying to get through Richard Dawkins "The Greatest Show on Earth" but college keeps getting in the way. Thoroughly enjoying it and will try the "God Delusion" next

Brian CivilEng

I've just finished "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins which I enjoyed, although I believe his writing style does grate a little. I have On The Origin of Species going at the moment, though I am simultaneously reading a book about trains so it's going slow. Sitting on the coffee table waiting for my attention are "The Selfish Gene" also by Dawkins and "The canon" by Natalie Angier.

moylaghshergar

Lately i've been doing quite a bit of reading.

I've read the following in the last 3 weeks or so:

The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins

And at the moment I have two books on the go

The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
Pol Pot - The History of a Nightmare - Phillip Short

Both Dawkins books are very interesting but they certainly aren't easy reading. Gladwell writes popular science and both books are very interesting and at the same time easy reading. Pol Pot although not science is a very interesting read, at times it is heavy going and goes into much detail

Dave!

Currently reading Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works

madmaggie

I am currrently reading Eating the Sun, how plants power the planet, by Oliver Morton. It concerns the discovery of the process of photosynthesis, and the impact of this discovery to the fields of chemistry, biology and physics. If I had to study it for an exam I would have given up ages ago, but reading it for pleasure makes it much more appealing.

Passenger

Was going to create a new thread about what people are reading or have read as I've been meaning to catch up on some new writing in Popular Science but this will do if it's ok with the mods.

Been re-reading Visions by Michio Kaku. I read it a few years ago and it's amazing how some of his predictions have actually materialised. I quite like the way Kaku writes, it's informative and digestible without ever really being condescending either. Kinda reminds me of how Carl Sagan wrote.

Ruu

My library recently subscribed to Zinio so that means free Popular Science periodicals for me. Trying to catch up a little bit.