Any literate person should be familiar with the central ideas of modern science. In his sparkling new book, Peter Atkins introduces his choice of the ten great ideas of science. With wit, charm, patience, and astonishing insights, he leads the reader through the emergence of the concepts, and then presents them in a strikingly effective manner. At the same time, he works into his engaging narrative an illustration of the scientific method and shows how simple ideas can have enormous consequences.His choice of the ten great ideas are:* Evolution occurs by natural selection, in which the early attempts at explaining the origin of species is followed by an account of the modern approach and some of its unsolved problems.* Inheritance is encoded in DNA, in which the story of the emergence of an understanding of inheritance is followed through to the mapping of the human genome.* Energy is co
Examines the role of humankind in the universe, addressing such concepts as the existence of time and space, relativity, and language in terms of the question of what the universe would be like if human beings were not around to observe or interpret it. Titel: The Human Touch Udgave: 1st Picador edition Genre: natur_videnskab_teknologi Sammendrag: Michael Frayn udforsker i "The Human Touch" menneskets rolle i universet og spørger, hvordan verden ville se ud uden observatører til at registrere, måle og fortolke den. Med afsæt i både filosofi og moderne kosmologi viser han, hvordan begreber som tid, rum, tal, tilfældighed, årsag, sprog og identitet afhænger af menneskelig erfaring. Frayn gennemgår historiske og nutidige ideer om forholdet mellem subjektiv oplevelse og objektiv virkelighed og argumenterer for, at universet, som vi kender det, altid er filtret sammen med menneskelig opfattel
The quantum computer is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Pioneering physicists are on the brink of unlocking a new quantum universe which provides a better representation of reality than our everyday experiences and common sense ever could. The birth of quantum computers - which, like Schrodinger's famous 'dead and alive' cat, rely on entities like electrons, photons or atoms existing in two states at the same time - is set to turn the computing world on its head. In his fascinating study of this cutting-edge technology, John Gribbin updates his previous views on the nature of quantum reality, arguing for a universe of many parallel worlds where 'everything is real'. Looking back to Alan Turing's work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle. He takes us
Where would humanity be without fire, farming, or wine? A great idea changes the path of human civilization. But which is the greatest of them all? In The World's Greatest Idea, John Farndon has set out to find the answer with help from a panel of experts in the fields of science, the arts, and philosophy. A shortlist of fifty ideas are ranked in the book according to public vote on TheWorldsGreatestIdea.com. But will you agree with the verdict? John Farndon is the author of numerous books including the highly successful Do You Think You're Clever? (Totem Books). Titel: The World's Greatest Idea af John Farndon (Bog) Genre: Videnskab / Filosofi Sammendrag: John Farndon forsøger at finde svaret på, hvad der er den største idé nogensinde gennem en rejse af opdagelse af de mest kraftfulde intellektuelle, sociale, videnskabelige og kreative gnister af geniale tanker, menneskeheden nogensinde
"The riveting investigative account of Nvidia, the tech company that has exploded in value for its artificial intelligence computing hardware, and Jensen Huang, Nvidia's charismatic, uncompromising CEO. In June of 2024, spurred by the frenzy of investment following the launch of ChatGPT, and thirty-one years after its founding in a Denny's restaurant, Nvidia became the most-valuable corporation on Earth. In The Thinking Machine, acclaimed journalist Stephen Witt recounts the unlikely story of how a manufacturer of video game components shocked Silicon Valley by conquering the market for AI hardware, and in the process re-invented the computer. Essential to Nvidia's meteoric success is its visionary CEO Jensen Huang, who more than a decade ago, on the basis of a few promising scientific results, bet his entire company on AI. Through unprecedented access to Huang, his friends, his investor
What is life? For four centuries, it has been believed that the only possible scientific approach to this question proceeds from the Cartesian metaphor -- organism as machine. Therefore, organisms are to be studied and characterized the same way "machines" are; the same way any inorganic system is. Robert Rosen argues that such a view is neither necessary nor sufficient to answer the question. He asserts that life is not a specialization of mechanism, but rather a sweeping generalization of it. Above all, Rosen argues that renouncing mechanism does not mean abandoning science. A radical alternative is proposed, drawn equally from experience in biology, physics, and mathematics; an alternative which draws attention to a new class of complex systems, which are radically different from mechanism. Titel: Life Itself Genre: Science Sammendrag: Why are living things alive? As a theoretical bio
As smartphones, supercomputers, supercolliders, and AI propel us into an ever more unfamiliar future, How to Speak Science takes us on a rollicking historical tour of the greatest discoveries and ideas that make todayÕs cuttingÐedge technologies possible. Wanting everyone to be able to ÒspeakÓ science, YouTube science guru Bruce Benamran explainsÐas accessibly and wittily as in his acclaimed videosÐthe fundamental ideas of the physical world: matter, life, the solar system, light, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, special and general relativity, and much more. Along the way, Benamran guides us through the wildest hypotheses and most ingenious ideas of Galileo, Newton, Curie, Einstein, and scienceÕs other greatest minds, reminding us that while they werenÕt always exactly right, they were always curious. How to Speak Science acquaints us not only with what scientists know, but how they th
“A quintessential work of technological futurism.” – James Surowiecki, strategy + business, “Best Business Books 2017 – Innovation” From one of our leading technology thinkers and writers, a guide through the twelve technological imperatives that will shape the next thirty years and transform our lives Much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion. In this fascinating, provocative new book, Kevin Kelly provides an optimistic road map for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives—from virtual reality in the home to an on-demand economy to artificial intelligence embedded in everything we manufacture—can be understood as the result of a few long-term, accelerating forces. Kelly both describes these deep trends—interacting, cognifying, flowing, screening, accessing, sharing, filtering, remixing, track
