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The later chapters are rich in techniques and intuition applicable to atom-trapping, spectroscopy, laser theory, etc. Cohen-Tannoudji covers a lot of material, and manages to link it all to a few basic fundamental principles. The book is extremely well-organized, with bite-sized sections and appendices to each chapter. An excellent collection of exercises with solutions is included in the back. Unfortunately, the text does not prompt the reader to try working these problems at appropriate times (sadly, I didn't realize the exercises were there until I'd been using the book for some time). Like Photons and Atoms, this is primarily a book for theorists; its one weakness, I feel, is that the principles, however clear, never seem connected to the actual numbers that an experimentalist or system designer can relate to.
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Some of the highlights for me include: the description of the drying up and reflooding of the Mediterranean during the Miocene; the unusual incidence of species endemism and its relationship not only to topographical diversity but to unusual geological substrates; the profiles of curious creatures such as the blind cave salamander and Etruscan shrew; the range of adaptations to diverse environments, such as the case of the Turkish hippo that crossed over to Cyprus 100,000 years ago and dwindled to the size of a pig; the fascinating coevolution of figs and wasps; and most of all, the manifold impact that humans have had upon the region for the past 10,000 years (chapter 8). The authors conclude with a look at what can be done to sustain the biodiversity of this fascinating region.