Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Image by DJMcCrady on Flickr
Black holes, DIY bio-engineering, aliens and more. Interviews and articles from many of the biggest names in Science. No prior knowledge necessary
Successor to Hubble Space Telescope vital to key astrophysics research; based on range of untested technologies, risks to its successful launch are astronomical. Cost of failure is end of progress for a generation
Intriguing report on rise of DIY bio-engineering. Boot-strapped science start-ups trial DNA sequencing in garage labs! Will falling costs of biological research create a new wave of influential bio-hackers?
Why we should never use the phrase 'missing link' in evolution. Palaeontologist explains history behind Great Chain Of Being theory. Debunks common myths with simple explanation of actual relevant science
Wonderful view of the potential for self-sufficient vegetarian robots. Diverse future uses include foraging for biofuels and protecting farmland against insect infestations. At the core of the robot? A steam engine
First collect your raw materials: a wormhole in space, a large hadron collider, a black hole, and a rocket that goes really fast. Even then, you will travel only to the future, not the past
Very funny, gently mocking interview with Paul Davies, head of US-funded scientists' group advising how to respond if aliens contact Earth. He thinks Einstein will travel well, but not Picasso
Tests for statistical significance are widely misunderstood and misinterpreted, leading to countless wrong conclusions in scientific literature, contradictory and confusing conclusions in medical studies
Short, funny, scientifically-sound account of neanderthal genome, and why it makes news: "It conjures up pictures of hairy, beetle-browed neanderthals shagging individuals that looked much more like us"
Controversial theory of how memories are made. Promotes idea that "the very act of remembering can change our memories". Thought provoking and interesting on current neuroscience research
Kepler founded modern astronomy in a search for harmony that we wouldn't now recognise as scientific at all
Analysis of controversial claim from Roger Penrose that the Big Bang was not the start of the universe. Instead most recent in series of bangs. Challenges accepted beliefs. Thought-provoking article
Lighthearted romp through some of Science's most controversial finds. Are we in a mass extinction now? Are our memories really ours? Entertaining read if short on hard science
Interview with Steven Johnson, about "Where Good Ideas Come From". Great innovation rarely product of lone genius, sudden breakthrough. More often a logical next step which may occur to several people at once
Fascinating biography of Dirac, an unsung hero of physics. Established field of quantum electrodynamics. Famously said "It is more important to have beauty in one’s equations than to have them fit experiment"
Cells as hardware, genetic code as software: advances by synthetic biologists could allow us to alter nature and guide human evolution. Potential big wins for creating low-cost drugs and clean fuels
The Professor of Astro-Physics at Oxford University selects five seminal books on the workings of the universe. Explains that to appreciate the true beauty of science is to understand its simplicity and universality
