A provocative if somewhat unfocused look at a subject near and dear to everyone.
Even for those who rarely think beyond their next meal, food is an inescapable part of the future. Here, a British biologist tries to foretell what’s likely to end up on our table in years to come.
Ford (Patterns of Sex, 1980) begins with the basics. Food, whatever its origin, must supply essential nutrients: fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. The importance of many of these nutrients has been known for over a century, and yet a large fraction of the world’s population still suffers from basic dietary deficiencies. In industrial countries, cookery is a dying art; three-fourths of American meals are prepared outside the home. The economics of food production have key implications: a decline in meat-eating is likely to occur in the near future, for example, less on account of health issues than economic ones (the same amount of grain required to raise one pound of beef could make sixteen pounds of bread). On the other hand, changes in food processing leave us vulnerable to a wide range of food-borne disease, from “mad cow” disease to toxin-producing E. coli. The potential dangers of genetic engineering remain to be discovered, although genetically modified foods are already on the market. Ford calls for greater public consultation, clearer labeling, and more stringent testing and regulation. Meanwhile, some 800 million people, most of them women and children, go hungry. International cooperation, possibly in the form of some quasi-military Food Force, may be the only long-range way to distribute food equitably. In developing countries, Ford predicts a decrease in meat consumption and an increasing reliance on tasty but highly nutritious snack foods and meat substitutes. And while the “meal in a pill” beloved by sci-fi writers may well come to be, it will still need to be supplemented by traditional foodstuffs to insure a proper balance of nutrients.
A provocative if somewhat unfocused look at a subject near and dear to everyone.Pub Date: July 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-500-28075-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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