June 2011 August 2011

Book Reviews July 2011

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Massive: the hunt for the God particle
Ian Sample
Virgin Books, 2010ISBN: 9781905264957
A great deal of effort is being put nto the search for the Higgs boson, in particular it is a major reason for the building of the Large Hadron Collider. You might wonder why it is so important. In Massive: the hunt for the God particle Ian Sample tells the story. Continued..
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The price of altruism Oren HarmanBodley Head, 2010ISBN: 9780099531661
Evolutionary theory seems to say that every creature is battling with every other for survival, but in nature there are plenty of examples of cooperation. This is a paradox which has been argued about for many years. In The price of altruism: George Price and the search for the origins of kindness Oren Harman tells the story of how one mans work has helped to clarify the arguments. Continued..
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The Rational Optimist Matt RidleyFourth Estate, 2010ISBN: 9780007267118
Doom and Gloom are ever in the news. The world in going downhill fast, and only drastic action now will prevent disaster - or maybe it's already too late. Matt Ridley has a different opinion. In the The rational optimist: how prosperity evolves he argues that our wellbeing has improved greatly over the centuries, and that there's no reason to think that it won't continue to do so. Continued..
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June 2011 August 2011