Episode 52 – Science We Can Read About
Sam Kean
This week we discuss our favorite science books and talk to author Sam Kean. Sam discusses the periodic table, scientific discovery and storytelling in his new book The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements.
What science books do you read? Join the conversation at laboutloud.com to share your favorite science books, and visit the NSTA Science Store for the latest NSTA Press books … and more.
Links:
- samkean.com
- The Disappearing Spoon (Amazon.com)
- Barnes & Noble Review
- Excerpt from the NY Times
- Review from the NY Times
- Review from the Miami Herald
- Review from Science News
- Review from the NY Post
- Fun and Intrigue with the Periodic Table (NPR)
- Sodium Disposal (You Tube)
- Periodic Table of Videos: What’s Your Favorite Element?
Science Books We Read:
- The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth’s Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Anil Ananthaswamy
- Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely
- The Windup Girl by Pablo Bacigalupi (SciFi)
- The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire and Phosphorous by John Emsley
- Sleepless by Charlie Huston (SciFi)
- Icarus at the Edge of Time by Brian Greene
- Creation by Randal Keynes
- Napoleons Buttons: How 13 Molecules Changed History by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson)
- Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
- The Smart Swarm: How Understanding Flocks, Schools, and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making, and Getting Things Done by Peter Miller
- Don’t Be Such a Scientist by Randy Olson
- Anthill by E.O. Wilson
Direct download: LOL52.mp3
Hi Guys, Love your blog and this topic is great. However, please try to represent more gender balance in your chosen readings (ESPECIALLY in promoting cool science books to students). How about Amy Vedder’s ‘In the Kingdom of Gorillas,’ about her research on mountain gorillas in Rwanda and the Congo? Or a fantastic biography of Amy in the Women’s Adventures in Science (iwaswondering.org) series for middle schoolers, a project of the National Academies of Science? Another young adult novel that’s a great story with lots of sciencey content is Jacqueline Houtman’s ‘The Reinvention of Edison Thomas.’ The list goes on and on….so much good stuff out there! Thanks for sharing this.
I been wanting to read the following book by Deborah Blum (who was on Periodicity when we hosted it for WSST), but it’s not available for Kindle: The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
One of my favorite books about the Periodic Table is “”The Periodic Table: Elements with Style!”” created by Basher and written by Adrian Dingle.
Talking about the wimpiest element reminded me of it!
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Oliver Sacks has written many enjoyable science books on a variety of topics, but one of my favorites is his autobiography, “Uncle Tungsten : Memories of a Chemical Boyhood”. Fascinating narrative about the value of exploration and discovery as a means to learning science. Highly recommended.
I been wanting to read the following book by Deborah Blum (who was on Periodicity when we hosted it for WSST), but it’s not available for Kindle: The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
E=mc^2: Biography of the World’s Most Famous equation by David Bondaid and Longitude (by the author of Galieleo’s daughter) are both great books that include the stories that surround a lot of important science discoveries.
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