Download or read book Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre written by Len Fisher and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-04-04 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the IgNobel Prize in physics and the 2004 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award, Len Fisher showed just how much fun science can be in his enthusiastically praised debut, How to Dunk a Doughnut. In this new work, he reveals that science sometimes takes a path through the ridiculous and the bizarre to discover that Nature often simply does not follow common sense. One experiment, involving a bed, platform scales, and a dying man, seemed to prove that the soul weighed the same as a slice of bread. But other, no less fanciful experiments and ideas led to the fundamentals of our understanding of movement, heat, light, and energy, and such things as the discovery of electricity, and the structure of DNA; improved engines; and the invention of computers. As in his previous book, Fisher uses personal stories and examples from everyday life, as well as humor, to make the science accessible. He touches on topics from lightning to corsets and from alchemy to Frankenstein and water babies, but he may not claim the last word on the weight of the soul!
Download or read book Weighing the Soul Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre written by Len Fisher and published by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2012-01-23 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the man who "puts the fizz in physics" (Entertainment Weekly), an entertaining and thought-provoking foray into the science of the bizarre, the peculiar, and the downright nutty! Winner of the IgNobel Prize in physics and the 2004 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award, Len Fisher showed just how much fun science can be in his enthusiastically praised debut, How to Dunk a Doughnut. In this new work, he reveals that science sometimes takes a path through the ridiculous and the bizarre to discover that Nature often simply does not follow common sense. One experiment, involving a bed, platform scales, and a dying man, seemed to prove that the soul weighed the same as a slice of bread. But other, no less fanciful experiments and ideas led to the fundamentals of our understanding of movement, heat, light, and energy, and such things as the discovery of electricity, and the structure of DNA; improved engines; and the invention of computers. As in his previous book, Fisher uses personal stories and examples from everyday life, as well as humor, to make the science accessible. He touches on topics from lightning to corsets and from alchemy to Frankenstein and water babies, but he may not claim the last word on the weight of the soul!
Download or read book Incredible Facts for Inquisitive Minds written by Fred Flynn and published by . This book was released on 2024-04-24 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Weird Science and Bizarre Beliefs written by Gregory L. Reece and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2008-10-30 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does the giant Yeti roam the mountain ranges of Tibet? Does a real-life Shangri La lie waiting to be discovered in a Himalayan valley? Do transmissions from lost civilizations beam messages of salvation to humankind? What lost creatures lurk in the murky depths of Scotland's brooding Loch Ness? And who - or what - is responsible for the implacable monoliths which tower over Easter Island? The obsession that so many now have with the uncanny and the unnatural is in itself a mystery. It prompts serious questions which could have remarkable answers. Drinking deep from the wells of esoteric knowledge, Greg Reece undertakes a heroic quest for solutions. Braving the darkest recesses of cult belief, he stalks the twilight borderlands of contemporary culture, where, at the outer edges of mainstream thought, things become downright freaky and outlandish. Taking his life in both hands, the author explores a subterranean cavern reputed to be the home of elusive blue-skinned troglodytes; goes hiking in the backwoods for a glimpse of Bigfoot; investigates the truth of Alternative Archaeology in search of Atlantis; and tests for himself the time-travel and anti-gravity theories of famed inventor Nikola Tesla. Unashamedly revelling in the unexplained, Weird Science and Bizarre Beliefs is both a penetrating analysis of the hidden underbelly of science, pseudo-science and religion as well as an unforgettable journey into the innermost depths of the fantastic, the extraordinary and the peculiar.
Download or read book Bizarre Facts in Science Technology written by Jimmy McNeil and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2024 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dive into the extraordinary and often unbelievable world of science and technology with "Bizarre Facts in Science & Technology: Exploring the Wonders of Our World." This captivating book unravels a tapestry of the most peculiar and fascinating aspects of scientific discovery and technological innovation. From the serendipitous accidents that led to groundbreaking inventions to the weirdest phenomena in the natural world will takes readers on an enthralling journey beyond the boundaries of conventional knowledge. Each page turns the spotlight on astonishing facts and stories that challenge our understanding of the world around us. "Bizarre Facts in Science & Technology" is not just a compilation of facts; it is a celebration of human curiosity and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Perfect for science enthusiasts, trivia buffs, and the innately curious, this book offers a unique blend of education and entertainment. It's a testament to the weird and wonderful ways in which science and technology continue to transform our world. Prepare to be amazed, delighted, and inspired as you explore the wonders of our world through the lens of the bizarre and the extraordinary.
Download or read book Weighing the Soul written by Len Fisher and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2011-05-12 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the IgNobel-winning author of How to Dunk a Doughnut, another slice of the weird and wonderful side of science Good science and common sense often don't mix. In Weighing the Soul, Len Fisher shows the path to scientific discovery is frequently a bumpy one that follows Schopenhauer's famous maxim - 'All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second, it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-evident.' Fisher tells the fascinating, human stories behind some of the great as well as some of the not-so-great scientific ideas of the past - those that were truly bizarre, peculiar or downright daft, and those that just seemed that way at the time. As he shows, it is often only with hindsight that the two can be told apart, and it is some of those who appeared most wrong - and who were variously ignored, persecuted and imprisoned as a result - that ultimately went on to be proved most right.
Download or read book Weighing the Soul written by Len Fisher and published by Arcade Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the strange and ridiculous paths science can take, describing bizarre experiments, discoveries, and figures.
Download or read book Why People Believe Weird Things written by Michael Shermer and published by Holt Paperbacks. This book was released on 2002-09-01 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This sparkling book romps over the range of science and anti-science." --Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel Revised and Expanded Edition. In this age of supposed scientific enlightenment, many people still believe in mind reading, past-life regression theory, New Age hokum, and alien abduction. A no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, with more than 80,000 copies in print, Why People Believe Weird Things debunks these nonsensical claims and explores the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. In an entirely new chapter, "Why Smart People Believe in Weird Things," Michael Shermer takes on science luminaries like physicist Frank Tippler and others, who hide their spiritual beliefs behind the trappings of science. Shermer, science historian and true crusader, also reveals the more dangerous side of such illogical thinking, including Holocaust denial, the recovered-memory movement, the satanic ritual abuse scare, and other modern crazes. Why People Believe Strange Things is an eye-opening resource for the most gullible among us and those who want to protect them.
Download or read book Spooky Science written by John Grant and published by Union Square + ORM. This book was released on 2015-10-20 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A hilarious lampoon of scientific inquiry into the psychic. Life after death, spirit communication, the astral plane, reincarnation: on the relatively rare occasions when scientists have tried to apply their methods to the paranormal, they’ve often ended up embarrassed—fooled by obvious charlatans, deluded into making irrational and unsubstantiated claims, or frustrated in their attempt to find something that just isn’t there. John Grant—author of Discarded Science and Corrupted Science—investigates the pseudoscience of spooky stuff to fascinating and humorous effect. From scamming mediums, to poltergeist fakery, to heavenly hallucinations, Grant spares ardent believers and gullible thinkers no mercy in this rollicking history of psychic “phenomena.”
Download or read book The Perfect Swarm written by Len Fisher and published by Basic Books (AZ). This book was released on 2011-03-08 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The IgNobel Prize-winner and author of Rock, Paper, Scissors applies science-based solutions to seemingly complex problems in life.
Download or read book Brilliant Blunders written by Mario Livio and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-05-27 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Drawing on the lives of five great scientists -- Charles Darwin, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), Linus Pauling, Fred Hoyle and Albert Einstein -- scientist/author Mario Livio shows how even the greatest scientists made major mistakes and how science built on these errors to achieve breakthroughs, especially into the evolution of life and the universe"--
Download or read book The Precarious Human Role In a Mechanistic Universe written by John F. Brinster and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2011-01-06 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No description available for this title
Download or read book The Seeds of Life written by Edward Dolnick and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2017-06-06 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why cracking the code of human conception took centuries of wild theories, misogynist blunders, and ludicrous mistakes Throughout most of human history, babies were surprises. People knew the basics: men and women had sex, and sometimes babies followed. But beyond that the origins of life were a colossal mystery. The Seeds of Life is the remarkable and rollicking story of how a series of blundering geniuses and brilliant amateurs struggled for two centuries to discover where, exactly, babies come from. Taking a page from investigative thrillers, acclaimed science writer Edward Dolnick looks to these early scientists as if they were detectives hot on the trail of a bedeviling and urgent mystery. These strange searchers included an Italian surgeon using shark teeth to prove that female reproductive organs were not 'failed' male genitalia, and a Catholic priest who designed ingenious miniature pants to prove that frogs required semen to fertilize their eggs. A witty and rousing history of science, The Seeds of Life presents our greatest scientists struggling-against their perceptions, their religious beliefs, and their deep-seated prejudices-to uncover how and where we come from.
Download or read book Rock Paper Scissors written by Len Fisher and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-11-04 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praised by Entertainment Weekly as “the man who put the fizz into physics,” Dr. Len Fisher turns his attention to the science of cooperation in his lively and thought-provoking book. Fisher shows how the modern science of game theory has helped biologists to understand the evolution of cooperation in nature, and investigates how we might apply those lessons to our own society. In a series of experiments that take him from the polite confines of an English dinner party to crowded supermarkets, congested Indian roads, and the wilds of outback Australia, not to mention baseball strategies and the intricacies of quantum mechanics, Fisher sheds light on the problem of global cooperation. The outcomes are sometimes hilarious, sometimes alarming, but always revealing. A witty romp through a serious science, Rock, Paper, Scissors will both teach and delight anyone interested in what it what it takes to get people to work together.
Download or read book More Freaky Science Discoveries written by Sarah Machajewski and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Funky, fascinating...and freaky! These are just some of the words that describe the captivating and sometimes strange world of scientific discovery. Worms with two heads, fruit that conducts electricity, and miniature brains that grow in petri dishes are a few of the totally weird topics in this volume, which demonstrates to readers just how bizarre science can be. While examining scientific peculiarities, readers will come to understand more about the theories and principles behind them. Engaging images, fact boxes, and sidebars reinforce the concepts, which are closely connected to the elementary science curriculum.
Download or read book How to Make a Tornado written by New Scientist and published by John Murray. This book was released on 2016-09-01 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science tells us grand things about the universe: how fast light travels, and why stones fall to earth. But scientific endeavour goes far beyond these obvious foundations. There are some fields we don't often hear about because they are so specialised, or turn out to be dead ends. Yet researchers have given hallucinogenic drugs to blind people (seriously), tried to weigh the soul as it departs the body and planned to blast a new Panama Canal with atomic weapons. Real scientific breakthroughs sometimes come out of the most surprising and unpromising work. How to Make a Tornado is about the margins of science - not the research down tried-and-tested routes, but some of its zanier and more brilliant by-ways. Investigating everything from what it's like to die, to exploding trousers and recycled urine, this book is a reminder that science is intensely creative and often very amusing - and when their minds run free, scientists can fire the imagination like nobody else.
Download or read book Crashes Crises and Calamities written by Len Fisher and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2011-03-29 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do certain civilizations, societies, and ecosystems collapse? How does the domino effect relate to the credit crunch? When can mathematics help explain marriage? And how on earth do toads predict earthquakes? The future is uncertain. But science can help foretell what lies ahead. Drawing on ecology and biology, math and physics, Crashes, Crises, and Calamities offers four fundamental tools that scientists and engineers use to forecast the likelihood of sudden change: stability, catastrophe, complexity, and game theories. In accessible prose, Len Fisher demonstrates how we can foresee and manage events that might otherwise catch us by surprise. At the cutting edge of science, Fisher helps us find ways to act before a full-fledged catastrophe is upon us. Crashes, Crises, and Calamities is a witty and informative exploration of the chaos, complexity, and patterns of our daily lives.
