Dive into the Dark Life

Dark Life

Kat Falls

Sea level has risen even more than scientists predicted. The Rocky Mountains are now just a string of islands. People are packed into skyscraper cities and space is a coveted commodity. But beneath the sea surface, life flourishes....

Ty was born on the Atlantic seafloor, in Benthic Territory. His parents were trailblazers in this new frontier - his engineer dad helped design and construct the jelly-like homes that pulse in the underwater currents and his scientist mom helped perfect aquaculture techniques for fish and kelps. Together with the other families of the Benthic Territory, they grow the food that feeds the Topsiders now that intense ultra-violent light destroys life. Gemma is a topsider who has ventured to the Dark Life in order to find her missing brother, she desperately wants to reunite her family. Gemma and Ty set out to find Gemma's brother but come into contact with dangerous Outlaws, corrupt government officials, and mysterious occurrences among the teenagers of the Dark Life. Can they find the brother, save the Benthic Territory, and manage not to get killed in the process?

The marine biology aspect of this book had me instantly requesting it from the library - Falls describes a fantastic undersea world that mixes cool and unusual marine facts (bioluminescent anglerfish) with futuristic fantasy elements (liquigen for underwater breathing) that has me ready to don my dive suit and hope to find a secret underwater society to join! In addition to that, I found the story itself to be action-packed, heartfelt, and in-tune with young teenagers. The plot wasn't overly complex (as is common with YA books) but I found it more complex that most and a couple of twists took me a while to figure out. I truly hope this is only the first of several books about Dark Life.

When global climate change causes the East Coast to slide into the Atlantic Ocean, I want to permanently move into the Dark Life!

HeLa: immortal cells or the goddess of death? I say both.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot

Tissue and cell donation are essential for the advancement of scientific research. Without these, researchers would not have been able to develop vaccines that save children's lives, test for genetic diseases to better prepare for and understand challenges facing those afflicted with things like Downs Syndrom, understand diabetes to help millions of people easily control their blood sugar, or develop in-vitro fertilization so loving couples can have the children they want. However, when these tissues and cells are taken without patient knowledge or consent, and then those tissues and cells go on to make someone millions (sometimes billions) of dollars, who has rights to them?

That is the story of Henrietta Lacks, the donor of the first cells (named HeLa) that were successfully cultured, the donor of cells that became "immortal" because they continue to thrive today in thousands of labs around the world. These cells have been involved in the most important discoveries involving medical science since 1951 and many doctors and researchers hail her as a hero. But, her cells were taken without her knowledge when she was a poor, black, female patient at John Hopkins Hospital being treated for an aggressive form of cervical cancer. Her family was not aware of it either until 25 years after her death, her family who received no compensation for the HeLa cells, and generations after Henrietta have continued to live on extremely small incomes with no health insurance.

There is a very important ethical and scientific debate going on as to the ownership and rights to donor cells and what level of consent (if any) should be given by the donor. There are important points to both sides of the story and is definitely an issue that will not be resolved before many court cases are tried and many mutually respectful discussions are had. Who knows what the future holds but I thought one of the best quotes of the book came from Deborah Lacks (Henrietta's daughter), when repeatedly asked if she was angry about what happened to her mother and mad at the doctors and researchers responsible, she replied, "...if you gonna go into history, you can't do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different."

Deborah Lacks often said that she was glad that her mother's cells had gone on to help so many people, Deborah just wanted to be aware of what was going on with them. She felt that by knowing more about the cells, she was closer to a mother that she didn't remember. I think that was one of the most heartbreaking aspects of the story: the Lackses in this story are not highly educated people, they did not know what cells even were let alone were able to comprehend what it meant to still have the cells alive and to run extensive research on them. Their anger and fear often stemmed from a lack of understanding, and no doctors took the time to explain - in understandable language - what was going on. For me, the most touching part of the story was when a young doctor finally took the time to explain the science as well as took the time to listen to the family.

I thought this book was a great story with regards to the life and family of Henrietta Lacks. Sometimes her descendants aggravated me because of the outlandish things they believed about the cells and their extreme paranoia, but I kept asking myself how I would respond if I didn't have a science background and had lived a life more similar to the Lacks children - probably just like they did. As a scientist, I really wanted more info on the cells themselves and some of the research that had been conducted on them, and more about some of the moral and ethical debates that are currently being argued.

Overall, an interesting book that reminded me (again) that science can be scary for people who don't understand and reinforced the value of being able to and taking the time to effectively communicate with non-scientists about issues that pertain to them. Not only the time, but also the compassion to care.

*** SPOILER***

One aspect of the family history that really angered me is that no one addressed the fact that it was Henrietta's husband, Day, who most likely gave her the HPV that developed into the horrendous cancer that quickly killed her! It was casually mentioned that he ran around on her, had sex with her as well (even when she was extremely ill), and gave her syphilis and gonorrhea in addition to HPV. The children spent so much time focusing on the doctors and blaming them for killing their mother but no one turned that finger on their own family and placed even a little of the blame on the unfaithful and philandering husband.

A scientific parody of myself

Fluke: Or I Know Why The Winged Whale Sings

Christopher Moore

Nate Quinn is a humpback whale researcher. He lives on Oahu and heads a team that is trying to translate the male songs, songs they only sing when in the clear breeding grounds of Hawaii and no one knows WHY. Nate is happy in his academic world as an "action nerd", checking out his hot female research assistant, but when he sees "Bite Me" written on a fluke and keeps getting a message that he should take a hot pastrami sandwich to the large male singer, Nate starts to question his sanity. Little does he know that he may not actually want to know why the winged whale sings!

I can see why this may not be everyone's favorite Moore book but, as a fellow "action nerd" I absolutely LOVED it! I was enchanted from the first few pages when the following is revealed about scientists:
1. I should have gotten a real job
2. I should do work where I can actually make money
3. Too bad my work won't make a difference
4. Field work is boring
5. No one understands that I always work weekend
6. You can spot other "action nerds" by their raccoon sunglass tan!
7. Scientists drink
I was seriously laughing out loud because all of these things are so true! There were so many aspects of the first half of this book that honestly reflected the life of a field scientist - it's not glamorous, you don't make a lot of money, you're always dirty, but you do what you do because you genuinely love every second of it...even the boring seconds.

The second half of the book seemed to take a complete 180 from the first part and we jumped into the world of the illogical - a big jump for a logical scientist like myself who was enjoying the parody of myself :) We suddenly were set adrift in the crazy world of Moore's imagination; I liked the second half less but liked some of the nature v. nurture topics that were underlying the story. I also thought it was amusing because so many times my friends and I get pissed off that research isn't going the way we want it to and think that all of our research might be based on total bullsh*t and the reason things are the way they are is because of robots on mars are just screwing with us!

I loved this book but don't know that someone more distant from science would pick up on the subtle nuances that made Fluke completely brilliant....however, I think you would still enjoy it. And make sure you read the final pages that discuss what aspects of the book were based on actual facts.

Who is really domesticating whom?

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

Michael Pollan

I read this book when it was first released during my freshman year of college. I had never heard of Michael Pollan and I was a closet scientist who still had aspirations of actually making money at a future career and was therefore an accounting major. I loved this book then - at least I remember loving it but I can't exactly remember why. Perhaps because I devoured anything science related to feed my secret lust, a lust which evolved into love and resulted in me leaving the business-suit world of accounting for the awe-inspiring world of science. However, my scientific knowledge was limited at the time of my first reading and many of the ethical issues we face today were not even on my radar. It was definitely interesting to re-read this book many years later, with a perspective fine-tuned from experience and education....

The catch line in the book synopsis asks the question of humans and plants, "who is really domesticating whom?" Pollan tackles this probing question by diving into the history of four important domesticated plants: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. He follows each plant from their first discovery by humans as a desirable plant to the realization that the plant is highly conducive to hybridization, cross-breeding, and cultivation to the status of each plant in today's society. To some, Pollan's descriptions may seem to wander down unexplained paths only to eventually loop back to the main topic but I find his Dionysian explorations to not only be interesting, but to fit with with the overall theme of the book that nature is hard to tame.

The apples and tulip sections are interesting but I find the last two chapters to be un-put-down-able. The chapter on marijuana branches into the regulations by the government that actually caused a growing boom in the US which has lead to it being one of the largest cash crops in the country. I personally don't partake of marijuana (mainly because, at 27, my father still instills the fear of god in me when it comes to getting high) but I have often wondered why this drug has illicited the wrath of the DEA. The chapter on potatoes touches on GMO's, specifically Monsanto's products and patents, which, at the time of the writing of this book, was extremely cutting-edge but still has many ethical and biological debates raging between big farming business, organic farmers, and environmentalist. Did you know that GMO's with herbivore-resistance spliced into their genomes are not even regulated by the FDA because they are not considered food? They are regulated by the EPA as a pesticides....mind blowing.

I couldn't resist picking this up again...and am glad that I reread it. I can now recommend it for substantiated reasons!

Overfishing, habitat destruction, and now a deadly virus - a sea turtle FML

Fire in the Turtle House

Osha Gray Davidson

I have been fortunate enough to swim with sea turtles; aside from seeing several at a distance on my various adventures to the Bahamas, I swam with a large green turtle for an extended period of time. This gentle giant gracefully glided through the turquoise waters, dodging large outcroppings of coral as he moseyed on his way. I kept a safe distance (harassing endangered species isn't really my thing) but after about 15 minutes, I apparently got a little too close for comfort and he took off with a speed that was beguiled by his bulk. I have encountered many marine creatures but, to this day, swimming with this prehistoric relic remains a highlight for me.

I have known for some time that the fate of sea turtles is in the balance - overfishing for consumption and sale on the black market, unfortunate by-catch of commercial fisheries, urban sprawl that affects nesting sites, and the shocking decline of their habitat (appropriately named turtle grass) have all combined to form a near insurmountable challenge for turtles that were once so abundant that ships had to stop and wait for groups of them to pass. What I didn't know was that a deadly virus can be added to these myriad threats.

Fibropapilloma virus (FP) entered the turtle scene with a splash in the 1970's when George Balazs too notice in the coastal waters of Hawaii. He meticulously tracked down the first documented occurrence of the tumors and then dedicated his life to determining the cause of the tumors, how they are transmitted, and what we can do to help. Fire in the Turtle House tells the story of FP from discovery through present day through the eyes of the scientists and volunteers who don't want to see this endangered species disappear for good.

I really love Davidson's writing style. I have also read The Enchanted Braid, and was once again struck by his unique ability to weave together stories of scientific research, historical anecdotes re: turtles and related species, and manage to thread honest emotion through it all. I also enjoyed that the book tells the story of FP but it also subtly reveals how scientific research is done: observation of tumors, hypothesis as to the cause, careful experimentation to support or reject the hypothesis, collaborations to conduct more complex research, workshops and meetings to discuss the findings and their implications, the dissemination of information, and finally large projects to protect the turtles based on sound science.

If you are interested in sea turtles, or marine epidemics, I whole-heartedly recommend this book. If you are simply interested in reading a science book that is fantastically written, then I whole-heartedly recommend Osha Gray Davidson!

A better title: Specific areas of the world without us

The World Without Us

Alan Weisman

What would happen is humans instantly disappeared from Earth? Would the organisms that were driven to the brink of extinction by humans make a resounding comeback? What would be the longest-lasting human contribution to the environment? Would extraterrestrial life forms ever know what the Earth was like under human-rule? Theoretically, Weisman's book could have been an incredibly interesting discussion of Earth's resiliency or inability to overcome the significant damage it has experienced; in reality, this book fell short of my expectations.

World Without Us started extremely slow for me, perhaps because I am not overly interested in the description of my home being returned to nature - the rusting of nails, the slowing infiltration of rainwater, the infestation of rodents. These dull and redundant stories did not grab my attention but the interesting side stories that occasionally seemed like pointless wandering kept me reading - how often the New York City subway system fills with water and must be pumped back out, the history of now-extinct large mammals in the Americas.

As the book progressed, it got more and more interesting. Weisman began discussing the human contributions that would tattoo Earth for long after we're gone - the changes in soils due to large-scale monoculture farming, nuclear wastes, the meltdown of power plants, and the indestructible plastic. Weisman included novel information that was extremely mind-blowing - I had no idea where nuclear wastes were stored! I found these stories scarily amazing while continuing to enjoy the side-bars that were prominent in the first part of the book as well.

Ultimately, my dissatisfaction with this books arose from the lack of a cohesive story - I was expecting one story that told about the future of the Earth as a whole but instead was a collection of very specific scenarios about very limited geographic areas. This wasn't necessarily bad, just not what I was expecting at all. Also, even after finishing this book, I can't figure out how it was organized, there were four parts to the book and I couldn't identify a single unifying theme among the chapters included in each (apparently he couldn't either because the parts are title-less)! His writing was also unnecessarily convoluted and complex. An overabundance of punctuation and multi-compound sentences caused me to lose the meaning of his words.

Overall, you might enjoy this book if your expectations are fairly low and you are prepared for structure that borders on schizophrenic.

A rare clear and concise explanation of a complex scientific theory

Why Evolution is True

Jerry A. Coyne

Oh, I am such a cheater this month! I totally started this book a couple of days ago but, in my defense, I finished it up this morning....I just couldn't help myself.

Evolution. Very few words in science can raise the religious hackles and get the debate juices flowing like this one. Even numerous court trials have become involved to help decide if evolution is science fact or fiction and whether the opposing viewpoint - creationism - deserves to be taught and considered on the same academic level.

Granted, I went into this book a full-fledged supporter of evolution but I was still struck (again) by the beauty and elegance of this biological process that was thought of hundreds of years ago. Coyne logically and concisely went through the evidence for evolution - tracing his way through the fossil record to show dinosaurs evolving into birds, fish invading the land as terrestrial tetrapods, and terrestrial mammals going migrating back into the oceans. He not only shows fossil evidence and supports it with rigorous hypothesis testing (the hallmark of robust science) and examples from nature, but also brilliantly illustrates evolution rapidly occurring during a human lifetime. The vast majority of the book focuses on evolution in general - single-celled organisms up through mammals - but the final chapter focuses on humans evolution from primates and, what I feel is, irrefutable evidence that this process is the best explanation we have for how Homo sapiens came to be.

Sometimes science books can be a little tedious (shock, I know) but Coyne's writing style had me anxiously awaiting to pick the book back up! His words were illustrated by lovely drawings that I prefer so much more to pictures because it brings uniformity to book. And, possibly my favorite part, is that Coyne didn't attack any other belief system - he occasionally brought up the creationist argument against a specific evolution viewpoint but I didn't feel like he was hostile in any way, he simply laid out the facts and let them speak for themselves.

If you are a supporter of evolution but want to learn more, are unsure on the issue but would like more facts, or are even staunchly against evolution but think it's important to know the opposition, then I would highly recommend this book.

The Science Book Challenge

The Science Book Challenge urges you to read three science books during the 2010 year. The books can be about science, scientists, how science works, or the relationship of science and culture. They can be biographies, non-fiction, popularizations of science, or anthologies - pretty much anything goes! I am going a step further than the challenge requests, and am going to attempt six science books...an average of one every two months shouldn't be too overwhelming!

1. Why Evolution is True by Jerry A. Coyne

2. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

3. Fire in the Turtle House by Osha Gray Davidson

4. The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan

5. Fluke by Christopher Moore

6. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

7. The Dark Life by Kat Falls