Credit has to be given to the editor of this book as well as the writers themselves. A bountiful array of different topics all excellently documented, and every single essay was just as fascinating as the one that preceded it. ( )

I'd recommend getting this compilation for Atul Gawande's article "The Itch" alone, though there are several other excellent pieces in the book. Read the Intro last, as it spoils some of the stories. This series seems to be less consistently good than its Best American Science & Nature counterpart, but still worth checking out. ( )

gregg easterbrook--the sky is falling ( )

This was great - like a big long Discover magazine.

Word of advice: don't read the first article while eating a sandwich with guacamole spread. ( )

This is a collection of 24 science-related articles that appeared in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and Harpers. As with any anthology, there are stronger pieces and weaker. Overall, I really liked this collection--there was only one article (about monkeys) that I found too boring to finish.

My favourite was "The Itch," by Atul Gawande, which was originally published in the New Yorker. where the author talks about not just itching, but also why people with missing limbs still feel them, and most shockingly, about a woman who scratched through her skull into her brain (I told my daughter about it and she has had me retell it to all of her friends--it's a story that never fails to fascinate!). There was also a chilling article by Gregg Easterbrook titled "The Sky is Falling" that explains how NASA's messed up priorities may be jeopardizing the future of the planet. If I lived in the US I'd certainly be contacting my elected representatives and drawing their attention to it. The other article that stood out for me was "Looking Up," by Jennifer Margulis (from Smithsonian), and which is about an endangered breed of giraffes in west Africa. (Although I've been a big giraffe fan since childhood, I had no idea about their interesting mating habits. Hmmm).

Recommended for: People who like to learn interesting things about our world. ( )