edited by David Quammen & Burkhard Bilger ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 26, 2000
Readable and thought-provoking, if flawed by its underemphasis on the physical sciences.
An admirable attempt—the first in a series—to put some of the best new ideas in science into one volume.
Outside columnist Quammen states his bias up-front: science is a human activity, an aspect of our culture. It’s a proposition that, taken at face value, is undebatable; but as a criterion for assembling this collection, it inevitably skews the choice of materials toward such selections as Wendell Berry’s “Back to the Land” (an apologia for the agrarian movement) or Paul de Palma’s “http.www.when_is_enough_ enough?.com” (a sober and long-needed challenge to the notion that every user needs the newest and fastest computer on the market). Such anti-materialist points need to be made, and the authors make them eloquently. Nor is it any great surprise to find an anthology aimed at a popular audience putting the emphasis on the biological sciences and on health issues: Natalie Angier, for example, takes on the myth that men are by nature more promiscuous than women; Richard Conniff gives us a look at the social structure of an African dog pack; and Richard Preston warns of the dangers of biological warfare. Each piece is well written, and each will have many readers nodding at the authors’ insights. But readers interested in the physical sciences are likely to feel shortchanged. Are there no writers on astronomy or physics as eloquent as Berry? One suspects that the editor’s bias has led him away from those branches of science, represented only by Gary Taubes’s exposition of the newest wrinkles in string theory, which closes the volume. And a more creative editor might have grouped essays to create dialogues among the various writers, rather than printing them in straight alphabetical order.
Readable and thought-provoking, if flawed by its underemphasis on the physical sciences.Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2000
ISBN: 0-618-08294-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000
Share your opinion of this book
More by David Quammen
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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...
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.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
Share your opinion of this book
More by Carlo Rovelli
BOOK REVIEW
by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Simon Carnell
BOOK REVIEW
by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Marion Lignana Rosenberg
BOOK REVIEW
by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Erica Segre & Simon Carnell
by Richard Rhodes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1986
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
Share your opinion of this book
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.