13 Things that Don't Make Sense The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time

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.

Michael Brooks, who holds a PhD in quantum physics, is an editor at New Scientist. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Independent, Observer, Times Higher Educational Supplement, and even Playboy. He is a regular speaker and debate chair at the Science Festival in Brighton, UK.

Prologue

1 THE MISSING UNIVERSE
We can only account for 4 percent of the cosmos

2 THE PIONEER ANOMALY
Two spacecraft are flouting the laws of physics

3 VARYING CONSTANTS
Destabilizing our view of the universe

4 COLD FUSION
Nuclear energy without the drama

5 LIFE
Are you more than just a bag of chemicals?

6 VIKING
NASA scientists found evidence for life on Mars. Then they changed their minds.

7 THE WOW! SIGNAL
Has ET already been in touch?

8 A GIANT VIRUS
It’s a freak that could rewrite the story of life

9 DEATH
Evolution’s problem with self-destruction

10 SEX
There are better ways to reproduce

11 FREE WILL
Your decisions are not your own

12 THE PLACEBO EFFECT
Who’s being deceived?

13 HOMEOPATHY
It’s patently absurd, so why won’t it go away?

Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes And Sources
Index