E-Book Overview
From the author of the bestselling The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comes another incredible trip to an even more mysterious terrain. Michael Hanlon identifies ten scientific questions that we simply can't seem to answer and explains why these compelling mysteries will remain unsolved for years to comeHow did life begin? Why are there two sexes? Where did language originate? In Hanlon's characteristically witty style, he ponders the ways these questions have persisted in frustrating the best minds and asks what might be needed to get to the bottom of it all. From politics to lack of technology, each question has its own set of circumstances holding it back. By exploring these unanswerable questions, Hanlon exposes some of science's greatest failings and missteps--and charts a hopeful direction for getting science back on the road to discovery.
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10 Questions Science Can’t Answer (Yet)
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10 Questions Science Can’t Answer (Yet) A Guide to the Scientific Wilderness Michael Hanlon
Macmillan London New York Melbourne
Hong Kong
© MIchael Hanlon 2007 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 First published 2007 by Macmillan Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN-13: 978–0–230–51758–5 hardback ISBN-10: 0–230–51758–7 hardback This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10 16
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Printed and bound in the United States of America
contents
acknowledgements vii introduction 1 1. is fido a zombie? 16 2. why is time so weird? 43 3. can i live forever please? 56 4. what are we going to do with the stupid? 76 5. what is the dark side? 91 6. is the universe alive? 102 7. are you the same person you were a minute ago? 125 8. why are we all so fat... and does it really matter? 141 9. can we really be sure the paranormal is bunkum? 154 10. what is reality, really? 171 index 187
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acknowledgements
At Macmillan my editor Sara Abdulla has been a constant source of inspiration, encouragement and, occasionally, enforcement, as deadlines approach. I must thank all the scientists, writers and press officers who furnished me with quotes, helpful explanations and who trawled through their databases finding papers whose names, publication dates and authors I had totally forgotten – in particular Claire Bowles at New Scientist, Ruth Francis at Nature, Peter Barratt at The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council and all the helpful staff at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I must thank my employer, the Daily Mail, for giving me the space and freedom to develop my interest in science in all its facets, and most of all