Unsolved Mysteries of Science: A Mind-Expanding Journey through a Universe of Big Bangs, Particle Waves, and Other Perplexing Concepts

This book is just not about what science is struggling with right now. Every chapter starts with a rather comprehensive introduction on each of the subjects this book deals with like black holes, language, evolution, etc. This gives a good background to understand how the current theory or theories evolved and why they are not complete. It also makes you an informed individual of the XXI century. Although it dates from the year 2001, after reading this book your knowledge of science will be quite up to date, at least from the layman's perspective. Just a few days ago I've stumbled upon two articles that showed me how the controversies depicted in this book are quite alive and kicking. "The interpreter" (The New Yorker magazine) is a perfect continuation to the "How do we learn language?" chapter, where Chomskyian rather-unchallenged-until-recently theories are covered. "Horizontal and Vertical: the evolution of evolution" (New scientist) is a very recent article in which the recent evidence for horizontal gene transfer is discussed. This theory is part of the second chapter. Another reviewer says it's a rather symplistic book, with which I completely disagree. I might be so if you read scientific magazines every day, but for me (an electronics engineer) it was an entertaining way to learn about several different fields of science. Although I have to concede that you won't receive a Ph.D. after finishing this book.

In addition to cutting edge questions in physics and cosmology (chapters 1 and 14-21) polymath writer John Malone considers the origins of life on earth, the causes of mass extinctions and ice ages, what it's like inside the earth, whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded, if there's a "missing link," how we acquire culture and language, how smart dolphins are, the nature of color perception, how birds migrate, and what the Mayan astronomers knew. Whew!Needless to say neither he nor anyone else can be a cutting edge expert on such a wide range of scientific topics. The time of the renaissance man is long past. Science is so complex today that virtually no one can be a world class expert in more than one or two disciplines. But Malone doesn't need to be a world class expert since his goal here is merely to introduce the general reader to 21 unresolved questions in science. I think he does a fine job.The chapters are from eight to 13 pages each, just long enough to introduce the subject and outline the various opinions. Each chapter is concluded with suggestions for further reading.I was especially impressed with his efficient and balanced presentation of string theory in Chapter 20, "How Many Dimensions Are There?" Malone makes it clear why so many physicists are thrilled with the theory even though it requires at least six addition dimensions that we cannot in any way discern, and even though it has as yet no empirical support. He also does a nice job of presenting the contending theories about how life began on earth in Chapter 2. As I was reading that chapter I was suddenly struck with a conception of primitive life forms in a dormant state being formed in dust clouds and the like floating about the universe looking for a fertile place to express themselves, leading to, if conditions are right, intelligence life forms. The potential of the seed (in the form of a pre-bacterium cell) suddenly appeared to me as amazing, but as a way the universe might work. My sudden understanding was that the bacterium and the right environment together constitute intelligent life. Given enough time and a wide enough distribution, the potential becomes the actual; and therefore looking from a large enough perspective, both in terms of time and space, intelligent life may be seen as being built into the universe as a natural development of matter and energy.I also liked his exposition on the Mayan astronomers and some of their accomplishments. According to Malone, the Mayan culture was only one of three in human history to have invented the number zero (p. 135), something, for example, the Greeks and Romans were unable to do. Also impressive was the Mayan calculation of the transit of Venus around the sun, correct to within eight one-hundredths of a day, hundreds of years before Europeans achieved such accuracy. I also liked the chapter on quantum mechanics in which Malone concentrates on the development of the theory and the personalities involved.I wa

I enjoyed this enormously--it's interesting, solid, and fun science for the non-scientist. A valuable book well written.

"Unsolved Mysteries of Science" is a well-written, interesting survey of twenty-one questions that continue to stump scientists. The book is pitched toward a reader who is not a scientist but who is curious and rational--no scientific formulas, no charts or graphs, and no UFOs or other pseudoscience.Malone gives each question its own chapter. He then offers some very helpful and clearly presented background information to frame the question. He explains what it is the scientists are struggling with--this is the tough part, because it is sometimes hard to articulate exactly what the problem is, especially when the subject is quantum physics. Each chapter concludes with a good set of suggestions for further reading.Some of the questions are fairly esoteric ("How Did the Universe Begin?"; "How Will the Universe End?"), some may affect the survival of the human species ("What Causes Mass Extinctions?"; "What Causes Ice Ages?"), and some are just plain mind boggling ("Are There Multiple Universes?" "How Many Dimensions Are There?"). Each chapter is fascinating. My guess is that this book will be fairly "sequel friendly"--I can think of a few other questions that are kicking around out there (for example, "Is There Life Anywhere Else in the Universe?"), and I would be happy to read "More Unsolved Mysteries of Science" someday.If you get a kick out of well-written, rational "mysteries" books (as opposed to "von Danikenesque" drivel), you might also have a look at Paul Aron's "Unsolved Mysteries of American History" and "Unsolved Mysteries of History," both of which are published by Wiley in the same highly readable and useful format used by Malone's book.