New Titles

1) Daintith, John and Elizabeth Martin (editors). Oxford Dictionary of Science. 2010. Oxford University Press. Paperback: 900 pages. Price: $19.99 U.S.

SUMMARY: This best-selling dictionary contains 9,200 alphabetically organized entries on all aspects of chemistry, physics, biology (including human biology), earth sciences, and astronomy. In addition to a wealth of reliable, up-to-date entries, users will find useful short biographies of leading scientists, full-page illustrated features on subjects such as the Solar System and Genetically Modified Organisms, and chronologies of specific scientific subjects including plastics, electronics, and cell biology. This new edition includes expanded coverage of global warming, forensic science, astrophysics, quantum theory, and the solar system. Supported by over 200 diagrams and illustrations, the Dictionary of Science also contains recommended web links for many entries, accessed and kept up to date via the companion website.
RECOMMENDATION: A good reference work for students or for a library.

2) Turvey, Samuel T. (editor). Holocene Extinctions. 2009. Oxford University Press. Hardbound: 352 pages. Price: $99.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: Holocene Extinctions describes and analyses the range of global extinction events which have occurred since the end of the Pleistocene epoch, as well as their relationship to both earlier and ongoing species losses. By integrating information from fields as diverse as zoology, ecology, palaeontology, archaeology and geography, and by incorporating data from a broad range of taxonomic groups and ecosystems, this novel text provides a fascinating insight into human impacts on global extinction rates, both past and present.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with a technical interest in extinction biology.