The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004
by Steven Pinker (Editor), Tim Folger (Series Editor)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Science buffs will find a smorgasbord of lively pieces in this anthology selected by renowned Harvard psychologist Pinker (The Blank Slate; etc.). Many readers will jump straight to Ron Rosenbaum's "Sex Week at Yale," an entertaining exposé of how academics can give their audience a headache when they yammer on about sex.

Even the most science-wary readers will enjoy Peggy Orenstein's "Where Have All the Lisas Gone?" about trends in naming babies.

Bird lovers (and cat haters) will laugh out loud at the Letters to the Bird Brain collected in Michael O'Connor's "Bird Watcher's General Store."

And ailurophiles will be stunned by Robert Sapolsky's report ("Bugs in the Brain") on how the pathogen that causes toxoplasmosis alters its carriers' (rodents) brains so they no longer fear their number one predator (cats).

Medical buffs will look for Atul Gawande's extended profile of the amazing Francis Moore, a pioneer in treatment of burns, nuclear medicine, hormone replacement therapies and organ transplants.

Both Pinker's choice of subjects (linguistics, psychology) as well as sources (The American Conservative, The Cape Codder) range happily beyond the usual suspects; everyone will find something they haven't already read. The collection is recommended for intellectually omnivorous readers in this and all other universes.

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Product Description:

Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004, edited by Steven Pinker, is another "provocative and thoroughly enjoyable [collection] from start to finish" (Publishers Weekly). Here is the best and newest on science and nature: the psychology of suicide terrorism, desperate measures in surgery, the weird world of octopuses, Sex Week at Yale, the linguistics of click languages, the worst news about cloning, and much more.

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Customer Reviews

A Peek is sometimes better than a Good Look, December 9, 2004
Reviewer: J. head (littlteton, nh USA)

The average science reader can not keep abreast of a dozen fields of science to any great depth. Skimming the best of this year's science and nature writing is often the only way to peek into other areas without being bogged down by the original work.

These books have become so popular simply because they fulfill the timesaver niche. Basically a science and nature "Reader's Digest" When presented with the opportunity to read portions of this book I found I was driven to read it completely. There is a littler here for everybody; the hilarious excerpts of Michael O'Connor's newspaper column "Ask the Bird Folks", to the serious societal problem of modern mind altering drugs in the pipeline with impacts way beyond that of Prozac that can produce "better" personalities and citizens.

Some articles are real eye-openers, a historical look at juvenile diabetes in the recent past, when the disease was considered a death sentence, the patient's stark choice, a starvation level Atkins type diet to prolong your life or an "enjoy life while you can splurge". Other thought provoking articles cover, parallel universe theory, the smarts of an octopus,surprising when compared to its station on the evolutionary tree. And some unsolved mysteries, how can a microbe that must be injested by a cat latch onto just the right circuitry of rat's brain to make it unafraid of cats.

This book is generally a fast read, no math and all the material is well explained. Kudos to the editors, they did a great job choosing material for this book. A lot of bang for the buck.

Showcases writing on diverse scientific topics, November 9, 2004
Reviewer: Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

If it's literary nonfiction essays you seek, look no further than the 2004 edition of Best American Science And Nature Writing as it showcases the finest nonfiction writing on diverse scientific topics published in 2004, from the psychology of suicide terrorism and the war on obesity to the diversity of DNA and medical pioneering efforts. A diverse collection which ranges through all scientific disciplines to provide only the best.