If Science is to Save Us

Martin Rees Polity is 20 years old.

The astronomer and former Royal Society president says that we are no smarter than the Greek philosopher. His thoughtful, enjoyable book on science and civilization ranges from the deficiencies of formal science education to the mega-challenges of climate change and Pandemics. Rees didn't predict a zoonotic spillover.

Trees

Paul Smith.

Dendrites are named after a tree. This engaging, enchantingly illustrated global study by Paul Smith, organized by life cycle into sections from 'Seeds' to 'Fruits', includes art and architecture. One-third of the planet's land surface is covered by trees that can grow to more than 100 metres tall. A third of the species are threatened with extinction.

The Climate Book

The creation was created by Allen Lane.

World leaders were accused of not doing enough to address climate change. Sweden claims a 30% drop in carbon dioxide emissions since 1990 but calculates an increase by including international aviation and shipping and biogenic emissions. More than 100 scientists, economists, historians and philosophers contributed to her response.

Force

Henry Petroski is a faculty member at Yale University. The press

Henry Petroski writes that he sees forces everywhere and feels them in his work. Since ancient times, his analysis of force has ranged from getting dressed to writing with a pencil. The Millennium Bridge is an example of forces interacting. It swayed from side to side because engineers didn't take into account that walkers push sideways to keep their balance.

The Tragic Science

George F. DeMartino University The Chicago Press is published by Chicago Press.

Economics was dubbed "the dismal science" in the 19th century because of its view of human nature. George DeMartino prefers tragic science because so many people have been willing to ignore harm. They called to get the job done and to make sure the harms were justified. He argues that the profession still needs major reform despite the fact that global financial disasters have been mitigated.

The article is titled: "D41586 022-04236-9."

No competing interests are declared by the author.