Science
By Venki Ramakrishnan
Why are we born? Why do we die? Most people look for explanations in religion, but the author looks for answers in the world of science. What, then, is the difference? Simply that scientific theories can be disproven, while religious ones cannot. This is not to say that religion is not important. It indeed is and offers succor during trying periods of our lives, but in explaining the natural world, that is where superstition comes in.
Jhilmil Breckenridge and Namarita Kathait
The edited volume is an anthology of twenty-four real-life experiences of mental illnesses survivors along with seventeen lovely poems and a little bit of art on mental health. At the outset, the editors explain the rationale for the title in their Preface.
Torill Kornfeldt
Reading Torill Kornfeldt’s book The Re-Origin of Species: A Second Chance for Extinct Animals feels a little odd. Part of that is to do with its translatedness. Make no mistake about it; Fiona Graham has done an excellent job, barring an occasional infelicity such as nanny goats ‘falling pregnant’ (and there are quite a few avoidable errors of copy editing).