My favorite science book is also the first one I read that was geared toward adults: The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan.

Interesting question. I think it might be "Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Meaning of History," by Steven Jay Gould.

Yes, Demon Haunted World is a wonderful book--I've read it twice, and nearly gulped it down each time. Cosmos, Contact, anything by him is great.

Have you read Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks? Not astronomy of physics, but the true story of the origin of HeLa cells, and how 50's segregation and medical ethics both contributed to--and fouled up--modern medical science. A fascinating read.

The most recent Best American Science Writing 2012, though not a one-author book, was fascinating, as it makes room for all the major fields. Great articles about the Kepler mission to find new planets, the oldest temple ever constructed, and why teenagers are more biologically advanced than adults.

Reply to post #3 (show post):
I haven't read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks yet, but it's on my science shelve. It promises to be great, considering my grandmother liked it, and she doesn't like to read anything on science.

I thought Henrietta Lacks was very interesting. Would be good for a book group, as it provokes a lot of questions.

I just finished teaching Skloot's book to two classes of undergraduates (for a first-year writing class--Science Fact and Fiction) and they loved it. It's approachable on so many levels, though the science is solid and well-explained. We had the best discussions as well, particularly those on doctors' beside manner and whether or not we can own our own bodies and the things in them--esp. cells. Strong opinions on both sides of this argument. Most students had no idea that if you blew your nose and threw the tissue away, anyone could use your 'garbage' to market a product and make millions--and owe you nothing. It's very eye-opening, as much for what it says about our future and our unfortunate past, such as the syphilis studies at John Hopkins, which were truly awful.

Do you know of any other books along these lines, that mix history, cultural studies, and science? I'm looking for a book to follow this up next year.

Have you tried The Statues That Walked? It's about the Moai on Easter Island, and the investigation into how the statues walked in order to figure out what might have caused the collapse of the Islanders' civilization. It's supposed to be fantastic and very readable.

Sounds great! I've read all the old Thor Heyerdal books on Easter Island, including the fascinating,if somewhat un-PC "Aku Aku," which covers the same territory. But those are not books I could assign very easily, since they are a bit dated and assume too much about the "savagery" of the island's natives. I'm going to the library tomorrow to locate it--thank you!

Reply to post #6 (show post):
I'll jump in and add another Stephen Jay Gould, 'The Mismeasure of Man', on the history of intelligence measuring. It's a bit dated, as it's from '81, but good solid Gould.

Continuing with the mix of history, meta-history, epistemology, cultural studies: Loewen's 'Lies my Teacher Told Me'. About history textbooks (pre-college level), an excellent read, scary at times.