Review by Booklist Review
To learn about a proton, a platypus, or a pulsar, readers can turn to almost any encyclopedia. But for some understanding as to how modern science fits everything from quarks to quasars into one seamless whole, readers will find no better guide than Gribbin. Starting with the structure of the atom, he leads us through the miracles of chemistry, biology, geophysics, and finally cosmology. At every step, he focuses on the conceptual links that unify the scientific enterprise. Shorn of its mathematical complexity, that enterprise yields remarkable secrets--from the dynamics of continental drift to the structure of neutron stars--even to readers of ordinary intelligence and training. Perhaps even more important, Gribbin demystifies the process through which scientists come to know what they know, explaining with lucid examples the scientific method for constructing and testing new theories. It is a good thing that Gribbin provides a list of titles for further reading because readers will close this volume eager to explore the literature of science. --Bryce Christensen
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Any book attempting to explain topics as diverse as the inner workings of atoms and the origin of the universe, as well as everything in between, is bound to be superficial. Gribbin's is that, but it is also informative, providing a knowing, if idiosyncratic, view of many of the major contemporary issues in science. Gribbin (In Search of Schrdinger's Cat, etc.) has written "a guide not so much for fans of science and the cognoscenti but more a guide for the perplexedÄanyone who is vaguely aware that science is important, and might even be interesting, but is usually scared off by the technical detail." He begins by paying attention to the work of physicists and their view of the atom, moving sequentially to chemists, biologists, geologists, meteorologists, astronomers and cosmologists. Topics as diverse as the nature of chemical bonds, the structure of biological molecules, evolution, plate tectonics, the greenhouse effect, stellar evolution and the big bang all touched on. Throughout, Gribbin emphasizes fundamentals of science and of the scientific methodÄparticularly through the mantra, "if it disagrees with experiment it is wrong." Overall, this is a good bet for the would-be weekend scientist who favors breadth over depth and wants to know a lot in little time. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Gribbin, assisted by his occasional co-author Mary, tops himself with this one-volume summary of the current state of scientific knowledge. Author of numerous science books for the layperson (The Search for Superstrings, Symmetry, and the Theory of Everything, 1999), Gribbin steps back to show the broad perspective of what science knows about the universe, from the subatomic level up. After stating the central principle of science (``If it disagrees with experiment it is wrong''), Gribbin begins with the concept of atoms and elements, which led to much of modern science. As useful as the atomic hypothesis was, it wasn't until Einstein that it was widely accepted as a factual description of reality. By that point, there was a growing body of evidence that the atom itself was a complex entity, made of smaller particles. The activity of one of those particles'the electron'is responsible for all of chemistry. Thence Gribbin leads the discussion to organic chemistry, through the structure of DNA, and thus to genetics and evolution. In such small but closely connected steps, the discussion goes on to geology and the history of the Earth, to astronomy and stellar evolution, all the way to cosmology and the structure of the universe as a whole. Gribbin is quick to make connections among the various sciences he discusses: for example, the simple quantum mechanical reason for the vital fact that ice floats'without which life as we know it would certainly be impossible. He smoothly introduces anecdotes about the scientists responsible for various theories and discoveries, and draws usefully on everyday experience to illustrate his material. And while he provides sufficient detail to give the various subjects immediacy, his eye is always on the big picture'how the world fits together and what it means to each of us. A definitive treatment of the subject, clearly and elegantly written. If you're going to own just one general science book, you'd do well to make it this one.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
