Reading List

This is my favorite science book of all time. I re-read it about once a year (usually making my students read it with me). There are a wealth of interesting facts: the heart doesn't have any fat and that is important to the processed meat industry; there are animals whose blood is blue or green, etc. But, more importantly, Vogel provides a structured perspective on biology, considering both evolutionary and hierarchical perspectives of the cardiovascular system. He also provides some of the best explanations of viscosity and density that I have ever found. His stated goal is to teach engineering to biologists, but I personally believe that his biggest accomplishment is teaching physiology to engineers. 

Possibly the greatest integration of science, nature, politics, economics, and geography. The Tiger that is the subject of the book is portrayed as vastly more intelligent, dangerous, and sympathetic than most of us would ever have thought possible. Along the way I learned a lot about the Southeast corner of Russia (near Vladivostok), and the historical ethnography of this very complicated part of the world. 

Dr. Mukherjee wrote three absolutely amazing books. Emperor not only laid out the history of cancer treatment and why we approach it the way we do, but integrated vast amounts of molecular biology, surgery physiology, and human decision-making processes. One of the key takeaways was the need for early detection to provide the greatest number of treatment pathways. Amazingly well-written and informative. The Gene and the Song of the Cell provide wonderfully engrossing accounts of how our knowledge in each of these areas developed over time. Masterful stuff! 

This book tells one of the most amazing and important stories of the 20th century. It did a wonderful job of hitting three really important points - at least these are the ones that I picked up on the most. The first was that the reactor itself was so massive that it was inherently uncontrollable. Second, the lack of data-driven decisions within the administrative architecture set up many of the subsequent poor decisions. Third, and final, was that the disaster probably should have been 10 times or 100 times worse.

This one won a Pulitzer so you probably don't need me to tell you that it is, fundamentally, a great book.  While Darwin's Origin of the Species is extraordinary - you can feel his struggles with the ideas - this story demonstrates just how compelling and quantifiable it can be. The birds and the scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, share the spotlight and you actually feel the process of discovery - something that researchers have immense difficulty putting into words.