People move. And a climate catastrophe is on its way. So much we know. For the last 30 years, science knew that we were in big trouble, but politicians failed to act and media diminished or denied the problem. At the same time, the very same media and politicians reinforced the impression that migration posed a problem.
The story Lane has to tell concerns his long-standing endeavours to understand the origin of all life on Earth. The relevant biochemistry is clearly outlined and his relaxed style and unpretentious language considerably aid readability of the more technical aspects of his work.
When it comes to the scientists who researched carbon and its extraordinary structural and electronic properties, few rank as high as Mildred Dresselhaus. By the time of her death on 20 February 2017, Dresselhaus had seen her research go from a virgin field of curiosity-driven science to its central place in the modern world.
This now classic textbook has a wealth of attractive features: it is highly informative and meticulously researched and can be read profitably by professional scientists and lay audiences alike.
Famously industrious and prodigious users of chemistry, bees and other social insects such as ants and termites have always fascinated human observers. All this buzz of seemingly organised activity – how can this level of dynamic complexity ever come about from animals with a brain the size of a pinhead?
In this wide-ranging book, Palmer comes over as a fearless polymath, galloping from ‘trouser state space’, which is tiny compared with the state space of weather, to the intriguing link between Eureka moments and relaxation, where he talks about the interplay between the ‘lower power stochastic and power-intensive deterministic modes of our brain’.
This book is a good place to start for those interested in the science of ageing. It is a comprehensive introduction to the topic but also an entertaining read full of fascinating stories of those that successfully escaped death for much longer than expected and could hold the key to humans doing the same.
In a new retelling of the insulin story timed to the centenary of this research, molecular biologist turned historian Kersten Hall shows that this romantic discovery drama with a cast of three doesn’t come close to describing the real events, which were much messier. The prize, still debatable, essentially rewarded good luck.
In this book, Griffith seeks to instruct and motivate us on the current unenviable state of our planet and presents the case for a rapid implementation of assiduous corrective action. Griffith’s basic idea is to call upon every individual on our planet to commit to being part of the solution and this means in practice reducing our carbon footprint as close as possible to zero.
Impacts of icy comets and various space rocks gave our planet much of the surface water and supplies of many of the chemically more versatile elements, such as iron and phosphorus, that life depends upon. Read the book review.