The thrilling exploration of the secret side of scientific discovery --proving that some rules were meant to be broken scientists have colluded in the most successful cover-up of modern times. They present themselves as cool, logical, and level-headed, when the truth is that they will do anything --take drugs, follow mystical visions, lie and even cheat --to make a discovery. They are often more interested in starting revolutions than in playing by the rules. In Free Radicals, bestselling author Michael Brooks reveals the extreme lengths some of our most celebrated scientists --such as Newton, Einstein, and Watson and Crick --are willing to go to, from fraud to reckless, unethical experiments, in order to make new discoveries and bring them to the world's attention.
Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A salutary reminder that scientists are as human and fallible as anyone else."
(--Daily Telegraph )"Free Radicals is an exuberant tour through the world of scientists behaving badly."
"Fun to read. Brooks . . . capers through the exploits of scores of brilliant and often ruthless rogues."
(--Financial Times )"A call to arms . . . Not some idealistic crusade; it has important implications."
(--BBC )"Brooks raises intriguing questions about the value of peer review panels and ethics boards, while illuminating much of the gritty real work performed in ivory towers around the world."
(--Publishers Weekly )"Not all scientists are nerds. In Free Radicals, physicist Michael Brooks tries to dispel the notion that scientists are stuffy, pen-protector-polishing bookworms."
(--Washington Post )"Insightful . . . a page-turning, unvarnished look at the all-too-human side of science."
(--Kirkus Reviews )"Mr. Brooks call for scientists to lift their heads and raise their voices while the rest of us ask hard questions and demand institutions that will bring more visionaries into play . . . Free Radicals presents a solid case."
(--New York Journal of Books )"Free Radicals illuminates the role of the irrational in science, the mistakes that make scientists human, and reveals that breakthroughs that change our lives in the most fundamental ways may have the most serendipitous origins."
(--Brain Pickings )"[Free Radicals] goes a long way toward making scientists--and science--a lot more real to the public."
(--Science 2.0 )"Free Radicals reminds readers that scientific advances sometimes require creativity and vision . . . A fascinating book."
"Brooks lays out, in fascinating--and often horrifying and discomfiting detail--the anarchy that underlies the scientific endeavor . . . it is a must read for every scientist on the planet, as well as anyone interested in science."
About the Author
Michael Brooks, who holds a PhD in quantum physics, is an author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is a consultant at New Scientist, a weekly magazine with over three quarters of a million readers worldwide, has a biweekly column for the New Statesman, and is the author of the bestselling non-fiction title 13 Things That Don't Make Sense. His writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Playboy. He has lectured at New York University, The American Museum of Natural History, and Cambridge University. Visit michaelbrooks.org
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What really goes on in the world of Science? Except for the rare evil scientist shown in movies, normally scientists are portrayed as cool, logical, level headed personalities - maybe slightly timid but nevertheless those who follow the rules. Now in "Free Radicals", Michael Brooks shows how wrong this picture is.
According to Brooks, in Science anything goes. The competition is so tough and the prizes so valuable that no punches are pulled. Drugs, lies, fraud, politics - all are part of the game. He exposes famed personalities from Newton to Einstein - showing how human they all are; and how the successful ones never hesitated to break the rules. Most of us have heard of Newton's famous statement on '..standing on the shoulders of giants', but we would not have heard of his skill of stomping down other scientists!. Any literate person would have heard of Einstein and his E=MC2 equation, but it is unbelievable to hear that he could not fully prove it in spite of eight attempts!!
Well researched and narrated in a fast pace, this book beats most fiction novels. I was enthralled at the stories, though in the beginning some of the `exposes' did give me a shock. But as I proceeded in the book it was clear that the author's intentions were honorable - the objective was not to deride the scientists but show that they are human just like the rest of us. Being an expert in one discipline does not make a person super human - nor does that expertise translate into other areas. I was also surprised at how `close minded' experts are and how difficult is for new ideas to break though - even in a field which is supposed to foster open thinking.
Brooks goes on to explain how to encourage more youngsters to get into Science and exhorts the Scientists to play a more activist role in causes that they believe in. Highlighting scientists like Carl Sagan, Brooks shows the important role that Scientists can play in formulating public opinion. However Brooks seems to get a little carried away on the benefits of drugs like marijuana or LSD to expand the mind's horizons - I am not convinced whether that was as important as he makes out.
I should hasten to add that the book is just not a bunch of `hot' stories. Excellently weaved through these stories, the author brings out beautifully a number of scientific breakthroughs and their impact on society. This is a science book that one can gift to any youngster to read!. It would also not hurt scientists to read it either.
According to Brooks, in Science anything goes. The competition is so tough and the prizes so valuable that no punches are pulled. Drugs, lies, fraud, politics - all are part of the game. He exposes famed personalities from Newton to Einstein - showing how human they all are; and how the successful ones never hesitated to break the rules. Most of us have heard of Newton's famous statement on '..standing on the shoulders of giants', but we would not have heard of his skill of stomping down other scientists!. Any literate person would have heard of Einstein and his E=MC2 equation, but it is unbelievable to hear that he could not fully prove it in spite of eight attempts!!
Well researched and narrated in a fast pace, this book beats most fiction novels. I was enthralled at the stories, though in the beginning some of the `exposes' did give me a shock. But as I proceeded in the book it was clear that the author's intentions were honorable - the objective was not to deride the scientists but show that they are human just like the rest of us. Being an expert in one discipline does not make a person super human - nor does that expertise translate into other areas. I was also surprised at how `close minded' experts are and how difficult is for new ideas to break though - even in a field which is supposed to foster open thinking.
Brooks goes on to explain how to encourage more youngsters to get into Science and exhorts the Scientists to play a more activist role in causes that they believe in. Highlighting scientists like Carl Sagan, Brooks shows the important role that Scientists can play in formulating public opinion. However Brooks seems to get a little carried away on the benefits of drugs like marijuana or LSD to expand the mind's horizons - I am not convinced whether that was as important as he makes out.
I should hasten to add that the book is just not a bunch of `hot' stories. Excellently weaved through these stories, the author brings out beautifully a number of scientific breakthroughs and their impact on society. This is a science book that one can gift to any youngster to read!. It would also not hurt scientists to read it either.
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I wanted to like this book. I am a practicing physicist at a well-respected laboratory and am quite aware of the humanity behind the science-- the drama and the creativity as well as the conservatism and thinking-in-the-box inertia. In this book I get the sense the Brooks is acting as a bit of a sensationalist in pushing his 'secret anarchist' notion on a public that, I fear, is already distrustful of scientists.
Brooks seems to constantly reiterate the notion that truly innovative work is done outside the strictures of a tightly confining scientific establishment, yet the support he furnishes seems to be a lot of unrelated anecdotes about maverick scientists and the stodgy establishment types who are either fame whores or too dull to recognize innovation when they see it.
What should not be a surprise is that science is done by a wide range of personalities and like many other communities, has its leaders and innovators and as well as those who are happy to live and work in the middle behaving well within the norm. Just like other work environments you get people being jerks to each other, acting out of spite and jealousy, but you also have generous, giving types who are interested in pushing their communities forward.
I guess this book rubbed me the wrong way because it seemed to try to push a cute, sensationalist title a little too far. There are several examples in the scientific community where high impact work was done by boring, nice people who didn't have important connections and weren't shunned or mistreated as in the anecdotes that Brooks describes. These kinds of stories are maybe too boring to sell books, but the thesis that Brooks hangs this whole book around is empty and not productive to the discourse between the scientific public and the community.
Brooks seems to constantly reiterate the notion that truly innovative work is done outside the strictures of a tightly confining scientific establishment, yet the support he furnishes seems to be a lot of unrelated anecdotes about maverick scientists and the stodgy establishment types who are either fame whores or too dull to recognize innovation when they see it.
What should not be a surprise is that science is done by a wide range of personalities and like many other communities, has its leaders and innovators and as well as those who are happy to live and work in the middle behaving well within the norm. Just like other work environments you get people being jerks to each other, acting out of spite and jealousy, but you also have generous, giving types who are interested in pushing their communities forward.
I guess this book rubbed me the wrong way because it seemed to try to push a cute, sensationalist title a little too far. There are several examples in the scientific community where high impact work was done by boring, nice people who didn't have important connections and weren't shunned or mistreated as in the anecdotes that Brooks describes. These kinds of stories are maybe too boring to sell books, but the thesis that Brooks hangs this whole book around is empty and not productive to the discourse between the scientific public and the community.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Jim E. Stone
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gives a different view of science that we don't generally think about and causes us to be more circumspect in choosing what to embrace and what to question
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Eye Opener
Not going to write my own book to review this one. It was a very interesting account of the world of science. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Chris Osiecki
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sometimes the truth hurts...
This review contains only my opinions.
From what I know about this book's thesis, it seems to be an extremely valid expose. Read more
From what I know about this book's thesis, it seems to be an extremely valid expose. Read more
Published 9 months ago by a reviewer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Skepticism, Cynicism
Incisive yet each page is filled with human frailties that apply to every profesion or vocation. Its sole claim to fame is to defame (not humanize) almost every scientist and their... Read more
Published 20 months ago by herb515
