IRONICALLY, given its subject matter, there is no formula for great science writing – you just know it when you read it. These collections have it, chock full of great characters, ideas and passion. Natalie Angier‘s is heavy on biology, yet diverse. In The First Ache, Annie Murphy Paul describes doctors’ fascinating quest to understand if and when a fetus feels pain. In The Anonymity Experiment, Catherine Price attempts the near-impossible: a week living “off the grid”.
Elizabeth Kolbert‘s collection bespeaks her own interest in the environment, but my favourite piece is David Grimm’s The Mushroom Cloud’s Silver…
