David’s Comments (group member since Dec 13, 2009)

David’s comments from the Science and Inquiry group.

Eric wrote: "I'm still not quite done with the book, but I have found a few "gems" in this book that really stood out to me. My favorite quotes were: ... "Knowledge begets questions, which beget new technology, which provides answers, which in turn beget questions. This is the implacable carousel of research. .."

This was my favorite, too!

Marksciencereader wrote: "I saw that someone has created a list of the best science books of 2011 based on the selections of newspapers and websites here: http://popsciencebooks.com/psychology.... ..."

That's a very good list! I would agree with just about every book on that list--with the exception of Steve Jobs, which isn't about science.

Kenny wrote: "I don't know if this sort of thing might be appropriate or not, but how about The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2011"

Kenny, this book is appropriate. It is the most recent in an annual series of books. Each edition features works selected by a different editor, which helps to make them varied.

Here is my review of Earth: An Intimate History. Most of the book was very interesting, though a few parts dragged, at least for me. Hard-core geologists would probably appreciate most the parts I found dull, and vice versa.

Does anybody else have some thoughts on the book?

It's already time to open up nominations for the February book. If you have a good idea for a book, please share it! (Make sure to press the "add book" option, so a link to the book will make it easier for everybody to read up about it.)

Nominations will be open through December 30.

Kirsten wrote: "Picked up a copy of Our Dying Planet: An Ecologist's View of the Crisis We Face as it was on the new book shelf at my local library. I feel obligated to read it as an environmental..."

Doom and gloom are very popular, while optimism does not sell books. An interesting antidote to the pessimism is The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves.

Betsy wrote: "Galileo's Muse: Renaissance Mathematics and the Arts looks interesting. Just published in October 2011. Has anyone read it? Seen a review of it? Science News mentioned it, but d..."

Thanks for the mention, Betsy. I will put it on my list--it's at our library.

Two books that I really enjoyed are:
The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
and
The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force

As of yesterday, we have 1,000 members in the Science and Inquiry group. We average about one new member every day!

I've started reading the book, too. Fortey's style reminds me a lot of the style of Stephen Jay Gould.

Sandra wrote: "... Right now I'm reading The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, an astounding work by Sam Harris, but it is leaving me feeling very, very depressed about the prospects for mankind."

That looks like a very interesting book, Sandra. I've put it on my "To Read" list. Are you nominating it for next month?

Rana wrote: "I just found two interesting titles on the group book shelf
1- The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
2- At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity

Rana, those are good books. They were tied for our "Book of the Month" in August. You can find a complete list of our "Books of the Month" right here.

I've been reading Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America. It may be the most important book about science and society. It has changed my outlook on journalism, and the role of science in today's politics.

John wrote: "David:

I need to put this book on my to-read list, but I can respond to your question from the info you provided in your post. It sounds like the author is engaging in speculation about a possibl..."

Thanks, John. I didn't make my comment clear, perhaps. The idea is not that the molecules have any memory of their arrangement. The idea is that the molecules would try out every arrangement at random, and would eventually, after a very very long time--much longer than the age of the universe-- approach the original arrangement with a probability of 1. It's a mathematical theorem, not a physics theory. My question is more about the consistency of Carroll's arguments; he seems to be saying one thing, and then exactly the opposite a bit later. I am hoping that someone could untangle what seems to be inconsistent positions.

I have a question for those people who have read as far as Chapter 10, "Recurrent Nightmares". In this chapter, Sean Carroll offers up the possibility that, according to a theorem solved by Poincare, any closed system will will recur to within some stated precision an infinite number of times. For example, if an unbroken egg is held in a perfect box in outer space, over time its shell would disintegrate and the yolk would come out and the molecules would eventually (after a very long time) reach an equilibrium state. But after a very long time, the molecules would coalesce again into an unbroken egg--not identical to the original unbroken egg, but close enough. And this cycle would repeat over and over again.

Then Carroll writes (p. 222) that it is much more probable for a pumpkin pie to assemble itself out of a homogeneous collection of molecules in a box, than for the universe to return to a low-entropy state, such as that which occurred at the time of the big bang.

Then Carroll introduces the concept of a "Boltzmann Brain", that is a disembodied brain that develops memories, and can think but simply imagines the universe--sort of like in the movie, "The Matrix". And, just like the egg in the box, it might be possible that Boltzmann brains are statistical aberrations of a universe in equilibrium. Possible, but on p. 226, extremely unlikely--less likely than the entire universe fluctuating randomly to a low-entropy state.

I just don't understand the argument. Does anybody else "get it"?

Betsy wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "I just picked up Cascadia's Fault and thus far I can't put it down."

I'd really like to read this, but it's not available on Amazon even as a paper book, much less ..."

Betsy, it is listed on Amazon as a Kindle book:
http://www.amazon.com/Cascadias-Fault...

Also, it is listed as a hardbound book (but not paperback).

LoL!

Here is another one:
Science Tattoo Emporium

I've started reading From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time. It is excellent--highly recommended.

Jeff wrote: "One of the greatest science books is coming out on itunes.First episode available! Its really good! You might be able to get it somewhere else,if so please post"

Thanks for the update, Jeff. I'm downloading the audiobook from the web site of our local library. Check your library--they might allow audiobook downloads, for free. I've already listened to Brian Greene's
The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos.

Kenny wrote: "I guess I totally missed the voting....:(

I thought there was supposed to be a notice here and a link. Even now I don't see the poll or what the totals were? Anyone?"

Look at the list of links in the upper-right corner of this page (and every other page under Science and Inquiry).