The best American science writing 2011 / Rebecca Skloot and Floyd Skloot, editors; Jesse Cohen, series editor.

The mess he made / Michael S. Rosenwald -- What broke my father's heart / Katy Butler -- Mother courage / John Colapinto -- Hot air / Charles Homans -- The singularity / Carl Zimmer -- BP's deep secrets / Julia Whitty -- The estrogen dilemma / Cynthia Gorney -- The animal-cruelty syndrome / Charles Siebert -- A soft spot for circuitry / Amy Harmon -- Cary in the sky with diamonds / Cari Beauchamp and Judy Balaban -- The longest home run ever / John Brenkus -- Professor tracks injuries with aim of prevention / Alan Schwarz -- The trouble with scientists / Deborah Blum -- Gut bacteria in Japanese people borrowed sushi-digesting genes from ocean bacteria / Ed Yong -- The data trail / Tim Folger -- Nature's spoils / Burkhard Bulger -- Earth on fire / Kristin Ohlson -- A deadly misdiagnosis / Michael Specter -- The enemy within / Mark Bowden -- The convenant / Peter J. Boyer -- The mathematics of terror / Andrew Curry.