The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 (The Best American Series ®)

The Best American Series & reg; First, Best, and Best-Selling The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected - and most popular - of its kind. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 includes JEROME GROOPMAN, SY MONTGOMERY, MICHAEL BEHAR, DEBORAH BLUM, THOMAS GOETZ, DAVID EAGLEMAN, RIVKA GALCHEN, DAVID KIRBY, and others. Read more... Abstract: The Best American Series & reg; First, Best, and Best-Selling The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected - and most popular - of its kind. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 includes JEROME GROOPMAN, SY MONTGOMERY, MICHAEL BEHAR, DEBORAH BLUM, THOMAS GOETZ, DAVID EAGLEMAN, RIVKA GALCHEN, DAVID KIRBY, and others “Top-notch science writing covering everything from the 1,000 species in the human gut to efforts to reverse-evolve a chicken into a dinosaur.” —Kirkus Reviews With contributions from bestselling and award-winning writers including Jerome Groopman and Elizabeth Kolbert, this volume delves into such topics as the 2008 “Black Friday” stampede at a Long Island Walmart; an annual humans-vs.-AI competition; octopus intelligence; lab-grown meat; marauder ants; the brains of teenagers; and the Neanderthal genome. Lively and accessible, this is “a showcase for clean, plain-English science and nature writing and a treat for readers” (Kirkus Reviews). “This strong collection invites awe, begets wonder, and stimulates contemplation.” —Publishers Weekly “There is so much we don’t know, which leads us to make so many irrational decisions that we need scientists and science writers to share their inquiries and discoveries in welcoming and lucid prose. Stellar examples of just this sort of cogent and compelling writing sustains this invaluable and exciting series.” —Booklist Contributors include: Brendan Buhler · Virginia Hughes • Jerome Groopman • Carl Zimmer • Thomas Hayden • Michael Behar • Bijal P. Trivedi • Sy Montgomery • Mark W. Moffett • Deborah Blum • Elizabeth Kolbert • Michael Roberts • Thomas Goetz • Jason Daley • David Dobbs • David Eagleman • John Seabrook • David Kirby • Robert Kunzig • Michael Specter • Mark McClusky • Rivka Galchen • Joshua Davis • Brian Christian pt. 1. Bacteria/microorganisms: The teeming metropolis of you / Brendan Buhler. Our body the ecosystem / Virginia Hughes. The peanut puzzle / Jerome Groopman -- pt. 2. Animals: The long, curious, extravagant evolution of feathers / Carl Zimmer. How to hatch a dinosaur / Thomas Hayden. Faster, higher, squeakier / Michael Behar. The wipeout gene / Bijal P. Trivedi. Deep intellect / Sy Montgomery. Ants & the art of war / Mark W. Moffett -- pt. 3. Humans (the good): The scent of your thoughts / Deborah Blum. Sleeping with the enemy / Elizabeth Kolbert. The touchy-feely (but totally scientific!) methods of Wallace J. Nichols / Michael Roberts -- pt. 4. Humans (the bad): The feedback loop / Thomas Goetz. What you don't know can kill you / Jason Daley. Beautiful brains / David Dobbs. The brain on trial / David Eagleman -- pt. 5. Society and environment: Crush point / John Seabrook. Ill wind / David Kirby. The city solution / Robert Kunzig -- pt. 6. Technology: Test-tube burgers / Michael Specter. Mad science / Mark McClusky. Dream machine / Rivka Galchen. The crypto-currency / Joshua Davis -- Mind vs. machine / Brian Christian.

The Best American Series®
First, Best, and Best-Selling

The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected - and most popular - of its kind.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 includes

JEROME GROOPMAN, SY MONTGOMERY, MICHAEL BEHAR, DEBORAH BLUM, THOMAS GOETZ, DAVID EAGLEMAN, RIVKA GALCHEN, DAVID KIRBY, and others

Presents fictional and non-fictional stories written by American authors that discuss topics in science and nature.