The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014

by Tim Folger

Overview

“Undeniably exquisite . . . The essays in the collection [are] meditations that reveal not only how science actually happens but also who or what propels its immutable humanity.” — Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

“A stimulating compendium.” — Kirkus Reviews

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author Deborah Blum selects the year’s top science and nature writing from writers who balance research with humanity and in the process uncover riveting stories of discovery across the disciplines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544003422
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Series:	Best American Series
Edition description:	2014 ed.
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.91(d)

About the Author

TIM FOLGER is a contributing editor at Discover and writes about science for several magazines. He lives in New Mexico.

Table of Contents

Foreword Tim Folger xi

Introduction Deborah Blum xv

Mixed Up Katherine Bagley. 1

The Great Forgetting Nicholas Carr. 8

The Social Life of Genes David Dobbs. 19

What Our Telescopes Couldn't See Pippa Goldschmidt. 35

A Race to Save the Orange by Altering Its DNA Amy Harmon. 38

A Life-or-Death Situation Robin Marantz Henig. 53

23 and You Virginia Hughes. 72

Why the Brain Prefers Paper Ferris Jabr. 98

O-Rings Sarah Stewart Johnson. 107

When Animals Mourn Barbara J. King. 115

Where It Begins Barbara Kingsolver. 125

Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death! Maggie Koerth-Baker. 131

The Lost World Elizabeth Kolbert. 135

Awakening Joshua Lang. 167

Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future Maryn McKenna. 188

The Return of Measles Seth Mnookin. 199

Ants Go Marching Justin Nobel. 202

TV as Birth Control Fred Pearce. 213

The Madness of the Planets Corey S. Powell. 222

Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene Roy Scranton. 231

Under Water Kate Sheppard. 238

Twelve Ways of Viewing Alaska's Wild, White Sheep Bill Sherwonit. 251

The Separating Sickness Rebecca Solnit. 266

Trapline David Treuer. 277

The Rebirth of Gorongosa E. O. Wilson. 291

Bringing Them Back to Life Carl Zimmer. 296

Contributors' Notes 309

Other Notable Science and Nature Writing of 2013 315