Most Anticipated November Reads

Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta by Thomas Lin

 

I love Quanta magazine and I am so excited for the first print publication about science! These stories reveal the latest efforts to untangle the mysteries of the universe. Bringing together the best and most interesting science stories appearing in Quanta Magazine over the past five years.

Did You Just Eat That?: Two Scientists Explore Double-Dipping, the Five-Second Rule, and Other Food Myths in the Lab by Paul Dawson and Brian Sheldon

 

Food scientists Paul Dawson and Brian Sheldon take you into their labs to show how they have determined everything from how much bacteria gets transferred from sharing utensils to how many microbes live on restaurant menus. They list their materials and methods (in case you want to replicate the experiments), guide you through their results, and offer in-depth explanations of food safety and microbiology. Written with candid humor and richly illustrated, this fascinating book will reveal surprising answers to your weirdest and most commonly debated questions about food and germs–and then some.

The Re-Origin of Species: A Second Chance for Extinct Animals by Torill Kornfeldt

 

Scientists across the globe are working to resurrect all kinds of extinct animals, from ones that just left us to those that have been gone for many thousands of years. It seems certain that these animals will walk the earth again, but what world will that give us? And is any of this a good idea? Science journalist Torill Kornfeldt traveled the globe to meet the men and women working to bring these animals back from the dead and answer these questions.

 

Tumble Hitch: A Novel about Life in Science by Pernille Rrth

 

In this novel, another page turner by the author of Raw Data: A Novel on Life in Science, enthusiasm for basic research and for how science is – and could be – communicated combine in a thoughtful reflection on the impact of ambition on personal relationships. In a non-technical appendix, the author discusses the use of narrative in scientific papers and considers alternative modes of science publishing, one of which is featured in the novel. Storytelling in science has the potential to enhance communication, but may also have unintended consequences. This novel and the appendix explore these timely and important issues for the scientific community.