High technology and human tragedy; luck and persistence; altruism and competition—they all come together in this absorbing tale of medical detection that spans decades and crosses continents. In 1985, Pollen (Neurology and Physiology/UMass Medical Center) examined an Alzheimer's patient who brought with him a multigenerational family tree representing the most extensive known pedigree of the disease. The records began with ``Hannah,'' an ancestor born in Byelorussia 150 years ago, and included data on dozens of her descendants, living and dead—information, Pollen immediately realized, of great significance to geneticists. Here, he recounts a two-fold tale—that of geneticists determined to find the abnormal gene that causes familial-based Alzheimer's, and of an afflicted family determined to help them. Science basics are provided in a brief look at the work of Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetic science, and of Alois Alzheimer, the 19th-century Bavarian physician who identified the dementia that bears his name. Occasionally, the technicalities of modern molecular genetics may slow the general reader down, but Pollen doesn't lose sight of the human story: In one chapter, he describes his own mother's descent into dementia. The author also explains that, despite the 1991 linking by British researchers of a mutation in a specific gene to one form of familial Alzheimer's, the key to the vast majority of cases remains to be found. Teams of researchers in England, Belgium, Canada, and the US are competing fiercely to be the first with new findings, prompting Pollen to question the roles of competition and cooperation in modern medical research. In spite of some difficult technical passages: an exciting story that reveals much about how science is done—and that says something affirmative about the human spirit as well. (Eleven illustrations—not seen).
Pub Date: July 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-19-506809-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1993
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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