13 Things that Don't Make Sense - by Michael Brooks (Paperback)

About the Book

Based on Michael Brooks's popular article for New Scientist--one of the most forwarded articles in the magazine's online history--13 Things That Don't Make Sense tackles the most hotly debated topics in science today, from the placebo effect to life on Mars, and shows how these conundrums are changing the way scientists approach their work and why these issues will define science in the twenty-first century.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"This elegantly written, meticulously researched and thought-provoking book provides a window into how science actually works, and is sure to spur intense debate." -New Scientist

"A boundless enthusiasm resounds through this homage to the outstanding problems of science."
-Seed Magazine

"You will be amazed and astonished you when you learn that science has been unable to come up with a working definition of life, why death should happen at all, why sex is necessary, or whether cold fusion is a hoax or one of the greatest breakthroughs of all time."
-Richard Ellis, author of The Empty Ocean and Tuna: A Love Story

"Fascinating. . . . Brooks expertly works his way through . . . hotly debated quandaries in a smooth, engaging writing style reminiscent of Carl Sagan or Stephen Jay Gould."
-Anahad O'Connor, author of Never Shower in a Thunderstorm

About the Author

Michael Brooks, who holds a PhD in quantum physics, is an editor at New Scientist. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Independent, Observer, Times Higher Educational Supplement, and even Playboy. He is a regular speaker and debate chair at the Science Festival in Brighton, UK.