The World's Best Book Summaries
What was North America like during the ice age? When did the last ice age end? Could we still be in one right now? Our human ancestors lived through the ice age, when a third of North America was covered by ice and woolly mammoths wandered the Earth. But, believe it or not, we’re technically still living in an ice age now. Here’s what living in an ice age is really like and what might come next for Earth’s climate.
How did H.G. Wells explain time and time travel in The Time Machine? Did he get it right, according to real science? A Victorian scientist builds a machine that can travel through time. The Time Machine, first published in 1895, is one of the earliest known science fiction stories. This literary classic by English author H.G. Wells popularized the concept of time travel and introduced the now-common phrase “time machine.” Read more to learn how the book explains that time is the fourth dimension.
What rhythms does your life follow? When was the last time you bathed in a river? At Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau spent hours each day walking in the woods. He bathed in the pond. He got to know individual trees. Drawing from Thoreau’s experience, you can learn how to connect with nature and get into its rhythm. Continue reading to learn more about Thoreau’s connection with nature and two specific ways you can follow his example.
What year does the Time Traveller in The Time Machine travel to? What does he find when he arrives? H.G. Wells’s classic book The Time Machine, first published in 1895, is one of the earliest known science fiction stories. It popularized the concept of time travel and introduced the now-common phrase “time machine.” Continue reading for a synopsis of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.
Is the institution of science immune from misinformation? How can there be lies in science when practitioners are committed to the scientific method? In Calling Bullshit, Carl T. Bergstrom and Jevin D. West argue that science’s focus on statistical significance gives rise to bullshit for two reasons: we can easily misinterpret what statistical significance means, and we’re exposed to statistically significant findings only because of publication bias. Let’s take a close look at both of these problematic dynamics in science.
What’s big data? How helpful is training data? What can make it problematic? Professors Carl T. Bergstrom and Jevin D. West are so concerned about misinformation that they wrote a book about it. In Calling Bullshit, they argue that big data can foster bullshit because it can incorporate poor training data and find illusory connections by chance. Continue reading to learn about a problem with big data that should have everyone’s attention.
What’s going on in your brain when you learn a skill? What stages do you go through? According to neuroscience research, you can improve any skill through practice because your brain is designed to learn and grow. During the skill acquisition process, you progress through the phases of cognition, association, and autonomy. Keep reading to understand these stages of learning a skill and the science that makes this growth possible.
What is aging in humans? What are common myths about aging? Though we all know on a basic level what “aging” is, scientists often use common terms differently than the general public. In Ageless, Andrew Steele defines aging and explores common myths that prevent laypeople and scientists alike from understanding aging as a process we can modify. Let’s look at the definition of aging, according to Steele and other experts.
What are the causes of aging? What systems in the body speed up the aging process? In Ageless, Andrew Steele writes that many biological processes cause the symptoms of aging. To figure out how aging happens, scientists need to understand these processes. Keep reading to learn about the processes that contribute to aging and what science is doing about them.
Do people have free will? How is the belief in free will harmful to society? After 40 years of study, neurologist Robert Sapolsky says there is no free will. He lays out what a world that doesn’t believe in free will would look like, and how it would impact the criminal justice system. Here are the arguments for and against free will, and why Sapolsky thinks believing in free will is harmful.