Two science books I read during the last month that I think are worthy of attention.
The Mind Within the Brain: How We Make Decisions and How Those Decisions Go Wrong by
A. David Redish.
A very detailed description of the neurological and cognitive processes underlying memory, behavior and decision making processes. Although the different processes are well described, the author goes into the great detail needed to really understand the basic science behind them, so the book is not exactly an easy read. I enjoyed it greatly though, and definitely learned a lot from it (and now even understand part of the neurology underlying that learning process
).
The second book I enjoyed is rather science history,
The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World by
Laura J. Snyder.
From the blurb:
Quote:
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The Philosophical Breakfast Club recounts the life and work of four men who met as students at Cambridge University: Charles Babbage, John Herschel, William Whewell, and Richard Jones. Recognizing that they shared a love of science (as well as good food and drink) they began to meet on Sunday mornings to talk about the state of science in Britain and the world at large. Inspired by the great 17th century scientific reformer and political figure Francis Bacon—another former student of Cambridge—the Philosophical Breakfast Club plotted to bring about a new scientific revolution. And to a remarkable extent, they succeeded, even in ways they never intended.
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The book describes the lives and science of the four protagonists very well, and is definitely entertaining. It also manages to put in the historic, social and economic context, which greatly helps to value the discoveries.