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A book of science like no other, about a scientist like no other. This is a landmark in science writing. It resurrects from the vaults of neglect the polymath Jerome Cardano, a Milanese of the sixteenth century. Who is he? A gambler and blasphemer, inventor and chancer, plagued by demons and anxieties, astrologer to kings, emperors and popes. This stubborn and unworldly man was the son of a lawyer and a brothel keeper, but also a gifted physician and the unacknowledged discoverer of the mathematical foundations of quantum physics. That is the argument of this charming and intoxicatingly clever book, which is truly original in its style, and in the manner of the modernists embodies in its very form its theories about the world. The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook is a science book with the panache of a novel, for readers of Carlo Rovelli or Umberto Eco. It is a work of and about genius.

“Engaging... touches on advanced computing, essential differences between men and women, the power of the will to live, mysteries of the cosmos and more.” —The Washington Post The atom. The Big Bang. DNA. Natural selection. All are ideas that revolutionized science—and all were dismissed out of hand when they first ap­peared. The surprises haven't stopped in recent years, and in At the Edge of Uncertainty, bestselling author Michael Brooks investigates the new wave of radical insights that are shaping the future of scientific discovery. Brooks takes us to the extreme frontiers of what we understand about the world. He journeys from the observations that might rewrite our story of how the cosmos came to be, through the novel biology behind our will to live, and on to the physi­ological root of consciousness. Along the way, he examines the gender im­balance in clinical trials, explores how merging hu­mans with other species might provide a solution to the shortage of organ donors, and finds out whether the universe really is like a computer or if the flow of time is a mere illusion. “Absorbing... scintillating... the edgy edge of scientific investigation presented with verve.” —Kirkus Reviews “Mind-bending... Brooks handily works his way through these thorny problems, highlighting current research and researchers along the way.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In der Wissenschaft geht alles Wir stellen uns die Wissenschaften und besonders die Naturwissenschaften oft als den Inbegriff der Vernunft vor: kühl, logisch, objektiv und frei von menschlichen Fehlern und Gefühlen. Doch Wissenschaft wird von Wissenschaftlern gemacht − und die sind nichts von alledem, sagt Michael Brooks. Für die bedeutsamen Fortschritte in der Forschung sorgen fast immer die subversiven Radikalen, die sich ganz ihrer Mission verschreiben und lieber Revolutionen anzetteln, als sich an die Regeln zu halten. Um einen Durchbruch zu erzielen oder an die Spitze zu gelangen, scheuten die berühmtesten Denker vor nichts zurück: Einstein folgte mystischen Visionen, Galilei täuschte und betrog, Steve Jobs nahm Drogen. Einige führten gewagte Experimente mit sich selbst und mit anderen durch, und manche kamen dabei sogar zu Tode. Der Bestsellerautor Michael Brooks belegt seine These an zahlreichen Beispielen – und mit einem Augenzwinkern. Er zeigt, dass die wirklich bahnbrechende Wissenschaft nur selten das Ergebnis penibler Forschungsarbeit ist. Sie bricht vielmehr alle Konventionen, schert sich wenig um die Folgen und zelebriert ihre geheime Anarchie. Brooks zeigt uns die radikalen Forscher: verrückt, böse und gefährlich. The Times

The writers behind New Scientist explore the baffling concept of nothingness from the fringes of the universe to our minds'inner workings. It turns out that nothing is as curious or as enlightening as nothingness itself. What is nothing? 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 they 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 if 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 sixteen 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.

“An exuberant tour through the world of scientists behaving badly” (The New York Times). They may have a public image as cool, logical, levelheaded types. But in reality, scientists will do pretty much anything—take drugs, follow mystical visions, lie, and even cheat—to make a discovery. In Free Radicals, physicist and journalist Michael Brooks seamlessly weaves together true stories of the “mad, bad and dangerous” men and women who have revolutionized the scientific world, and offers a fast-paced and thrilling exploration of the real process behind discovery (The Times, London). Brooks also traces the cover-up back to its source: the scientific establishment's reaction to the public fear of science after World War II. He argues that it its high time for science to come clean about just how bold and daring scientists really are. “Not all scientists are nerds. In Free Radicals, physicist Michael Brooks tries to dispel the notion that scientists are stuffy, pen-protector-polishing bookworms.” —The Washington Post “Insightful... A page-turning, unvarnished look at the all-too-human side of science.” —Kirkus Reviews

Spanning disciplines from biology to cosmology, chemistry to psychology to physics, Michael Brooks thrillingly captures the excitement of scientific discovery.Science's best-kept secret is this: even today, thereare experimental results that the most brilliant scientists cannot explain. In the past, similar “anomalies” have revolutionized our world. If history is any precedent, we should look to today's inexplicable results to forecast the future of science. Michael Brooks heads to the scientific frontier to confront thirteen modern-day anomalies and what they might reveal about tomorrow's breakthroughs.