At the Edge of Uncertainty: 11 Discoveries Taking Science by Surprise by Michael Brooks (PDF)

Description

The atom. The Big Bang. DNA. Natural selection. All are ideas that have revolutionized science―and all were dismissed out of hand when they first ap­peared. The surprises haven’t stopped in recent years, and in At the Edge of Uncertainty, bestselling author Michael Brooks investigates the new wave of radical insights that are shaping the future of scientific discovery. Brooks takes us to the extreme frontiers of what we understand about the world. He journeys from the observations that might rewrite our story of how the cosmos came to be, through the novel biology behind our will to live, and on to the physi­ological root of consciousness. Along the way, he examines how it’s time to redress the gender im­balance in clinical trials, explores how merging hu­mans with other species might provide a solution to the shortage of organ donors, and finds out whether the universe really is like a computer or if the flow of time is a mere illusion.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Brooks details research being conducted on the extreme frontiers of science…in this absorbing piece of reportage…scintillating… the edgy edge of scientific investigation presented with verve.” —Kirkus “Brooks highlights numerous areas of research that give pause to many scientists and throw lay readers into confusion in this challenging and mind-bending work. This confusion follows in no part from Brooks’s skills as a writer and explicator of science, but from topics that are difficult to face, whether it be the philosophical morass of human/animal tissue combinations called “chimera” or the startling finding that time as we experience it may well be an illusion. Brooks handily works his way through these thorny problems, highlighting current research and researchers along the way.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)”Physicist and writer Michael Brooks wants readers to take a new look at things we think we already understand, and he has an engaging way of making his point…His book touches on advanced computing, essential differences between men and women, the power of the will to live, mysteries of the cosmos and more…The book can leave your brain feeling “battered and bruised,” Brooks writes. But he hopes that you, like the ever-questing scientists he applauds, will want to know more.” —Washington Post Praise for Free Radicals: “An exuberant tour through the world of scientists behaving badly.” —The New York Times “Fascinating . . . Free Radicals reminds readers that scientific advances sometimes require creativity and vision.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer About the Author Michael Brooks, who holds a PhD in quantum physics, is the author of Free Radicals and 13 Things that Don’t Make Sense. He is a consultant at New Scientist and has a biweekly column for New Statesman.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐In the beginning of the book, the author describes how science works. He describes being on a beach with the normal, everyday scientists working on the lower part of the beach, but still well above the water line doing yeoman’s work, or crossing the t’s and doting the i’s. Further down the beach, at the water’s edge are people working on new ideas that aren’t radical, but that will still have a major impact on science and finally there are the scientists that are way out in the water. They are the ones that are working on science that is so far out that it will create a paradigm shift in how we think of things. This book is about 11 of those paradigm shifting theories and what they mean.I won’t describe them here…in truth, I probably couldn’t properly, even if I wanted to, but they were all mind altering in their implications. This is science on the cutting edge and will most likely expose the reader to things they had never thought about, let alone thought were possible. In addition, this science is far from settled. Scientists are still arguing about much of it, which is how science is supposed to work.It was a very interesting book and one which I will re-read several times. The material is so foreign to what I know, or thought I knew, that I am sure I missed some of the information as I was reading. Although the author is himself a scientist, he presents the information in an easy to read and understand format. I would recommend this to anyone, but in particular to people who are interested in science and where science is headed in the future.

⭐Great Book

⭐Good Stuff…chapters on chimera’s are horrifying

⭐This book was purchased as a gift for my son in law and it appears that he is enjoying the book.

⭐This book is a challenge to read,but very exciting at the same time. It’s to be read twice. Keep learning.

⭐The author does well to open up the boundaries of our finite understanding by laying the book out into 12 seperate thought provoking chapters. It is a must read for those wishing to unravel certain dogmas and begin to think outside the box.

⭐The first couple of times the subject moved in to areas I know about I was surprised by how inaccurate it was, but I gave the writer the benefit of the doubt and assumed his strength was in other areas. But as the book went on I found that every time he talked about an area in which I am knowledgeable he was inaccurate, and sometimes not only incorrect but wildly off course, and yet writing with confidence. It was as though someone had explained the subjects to him underwater in a foreign language. So eventually I lost faith in what was being said altogether.

⭐If the author has a Ph.D. in quantum physics, it does not show. My background is in the physical sciences so I can’t comment about the biology, but his incorrect statement of the facts is appalling. A typical example is his discussion of the photoelectric effect which he describes as a resonance effect — it is NOT. His other descriptions of physical science phenomena are also full of errors. Considering his claim of having a doctorate in quantum physics, I must question that statement. I am really disappointed.

⭐Excellent read. Entertaining as well as educational. The writer keeps you engaged with an interesting style and crucially he does not avoid complex issues; he makes great efforts to delve into difficult and complex theories but at the same time he uses language that tries to allow the ‘lay reader’ access to what can be described as difficult/complex theoretical physics.

⭐What a fantastic book. Forget dry science. The author has a way of bringing complicated ideas and concepts into easy to understand language. I bought this one because I loved his previous book, thirteen things that don’t make sense.Please please write another one. I can’t recommend this highly enough. I’d give it ten stars if I could.

⭐This is the second Michael Brookes book on science that I’ve read and I enjoyed them both. There is something compelling about the areas in science where consensus hasn’t been reached and these books make these areas accessible for the layperson by striking the right balance.

⭐Here are insights on matters that have always puzzled mankind. Much more startling are the revelations that strip away our ordinary everyday perceptions and replace them with counterintuitive hard science from the best scientific minds.

⭐A thoroughly enjoyable and accessible read that introduces some of the very interesting notions floating about at the moment. Definitely worth a look.It’s not a text book, and shouldn’t be taken as one, so comments about the accurracy of this that or the other, or whether things should or shouldn’t have been presented as more or less ‘true’ seem misplaced to me.

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