“Yawning,” an essay for the Nov./Dec. 2005 issue of American Scientist magazine written by Robert Provine, professor of psychology and an internationally renowned expert on the science of laughter and other contagious behavior, has been selected for inclusion in the “Best American Science Writing 2006.” The latest in the series of annual compilations of top scientific writing in the nation will be published on September 1 by Ecco/Harper Perennial.