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I realized, before starting this book, that some of the topics might be "old hat". I've read about the dark matter/dark energy mystery in a number of books. But I wasn't ready for the other fascinating mysteries, that truly surprised me. For example, I thought that the placebo effect was well understood. But evidently not. For example, the common drug Valium (dizaepam) has a strong effect; but only if the person taking it understands what the effect should be. Tests have shown that the drug is n
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Any book that makes you ponder subjects that are seemingly inherently necessary (find a necessity for sexual reproduction or death) in a new light are going to be getting a thumbs up from me. I enjoy that, it is defiantly on my track of thinking. He took on a number of controversial topics and some of them (homeopathy for example) I don't think I will ever agree with given the current state of affairs but the author doesn't really ask you to agree with anything. He just says there are things tha
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Disappointing, but maybe I was expecting too much.
The author attempts to summarize some fundamental problems facing science (mainly physics) today. He starts with the problems of missing mass and missing energy. Physicists have only recently discovered that (if current theory is correct) the universe must contain a significant amount of energy that we can't seem to detect in any way. I would have hoped this book would summarize our current knowledge and then review on going attempts to resolve ...more
The author attempts to summarize some fundamental problems facing science (mainly physics) today. He starts with the problems of missing mass and missing energy. Physicists have only recently discovered that (if current theory is correct) the universe must contain a significant amount of energy that we can't seem to detect in any way. I would have hoped this book would summarize our current knowledge and then review on going attempts to resolve ...more

Michael Brooks does the best job of putting all the known facts together is the best possible way. He never fails to give a thorough description while being extremely entertaining. He tackels subjects, like the emergence of life or the evolutionary purpose of death, just as many authors do, but he does not require that you be particularly good at science. He is simply fabulous.

Jan 03, 2009
Anna
marked it as to-read

Apr 30, 2009
Shellie (Layers of Thought)
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Jun 13, 2009
Ben
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Jul 06, 2009
Shelley
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Jan 22, 2010
Ben Wittman
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Oct 17, 2010
Erica
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Jul 28, 2011
Shanavas
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May 21, 2012
Eric
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Apr 03, 2015
Billy Waldie
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Jan 17, 2017
Stacy
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Apr 10, 2017
Cole
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Mar 12, 2018
Tatjana Rosandić
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Aug 24, 2018
Avi Rozen
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