
13 Things That Don't Make Sense
The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time
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Narrated by:
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James Adams
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By:
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Michael Brooks
About this listen
Science's best-kept secret is that there are experimental results and reliable data that the most brilliant scientists can neither explain nor dismiss. In the past, similar "anomalies" have revolutionized our world, as in the 16th century, when a set of celestial anomalies led Copernicus to realize that the Earth revolves around the Sun and not the reverse, and in the 1770s, when two chemists discovered oxygen because of experimental results that defied the theories of the day. If history is any precedent, we should look to today's inexplicable results to forecast the future of science.
In 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, Michael Brooks heads to the scientific frontier to meet 13 modern-day anomalies and discover tomorrow's breakthroughs.
©2008 Michael Brooks (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Loses Steam
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for the discovery magazine crowd
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I enjoyed the book thoroughly but I love physics and astronomy.
This book showed how littler science knows
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Unfortunately, the author's style is a bit fragmentary -- he drops a lot of names and technical information, but doesn't make the core controversies quite as clear as they could be, or provide the satisfying overview one might get from a book focused solely on astrophysics, space exploration, or biology. Regarding the "fringe science", the author's discussion of the side making the incredible claim is extremely lightweight. Sure, maybe the cold fusion people are somehow right, and the mainstream scientific community will be proven wrong, but this writer hasn't elucidated anything compelling about that particular mystery -- if it even is a mystery -- for me.
Still, the book expressed an interesting theme: the scientific community has always had trouble accepting anomalous data that suggests that current theories on something might be flawed -- those who have staked their careers on an existing model aren't eager to see it overturned, and those who might try to explain the data using a new framework must put their own reputations on the line. Thus, it takes a while for "hey, the galaxy isn't expanding the way Einstein's theory predicts" to become an issue scientists are willing to talk about. For this somewhat disquieting revelation and the fact it'll probably whet your appetite for other science reading, this book's certainly worth a library check-out.
Contains some interesting topics, but muddled
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Great book
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Introduction to some Interesting Science
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Fun & Instructive!
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The narrator is very easy to listen to. I have listened to the entire book twice because I have enjoyed the material.
Good, Fair Assessment
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I loved this book!
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Only ok
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