Speaking of the K-Pg boundary, I just recently read Walter Alvarez' T. Rex and the Crater of Doom, which is a popular account of how the Chicxulub impact theory

Speaking of the K-Pg boundary, I just recently read Walter Alvarez' T. Rex and the Crater of Doom, which is a popular account of how the Chicxulub impact theory came about and was ultimately substantiated, with the author himself having been one of the key figures in the proceedings. Aside from being a really fun scientific detective story, it provides great insight into the application of the scientific method. The impact theory was up against scientific gospel at the time, but it was gospel that had spread for good reasons and had proven very beneficial to the science of geology. It also provided for a trial by fire that ultimately made for a stronger, better-argued theory. Stories of the initial struggle of revolutionary ideas are told frequently, but the challengers tend to be cast as the villains of the piece, or are presented as dimwitted - Alvarez is far kinder to his naysayers, and this angle is very interesting. It's a book about fundamental research, but also about the complexities of science as a human enterprise. Plus I'm about the right age that I remember reading in kids' science magazines about these discoveries as they were happening, so it made for good nostalgia :). Here's a link to Wikipedia's ISBN page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0375702105 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0375702105