Natalie Angier talked about her book The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science, published by Houghton Mifflin. She drew on conversations with hundreds of the world’s top scientists and her own work as a reporter to create a guide to explain the basic principles of science. She talked about the foundation for each scientific discipline and the knowledge the average person needs to understand current events. Ms. Angier also talked about the urgent need for improvements in science education as each year fewer and fewer American students opt to study science. She read excerpts from her book and responded to questions from members of the audience.