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Plants As Persons: A Philosophical Botany by Matthew Hall and Harold Coward (SUNY Series on Religion and the Environment: State University of New York, SUNY) Plants are people too? Not exactly, but in this work of philosophical botany Matthew Hall challenges readers to reconsider the moral standing of plants, arguing that they are other-than-human persons. Plants constitute the bulk of our visible biomass, underpin all natural ecosystems, and make life on Earth possible. Yet plants are considered passive and insensitive beings rightly placed outside moral consideration. As the human assault on nature continues, more ethical behavior toward plants is needed. Hall surveys Western, Eastern, Pagan, and Indigenous thought, as well as modern science and botanical history, for attitudes toward plants, noting the particular resources for plant personhood and those modes of thought which most exclude plants. The most hierarchical systems typically put plants at the bottom, but Hall finds much to support a more positive view of plants. Indeed, some Indigenous animisms actually recognize plants as relational, intelligent beings who are the appropriate recipients of care and respect. New scientific findings encourage this perspective, revealing that plants possess many of the capacities of sentience and mentality traditionally denied them. More

The Animals Reader: The Essential Classic and Contemporary Writings edited by Linda Kalof, and Amy Fitzgerald (Berg) The study of animals - and the relationship between humans and other animals - is now one of the most fiercely debated topics in contemporary science and culture.
Animals have a long history in human society, providing food, labour, sport and companionship as well as becoming objects for exhibit. More contemporary uses extend to animals as therapy and in scientific testing. As natural habitats continue to be destroyed, the rights of animals to co-exist on the planet - and their symbolic power as a connection between humans and the natural world - are ever more hotly contested.
The Animals Reader brings together the key classic and contemporary writings from Philosophy, Ethics, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, Environmental Studies, History, Law and Science. As the first book of its kind, The Animals Reader provides a framework for understanding the current state of the multidisciplinary field of animal studies.This anthology will be invaluable for students across the Humanities and Social Sciences as well as for general readers. More 

The Buzz about Bees: Biology of a Superorganism by Jürgen Tautz, H.R. Heilmann, and D.C. Sandeman (Springer) With spectacularly beautiful colour photographs and an easy understandable text The Buzz about Bees tells the story of honeybees in a new perspective. Based on the latest data, notably from his own research group, Jurgen Tautz provides a wonderful insight into the realms of bees.

In contrast to the view of bee colonies as perfect societies of selfless individuals ruled by a queen, Tautz introduces them as a "super-organism", a self organizing and complex adaptive system based on a network of communication; a fascinating result of evolution -a mammal in several bodies. More

Thinking about Life: The history and philosophy of biology and other sciences by Paul S. Agutter, Denys N. Wheatley (Springer) This is a “popular science” book, designed as a sequel to our About Life: Concepts in Modern Biology by Paul S. Agutter and Denys N. Wheatley(Springer), which uses modern biological knowledge to tackle the question: "What distinguishes living organisms from the non-living world?" In the first few chapters, the authors draw on recent advances in cell and molecular biology to develop an account of the "living state" that applies to all organisms, but only to organisms. Subsequent chapters use this account to explore questions about evolution, the origin of life and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Towards the end of the book the authors consider human evolution, intelligence and the extent to which our species can be regarded as biologically unique. About Life: Concepts in Modern Biology is written as far as possible in non-technical language; all scientific terms are explained straightforwardly when they are introduced. It is aimed at the general, non-specialist reader, but the novel approach that it takes to general issues in biology will also interest students of the life sciences. Indeed, no specialist knowledge is required. Thinking about Life: The history and philosophy of biology and other sciences briefly surveys the nature of science and its emergence in post-Renaissance Europe, and investigates the similarities and differences between biology and other sciences. Major topics in the philosophy of biology (e.g. evolutionary theory, vitalism/mechanism, reductionism/holism, spontaneous generation) are considered in a little more detail. More

Meaningful Scents Around the World: Olfactory, Chemical, Biological, and Cultural Considerations by Roman Kaiser (Wiley-VCH) In recent years, our knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of olfaction has grown enormously, accompanied by a growing appreciation of scent. This is reflected in the fact that the 2004 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for discoveries of 'Odorant Receptors and the Organization of the Olfactory System'. This book naturally supports such developments, and takes the reader on a fascinating fragrant journey around the world to some of the exciting places the author has visited during his 30 years of olfactory research. Following an introductory section to the world of natural scents, including their biological meaning and history, the fragrance and flavor chemist, Roman Kaiser, who is renowned for his 'headspace' analytical technique, revisits some memorable scents. In doing so, he leads us to such exotic places as Lower Amazonia, Papua New Guinea, India, and many rain-forest biotopes in his quest for new molecules and new scent concepts, showing us along the way how a scent like tatami can be linked to culture. The third and final section describes the analysis of the compositions of the presented scents. More

Handbook of Nutrition and Food, Second Edition edited by Carolyn D. Berdanier, Johanna Dwyer, Elaine B. Feldman (CRC) Covering an incredible range of information from basic biochemistry, to population studies, to nutrition intervention, and medical concerns, Handbook of Nutrition and Food, Second Edition is an indispensable reference for any professional library. Significantly revised and updated, this second edition of the bestselling original welcomes contributions from several new authors, including Elaine B. Feldman and Johanna Dwyer, all notable leaders in nutritional science. Retaining the high level of scientific research, accessible language, and attention to detail of the original, this new edition reflects the changes and developments of the past six years in nutrition research by adding 12 new chapters and tripling the number of referential web addresses. More

Cheese Problems Solved edited by P. McSweeny (CRC) Cheese is a unique food product which requires a significant amount of scientific knowledge to be produced successfully. However, due to the many complex and inter-related changes which occur during cheese manufacture and ripening, it is still not possible to guarantee the production of premium quality cheese. Written by an international team of renowned contributors, Cheese problems solved provides responses to around 200 of the most frequently asked questions about cheese and the cheesemaking process, in a unique and practical question-and-answer format.Opening chapters concentrate on queries regarding the preparation of cheesemilk, the conversion of milk to curd, the ripening process, pathogens, cheese analysis and the nutritional aspects of cheese, among other issues. The latter part of the book discusses particular types of cheeses including Cheddar, Grana-type cheeses, Mozzarella, Blue, Swiss and Dutch cheeses, to name but a few. More

What Makes Biology Unique? Considerations on the Autonomy of a Scientific Discipline by Ernst Mayr (Cambridge University Press) is a crowning survey of the claims of biology, defining it as an independent science, not a secondary offspring of physics and chemistry. “His mind is still remarkably sharp.” Science  More

Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism: Confronting the "Fual Use" Dilemma (National Academy Press) The fact that the anthrax used in the October 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States was genetically identical to that developed by the U.S. government is evidence that almost all biotechnology can be subverted for hostile use. This report by the National Research Council considers ways to balance national security and scientific openness in the development of biotechnologies. The report reviews current rules and regulations related to oversight of dangerous pathogens and potentially dangerous research in the U.S., assesses their efficacy, and recommends changes. The authors propose a system for research oversight based on the earlier National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Research Involving rDNA Molecules. More

Paleontological Data Analysis by Oyvind Hammer, David A. T. Harper (Blackwell Publishing Professional) During the last 10 years numerical methods have begun to dominate paleontology. These methods now reach far beyond the fields of morphological and phylogenetic analyses to embrace biostratigraphy, paleobiogeography, and paleoecology. The availability of cheap computing power, together with a wide range of software products, have made increasingly complex algorithms accessible to the vast majority of paleontologists. More

Equids In Time And Space: Papers in Hounour of Vera Eisenmann by Marjan Mashkour (Oxbow Books Limited) This book is one of several volumes which form the pub­lished proceedings of the 9th meeting of the International Council of Archaeozoology (ICAZ), which was held in Durham (UK) 23rd-28th August 2002. ICAZ was founded in the early '70s and has ever since acted as the main international organisation for the study of animal remains from archaeological sites. The main international conferences are held every four years, and the Durham meeting – the largest ever – follows those in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, England (London), France, USA, Germany and Canada. The next meeting will be held in Mexico in 2006. The Durham conference – which was attended by about 500 delegates from 46 countries –was organised in 23 thematic sessions, which attracted, in addition to zooarchaeologists, scholars from related disciplines such as palaeoanthropology, archaeobotany, bone chemistry, genetics, mainstream archaeology etc. More

How to Prepare for the AP Biology with CD-ROM by Deborah T. Goldberg (Barron's Educational Series) This updated test preparation manual now includes a CD-ROM that presents virtually everything that is in the book, including its three full-length practice exams with questions answered and explained. An in-depth review of all AP Biology test topics covers biochemistry, photosynthesis, cell division, heredity, molecular genetics, evolution, plants and animals in Earth’s ecological system, and laboratory procedure. Students will also find an enlightening overview of the AP Biology exam as well as study tips and test-taking advice. More

Brain And Being: At The Boundary Between Science, Philosophy, Language, And Arts edited by Gordon G. Globus, Karl H. Pribram, Giuseppe Vitiello (Advances in Consciousness Research, 58: John Benjamins Publishing) This book is the outgrowth of the meeting "Quantum brain dynamics and the humanities: A new perspective for the 21st century"; which was held at the In­stitute for Scientific Interchange (ISI) in Torino, Italy, in November 2002. The meeting was born from an idea of Globus Gordon, to gather those involved in the formulation of the quantum model of brain, initiated by Luigi Maria Ricciardi and Hiroomi Umezawa in the middle of 1960s, to discuss in some informal but productive way the model implications for literature, philosophy, and the arts. His conviction was that the quantum model of brain could be in some sense the prototype of a new conception of making science: without loosing its characteristics and the powerfulness of the Galilean method, sci­ence must recover its merging with humanities, from which it has diverged during its development. On the other hand, humanities cannot ignore the logical and formal (mathematical and methodological) apparatus of science. Knowledge should not continue to suffer a conceptual splitting between human science and natural science. New ways of thinking are needed to effect a rapprochement. More

The Human Fossil Record, Craniodental Morphology of Early Hominids and Overview by Jeffrey H Schwartz, Ian Tattersall (The Human Fossil Record: Wiley-Liss) The Human Fossil Record series is the most authoritative and comprehensive documentation of the fossil evidence relevant to the study of our evolutionary past. It fills the critical need for a complete resource that provides detailed morphological descriptions based on uniformly applied protocols, along with all new photographs taken exclusively for the series. This fourth volume covers the craniodental remains of early hominids of the genera Australopithecus, Paranthropus, Orrorin, as well as providing a concluding survey of hominid craniodental morphologies.  More

Evolution of the Insects by David Grimaldi, Michael S. Engel (Cambridge University Press) Insects are the most diverse group of organisms to appear in the 3-billion-year history of life on Earth, and the most ecologically dominant animals on land. This book chronicles, for the first time, the complete evolutionary history of insects: their living diversity, relationships, and 400 million years of fossils. Whereas other volumes have focused on either living species or fossils, this is the first comprehensive synthesis of all aspects of insect evolution. Current estimates of phylogeny are used to interpret the 400-million-year fossil record of insects, their extinctions, and radiations. Introductory sections include the living species, diversity of insects, methods of reconstructing evolutionary relationships, basic insect structure, and the diverse modes of insect fossilization and major fossil deposits. Major sections cover the relationships and evolution of each order of hexapod. The book also chronicles major episodes in the evolutionary history of insects: their modest beginnings in the Devonian, the origin of wings hundreds of millions of years before pterosaurs and birds, the impact that mass extinctions and the explosive radiation of angiosperms had on insects, and how insects evolved the most complex societies in nature. More

Circadian Physiology 2nd Edition with CD-ROM by Roberto Refinetti (CRC Press) Long before Apollo 11 blasted off for the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins simulated actual space conditions to prepare their bodies for the long voyage to earth's only natural satellite. And before some U.S. professional athletes compete on another continent, they alter their eating and sleeping patterns to adapt themselves for the shift in time zones. Practices such as these are all related to the regulation of the human body's biological rhythms, which are controlled by the 'body clock'. Circadian Physiology highlights the basic processes and latest research findings in circadian biology, and describes how this knowledge applies to the prevention of jet lag and the malaise associated with shift work, the treatment of sleep disorders and depression, the timing for effective administration of medicines, and the planning of astronaut schedules for space exploration. Targeted at life scientists who are not specialists in biological rhythms, the book is also accessible to general readers who have an interest in scientific issues and their applicability to health and business problems. To provide the in-depth understanding of circadian phenomena required for the analysis of actual research data, the author has included software for data analysis and simulation that will allow readers to put into practice the formal knowledge acquired through the disciplinary chapters. With its accessible, up-to-date review of scientific and medical advances, Circadian Physiology is a valuable addition to the growing field of circadian biology. More

Plant by Janet Martinelli (DK) From cultivating plants that are on the international endangered list or already extinct in the wild, to avoiding invasive species, gardeners can play a vital role in conservation. A groundbreaking reference for both plant enthusiasts and gardeners, Plant is a new-generation encyclopedia designed to provide environmental and horticultural information so that gardeners can make the right decisions about what to grow in their gardens. The planet is poised on the brink of a modern extinction episode, says Janet Marinelli, editor-in-chief of the new book PLANT, "that would rival anything in evolutionary history, including the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago." Marinelli explained, "If current trends continue, two-thirds of all plant species will disappear before the end of the 21st century — more than 55 percent of conifers, 52 percent of cycads, 38 percent of cacti, about a third of all members of the lily family, and almost all 800 orchid species are at risk for extinction in the coming decades." But the good news is that "as gardeners, we can play a very personal and important role in the survival of these beautiful and fascinating creatures." More

Litchi and Longan: Botany, Production and Uses edited by C. M. Menzel , G. K. Waite (CABI Publishing) Litchi (lychee) and the related fruit longan are grown extensively in China and South-East Asia, as well as in Australia, Florida (USA), Southern Europe and Southern Africa. This book represents the only comprehensive, balanced and internationally focused publication on these fruit. It covers all aspects of production, from taxonomy and breeding, to propagation, flowering and fruit set, to diseases, pests and postharvest storage and processing. Written by leading scientists from Australia, China, India, Israel, Thailand and the USA, the book represents the standard work on its subject. As the fruit are imported to many developed countries, the book will be of interest to a wide audience. More

Antioxidants And Reactive Oxygen Species In Plants by Nicholas Smirnoff (Biological Science: Blackwell Publishers) Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced during the interaction of metabolism with oxygen. As ROS have the potential to cause oxidative damage by reacting with biomolecules, research on ROS has concentrated on the oxidative damage that results from exposure to environmental stresses and on the role of ROS in defense against pathogens. However, more recently, it has become apparent that ROS also have important roles as signaling molecules. A complex network of enzymatic and small molecule antioxidants controls the concentration of ROS and repairs oxidative damage, and research is revealing the complex and subtle interplay between ROS and antioxidants in controlling plant growth, development and response to the environment. More

Plant Abiotic Stress edited by Matthew A. Jenks, Paul M. Hasegawa (Biological Sciences: Blackwell Publishers) Over the past decade, our understanding of plant adaptation to environmental stress, including both constitutive and inducible determinants, has grown con­siderably. This book focuses on stress caused by the inanimate components of the environment associated with climatic, edaphic and physiographic factors that substantially limit plant growth and survival. Categorically these are abiotic stresses, which include drought, salinity, non-optimal temperatures and poor soil nutrition. Another stress, herbicides, is covered in this book to highlight how plants are impacted by abiotic stress originating from anthropogenic sources. Indeed, it is an important consideration that, to some degree, the impact of abiotic stress is influenced by human activities. The book also addresses the high degree to which plant responses to quite diverse forms of environmental stress are interconnected. Thus the final two chapters uniquely describe the ways in which the plant utilizes and integrates many common signals and subsequent pathways to cope with less favorable conditions. The many linkages between the diverse stress responses provide ample evidence that the environment impacts plant growth and development in a very fundamental way. More

Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies edited by Yoseph Bar-Cohen (CRC Press) Nature is the world's foremost designer. With billions of years of experience and boasting the most extensive laboratory available, it conducts research in every branch of engineering and science. Nature's designs and capabilities have always inspired technology, from the use of tongs and tweezers to genetic algorithms and autonomous legged robots. Taking a systems perspective rather than focusing narrowly on materials or chemistry aspects. Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies examines the field from every angle. More

Biology of Floral Scent edited by Natalia Dudareva, Eran Pichersky (CRC) The first book of its kind, Biology of Floral Scent provides comprehensive coverage of state-of-the-art floral scent research. This book explores the major aspects of floral scent biology including its function and significance for plants and pollinators, composition, enzymology, evolution, and commercial aspects. It employs a modern approach that incorporates molecular biology, enzymology, chemistry, entomology, genetic engineering, and functional genomics. By combining literature on plant reproduction into a single volume, this text provides an easy reference for plant biologists, natural products chemists, cell and molecular biologists, ecologists, and entomologists. More

Liberation Biology: the Scientific and Moral Case for the Biotech Revolution by Ronald Bailey (Prometheus Books) In this book the author argues that the coming biotechnology revolution will liberate human beings to achieve their full potentials by enabling more of us to live flourishing lives free of disease, disability, and the threat of early death. More

Taking Biology Seriously: What Biology Can and Cannot Tell Us About Moral and Public Policy by Inmaculada de Melo-Martin (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers) (Paperback) Discussions of human biology and its consequences for ethics and public policy are often misguided. Both proponents and critics of behavioral genetics, reproductive cloning, and genetic testing have mistaken beliefs about the role of genes in human life. Taking Biology Seriously calls attention to the social context in which both the science and our ethical precepts and public policies play a role. More

Prions by Claudio Soto (CRC) offers a well-organized overview of prion-related diseases. It reviews the symptoms, epidemiology, and neuropathology of the disease, and focuses on the idea that TSEs result from a novel mechanism involving transmission by replication of the misfolding of a single protein. The author, a renowned innovator in the area of neurodegenerative diseases, examines the structure, conversion, and mechanism of prion propagation and details its cellular biology. He also looks at other diseases that display folding aberrations, considers how common such aberrations are, and speculates on the impact of prions on broader areas of biology, public health, and biotechnological strategies. More

Brain Trust : The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed Alzheimer's Disease by Colm A. Kelleher (Paraview Pocket Books) this book's analysis of the possiblity of a prion-tainted meat supply has caused me to explore other options to store purchased meat. While much of the evidence is anectdotal, it is compelling nonetheless. The author looks at brain wasting diseases among humans in New Guinea, sheep and cattle in Britain and deer and elk in America. He demonstrates a potential link between Mad Cow-like illnesses and the increase in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in the United States, and has an interesting theory on outbreaks of cattle mutilations. Given the fact that these brain wasting diseases can take years to manifest themselves and that we are relying on a testing scheme by the USDA that covers less than one percent of the beef supply, it seems prudent to look for alternatives and press for more safeguards. The author points out that by turning herbivore cattle into cannibals by feeding them rendered beef byproducts as a low cost protein source, we may be responsible for an epidemic of Biblical proportions. I couldn't put this book down.

When the cattle-borne sickness known as Mad Cow Disease first appeared in America in 2003, authorities were quick to assure the nation that the outbreak was isolated, quarantined, and posed absolutely no danger to the general public.

What we were not told was that the origins of the sickness may already have been here and suspected for a quarter of a century.

This illuminating exposé of the threat to our nation's health reveals for the first time how Mad Cow Disease (a.k.a. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) has jumped species, infecting humans in the form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), and may be hidden in the enormous increase in the number of Alzheimer's cases since 1979.

Detailing the history and biology of Mad Cow Disease, Brain Trust discloses how an investigation into the mysterious deaths in a group of cannibals in a remote part of the world evolved into a research program in the United States that may have had unforeseen and frightening consequences.

The shocking questions examined include:

• Have millions of Americans already been exposed to the prions known to cause Mad Cow Disease through years of eating tainted beef?

• Does the epidemic of prion disease spreading like wildfire through the nation's deer and elk pose a threat to hunters and venison eaters?

• Are the cattle mutilations discovered in the last 30 years part of a covert, illegal sampling program designed to learn how far the deadly prions have spread throughout the nation's livestock and beef products?

Exposing the devastating truth about Mad Cow Disease and a new theory of the possible consequences of a little-known government research program and the potential national health catastrophe that may be the result, Brain Trust inoculates Americans with an effective cure: the truth.

Cloning After Dolly: Whos Still Afraid? by Gregory E. Pence (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.) As the topic in bioethics, cloning has made big news since Dollys announced birth in . In a new book building on his classic Whos Afraid of Human Cloning?, pioneering bioethicist Gregory Pence continues to advocate a reasoned view of cloning. Beginning with his surreal experiences as an expert witness before Congressional and California legislative committees, Pence analyzes the astounding recent progress in animal cloning the coming surprises about human cloning the links between animal, stem cell, and human cloning embryo politics and other hot topics like artificial wombs and transgenic animals. He uses cloning as a lens and as a tool to examine people's attitudes toward everything from genetically engineered foods and artificial wombs to animal rights and the treatment of transgenic animals including a chimpanzee believed to be half-human (Oliver, the humanzee).
Pence extrapolates the inconsistencies of moralists more obsessed with human cloning while ignoring real social problems like alcohol consumption and drug use by pregnant women and/or collaboration between anti-abortion counseling services and adoption agencies that charge up to $50,000 for the unaborted child.
This book may be a mixture of fact, opinion and prediction. However, no one can deny that Pence has a great gift for asking questions and framing old issues in a new context.
The reader is unlikely to agree with many of Pence's opinions and projections. However, the nearly twenty pages of numbered resources, indexed in each chapter via numbers, provide a rich resource for anyone to further research ideas attacked or embraced by Pence.
For that reason , this is certainly an irreplaceable resource for academics and students who are seriously researching cloning and the social/political/ethical debates surrounding it.

From Publishers Weekly: Bioethicist Pence may make some readers' eyebrows shoot right off of their foreheads with his outright endorsement of reproductive as well as medical cloning. In his second book on the subject (after Who's Afraid of Human Cloning?), Pence argues for the legalization even of artificial wombs and transspecies hybrids. The author's arguments against some critiques of cloning hold some sway; he notes that most people's perception of cloning is based more on science fiction than science. He argues that anti-cloners like Leon Kass, who chaired the president's Council on Bioethics, draw false or irrelevant distinctions based on questions of human dignity and a religious view of the embryo as a human life. But Pence can be annoyingly glib before making his serious argument—for instance, noting that no one will eat embryos or wear them as earrings, so what's the dignity question about? He argues that cloning is actually a biological imperative: we must develop cloning technology in order to survive the next plague. Cloning is the political powder keg of biotechnology today, and those in the pro-cloning camp will welcome this case against those they see, in Pence's words, as "the new Puritans of biotech." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Biology Of Transcendence: A Blueprint Of The Human Spirit by Joseph Chilton Pearce (Park Street Press) (Hardcover) Uses new research about the brain to explore how we can transcend our current physical and cultural limitations.

Reveals that transcendence of current modes of existence requires the dynamic interaction of our fourth and fifth brains (intellect and intelligence).

Explores the idea that Jesus, Lao-tzu, and other great beings in history are models of nature's possibility and our ability to achieve transcendence.

Why do we seem stuck in a culture of violence and injustice? How is it that we can recognize the transcendent ideal represented by figures such as Jesus, Lao-tzu, and many others who have walked among us and yet not seem to reach the same state?

In The Biology of Transcendence Joseph Chilton Pearce examines the current biological understanding of our neural organization to address how we can go beyond the limitations and constraints of our current capacities of body and mind--how we can transcend. Recent research in the neurosciences and neurocardiology identifies the four neural centers of our brain and indicates that a fifth such center is located in the heart. This research reveals that the evolutionary structure of our brain and its dynamic interactions with our heart are designed by nature to reach beyond our current evolutionary capacities. We are quite literally, made to transcend.

Pearce explores how this "biological imperative" drives our life into ever-greater realms of being--even as the "cultural imperative" of social conformity and behavior counters this genetic heritage, blocks our transcendent capacities, and breeds violence in all its forms. The conflict between religion and spirit is an important part of this struggle. But each of us may overthrow these cultural imperatives to reach "unconflicted behavior," wherein heart and mind-brain resonate in synchronicity, opening us to levels of possibility beyond the ordinary.

Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior by Temple Grandin, Catherine Johnson (Scribner) (Audio CD- Tantor Media) Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation speaks in the clear voice of a woman who emerged from the other side of autism, bringing with her an extraordinary message about how animals think and feel.

Temple's professional training as an animal scientist and her history as a person with autism have given her a perspective like that of no other expert in the field. Standing at the intersection of autism and animals, she offers unparalleled observations and groundbreaking ideas about both.

Autistic people can often think the way animals think -- in fact, Grandin and co-author Catherine Johnson see autism as a kind of way station on the road from animals to humans -- putting autistic people in the perfect position to translate "animal talk." Temple is a faithful guide into their world, exploring animal pain, fear, aggression, love, friendship, communication, learning, and, yes, even animal genius. Not only are animals much smarter than anyone ever imagined, in some cases animals are out-and-out brilliant.

The sweep of Animals in Translation is immense, merging an animal scientist's thirty years of study with her keen perceptions as a person with autism -- Temple sees what others cannot.

Among its provocative ideas, the book:

• argues that language is not a requirement for consciousness -- and that animals do have consciousness

• applies the autism theory of "hyper-specificity" to animals, showing that animals and autistic people are so sensitive to detail that they "can't see the forest for the trees" -- a talent as well as a "deficit"

• explores the "interpreter" in the normal human brain that filters out detail, leaving people blind to much of the reality that surrounds them -- a reality animals and autistic people see, sometimes all too clearly

• explains how animals have "superhuman" skills: animals have animal genius

• compares animals to autistic savants, declaring that animals may in fact be autistic savants, with special forms of genius that normal people do not possess and sometimes cannot even see

• examines how humans and animals use their emotions to think, to decide, and even to predict the future

• reveals the remarkable abilities of handicapped people and animals

• maintains that the single worst thing you can do to an animal is to make it feel afraid

Temple Grandin is like no other author on the subject of animals because of her training and because of her autism: understanding animals is in her blood and in her bones.

An Introduction to Stochastic Processes with Applications to Biology by Linda J. S. Allen (Prentice Hall) My goal in writing this book is to provide an introduction to the basic the­ory of stochastic processes and to some of the many biological applications of stochastic processes. The mathematical and biological background re­quired is kept to a minimum so that the topics are accessible to students and scientists in biology, mathematics, and engineering. Many of the biological applications are from the areas of population dynamics and epidemiology due to personal preference and expertise and because these applications can be readily understood. More

Birds

Pathology of Pet and Aviary Birds by J. Scott Hamilton, Robert E. Schmidt, David N. Phalen ( Iowa State Press: Blackwell) The number of pet and breeding birds in captivity and in ornamental and zoological collections has increased dramatically in the past 30 years. With the growth in the bird owning public comes a corresponding growth in the number of veterinarians providing care for birds. Avian veterinarians and bird owners depend on the pathologist to make an accurate diagnosis and provide advice on the significance of their findings. More

Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals: Transforming Proteins and Genes into Drugs by Rodney J. Ho, Milo Gibaldi (Wiley-Liss) defines biotechnology from the perspective of pharmaceuticals. The first section focuses on the process of transforming a biologic macromolecule into a therapeutic agent, while the second section provides a brief overview of each class of macromolecule with respect to physiological role and clinical application. Additional detail is also provided in the second section for each FDA approved, recombinantly derived biopharmaceutical for each category of macromolecule. The final section looks to the future and the new advances that will enhance our ability to develop new macromolecules into effective biopharmaceuticals. This last section discusses various drug delivery strategies while also describing gene and cell therapy strategies. More

 

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