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.

Loses Steam

Mr. Brooks starts well but seems to be stretching for some of his "13 Things." I was particularly thrown off by his flat assertion that men do not have "free will" because a couple studies showed that humans are not fully aware of all aspects of their volitional decisionmaking (at least I think that's what he's saying). This assertion seems patently ridiculous; I don't completely understand how an internal combustion engine transfers power to my automobile wheels yet I would be a fool to assert I am not driving the vehicle when I turn the key and move forward.

for the discovery magazine crowd

if you are familiar with string theory and grasp the uncertainty principle, then you will enjoy this book. i felt the overall point of this book is to highlight sciences biggest flaw, the scientist themselves. here we have 13 things that have data to back them up, but are unexplained and not well understood. but science (like any human endevor) has it's pecking order. currently the people who matter in science seem not to want to study these anomalies. going against them can stunt a career (homeopathy may be quackery, but there are documented cases aplenty where it has worked - it dosen't make sense). but thankfully data dosent care what people think. if you want to look at some of the biggest head scratchers in modern science, this is for you.

This book showed how littler science knows

This book has been a great learning experience for me. It has concisely and clearly put some very complex concepts in prospective, and tide them together. It has shown me how little we know, and how far science has to go. It is not for the novice, you need to have some background in Physics in order to follow it well and understand the dilemmas and contradictions he tries to point out.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly but I love physics and astronomy.

Contains some interesting topics, but muddled

A decent overview of some the unsolved questions that modern science is currently puzzling over (how to explain all the "missing" matter in the universe) or lacks the data to answer conclusively any time soon (is there life on other planets? do we really have free will?). Then there are a few chapters concerning what might be described as fringe science (e.g. cold fusion, the placebo effect, homeopathic medicine). While I appreciate the spirit of inquiry, I suspect that homeopathic medicine is probably not one of the great mysteries occupying scientific minds today.

Unfortunately, the author's style is a bit fragmentary -- he drops a lot of names and technical information, but doesn't make the core controversies quite as clear as they could be, or provide the satisfying overview one might get from a book focused solely on astrophysics, space exploration, or biology. Regarding the "fringe science", the author's discussion of the side making the incredible claim is extremely lightweight. Sure, maybe the cold fusion people are somehow right, and the mainstream scientific community will be proven wrong, but this writer hasn't elucidated anything compelling about that particular mystery -- if it even is a mystery -- for me.

Still, the book expressed an interesting theme: the scientific community has always had trouble accepting anomalous data that suggests that current theories on something might be flawed -- those who have staked their careers on an existing model aren't eager to see it overturned, and those who might try to explain the data using a new framework must put their own reputations on the line. Thus, it takes a while for "hey, the galaxy isn't expanding the way Einstein's theory predicts" to become an issue scientists are willing to talk about. For this somewhat disquieting revelation and the fact it'll probably whet your appetite for other science reading, this book's certainly worth a library check-out.

Great book

This book does a great job of explaining so much about the Big Issues of science, while illustrating that we ultomately know so little. intriguingly written, perfect for a non academic to jump right into.

Introduction to some Interesting Science

If you're into science and the questions that scientists are confronting today, this should be an enjoyable book for you. It is rather dry sometimes but the narrator does a good job in carrying you through. Perfect voice for the text. I've read and listened to many popular books on cutting edge science and am familiar with many of the subjects covered here but prior knowledge is not necessary. The author introduces each concept well. Even if you yourself question some of the author's conclusions (and you might) it is still a great primer into the cutting edge of science. The book is called 13 things that don't make sense and it is structured so that one "thing" leads to another. Sometimes so well that you don't realize you have changed chapters. Obviously this is a bigger issue in the audiobook than in the written text where everything is clearly and visually delineated. Still, l I've listened to it twice now and in many ways the second reading rather than being boring was more enjoyable because it helped me clarify some chapters that had "run together" in the first reading.

Fun & Instructive!

This book is a great combination of history & technology explaining the scope of effects through the ages. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Good, Fair Assessment

The author plays a very fair hand, dealing with the current mysteries of science. The insights assume some level of knowledge, but sufficient background is given for a high-schooler to gain some appreciation of the quandaries.

The narrator is very easy to listen to. I have listened to the entire book twice because I have enjoyed the material.

I loved this book!

Some topics are more fascinating then others but overall a great book. It left me wanting more information on all 13 topics! I hope his next book is, "More About 13 Things That Don't Make Sense".

Only ok

There were some great ideas presented with some interesting clues into where the next great break throughs in science might come. The reader was competent.