Einstein's theory of general relativity opens the door to other universes, and weird universes at that: universes that allow time travel, universes where you can see the back of your head, universes that spin and bounce or multiply without limit. The Book of Universes gives us a stunning tour of these potential universes, introducing us along the way to the brilliant physicists and mathematicians who first revealed their startling possibilities. John D. Barrow explains the latest discoveries and ideas that physics and astronomy have to offer about our own universe, showing how these findings lead to the concept of the "multiverse" the Universe of all possible universes. New ideas force us to confront the possibility that our visible universe is a tiny region, governed by its own laws, within a Multiverse containing all the strange universes that could be an idea that is among the most exciting and revolutionary in all of modern science.

Greene takes the reader to the leading edge of thinking in some of the most exciting areas of theoretical physics. And, importantly, he does not try to blind the reader with whiz-bang declarations or to mislead by giving only one perspective on topics that are highly controversial. Greene explains, in plain English, why scientists are considering some pretty far-out sounding possibilities (other universes!), how these ideas might be tested, and why other scientists are fully opposed to such investigations. Greene makes his perspective clear (that some, not all, of these ideas can fall within the heart of science but that only experimental evidence can really make the case) while giving the reader ample room to come to his or her own conclusions.

Evolutionary science lies at the heart of a modern understanding of the natural world. Darwin’s theory has withstood 150 years of scientific scrutiny, and today it not only explains the origin and design of living things, but highlights the importance of a scientific understanding in our culture and in our lives.
Recently the movement known as “Intelligent Design” has attracted the attention of journalists, educators, and legislators. The scientific community is puzzled and saddened by this trend–not only because it distorts modern biology, but also because it diverts people from the truly fascinating ideas emerging from the real science of evolution. Here, join fifteen of our preeminent thinkers whose clear, accessible, and passionate essays reveal the fact and power of Darwin’s theory, and the beauty of the scientific quest to understand our world.

Praise for William Dunhams Journey Through Genius The Great Theorems of Mathematics "Dunham deftly guides the reader through the verbal and logical intricacies of major mathematical questions and proofs, conveying a splendid sense of how the greatest mathematicians from ancient to modern times presented their arguments." —Ivars Peterson Author, The Mathematical Tourist Mathematics and Physics Editor, Science News
"It is mathematics presented as a series of works of art; a fascinating lingering over individual examples of ingenuity and insight. It is mathematics by lightning flash." —Isaac Asimov
"It is a captivating collection of essays of major mathematical achievements brought to life by the personal and historical anecdotes which the author has skillfully woven into the text. This is a book which should find its place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in science and the scientists who create it." —R. L. Graham, AT&T Bell Laboratories
"Come on a time-machine tour through 2,300 years in which Dunham drops in on some of the greatest mathematicians in history. Almost as if we chat over tea and crumpets, we get to know them and their ideas—ideas that ring with eternity and that offer glimpses into the often veiled beauty of mathematics and logic. And all the while we marvel, hoping that the tour will not stop." —Jearl Walker, Physics Department, Cleveland State University Author of The Flying Circus of Physics

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
This book is intended for readers in transition from school mathematics to the fully-fledged type of thinking used by professional mathematicians. It should prove useful to first-year students in universities and colleges, and to advanced students in school contemplating further study in pure mathematics. It should also be of interest to a wider class of reader with a grounding in elementary mathematics seeking an insight into the foundational ideas and thought processes of mathematics.
The word ‘foundations’, as used in this book, has a broader meaning than it does in the building trade. Not only do we base our mathematics on these foundations: they make themselves felt at all levels, as a kind of cement which holds the structure together, and out of which it is fabricated. The foundations of mathematics, in this sense, are often presented to students as an extended exercise in mathematical formalism: formal mathematical logic, formal set theory, axiomatic descriptions of number systems, and technical constructions of them; all carried out in an exotic and elaborate symbolism. Sometimes the ideas are presented ‘informally’ on the grounds that complete formalism is too difficult for the delicate flowering student. This is usually true, but for an entirely different reason.
A purely formal approach, even with a smattering of informality, is psychologically inappropriate for the beginner, because it fails to take account of the realities of the learning process. By concentrating on the technicalities, at the expense of the manner in which the ideas are conceived, it presents only one side of the coin. The practising mathematician does not think purely in a dry and stereotyped symbolism: on the contrary, his thoughts tend to concentrate on those parts of a problem which his experience tells him are the main sources of difficulty. While he is grappling with them, logical rig- our takes a secondary place: it is only after a problem has, to all intents and purposes, been solved intuitively that the underlying ideas are filled out into a formal proof. Naturally there are exceptions to this rule: parts of a problem may be fully formalized before others are understood, even intuitively; and some mathematicians seem to think symbolically. Nonetheless, the basic force of the statement remains valid.
The aim of this book is to acquaint the student with the way that a practising mathematician tackles his subject. This involves including the standard ‘foundations’ material; but our aim is to develop the formal approach as a natural outgrowth of the underlying pattern of ideas. A sixth-form student has a broad grasp of many mathematical principles, and our aim is to make use of this, honing his mathematical intuition into a razor-sharp tool which will cut to the heart of a problem. Our point of view is diametrically opposed to that where (all too often) the student is told ‘Forget all you’ve learned up till now, it’s wrong, we’ll begin again from scratch, only this time we’ll get it right’. Not only is such a statement damaging to a student’s confidence: it is also untrue. Further, it is grossly misleading: a student who really did forget all he had learned so far would find himself in a very sorry position.
The psychology of the learning process imposes considerable restraints on the possible approaches to a mathematical concept. Often it is simply not appropriate to start with a precise definition, because the content of the definition cannot be appreciated without further explanation, and the provision of suitable examples.
The book is divided into four parts to make clear the mental attitude required at each stage. Part I is at an informal level, to set the scene. The first chapter develops the underlying philosophy of the book by examining the learning process itself. It is not a straight, smooth path; it is of necessity a rough and stony one, with side-turnings and blind alleys. The student who realizes this is better prepared to face the difficulties. The second chapter analyzes the intuitive concept of a real number as a point on the number line, linking this to the idea of an infinite decimal, and explaining the importance of the completeness property of the real numbers.
Part II develops enough set theory and logic for the task in hand, looking in particular at relations (especially equivalence relations and order relations) and functions. After some basic symbolic logic we discuss what ‘proof ’ consists of, giving a formal definition. Following this we analyze an actual proof to show how the customary mathematical style relegates routine steps to a contextual background—and quite rightly so, inasmuch as the overall flow of the proof becomes far clearer. Both the advantages and the dangers of this practice are explored.
Part III is about the formal structure of number systems and related con- cepts. We begin by discussing induction proofs, leading to the Peano axioms for natural numbers, and show how set-theoretic techniques allow us to con- struct from them the integers, rational numbers, and real numbers. In the next chapter we show how to reverse this process, by axiomatising the real numbers as a complete ordered field. We prove that the structures obtained in this way are essentially unique, and link the formal structures to their in- tuitive counterparts of part I. Then we go on to consider complex numbers, quaternions, and general algebraic and mathematical structures, at which point the whole vista of mathematics lies at our feet. A discussion of infinite cardinals, motivated by the idea of counting, leads towards more advanced work. It also hints that we have not yet completed the task of formalising our ideas.
Part IV briefly considers this final step: the formalisation of set theory. We give one possible set of axioms, and discuss the axiom of choice, the continuum hypothesis, and Gödel’s theorems.
Throughout we are more interested in the ideas behind the formal façade than in the internal details of the formal language used. A treatment suitable for a professional mathematician is often not suitable for a student. (A series of tests carried out by one of us with the aid of first-year undergraduates makes this assertion very clear indeed!) So this is not a rigidly logical development from the elements of logic and set theory, building up a rigorous foundation for mathematics (though by the end the student will be in a position to appreciate how this may be achieved). Mathematicians do not think in the orthodox way that a formal text seems to imply. The mathematical mind is inventive and intricate; it jumps to conclusions: it does not always proceed in a sequence of logical steps. Only when everything is understood does the pristine logical structure emerge. To show a student the finished edifice, without the scaffolding required for its construction, is to deprive him of the very facilities which are essential if he is to construct mathematical ideas of his own.
I.S. and D.T. Warwick October 1976

"You believe in a God who plays dice, and I in complete law and order." Albert Einstein The science of chaos is forcing scientists to rethink Einstein's fundamental assumptions regarding the way the universe behaves. Chaos theory has already shown that simple systems, obeying precise laws, can nevertheless act in a random manner. Perhaps God plays dice within a cosmic game of complete law and order. Does God Play Dice? reveals a strange universe in which nothing may be as it seems. Familiar geometrical shapes such as circles and ellipses give way to infinitely complex structures known as fractals, the fluttering of a butterfly's wings can change the weather, and the gravitational attraction of a creature in a distant galaxy can change the fate of the solar system.
This revised and updated edition includes three chapters on the prediction and control of chaotic systems. New information regarding the solar system and an account of complexity theory is also incorporated. It is a lucid and witty book which makes the complex mathematics of chaos accessible and entertaining.

"If Ms. Frizzle were a physics student of Stephen Hawking, she might have written THE UNIVERSE IN YOUR HAND, a wild tour through the reaches of time and space, from the interior of a proton to the Big Bang to the rough suburbs of a black hole. It's friendly, excitable, erudite, and cosmic."
—Jordan Ellenberg, New York Times besteselling author of How Not To Be Wrong
Quantum physics, black holes, string theory, the Big Bang, dark matter, dark energy, parallel universes: even if we are interested in these fundamental concepts of our world, their language is the language of math. Which means that despite our best intentions of finally grasping, say, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, most of us are quickly brought up short by a snarl of nasty equations or an incomprehensible graph.
Christophe Galfard's mission in life is to spread modern scientific ideas to the general public in entertaining ways. Using his considerable skills as a brilliant theoretical physicist and successful young adult author, The Universe in Your Hand employs the immediacy of simple, direct language to show us, not explain to us, the theories that underpin everything we know about our universe. To understand what happens to a dying star, we are asked to picture ourselves floating in space in front of it. To get acquainted with the quantum world, we are shrunk to the size of an atom and then taken on a journey. Employing everyday similes and metaphors, addressing the reader directly, and writing stories rather than equations renders these astoundingly complex ideas in an immediate and visceral way.
Utterly captivating and entirely unique, The Universe in Your Hand will find its place among other classics in the field

How did life invent itself? Where did DNA come from? How did consciousness develop? Powerful new research methods are providing vivid insights into the makeup of life. Comparing gene sequences, examining atomic structures of proteins, and looking into the geochemistry of rocks have helped explain evolution in more detail than ever before. Nick Lane expertly reconstructs the history of life by describing the ten greatest inventions of evolution (including DNA, photosynthesis, sex, and sight), based on their historical impact, role in organisms today, and relevance to current controversies. Who would have guessed that eyes started off as light-sensitive spots used to calibrate photosynthesis in algae? Or that DNA’s building blocks form spontaneously in hydrothermal vents? Lane gives a gripping, lucid account of nature’s ingenuity, and the result is a work of essential reading for anyone who has ever pondered or questioned the science underlying evolution’s greatest gifts to man.

荣获中宣部、中国图书评论学会和央视“2015中国好书”奖
荣获第十一届文津图书奖
荣获第八届吴大猷科学普及著作奖
荣获第四届中国科普作家协会优秀科普作品奖
荣获科技部2016全国优秀科普作品奖
这是一本讲癌症的书，但和你以往见过的该题材的书完全不同。
这不是一本“养生秘籍”，不会推荐什么神奇的保健品，但会告诉你，哪些生活习惯能致癌，哪些能防癌。
这 不是一本“心灵鸡汤”，不会保证任 何癌症都是可以战胜的，但会告诉你，哪些癌症治愈率很高，哪些治疗方法是有效的。会告诉 你，为什么癌症治疗的第三次革命来了，为什么最近的免疫治疗新药能治愈晚期癌症。
这不是一本“癌症生物学”，不会堆砌各种专业词汇，但会让你明白，什么是BRCA基因突变，为什么影星朱莉30多岁就主动切掉了乳房和卵巢。
这不是一本“癌症临床指南”，不会指导你如何化疗和放疗，但会让你明白，为什么化疗放疗会有这么多副作用，为什么我们要努力开发新的靶向药物。
希望这本书把癌症的一些基本知识明明白白地讲给大家听，知其然，知其所以然。
希望患者和家属读完这本书能更好地理解医生的推荐和选择；希望医务工作者读完这本书能更好地知道前沿的药物研究方向和成果；希望科学爱好者读完这本书能了解癌症的本质和社会上癌症热点新闻背后的科学。
希望大家知道癌症的真相，不再恐慌，不再盲从。
★作者菠萝将把所得稿酬捐献给向日葵儿童癌症公益平台，意味着每位购书者将为中国儿童癌症患者献一份珍贵的爱心！
★微信圈阅读量累计近千万！
★有图有真相，每章首一幅可爱而有内涵的插画。
★中国科学院曾益新院士作序推荐！

Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio investigates perhaps the most human of all our characteristics—curiosity—as he explores our innate desire to know why .

Experiments demonstrate that people are more distracted when they overhear a phone conversation—where they can know only one side of the dialogue—than when they overhear two people talking and know both sides. Why does half a conversation make us more curious than a whole conversation?

In the ever-fascinating Why? Mario Livio interviewed scientists in several fields to explore the nature of curiosity. He examined the lives of two of history’s most curious geniuses, Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman. He also talked to people with boundless a superstar rock guitarist who is also an astrophysicist; an astronaut with degrees in computer science, biology, literature, and medicine. What drives these people to be curious about so many subjects?

Curiosity is at the heart of mystery and suspense novels. It is essential to other forms of art, from painting to sculpture to music. It is the principal driver of basic scientific research. Even so, there is still no definitive scientific consensus about why we humans are so curious, or about the mechanisms in our brain that are responsible for curiosity.

Mario Livio—an astrophysicist who has written about mathematics, biology, and now psychology and neuroscience—explores this irresistible subject in a lucid, entertaining way that will captivate anyone who is curious about curiosity.

Nobel Laureate Eugene Wigner once wondered about "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" in the formulation of the laws of nature. Is God a Mathematician? investigates why mathematics is as powerful as it is. From ancient times to the present, scientists and philosophers have marveled at how such a seemingly abstract discipline could so perfectly explain the natural world. More than that -- mathematics has often made predictions, for example, about subatomic particles or cosmic phenomena that were unknown at the time, but later were proven to be true. Is mathematics ultimately invented or discovered? If, as Einstein insisted, mathematics is "a product of human thought that is independent of experience," how can it so accurately describe and even predict the world around us? Mathematicians themselves often insist that their work has no practical effect. The British mathematician G. H. Hardy went so far as to describe his own work this way: "No discovery of mine has made, or is likely to make, directly or indirectly, for good or ill, the least difference to the amenity of the world." He was wrong. The Hardy-Weinberg law allows population geneticists to predict how genes are transmitted from one generation to the next, and Hardy's work on the theory of numbers found unexpected implications in the development of codes. Physicist and author Mario Livio brilliantly explores mathematical ideas from Pythagoras to the present day as he shows us how intriguing questions and ingenious answers have led to ever deeper insights into our world. This fascinating book will interest anyone curious about the human mind, the scientific world, and the relationship between them.

What do the music of J. S. Bach, the basic forces of nature, Rubik's Cube, and the selection of mates have in common? They are all characterized by certain symmetries. Symmetry is the concept that bridges the gap between science and art, between the world of theoretical physics and the everyday world we see around us. Yet the "language" of symmetry--group theory in mathematics--emerged from a most unlikely source: an equation that couldn't be solved.
Over the millennia, mathematicians solved progressively more difficult algebraic equations until they came to what is known as the quintic equation. For several centuries it resisted solution, until two mathematical prodigies independently discovered that it could not be solved by the usual methods, thereby opening the door to group theory. These young geniuses, a Norwegian named Niels Henrik Abel and a Frenchman named Evariste Galois, both died tragically. Galois, in fact, spent the night before his fatal duel (at the age of twenty) scribbling another brief summary of his proof, at one point writing in the margin of his notebook "I have no time."
The story of the equation that couldn't be solved is a story of brilliant mathematicians and a fascinating account of how mathematics illuminates a wide variety of disciplines. In this lively, engaging book, Mario Livio shows in an easily accessible way how group theory explains the symmetry and order of both the natural and the human-made worlds.

Drawing on the lives of five renowned scientists, Mario Livio shows how even these geniuses made major mistakes and how their errors were an essential part of the process of achieving scientific breakthroughs. We all make mistakes. Nobody is perfect. And that includes five of the greatest scientists in history—Charles Darwin, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), Linus Pauling, Fred Hoyle, and Albert Einstein. But the mistakes that these great luminaries made helped advance science. Indeed, as Mario Livio explains, science thrives on error, advancing when erroneous ideas are disproven.

As a young scientist, Einstein tried to conceive of a way to describe the evolution of the universe at large, based on General Relativity—his theory of space, time, and gravity. Unfortunately he fell victim to a misguided notion of aesthetic simplicity. Fred Hoyle was an eminent astrophysicist who ridiculed an emerging theory about the origin of the universe that he dismissively called “The Big Bang.” The name stuck, but Hoyle was dead wrong in his opposition.

They, along with Darwin (a blunder in his theory of Natural Selection), Kelvin (a blunder in his calculation of the age of the earth), and Pauling (a blunder in his model for the structure of the DNA molecule), were brilliant men and fascinating human beings. Their blunders were a necessary part of the scientific process. Collectively they helped to dramatically further our knowledge of the evolution of life, the Earth, and the universe.

人类的发明智慧，常常源于自然
……………
※编辑推荐※
☆ 精彩案例追寻仿生故事，通俗语言揭秘仿生发明
☆ 高清标本照片+手绘原理图，轻松看懂仿生发明的科学基础
☆ 丰富模块涵盖物种信息，贯穿历史文化与奇思妙想
☆ 当自然赋予科技灵感，方知自然之智慧与慷慨
……………
※内容简介※
亿万年来，大自然中种类繁多的植物和动物经过优胜劣汰的进化过程，形成了千奇百怪的形态和功能，这些多样性中包含了大量可以帮助解决技术问题的方法。于是，懂得观察的工程师、建筑师和科学家就向慷慨的大自然学习那些简单而有效的想法，进而发展出了仿生学……
本书以精彩案例讲述植物和动物如何启发了发明家、工程师、建筑师、科学家，也讲述了仿生学如何成为现代科学研究中最有前景的学科之一。在每一个对页里，左页介绍一种植物或动物启发一种或多种仿生发明的故事，另有多个小模块，向我们展示了这种植物或动物的物种信息、奇特策略以及由它们引发的“想象出的发明”；右页则是该植物或动物的标本照片，以及由插画师蒂特瓦内（Titwane）绘制的发明原理图。
日新月异的科技可能已经将书中所称的“我们或许能够发明”和“正在研究”变成了现实，而“目前已得到广泛应用”或许已经过时。但无论如何，这些仿生发明的故事依然充满趣味，我们从中看到的大自然的巧妙与慷慨，也永不过时。更多关于仿生学的妙趣有待读者朋友们在阅读过程中悉心发现。
.....................
※获奖记录※
2017年豆瓣年度图书科学·新知榜单第5

What separates your mind from an animal's? Maybe you think it's your ability to design tools, your sense of self, or your grasp of past and future – all traits that have helped us define ourselves as the planet's preeminent species. But in recent decades, these claims have been eroded, or even disproven, by a revolution in the study of animal cognition: take the octopuses that use coconut shells as tools; the elephants that classify humans by age, gender, and language; or Ayumu, the young male chimpanzee at Kyoto University whose flash memory puts that of humans to shame. Based on research involving crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, whales, and of course chimpanzees and bonobos, Frans de Waal demonstrates that we have grossly underestimated both the scope and the depth of animal intelligence. He offers a firsthand account of how science has stood traditional behaviorism on its head by revealing how smart animals really are.

We know that each of us is unique, but science has struggled to pinpoint where, precisely, our uniqueness resides. Is it in our genes? The structure of our brains? Our genome may determine our eye color and even aspects of our personality. But our friendships, failures, and passions also shape who we are. The question is: how?Sebastian Seung, a dynamic professor at MIT, is on a quest to discover the biological basis of identity. He believes it lies in the pattern of connections between the brain’s neurons, which change slowly over time as we learn and grow. The connectome, as it’s called, is where our genetic inheritance intersects with our life experience. It’s where nature meets nurture.Seung introduces us to the dedicated researchers who are mapping the brain’s connections, neuron by neuron, synapse by synapse. It is a monumental undertaking—the scientific equivalent of climbing Mount Everest—but if they succeed, it could reveal the basis of personality, intelligence, memory, and perhaps even mental disorders. Many scientists speculate that people with anorexia, autism, and schizophrenia are "wired differently," but nobody knows for sure. The brain’s wiring has never been clearly seen.In sparklingly clear prose, Seung reveals the amazing technological advances that will soon help us map connectomes. He also examines the evidence that these maps will someday allow humans to "upload" their minds into computers, achieving a kind of immortality. Connectome is a mind-bending adventure story, told with great passion and authority. It presents a daring scientific and technological vision for at last understanding what makes us who we are. Welcome to the future of neuroscience.

From the creator of the wildly popular webcomic xkcd, hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.
Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe’s iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have a large and passionate following.
Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last?
In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.
The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with updated and expanded versions of the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? will be required reading for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical.

"[Yourgrau] presents the nature of an intimate friendship between two magnificent thinkers and the nature of Godel's work, which inspired Einstein but is now lost in obscurity." (Deseret Morning News)
In 1942, the logician Kurt Godel and Albert Einstein became close friends; they walked to and from their offices every day, exchanging ideas about science, philosophy, politics, and the lost world of German science. By 1949, Godel had produced a remarkable proof: In any universe described by the Theory of Relativity, time cannot exist. Einstein endorsed this result reluctantly but he could find no way to refute it, since then, neither has anyone else. Yet cosmologists and philosophers alike have proceeded as if this discovery was never made. In A World Without Time, Palle Yourgrau sets out to restore Godel to his rightful place in history, telling the story of two magnificent minds put on the shelf by the scientific fashions of their day, and attempts to rescue the brilliant work they did together.
"[A World Without Time is] very interesting if you like [scientific] speculation. Even if you don't, the descriptions of the friendship between Godel and Einstein-Einstein said he went to his office at Princeton University mainly so that he would have the pleasure of Gšdel's company on his walk back home-make this book interesting." (Wisconsin State Journal)
如果时间只是幻想，而非真实存在，那世界将会怎样？作为一名哲学教授，此书作者在书中阐释说，爱因斯坦的相对论将允许这种可能性，而第一个意识到这一点的则是哥德尔。很多人都知道，哥德尔和爱因斯坦是非常亲密的朋友。他们每天都要一同从普林斯顿高等研究所步行回家，他们分享物理学、哲学以及政治上的想法。但是并不广为人知的是，哥德尔于1949年做出了一项不寻常的发现：他认为爱因斯坦的相对论提供了一种可能性，即可能存在一个没有时间的世界。作者以一种哲学的背景加以思考而认为，哥德尔的发现势必会带来这样一个后果：假如哥德尔是对的，那么爱因斯坦并没有解释何为时间，而只是将这个问题搪塞过去了。爱因斯坦意识到他的朋友已经对相对论做出了重要的贡献，因为正是他对其理论提出了一个令人困扰的新问题：他的理论中是否还应保留时间。爱因斯坦之后的物理学家并未在哥德尔的理论中找出什么有误的成分，而哲学家们则保持沉默。此书所聚焦的正是哥德尔和爱因斯坦之间这戏剧性的一幕，并且将它置于20世纪人类智慧发展的大背景之下来讲述。在哥德尔和爱因斯坦生活的年代，无论是物理学、数学、哲学还是艺术都获得了非常大的进步。在这一背景之下，两位思想者的友谊故事无疑是动人心弦的。