A periodically interesting, though occasionally dense discussion of human hormones.
An attempt to show how the wisdom of ancient science explains the effect of hormonal shifts in the context of modern science, and how understanding and controlling hormones can improve people’s lives.
Peck illuminates how humans can tap into their higher powers using truths from ancient texts such as the Rudrayamala of India, and how those truths are borne out by the science of modern endocrinology. In chapters with titles like “Hormones and the Ancient Nectar of the Gods,” the author tries to connect the ancients’ claims–such as the ability to mentally gird one’s self, thus increasing outer physical powers–with his modern-day controlled experiments showing the success of such techniques to improve response time. Peck, a retired scientist, also addresses the process of becoming a god, through what’s best described as meditation and self-stimulation to produce hormonal benefits. Some of the author’s most interesting writing is offered through anecdotal material (he’s 80 and enjoys with his wife an “ever-increasing ecstasy, union, vitality, sexuality, and creativity”) and his free-ranging footnotes, from scientific journals like the Journal of the American Medical Association to bestsellers like The G Spot. The book also includes a variety of translations of texts addressing ancient hormone-controlling practices, including the Hathapradipika and the RigVeda; readers may be tempted to skip over the many sections containing the original verses in favor of the author’s interesting translations. The author’s discussion of self-directed hormonal changes–some of which involve stimulating the breasts and the perineum–may initially strike the reader as odd, but his frank discussion of how such subjects became taboo and how they make sense in light of recent scientific research (for example, on the benefits of tears and laughter in producing beneficial hormonal changes) makes them seem more credible. Though the author attempts to use direct, easy-to-understand language, the nature of his work–drawing on both current scientific research and ancient texts–inevitably leads into some challenging reading, despite his best intentions.
A periodically interesting, though occasionally dense discussion of human hormones.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-917828-12-6
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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