The Real Science Behind the X-Files: Microbes, Meteorites, and Mutants

Rating:
Summary: Way More Entertaining than a normal biology textbook...
Review: Sexual tension aside, the coolest thing about this show seems to be the questions it poses about nature and science as we know it. And being a molecular biology student, I always get a kick out of shooting down the supposed theories that the show's characters spout out. It's hard sometimes to figure out if Chris Carter and the powers that be are really serious about certain phenomenons/ideas. This book clears it up nicely. Dr. Simon is completely knowledgeable about these topics and presents the information with much more gusto than your typical molecular biology textbook. I'd rather be tested on her book come final exams, but such is life! :)

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Reading
Review: This book makes fascinating reading, even for the non-scientist and non X-File fan. Personally, my last forays into science were sometime in the tenth grade, and I've only seen the X-Files show sporadically. But Professor Simon explains the scientific rationale behind the episodes in such an entertaining and illuminating manner, I never missed a beat. She is a thoroughly competent scientist, but I think it's her excellent storytelling ability that sets this work apart. As someone who's tried to struggle through a number of "science for laypeople" books and put them down unfinished, I would recommend this book as a very entertaining read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read! Entertaining and enlightening
Review: This is a great book for people who watch the X-Files and pay attention to the stuff Scully talks about. It is interesting to know what Scully means when she mentions things like "DNA sequencing" and "scanning electron microscope". For the intellectual viewers of The X-Files, this tome is full of facts about the leading-edge science that is the backbone of the show.

Rating:
Summary: The Real Science Behind the X-Files
Review: This is a great book for X-Files fans, but also for anyone who has even a passing interest in science. If you think science is dull, boring, difficult, only for nerds or without a shred of imagination - read this book. It is filled with lots of scientific facts and anecdotes that are, sorry Chris Carter, better than the X-Files. It turns out real science is more interesting than science fiction. The book is written so people of all levels can understand the concepts behind the X-Files, and some other ideas that are at the forefront of scientific research in the world today. I wanted to share this with a lot of my friends, and not only my science friends. I never new science could be so exciting. It turns out, that, science, like everything else, needs a little bit of luck, hard work, and a lot of imagination to discover the "microbes, meterorites, & mutants" that make this planet go around. A great gift, and get one for yourself.