Book on EARTH Magazine

Geologic Column: Newspeak for kids

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 14:52:35 -0500

Credit: Bruce Mars from Pexels

“Once upon a time, words began to vanish from the language of children. They disappeared so quietly that at first almost no one noticed — fading away like water on stone. The words were those that children used to name the natural world around them: acorn, adder, bluebell, bramble, conker — gone!” – Robert Macfarlane, "The Lost Words"

Geomedia: Books: "This Gulf of Fire" recounts the 1755 Lisbon disaster

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 12:55:26 -0400

"This Gulf of Fire: The Destruction of Lisbon, or Apocalypse in the Age of Science and Reason," by Mark Molesky, Knopf, Hardcover 2015, ISBN-13: 978-0307267627

In the panoply of history-altering natural disasters, Lisbon’s destruction on All Saints’ Day, Nov. 1, 1755, stands out. You may have heard of this Portuguese calamity in the context of tsunami coverage, but it was a sequence of three disasters — an earthquake, a tsunami and a fire — that combined to level much of the city and claim tens of thousands of lives. Some scholars suggest a fourth calamity was the way the aftermath was handled, but author Mark Molesky seems more charitably inclined on that front. In “This Gulf of Fire: The Destruction of Lisbon, or Apocalypse in the Age of Science and Reason,” Molesky, a historian at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, has written the definitive scholarly account — if not the most accessible one — of that fateful day and its historical aftermath.

Geomedia: Books: Informative and inspiring: "Why Dinosaurs Matter"

Fri, 03 Aug 2018 12:52:08 -0400

"Why Dinosaurs Matter" by Kenneth Lacovara, Simon & Schuster, 2017, ISBN 1501120107.

“Why should we care about dinosaurs? They’re all dead!” It’s a question paleontologists get all the time. There are many people who don’t see the point of studying dinosaurs (or any other prehistoric animal) and would much rather see scientists researching topics that “actually matter to humans.”

Geomedia: Books: Revisiting the Galileo affair

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 10:15:45 -0400

"Setting Aside All Authority: Giovanni Battista Riccioli and the Science Against Copernicus in the Age of Galileo" by Christopher M. Graney, University of Notre Dame Press, 2015, ISBN: 978-0-268-02988-3

Galileo’s commitment to Copernican cosmology — with Earth orbiting the sun — despite his 17th-century inquisition and imprisonment by Roman Catholic authorities remains a pivotal moment in the history of modern physics and astronomy, and in the history of tension between science and religion. Though today we take the fundamentals Galileo espoused for granted, in his day, the scientific debate among proponents of different celestial models remained hotly contested.

New map of Arctic geology published

Thu, 14 Sep 2017 12:54:40 -0400

A new map of Arctic resources highlights diamond and metal deposits. Credit: Geological Survey of Norway.

At first glance, it might seem there’s little more to the Arctic than frozen tundra, ice and seawater, but the top of the world is home to some unique geology and an impressive array of mineral resources. A new project led by the Geological Survey of Norway (GSN) has compiled all existing geologic data about the Circum-Arctic region into a book, database and interactive map.

Comment: Understanding Earth in the wider sense of science

Thu, 20 Oct 2016 10:11:18 -0400

A view of most of North America taken from a low orbit of about 826 km altitude on January 4, 2012 from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's Earth-observing satellite - Suomi NPP. Credit: NASA, public domain.

“It isn’t easy being an organism. In the whole universe, as far as we yet know, there is only one place, an inconspicuous outpost of the Milky Way called Earth, that will sustain you, and even it can be pretty grudging,” Bill Bryson wrote in his 2003 tome, “A Short History of Nearly Everything.” This brilliant and humorous book is not about geology per se, but it is one of the best general science books I’ve read. Like many other scientists, I have read quite a few books about science written for the general public over the years and have kept my favorite ones. Recently, I browsed through these books, “A Short History” included, with this question in mind: How well are these general science books able to educate the public about Earth? And the short answer is, “Quite well.”

Geomedia: Books: 'FORE' helps you project the future, with a laugh

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 09:16:44 -0400

"FORE and the Future of Practically Everything," by R. L. Handy, Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC, 2013, ISBN-13: 978-1937327316.

What if we could project the future of nearly everything with a single type of mathematical equation? In “FORE and the Future of Practically Everything,” a book replete with humor and keen insight, retired civil and geotechnical engineer Richard L. Handy valiantly attempts to demonstrate the projective power of mathematics by exploring an eclectic assortment of examples.

Geologic Column: Geology for the people: Finding new paths to public outreach

Fri, 20 May 2016 13:37:28 -0400

One might think ice age history an unlikely topic for a popular science book, but our 2012 book, “The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age,” seems to have struck a chord with the public. Over the last few years, we have built upon our success to highlight local awareness of our Hudson Valley and Catskills regional geology. We thought our story might encourage others to undertake similar efforts in their own communities.

Geomedia: Books: A brief history of our cosmic origins

Sun, 04 Jan 2015 19:27:48 -0500

"The Stardust Revolution: The New Story of Our Origin in the Stars," by Jacob Berkowitz, Prometheus Books, 2012, 9781616145491.

In the 1980 television show “Cosmos,” astronomer Carl Sagan famously noted: “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” This scientifically and philosophically profound concept — that we are starstuff through and through — has been known for less than 50 years, and the history of its discovery was fraught with naysayers.

Geomedia: Books: A changing literary climate

Mon, 09 Jun 2014 13:16:26 -0400

Cli-fi is a new genre. Credit: Callan Bentley.

The book cover of “Odds Against Tomorrow” (2013) by Nathaniel Rich features a flooded Manhattan. In a 2013 NPR story, Rich’s publicist, Brian Gittis, recounted how he left his waterlogged New York City office during Hurricane Sandy and came home to sort through advance copies of books, coming across Rich’s timely cover. Gittis called it a “Twilight Zone moment.”

Geomedia: Books: Science in fiction

Thu, 15 May 2014 12:21:35 -0400

As a science magazine, EARTH usually reviews nonfiction. This month, however, we are bringing you reviews of three recent novels with scientific themes that might make nice additions to your summer reading list. The three novels fall neatly into classic genres — the murder mystery, the high-stakes thriller and the science-infused fantasy — so hopefully there is a little something for everyone. Warning: spoilers follow.

Charting a course correction: A review of Earth: The Operators' Manual

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Rare are the scientists like Richard Alley. An exceptional researcher known for his work on the great polar ice sheets, he is also a central figure in policy discourse on climate change through his testimony in front of Congress and work with groups such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for which he shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Alley is also an outstanding communicator: His audiences at scientific meetings typically overflow the room, and he is enviably comfortable speaking to eight-year-olds. His new work, entitled “Earth: The Operators’ Manual” (ETOM), is a succinct discussion of how our actions affect Earth’s climate, as well as a compelling and hopeful call-to-arms to address warming. ETOM is also a truly multimedia affair, consisting of a book, a three-part miniseries for PBS and public television, outreach events at five major science centers and a website (http://earththeoperatorsmanual.com) for the general public.

Geomedia: Zombie Science? New Madrid and "Disaster Deferred"

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Stumps of trees in Lake County, Tenn., killed by deposits of sand during the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. U.S. Geological Survey

During the winter of 1811-1812, three strong earthquakes between magnitude 7 and 8 rocked the New Madrid seismic zone, which runs through parts of eastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas. The quakes opened deep fissures, destroyed forests and lakes, and produced intense ground shaking that liquefied the soil, turning the land to the consistency of jelly across an area of 10,000 square kilometers. They also became the stuff of legend — legend that has been hard to shake, and has made it difficult to realistically assess the modern hazard in the region, asserts Seth Stein, a seismologist at Northwestern University and the author of a new book, “Disaster Deferred: How New Science is Changing Our View of Earthquake Hazards in the Midwest.”

The Moon Men: "Rocket Men" and "Voices from the Moon"

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first step taken on the moon on July 20, 1969. Since that historic small step — which 600 million people around the world watched breathlessly — other space missions have captured headlines: NASA’s Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station, the intrepid Mars rovers. But none, perhaps, has had quite the impact on our imagination as the giant leap that Neil Armstrong took for mankind.