Future Science: Essays from the Cutting Edge Original Edition

by Max Brockman (Author)

13 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0307741912

ISBN-10: 0307741915

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In this fascinating collection of writings that introduce the very latest theories and discoveries in science, editor Max Brockman presents the work of some of today’s brightest and most innovative young researchers.

Future Science features eighteen young scientists, most of whom are presenting their work and ideas to a general audience for the first time. Included in this collection are

* William McEwan, a virologist, discussing his research into the biology of antiviral immunity

* Naomi Eisenberger, a neuroscientist, wondering how social rejection affects us physically

* Jon Kleinberg, a computer scientist, showing what massive datasets can teach us about society and ourselves

* Anthony Aguirre, a physicist, who gives readers a tantalizing glimpse of infinity

“Future Science shares with the world a delightful secret that we academics have been keeping—that despite all the hysteria about how electronic media are dumbing down the next generation, a tidal wave of talent has been flooding into science, making their elders feel like the dumb ones. . . . It has a wealth of new and exciting ideas, and will help shake up our notions regarding the age, sex, color, and topic clichés of the current public perception of science.”
—Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A title wave of talent. . . . A wealth of new and exciting ideas."
—Stephen Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought

“I would have killed for books like this when I was a student!”
—Brian Eno

“This remarkable collection of fluent and fascinating essays reminds me that there is almost nothing as spine-tinglingly exciting as glimpsing a new nugget of knowledge for the first time. These young scientists give us a treasure trove of precious new insights.”
—Matt Ridley, author of The Red Queen and Rational Optimism

“A good overview of what’s happening in today’s laboratories.”
—Booklist

“A glimpse of how today’s daring science is defining tomorrow’s lines for inquiry. . . . Readers will delight in the complexity of its exciting mosaic.”
—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Max Brockman is the CEO of Brockman, Inc., a literary agency, and the editor of What’s Next? Dispatches on the Future of Science. He also works with the Edge Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that publishes www.edge.org. He lives in New York City.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Vintage; Original edition (August 9, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307741915
ISBN-13: 978-0307741912
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 13 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,509,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #667 in Science Essays & Commentary (Books)
- #540 in Scientific Experiments & Projects
- #1118 in Scientific Research

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Greg Polansky

Stand Back, I'm Going To Review Science

February 15, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Coming from a non-science background, but still being interested in the sciences, I wanted something that would be readable but not dumbed down. This book is it. If you click within the Amazon page, you will see the synopses for each essay. As with any edited collection, there are highs and lows. I'll focus on my highs. Kevin Hand's exploration of the waters of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn is a highlight of the collection. It's greatly informative about the possibilities for life on those moons. Similarly, Kleinberg's essay about data sets and what they mean for us as a species left me thinking about the ramifications for a few hours afterwards. Other standouts, for me, is Eisenberg's essay on Rejection, Cushman's essay on Luck and the Law, and the final essay by Chiao about human diversity. Chiao's essay is actually pretty damn wonderful with its final paragraphs that focus on cultural neuroscience.

Though I don't have a science background, I do read about certain fields, namely genetics, on a regular basis. I think that's what makes this collection good. You can find readable essays in a wide variety of fields. You can do as I did and read them all (in one day actually since it is roughly 250 pages on the Kindle) or you can pick and choose based on your interests. But I recommend reading them all.

5 people found this helpful

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Great 'first annual' debut

October 2, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

As a technologist in a niche, keeping up with the leading edge across many disciplines is impossible but I do try. Out of summary curiosity I bought this entry to the technology survey venue. Future Science hopes to continue as an annual tradition. I hope the editor is successful.

I read dozens of niche and near-niche research outputs per year. The task of picking the cream of the crop from the universe of dissertations and research is a formidable task. Here, you get an excellent set of a few pages more than the abstract and conclusion. The subject matter expert must work to frame their research in approachable, understandable and easily extrapolated `into the future' terms. Every entry succeeds in that mission.

The collection 5-star satisfied my appetite.

3 people found this helpful

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Chris H

Good, But Less Technical Than I Anticipated

August 19, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The essays are all on subjects that interest me, well-written, and don't seem to be fringe science (a concern with any "leading edge" book).

Maybe coming at this from the vantage point of a few years later has ruined it, but I wish it were quite a bit more technical. I think it's clearly written for a very general audience.

I'm still happy I bought it, it's just not entirely what I thought it would be. If you don't have any background you'll still do just fine :)

One person found this helpful

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Ninakix

Fun collection of essays

September 18, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Brockman managed to take a bunch of academics, and get them to write about their field in not only a way that was accessible and understandable to the layman, but also explain why their research mattered and why it mattered to the everyday person. It's rare that academics get a chance to think about that, and you have to wonder how often they do think about it. I skipped through the last few essays that seemed a little bit drier and not quite of interest to me, with a more philosophical bent to them, but otherwise loved it. Most of the research was unique and not stuff that I'd heard of or thought of before.

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David Dubbert

Well worth reading, and not above the head of a lay-person

August 23, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

If you're not already aware, this is a set of essays by young-ish scientists at the forefronts of their fields. In general, these essays are very accessible. The only one I really had to work to understand was Anthony Aguirre's essay about infinity. I personally found the essays about the mind and reasoning to be of particular interest. Fiery Cushman's discussion of moral luck and philosophy as a science broadened my conception of both topics. In addition, I've always kind of thought of the self and the mind as being somewhat separate from the body, and Liane Young's essay "How We Read People's Moral Minds" made me directly confront and deal with that belief. There are many other fascinating essays relevant to your everyday life, and I recommend this book for the generally and broadly inquisitive reader.

30 people found this helpful

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K. J. Reed

Five Stars

January 9, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Excellent collection of scientific essays.

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pavelpar

interesting reading

January 20, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The book contains a good selection of essays about science "at the edge", although it is biased towards psychology and mind. Some essays are more difficult to read than others, that means not so clearly written. I can definitely recommend the book.

2 people found this helpful

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steop22

Five Stars

September 29, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Excellent book

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Future Science: Essays from the Cutting Edge Original Edition