Biology 202 Book Commentary

Biophilia, by E.O.

      What sets off a new social trend in the adolescent population? What makes one television show more popular than another? What causes crime rates to drop so rapidly? How does any new social epidemic spread throughout the country? In The Tipping Point, these questions are explored, discovering plausible answers that are often counterintuitive. Through a plethora of different examples, Malcolm Gladwell describes the three crucial aspects of a social epidemic: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. (1) These rules help us view social epidemics with structure, and help explain the reasons why some ideas ‘tip’ over others.

 Eric Kandel: In Search of Memory

Throughout In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind, Eric Kandel describes his approach to understanding how memories are stored. While at first glance, the book might seem like a boring biography of an experiment; in the first chapters, Kandel’s captivating writing constantly keeps you wondering about the next chapter.

                                                                        Book Commentary – Pink Brain Blue Brain

 The neurobiology of color perception has long been a subject of interest both in the scientific community and in popular culture. Color perception varies widely from individual to individual, though it is difficult to characterize and quantify those differences. The effects of color on the function of the nervous system other than those related to vision, such as its effects on emotion, also remain elusive despite ongoing research. In his book Shades of Grey, Jasper Fforde takes the complexities of color perception and stretches them to their extremes. The novel, set in a vague semi-apocalyptic future, is unique in that the society it depicts is built entirely around the differences in its individuals’ color perception. At first, this seems absurdly

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Book Commentary

Liz Frontino

The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine

Louann Brizendine uses her book “The Female Brain” to shed some light for the masses on the puzzling differences between men and women, by using human interest in order to engage the readers on this interesting topic. This topic has been one of increasing interest to me, especially upon entering college and being exposed to so many different types of men and women.

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