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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 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.

Summer/Fall 2023 PDF

The Summer/Fall 2023 issue dives into community resources for anyone exploring the business of book writing, along with NASW's recent impacts to encourage diversity and equity in science writing. Plus another SciWriLife work nook photo feature and all the usual member community news roundup!

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.

Rectangular photo of Rachel Nuwer’s office bookshelf with books on neuroscience and psychoactive drugs. Photo credit Rachel Nuwer.

Rachel Nuwer—I FEEL LOVE: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World

After decades of clinical research, and both legal and illegal use, MDMA (short for methylenedioxymethamphetamine) also known as Molly, formerly as Ecstasy, is nearing FDA approval for the treatment of PTSD in veterans. In I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World, Rachel Nuwer details MDMA’s complex history, potential medical uses, and battle for legalization.

 Rectangular photo of Emily Monosson’s office bookshelf showing titles on fungi and natural history. Photo credit Emily Monosson.

Emily Monosson—Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic

“Infectious fungi and fungus-like pathogens are the most devastating disease agents known on the planet,” Emily Monosson asserts. While most of the six million different species of fungi are harmless, some kill their host plants and animals, including humans. In Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic, Monosson offers examples of fungal spread & details scientists’ efforts to stop fungal invasions.

Rectangular photo of Ret Talbot’s office bookshelf showing titles exploring sharks and other marine biology topics. Photo credit Ret Talbot.

Greg Skomal with Ret Talbot (NASW Member)—Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark

The resurgence of white sharks along the northeastern US seacoast, a conservation success story, has sparked worries about public safety. Fatal attacks, while rare, have occurred. In Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark, Greg Skomal, Massachusetts Shark Research Program director, and science writer Ret Talbot, provide perspective on advances in understanding shark biology.

Rectangular photo of Ilana Yurkiewicz’s office bookshelf showing titles exploring doctor-patient relationships and writing. Photo credit Ilana Yurkiewicz

Ilana Yurkiewicz, MD—Fragmented: A Doctor’s Quest to Piece Together American Health Care

Uncertainties in medicine arise from both what is unknowable and what is missing, Ilana Yurkiewicz, MD, asserts in Fragmented: A Doctor’s Quest to Piece Together American Health Care. Seemingly mundane clinical decisions may have profound effects later on, Yurkiewicz says. She offers vignettes that include care her father received after a cardiac arrest & proposes ways to improve medical culture.