archive

Hallucinations

An investigation into the types, physiological sources and cultural resonances of hallucinations traces everything from the disorientations of sleep and intoxication to the manifestations of injury and illness.NPR Bestseller

News and Reviews

• Oliver Sacks: An Appreciation
• Death, But Softly
• When You're Visited By A Copy Of Yourself, Stay Calm

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks documents the story of how scientists took cells from an unsuspecting descendant of freed slaves and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely, enabling numerous medical and scientific discoveries.NPR Bestseller

News and Reviews

• 'Immortal' Cells Of Henrietta Lacks Live On In Labs
• College Freshmen Learn From 'Henrietta Lacks'
• Tracing The 'Immortal' Cells Of Henrietta Lacks

The Generals

American Military Command from World War II to Today

The Generals describes the values, strategic thinking and leadership qualities of military leaders from World War II to the present day and how the widening separation between performance and accountability has not resulted in any recent Marshalls, Eisenhowers or Pattons.

News and Reviews

• Tracing Military Failures, Holding 'The Generals' Accountable
• Ricks: Firing 'The Generals' To Fight Better Wars?
• Should 'The Generals' Get Fired More Often?

Rare Earth

Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe

Argues that, while primitive organisms such as microbes are likely abundant in the universe, advanced life and multicellular organisms are incredibly rare, as they require a myriad of special circumstances to survive.

News and Reviews

• How Rare Is The Earth?

A Tear at the Edge of Creation

A Radical New Vision for Life in an Imperfect Universe

A physics and philosophy professor challenges modern beliefs about the definable nature of the cosmos, arguing that all things exist because of random imperfections, primordial asymmetries and outright accidents, in a report that also cites the importance of caring for the planet.

News and Reviews

• How Rare Is The Earth?

Apocalyptic Planet

Field Guide to the Everending Earth

Discusses the Earth's inherent instability and susceptibility toward violent natural disasters and climate extremes, challenging beliefs about apocalyptic inevitabilities while revealing how to change humanity's place within the planet's cycles.

News and Reviews

• Cornstalks Everywhere But Nothing Else, Not Even A Bee
• Will We 'Fix' The Weather? Yes. Should We Fix The Weather? Hmmm

Mind and Cosmos

Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False

News and Reviews

• Is There A Place For The Mind In Physics? Part I
• Arguing The Nature Of Values
• Are The Mind And Life Natural?

Dangerous Work

Diary of an Arctic Adventure

News and Reviews

• From Ship To Sherlock: Doyle's 'Arctic' Diary

Relics

Travels in Nature's Time Machine

Combines text with colorful photographs to chronicle the species of animals and plants that are biological relics of a bygone era.

News and Reviews

• When You're Almost Extinct, Your Price Goes Up
• Time Travel And Photos Of Earth's 'Oldest' Animals

The Violinist's Thumb

And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, As Written by Our Genetic Code

The best-selling author of The Disappearing Spoon discusses DNA, the building block of life, describing how genes can explain why JFK's skill was bronze, Einstein was a genius and why people with exceptional thumb flexibility can become world-class violinists.

News and Reviews

• How Human Beings Almost Vanished From Earth In 70,000 B.C.
• The Best College Prank Of The 1790s (With Bats, Poop & Grass)
• Unraveling The Genetic Code That Makes Us Human

Spillover

Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic

David Quammen examines the emergence and causes of new diseases all over the world, describing a process called "spillover," where illness originates in wild animals before being passed to humans. He discusses the potential for the next huge pandemic.

News and Reviews

• How Human Beings Almost Vanished From Earth In 70,000 B.C.
• Who Wants To Eat Jellyfish Omelets? Dolphin Meatballs? Mouse-On-Toast? These Guys

The End of Illness

Dr. David B. Agus — one of the nation's leading authorities on cancer treatment — addresses modern misconceptions about illness and wellness. Agus makes some surprising claims, asserting that a sedentary lifestyle can be worse than smoking, that vitamin supplements may do more harm than help and that poorly designed footwear factors into the development of heart disease.NPR Bestseller

News and Reviews

• New In Paperback Oct. 22-28

A More Perfect Heaven

How Copernicus Revolutionised the Cosmos

In her elegant, compelling style, Dava Sobel chronicles, as nobody has, the conflicting personalities and extraordinary discoveries that shaped the Copernican Revolution.

News and Reviews

• New In Paperback Oct. 22-28
• For Copernicus, A 'Perfect Heaven' Put Sun At Center

The Viral Storm

The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age

Reveals the origins of some of the world's most deadly viruses while explaining the link between modern life and global pandemic threats and shares insights into how developing technologies may counter potential threats.

News and Reviews

• New In Paperback Oct. 22-28
• The Man Who Tracks Viruses Before They Spread
• The Man Who Tracks Viruses Before They Spread

Alone Together

Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

In Alone Together, MIT technology and society professor Sherry Turkle explores the power of our new tools and toys to dramatically alter our social lives. It's a nuanced exploration of what we are looking for — and sacrificing — in a world of electronic companions and social networking tools, and an argument that, despite the hand-waving of today's self-described prophets of the future, it will be the next generation who will chart the path between isolation and connectivity.

News and Reviews

• In Constant Digital Contact, We Feel 'Alone Together'