Yes, this collection is from 2014. Given the state of my TBR shelves, I should probably stop pretending to myself that eventually I will read these fast enough to actually catch up to the current year. Fortunately, though, this isn't the kind of science writing that's already becoming dated by the time it appears on the page.

As is usual for the volumes in this series, I didn't like all the articles and essays equally -- I really don't know what Barbara Kingsolver's rather purple piece about knitting is even doing in here -- but it is generally a good, solid collection.

Unlike the previous installments I've read, though, it's a surprisingly downbeat one. A lot of the pieces here are basically proclamations (or at least warnings) of doom, mostly doom that's humanity's own fault: Global warming may spell the end of civilization as we know it, or at least of lots of coastal areas where people love to live. We're probably all going to start dying of once-treatable infections again thanks to drug-resistant bacteria caused largely by misuse of antibiotics. Measles is making a comeback because misguided people refuse to vaccinate their children. Our citrus crops may be doomed thanks to a disease that could be dealt with by genetically engineering the fruit to be less susceptible, if only the public didn't didn't have ill-informed, panicky ideas about genetic modification that make it a PR nightmare. Species are going extinct, also thanks to us. Except for fire ants. Fire ants are currently swarming the southern United States and may well soon adapt to swarm through the rest of the country. Oh, and just in case all of that wasn't enough, the Earth could just possibly shift out of its orbit, causing all life on the planet to die. Well, hey, at least that one wouldn't be our fault.

Even the articles that aren't contemplating ongoing or possible future disasters are mostly pretty downbeat, featuring such cheery subjects as the ability of animals to feel grief, finding out your mom cheated on your dad via home DNA testing, and leprosy. Not that these aren't all interesting subjects (and, in the case of a lot of the doomy ones, extremely important subjects), but it did leave me kind of wondering whether there weren't any happy science stories in 2014. ( )

The Best American Science and Nature Writing collection is published every year to showcase exemplary popular science and nature essays. This year's guest editor was Deborah Blum, who you might know as the author of The Poisoner's Handbook. Contributors you might recognize include Barbara Kingsolver (author of The Poisonwood Bible) and E. O. Wilson (author of The Social Conquest of Earth).

There were several aspects of this collection which really impressed me. First, the majority of the essays were about science and almost all of them were about science which people interact with on a daily basis. Of particular interest to readers was an essay on the merits of reading in print versus reading on a screen. Other particularly relevant and fascinating essays covered global warming; the use of genetic engineering to save oranges from disease; the way TV shows can lead to social change; and the failure of antibiotics. Second, all of these essays, even those dealing with more challenging scientific topics, were written in engaging and approachable ways. (As you can probably tell, my favorites were these science-focused essays, but I think Barbara Kingsolver's meditation on knitting and the circle of life also deserves particular mention. Her beautiful prose blew me away.)

Another great thing about this collection was the number of essays I loved and how very few I disliked. There were a few about nature that bored me (I just don't care that much about sheep!) or grossed me out (if you share my intense dislike of reading about animals getting hurt, definitely skip the essay on trapping!). However, these were rare exceptions in a fantastic collection. If you're a scientist, I recommend this collection as a way to catch up with fields outside your own and as a good reminder of the way our work impacts lives. If you're a non-scientist, but would just like to know what's going on, this collection would be perfect for introducing you to the latest, most relevant work in a number of fields. I'm already looking forward to reading next year's collection!This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey. ( )

The Best American Science and Nature Writing collection is published every year to showcase exemplary popular science and nature essays. This year's guest editor was Deborah Blum, who you might know as the author of The Poisoner's Handbook. Contributors you might recognize include Barbara Kingsolver (author of The Poisonwood Bible) and E. O. Wilson (author of The Social Conquest of Earth).

There were several aspects of this collection which really impressed me. First, the majority of the essays were about science and almost all of them were about science which people interact with on a daily basis. Of particular interest to readers was an essay on the merits of reading in print versus reading on a screen. Other particularly relevant and fascinating essays covered global warming; the use of genetic engineering to save oranges from disease; the way TV shows can lead to social change; and the failure of antibiotics. Second, all of these essays, even those dealing with more challenging scientific topics, were written in engaging and approachable ways. (As you can probably tell, my favorites were these science-focused essays, but I think Barbara Kingsolver's meditation on knitting and the circle of life also deserves particular mention. Her beautiful prose blew me away.)

Another great thing about this collection was the number of essays I loved and how very few I disliked. There were a few about nature that bored me (I just don't care that much about sheep!) or grossed me out (if you share my intense dislike of reading about animals getting hurt, definitely skip the essay on trapping!). However, these were rare exceptions in a fantastic collection. If you're a scientist, I recommend this collection as a way to catch up with fields outside your own and as a good reminder of the way our work impacts lives. If you're a non-scientist, but would just like to know what's going on, this collection would be perfect for introducing you to the latest, most relevant work in a number of fields. I'm already looking forward to reading next year's collection!This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey. ( )

The Best American Science and Nature Writing collection is published every year to showcase exemplary popular science and nature essays. This year's guest editor was Deborah Blum, who you might know as the author of The Poisoner's Handbook. Contributors you might recognize include Barbara Kingsolver (author of The Poisonwood Bible) and E. O. Wilson (author of The Social Conquest of Earth).

There were several aspects of this collection which really impressed me. First, the majority of the essays were about science and almost all of them were about science which people interact with on a daily basis. Of particular interest to readers was an essay on the merits of reading in print versus reading on a screen. Other particularly relevant and fascinating essays covered global warming; the use of genetic engineering to save oranges from disease; the way TV shows can lead to social change; and the failure of antibiotics. Second, all of these essays, even those dealing with more challenging scientific topics, were written in engaging and approachable ways. (As you can probably tell, my favorites were these science-focused essays, but I think Barbara Kingsolver's meditation on knitting and the circle of life also deserves particular mention. Her beautiful prose blew me away.)

Another great thing about this collection was the number of essays I loved and how very few I disliked. There were a few about nature that bored me (I just don't care that much about sheep!) or grossed me out (if you share my intense dislike of reading about animals getting hurt, definitely skip the essay on trapping!). However, these were rare exceptions in a fantastic collection. If you're a scientist, I recommend this collection as a way to catch up with fields outside your own and as a good reminder of the way our work impacts lives. If you're a non-scientist, but would just like to know what's going on, this collection would be perfect for introducing you to the latest, most relevant work in a number of fields. I'm already looking forward to reading next year's collection!This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey. ( )

The Best American Science and Nature Writing collection is published every year to showcase exemplary popular science and nature essays. This year's guest editor was Deborah Blum, who you might know as the author of The Poisoner's Handbook. Contributors you might recognize include Barbara Kingsolver (author of The Poisonwood Bible) and E. O. Wilson (author of The Social Conquest of Earth).

There were several aspects of this collection which really impressed me. First, the majority of the essays were about science and almost all of them were about science which people interact with on a daily basis. Of particular interest to readers was an essay on the merits of reading in print versus reading on a screen. Other particularly relevant and fascinating essays covered global warming; the use of genetic engineering to save oranges from disease; the way TV shows can lead to social change; and the failure of antibiotics. Second, all of these essays, even those dealing with more challenging scientific topics, were written in engaging and approachable ways. (As you can probably tell, my favorites were these science-focused essays, but I think Barbara Kingsolver's meditation on knitting and the circle of life also deserves particular mention. Her beautiful prose blew me away.)

Another great thing about this collection was the number of essays I loved and how very few I disliked. There were a few about nature that bored me (I just don't care that much about sheep!) or grossed me out (if you share my intense dislike of reading about animals getting hurt, definitely skip the essay on trapping!). However, these were rare exceptions in a fantastic collection. If you're a scientist, I recommend this collection as a way to catch up with fields outside your own and as a good reminder of the way our work impacts lives. If you're a non-scientist, but would just like to know what's going on, this collection would be perfect for introducing you to the latest, most relevant work in a number of fields. I'm already looking forward to reading next year's collection!This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey. ( )