Member articles

Rectangular photo of Ted Anton’s office bookshelf with titles on biotechnology and literature, reflecting both his book’s topic and his work as a professor of English at DePaul University. Photo credit Ted Anton.

Ted Anton—Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution

The success of mRNA vaccines, diagnostic tests, and therapies for Covid-19 starting in 2020 became “synthetic biology’s moment,” Ted Anton notes in Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution. Changing life by changing DNA, he asserts, holds the promise of yielding more effective medications as well as sustainable foods, fuels, clothing, building materials, furniture, and more.

Rectangular photo of Ted Anton’s office bookshelf with titles on biotechnology and literature, reflecting both his book’s topic and his work as a professor of English at DePaul University. Photo credit Ted Anton.

Ted Anton—Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution

The success of mRNA vaccines, diagnostic tests, and therapies for Covid-19 starting in 2020 became “synthetic biology’s moment,” Ted Anton notes in Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution. Changing life by changing DNA, he asserts, holds the promise of yielding more effective medications as well as sustainable foods, fuels, clothing, building materials, furniture, and more.

Rectangular photo of Brittany Fair’s office bookshelf showing books on yoga, the brain, anatomy, and science writing. Photo credit: Brittany Fair.

Brittany Fair—The Neuroscience of Yoga and Meditation

How effective are yoga and meditation in reducing stress? What benefits can they offer people with multiple sclerosis, stroke, pain, and other medical conditions? In The Neuroscience of Yoga and Meditation, Brittany Fair explains findings and limitations of scientific research on these topics. She also illustrates different poses and provides text for self-guided meditative practices.

Rectangular photo of Brittany Fair’s office bookshelf showing books on yoga, the brain, anatomy, and science writing. Photo credit: Brittany Fair.

Brittany Fair—The Neuroscience of Yoga and Meditation

How effective are yoga and meditation in reducing stress? What benefits can they offer people with multiple sclerosis, stroke, pain, and other medical conditions? In The Neuroscience of Yoga and Meditation, Brittany Fair explains findings and limitations of scientific research on these topics. She also illustrates different poses and provides text for self-guided meditative practices.

Rectangular photo of Ann Bracken’s office bookshelf showing titles on depression, anxiety, the opioid crisis, and psychoactive medications. Photo credit Ann Bracken.

Ann Bracken—Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery

If one medication for an illness doesn’t help, maybe adding another will. That philosophy has prompted simultaneous use of multiple prescribed medications for one or more disorders by millions of Americans. In Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery, Ann Bracken explores the adverse impact of polypharmacy on her migraines and depression and describes her self-directed path to recovery.

Rectangular photo of Ann Bracken’s office bookshelf showing titles on depression, anxiety, the opioid crisis, and psychoactive medications. Photo credit Ann Bracken.

Ann Bracken—Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery

If one medication for an illness doesn’t help, maybe adding another will. That philosophy has prompted simultaneous use of multiple prescribed medications for one or more disorders by millions of Americans. In Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery, Ann Bracken explores the adverse impact of polypharmacy on her migraines and depression and describes her self-directed path to recovery.

Horizontal photo of a bookshelf of Brad Fox, featuring many old titles by William Beebe

Brad Fox—The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths

Bioluminescent fish like “stars gone mad.” A “marine monster,” 20 ft long, with no eyes or fins. In the 1930s, William Beebe documented never-seen-before ocean life from his bathysphere, a submersible steel ball with oxygen tanks and 8” windows that allowed him to explore ½ mile below the surface. In The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths, Brad Fox chronicles Beebe’s life and times.

Horizontal photo of a bookshelf of Brad Fox, featuring many old titles by William Beebe

Brad Fox—The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths

Bioluminescent fish like “stars gone mad.” A “marine monster,” 20 ft long, with no eyes or fins. In the 1930s, William Beebe documented never-seen-before ocean life from his bathysphere, a submersible steel ball with oxygen tanks and 8” windows that allowed him to explore ½ mile below the surface. In The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths, Brad Fox chronicles Beebe’s life and times.

Rectangular photo of Quinn Eastman’s office bookshelf showing books on narcolepsy, sleep science, and the medical care system. Photo credit Quinn Eastman.

Quinn Eastman—The Woman Who Couldn't Wake Up: Hypersomnia and the Science of Sleepiness

A magazine article on a little-known sleep disorder Quinn Eastman wrote for Emory U. in 2012 spurred requests from readers seeking information and treatment. In The Woman Who Couldn’t Wake Up: Hypersomnia and the Science of Sleepiness, Eastman reports advances in understanding that disorder, idiopathic hypersomnia, and describes difficulties people with orphan diseases face in getting proper care.