Reviews
Alice in the Wonderland of plants…
Military campaigns are sometimes intended to display ‘shock’ and ‘awe’ to overcome the adversary. Well – and rather less militaristically – Yiannis Manetas’ book, Alice in the Land
Reviews
What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz
If you’re looking to show doubters that plants are fascinating then a good starting point is Daniel Chamovitz‘s What a Plant Knows. I was
Reviews
Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen
The Science of Discworld series is one of the more interesting ideas in popular science writing. The first came out in the late 90s when there
Reviews
They live among us (or is it the other way around..?)
Plants and Habitats of European Cities is apparently the ‘first explicit comparative account of plant diversity in several cities worldwide’ and the changes therein as a consequence of urban development…
Reviews
Blurring the boundaries between plants and people
The title of Matthew Hall’s 2011 tome, ‘Plants as persons’ may not give that much away (controversial and challenging though it is!). However, its sub-
Reviews
This Is Not A Science Book
The Geek Manifesto by Mark Henderson is a book which wears its heart on its sleeve. This is unashamedly a political book – a campaign. The author,
Reviews
“Me and My Plant” (book review)
Flower Council Holland. 2010. Me and My Plant. Uitgeverij Snor. £0.00 (hard back/PDF). People form relationships with many biological entities – other people, pets – and
Reviews
Uses and Abuses of Plant-Derived Smoke: Its Ethnobotany as Hallucinogen, Perfume, Incense, and Medicine by Pennachio, Jefferson and Havens
Uses and Abuses of Plant-Derived Smoke is a book I stumbled upon while looking for something else. It’s tempting to say it’s a very niche subject; the authors say this is the first book on the topic. After reading the introduction I’ve no reason to doubt what the authors say is true, but they make s
Reviews
The Windup Girl
We don’t normally discuss works of fiction here, so why make an exception for Paolo Bacigalupi’s book, The Windup Girl? I was a big
Reviews
Banking on future food security
Carolyn Fry, Sue Seddon and Gail Vines’ The last great plant hunt (2011, published by Kew Publishing at £25.00 in hardback) is difficult to categorise.
Reviews
Botanical terms – in words and pictures
How often have you come across a new – to you, the reader, that is! – term in a botanical text and wondered what it meant? Well, OK,
Reviews
Life Ascending by Nick Lane
There’s a tendency to look back to at earlier times as some sort of golden age. Even scientists to this despite the fact that “2011