READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

The Canon

A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science

Natalie Angier

Genre: Reference

Price: $2.99

Publish Date: April 3, 2008

Publisher: Mariner Books

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC

The New York Times bestseller that makes scientific subjects both understandable and fun: “Every sentence sparkles with wit and charm.” —Richard Dawkins   From the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times science journalist and bestselling author of Woman , this is a playful, passionate guide to the science all around us (and inside us)—from physics to chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy, and more.   Drawing on conversations with hundreds of the world’s top scientists, Natalie Angier creates a thoroughly entertaining guide to scientific literacy. For those who want a fuller understanding of some of the great issues of our time, The Canon offers insights on stem cells, bird flu, evolution, and global warming. For students—or parents whose kids ask a lot of questions about how the world works—it brings to life such topics as how the earth was formed, or what electricity is. Also included are clear, fascinating explanations of how to think scientifically and grasp the tricky subject of probability.   The Canon is a joyride through the major scientific disciplines that reignites our childhood delight and sense of wonder—and along the way, tells us what is actually happening when our ice cream melts or our coffee gets cold, what our liver cells do when we eat a caramel, why the horse is an example of evolution at work, and how we’re all really made of stardust. NATALIE ANGIER is a Pulitzer-Prize winning science columnist for the New York Times . She is the author of The Canon , The Beauty of the Beastly , and Natural Obsessions . She lives outside Washington, DC. “Every sentence sparkles with wit and charm . . . it all adds up to an intoxicating cocktail of fine science writing.” —Richard Dawkins   “Natalie Angier provides a masterful, authoritative synthesis of the state of knowledge across the entire scientific landscape.” —Howard Gardner, Harvard University, author of Five Minds for the Future and Frames of Mind   “An essential experience . . . How dare she write so artfully, explain so brilliantly, rendering us scientists simultaneously proud and inarticulate!” —Leon Lederman, Nobel laureate   “Every single sentence . . . sparkles with enough intelligence and wit to delight science-phobes and science-philes alike. I loved it!” —Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Bait and Switch and Nickel and Dimed   “Natalie Angier makes planets and particles sexy . . . She turns guys with lab coats and pocket protectors into Daniel Craig.” —Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind   “Exuberant . . . She writes with such verve, humor, and warmth.” — Library Journal (starred)   “This bestselling author’s love of words is writ large here . . . the excitement and challenge of science [is] masterfully conveyed.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred)   “Angier is a nimble stylist with a playful sense of alliteration and consonance.” —Ben Dickinson, Elle   “An excellent introduction (or refresher) to the beautiful basics of science, and I hope it is widely read.” —Steven Pinker, The New York Times Book Review

Credit:  

The Canon – Natalie Angier