Scratching a Science Itch
July 1, 2023 8:40 AM Subscribe
I've read a few recent articles on the discovery of gravitational waves (like this and this) that have unexpectedly captivated me. What books on similar topics might I, a non-science person, enjoy?
That's it! I have no science background but am increasingly curious about how scientists like astrophysicists are trying to make sense of what's out there while retaining a fundamental sense of mystery, wonder, and awe. My one foray into the field years ago—A Brief History of Time, of course—was not so satisfying or comprehensible. Might it be worth revisiting now? Can you recommend some recent science writing (books preferred) that might take me into the vast universe and show me how the celestial sausage is made? Open to anything related to the construction of time, consciousness, whatever. Yep, this is gonna be my summer reading. Thank you!
That's it! I have no science background but am increasingly curious about how scientists like astrophysicists are trying to make sense of what's out there while retaining a fundamental sense of mystery, wonder, and awe. My one foray into the field years ago—A Brief History of Time, of course—was not so satisfying or comprehensible. Might it be worth revisiting now? Can you recommend some recent science writing (books preferred) that might take me into the vast universe and show me how the celestial sausage is made? Open to anything related to the construction of time, consciousness, whatever. Yep, this is gonna be my summer reading. Thank you!
Best answer: I'd recommend most of the books by Carlo Rovelli, he mixes astrophysics, quantum physics, history, philosophy and the development of the scientific mind. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics is good. His book The Order of Time is especially good as an audio book since Benedict Cumberbatch reads it. Anaximander is great for an overview of the development of western science. Helgoland goes into the leap to quantum physics.
Now: The Physics of Time by Richard Muller is also great, complicated, but accessible.
Why Time Flies by Alan Burdick is about the perception and physics of time.
Eight Lessons on Infinity by Haim Shapira is good, but didn't quite help me with scope and the interconnectedness of things.
Significant Figures: The Lives and Works for Great Mathematicians by Ian Stewart doesn't get too much into the nitty gritty of math (no math involved) but does give a wide view of its influence over the societies where/when the leaps were made.
Fundamentals by Frank Wilczek could be what you're looking for. Similarly, his book A Beautiful Question covers more of the influence of the physical laws on the natural world.
Seconding Katie Mack, I enjoyed reading the book but it was also a great audio book as well.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is also interesting as it traces a lot of things about our brain development, language and culture as well as society.
Last, I've enjoyed all of James Gleick's books: The Information (more about current data driven life), Time Travel (modern and ancient ideas of time) and of course Chaos (which I think was updated recently).
posted by typetive at 10:17 AM on July 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Now: The Physics of Time by Richard Muller is also great, complicated, but accessible.
Why Time Flies by Alan Burdick is about the perception and physics of time.
Eight Lessons on Infinity by Haim Shapira is good, but didn't quite help me with scope and the interconnectedness of things.
Significant Figures: The Lives and Works for Great Mathematicians by Ian Stewart doesn't get too much into the nitty gritty of math (no math involved) but does give a wide view of its influence over the societies where/when the leaps were made.
Fundamentals by Frank Wilczek could be what you're looking for. Similarly, his book A Beautiful Question covers more of the influence of the physical laws on the natural world.
Seconding Katie Mack, I enjoyed reading the book but it was also a great audio book as well.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is also interesting as it traces a lot of things about our brain development, language and culture as well as society.
Last, I've enjoyed all of James Gleick's books: The Information (more about current data driven life), Time Travel (modern and ancient ideas of time) and of course Chaos (which I think was updated recently).
posted by typetive at 10:17 AM on July 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Specifically for Gravitational Waves, I did my masters thesis on LIGO (and the ill-fated LISA space-based gravitational wave astronomy platform) but I don't know of an accessible popular science book -- does anyone have a recommendation?
posted by k3ninho at 4:27 PM on July 1, 2023
posted by k3ninho at 4:27 PM on July 1, 2023
Best answer: On my shelf about gravitational waves is Janna Levin's Black Hole Blues. I haven't read it, but I should--it seems like a good one!
Kip Thorne and Christopher Nolan's The Science of Interstellar explains gravitational physics though its use in the movie Interstellar.
posted by Schmucko at 9:03 PM on July 1, 2023
Kip Thorne and Christopher Nolan's The Science of Interstellar explains gravitational physics though its use in the movie Interstellar.
posted by Schmucko at 9:03 PM on July 1, 2023
Best answer: Coming of age in the milky way, Timothy Ferris
Older, so won't have the most recent stuff on gravity waves or black holes or exoplanets, but is still one of the most lucid and well written stories about how we got here there is.
posted by cfraenkel at 9:18 PM on July 1, 2023
Older, so won't have the most recent stuff on gravity waves or black holes or exoplanets, but is still one of the most lucid and well written stories about how we got here there is.
posted by cfraenkel at 9:18 PM on July 1, 2023
Response by poster: You’ve all filled my Kindle. Thank you for the excellent suggestions!
posted by fiery.hogue at 5:56 PM on July 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by fiery.hogue at 5:56 PM on July 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
Seconding Janna Levin's Black Hole Blues, which I've recommended before here on AskMe. It's one of my favorite science books of all time.
posted by kristi at 11:20 AM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kristi at 11:20 AM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
You have some great suggestions on books already, so I am going a different path.
There are fantastic videos on YouTube (this is a compendium of classes going from intro to advanced) and Leonard Susskind did a class on this exact phenomenon called The Theoretical Minimum, for people with some background in mathematics who want to learn about what is going on with Physics after 1950.
Starts out with Classical Mechanics and goes from there.
posted by indianbadger1 at 2:21 PM on July 3, 2023
There are fantastic videos on YouTube (this is a compendium of classes going from intro to advanced) and Leonard Susskind did a class on this exact phenomenon called The Theoretical Minimum, for people with some background in mathematics who want to learn about what is going on with Physics after 1950.
Starts out with Classical Mechanics and goes from there.
posted by indianbadger1 at 2:21 PM on July 3, 2023
« Older Repurposing a Pantry Door Organizer? | Help-where to eat as a family near the Boston... Newer »
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by zeptoweasel at 9:14 AM on July 1, 2023 [1 favorite]