The Best American Science Writing 2001 (Best American Science Writing)
From a brief survey of the unique, matriarchal society of mandrills to a hard-hitting critique of Africa's AIDS policy, this comprehensive anthology, the second in this series, boasts 23 articles culled from some of the nation's most preeminent periodicals the New Yorker, National Geographic, Harper's, Scientific American and the New York Times. These essays are in their finest form when they challenge the popular mindset and expose the politics that undermine scientific achievement. Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher, for example, aptly summarize the conflict that has been raging since pathologist Michele Carbone suggested that an ordinarily harmless simian virus, introduced into the human gene pool through contaminated polio vaccines, may be the cause of some cancers. Richard Preston's lengthy overview of the race to decode the human genome, on the other hand, pointedly highlights the politics and petty rivalries (most notably between Nobel Prize-recipient James Watson and Celera's senior scientist, Craig Venter) that both impeded and accelerated the decoding process. Several of the remaining entries will alternately amuse and intrigue the reader. Joel Achenbach speculates about extraterrestrial life by examining the conditions that limit the emergence of life; Andrew Sullivan's intimate account surveys the role of testosterone in society; and Stephen Jay Gould reveals the medieval origin and treatment of syphilis (bleeding and purging by spittle). Despite the occasional weak entry such as Freeman J. Dyson's unsubstantiated, rosy predictions about the future of "green technology" (or biotechnology) this anthology of lucid, eloquent essays will satisfy popular science enthusiasts. (Oct. 1)CATTLE: An Informal Social HistoryLaurie Winn Carlson. Ivan R. Dee, $27.50 (352p) ISBN 1-56663-388-5~Carlson (A Fever in Salem; Boss of the Plains: The Hat that Won the West) offers a well-researched exploration of the symbiotic relationship between humans and cattle. Beginning with prehistoric cave drawings, she traces the history of cattle through domestication, agriculture and industrialization, which, she argues, has led to current concerns about food safety. In Europe, domesticated cattle herds led to the development of clans with social hierarchies and complex rule systems. She plumbs the link between woman and cattle: because women cared for the herd, Carlson argues that such societies were "largely female-dominated, or at least gender neutral." She examines the halcyon days of cattle ranching in the American West, exploring early conflicts between ranchers, the federal government and moneyed interests. Carlson pays particular attention to the effect American industrialization and science had on cattle and considers the ramifications of such developments as canning and refrigerated rail cars to carry meat across the country to consumers. She examines the benefits cows have brought, most notably perhaps the vaccine for smallpox, as well as concerns about mad cow disease and E. coli infections. Carlson reveals such historical footnotes as the role butter played in the Protestant reformation and makes sometimes unexpected connections, such as her ruminations on the link between selective breeding and the eugenics program in Nazi Germany.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.