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TEN PATTERNS THAT EXPLAIN THE UNIVERSE

Name: TEN PATTERNS THAT EXPLAIN THE UNIVERSE
Author: Brian Clegg
ISBN: 978-0-262-54286-9

by Brian Clegg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 28, 2021

Ingenious, often complex insights from an expert.

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The prolific science writer offers another illuminating education on many scientific phenomena. “It would be impossible to cope with the world,” writes the author, “if we didn’t have patterns…that inform us of how to deal with, say, an apple or a light switch, so that we don’t have to start from scratch each and every time.” After proposing this theme, Clegg delivers 10 isolated essays on topics ranging from the recognizable (DNA, periodic table) to the arcane (number lines, Feynman diagrams). Teachers traditionally portray evolution as a tree; a primitive life form, the trunk, evolves into numerous, more complex organisms, the thinner branches. In reality, this is not what happens. The “branches” often thicken, double back, and become simpler. Fifty years ago, biologists offered a more accurate description in the form of a cladogram, which merely shows in what order a species split from a common ancestor. This works even when scientists haven’t found that ancestor. Regarding more cosmic matters, Clegg shows that while everyone can picture length, width, and depth, three of Einstein’s four dimensions, adding time seems nonsensical. Enter Einstein’s math professor, Hermann Minkowski, who developed an ingenious diagram that shows how time and space are related and inseparable. After the Big Bang, the universe was so hot that only charged particles such as protons and electrons existed. Charged particles absorb photons (i.e. light), so the early universe was dark. After 380,000 years of expansion and cooling, most charged particles combined to form electrically neutral atoms. Suddenly photons could travel, and the cosmos filled with light. These light photons expanded and cooled along with the universe, and today, 13.8 billion years later, they shine from everywhere as the cosmic microwave background. First detected in 1964, they reveal the earliest structures of the universe. This is not TV science; Clegg presents difficult concepts—e.g., infinity is not a number; genes form only a trivial part of a chromosome—but there are satisfying rewards to science-inclined readers. Ingenious, often complex insights from an expert.

Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-262-54286-9

Page Count: 224

Publisher: MIT Press

Review Posted Online: July 17, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021

Categories:

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
TEN DAYS IN PHYSICS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD
by Brian Clegg

- BOOK REVIEW
ARE NUMBERS REAL?
by Brian Clegg

- BOOK REVIEW
TEN BILLION TOMORROWS
by Brian Clegg

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

by Jorge Cham & Daniel Whiteson ; illustrated by Jorge Cham ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 2, 2021

A solid foundational education in a handful of lively scientific topics.

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Two science podcasters answer their mail.

In this illustrated follow-up to We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe (2017), Cham, a cartoonist and former research associate and instructor at Caltech, and Whiteson, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine, explain the basic science behind subjects that seem to preoccupy the listeners of their podcast, Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. Most of the questions involve physics or astrophysics and take the form of, is such-and-such possible?—e.g., teleportation, alien visitors, building a warp drive, entering a black hole). The authors emphasize that they are answering as scientists, not engineers. “A physicist will say something is possible if they don’t know of a law of physics that prevents it.” Thus, a spaceship traveling fast enough to reach the nearest star in a reasonable amount of time is not forbidden by the laws of physics, but building one is inconceivable. Similarly, wormholes and time travel are “not known to be impossible”—as are many other scenarios. Some distressing events are guaranteed. An asteroid will strike the Earth, the sun will explode, and the human race will become extinct, but studies reveal that none are immediate threats. Sadly, making Mars as habitable as Earth is possible but only with improbably futuristic technology. For those who suspect that we are living in a computer simulation, the authors describe what clues to look for. Readers may worry that the authors step beyond their expertise when they include chapters on the existence of an afterlife or the question of free will. Sticking closely to hard science, they deliver a lucid overview of brain function and the debate over the existence of alternate universes that is unlikely to provoke controversy. The authors’ work fits neatly into the recently burgeoning market of breezy pop-science books full of jokes, asides, and cartoons that serve as introductions to concepts that require much further study to fully understand.

A solid foundational education in a handful of lively scientific topics.

Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-18931-3

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Riverhead

Review Posted Online: Sept. 6, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021

Categories:

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
OUT OF YOUR MIND
by Jorge Cham & Dwayne Godwin

- BOOK REVIEW
OLIVER'S GREAT BIG UNIVERSE
by Jorge Cham ; illustrated by Jorge Cham

- BOOK REVIEW
OLIVER'S GREAT BIG UNIVERSE
by Jorge Cham ; illustrated by Jorge Cham

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

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Kirkus Reviews'
Best Books Of 2016

New York Times Bestseller

SEVEN BRIEF LESSONS ON PHYSICS

by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Simon Carnell & Erica Segre ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2016

An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

GET IT

Kirkus Reviews'
Best Books Of 2016

New York Times Bestseller

Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.

These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.

An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.