What if scientists had groupies?
922357
Amazing art and a story that feels both familiar and different. The characters are archetypal, but interesting. Through the use of vignettes and science culture fact sheets, the world building is on par with some of Alan Moore's works. I especially liked the alternative take on a classic origin story and even without a second volume, the story can stand on its own.
1944659
REVIEW OF 'IMAGINED WORLDS: STORIES OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY'

Authors: Paul Andersen and Deborah Cadbury

Reviewer: William P. Palmer

In their book Imagined Worlds, Paul Andersen and Deborah Cadbury give a brief account the lives and contributions to science of a number of well known scientists, who are currently active in a variety of different areas of scientific research. The scientists were all interviewed for a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) radio program. Those interviewed were Dr Tom Bower (child psychology), Dr Tom Gold (astronomy), Dr Patrick Wall (medicine), Dr Sydney Brenner (molecular biology), Professor Abdus Salam (astrophysics), Dr Walter Gilbert (biochemistry), Dr John Crook (animal behaviour), Dr Dan McKenzie (geophysics) and Professor Roger Penrose (twistor theory).

The important feature about the book is that it gives insight into the lives of some of the well known scientists of our time, explaining what interested them at school, how they started as research scientists, what theories they advanced and how they came to develop these theories. It is this explanation the creative thinking of these scientists, working in very diverse fields, that gives us a glimpse into the nature of science, as we are enabled to understand the processes of discovery better. As a former science teacher, I like to believe that science teachers are influential in many cases in inspiring their students to take up science as a career, and perhaps in being indirectly responsible for starting some scientific prodigy on their road to scientific achievement. Alas! There is very little evidence for such a theory here. About half mention that they attended school, presumably, because they were questioned about it. None of the scientists mention their science teacher by name, though two mention their teachers. In one case this is for some incorrect statements (Salam) and in the other a mention to his physics teacher for getting him to college through the `old boy network' (McKenzie), so teachers do not emerge from these recollections as being particularly influential in the lives of contemporary scientists.

It is a pity that the interviews did not include any female scientists. This omission means that the collection, the aim of which is to demonstrate science as an essentially human activity, is shown as rather less human than it should be. The reviewer has also come across a similar selection of interviews in another book (Wolpert & Richards, 1988) which includes interviews with some of the same scientists (see Palmer, 1992).

(Originally reviewed as Review of 'Imagined Worlds' & Is Science Necessary?', The Journal of the Science Teacher Association of the Northern Territory, Volume 12, pp. 102-104.)

References

Palmer, W.P. (1992)  A Review of A Passion for Science by L. Wolpert and A Richards, The Australian Science Teachers' Journal, September, 38 (3) 72-74.

Wolpert, L. & Richards, A. (1988)  A Passion for Science, Oxford University Press.
432197
The ideal of dispassionate objectivity in scientific research exists in tension with the reality that scientific research is conducted by fallible human beings who exhibit a wide range of different personalities, emotions, and personal interests.  This book provides a thought-provoking look at how the personalties, emotions, and personal interests of scientific researchers can threaten the ideal of dispassionate scientific research.  The author discusses 26 disputes in the history of  science to show how the ideal of dispassionate objectivity occasionally has been forgotten, ignored, or blatantly abandoned by some researchers determined to promote their theories, attack opposing theories, seek personal fame, or vilify opponents.

The book is too brief and episodic to provide a thorough or scholarly history of contentious scientific disputes.  Furthermore, the author occasionally lapses into bare speculation and undocumented surmise about the motives and thought processes of some of the disputants he discusses.  However, the book does provide an interesting perspective on the history of science.

Readers interested in other books about how personalities, emotions, and personal interests can affect the history of medicine, mathematics, and technology might consider also taking a look at Dana Mackenzie,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Universe-in-Zero-Words-The-Story-of-Mathematics-as-Told-through-Equations/dp/0691152829/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Universe in Zero Words: The Story of Mathematics as Told through Equations</a>; F. Gonzalez-Crussi,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/A-Short-History-of-Medicine-Modern-Library-Chronicles/dp/0812975537/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">A Short History of Medicine (Modern Library Chronicles)</a>; and Robert V. Bruce,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Lincoln-and-the-Tools-of-War/dp/0252060903/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Lincoln and the Tools of War</a>.  And, readers interested in how  rhetoric and argumentation have played a role in the history of science might consider also taking a look at Jeanne Fahnestock,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rhetorical-Figures-in-Science/dp/019516542X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rhetorical Figures in Science</a>.
2201118
Do scientists consider philosophy to be equated with topics on the fringe? Or is it only scientists that do not have a very philosophical bent that think so? I am not sure philosophers have to worry so much about what philosophically unenlightened scientists think of philosophy. Philosophers have to understand science to be good philosophers but scientists don't have to understand philosophy to be good scientists. Nor do scientists have to understand issues in philosophy of science! Would they be better scientists if they did? That is a good question. RNGs Einstein quote in the footnote page 23 is certainly an excellent response. Imagining a philosopher attending various seminars with different contemporaries and then using this to set up reasons why philosophy is still very much a part of life  and you have the heart of this book. Questions Plato deals with are still there and we ask them all the time.
4133869
I'm still in the section where some very curious British men are developing the science of geology (it started as an elite good ol' boys club that developed into practically a cult). Who'd of thunk this would be a hilarious topic, but it is when Bryson is telling it. I can't say I understood the chapter on how early scientists came up with the exact weight of the earth, but I certainly laughed a lot at their quirky personalities, which to me is a lot more valuable than  how to weigh a planet. I'm excited to read the rest of Bryson's work.

By the author of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Saltwater-Buddha/dp/0861715357/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Saltwater Buddha</a>
3541076
Fritz Zwicky was never very much appreciated in his time and he was largely mistreated by his colleagues.  But most of his ideas, treated as wacky at the time, have turned out to be ultimately correct -- sometimes in more general terms, rather than specifically.  But for example he talked about neutron stars and gravitational lenses at a time when these ideas were considered "crank." Now both are not just well-accepted but are huge fields of on-going research.  This book is about a method that can be used to open a researchers mind to possibilities that might otherwise not spring to mind.  It emphasizes his work on clusters of galaxies, but includes hints about other areas.  Since it was written in a rather imperious and grandiose style (in response to the skepticism of his colleagues, one presumes), the reader needs to set the bombast aside and consider the ideas on their merits.
1949935
As a scientist from a different field, I find the ideas  presented in this book very exciting. There are explained well and with enough detail for the skeptical and the curious. However, in terms of writing style I prefer the writing of Dawkins and Gould.
1586220
I liked this for my sister who is a PHD candidate, but could be great for grads and science fans!
3933874
The facts, timeline, and astrobiology predictions are very well researched, and organized.

What I want to point out is the LACK OF NON WHITE people mentioned, highlighuted, or simply referenced in this book.

Simply: People of color, aka NON WHITE people also contribute to the advancement of science
and this publication shows no signs of this. People of European descent are not the only intelligent people who advanced the subject of astronomy. Einstein and Newton weren't the only minds to master theoretical physics.
750605
They loved it, obviously!

=)

I'm a scientist now and I grew up reading Calvin's stories and he was a great influence on me.
His way of looking at daily life things can cheer us up!
=)
3296779
Nicolelis describes complicated scientific problems in the way understandable to broad audience. His major idea is that information is processed by distributed neural architecture (brain "orchestra"). He developed neural implants that record from different brain regions. Nicolelis and his colleagues conducted experiments in rats and monkeys. They discovered how these animals sense and move, and they created interfaces that convert neural activities into computer codes of sense and movement, which can be then sent to robots and prostheses for the paralyzed. Nicolelis also suggests sending messages from brain to brain. In the last chapter a new treatment for Parkinson's disease is introduced. The book is well illustrated. I wish these were color illustrations. I found especially entertaining the story of Aurora monkey who controlled a robotic gripper by its own thoughts. Another monkey learned to walk on a treadmill and controlled a walking Japanese robot. I wonder if this technology can be implemented to repair the nuclear plant damaged by the earthquake. There are interesting parallels between the brain science and relativity theory. Overall, an excellent book, and thought provoking.
1437710
What first caught my eye about this book was its very catchy title. However, after briefly leafing through it, I recognized several names and knew that these scientists were not generally thought of as being mad, although some were indeed rather eccentric. So, I assumed that perhaps the book was written in a rather witty, humorous, tongue-in-cheek style. Not so!

In 285 pages of main text, the author has chosen to concentrate on fifteen scientists for a rough average of 19 pages per person. The book is divided into seven chapters, each one focussing on a particular theme. Overall, the author has very successfully provided brief yet sufficiently-detailed and well-balanced overviews of each person's life and accomplishments. I've read full-length biographies of a few of the people highlighted here and knew of the accomplishments of several; however, some individuals were entirely new to me. This book is very engagingly written in a lively, serious but friendly, light and accessible style. In fact, I found it hard to put down.

As pointed out above, I don't believe that the scientists discussed in this book (most of them, anyway) were considered mad, like the ones that we see in some science fiction movies. However, one thing that they did have in common is that, as indicated in the subtitle, they all "pushed the outer limits of knowledge". This book can be enjoyed by anyone.
1008949
Alas, I would love to have been a scientist. But I soon realized to my disappointment (after struggling with calculus) I would never go very far in that direction. The best I can do is read about it -- and by combining science with history, human events, and humor Sam Kean shows how interesting something like the periodic table can be. I appreciated the way Kean could discuss "hard science" topics like physics and chemistry in way that doesn't come across as "periodic table for dummies". I'd bet that even science people knowledgeable in physics/chemistry would like this book, too. For the author, the periodic table is like a springboard to history (& the future, too!) he is an Olympic high diver. Highly recommended!
2397351
Edward Teller was one of the Martians, five super-intelligent Hungarian-born scientists that emigrated to the States and greatly contributed to the advancement of science and technology. The other four Martians were Theodore von Karman (aerodynamics), Leo Szilard (physics and molecular biology), John von Neumann (mathematics, computer science, economics, physics), and Eugene Wigner (physics). Their excellence and brilliance are likely the result of the stimulating and at the same time worrisome atmosphere that permeated the city of Budapest in the 1900 (see John Lukacs' book: Budapest 1900: A Historical Portrait of a City and Its Culture). Each of them had his own special personality and character; as far as Teller is concerned, the author writes that there were at least three Tellers, depending on how the people populating the three corresponding environments (science, politics, and family) did perceive him. After reading the book I felt quite satisfied because I better comprehended the complex and controversial figure he represented. As a physical chemist I was quite interested in reading about his important contributions to chemical and molecular physics: the Renner-Teller and Jahn-Teller effects and the BET equation (BET = Brunauer, Emmett, Teller). Furthermore, Dr. Teller's contributions to nuclear physics emerge in the so-called Gamow-Teller transitions which are concerned with the theory of beta-decay. For those interested in the modern history of science (and physics) and its connection to society, the book is very worth reading. If you want to know more about the Martians, I suggest the book "The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century", also by Hargittai.
1937360
There are in fact many scientists that believe in a personal God.  I (a retired engineer) received this as a gift; and my wife ordered another one to give as a gift.  The book is full of short testimonies by various scientists and engineers from around the world.
4873384
Very readable and valuable for anyone who works in groups or sits on committees. Numerous social science experiments described which reveal surprising insights into human nature. Entertaining and informative.
2673723
More about the scientists who study rarities than about the rarities themselves. Its worth the read but it doesn't leave you with your mouth open in awe and begging for more.