Synopsis: A narcoleptic's tireless journey through the neuroscience of disordered sleep. Whether it's a bout of bad jet lag or a stress-induced all-nighter, we've all suffered from nights that left us feeling less than well-rested. But for some people, getting a bad night's sleep isn't just an inconvenience: it's a nightmare. In Sleepyhead, science writer … Continue reading Sleepyhead: The Neuroscience of a Good Night’s Rest by Henry Nicholls
Synopsis: Mary Roach meets Bill Bryson in this "surefire summer winner" (Janet Maslin, New York Times), an uproarious tour of the basest instincts and biggest mysteries of the animal world Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we've still got a long way to … Continue reading The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke
Synopsis: Life is beautiful, ruthless, and very, very strange. In the evolutionary arms race that has raged on since life began, organisms have developed an endless variety of survival strategies. From sharp claws to brute strength, camouflage to venom--all these tools and abilities share one purpose: to keep their bearer alive long enough to reproduce, … Continue reading Strange Survivors: How Organisms Attack and Defend in the Game of Life by Oné R. Pagán
Synopsis: Does your dog really love you? Neuroscientist Gregory Berns used an MRI machine to find out. What is it like to be a dog? A bat? Or a dolphin? To find out, neuroscientist Gregory Berns and his team began with a radical step: they taught dogs to go into an MRI scanner--completely awake. They … Continue reading Review: What It’s Like to Be a Dog by Gregory Berns
Synopsis: Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. In fact, according to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. Like humans, many birds have enormous brains relative to their size. Although small, bird brains are packed with neurons that allow them to punch well above their weight. In The … Continue reading Review: The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
Synopsis: "You think too much! You mother F@$#%&* think too much! You're nothing but an arrogant, pointy headed intellectual -- I want you out of my classroom and off the premises in five minutes or I'm calling the police and having you arrested for trespassing." —Hollywood acting teacher to Randy Olson, former-scientist After nearly a … Continue reading DNF Review: Don’t Be Such A Scientist by Randy Olson
The Most Sublime 