Overview

New research and innovations in the field of science are leading to life-changing and world-altering discoveries like never before. What does the horizon of science look like? Who are the scientists that are making it happen? And, how are we to introduce these revolutions to a society in which a segment of the population has become more and more skeptical of science? Climate change is the biggest challenge facing our nation, and scientists are working on renewable energy sources, meat alternatives, and carbon dioxide sequestration. At the same time, climate change deniers and the politicization of funding threaten their work. CRISPR, (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) repurposes bacterial defense systems to edit genes, which can change the way we live, but also presents real ethical problems. Optogenetics will help neuroscientists map complicated neural circuitry deep inside the brain, shedding light on treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Zimmer also investigates phony science ranging from questionable “health” products to the fervent anti-vaccination movement. Zimmer introduces readers to the real people making these breakthroughs. Concluding with chapters on the rise of women in STEM fields, the importance of US immigration policies to science, and new, unorthodox ways of DIY science and crowdsource funding, The State of Science shows where science is, where it is heading, and the scientists who are at the forefront of progress.

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9781633886391

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Reviews

It is powerfully useful to see scientists beginning to engage crucial questions, such as how to regulate or even steer away from research in areas that are simply too powerful to easily coexist with humanity. The author starts a provocative conversation we should all engage in! -Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? Marc Zimmer provides a timely and broad discussion of science -- its practice, its products, and its practitioners -- that clearly presents the complexity of scientific enterprise for a general audience. I recommend The State of Science not just for students, but for all citizens looking to be informed on critical issues of the day. --Sean M. Decatur, chemist and president of Kenyon College With the increasing assaults on the practice of science, the value of basic research and evidence-based medicine, Marc Zimmer's book could not be more timely. In The State of Science, Zimmer masterfully explains how and why science is done and shows us where it is going. Written with effortless authority and great clarity, Zimmer's book is highly recommended. --Kevin Davies, executive editor of The CRISPR Journal and founding editor of Nature Genetics.

Author Information

Marc Zimmer is the Jean C. Tempel ’65 Professor of Chemistry at Connecticut College and the author of Glowing Genes, the first popular science book on jellyfish and firefly proteins; IlluminatingDiseases (Oxford University Press 2015); and three books for young adults. His writing has appeared in USA Today and the Los AngelesTimes, and he has been interviewed and quoted in the Economist,Science and Nature.

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