Nothing : surprising insights everywhere from zero to oblivion / edited by Jeremy Webb.

Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
New York : The Experiment, [2014]
Description
vi, 266 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm

Availability

Available Online

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks Q175.32.N68 N68 2014 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Editor
    Summary note
    Incredible discoveries from the fringes of the universe to the inner workings of our minds--all from nothing! It turns out that almost nothing is as curious--or as enlightening--as, well, nothing. What is nothingness? Where can it be found? The writers of the world's top-selling science magazine investigate--from the big bang, dark energy, and the void to superconductors, vestigial organs, hypnosis, and the placebo effect--and discover that understanding nothing may be the key to understanding everything: What came before the big bang, and will our universe end? How might cooling matter down almost to absolute zero help solve our energy crisis? How can someone suffer from a false diagnosis as though it were true? Does nothingness even exist? Recent experiments suggest that squeezing a perfect vacuum somehow creates light. Why is it unfair to accuse sloths--animals who do nothing--of being lazy? And more! Contributors Paul Davies, Jo Marchant, and Ian Stewart, along with two former editors of Nature and 16 other leading writers and scientists, marshal up-to-the-minute research to make one of the most perplexing realms in science dazzlingly clear. Prepare to be amazed at how much more there is to nothing than you ever realized.
    Notes
    • "First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Profile Books Ltd"--Title page verso.
    • "A book from NewScientist."
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-245) and index.
    Contents
    • Beginnings. The big bang / Marcus Chown ; Secret life of the brain / Douglas Fox ; From zero to hero / Richard Webb ; Heal thyself / Jo Marchant
    • Mysteries. The day time began / Paul Davies ; Placebo power / Michael Brooks ; Wastes of space? / Laura Spinney ; Banishing consciousness / Linda Geddes
    • Making sense of it all. Out of thin air / Per Eklund ; Busy doing nothing / Jonathan Knight ; The hole story / Richard Webb ; Into the void / Nigel Henbest ; Zero, zip, zilch / Ian Stewart
    • Surprises. The turbulent life of empty space / Paul Davies ; When mind attacks body / Helen Pilcher ; Ride the celestial subway / Ian Stewart ; Vacuum packed / David Harris ; Nothing in common / Ian Stewart
    • Voyages of discovery. Absolute zero / Michael de Podesta ; Boring-ology : a happy tedium / Valerie Jamieson ; Putting the idle to word / David E. Fisher ; Get up, get out of bed / Rick A. Lovett
    • Conclusions. The workout pill / Andy Coghlan ; The world of superstuff / Michael Brooks ; Pathways to cosmic oblivion / Stephen Battersby.
    ISBN
    • 9781615192052 ((pbk.))
    • 1615192050 ((pbk.))
    LCCN
    2014002254
    OCLC
    869552454
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