A passionate and at times furious book about the nutrition we need to build our brains and keep them healthy. It's furious because as the author, who A passionate and at times furious book about the nutrition we need to build our brains and keep them healthy. It's furious because as the author, who has worked in public health, points out repeatedly, there are many simple and low cost interventions the government could take to vastly improve brain health from before conception, but they don't. Feeding low income kids and basic nutritional supplements for pregnant women being just two.
It is ranty. If I worked in public health and saw first hand the human and financial cost of nutritional deprivation (in schools, in prisons), I'd be ranty too. Let us not forget that dementia is now the leading cause of death, and it's a shitty miserable way to live and die, and our diets are a significant contributor.
Lots of good advice in here. I am eating more omega 3s. I would be eating more choline but regrettably it gives me a Dolly Parton earworm.
A book about basically psychosomatic illness: resignation syndrome (mostly refugee children just giving up, heartbreaking) plus Havana syndrome and siA book about basically psychosomatic illness: resignation syndrome (mostly refugee children just giving up, heartbreaking) plus Havana syndrome and similar (mass hysteria) and a somewhat weird account of a young woman who seems to have hypochondriacked herself into complete loss of function. The theme is how very much mind affects body (and it really does affect it). The takeaway is probably that the less we fret about our health the better, which makes me think I shouldn't be reading books about weird neurological complaints. ...more
Lots of interesting stuff about the gut microbiome, but short of having a poo transplant or buying his super expensive and heavily promoted app, I'm rLots of interesting stuff about the gut microbiome, but short of having a poo transplant or buying his super expensive and heavily promoted app, I'm really not sure the takeaway is anything more than it usually is: eat a varied diet of real food, you know the score; lay off the UPFs; sleep (ha); make slow habit changes rather than crash dieting. ...more
As a first delve into 'why can't I sleep' this would be super useful. Realistically, if you actually can't sleep, you're probably doing all this stuffAs a first delve into 'why can't I sleep' this would be super useful. Realistically, if you actually can't sleep, you're probably doing all this stuff already and it isn't working and you wish you were goddamn dead and why can't you just FUCKING SLEEP anyway and also if your husband doesn't stop BREATHING in that aggressively audible manner you're going to kill him and if any bastard suggests fucking magnesium tablets ONCE MORE I swear to god I'll do time--
Ahem.
Anyway, nothing terribly new here and no, it hasn't fixed my sleep issues yet. Still, I'm doing the 'half hour morning exercise in early daylight' thing religiously, which is to say "with absolutely no faith and taking the Lord's name in vain."...more
Good read about how much nature there is in the city. Lots of interesting historical details about land management, nature, and the rewilding of city Good read about how much nature there is in the city. Lots of interesting historical details about land management, nature, and the rewilding of city areas (which people have been trying to do a lot longer than you think) plus the unexpected natural diversity in cities. There is an incredible amount of green space to be clawed back with roof gardens and brownfield and edgeland (railway sidings and the like), and it can make a genuine environmental imact as well as protect against flooding.
Also very interesting on the kind of nature you get: rosebay willowherb was a rare Scottish plant a hundred years ago, but it likes crappy disturbed land so it's all over London now (it was the 'bombweed' of the Blitz). Foxes are literally evolving to be less aggressive and bolder, which is changing their jaw shape (I can attest to all this, they're all over my North London garden in broad daylight).
Basically a book that makes you both aware of how badly we've trashed the planet and hopeful that we can still pull it back in some form, if not the original one. Very interesting....more
More of this is reference than book to read through. The main takeaway I got is, honestly, how extremely bad and untrustworthy most food recommendatioMore of this is reference than book to read through. The main takeaway I got is, honestly, how extremely bad and untrustworthy most food recommendations actually are. Lots of good recommendations in here, and by that I probably mean "ones which align with my prejudices". Eat a varied diet, mostly vegetables; avoid UPFs; high sugar is of no value but high fat is not a problem as part of a balanced diet. I was interested in what he has to say about vitamin supplements (you're better off eating properly). Plenty to think about re your gut microbiome and its importance.
what it comes down to is, eat a healthy varied diet because most faddy food stuff is basically just people trying to sell you things. Which is why I narrowed my eyes at the number of plugs for the author's ZOE app for personal nutrition advice (£260 for the test kit and £40 a month for the four month follow up). Although I would kind of like to do it anyway out of interest so there you go. ...more
Interesting book by a watchmaker, about the history of horology and most specifically the origins of the watch. It's mostly very much at the practicalInteresting book by a watchmaker, about the history of horology and most specifically the origins of the watch. It's mostly very much at the practical end with some musing about time and how we experience it and a rather lovely concentration on the tactile. Niche, interesting and likeable. I remain baffled how watches work or ever could have worked but that's my own engineering ineptitude. ...more
Geographical determinism at work. I didn't find this terribly readable (author gallops through, jamming in as many facts and scientific terms as possiGeographical determinism at work. I didn't find this terribly readable (author gallops through, jamming in as many facts and scientific terms as possible) and it all felt a bit simplistic tbh.
A professor of neurobiology writes. This book has a lot of really interesting stuff to say, with the author adamant that our selves are very much a prA professor of neurobiology writes. This book has a lot of really interesting stuff to say, with the author adamant that our selves are very much a product of the brain's chemistry/biology and that a lot of that is entirely laid down in the womb--eg being trans, being gay, ADHD, autism, being a paedophile. Furthermore brains wire up differently according to experience, so there are differences in brains between English speakers and Japanese speakers, for example. And there are significant differences (beyond size) between the brains of cis men and cis women. The author is so adamant that who we are is a product of our brain's structure and development and disorders that he literally doesn't believe in free will.
So far so interesting. Where this book fails is the astonishing lack of engagement with many of the massive questions all this raises. He gives a frankly sneering account of his early research into the differences between male and female brains, presenting himself as baffled why feminists objected and picketed lectures--it's just science! How can anyone object to pure science, he asks, apparently unaware of literally thousands of years of male doctors presenting female bodies as inferior flawed versions of male bodies. See also a very similar objection to his findings that homosexuality is inherent. I don't know how anyone who bangs on about the Nazis so much is unable to see that there are possible outcomes to 'women and men are different' or 'homosexuality and transness are hard wired in the womb' that aren't 'OK, we will accept people as they are and stop persecuting them!' I mean, science is science, but if you're going to write a layperson's book about this stuff which goes into some cultural implications of how our brains are, you can't hide behind 'I'm just doing science, I don't need to think about the social and cultural implications' for others.
Some of it is just weird, eg his bizarre insistence that nobody should exercise because you might hurt yourself, and a couple of completely random sections that make it clear this came from a bunch of newspaper columns. Basically, it's regrettable this didn't get a much more rigorous edit, as the author comes across pretty self satisfied and oddly incurious about other people's worlds outside the skull. ...more
A hugely involving take on Frankenstein, in which Mary (descendant of Victor) and her husband attempt to recreate the famous experiment, only they're A hugely involving take on Frankenstein, in which Mary (descendant of Victor) and her husband attempt to recreate the famous experiment, only they're palaeontologists, so this time they're trying to make a pleiosaur. Frankenstein meets Jurassic Park. Amazing. (It's not really that, I'm just astonished the publishers didn't slap on that tagline.)
Really, it's very much about: being a woman scientist in the Victorian period, being a woman scientist at all, being a woman, with the expectations of motherhood and wifeness, being pleasant, always pleasant, smoothing over situations, self effacement, never having anger or pride. And very much about the endless capacity of men to be a massive selfish disappointment and then be completely baffled when called out for what they did. Mary is a ferociously angry, bitter woman choking on the injustice of it all, and this makes for a pretty emotional, cathartic read. With hand-stitched dinosaur. Plus the author tackles endemic racism inclusing 'scientific' racism, chronic pain, and child loss, and there's a low-key sapphic romance starting, so there is a lot going on here.
I enjoyed it very much. The writing is great and has a strong period feel, Mary is a fascinating character, making no effort to be 'likeable', and Henry depressingly plausible in that he's not even a villain, just a typical selfish man. It starts a little bit slowly, with a lot of childhood, in the way of Victorian novels, but stick with it: it's a really entertaining tale. ...more
A fairly accessible explanation of black holes by an astrophysicist. If anything there was too much effort to make it accessible, in that it was full A fairly accessible explanation of black holes by an astrophysicist. If anything there was too much effort to make it accessible, in that it was full of pop culture allusions and a lot of references to Hamilton which...you know, it's really time publishers noticed that wacky/unnecessary footnotes just *aren't very good* on ereaders. The effort involved in trying to click the damn things, discovering it's yet another Hamilton reference, and then trying to get back to your original page becomes quite tiresome, and I end up not bothering to click on any of them.
The text, when not drivelling on about Hamilton, was reasonably interesting with lots of grounding in the history of science. I have definitely taken away that black holes are neither black nor holes, are not hoovering up matter, and are actually quite small, plus now I know what an event horizon is, so that was useful. ...more
I like both the authors but this felt perhaps a tad less than the sum of their parts. It has a 'collection of essays' feel without much of a driving tI like both the authors but this felt perhaps a tad less than the sum of their parts. It has a 'collection of essays' feel without much of a driving theme and I didn't feel like I learned anything hugely new. However, if you are looking for a place to start with 'why science is a good toolkit for humans' this is a fun, accessible read. ...more
In the Oliver Sachs bracket of 'weird stories of bizarre medical conditions', this one about the senses. It's well written and compassionate. There's In the Oliver Sachs bracket of 'weird stories of bizarre medical conditions', this one about the senses. It's well written and compassionate. There's inevitably something of a Channel 4 freakshow documentary quality in books about weird conditions, but the author has as much empathy and humaniy as one could reasonably expect to survive a medical career, and it's interesting to see the resilience of many of the subjects: people just living with the world they perceive. Includes synasthesia and a truly horrifying account of people who don't feel pain. This is not a thing to wish for.
Lots of interesting philosophical questions. The author addresses the question of what reality really means when our experience of it is necessarily filtered through our perception and stresses how limited or offbeat that perception can be, and how much of 'reality' is subjective. And then he turns around and calls covid deniers an unfiltered 'morons'' because of course reality exists, you fuckwits.
A neuroscientist's guide to emotions, mediated through his grief at his father's death of Covid during lockdown. Interesting and well written, and a usA neuroscientist's guide to emotions, mediated through his grief at his father's death of Covid during lockdown. Interesting and well written, and a useful reminder to acknowledge and examine your emotions to see how they influence you.
The ebook is poorly formatted on Kobo at least: full of stray tabs, sometimes several on a page, which is annoyingly distracting...more
Quite interesting pop science on the elements. Lots of interesting human stories about the scientists who discovered elements and worked out the perioQuite interesting pop science on the elements. Lots of interesting human stories about the scientists who discovered elements and worked out the periodic table, lots of interesting stuff about how the elements work and their effects, and the science is well explained. It's a tad over long and goes a bit too heavy on quantum mechanics for my comprehension abilities, but plenty of intriguing facts to chew over and I definitely learned stuff. ...more
I think perhaps my expectations were too high--Mr KJC was raving about this for days--because this wasn't as mind-blowing as I had anticipated. DefiniI think perhaps my expectations were too high--Mr KJC was raving about this for days--because this wasn't as mind-blowing as I had anticipated. Definitely interesting, with a huge amount of information on how different animals sense things in different ways (which honestly I had expected to be the case so the bare fact of it is surely kind of a given? Although there's plenty in here to suggest people have been assuming animals operate by humanlike senses for years, so maybe not.)
Quite a lot of disturbing animal cruelty in the history of experiments, very depressing last chapter about how we're wrecking the planet and ruining it for everything we share it with. ...more
Very interesting read on how emotions work to help us do better in the future, as both individuals and societies. Pride, gratitude, and compassion areVery interesting read on how emotions work to help us do better in the future, as both individuals and societies. Pride, gratitude, and compassion are the key ones here, proving a lot more useful than the finite resource that is willpower.
Makes a lot of sense though I found it a bit optimistic about...people, honestly. Still, worth a read....more
An account of the making of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, which explains exactly how they did it so fast. It's told in a sensible, clear, scientific An account of the making of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, which explains exactly how they did it so fast. It's told in a sensible, clear, scientific way and I had to stop to cry a few times just because of the memories. Exactly what popular science is about. (One of the authors, Sarah Gilbert, was the one given a spontaneous standing ovation at Wimbledon. That isn't mentioned in the book but I had to go watch the video again.)
Get it in paperback and you can use it to smack anti vaxxers around the head....more
A fascinating look at death in all stages of life, from babies to pensioners, with a lot to think about regarding mortality and our unwillingness to pA fascinating look at death in all stages of life, from babies to pensioners, with a lot to think about regarding mortality and our unwillingness to prevent it. Some stories of murders and crime, but also many more of the natural ills that flesh is heir to. If you want to know why your knees hurt, find out here. Also some regrettably sensible stuff on how to look after your flesh robot.
Very well written, and told with great humility and humanity, and a frankness about the author's own weaknesses, physical and mental. Funny how forensic pathologists' memoirs are always so much more compassionate and sensitive than those of surgeons (who deal with live people). ...more
Entertaining non fic with plenty of stries of maths going wrong in the real world. You know the sort of thing: makes excellent airplane reading exceptEntertaining non fic with plenty of stries of maths going wrong in the real world. You know the sort of thing: makes excellent airplane reading except for the number of stories involving airplane crashes. Highly readable and lots of good jokes....more
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