by M ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2014
A highly relatable, accessible popular-science book.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
A sharp, highly scientific book about the intersection of evolutionary biology and the meaning of life.
In this popular-science debut, author M explores modern evolutionary understanding in an accessible, detailed manner. Ranging from the origin of life to the advent of genetically modified organisms, M tackles common misconceptions about the way cells interact, the way the first nucleated cell may have arisen, and how chromosome features called telomeres could lead to longer lives. On the surface, the book reads like a basic course in evolutionary biology, but at its core, it’s a philosophical exploration of how one can ascribe deeper meaning to biological facts and scientific ideas. The book’s greatest strength rests on its solid foundation in modern science; for example, it conveys sophisticated ideas regarding stem cell research and how it’s misunderstood. M also delves into the concepts of love, empathy and free will, placing humanity squarely within the animal kingdom but never devaluing the power of emotions. He even dives headfirst into a discussion of the long-term ethical and religious ramifications of immortality and artificial life. At times, M comes close to ascribing purpose to natural selection, a process shaped by circumstance and environment; one might suspect that humans are a “goal” of evolution, but this ignores the fact that every other creature alive today has been continuously evolving. At other times, the science overwhelms the philosophical underpinnings promised in the text. That said, this is a book to be dissected chapter by chapter and digested slowly. Indeed, it’s the kind of book that should be passed from hand to hand in classrooms among students and teachers, read by senators and congressmen, and savored in graduate seminars. Anyone who can credibly convince readers of his answer to the question, “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?,” deserves attention.
A highly relatable, accessible popular-science book.Pub Date: April 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-1499150179
Page Count: 240
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by Lulu Miller illustrated by Kate Samworth ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2020
A quirky wonder of a book.
A Peabody Award–winning NPR science reporter chronicles the life of a turn-of-the-century scientist and how her quest led to significant revelations about the meaning of order, chaos, and her own existence.
Miller began doing research on David Starr Jordan (1851-1931) to understand how he had managed to carry on after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed his work. A taxonomist who is credited with discovering “a full fifth of fish known to man in his day,” Jordan had amassed an unparalleled collection of ichthyological specimens. Gathering up all the fish he could save, Jordan sewed the nameplates that had been on the destroyed jars directly onto the fish. His perseverance intrigued the author, who also discusses the struggles she underwent after her affair with a woman ended a heterosexual relationship. Born into an upstate New York farm family, Jordan attended Cornell and then became an itinerant scholar and field researcher until he landed at Indiana University, where his first ichthyological collection was destroyed by lightning. In between this catastrophe and others involving family members’ deaths, he reconstructed his collection. Later, he was appointed as the founding president of Stanford, where he evolved into a Machiavellian figure who trampled on colleagues and sang the praises of eugenics. Miller concludes that Jordan displayed the characteristics of someone who relied on “positive illusions” to rebound from disaster and that his stand on eugenics came from a belief in “a divine hierarchy from bacteria to humans that point[ed]…toward better.” Considering recent research that negates biological hierarchies, the author then suggests that Jordan’s beloved taxonomic category—fish—does not exist. Part biography, part science report, and part meditation on how the chaos that caused Miller’s existential misery could also bring self-acceptance and a loving wife, this unique book is an ingenious celebration of diversity and the mysterious order that underlies all existence.
A quirky wonder of a book.Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5011-6027-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 1, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
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
© 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.