#1: An article about how US newspapers are laying off their best specialized reporters, in this case science reporters, in the name of budget cuts. The unerring capacity for the media (and not just the US media) to get science news stories wrong drives me crazy, so this article caught my eye.

#2: You can’t trust those iTunes App Store reviews. What a shocker (not really). The short version: PR firm offers iPhone app developers excellent reviews on iTunes store … for a fee. Ethics? What are those?

#3: Speaking of ethics and the like: You may be familiar (or not) with a Friday night ritual on Twitter called #romfail in which a romance reviewer mocks a book of the week line-by-line. Well, it seems some people have had enough of this practice. There’s also a roundup of other posts on the topic.

I received my copy of The Link: Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor yesterday from Little, Brown & Company (part of Hachette book group) and took them up on their offer to give some copies away to readers of this blog. The Link is about the discovery and study of a unique fossil of Darwinius masillae (nicknamed Ida by the lead investigator after his daughter). There is a lot of hype about this particular fossil not only because it is complete and very well preserved but also because the claim put forth by the scientific team studying it is that Ida is a “missing link” fossil that shows the intermediate form between different species of primate.

Here is Hachette’s description of the book:

For more than a century, scientists have raced to unravel the human family tree and have grappled with its complications. Now, with an astonishing new discovery, everything we thought we knew about primate origins could change. Lying inside a high-security vault, deep within the heart of one of the world’s leading natural history museums, is the scientific find of a lifetime – a perfectly fossilized early primate, older than the previously most famous primate fossil, Lucy, by forty-four million years.

A secret until now, the fossil – “Ida” to the researchers who have painstakingly verified her provenance – is the most complete primate fossil ever found. Forty-seven million years old, Ida rewrites what we’ve assumed about the earliest primate origins. Her completeness is unparalleled – so much of what we understand about evolution comes from partial fossils and even single bones, but Ida’s fossilization offers much more than that, from a haunting “skin shadow” to her stomach contents. And, remarkably, knowledge of her discovery and existence
almost never saw the light of day.

You can find out more about the fossil Ida on the website Revealing the Link. You can also read an interview with the scientist who found Ida on NewScientist. As usual there is some controversy over the way the find has been presented to the world.

If you would like a chance to win a hardcover copy of The Link by Colin Tudge, read on:

Giveaway Details

Eligibility

1. Open to residents of the United States and Canada. Sorry, you must have a street address (no P.O. boxes) to enter. Shipping courtesy of Hachette Book Group.
2. You must be contactable. If I can’t reach you, you can’t win. As long as you enter an email address in the email field of the comments (which won’t be published, but I can see) you’re good.

The Book

The winners will each receive a new finished copy of The Link by Colin Tudge.

How to Enter

There are a number of ways to enter, depending on how many entries you want. The list only looks long. You can do only #1 and be done. The extra ways to enter just increase your chances of winning (pick any or none of them or come back later and do more of them):

1. Post a comment on this post saying that you want to be entered (1 entry). If you want more entries, keep reading. If one’s enough for you, thanks for coming by and don’t forget to check out the other freebies and giveaways at the end of this post.
2. Help me keep in touch:
   • Subscribe to my RSS feed in a reader OR by e-mail (no need to do both) and tell me in your comment (2 entries). If you are already a subscriber let me know that too.
   • Follow me on Twitter (1 entry). If you already follow me on Twitter, remind me when you post. (Note: I need your Twitter name to confirm Twitter entries).
3. Help me publicize this giveaway:
   • Blog about this giveaway and link back here OR link this giveaway on your blog sidebar (3 entries).
   • Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter (up to 5 entries–one for each tweet but tweets must be on separate days). Tweets must include a link to this post and my Twitter name (@booklorn — this is to make sure I see and count your tweet!).  To make it easy for you here’s an example tweet (feel free to make your own, I’m just doing this for those who want it): Enter to win The Link by Colin Tudge http://bit.ly/BLLink (@via Booklorn)
4. Show me you’re interested in the book by answering any of these questions:
   • What interests you about this book? (1 entry)
   • What is your favourite book on science or scientists? (1 entry for title; 1 entry for reason)

Deadlines

This giveaway is a bit different because there are five copies to give away so there are several closing dates (ALL entries count for ALL draws):

On June 10, 2009 I will draw up to 2 winners based on the number of entries on June 9 at 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time. If there are at least 20 unique entries I’ll draw one winner, if there are at least 40 I’ll draw two winners.

On June 17, 2009 I will draw up to 2 more winners based on the number of entries on June 16 at 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time. If there are at least 60 unique entries I’ll draw one winner, if there are at least 80 I’ll draw two winners.

On June 24, 2009 I’ll draw the winner of the last copy based on entries up to June 23 at 11:59 pm. Remember all entries (except for winners) are eligible for all draws. There may be more ways to enter as the month wears on.

The winners will be announced and e-mailed the day of the drawings (unless I’m swamped, but I’ll try not to be). If the winners don’t reply to the e-mail notification within 72 hours, new winners will be drawn.

More Free Stuff.

If you’re new to Booklorn, check out the free reading tag. Don’t forget to come back for another book giveaway in mid-June/early July from Self-Counsel Press.

Dancing Naked in the Mind Field by Kary Mullis is another book that I pull out to reread from time to time (joining Brotherhood of the Rose by David Morrell and The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum). Unlike those two thrillers, Dancing in the Mind Field is the memoir of a Nobel Prize (Chemistry) winner. I’ve read a number of science memoirs and usually once I’ve read them once I don’t use them for anything other than reference. Not this one. This one I can open and happily reread because aside from being a case study of the pure serendipity and rampant oddity that pervades science it is also engagingly written.

Dancing Naked in the Mind Field is an intimate look into the mind of one the most eccentric Noble prize-winning scientists of our time, Kary Mullis. His invention of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) underlies DNA fingerprinting, sequencing of the human genome, genetic engineering and innumerable other technologies that continue to reshape our world. He is fascinated by knowledge but skeptical of scientists.

Starting at the moment he solved the puzzle of how to make copies of DNA in a test tube (PCR), Mullis takes the reader back to his high school days of cooking up chemicals in his garage (sending a toxic cloud over the neighbourhood) and forward to the present. In the process he questions everything from the nature of the universe to the money behind the latest scientific pronouncements, and he does it in a way that is accessible to the layperson. Of course, he also describes an LSD trip and uses profanity from time to time (just so you know). Each chapter is its own little adventure so the memoir reads much more like a bunch of short stories than a linear narrative of his life.

I find it hard to describe Mullis’ writing style other than to say it is humorous and conversational. Here is an excerpt from page 123 when he first realizes that he has been bitten by brown recluse spiders and goes to the Merck Manual for guidance:

I checked out the Merck Manual, a reference book that no cabin should be without. Years ago I had been frightened by an exploding capillary in my eye. It had appeared as a pinhead of blood under the layer of eye skin called the conjuctival membrane and it had spread under the membrane across the white of my eye in the gruesome redness that only blood can express. The Merck Manual had calmed me down. The book said it happened once in a while and was not an indicator that it would happen again. The worst part was that it looked scary.

This time the Merck Manual was not so comforting. I seemed to have been in the company of Loxosceles reclusa, the brown recluse spider. The manual impersonally advised me that I was in for some serious shit.

The anecdote goes on for some pages (you can read it on Amazon by using “Look Inside” and searching for the last three words of the excerpt. If you want to  know what it’s like to be on an acid trip (without actually doing the drug yourself), search “I’m taking acid” in “Look Inside” on amazon. If you enjoy those excerpts you’ll likely enjoy the book.

If you don’t care about science, Mullis will give you reason to. If you do care about science, Mullis will give you insight into the messy way in which science is really done and the flawed people who do it.

You can find Dancing Naked in the Mind Field at amazon.com, amazon.ca, and amazon.co.uk as well other online and bricks & mortar sellers.

I can’t remember where I first came across The Hungry Scientist Handbook: Electric Birthday Cakes, Edible Origami, and Other DIY Projects for Techies, Tinkerers, and Foodies,  but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to get a look at it. After all, what science geek could resist?

Before I got a look at the book it crossed my mind that this might be a good book for exploring science with kids. If that thought occurs to you too, put it out of your mind right now. This is not a kids’ book Thankfully, this is made abundantly clear with the first recipe: Edible Undies (Lace Up Caramel Lingerie). Definitely not for the younger set. Even the LED lollipops require two AA batteries strapped to the lollipop stick.

Now, what about us older “kids”? Usually I test a cookbook before writing a review. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time (or energy) to test these recipes though the instructions are clear and have equipment and materials lists. There are pictures to help you along, but unfortunately they are in black and white. Also, there’s no way I’m wearing edible caramel underwear because, well, it sounds sticky and ouch-worthy (and while the other half was more than happy to contemplate me trying them out, he was not as quick to volunteer himself for the experiment–apologies for the mental images, especially for anyone who knows us).

I wasn’t particularly entranced by the dry ice martini, lemonade, and root beer. One beverage would have been enough for me, but then I’ve played with dry ice to my heart’s content and am over the novelty (I’m even over the novelty of scaring the bejeesus out of fellow lab rats by putting dry ice in snap cap tubes, hiding them in their desk drawer, and waiting for the tubes to blow their caps — yes, we had slow days in the lab). For those who still find dry ice interesting, the drinks might be worth a shot.

While many of the recipes can be done with ingredients easily purchased or found around the house, some are not so easy to come by. The one recipe that I desperately wanted to try (and have always wanted to try, even before this particular book) is the one for cryogenic ice cream. I’ve made ice cream the regular way, but I’ve always wanted to try it with liquid nitrogen. Unfortunately, I never was able to talk any of my bosses into authorizing ice cream making in the lab and now I no longer work in one. The authors of The Hungry Scientist Handbook admit that liquid nitrogen is one ingredient that may be difficult to snag because it is dangerous if not handled/transported properly and suppliers are reluctant to sell directly to consumers for this reason (but if you have access and try making ice cream, I want to hear all about it!).

While the book suggests it is for “techies, tinkerers, and foodies,” I suspect the first two will get more out of this than the last one. None of the recipes struck me as particularly tasty, though they were mostly novel except for the bread and the beer recipes which were fairly standard. Tinkerers will probably enjoy some of the projects more, like the camera made from a pumpkin, the smart coaster that lights up red or blue depending on whether you put a hot or cold drink down on it, or the iPod portable Tupperware boom box.

The Hungry Scientist Handbook is interesting to flip through though some projects seemed a bit boring to me (there’s a good chance I’m jaded though). In the end I didn’t try any of them because they looked like too much work for the end result. On the other hand if you wouldn’t mind spending an afternoon making a temperature indicating coaster or frying up some phyllo origami swans then it might be the book for you. And if you try to make the caramel edible underwear, please don’t report back. I really don’t want to know how that turns out.

Feeling brave? You can pick up a copy of The Hungry Scientist Handbook at amazon.com, amazon.ca, or amazon.co.uk.

Capitol Reflections: A Thriller by Jonathan Javitt is a story of friendship as well as investigation. Gwen Maulder is an FDA scientist whose best friend Marci, a young lawyer, dies suddenly and spectacularly of a seizure while in court. Everyone else dismisses it as a rare and unfortunate occurrence, but Gwen just can’t believe that. Her friend was young and healthy despite her high-stress lifestyle and poor, but not unusual, eating habits. Gwen has a nagging feeling that there is more to her best friend’s death than simple bad luck.

As Gwen starts investigating her friend’s death she finds herself the target of some very influential people who clearly want her to accept her friend’s death and move on. The more she investigates, the more perplexing her friend’s death becomes and the more forceful the opposition to her efforts. Before she is done, she is fighting to save the lives not only of the people around her, but also of everyday people who are blissfully unaware of the danger lurking in their daily routine waiting to claim more lives … unless Gwen can live long enough to stop it.

Capitol Reflections is a medical thriller, a genre that benefits from intimate knowledge of science and medicine. In this case, author Jonathan Javitt is a physician and a scientist, as well as a senior White House health adviser for the last three presidential administrations. He knows his stuff, and he knows how to write.

The plot revolves around the usual unexplained illness and conspiracies. Javitt manages to stay fairly true to current science, which is nice because the food safety questions raised by the book are ones that readers should spend time thinking about. Capitol Reflections has an unusually large cast of good guys, which was interesting because it allowed flexibility in the way events happened and who they happened too instead of having everything happen to one or two people.

I did guess some of the plot points before they were revealed to the reader, but that’s part of the fun–seeing if you can figure out what’s happening before it’s explained to you. The secondary conspiracy (which I won’t elaborate on) was a bit hard to swallow, but I can see why it was included. What you really need to know is that I stayed up until three o’clock in the morning reading.

Jonathan Javitt has written a science-based thriller that should leave you thinking about what you eat and who’s making sure that it’s safe.

Addendum: I’ve read the reviews on the amazon pages that I’ve linked to. The comments lead me to believe that the book underwent further editing between the hardcover and the paperback editions. If you have questions about the book or my review, feel free to ask below.

I’m not much of a poetry reader, usually the poetry I like is lyrics to music, but I saw Strong in the Rain reviewed in an issue of NewScientist and was drawn to a poet who made his living as a scientist (since I’m a don’t-wanna-be-a-scientist-no-more writer). Miyazawa combines his scientific understanding of the world with his poetic nature, something that I hadn’t run across before.

It will be a while before I post a review of this one, I have a feeling I’ll have to read poetry in small doses in order to get used to it … or maybe that’s the way you’re supposed to read it anyway.