Books

The Open Laboratory 2010: The Best of Science Writing on the Web – buy it here in paperback or here as an e-Book.

The Open Lab series started out almost five years ago when Lulu approached Bora Zivkovic about putting together an anthology containing the fifty best science blog posts of all time (in the spirit of the yearly Best Science Writing books). The response was so great that in 2007, he repeated it with guest editor Reed Cartwright. And in 2008, with guest editor Jennifer Rohn. And in 2009 with guest editor Scicurious. I served as guest editor for the 2010 edition.

Determining the ultimate composition of Open Lab is no easy task, especially since we started out with an unprecedented 900 submissions. Competition was fierce! In the end, these 50 posts (plus 6 poems and 1 cartoon), are representative of the best science and the best writing in the science blogosphere from 2010. Not only is the science accurate and the writing top-notch, but they are highly accessible, and they truly make the reader care about the topic. I hope that this final list succeeds in the goal of showcasing the breadth and depth of the science blogosphere and of highlighting the incredible diversity and talent among science bloggers.

If you aren’t familiar with Open Lab, you can go check out (and purchase!) the each of the five editions here and read the what, how, and why of Open Lab.



Praise for Open Lab 2010
“It’s becoming more and more clear — even to those of us in the much-maligned “mainstream media” — that if you want to really know what’s going on in science, you really need to be reading blogs. And Open Lab consistently picks the best of the best blogs. Read it.”
–Ivan Oransky, MD, Executive Editor, Reuters Health and Blogger, Embargo Watch and Retraction Watch

“This is the best of the science blogosphere 2010, selected by experts, and features something for anyone and everyone curious about the natural world.”
–Sheril Kirshenbaum, author of The Science of Kissing and WIRED Science’s Convergence blog

“Some of the smartest, best informed, and — yes — most entertaining writing about science today can be found in the vibrant community of science bloggers. Each year The Open Laboratory series performs an invaluable service by pulling together some of the highlights — proof that the best blog posts can and should be savored long after they’ve scrolled off the bottom of the screen.”
–Scott Rosenberg, author of Say Everything and Dreaming in Code, and Salon.com cofounder

“The essays and articles featured in the Open Laboratory collections are simply a joy to read, to think about, to discuss, to share. This inspiring project is a true celebration of science and science writing at its best.”
–Amanda Moon, Senior Editor, Scientific American at Farrar, Straus and Giroux

“In each post I found honesty, passion, imagination, curiosity and creativity shining through in a way that the disinterested “article mill” of traditional journalism is rarely able to match.”
–Al Dove, scientist and blogger, in his review

Media Coverage
USC News: Science Writing for Everyone by Ariel Carpenter.