online archive
2:10PM
MAY 7 2007
The environment, medicine, health care, middle age, and more
A review of An Ocean of Air by Gabrielle Walker. Skyscrapers of nature: A review of The Wild Trees: The Passion and the Daring. A review of Silence of the Songbirds: How We are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them. A review of The Chickens Fight Back: Pandemic Panics and Deadly Diseases That Jump From Animals to Humans.
One reason it is so hard to discover anything is that it is hard to know when you have done so. Noble Laureate John Polanyi, informed by childhood experience, reflects on penicillin, the greatest discovery in medical history. A review of Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver and Penicillin: Triumph and Tragedy.
From National Journal, beyond Hillarycare: Although Hillary Clinton is the '08 candidate with the most health care policy experience, she is in no rush to come out with a comprehensive blueprint after being pummeled in 1993. From Scientific American, Canada has as good or better health care than the US: Despite spending half what the US does on health care, Canada doesn't appear to be any worse at looking after the health of its citizens.
From The New York Times Magazine, The Older–and–Wiser Hypothesis: Wisdom, long a subject for philosophers, is now being scrutinized by a cadre of scientific researchers. The trick lies not just in measuring something so fuzzy but also in defining it in the first place; are you wise? Measure your wisdom by answering a questionnaire; A Longer, Better Life: Sara Davidson talks to two medical scientists about how the body ages and the research on trying to extend our healthy life span; A video Q. and A. on the new science of longevity; how did the repetitive household tasks our parents and grandparents tried to avoid become midlife leisure activities?; an article on reinventing middle age: How old are you anyway?; and a look at how one company found the right words to tap the baby-boomer penchant for personal development.
A review of The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America. A review of The Joy of Drinking. Eat local, be happy: A review of The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year in Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver (and more and more). A review of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution. A review of Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss — and the Myths and Realities of Dieting.
A review of Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture. And a review of The Happiness Myth: Why What We Think Is Right Is Wrong: A History of What Really Makes Us Happy
