Category Archives: Book Reviews

Great book about worms reissued in time for spring gardening

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill has just reissued a book that may give readers a not unwelcome taste for worms. Here is my review of the book from 2004. The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy … Continue reading

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Review of Wired for Culture by Mark Pagel

Review of Wired for Culture by Mark Pagel Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind by Mark Pagel (Norton, 432 pages, $29.95, February, 2012) Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz (Copyright 2012 by Alfred B. Bortz, all rights reserved) … Continue reading

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Return of the Prodigal Science Blogger

It’s been several months since I contributed here, but I expect to be back with regular blogs in about a month and shorter posts before then. I have been busy writing my newly released middle-grade book, Meltdown! The Nuclear Disaster … Continue reading

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Review of The Quantum Story: A History in 40 Moments by Jim Baggott

A shorter version of this review appeared last weekend in the Dallas Morning News, without the opening limerick. For more of my reviews, visit The Science Shelf Book review Archive, which includes reviews of a number of books about physics.

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Review of First Contact: Scientific Breakthroughs and the Hunt for Life Beyond Earth

Review of First Contact: Scientific Breakthroughs and the Hunt for Life Beyond Earth by Marc Kaufman Simon & Schuster, $26.00, 224 pages, April 2011 Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz

Posted in Astrobiology, Book Reviews, Life Science and Evolution, Planetary Science, Science Books, Space and Astronomy | Leave a comment

For Science History Buffs: Blood Work by Holly Tucker

A slightly edited version of this review appeared in the Dallas Morning News. Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution by Holly Tucker (Norton, March 2011, $25.95, 288 pages) Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz Copyright … Continue reading

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Review of Once Before Time: A Whole Story of the Universe

Once Before Time: A Whole Story of the Universe by Martin Bojowald (Knopf, 2010, $27.95, 320 pages) Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz

Posted in Book Reviews, Physics, Science Books | 1 Comment

ET’s home planet?

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has discovered an extraordinary planetary system with six rocky worlds capable of supporting life about 2000 light years from Earth.

Posted in Astrobiology, Book Reviews, Planetary Science, Science Books, Space and Astronomy | 1 Comment

Review of Alone Together by Sherry Turkle

Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle (Basic Books, $28.95, 378 pages, January, 2011) Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz

Posted in Book Reviews, Science Technology and Society, Technology | 1 Comment

Review of Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science by Ian Sample

Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science by Ian Sample (Basic Books, 2010, $25.95, 320 pages) This review by Fred Bortz was also published in the Dallas Morning News.

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