13 Things That Don't Make Sense

The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time

By: Michael Brooks

Narrated by: James Adams

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Science starts to get interesting when things don't make sense.

Science's best-kept secret is that there are experimental results and reliable data that the most brilliant scientists can neither explain nor dismiss. In the past, similar "anomalies" have revolutionized our world, as in the 16th century, when a set of celestial anomalies led Copernicus to realize that the Earth revolves around the Sun and not the reverse, and in the 1770s, when two chemists discovered oxygen because of experimental results that defied the theories of the day. If history is any precedent, we should look to today's inexplicable results to forecast the future of science.

In 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, Michael Brooks heads to the scientific frontier to meet 13 modern-day anomalies and discover tomorrow's breakthroughs.

©2008 Michael Brooks (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Fabulously Interesting

Micheal Brooks takes us on a journey of the 13 things that just don't make sense. He starts in the large with Dark Matter and the Cosmos, we deal with life on other plants, quantum theory, the placebo effect, homeopathy, life, death and sex and a few more. This is a great deal of ground to cover, but this book works. Brooks weaves from one subject to the next in a seamless narrative. The explanations are accessible and do not require special knowledge. I like very much the approach and think anyone interested in the world will be a fan of this book. A big thumbs up.

For smart people who think

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes... Questions make us better.loved the info on homeopathic drugs and alpha constants

What did you like best about this story?

Good science

Which character – as performed by James Adams – was your favorite?

Cold fusion

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Any additional comments?

Great

Excellent Book; Excellent Reader

Any additional comments?

Great book! I really enjoyed the vast spread of material covered in this book. I listen on my drive into work, and I wanted to keep listening after my arrival.

Makes you go hummmm

Would you try another book from Michael Brooks and/or James Adams?

Found subjects very enlightening. Makes you understand how little is fact and how much we add as fiction.

very entertaining and really opens your mind

This book really got me to think about what I have always taken for granted, such as water or free will. This book talks about things such as why science can have a hard time progressing and how hard discoveries are to make. I couldn't recommend this book more.

Interesting subjects made dull by narrator

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The person reading it - the right narrator would have made this so much more interesting

Would you recommend 13 Things That Don't Make Sense to your friends? Why or why not?

Maybe the hard copy book - but it would be tough to recommend the audio version with this narrator

How could the performance have been better?

Have someone read the book that sounded more excited about the topics covered - it would make the book interesting to a broader audience

Do you think 13 Things That Don't Make Sense needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Maybe - I can't imagine there aren't more things that don't seem to make sense

A Go-To book on my playlist

Would you listen to 13 Things That Don't Make Sense again? Why?

I have listened to it multiple times. This is one of those books that I listen to time and again and learn something new, or have something new to think about each time.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The giant virus... sorry, just kidding. It's a book about gaps in science - not exactly a character based drama.

Which scene was your favorite?

They're all interesting: this book reminds me that science is still far from having explained... well much at all, really. It's just beginning.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The more we know, the more we know we don't know.

You will learn things you didn't already know

For each chapter the author tells you what he's going to tell you about an anomaly, then tells you about it, and then explains to you what he just told you, and all the while explaining to you the science that surrounds it.

The book is so good at putting the context around the mystery that after listening to the book, I was able to explain each of the 13 mysterious from memory while discussing the book with my spouse and she even acted like she was interested with what I had to say.

I was reluctant to purchase this book because I thought it was going to be 13 different essays. I was wrong. It really is not. I don't like listening to essays because it takes me an hour to get into a topic while listening, but for this book each chapter flowed into the next chapter and seemed related to the preceding chapter.

13 Things That Don't Make Sense

Good book interesting except for the part about people not having free will was a bit lame.

A terrific text. Well read, and accessible.

Although it's certainly accessible to those of us with limited scientific background; its density and reliance on a basic understanding of very complex ideas makes this book a tedious read to anyone that does not love science. For or readers that love science and are fascinated by anomalies this book is a long awaited gift.