The Canon: the beautiful basics of science

With the intelligence and exuberance that made Woman an international sensation, Natalie Angier takes us on a whirligig tour of the scientific canon. Drawing on conversations with hundreds of the world’s top scientists, and her own Pulitzer Prize–winning reportage for the New York Times, The Canon is a magical guide to scientific literacy that will enrapture, inspire, and enlighten.

In a book that is vital reading for anyone who wants to understand the great issues of our time — from stem cells and bird flu to evolution and global warming — Angier leads a joyride through the major scientific disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy.

Somewhere between Lewis Carroll and Lewis Thomas, it’s one of those rare books that reignites our childhood delight in discovery: we learn what’s actually happening when our ice cream melts, what our liver cells do when we eat a caramel, how the horse shows evolution at work, and that we really are all made of stardust.

People magazine says, ‘Angier has that rare dual talent: a true passion for science combined with a poet’s linguistic flair.’ Those gifts are on full display in The Canon, an ebullient celebration of science that stands to become a classic.