Books November 2007

Book Reviews November 2007

The Thread of Life Susan Aldridge	Cambridge University Press, 1996	ISBN: 0521465247
Nowadays any mention of genetic engineering is likely to provoke a noticeable reaction, either in favour or against. In The Thread of Life: The Story of Genes and Genetic Engineering, Susan Aldridge gives an easy to read overview of this subject. The book was written over 10 years ago, before the debate became so polarised, and it's interesting to see how Aldridge is essentially in favour of genetic engineering, but still warns about the potential dangers. The first part of the book looks at DNA - its discovery, its action in the cell, the sequencing of DNA and the role of DNA in evolution. Continued..

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Just a theory Moti Ben-Ari	Prometheus Books, 2005	ISBN: 1591022851
When someone criticises part of science for being 'Just a theory' you know that that person really has very little idea what scientists really do. In Just a theory : exploring the nature of science Moti Ben-Ari takes a look at such misunderstandings, and more generally at the way science works. There's a chapter on the way scientists use words and how the this may conflict with everyday usage. Ben-Ari also discusses the philosophy of science, such as Popper's falsificationism, whether Kuhn's paradigms are an accurate description of what goes on, and what distinguishes real science from pseudoscience. Continued..

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Echo of the Big Bang Michael D Lemonick	Princeton University Press, 2003	ISBN: 0691102783
We now know the composition of the universe with surprising precision. Half a percent of it is visible, with ordinary matter that we can't see making up another 4%. Dark matter makes up 23% and the rest is mysterious Dark Energy. In Echo of the Big Bang, Michael D Lemonick tells how this precision was achieved with the development of the WMAP satellite. Lemonick starts with the history of cosmology, from Einstein's theories and Hubble's observations at the start of the 20th century, through the discovery of the Cosmological microwave background radiation in the 1960's to the results from the COBE satellite in the 1990's Continued..

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Think Simon Blackburn	Oxford University Press, 1999	ISBN: 0192854259
Philosophy can sometimes appear to be a terribly abstract subject, with little relation to the rest of the world. In Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy Simon Blackburn shows that the questions pondered by philosophers are the same ones which the rest of us want answered. The book starts with topics related to the philosophy of mind, such as Descartes' 'I think therefore I am', free will and the nature of the self. There is then a chapter on God and religion, followed by a look at how we make sense of the world, including a gentle introduction to logic. Continued..

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Science, ideology, and world view John C Greene	University of California Press, 1981	ISBN: 0520042182
Science, ideology, and world view : essays in the history of evolutionary ideas is a collection of essays by John C Greene, in which he argues that to understand the development of a theory such as evolution, it is vital to know about the ideas which were around when it was developed. I found first essay on objectives and methods rather hard going - possibly aimed at specialists - but after that the book became easier to follow. Greene's next essay argues that the Kuhnian view of paradigm shift doesn't fit the development of Darwinism, which was very much based on what was 'in the air'. Continued..

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Why aren't they here Surendra Verma	Icon books, 2007	ISBN: 1840468068
Extraterrestrial beings are a standard part of science fiction, but in the real world there doesn't seem to be much evidence for them. In Why aren't they here?:The Question of Life on Other Worlds Surendra Verma considers why this should be. His starts with ideas about extraterrestrial life in history, starting with Aristotle, and goes on to look at early examples of extraterrestrials in science fiction. There is then a chapter on the origin of life and the possibility of panspermia followed by a look at what planet environment is needed for life and whether there are any likely candidates. Continued..

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The Shadows of Creation Michael Riordan and David Schramm	Oxford University Press, 1993	ISBN: 019286159X
The Shadows of Creation:Dark Matter and the Structure of the Universe is a look at the nature of dark matter, and why it is necessary to postulate it in cosmological models. The book was published in 1993, which was before the COBE results showed the detailed structure of the Cosmological Microwave Background Radiation, and the ensuing addition of dark energy to the model of the universe. Hence the book is somewhat dated. However, you might find it interesting to see what the problems were which faced cosmologists at that time, so that you can get an idea of which ones have now been solved. Continued..

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Four Laws that drive the Universe Peter W Atkins	Oxford University Press, 2007	ISBN: 9870199232369
If you try to learn about thermodynamics then you might find yourself getting bogged down in the mathematics and the terminology. If so then you should consider reading Four Laws that drive the Universe in which P W Atkins gives a non-technical introduction to the subject.. In case you thought there were just 3, well Atkins starts with the Zeroth Law, which allows the concept of temperature. He then introduces the First law (conservation of energy) and the Second law which C P Snow said ought to be understood by any educated person. Continued..

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Principles of cosmology and gravitation
Michael Berry

Institute of Physics, 1989

ISBN: 0852740379

Mentioned in

stretchy space

Cosmic horizons

Principles of cosmology and gravitation by Michael V Berry is a short undergraduate textbook which was originally published in 1976. A new edition was published in 1989, but with minimal changes, so by now the book is looking somewhat dated - it doesn't deal with inflation for instance. But it would still be useful as an introduction to cosmology as it shows that many calculations can be carried out using mathematics which isn't too challenging for a science undergraduate - it doesn't venture into tensor calculus. Continued..

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Theory of computation Dexter C Kozen	Springer, 2006	ISBN: 1846282977
When I started Theory of computation by Dexter C. Kozen I had the feeling of being thrown in at the deep end. This is not the sort of book with a gentle introduction to the subject of computational complexity. Rather it is aimed at the postgraduate level, and so assumes that the student will have previous experience of the subject. That said, it seems remarkably self contained, with at least a sketch of the important proofs of the subject. It also has an extensive set of exercises for each chapter with solutions, and so would be an excellent choice for independent students, provided they have sufficient background knowledge of the subject. Continued..

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Blood Music Greg Bear	Gollancz, 1985	ISBN: 9780575081093
The idea of DNA computation is now widely known, indeed a limited form of such computation has already been carried out. Well brilliant gene scientist Vergil I Ulam has secretly been working on modifying the DNA within cells to give them a form of intelligence. When his clandestine research is discovered he faces losing all his work, so he injects the cells into himself. As you can imagine this is not a good idea! That is how Blood Music begins, and in the book Greg Bear develops this scenario of what happens when intelligent microorganisms are let loose upon the world. Continued..

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Endless Universe Paul J Steinhardt and Neil Turok	Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2007	ISBN: 9780297845546
The idea that the universe started with a big bang, including a period of inflation, is the consensus view amoungst cosmologists today. However, Paul J Steinhardt and Neil Turok think differently. In Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang they describe their alternative, Ekpyrotic model. Here the universe consists of two branes, and what we know as the big bang was actually the result of these colliding. This caused them to move apart, but eventually they will approach each other again, and the whole story will begin again. Hence the universe did not begin with the big bang- this is just one of a possibly infinite number of cycles. Continued..

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Life's solution Simon Conway Morris	Cambridge University Press, 2003	ISBN: 0521827043
Although the orthodox view is that evolution doesn't follow any predefined direction, it certainly looks as if it is progressing towards higher forms. In Life's solution:Inevitable Humans in a lonely universe Simon Conway Morris argues that evolution does indeed have a direction of progress. The first part of the book examines the origin of life on earth, and indeed the origin of the Earth itself, and so poses the question of the uniqueness of the types living things we see around us - is life elsewhere in the universe likely to be similar to that here? Conway Morris thinks that if there are suitable planets then it will be, but that such planets may be rarer than we think. Continued..

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The holographic universe Michael Talbot	HarperCollins, 1991	ISBN: 0586091718
In The holographic universe Michael Talbot looks at the idea that the umverse might be like a hologram in the sense that each part of it contains the whole. Talbot uses the work of well known physicists to support his ideas, in particular that of David Bohm. Sensibly, he doesn't try to rewrite quantum physics - rather the prinicpal theme of the book is the link between these holographic ideas and what we consider to be paranormal events, starting with the mysterious healing powers which some people have. Talbot discusses how this might be related to the ability to percieve a Human Energy Field. Continued..

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Mindwaves
Susan Greenfield and Colin Blakemore

Basil Blackwell, 1987

ISBN: 0631146229

Mentioned in

Consciousness

Co-author

Greenfield,Susan

The nature of consciousness is one of the hard problems of philosophy, but it isn't just a philosophical question - neuroscience is making significant progress in this area. Mindwaves, edited by Susan Greenfield and Colin Blakemore is a collection of 32 articles on various aspects of this subject, with many well know contributors such as John Searle, Roger Penrose, Marian S Dawkins and John Eccles.

The first part of the book looks at what constitutes a person - in divided brain patients are there two minds or one? The second part asks what degree of consciousness exists in animals. Continued..

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The Man who Stopped Time Brian Clegg	Sutton, 2007	ISBN: 9870750948630
Moving pictures are one of the main things that define the coming of the modern age, but the name of the first person to project a moving image is seldom heard. In The Man Who Stopped Time: The Illuminating Story of Eadweard Muybridge, Brian Clegg looks at the life of this man, and at why he is less well known than he should be. Muybridge quickly progressed in his photographic career, but when his wife had a baby, he discovered that he wasn't the father - it was in fact a charmer called Harry Larkyns. Muybridge sought out Larkyns and shot him dead - which should have meant the death penalty for Muybridge, but somehow the jury took his side and he was freed. Continued..

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The Elegant Universe Brian Greene

Jonathan Cape, 1999

ISBN: 0224052993

Mentioned in

road to reality

String theory is thought by many to be the best possibility for a unified theory of physics. In The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory Brian Greene gives a non-technical overview of this theory. The book starts with an introduction to various parts of modern physics, such as quantum theory, special and general relativity as well as particle physics. Greene then explains the quest for unification, and why the unification of gravity and quantum theory has presented such problems. He goes on to introduce string theory as a proposed solution to these problems, and shows how it incorporates supersymmetry (and so is sometimes known as superstring theory) as well as explaining where all the extra dimensions come in. Continued..

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Cosmogenesis David Layzer	Oxford University Press, 1990	ISBN: 0195069080
In Cosmogenesis David Layzer starts from two fundamental principles, and develops a wide ranging world view which encompasses quantum theory, cosmology, evolution and the philosophy of mind. The first principle is that an suitably infinite system may seem to be random on small scales, but in total may be thought of as not being random at all. Thue second is that emergent properties of systems should be thought of as being something new, rather than taking the reductionist view that such properties are latent in the underlying system. Continued..

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