In The Mirror Empire , two nearly identical worlds populated by violent people and sentient (also violent!) plants are at war with each other. It is also worrying that Smethurst seems to put those who 'challenge the existence of dark matter' on a par with flat earthers - 'It came about after over three decades worth of observations and research pointed to no other plausible conclusion' - this simply isn't true. The reality is that dark matter particles have never been detected, while modified gravity theories arguably explain more than dark matter does. Both theories have flaws, but at the moment, it's all too common for popular astronomy/astrophysics books like this to give a casual dismissal of anything but those elusive particles. That simply isn't good science. I loved this book! Not only because I’m a scientist and space enthusiast but also because it was just enjoyable to read. You do not need to be an astronomer or astrophysicist to understand what’s happening in this book. The author is really great at putting physics into the most simplest terms so that almost anyone could grasp hold of the basics. In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin. As the dark star of the cataclysm rises, an illegitimate ruler is tasked with holding together a country fractured by civil war, a precocious young fighter is asked to betray his… Simon is obsessed with picture books: reading them, writing them, buying them, smelling them.His own have been published in more than 20 languages. You Must Bring a Hat won the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year, and I Really Wany the Cake was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. He particularly enjoys funny, deadpan picture books. After gaining a 1st class degree in History, he put his skills to use as a barman at a local pub, grew tired of the owner calling him Andy, left to fail a teaching degree, then turned to writing. He lives in England, although occasionally leaves to buy milk.

Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe (Audio Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe (Audio

The issue with today's small pop science books is that they don't intend to provide coherent information about something but for commodifying the simplified works of complex minds to the public under the pretext of preaching that knowing the name of something is intelligent rather knowing about something and being able to clearly understand it. Smethurst has pulled off a real coup here and something few science writers have managed as well as she has. Super accessible and *fun* read about the misconceptions, the discoveries and the personalities behind our still very early understanding of the universe’s greatest mystery. This is the ultimate vindication of research for research’s sake: two of the biggest problems in science and technology have turned out to be intimately related. The challenge of building a quantum computer is very similar to the challenge of writing down the correct theory of quantum gravity. This is one reason why it is vital that we continue to support the most esoteric scientific endeavours. Nobody could have predicted such a link. I grew up in farm country of central Indiana. But spent my summers on an island in northern Ontario with my grandparents. My grandfather was a self-taught naturalist and shared his love and fascination of the world around us with me. I went on to become a geologist and traveled the globe exploring for natural resources. My love of nature and science is the foundation for the science fiction I write. Whether a proven theory, a fantastical hypothesis, or true science fiction, it’s all based on science fact. It allows everyone to learn about a world built in science fiction which one day may exist in science fact. Hawking lets us into his thoughts a bit, like a tiny window, not too much. But he talks about this special connection he feels with Sir Isaac Newton. Also, he seems to see himself standing on the shoulders of Albert Einstein and building off of the legacy that Einstein’s life work left behind.On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past... while a world goes to war with itself.

Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe - Goodreads

These seven short lessons guide us, with simplicity and clarity, through the scientific revolution that shook physics in the twentieth century and still continues to shake us today. In this beautiful and mind-bending introduction to… For rest all the topics discussed with relevant theories is par excellence. language is good to read and understand but very simple for a book. It’s the year 2330. The “aughts,” robots that warred for independence from mankind, seek insurance against the ever-present human threat. An aught ship speeds to the galactic center for material to build a weapon that… Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carolo Rovelli; translators Simon Carnell and Erica Segre (UK : Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books, 2015). Call number: PSE Library QC24.5 C38 2015

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Eleven-year-old Oliver wants to be an astrophysicist and explain the wonders of the universe . . . to anyone who will listen to him! By structuring it as a chronological scientific journey, the reader can see how each discovery led to the next. The stories of perseverance by the scientists are inspiring. Kathy loved this book by Jane Dutton, and found herself exclaiming, “ Yes!” as she read through this book that validated the energy she did receive abundantly through small moments of connection at work!

Black Holes The Reith Lectures by Stephen Hawking | Goodreads Black Holes The Reith Lectures by Stephen Hawking | Goodreads

There were Taylor Swift references, which, I mean, that's all I need to give a book 5 stars. But in all seriousness, it's so informative without being difficult to follow. I would recommend you have a little bit of an interest in physics, because there are some basic concepts that'll just go over smoother if you have some prior knowledge, but even if you know nothing this book is an absolute joy. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author herself, and it was amazing. You could feel and hear her enthusiasm about the topic through every sentence and every word. But this is a book for the layperson and Rovelli understands this limitation, glossing over finer detail in pursuit of an impression of the wonder that lies at the heart of the cosmos and his theorising. And in his hands it’s an effective technique. It’s always tempting to bask in the self-congratulatory delusion that if I just really concentrate on something hard enough I’d be able to understand it. But this book proved me wrong from the very first spacetime Penrose diagram that slowly sent my protesting brain over the event horizon and to the singularity while being simultaneously vaporized and spaghettified. An amazingly in depth insight into what the greatest minds are currently uncovering about some of the most fantastical aspects of our reality. This was far from an easy read though. The complexity of the topics discussed meant even Cox and Foreshaw were struggling to simplify the content to an universally understandable level. Definitely not a starter book to read if you’re new to the “popular science” genre.

A singularity is what you end up with when a giant star is compressed to an unimaginably small point." i.e.) the very boundary of the observable universe is also 2D surface encoded with info about real 2D object. Tom spent the first 30 years of his professional life at the cutting edge of the broadcast industry. He has always been fascinated by new technology and more specifically how it allows humans to evolve and work smarter and better. He is also a sci-fi fan and has a keen interest in both cosmology and metaphysics. He says that today's metaphysics is tomorrow’s physics. So his book choices mirror his fascinations which are in what lies in the future for humanity, bearing in mind that science fiction especially has a tendency to become science fact at some time or other. If we humans are capable of imagining something, then we seem to develop the ability to make it happen.