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Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
by Margot Lee Shetterly<P>The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space. Soon to be a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner. <P>Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. <P>Originally relegated to teaching math in the South's segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America's aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam's call, moving to Hampton, Virginia and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. <P>Even as Virginia's Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley's all-black "West Computing" group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens. <P>Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, four African American women who participated in some of NASA's greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades they faced challenges, forged alliances and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their country's future.
The Art of Thinking Clearly
by Rolf DobelliHave you ever . . . Invested time in something that, in hindsight, just wasn't worth it? Paid too much in an eBay auction? Continued to do something you knew was bad for you? Sold stocks too late, or too early? Taken credit for success, but blamed failure on external circumstances? Backed the wrong horse?These are examples of what the author calls cognitive biases, simple errors all of us make in day-to-day thinking. But by knowing what they are and how to identify them, we can avoid them and make better choices: whether in dealing with personal problems or business negotiations, trying to save money or earn profits, or merely working out what we really want in life--and strategizing the best way to get it.Already an international bestseller, The Art of Thinking Clearly distills cutting-edge research from behavioral economics, psychology, and neuroscience into a clever, practical guide for anyone who's ever wanted to be wiser and make better decisions. A novelist, thinker, and entrepreneur, Rolf Dobelli deftly shows that in order to lead happier, more prosperous lives, we don't need extra cunning, new ideas, shiny gadgets, or more frantic hyperactivity--all we need is less irrationality.Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision making--at work, at home, every day. From why you shouldn't accept a free drink to why you should walk out of a movie you don't like, from why it's so hard to predict the future to why you shouldn't watch the news, The Art of Thinking Clearly helps solve the puzzle of human reasoning.
Let's Investigate with Nate #4: The Life Cycle (Let's Investigate with Nate #4)
by Nate BallBill Nye the Science Guy meets the Magic School Bus in this new STEM-based picture book series from the Emmy Award-winning host of PBS’s Design Squad and Design Squad Nation, Nate Ball. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.Ever stop to smell the roses and wonder how they got there? Ever think about how tadpoles become frogs and how caterpillars become butterflies? Or want to know how they’re all connected?Follow Nate and his team of plucky scientists as they morph into tiny seeds, slippery tadpoles, and fuzzy caterpillars to learn about the life cycle. While on this adventure, learn all about how plants make food from the sun, why some animals transform as they mature, and what truly defines a living thing in this brand-new adventure from everyone’s favorite fun-loving scientist and Emmy Award–winning PBS star, Nate Ball.Featuring vibrant illustrations by Wes Hargis and a lively and a lovable cast of characters, the Let’s Investigate with Nate books align to grade-appropriate state-level learning standards and curriculum. With sidebars and charts and graphs and interactive elements—including a Do It Yourself experiment at the back of the book—The Life Cycle takes young readers on an adventure in learning and makes learning an adventure!
Let's Investigate with Nate #3: Dinosaurs (Let's Investigate with Nate #3)
by Nate BallBill Nye the Science Guy meets the Magic School Bus in this new STEM-based picture book series from the Emmy Award-winning host of PBS’s Design Squad and Design Squad Nation, Nate Ball. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.Ever head to the museum and wish you could go back in time to see how big dinosaurs really were? Or think about what dinosaurs ate and where they lived? Follow Nate and his diverse team of intrepid scientists as they travel back across the millennia to dig up prehistoric fossils, travel across ancient landscapes, and discover what caused the dinosaur’s mass extinction. Featuring vibrant illustrations by Wes Hargis and a lively and a lovable cast of characters, the Let’s Investigate with Nate books align to grade-appropriate state-level learning standards and curriculum.With sidebars and charts and graphs and interactive elements—including a Do It Yourself experiment at the back of the book—Dinosaurs takes young readers on an adventure in learning and makes learning an adventure!
Let's Investigate with Nate #2: The Solar System (Let's Investigate with Nate #2)
by Nate BallBill Nye the Science Guy meets The Magic School Bus!This is the second book in a new STEM-based picture book series from the Emmy Award-winning host of PBS’s Design Squad and Design Squad Nation, Nate Ball. With a lively cast of characters and vibrant illustrations by Wes Hargis, it's an adventure in learning!Ever look up at the sky and wonder how many planets there are? Or want to know how many Earths could fit within the Sun? Take a ride 3.6 billion miles away to answer these questions and more while exploring the solar system with Nate and his team of adventurous scientists! Walk on the moon, fly with a satellite, gaze at comets, and discover why Pluto isn’t a planet anymore.
Let's Investigate with Nate #1: The Water Cycle (Let's Investigate with Nate #1)
by Nate BallBill Nye the Science Guy meets The Magic School Bus!This is the first book in a new STEM-based picture book series from the Emmy Award-winning host of PBS’s Design Squad and Design Squad Nation, Nate Ball. With a lively cast of characters and vibrant illustrations by Wes Hargis, it's an adventure in learning! This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.Ever wonder where water comes from and where it goes? Or why sometimes it rains and sometimes it snows? Then join Nate Ball and his crack team of curious scientists as they shrink down smaller than a raindrop to see firsthand what the water cycle is all about.
Olga: Out of Control! (Olga #3)
by Elise GravelJoin Olga, the science-loving girl in the red dress, in her most wacky adventure yet! Perfect for fans of Dear Dumb Diary and My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish.In this third installment of the series, Olga’s beloved companion, Meh, is now a mom! She has a litter of adorable babies that look like spring rolls. But the babies aren’t just adorable—they’re a handful! How can Olga stop them from covering her house in rainbow poop if she’s busy making sure they’re fed?Can Olga keep it all under control? Packing in three times the girl power, hilarious quips, and kooky science facts of the previous books, Olga: Out of Control is sure to have kids laughing!
Olga: We're Out of Here! (Olga #2)
by Elise GravelAnimal lover and kid scientist Olga is back! Great for fans of the acclaimed graphic novels Real Friends and Invisible Emmie.In this second installment of a series Franny K. Stein creator Jim Benton called “great, kooky, monstrous fun,” Olga wants to leave earth in search of Meh’s home planet, but first she’ll have to discover why Meh is acting so strange.Olga: We’re Out of Here is jam-packed with facts and fun: Elise Gravel’s classic comic illustrations, hilarious word bubbles, space travel facts, and a diverse cast of memorable characters.Brightly.com put Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere on their "Ultimate Summer Reading List for 9- to 12-Year-Olds."And Kirkus said of it: “A visually interesting mix of illustration and story, punctuated by numerous lists, comic panels, and cartoon diagrams and led by a smart female protagonist. A bubble-gum crowd pleaser with wide audience appeal.”
The Body Builders: Inside the Science of the Engineered Human
by Adam PioreFareed Zakaria GPS Book of the WeekWeaving together vivid storytelling and groundbreaking science, The Body Builders explores the current revolution in human augmentation, which is helping us to triumph over the limitations and constraints we have long accepted as an inevitable part of being humanFor millennia, humans have tried—and often failed—to master nature and transcend our limits. But this has started to change. The new scientific frontier is the human body: the greatest engineers of our generation have turned their sights inward, and their work is beginning to revolutionize mankind.In The Body Builders, Adam Piore takes us on a fascinating journey into the field of bioengineering—which can be used to reverse engineer, rebuild, and augment human beings—and paints a vivid portrait of the people at its center. Chronicling the ways new technology has retooled our physical expectations and mental processes, Piore visits people who have regrown parts of their fingers and legs in the wake of terrible traumas, tries on a muscle suit that allows him to lift ninety pounds with his fingertips, dips into the race to create “Viagra for the brain,” and shadows the doctors trying to give mute patients the ability to communicate telepathically. As science continues to lay bare the mysteries of human performance, it is helping us to see—and exist—above our expectations. The Body Builders will take readers beyond the headlines and the hype to introduce them to the inner workings and the outer reaches of our bodies and minds, and explore how new developments are changing, and will forever change, what is possible for humankind.
To Explain the World: The Discovery of Modern Science
by Steven WeinbergA masterful commentary on the history of science from the Greeks to modern times, by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg—a thought-provoking and important book by one of the most distinguished scientists and intellectuals of our time.In this rich, irreverent, and compelling history, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg takes us across centuries from ancient Miletus to medieval Baghdad and Oxford, from Plato’s Academy and the Museum of Alexandria to the cathedral school of Chartres and the Royal Society of London. He shows that the scientists of ancient and medieval times not only did not understand what we understand about the world—they did not understand what there is to understand, or how to understand it. Yet over the centuries, through the struggle to solve such mysteries as the curious backward movement of the planets and the rise and fall of the tides, the modern discipline of science eventually emerged. Along the way, Weinberg examines historic clashes and collaborations between science and the competing spheres of religion, technology, poetry, mathematics, and philosophy.An illuminating exploration of the way we consider and analyze the world around us, To Explain the World is a sweeping, ambitious account of how difficult it was to discover the goals and methods of modern science, and the impact of this discovery on human knowledge and development.
10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness
by Alanna CollenNow in paperback, evolutionary biologist and science writer Alanna Collen’s stunning alarm call concerning the widely-ignored role our gut microbes play in our health and well-being.“Fascinating…. Everything you wanted to know about microbes but were afraid to ask.”— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)You are just 10% human. For every one of the cells that make up the vessel that you call your body, there are nine impostor cells hitching a ride. You are not just flesh and blood, muscle and bone, brain and skin, but also bacteria and fungi. Over your lifetime, you will carry the equivalent weight of five African elephants in microbes. You are not an individual but a colony.Until recently, we had thought our microbes hardly mattered, but science is revealing a different story, one in which microbes run our bodies and becoming a healthy human is impossible without them.In this riveting, shocking, and beautifully written book, biologist Alanna Collen draws on the latest scientific research to show how our personal colony of microbes influences our weight, our immune system, our mental health, and even our choice of partner. She argues that so many of our modern diseases—obesity, autism, mental illness, digestive disorders, allergies, autoimmunity afflictions, and even cancer—have their root in our failure to cherish our most fundamental and enduring relationship: that with our personal colony of microbes.The good news is that unlike our human cells, we can change our microbes for the better. Collen’s book is a revelatory and indispensable guide. Life—and your body—will never seem the same again.
The Sun (Seymour Simon Science Ser.)
by Seymour SimonIn this completely updated edition of The Sun featuring beautiful full-color photographs, Seymour Simon presents a fascinating introduction to the star that is the center of our Solar System.Young readers will love exploring the wonders of the sun, from the constant nuclear explosions at its core to the sea of boiling gases that forms its surface.Seymour Simon knows how to explain science to kids and make it fun. He was a teacher for more than twenty years, has written more than 250 books, and has won multiple awards.This book includes an author's note, glossary, and index and supports the Common Core Learning Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) standards.
Destination: Revised Edition
by Seymour SimonAward-winning science writer Seymour Simon explores the Red Planet through fascinating facts and amazing full-color photographs. Readers will learn about the recent discovery of water, the Valles Marineris—the biggest valley on Mars—the ice caps, recent expeditions, and more. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 6 to 8. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.This updated edition includes:author’s notestunning full-color photographsglossaryindexwebsites and additional reading sourcesSupports the Common Core Learning Standards, Next Generation Science Standards and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) standards.
A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #3: The Final Gambit (Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #3)
by Christopher HealyThe thrilling conclusion to Christopher Healy's funny, action-packed, acclaimed alt-history adventure!It is 1884, and Molly and Cassandra Pepper, Emmett Lee, and Emmett’s long-lost father are sailing back to New York following their death-defying adventure in Antarctica. Having discovered a subterranean world at the South Pole while saving the world from certain doom once again, surely their accomplishments will finally earn them the recognition they deserve.Unless, of course . . . well, you know by now.And so do the Peppers and Lees. They’re used to having their deeds covered up by the government in order to protect powerful men, and frankly, they’re sick of it. And when their return to New York doesn’t go the way they’d planned, they decide that maybe it’s best to go into hiding and accept that, perhaps, the forces aligned against them are just too great.As the 1884 presidential election approaches, however, our heroes discover a plot against leading candidate Thomas Edison that only they can stop. It’ll be up to them to decide whether to come out of hiding, make the perilous journey to Washington, DC, and do the right thing one last time. Even if it means risking everything they have left.
A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #2: The Treacherous Seas (Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #2)
by Christopher HealyThe second book in the new adventure trilogy from the beloved author of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.It's 1883—only a few months after Molly Pepper; her mother, Cassandra; and her friend, Emmett, saved New York from an attack by the megalomaniacal Ambrose Rector while managing to preserve the reputations of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, whose technology was manipulated in Rector’s scheme. Their selfless heroism will finally earn them a place in the Inventors’ Guild, alongside the greatest minds of their generation.Unless, of course, no one knows that they did any of that.Left with nothing but empty promises and a struggling pickle shop after the government chooses to cover up the crisis, Molly, Cassandra, and Emmett have no idea where to turn—until they learn of a daring expedition to the South Pole, where an meteorite of mysterious power is embedded, and where Emmett’s father, explorer and ship captain Wendell Lee, disappeared years ago. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, our heroes commandeer an experimental seacraft to make their play on the pole. But the trip is more treacherous than they realize, and there’s no guarantee that they will return successful—if they even return at all.
A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #1: A Dastardly Plot (Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #1)
by Christopher HealyA rip-roaring, hilarious alternate-history adventure starring the world’s most famous inventors—and its most forgotten. From the author of the beloved Hero’s Guide series, Christopher Healy.It's 1883—the Age of Invention! A time when great men like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Nicola Tesla, and George Eastman work to turn the country into a land of limitless opportunity.And it all happens at the world famous Inventor’s Guild headquarters in New York City—a place where a great idea, a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck can find you rubbing elbows with these gods of industry who will usher humanity into the future.Unless, of course, you’re a woman.Molly Pepper, daughter of brilliant but unknown inventor Cassandra Pepper, lives with her mother in New York. By day, they make ends meet running a pickle shop; but by night, they toil and dream of Cassandra taking her place among the most famous inventors in America.In an attempt to find a way to exhibit Cass’s work at the World’s Fair, they break into the Inventor's Guild, where they discover a mysterious plot to destroy New York.The evidence points to the involvement of one of the world’s most famous inventors, and now it’s up to Molly, Cassandra, and a shop hand named Emmett Lee to uncover the truth—even if no one will ever know it was they who did it.“Christopher Healy, author of the Hero’s Guide series, knows how to tell a good story. He’s done it again with the adventures of a determined girl named Molly Pepper.”—Brightly, Best Middle Grade Books of Fall 2018
Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom
by Katherine EbanFrom an award-winning journalist, an explosive narrative investigation of the generic drug boom that reveals fraud and life-threatening dangers on a global scale—The Jungle for pharmaceuticalsMany have hailed the widespread use of generic drugs as one of the most important public-health developments of the twenty-first century. Today, almost 90 percent of our pharmaceutical market is comprised of generics, the majority of which are manufactured overseas. We have been reassured by our doctors, our pharmacists and our regulators that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name counterparts, just less expensive. But is this really true?Katherine Eban’s Bottle of Lies exposes the deceit behind generic-drug manufacturing—and the attendant risks for global health. Drawing on exclusive accounts from whistleblowers and regulators, as well as thousands of pages of confidential FDA documents, Eban reveals an industry where fraud is rampant, companies routinely falsify data, and executives circumvent almost every principle of safe manufacturing to minimize cost and maximize profit, confident in their ability to fool inspectors. Meanwhile, patients unwittingly consume medicine with unpredictable and dangerous effects.The story of generic drugs is truly global. It connects middle America to China, India, sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil, and represents the ultimate litmus test of globalization: what are the risks of moving drug manufacturing offshore, and are they worth the savings? A decade-long investigation with international sweep, high-stakes brinkmanship and big money at its core, Bottle of Lies reveals how the world’s greatest public-health innovation has become one of its most astonishing swindles.
What Makes a Magnet Updated Edition (Let's Read And Find Out Science)
by Dr Franklyn M. BranleyDescribes how a magnet works and how it is useful in our every day life.
The Oysters of Locmariaquer
by Eleanor ClarkWinner of the National Book Award“What an elegant book this is, starting with that most elegant of creatures, the Belon oyster. . . . [Clark’s] fantastic blending of science and art, history and journalism, brings the appetite back for life and literature both.” — Los Angeles Times Book ReviewOn the northwest coast of France, just around the corner from the English Channel, is the little town of Locmariaquer (pronounced "loc-maria-care"). The inhabitants of this town have a special relationship to the world, for it is their efforts that maintain the supply of the famous Belon oysters, called les plates ("the flat ones"). A vivid account of the cultivation of Belon oysters and an excursion into the myths, legends, and rich, vibrant history of Brittany and its extraordinary people, The Oysters of Locmariaquer is also an unforgettable journey to the heart of a fascinating culture and the enthralling, accumulating drama of a unique devotion.
Our Solar System: Revised Edition (Seymour Simon Science Ser.)
by Seymour SimonJoin award-winning science writer Seymour Simon in this completely updated edition of Our Solar System, as he takes young readers on a fascinating tour through space! With beautiful full-color photographs and spacecraft images, including many taken by the Mars rovers and Hubble Space Telescope, this nonfiction picture book teaches young readers all about the solar system, including the sun, the eight planets, and their moons. Covering all the latest discoveries in space, young astronomers will be over the moon about the fun facts, fascinating science, and incredible photographs. A must-have for every child interested in outer space! This book includes an author's note, a glossary, an index, and further reading suggestions. An excellent choice for classrooms and homeschooling, Our Solar System supports the Common Core State Standards.Check out these other Seymour Simon books about the universe and space:Comets, Meteors, and AsteroidsDestination: JupiterDestination: MarsDestination: SpaceExoplanetsGalaxiesStarsThe SunThe Universe
Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe
by Lisa RandallIn this brilliant exploration of our cosmic environment, the renowned particle physicist and New York Times bestselling author of Warped Passages and Knocking on Heaven’s Door uses her research into dark matter to illuminate the startling connections between the furthest reaches of space and life here on Earth.Sixty-six million years ago, an object the size of a city descended from space to crash into Earth, creating a devastating cataclysm that killed off the dinosaurs, along with three-quarters of the other species on the planet. What was its origin? In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Lisa Randall proposes it was a comet that was dislodged from its orbit as the Solar System passed through a disk of dark matter embedded in the Milky Way. In a sense, it might have been dark matter that killed the dinosaurs.Working through the background and consequences of this proposal, Randall shares with us the latest findings—established and speculative—regarding the nature and role of dark matter and the origin of the Universe, our galaxy, our Solar System, and life, along with the process by which scientists explore new concepts. In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Randall tells a breathtaking story that weaves together the cosmos’ history and our own, illuminating the deep relationships that are critical to our world and the astonishing beauty inherent in the most familiar things.
Vagina: Revised And Updated
by Naomi WolfAn astonishing work of cutting–edge science and cultural history from one of our most respected cultural critics and thinkers, Naomi Wolf, author of the modern classic The Beauty MythWhen an unexpected medical crisis sends Naomi Wolf on a journey to tease out the intersections between sexuality and creativity, she discovers—much to her own astonishment—an increasing body of scientific evidence that documents new insights about female sexual response. These breakthrough discoveries show that the vagina, clitoris, and labia—the female sexual centers—are not "merely flesh," but directly affect the female brain, and that the female brain directly affects, in newly documented ways, the vagina and female sexual centers. The vagina thus has a fundamental relationship to female consciousness itself. Utterly enthralling and totally fascinating, Vagina draws on this set of insights about "the mind-vagina connection" to reveal new information about what women really need, on many different levels, and considers what sexual relationships—and a woman's relationship to her self, as well as to her own desire and pleasure—transformed by these insights, may look like.A brilliant and nuanced synthesis of physiology, history, and cultural criticism, Vagina explores the physical, political, and spiritual implications for women—and for society as a whole—in this startling series of new scientific breakthroughs from a writer whose conviction and keen intelligence have propelled her works to the tops of bestseller lists, and firmly into the realm of modern classics.
Guys Read: True Stories
by James Sturm Jon Scieszka Jim Murphy Nathan Hale T. Edward Nickens Sy Montgomery Candace Fleming Douglas Florian Steve Sheinkin Elizabeth Partridge Thanhha LaiJon Scieszka's Guys Read anthology series for tweens turns to nonfiction in its fifth volume, True Stories. The fifth installment in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading features ten stories that are 100% amazing, 100% adventurous, 100% unbelievable--and 100% true. A star-studded group of award-winning nonfiction authors and journalists provides something for every reader, all aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Compiled and edited by real-life literature legend Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: True Stories is a mind-blowing collection of essays, biographies, how-to guides, and more, all proving that the truth is most definitely out there.Supports the Common Core State Standards
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Patterns Of Life Ser.)
by Yuval Noah HarariNew York Times BestsellerA Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.
Einstein's Shadow: A Black Hole, a Band of Astronomers, and the Quest to See the Unseeable
by Seth FletcherEinstein’s Shadow follows a team of elite scientists on their historic mission to take the first picture of a black hole, putting Einstein’s theory of relativity to its ultimate test and helping to answer our deepest questions about space, time, the origins of the universe, and the nature of realityPhotographing a black hole sounds impossible, a contradiction in terms. But Shep Doeleman and a global coalition of scientists are on the cusp of doing just that. With exclusive access to the team, journalist Seth Fletcher spent five years following Shep and an extraordinary cast of characters as they assembled the Event Horizon Telescope, a virtual radio observatory the size of the Earth. He witnessed their struggles, setbacks, and breakthroughs, and along the way, he explored the latest thinking on the most profound questions about black holes. Do they represent a limit to our ability to understand reality? Or will they reveal the clues that lead to the long-sought Theory of Everything? Fletcher transforms astrophysics into something exciting, accessible, and immediate, taking us on an incredible adventure to better understand the complexity of our galaxy, the boundaries of human perception and knowledge, and how the messy human endeavor of science really works.Weaving a compelling narrative account of human ingenuity with excursions into cutting-edge science, Einstein’s Shadow is a tale of great minds on a mission to change the way we understand our universe—and our place in it.