From Publishers Weekly
The 21 articles in this anthology represent the finest works of science journalism from the last year, culled from periodicals like Harper's, the New Yorker, Esquire, Scientific American, Wired and the New York Times. September 11 is a recurring theme here, which may be why editor and Genome author Ridley's picks for this third annual edition are so charged with pessimism, ambivalence and uncertainty. In "The Thirty Years' War," Jerome Groopman announces that the battle against cancer has been lost. Nicholas Wade relates the story of a controversial debunker of environmentalists' most cherished beliefs, and Sally Satel's "Medicine's Race Problem" challenges melting-pot platitudes, arguing that ignoring the genetics of race can be bad for some patients' health. Christopher Dickey delivers a dose of absurd humor in "I Love My Glow Bunny," in which art and science collide in genetically modified lab rabbit number 5256, and Joseph D'Agnese inspires in "Brothers With Heart," about four brother-doctors who envision a revolutionary way to save lives with donor organs. Soul-searching isn't all that this collection is about, however. There are old-fashioned wonders here as well, such as Oliver Morton's "Shadow Science," in which he acquaints readers with an astronomer who has observed distant Earth-like planets. Provocative and informative, engrossing, this sparkling anthology is a treat for all science enthusiasts, armchair and otherwise.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Scientific American
The two editors, both science writers, set out with the same objective: culling good science writing from U.S. magazines and newspapers published in 2002. Intriguingly, their collections have only one article in common--Sarah Blaffer Hrdy's "Mothers and Others," from Natural History. Good science writing is evidently plentiful. The 47 articles reproduced in the two books cover a broad range of subjects and make for edifying, even entertaining, reading.

Editors of Scientific American


From Booklist
Do you remember the most high-profile science story of August 2001? Federal funding of stem cell research. Public interest was generated by both hope and anxiety about genetic knowledge, and its potential to profoundly alter the human body. Gauging by the plurality of articles devoted to genetics and health in this installment of an estimable series, science writers in 2001 shared society's disquiet. Lisa Belkin writes with an arched eyebrow as she recounts some parents' efforts to customize the genetics of conception--so that the child can donate tissue to a sibling. But sensing that our Frankenstein-like future might be a downer for readers, editor Ridley (author of Booklist's 2000 Top of the List laureate, Genome) supplies hilarious relief with a Christopher Dickey Wired piece about an artist's less-than-successful debut of "transgenic art," starring a putatively green rabbit. There is also a pensive essay by physicist Steven Weinberg as well as articles on the environment and the ever-morphing Internet. Every article displays the skillfully expressed exploratory spirit sought by Ridley and captures the public's main scientific concerns in 2001. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


From Book News, Inc.
This newest edition of a series devoted to popular science writing, presents 21 articles gathered from the pages of such publications as Harper's Magazine, The New Yorker, Science, Wired, Scientific American, and The New York Times Magazine. The essays cover a wide range of fields and touch upon such topics as cosmetic surgery, cloning, the "war" on cancer, genetic engineering, the neural plasticity of the adult brain, evolutionary psychology, "infecting" the Web with viruses, and quantum theory as the worship of mystery.Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR


Booklist
“The entire spectrum of science is covered with literary acumen here.”


Publishers Weekly
“This anthology of lucid, eloquent essays will satisfy popular science enthusiasts.”


Fortune
“Contemporary science’s best answers to…eternal riddles.”


Kirkus Reviews
“Superb brain candy.”


Alan Lightman
Richly informative, wide-ranging, and intellectually provocative.


Book Description
If, as Matt Ridley suggests, science is simply the search for new forms of ignorance, then perhaps it follows that with science's advances come new questions. Will human genetic engineering become commonplace? Will human cloning ever be safe? Are there many universes? How much will the climate change during the coming century?The Best American Science Writing 2002 gathers top writers and scientists covering the latest developments in the fastest-changing, farthest-reaching scientific fields, such as medicine, genetics, computer technology, evolutionary psychology, cutting-edge physics, and the environment. Among this year's selections: In "The Made-to-Order Savior," Lisa Belkin spotlights two desperate families seeking an unprecedented cure by a medically and ethically unprecedented means -- creating a genetically matched child. Margaret Talbot's "A Desire to Duplicate" reveals that the first human clone may very likely come from an entirely unexpected source, and sooner than we think. Michael Specter reports on the shock waves rippling through the field of neuroscience following the revolutionary discovery that adult brain cells might in fact regenerate ("Rethinking the Brain"). Christopher Dickey's "I Love My Glow Bunny" recounts with sly humor a peculiar episode in which genetic engineering and artistic culture collide. Natalie Angier draws an insightful contrast between suicide terrorists and rescue workers who risk their lives, and finds that sympathy and altruism have a definite place in the evolution of human nature, David Berlinski's "What Brings a World into Being?" ponders the idea of biology and physics as essentially digital technologies, exploring the mysteries encoded in the universe's smallest units, be they cells or quanta. Nicholas Wade shows how one of the most controversial books of the year, The Skeptical Environmentalist, by former Greenpeace member and self-described leftist Bjorn Lomborg, debunks some of the most cherished tenets of the environmental movement, suggesting that things are perhaps not as bad as we've been led to believe. And as a counterpoint, Darcy Frey's profile of George Divoky reveals a dedicated researcher whose love of birds and mystery leads to some sobering discoveries about global warming and forcefully reminds us of the unsung heroes of science: those who put in long hours, fill in small details, and take great trouble.In the end, the unanswered questions are what sustain scientific inquiry, open new frontiers of knowledge, and lead to new technologies and medical treatments. The Best American Science Writing 2002 is a series of exciting reports from science's front lines, where what we don't know is every bit as important as what we know.


Book Info
The 21 articles in this anthology represent the finest works of science journalism from the last year. Provocative and informative, engrossing, this sparkling anthology is a treat for all science enthusiasts, armchair and otherwise. Softcover. Hardcover available.


About the Author
Matt Ridley is the author of the national bestseller Genome. His previous books include The Red Queen and The Origins of Virtue. His science writing has appeared in The Economist, Wall Street Journal, Discover, Atlantic Monthly, Natural History, and many other publications. He lives in northern England.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

If, as Matt Ridley suggests in his introduction, science is simply the search for new forms of ignorance, then perhaps it follows that with science's advances come new questions. Will human genetic engineering become commonplace? Will human cloning ever be safe? Are there many universes? How much will the climate change during the coming century? The Best American Science Writing 2002 gathers top writers and scientists covering the latest developments in the fastest-changing, farthest-reaching scientific fields, such as medicine, genetics, computer technology, evolutionary psychology, cutting-edge physics, and the environment. The topics covered in this year's essays include: the medically and ethically unprecedented issues posed by cloning and genetic engineering; the revolutionary discovery that adult brain cells might in fact regenerate; a peculiar episode in which genetic engineering and artistic culture collide; an insightful contrast between suicide terrorists and rescue workers who risk their lives; an exploration of the mysteries encoded in the universe's smallest units, be they cells or quanta; and two contrasting views, both valid, on the state of the environment. In the end, the unanswered questions are what sustain scientific inquiry, open new frontiers of knowledge, and lead to new technologies and medical treatments. The Best American Science Writing 2002 is a series of exciting reports from science's front lines, where what we don't know is every bit as important as what we know.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The 21 articles in this anthology represent the finest works of science journalism from the last year, culled from periodicals like Harper's, the New Yorker, Esquire, Scientific American, Wired and the New York Times. September 11 is a recurring theme here, which may be why editor and Genome author Ridley's picks for this third annual edition are so charged with pessimism, ambivalence and uncertainty. In "The Thirty Years' War," Jerome Groopman announces that the battle against cancer has been lost. Nicholas Wade relates the story of a controversial debunker of environmentalists' most cherished beliefs, and Sally Satel's "Medicine's Race Problem" challenges melting-pot platitudes, arguing that ignoring the genetics of race can be bad for some patients' health. Christopher Dickey delivers a dose of absurd humor in "I Love My Glow Bunny," in which art and science collide in genetically modified lab rabbit number 5256, and Joseph D'Agnese inspires in "Brothers With Heart," about four brother-doctors who envision a revolutionary way to save lives with donor organs. Soul-searching isn't all that this collection is about, however. There are old-fashioned wonders here as well, such as Oliver Morton's "Shadow Science," in which he acquaints readers with an astronomer who has observed distant Earth-like planets. Provocative and informative, engrossing, this sparkling anthology is a treat for all science enthusiasts, armchair and otherwise. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews