[Web4lib] Disruptive Science: _Rebels, Mavericks, and Heretics in Biology_

[Gerry Mckiernan]

Colleagues/

A recent item in the Chronicle Review / Chronicle of Higher Education has a Most Informative Article about 
_Rebels, Mavericks, and Heretics in Biology_ authored by By OREN HARMAN and MICHAEL R. DIETRICH.

"The history of science is invariably told through the prism of its heroes, and modern biology is no exception. Through those heroes, historians have analyzed the growth of the life sciences, the rise of their institutions and subfields, and the evolution of biologists' understanding of nature. But these histories are not the whole story.

The story of biology can also be told through the gaze of its rebels: those men and women who challenged the prevailing pictures of life.

The value of studying those who disagreed does not lie in the vindication of previously maligned concepts, theories, or findings. Rather, scientific mavericks have much to teach the challenged about themselves, about the value of "fruitful errors," and about the many paths to discovery and innovation in science.

[snip]

In the just-published book Rebels, Mavericks, and Heretics in Biology, we commissioned essays on 19 of the most notable iconoclasts in the last 150 years of biological research. Our goal was to understand the dynamics of dissent as we studied how those biologists sought to topple scientific icons ... .

[More]

Excerpts from The Article And Links To The Full Text (Subscribers Only?) And To The Book Site Are Available From My 
_Disruptive Science: Brave New WorldViews_ Blog  Entry At 

[ http://disruptivescience.blogspot.com/2008/07/che-rebels-mavericks-and-heretics-in.html ]

OR

[ http://tinyurl.com/695s5t ]

BWT: I am Greatly Interested in Major Works (books/review articles/sites) that profile other Rebels, Mavericks, and Heretics In Any/All Fields for possible inclusion as future entries to  _Disruptive Science_

Take Home Message:  _Rebels, Mavericks, and Heretics in Biology_ Is Highly Recommended for Summer Reading.

Regards,

/Gerry

Gerry McKiernan
Associate Professor
Science and Technology Librarian
Iowa State University Library
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck at iastate.edu 

There is Nothing More Powerful Than  An Idea Whose Time Has Come 
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