The Best Australian Science Writing 2013

by Jane McCredie (Editor), Natasha Mitchell

Could the dodo make a comeback? What does science tell us about the sex in Fifty Shades of Grey? Is giving up meat really the greenest option? Can you use tweets to spot a psychopath? Do birds make art? What do the Cold War and climate science have in common? And can a psychologist interpret your farts?

The Best Australian Science Writing 2013 brings together great writing about life and the universe, including contributions from poets and psychologists, comedians and climate commentators, neuroscientists and novelists, star-gazers and science journalists.

With a foreword by superstar comedian, musician and self-confessed science-nerd, Tim Minchin, this provocative collection is chock-full of intrigue, curiosity and controversy.

Read this. Your brain will love you for it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Newtown Review of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

In its pursuit of cool ideas, this diverse anthology – from essays to poetry to memoir – gives a fresh window into what’s happening in the world of science.

The cool ideas discussed in this book range from the possible use of nuclear-powered rockets to shift the Earth’s orbit, through climate change, ritual cannibalism, medical breakthroughs, astronomy and Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition, to a lyrical description by Janine Burke, in ‘Nest: The art of birds’, of the intricate structure of a hummingbird’s nest. Farting also gets a considered mention.

To read full review: http://newtownreviewofbooks.com/2013/...

[Yvonne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poems about the weather are science writing now?

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read even though I was 4 years late. As a scientist I enjoyed revisiting some aspects of my own field, like evolution and genetics, but I also enjoyed the thoughtful, poetic, and, at times, hilarious, sections dealing with astrophysics, historical geography, astronomy, human psychology, and everything in between.

[Anna Hepworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of essays interspersed with the odd poem. Not all of them worked for me, and reading the sources I think those were the ones that have been transcribed from spoken presentations. Nothing particularly stood out to me as memorable - I moved from one essay to the next without that desire to stop and think about what I've read, but I did find it an enjoyable experience.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection. Something for everyone.