New Book Review

[studiot]

I am posting here because it is my experience that members don't bother with the books section.
At least this way those interested in Earth Science will see it.

I have been reading a New Scientist  up to date overview of Earth Science, released in 2018.

New Scientist Instant Expert Series

This is Planet Earth.

Well, the book, though a small paperback, is ambitious.

"Your ultimate guide to the world we call home"

It certainly boasts some exceeding clear well presented diagrams, even though they are all in grey shading.

It is also a compilation of chapters from well qualified scientists in Oceanography, Biology, Geology/Geophysics, Climatology/Meteorology, Seismology and so on.

The book is aimed at a broad sweep for the lay person and much of the presented material does indeed bring the subject bang up to date.

 

But there is something missing.
 

I am not sure about the editorial policy of the New Scientist.

Because the book contains quite a few dubious claims, without substantiation.

This issue of missing substantiation goes further because even statments that are well established as correct fall short so the reader is not offered a way of verifying them or delving deeper into them.

For instance after a solid coherent short history of seismology with one of those excellent diagrams, the statement is made about the mantle

Quote

Without fresh samples, geologists struggle to confirm even simple facts about what the mantle is made of, how it is formed and how it works.
Instead they have to piece together their theories about the mantle using indirect evidence and knowledge gleaned from lab experiments.

But it does not explain what lab experiments or where to find out about them, nor does it explain the the connections between these experiments and the planet.
Tremendous and very suprising advances have been made in the last decade here and these experiments are not mentioned.

The other difficulty for critical appraisal is the stype of presenting yerbuts. Speculations and hypotheses are presented as though they were gospel and then the chapters present an alternative by saying that. Professor XXX is finding something different on the other side of the world....

So if any member is thinking of referring to this book as support here or elsewhere, remember this and read it properly.
It is very difficult to tell what is firmed up and what is still at the supposition stage.