The Universe Inside You: The Extreme Science of the Human Body From Quantum Theory to the Mysteries of the Brain by Brian Clegg (PDF)

Description

In the sequel to his best-selling Inflight Science, Brian Clegg offers a spectacular tour through the human body.He explores mitochondria, in-cell powerhouses once separate creatures; how your eyes consume million-year-old photons of light; your many senses, which include the ability to detect warps in space and time; and why meeting an attractive person can turn you into a gibbering idiot.Brian Clegg is a science writer who lives in Wiltshire, England. His previous books include Before the Big Bang (St Martin’s Griffin, 2011) and Inflight Science (Totem Books, 2011).

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Brian Clegg: Brian Clegg is the author of a number of popular science titles including Inflight Science (2011). He is a science writer living in Wiltshire, England, and runs www.popularscience.co.uk.www.brianclegg.net

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

⭐The Universe Inside You: The Extreme Science of the Human Body From Quantum Theory to the Mysteries of the Brain by Brian Clegg”The Universe Inside You” is a very engaging and educational book that takes us on an exploration of science of our bodies. By using our body as a laboratory the author cleverly takes us to other realms of science and helps us gain a better understanding of the world around and in us. Popular science writer Brian Clegg, provides the reader with a fun and interesting way to learn about the peculiarities of the human body by using the most current of scientific knowledge. I enjoyed this accessible and fun science book. This 224-page book is composed of the following nine chapters: 1. In the mirror, 2. A single hair, 3. Locked up in a cell, 4. Through fresh eyes, Marching on the stomach, 6. Feeling dizzy, 7. Two by two, 8. Crowning glory, and 9. Mirror, mirror.Positives:1. Great accessible science writing.2. A fun science book.3. A very engaging book, the author provides experiments and a link so that readers can test out firsthand the concepts presented.4. Great use of converging sciences at an accessible level to explain the human body.5. A fun-filled fact book. “A typical human head houses around 100,000 hairs, those with blonde will usually have about the average, and those with red hair rather fewer”. The book is loaded with interesting factoids.6. Human evolution…never boring.7. A number of scientific discoveries inserted into an interesting narrative.8. So much scientific territory was covered in such a brief book. Kudos.9. The standard model of physics.10. The significance of water in biology.11. Fun with genetics. DNA, RNA, genes, epigenetics…12. Basic quantum physics.13. Optics for the masses…I see.14. Cosmology for good measure.15. Does a good job of debunking many long-held preconceptions in science.16. Elementary chemistry.17. Laws of thermodynamics.18. The five key flavors detected by our taste buds.19. A nice discussion about our senses.20. The four forces that make it possible for our bodies to exist. Interesting.21. Einstein’s special relativity.22. Thought-provoking ideas, time travel.23. The fascinating world of the human brain. Memory, decision-making and so much cool stuff.24. A very interesting look at evolution and some misconceptions.25. An appendix that basically serves as a bibliography.Negatives:1. This book is intended for the masses. Scientists or people heavily involved in any of these fields will find the book fairly basic.2. A couple of errors of little consequence. A repeated word, a misspell…but that was about it.3. No links to the appendix section.In summary, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fun science book that would make for a perfect gift for the layperson interested in science. I’ve read a number of science books as my further suggestions below will attest so a lot of what is presented in this book I am familiar with but I always learn something new and it also helped me better understand scientific concepts. Brian Clegg does a wonderful job of introducing readers to a number of scientific fields while using the human body as the template of the journey. A worthwhile and enlightening read for the masses, I recommend it.Further suggestions: ”

⭐” by Guy P. Harrison, ”

⭐” by Jerry A. Coyne, ”

⭐” by Sean B. Carroll, ”

⭐” by Richard Dawkins, ”

⭐” by Neil Shubin, ”

⭐” by Michael Shermer, ”

⭐” by Michael S. Gazzaniga, ”

⭐” by Carol Travis and Elliot Aronson, ”

⭐” by Robert M. Hazen and James Trefil, and ”

⭐” by Bruce M. Hood.

⭐Most of the science presented is state of the art, but some is presented as unequivocal fact when it actually is still hypothetical (multiverse, string theory), and sometimes expressing a desire to debunk creationism and intelligent design, things which could well deserve debunking but which have little to do with the title and purpose of this book.

⭐This book was just full of little facts about the human body that most people wouldn’t know. Plus Brian Clegg is a genius. He has written many other books about different sciences.

⭐THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. IT HAS A LOT OF INTERESTING MATERIAL IN IT. IT’S INTERSTING AND FASCINATING.

⭐This book is easy to understand.Interesting and concise explanation.

⭐After reading many popular science books, I could grasp some of the phenomena scientists know how about. Finaly I could understand the difference between weight and mass; I could visualize easily an atom and its particles; and more.Highly recommended!

⭐Where to start? Well, you learn that EVERYTHING that made your body AND is IN in your body can be found elsewhere in the universe making and is in the universe. What a book!

⭐My wife told me to buy this book. So I bought it. I do not know she use it for my kids.

⭐Bought this during the Kindle Sale and was expecting nothing more than an interesting “this is how your body works” kinda thing.You get so much more.I’m a science geek, there I said it, and I love reading anything sciencey. I know a lot about the topics about which the author has written in this book, but to see it explained even more in depth, in understandable terms, really gave me a kick. I must’ve giggled like a schoolgirl a dozen times reading this, saying “I KNOW this” as you come across familiar concepts and theories, and it really does give you a buzz to see it there written down for you, exactly as you know them and then taken further. That probably sounds like the geekiest thing you’ll ever read, and this is on the internet for christ sake, where people put up photos of themselves wearing Star trek uniforms, or make videos of themselves waving around toy lightsabers as if they were really duelling a Sith lord, so I know how mental that must sound, but honesty, if you’ve an interest in science at all, this book will elicit the same reaction from you.There are occasional lapses into the more hardcore mind bending realms, but they are few and far between and serve as nothing more that to let you know that what you think you understand is just the tip of the iceberg towards a whole new plain of weirdness.It’s not the most authoritative encylclopedia on the world of science, but what it touches on and it’s relationship to you, your body, the earth, the universe, everything that is, ever has been and will be is truly fascinating, and it’s with full credit to Brian Clegg that he manages to take you on this rollercoaster of a ride and out the other side more informed and more amazed.The only problem is that is seems to finish quite suddenly, but in a way, that’s a good thing, as it’s a clear indicator if just how much you were enjoying it that you are sorry to finish it.I’m almost sorry I bought this in the sale, as I’d be extremely happy to pay full price for this. I’ll definitely be buying future titles from the author if this is anything to go by.

⭐I bought this book in the hope I’d learn something about about biology and the human body; instead I got a book which uses the human body as a jumping off point to talk about other things: atoms and quantum physics and what happens to a helium balloon in a braking car (it heads towards the rear of the car because deceleration is acceleration in the opposite direction, and acceleration is the same as gravity, and the helium is lighter than air so heads away from gravity (or something), hence anybody in the back seat gets smacked in the face with a balloon, which I consider a tremendously useful tip).It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not what I was looking for from this book because I’ve already read a couple of other books which cover some of the same subjects and more (like Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything). I also found this a bit of a trog in places, but as it’s split into short sections it’s very easy to read a couple of pages, go away and come back.When it’s interesting, it is very interesting, the tone is light and the explanations clear. I certainly learned something, but at other times I would have liked it to be a bit more comprehensive. There are also numerous mentions of experiments etc you can do on the associated website. Although that’s a good thing if you’re interested, for me I’d rather have a book which isn’t constantly telling you to go to a website. If I’m reading a book, I’m reading a book. As I am already familiar with most of the experiments referred to, I didn’t have any problems reading the text about them. Even if you weren’t familiar with the experiments, I think you’d be okay.I read this on Kindle and had no problems doing so – there are a few diagrams but they were all clear to me.So, not really what I was looking for but decent for what it is. If I hadn’t already known a good quarter of what was in this book, it may well have been four stars. I’d certainly consider other books by the author.

⭐I found this a bit hit and miss. Some of it is fascinating, but periodically it loses my interest completely. The explanations are also variable – some are great, a new way of thinking of things that really brings an idea to life and makes it easily digestible, but others are too topline and fail to shine any light on anything at all. I have a science background, and I found some of it difficult to follow. The editing could have tightened some things up a little – there are at least four separate discussions of quantum particles, but it felt like there were bits missing elsewhere that could have been expanded. Overall, a great idea with some good bits, but not for beginners, and perhaps misses the point slightly in places.

⭐The title of this book slightly undersells the content: although all the topics covered have their starting point in the human body, the book is really a useful primer on numerous topics in physics, chemistry and of course biology. Very readable, and not spending too long on any one subject, this modest volume will almost certainly bring to your attention at least some facts you were previously unaware of.If there is a drawback, it is that the subjects covered change almost too quickly. So very little is gone into in any depth.Overall, though, this book can be recommended to anyone who wants to learn more various areas of science and how they relate to us.

⭐How do we see, hear, taste, smell? How do our bodies function? How do our emotions affect the way we live?This book looks at all aspects of the buman body and shows how it reacts in different circumstances. You don’t have to be a Chemist, Physicist or Biologist to appreciate these things as Brian Clegg points out so well to the layman how our bodies control our lives. A great read, some great experiments to do, plus links to his website where even more experiments are available to try.

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