Volume 91 | Number 3 | May-June 2003
Tim Royappa
In The Ingredients, Philip Ball sets forth an idiosyncratic history of the elements, ending with an engaging portrayal of some of their technological applications
Lewis Pyenson
What do science, history and art have in common? Metaphor, says John Lewis Gaddis in The Landscape of History—they all depend on the recognition of patterns
Brian Ogilvie
In The Eye of the Lynx, members of a small scientific society founded in 1603 use their minds and a microscope to penetrate the surface appearance of things. Author David Freedberg gives their activities the same close scrutiny they gave the natural world
S.Jay Olshansky
Lenny Guarente's candid account in Ageless Quest of his search for genes that influence the aging process is inspirational, but his interest in capitalizing on his research commercially is not
Dorothy Nelkin
The Common Thread combines an account by John Sulston of his professional evolution with a history of the Human Genome Project that explores its shift from a small collective enterprise to a gigantic commercial venture
Martin Davis
In The Search for Certainty, Marcus Giaquinto examines research into the foundations of mathematics
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent
Alchemy Tried in the Fire emphasizes the historical importance of early "chymist" George Starkey, who tutored Robert Boyle in natural philosophy
Jonathan Schaeffer
Two recent books offer an in-depth look at the development of Deep Blue, the chess program that defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997
Reuben Hersh
Geometrical Landscapes notes that 17th-century mathematicians were closely involved in expeditions (for which they performed navigational calculations) and shared with geographical explorers a "standard narrative of exploration and discovery"
Kerstin Dautenhahn
Designing Sociable Robots explains the hardware, software and experimental development of Kismet, a humanoid robotic head that can use its articulated face to express emotions as it interacts with people
Total Records : 14
About once a month at Sigma Xi headquarters, we liven up the lunch hour with an American Scientist Pizza Lunch talk. In these informal lectures, scientists describe new research to nonscientists. The series is light on jargon but heavy on solid science. Each Pizza Lunch offers an in-depth look at its subject, whether it's bedbugs or the smart grid. Click below to read about and download these talks -- and to subscribe!
