13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time
by Michael Brooks
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List Price: $23.95
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Manufacturer: Doubleday
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 500
EAN: 9780385520683
ISBN: 0385520689
Label: Doubleday
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: 2008-08-12
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 2008-08-12
Studio: Doubleday
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not so baffling things
Comment: I was very disappointed. The first chapter on dark matter and dark energy was indeed a baffling mystery of science. However, many of the 13 things were not so baffling or in a couple of cases not even serious phenomenon.
There is a Nobel Prize waiting for the person who figures out cold fusion, but until someone can actually reproduce the experiments there is no "thing" to be baffled by. Occam's razor does not suggest an alien transmission is the best explanation for SETI's "Wow" signal. The "Wow" signal was a onetime event. It is scientific frustration that we don't have more data from the event, but it isn't one of the most baffling mysteries in science.
The situation gets even worse when the author moves on to free will and homeopathy. I was hoping for a book about the frontiers of science. This was not it. Failing to prove negatives does not constitute scientific mystery.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking and very readable
Comment: This is an outstanding book. It's a thought-provoking examination of thirteen problems in science that have puzzled-- and sometimes embarrassed and angered-- scientists for years. Though it is scientifically rigorous, it is at the same time very readable.
The book is a greatly expanded version of an article that the author wrote for New Scientist magazine. Brooks considers a wide range of issues, including what dark matter and dark energy might be, if they are anything at all; why the Pioneer spacecraft is apparently violating the rules of physics as it leaves the solar system; why scientists decided that the Viking landers on Mars didn't detect life, despite consistent evidence that they did; whether an alien civilization has already contacted us but we weren't listening carefully enough to notice; why death and sex exist, despite their nearly complete lack of evolutionary advantage; how experiments continue to show that cold fusion may be a real phenomenon, despite abundant proof that it can't exist; why the placebo effect works, despite evidence that it doesn't actually exist; and more.
All of this is tied together by a theme: The world's best experts can't always figure things, out, even when large numbers of them agree; indeed, sometimes those experts prevent things from being properly examined, let alone figured out.
The general tone and style of the book reminded me of Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, and John McPhee. There is a LOT to chew on here, but the bites are correctly sized and very tender. The author has a PhD in quantum physics, but he's also a good magazine feature writer. The balance of real science and entertainment is perfect.
I enjoyed this book very much, and I think it will easily repay any reader for the time and money invested in it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Whether there is a problem there is a scientific opportunity
Comment: Michael Brooks chooses thirteen mysteries or anomalies, cases in which we know or learn or have evidence of something which does not fit in with our generally accepted scientific understanding. He discusses these questions and does not provide definite answers in any case. He simply reveals to us the problems and gives us some of the answers which have been proposed. Among the questions he asks are those which relate to fundamental questions in Science. One chapter is devoted to understanding how Life may have been created. Another is devoted to the missing ninety- six percent of the Matter of the Universe which Scientists suppose to be Dark Energy or Dark Matter. Another concerns the question of whether there is Life on Mars. Still another deals with the 'Wow' signal received which seemed to be a response proving that extraterrestials had broadcast to us. But it was never repeated, and it came from a place in the Universe which it appears it could not possibly come from. Another chapter deals with the question of our Free- Will and the neuroscience showing our brain-activity prompting the physical action before we make the conscious decision. There are also chapters on the placebo effect, and homeopathy , two it seems to me , less significant questions. There is also a chapter considering whether Death is genetically programmed or comes from accumulated reproductive cellular errors which come with Age.
Brooks talks in the book about meeting and speaking with John Horgan who has written about 'the End of Science'. Brooks clearly takes the opposite view and considers Science very much alive, especially in those areas where it , as in the cases he studies, does not have clear understanding.
An excellent work which once again proves the old truth that the more we do know the more we know there is to know that we don't know now.
Customer Rating:
Summary: No answers, but a deeper understanding of things
Comment: The book is excellent in showing some major things we kind of take for granted, but really shouldn't, because to come up with dramatic advances in science or in understanding, we have a better chance when pondering these challenges.
There are some things I will never think in quite the same way after reading this book, like:
1. The universe is expanding, but doing so at an ever faster rate. Therefore, we should be ready to alter current science, like our understanding of gravity. The author presents the concepts of dark energy (causing the ever faster expansion) and dark matter (affecting the shape, size and spin of galaxies). Plus, that can lead us to question whether scientific constants, are actually constant or might vary somewhat over millions or billions of years. Then, there is cold fusion and we still can't say it isn't possible.
2. As for 'Life', we still don't know how it began. NASA once claimed they had found life on Mars, through the Viking exploration, but then not sure. In 1977, we received a radio signal from space, and still not sure if it was or wasn't some alien communication. The best hope for some signal would likely be some fundamental mathematical code or a laser beam.
Maybe a virus was the first form of life. There are some indications that this is possible.
3. As for 'Aging' and 'Death', some fish, amphibians and reptiles don't seem to age. Some organisms don't appear to die. There is some thought that death was only introduced to protect against damaged DNA being passed on, so maybe by tinkering with our DNA we can extend life and the vibrancy of life.
4. Why 'Sex', since many living things reproduce assexually? Maybe to purge deleterious mutations or evolve to get rid of parasites and parasites evolve to always be able to find a home. Plus, since female animals don't always select the strongest or most dominant male, maybe something else at work, like what is in the best interest of the whole group. Mathematical Game Theory does seem to indicate that the best solution is when most, in a group, are optimally happy. So, is the reason for sex mathematically based? Interesting.
5. As for 'Free Will', do we really have it? There are some scientific studies which show our actual actions can precede the mind's actual awareness of wanting to start the action. It is noted that most psychological disorders involve people who try to exert maybe too much control over their life. Maybe a better road to sanity is acknowledging we aren't in control. Anyway, it does seem likely we have a lot less free will than we think we have.
6. The 'Placebo Effect' does seem to work, like the drug, Valium, doesn't seem to work unless the patient knows he/she is taking it. But, why the placebo affect works, we still don't know.
7. Homeopathy does seem to work beyond what might be attributed to the placebo effect. But, why? We don't know.
Anyway, this book is really great at making a reader just think a little deeper about some pretty important things.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Quantifying Ignorance...the fractal nature of knowledge
Comment: "I believe that knowledge is fractal in nature. No matter how much we learn, what remains how seemingly small is infinitely complex."
Isaac Asimov
In detailing 13 mysteries at the edge of modern science Michael Brooks expertly lays bare fertile domains for scientific progress. But much more than that, referencing history and historical shifts in perspective that accompanied scientific advance (as for example, when the church attempted to suppress the writings of Galileo and was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so) Brooks also suggests that shifts in perspective may be necessary for us to gain the advance we seek.
But enough about generalities...let's take glimpse at the mysteries surveyed by Brooks:
1) The search for the missing mass in the universe: Today's physicists believe they can only fully explain four percent of what constitutes the universe. The remaining 96 percent has been supposedly divided into dark matter and dark energy owing to qualities about some of it that seem to behave more like matter and others that seem to behave more like energy. However, another proposal is that our understanding of gravity itself is at fault and just as Einstein had to tweek Isaac Newton's concepts of gravity in relation to light we may also have to tweek them in relation to supposedly empty space...which relates to the next mystery:
2) The Pioneer anomaly: In the early 1970s the US sent out two Pioneer probes that are now both past Pluto. Yet amazingly both of them are off course and by the same degree than would be predicted under traditional notions of gravitational pull. Have our probes journeyed far enough to make contact with that missing universe aluded to in the first mystery? The answer to that question is related to our next mystery:
3) Varying Constants: The set strength of the various fundamental forces of nature may not be constant. For those whose appetite is whetted by this chapter, please read Oxford University Prof. John Barrow's book entitled simply "Constants of the Universe." In a rough way, this mystery relates to the next one:
4) Whether cold fusion is possible: Thanks to Einstein's famous E = MC2 huge amounts of energy can be produced by either nuclear fission (the division of nuclear particles) or alternatively fusion (the unification of certain nuclear particles). For those familiar with US A bomb and H bomb testing videos and Godzilla movies, this process is usually a very dramatic one. If cold fusion were possible it would bode significantly against global energy concerns. And while we still don't know for sure if it can be done, we do know that the US Navy is convinced enough to massively fund research in this area. From this mystery, we leap to our next one:
5) How did life originate: Wisely Brooks peppers this part of his book heavily with quotations from both Erwin Schroedinger whose 1944 essay of the same name is still in print and also Adelaide U prof Paul Davies fantastic book The Fifth Miracle. While personally, I believe life will ultimately be found to a fairly common emergent property on certain types of planets and moons, it's still interesting reading to see just how far current research has NOT come. This brings us to our next mystery:
6) Did Viking find evidence of life on Mars: On July 20 1976 the Viking lander did just that on Mars. In four then cutting edge tests (the fifth one failed to work properly) Viking's magic eight ball said: Probably not. But was that the final word? Itself probably not. Which brings us to the next mystery: did we alredy recieve an extra terrestrial signal?
As can be seen, the issues (and the ones listed were just a sampling are fascinating reading for both the questions they answer and the others they beckon us...their inheritors...to answer.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not so baffling things
Comment: I was very disappointed. The first chapter on dark matter and dark energy was indeed a baffling mystery of science. However, many of the 13 things were not so baffling or in a couple of cases not even serious phenomenon.
There is a Nobel Prize waiting for the person who figures out cold fusion, but until someone can actually reproduce the experiments there is no "thing" to be baffled by. Occam's razor does not suggest an alien transmission is the best explanation for SETI's "Wow" signal. The "Wow" signal was a onetime event. It is scientific frustration that we don't have more data from the event, but it isn't one of the most baffling mysteries in science.
The situation gets even worse when the author moves on to free will and homeopathy. I was hoping for a book about the frontiers of science. This was not it. Failing to prove negatives does not constitute scientific mystery.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking and very readable
Comment: This is an outstanding book. It's a thought-provoking examination of thirteen problems in science that have puzzled-- and sometimes embarrassed and angered-- scientists for years. Though it is scientifically rigorous, it is at the same time very readable.
The book is a greatly expanded version of an article that the author wrote for New Scientist magazine. Brooks considers a wide range of issues, including what dark matter and dark energy might be, if they are anything at all; why the Pioneer spacecraft is apparently violating the rules of physics as it leaves the solar system; why scientists decided that the Viking landers on Mars didn't detect life, despite consistent evidence that they did; whether an alien civilization has already contacted us but we weren't listening carefully enough to notice; why death and sex exist, despite their nearly complete lack of evolutionary advantage; how experiments continue to show that cold fusion may be a real phenomenon, despite abundant proof that it can't exist; why the placebo effect works, despite evidence that it doesn't actually exist; and more.
All of this is tied together by a theme: The world's best experts can't always figure things, out, even when large numbers of them agree; indeed, sometimes those experts prevent things from being properly examined, let alone figured out.
The general tone and style of the book reminded me of Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, and John McPhee. There is a LOT to chew on here, but the bites are correctly sized and very tender. The author has a PhD in quantum physics, but he's also a good magazine feature writer. The balance of real science and entertainment is perfect.
I enjoyed this book very much, and I think it will easily repay any reader for the time and money invested in it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Whether there is a problem there is a scientific opportunity
Comment: Michael Brooks chooses thirteen mysteries or anomalies, cases in which we know or learn or have evidence of something which does not fit in with our generally accepted scientific understanding. He discusses these questions and does not provide definite answers in any case. He simply reveals to us the problems and gives us some of the answers which have been proposed. Among the questions he asks are those which relate to fundamental questions in Science. One chapter is devoted to understanding how Life may have been created. Another is devoted to the missing ninety- six percent of the Matter of the Universe which Scientists suppose to be Dark Energy or Dark Matter. Another concerns the question of whether there is Life on Mars. Still another deals with the 'Wow' signal received which seemed to be a response proving that extraterrestials had broadcast to us. But it was never repeated, and it came from a place in the Universe which it appears it could not possibly come from. Another chapter deals with the question of our Free- Will and the neuroscience showing our brain-activity prompting the physical action before we make the conscious decision. There are also chapters on the placebo effect, and homeopathy , two it seems to me , less significant questions. There is also a chapter considering whether Death is genetically programmed or comes from accumulated reproductive cellular errors which come with Age.
Brooks talks in the book about meeting and speaking with John Horgan who has written about 'the End of Science'. Brooks clearly takes the opposite view and considers Science very much alive, especially in those areas where it , as in the cases he studies, does not have clear understanding.
An excellent work which once again proves the old truth that the more we do know the more we know there is to know that we don't know now.
Customer Rating:
Summary: No answers, but a deeper understanding of things
Comment: The book is excellent in showing some major things we kind of take for granted, but really shouldn't, because to come up with dramatic advances in science or in understanding, we have a better chance when pondering these challenges.
There are some things I will never think in quite the same way after reading this book, like:
1. The universe is expanding, but doing so at an ever faster rate. Therefore, we should be ready to alter current science, like our understanding of gravity. The author presents the concepts of dark energy (causing the ever faster expansion) and dark matter (affecting the shape, size and spin of galaxies). Plus, that can lead us to question whether scientific constants, are actually constant or might vary somewhat over millions or billions of years. Then, there is cold fusion and we still can't say it isn't possible.
2. As for 'Life', we still don't know how it began. NASA once claimed they had found life on Mars, through the Viking exploration, but then not sure. In 1977, we received a radio signal from space, and still not sure if it was or wasn't some alien communication. The best hope for some signal would likely be some fundamental mathematical code or a laser beam.
Maybe a virus was the first form of life. There are some indications that this is possible.
3. As for 'Aging' and 'Death', some fish, amphibians and reptiles don't seem to age. Some organisms don't appear to die. There is some thought that death was only introduced to protect against damaged DNA being passed on, so maybe by tinkering with our DNA we can extend life and the vibrancy of life.
4. Why 'Sex', since many living things reproduce assexually? Maybe to purge deleterious mutations or evolve to get rid of parasites and parasites evolve to always be able to find a home. Plus, since female animals don't always select the strongest or most dominant male, maybe something else at work, like what is in the best interest of the whole group. Mathematical Game Theory does seem to indicate that the best solution is when most, in a group, are optimally happy. So, is the reason for sex mathematically based? Interesting.
5. As for 'Free Will', do we really have it? There are some scientific studies which show our actual actions can precede the mind's actual awareness of wanting to start the action. It is noted that most psychological disorders involve people who try to exert maybe too much control over their life. Maybe a better road to sanity is acknowledging we aren't in control. Anyway, it does seem likely we have a lot less free will than we think we have.
6. The 'Placebo Effect' does seem to work, like the drug, Valium, doesn't seem to work unless the patient knows he/she is taking it. But, why the placebo affect works, we still don't know.
7. Homeopathy does seem to work beyond what might be attributed to the placebo effect. But, why? We don't know.
Anyway, this book is really great at making a reader just think a little deeper about some pretty important things.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Quantifying Ignorance...the fractal nature of knowledge
Comment: "I believe that knowledge is fractal in nature. No matter how much we learn, what remains how seemingly small is infinitely complex."
Isaac Asimov
In detailing 13 mysteries at the edge of modern science Michael Brooks expertly lays bare fertile domains for scientific progress. But much more than that, referencing history and historical shifts in perspective that accompanied scientific advance (as for example, when the church attempted to suppress the writings of Galileo and was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so) Brooks also suggests that shifts in perspective may be necessary for us to gain the advance we seek.
But enough about generalities...let's take glimpse at the mysteries surveyed by Brooks:
1) The search for the missing mass in the universe: Today's physicists believe they can only fully explain four percent of what constitutes the universe. The remaining 96 percent has been supposedly divided into dark matter and dark energy owing to qualities about some of it that seem to behave more like matter and others that seem to behave more like energy. However, another proposal is that our understanding of gravity itself is at fault and just as Einstein had to tweek Isaac Newton's concepts of gravity in relation to light we may also have to tweek them in relation to supposedly empty space...which relates to the next mystery:
2) The Pioneer anomaly: In the early 1970s the US sent out two Pioneer probes that are now both past Pluto. Yet amazingly both of them are off course and by the same degree than would be predicted under traditional notions of gravitational pull. Have our probes journeyed far enough to make contact with that missing universe aluded to in the first mystery? The answer to that question is related to our next mystery:
3) Varying Constants: The set strength of the various fundamental forces of nature may not be constant. For those whose appetite is whetted by this chapter, please read Oxford University Prof. John Barrow's book entitled simply "Constants of the Universe." In a rough way, this mystery relates to the next one:
4) Whether cold fusion is possible: Thanks to Einstein's famous E = MC2 huge amounts of energy can be produced by either nuclear fission (the division of nuclear particles) or alternatively fusion (the unification of certain nuclear particles). For those familiar with US A bomb and H bomb testing videos and Godzilla movies, this process is usually a very dramatic one. If cold fusion were possible it would bode significantly against global energy concerns. And while we still don't know for sure if it can be done, we do know that the US Navy is convinced enough to massively fund research in this area. From this mystery, we leap to our next one:
5) How did life originate: Wisely Brooks peppers this part of his book heavily with quotations from both Erwin Schroedinger whose 1944 essay of the same name is still in print and also Adelaide U prof Paul Davies fantastic book The Fifth Miracle. While personally, I believe life will ultimately be found to a fairly common emergent property on certain types of planets and moons, it's still interesting reading to see just how far current research has NOT come. This brings us to our next mystery:
6) Did Viking find evidence of life on Mars: On July 20 1976 the Viking lander did just that on Mars. In four then cutting edge tests (the fifth one failed to work properly) Viking's magic eight ball said: Probably not. But was that the final word? Itself probably not. Which brings us to the next mystery: did we alredy recieve an extra terrestrial signal?
As can be seen, the issues (and the ones listed were just a sampling are fascinating reading for both the questions they answer and the others they beckon us...their inheritors...to answer.
Spanning disciplines from biology to cosmology, chemistry to psychology to physics, Michael Brooks thrillingly captures the excitement of scientific discovery.
Science’s best-kept secret is this: even today, thereare experimental results that the most brilliant scientists cannot explain. In the past, similar “anomalies” have revolutionized our world. If history is any precedent, we should look to today’s inexplicable results to forecast the future of science. Michael Brooks heads to the scientific frontier to confront thirteen modern-day anomalies and what they might reveal about tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
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