Stop me if you've heard this one: a biophysicist, a writer, a theologian walk into a bar. OK, so that's not actually how Dawn was written, but the diverse backgrounds of the three co-writers--Cees Dekker, Corien Oranje, and Gijsbert van den Brink respectively--do sound more like résumés for the cast of a niche joke than for collaborators on a novel. And not just any novel, but one that spans 14 billion years--from the instants after the Big Bang until the moment the manuscript was sent to the printers (or so it seems, … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Dawn – A Proton’s Tale of All that Came to Be
Book Review/Discussion
Science Book Review: Being You – A New Science of Consciousness
At various times while reading Anil Seth's engaging and accessible Being You, I was reminded of the people in Helen Thomson's Unthinkable, the subject of a previous blog post. Thomson was documenting the distinct experiences of people whose perception of themselves and/or the world around them depart substantially from what is typical: people who think they are tigers or dead or who can have their orientation to the world flipped instantaneously. Seth is giving an account more generally of why perception works the way … [Read more...] about Science Book Review: Being You – A New Science of Consciousness
Science Corner: A Planet of Viruses Book Review & Virus Appreciation
I don't know about you, but viruses have been on my mind a lot lately. One virus in particular, SARS-CoV-2 (a.k.a. COVID-19), continues to hold my attention way more than I would like it to. However, viruses are pretty amazing, and I learned to appreciate them when I read Carl Zimmer's book, A Planet of Viruses. Like everything I have read by Carl Zimmer, who writes a weekly science column for The New York Times, this short book is a fun read, and it doesn't require a background in biology, or any other science, to … [Read more...] about Science Corner: A Planet of Viruses Book Review & Virus Appreciation
Science Corner: Null Set Book Review
Even in science fiction, pure math doesn't get as much play as robotics or cosmology or genetic engineering. So the promise of a math savant as a protagonist with a title like Zero Sum Game was enough to get me excited for SL Huang's debut novel. I was expecting something a bit more in the vein of Neal Stephenson or Ryan North, with explorations of mathematical concepts woven into the story. What I did not know is that Huang has a background both in mathematics and stunt performing, so her protagonist is an action hero … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Null Set Book Review
Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 4
Reading and writing about The Dance of Life and developemental biology reminded me of the time I was asked to write about a supposed flash of light occurring at the moment of conception. Articles like this one made the rounds on social media, getting everyone excited about a literal spark of life. Or at least I guess that's what they were excited about; I didn't really get it because I knew the light came from reagents scientists added to detect zinc and not the egg itself. I appreciated the opportunity to add clarity … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 4