2 comments about George Beadle An Uncommon Farmer: The Emergence of Genetics in the 20th Century.

1. High marks for telling an interesting story well. George Beadle was a old-fashioned, principled country boy from Nebraska. But he and a cast of brilliant colleagues revolutionized how biology is done, and that is the highlight of the book. It is best when showing how Beadle got where he did scientifically. George Beadle was a driven, brilliant workaholic who kept his emotions tightly bottled, like his flies, except fpr short, well-directed bursts of anger directed at lab workers for sloppiness. His wonderful institutional personality contrasts sharply with more infamous, disagreeable sorts, like Delbruck and Watson, who appear later in the book. The book moves along smartly and efficiently, but lapses in a couple areas. I recognize this is a book about biology, but it's also a biography, and so Beadle's personal life is fair game, besides being inherently as interesting as much of the later administrative info, in which the book becomes bogged down. So, here goes: Frequent references are made to the unpleasant personality of George Beadle's first wife, Marion. But no attempt is made to flesh this out in any effective way. What did she say and do that was so offensive to so many people. What was her problem? She remains too much of a mystery, given that she was an important part of Beadle's life. This lack of info contrasts with the often overly detailed, and somewhat murky explanation of the neurospora life cycle. I had to read it three times to understand what they were talking about and have taught this stuff for 20 years. The authors are scientists, not historians or novelists, and it shows. Still, it's close to a page-turner for the first half.



2. A page turner on the excitement of uncovering many secrets of life from the rediscovery of Mendel to the threshold of revealing the genetic dictionary and how it is translated into living forms told by two leading biochemical geneticists.

No comments about The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler.

1 comments about Rich Harvest: A Life in the Garden.

1. I had read some of Mr. Hastings' other gardening books, and found them invaluable, so I just had to run out and get this new one.

   What a delightful book! I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it from cover to cover. It was like Mr. Hastings was personally telling me all his wonderful (and funny!) gardening stories. I particularly loved some his childhood memories--up a Sweet Gum tree, falling in his mother's ornamental pond, knocking out the top of his mother's prized Magnolia playing baseball.

   I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to garden. I'm going to give them as Christmas presents to all my fellow gardeners!

1 comments about John Uri Lloyd: The Great American Eclectic.

1. Michael A. Flannery has written the first full-length biography of John Uri Lloyd (1849-1936), the man generally accepted as one of America's most influential pharmaceutical pioneers. A most intelligent, readable and enlightening work, Flannery takes the reader deep into the philosophy of the eclectics who emerged in response to the then current harsh therapies of physicians. The eclectics worked to replace the horrors of bloodletting & chemical treatments with more reasoned and effective botanical remedies derived from natural sources. Lloyd's story and research center in Cincinnati, Ohio where in 1871 he was hired to develop a line of botanical tinctures, 'Specified Medicines', for the eclectic drug wholesaler H.M.Merrell. Lloyd developed more and refined botanical drugs as well as original research in fluidextracts, formulated means for assaying, and discovered a buffering compound, known later as Lloyd's Reagent. His professional and personal library of rare! and highly valuable pharmaceutical and botanical texts formed the base for an internationally renown library,located in Cincinnati,for scholars and researchers . Prof. Flannery, director of the Lloyd Library, writes touchingly yet objectively of a great man at the center of an important movement in pharmaceutical research and history.

No comments about From White Dwarfs to Black Holes: The Legacy of S. Chandrasekhar.

1 comments about A Word for Nature: Four Pioneering Environmental Advocates, 1845-1913.

1. Dorman explores the origins of American conservation and environmentalism by studying four key men of the nineteenth century -- George Perkins Marsh (1801-1882), Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), John Muir (1838-1914), and John Wesley Powell (1834-1902). Thoreau and Muir appear often in works of this kind, and Powell is occasionally added and is best known for his trip down the Colorado River and into the Grand Canyon. But what of Marsh? This Vermont lawyer, legislator, and industrialist published the book _Man and Nature_ in 1864. His travels to Europe and the Middle East were part of his enlightenment into the relationship between humans and Nature. He was one of the first individuals to admit that "all nature is linked together by invisible bonds" and to see man as a "destructive power" in the scenario. He recommended restoration efforts for the rampant deforestation in the northeastern America of the mid-1800s and suggested governmental control of such an endeavor, in spite of that institution's many failings. For the biography of Marsh alone, Dorman's book is worthwhile reading. But even if you think you already know the basics about the other three personalities, you'll learn something new here. Dorman doesn't just rehash old information; he provides a fresh interpretation of their contributions, illustrating the societal influences that formed their belief systems, and connecting each man to at least one of the other three at least once. A good addition to the 21st-century environmentalist's bookshelf.

5 comments about On Tycho's Island: Tycho Brahe and his Assistants, 1570-1601.

1. While the author has obviously gathered TONS and TONS of tidbits and certainly has an indepth knowledge of this subject, the communication broke down somewhere in the process of gluing it all together into a book. The first half of the book is interesting if you can get past all of the redundant statements and amazing overuse of the word familia (in annoying italics) to describe Tycho's operating principles on his island. If you are totally unfamiliar with how life was during this time, it may be eye opening, however, if you have read anything about it, it may be eyeclosing. Each chapter in part 1 seemed to loop around itself, just presenting enough new material to prevent me from putting it down for good. Perhaps the best of this book is part 2 where the author gives thumbnail sketches of the people he was associated with and worked with on his island of Hven. I felt that it was much more connected and definitely less repetitive. However, I wasn't really looking for a collection of micro-biographies when I purchased this book.



2. I found this book to be readable and informative. As a scientist and a history buff, I enjoyed Christianson's ability to combine the story of the birth of big science with the interesting details of Northern European Rennaisance life. Tycho's Island includes a cast of interesting characters, some who became the stars of the next generation of scientists and astronomers, some who were mapmakers, instrument makers, even printers and papermakers. The book also includes a picture of Rennaisance life that makes Tycho and his familia come alive to the modern reader. The details of marriage negotiations, castle building, entertaining and poetry makes the book a real page-turner. The short capsule biographies at the end of the book show the widespread influences of Tycho's brilliant work. Kepler may be the best-known member of this group of assistants, but he is just one of a number of interesting and important characters.



3. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Christianson's book about Tycho and the birth of Big Science on the Danish Renaissance island of Hven. The writing is fresh and interesting, the details of daily life are lively, the discussions of patronage and scientific method offer new insight into the pre-telescopic world of astronomy. The illustrations are excellent. The discussions of alchemy and astrology are facinating. I especially liked the story of Tycho's sister's sad romance and his daughter's failed engagement. The biographies of Tycho's "students" and their lives after Hven show the influences of his scientific method and the international character of the scientific world in the 16th and early 17th century. Highly reccommended.



4. 16th century scientist Tycho Brahe receives relatively little mention in modern times: this explores his entire range of scientific activities which go beyond his better-known astronomical explorations. A well-rounded portrait of Brahe the man as well as his many scientific interests and his works on his private island is presented in a study which includes intriguing facts on his contemporaries.

   Diane C. Donovan




5. As it needs to be, On Tycho's Island is as much a history of 16th Century Danish society as it is a biography of one of the most dashing characters in the history of science. Tycho's observations, from his "research center" on the remote island of Hven, were made with the naked eye; the goal of such meticulous work was primarily to measure exactly the orbital periods of the planets. These observations were not displaced and supplanted by the next generation of astronomers, who had Galileo's telescope to use. Though Tycho didn't live to see it, his labors were soon consummated by the discoveries of Johannes Kepler.
   
   There's a much larger theme, however, in this book: the funding of Tycho's research. Some antagonists of proactive government these days are fond of claiming that great science in the past was achieved without grants and subsidies from government. Yes, perhaps on some occasions, but Tycho's work was massively funded by the Danish monarchy and its bureaucracy, and later by other princely German governments. Tycho spent as much time and energy supplicating government funds as any modern scientist spends on grant applications. Big science can be expensive. In Tycho's case, no capitalist would have had the slightest interest; nothing from which money could be made could possibly have been expected from the tables of observations from Hven, published on government funds. No explicit argument is thrust upon the reader, suggesting that investment of tax money in basic science is a proper function of any government that can afford it, but that is the obvious implicit conclusion.
   
   Tycho died in Germany, after an all-night "banquet" with his princely patron. The cause of death at the time was considered to be the painful holding of his urine due to the protocol of not mincturating before your liege lord. One can only wonder... Was he suffering from kidney problems, or perhaps in the later stages of prostate cancer? In any case, Tycho has long been one of my personal heroes. In the winter of 1966, I rode a motorcycle all the way from Rome to Denmark just to visit Hven. The ruins of Tycho's observatory turned out to be little more than a few foundation stones. Hven, by the way, is owned by Sweden, a point of huge irritation to the Danes.

1 comments about American Scientists (American Biographies).

1. The latest title in the outstanding Facts on File 'American Scientists' series is "American Scientists" which is a compendium of biographical profiles of the men and women in every scientific discipline who are acknowledged contributors to their respective fields of study. Organized alphabetically for ease of use as a general reference, almost 300 entries highlight the lives and contributions of scientists who have significantly impacted society in general and the scientific community in particular. Enhanced with 74 photographs, cross-references, an extensive bibliography, a general index, and two subject indexes (one by discipline and one by year of birth) the scientists range from Rachel Carson, to Edwin Hubble, to Linus Pauling, to Werner von Braun. Every school and community library should acquire and have available for their students and patrons and copy of "American Scientists" from Facts on File in either the Science History or Bibliography reference collections..

2 comments about Escape From The Pharma Cartel: My Life as a Member of the Pharmaceutical Drug Cartel.

1. I'm not quite sure what I expected when I first picked up this book. I was just interested in maybe entering the Pharma Industry. The story changed my interests and changed my opinions on the Pharmaceutical Industry as a whole. It was a wonderful quick, easy read and very enjoyable. I usually have two or three books going at the same time because I become distracted and don't have the time to finish anything. Not true for this story - finished in two nights and had my eyes opened to many new things to ponder on my next doctor's visit! Passed it along to my mom and sister to read as well.



2. Very interesting, quick and enjoyable read. Ms. Cheryl brings up some interesting points of discussion for anyone who has had dealings not only with the medical business but business practices overall. The touches of homelife she introduces make this appealing to a wide variety of readers. Would love to read more.

1 comments about Einstein Lived Here.

1. As it is known, Albert Einstein is the leading creator of the relativity theory, that's right? It's right, but this is not only a stereotyped image, it's also a very simplified image of the geniality and the psychological complexity of one of the major savant among all the savants. An excellent overview of the Einstein scientific work is presented in that many people consider the best biography of this genial scientist. I'm referring to the Abraham Pais book "Subtle is the Lord", published in 1982. Although an incontestable bibliographical source, "Subtle is the Lord" is not at all accessible to the layman. With the present book, "Einstein Lived Here", Pais help the general public, from the relativity theorist to the absolutely layman. While not discarding a rigorous historical approach, Pais priority is on Einstein human dimension, and gives us a fluent and very agreeable text in which he deals with polemic questions, as the supposed involvement of Einstein in the American atomic bomb fabrication. Among all those that have written about Einstein, Abraham Pais seems to be the most qualified. Theoretical physicist of recognized competence, emeritus professor at the Rockefeller University, New York, Pais have been acquainted with Einstein from 1946 to December 1954, when he visited him for the last time; at the Einstein death, in April 18, 1955, Pais was not in the USA.

   Even for the reader reasonably up to date with the pertinent literature, Pais discloses interesting facts. For example, in the first chapter there is an admirable description of the dramatic marital life of Albert and Mileva Maric, his first wife. Pais discusses the very controversial participation of Mileva on the Einstein's scientific work, particularly on the relativity theory. For the author, the only evidence for a possible role of Mileva in the creation of relativity is Einstein's remark in a letter of March 1901: "Together we shall conclude victoriously our work on relative motion". The followed discussion arrived at the author's suggestion that the remark was no more than a love declaration.

   These letters, published in "Albert Einstein-Mileva Maric, the love letters", by J. Renn and R. Schulmann, Princeton University Press, 1992, revealed an absolutely unknown fact until 1986: In April 1901, before the Einstein's marriage, Mileva was pregnant. The child, born in January 1902, was a girl, named Lieserl. But, what became of Lieserl? Nobody knows! Apparently Einstein ever even saw her. In the summer of 1903 Mileva went to visit her family. From Berna Einstein wrote to her expressing concern about Lierserl's attack of scarlet fever. This is the last known communication between the parents about their daughter.

   The Einstein's life was a great target of the public curiosity. As such he had to pay the price of receiving numerous messages from strangers. It is a safe bet that among scientists no one received more such letters than him. The true amount it is not known, but over 600 is now in the Einstein Archive at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Einstein referred to this collection as "die komische Mappe". In chapter 8, Pais presents a lot of strange, funny, sometimes pathetic envelopes and letters.

   Chapter 11, almost a half of the whole book's content, is concerned with the press interest on Einstein's work and life. This kind of approach is the first in the vast Einstein bibliography. For Pais, "Einstein, creator of some of the best science of all time, is himself a creation of the media in so far as he is and remains a public figure". The beginning of Einstein's mythical role dates from November 1919, after a joint session of the Royal and Astronomical Societies, in London, in which the results obtained by British observers of the total solar eclipse of May 29 were discussed. The observations were decisive in the verifying of the prediction of Einstein on the bending of light when it approaches a large body, like the sun. By the way, the Einstein's work was so ample and full in geniality that its perception depends strongly on the observer cultural profile. For the layman the Einstein's Nobel Prize is associated to the relativity theory, but in Chapter 6, Pais discusses how the photoelectric effect, and not the relativity theory, enables Einstein to get the Nobel Prize. Pais explains why Einstein did not win the Nobel Prize because of the relativity theory. Besides these fabulous works, Einstein published in the same annus mirabilis of 1905 three other marvelous works. For Pais, any single one of "these theoretical discoveries would have sufficed to guarantee Einstein a prominent and lasting position in the history of science". However, none of these contributions caused even modest mention in the press before 1919.

   In conclusion, "Einstein lived here" is a highly recommendable book for any educated layman and indispensable for any scientist, by the complex personality of this renowned savant and by his splendid scientific contribution.