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Nothing: Surprising Insights Everywhere from Zero to Oblivion
From New Scientist, the magazine behind the #1 international bestseller Does Anything Eat Wasps? Leading science writers uncover surprising insights into the intangible world of nothingness
It turns out that almost nothing is as curious or holds as much promise for scientists seeking answers to some of nature s greatest mysteries as, well, nothing. The latest book from the world s top-selling science magazine, Nothing puzzles over the true nature of nothingness, from the big bang, absolute zero, and the void to topics as diverse as transistors, vestigial organs, hypnosis, dark energy, the placebo effect, and more.
Contributors Paul Davies, Ian Stewart, and Jo Marchant, along with two former editors of Nature and 16 other leading writers and scientists, help us understand just what nothing really means and where it can be found across fields from cosmology to neuroscience. This series of investigations showcasing stellar writing and up-to-the-minute research makes one of the most perplexing realms in all of science dazzlingly clear. Prepare to be amazed at how much more there is to nothing than you ever realized."
It turns out that almost nothing is as curious or holds as much promise for scientists seeking answers to some of nature s greatest mysteries as, well, nothing. The latest book from the world s top-selling science magazine, Nothing puzzles over the true nature of nothingness, from the big bang, absolute zero, and the void to topics as diverse as transistors, vestigial organs, hypnosis, dark energy, the placebo effect, and more.
Contributors Paul Davies, Ian Stewart, and Jo Marchant, along with two former editors of Nature and 16 other leading writers and scientists, help us understand just what nothing really means and where it can be found across fields from cosmology to neuroscience. This series of investigations showcasing stellar writing and up-to-the-minute research makes one of the most perplexing realms in all of science dazzlingly clear. Prepare to be amazed at how much more there is to nothing than you ever realized."
272 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
January 13, 2014
This book is almost impassible to describe - with the actual book cover introduction pretty much covering it all off. Its about nothing - from the nothing of space to the nothing your mind does when it is resting - and everything in-between from medication to mathematics - if there is nothing, zero or just a total absence of anything it is discussed - and in their own unique way they are then linked together - it is a fantastic journey and one I think made all the most fascinating by the fact you have no idea what will happen next. It can be a little repetitive in places and in true science paper ways a little heavy at times but but generally it is well written and interestingly presented.
January 4, 2015
An engaging grab bag of essays on versions of "nothing" in various fields of science: dark matter, the pre-Big Bang universe, the placebo effect, "useless" organs, zero, and empty sets. I found the organization a bit confusing, but it is a quick weekend read that is sure to teach you something new.
November 9, 2021
A collection of essays by scholars from different fields putting forward their perspectives answering questions about ‘nothing’. From the nothingness of space aka cosmic vacuums, to what the brain is doing when its thinking of nothing, to the concept of Zero- our physical/mathematical representation of nothingnesss- this book really covers a little bit of everything.
February 16, 2015
A very nice collection of longer articles from New Scientist on the theme of Nothing in various forms. I particularly like the cosmology (of course), and all there pieces are interesting in informative, although I have issues with the several that centre on the placebo (and nocebo) effects. These do highlight what can sometimes be a weakness of this type of article, that while explaining an apparent phenomenon it is presented in far too uncritical a fashion, which can lead the less informed reader to place too great a weight on the effect., a particular problem when it is picked up by the general media and further amplified or warped.
January 18, 2023
Only really interesting as a whole if you have an interest in the areas Maths, Science and Medicine. The chapters each have a theme that I was not completely able discern, and feature one article in the areas of maths, science and medicine respectively for each chapter. This does make it easy to find the topics you are interested in if you have a particular area you like. I personally am not interested in these areas. While I expected more articles in the area of psychology, as a lot of unknowns and 'nothingness' is known in the field, psychology only featured partially in a article on the placebo affect, written from a purely medical perspective. As a whole, this book is interesting as a novelty, but probably could not be read continuously and should be read in sections with good breaks, and probably by field, rather than by chapter. It is also important to note that the science and medical articles are probably, at least in part, out of date due to the book being written in 2014. Overall, not my kind of book, but I enjoyed the one article on the placebo affect and would recommend it to friends and family interested in maths and science.
May 6, 2017
Some essays were fantastic. Some were meh. Honestly, I was surprised by the ones that hooked me! The essay on watching paint dry, for instance, was engaging. The one on superconductors, which I expected to be great, was only so-so. Because of that, I'm giving it three stars. But others' mileage may vary, so it's worth at least looking!
Standout essays:
-The Big Bang
-Placebo Power
-Zero, Zip, Zilch
-Vacuum packed
-Boring-ology
-Pathways to Cosmic Oblivion
Standout essays:
-The Big Bang
-Placebo Power
-Zero, Zip, Zilch
-Vacuum packed
-Boring-ology
-Pathways to Cosmic Oblivion
February 6, 2014
science, bitch!
November 21, 2016
nothing
February 15, 2017
This is a book about nothing - quite literally. It makes something of nothing, quite literally about that too. You will find nothing in this book, lots and lots of nothing and you will find it quite frankly one of the most interesting books you will ever read. Even though it is about nothing, featuring nothing, there is a lot of nothing. Ok, the bad puns have already run out but I hope you get the picture here.
This is a New Scientist volume about nothing. I can't really put it more plainly than that. It's about the nothings that inhabit our world, the spaces of nothing and the zero state of nothing. The subtitle is From Absolute Nothing to Cosmic Oblivion. It's a history of the number zero, how medieval Europe struggled with the existential crisis that such a number would create. It's about zero as a mathematical concept and a physical number, its importance to astronomy, to physics and to science in general.
It's also about the various zero states that make up arbitrary things such as temperature. We all know that the celsius scale goes from 0-100 with 0 being the point at which water freezes and 100 being at the point it turns to water. But what about Fahrenheit, why is that set the way it is? Why do we need and use so many temperature scales? What exists between the stars? Can we actually create a vacuum? What existed before the Big Bang? While the answer to that question is "nothing", it's not quite the "nothing" that you perceive it to be - thereby challenging one of the concepts and strawman arguments that creationists pose against Big Bang Theory.
It also goes off on a tangent into loosely themed "nothing" related subjects. From homeopathy (which is quite literally nothing) to the placebo effect which helps feel better while using nothing, this makes you think about the physical word around you. It presents nothing as a concept, as a philosophy, as a mathematical certainty and as the absence of something - it will show you ways of thinking about nothing in ways you'd never previously considered.
I particularly liked the studies of the number 0 and how it provided so much angst for some societies throughout history. Also of interest is what comes next for the universe, the various theories for where the universe is heading billions of years from now. This may change your worldview, it may go above your head or it may teach you nothing you do not already know.
The only real complaint I have about this book is that it feels a real mish-mash. That's kind of understandable when you're creating a book from edited articles that once featured in New Scientist but it feels that the editors haven't quite thought as much about its structure. You will find your attention drift at times too as seemingly unrelated sections get shunted together.
They explain the general idea of working it the way they did, but it didn't quite work for me. It's confusing and seemingly unrelated in places - a shame because they had the chance to structure it in a way that feels organic and natural with nothing being a natural state of the universe.
This is a New Scientist volume about nothing. I can't really put it more plainly than that. It's about the nothings that inhabit our world, the spaces of nothing and the zero state of nothing. The subtitle is From Absolute Nothing to Cosmic Oblivion. It's a history of the number zero, how medieval Europe struggled with the existential crisis that such a number would create. It's about zero as a mathematical concept and a physical number, its importance to astronomy, to physics and to science in general.
It's also about the various zero states that make up arbitrary things such as temperature. We all know that the celsius scale goes from 0-100 with 0 being the point at which water freezes and 100 being at the point it turns to water. But what about Fahrenheit, why is that set the way it is? Why do we need and use so many temperature scales? What exists between the stars? Can we actually create a vacuum? What existed before the Big Bang? While the answer to that question is "nothing", it's not quite the "nothing" that you perceive it to be - thereby challenging one of the concepts and strawman arguments that creationists pose against Big Bang Theory.
It also goes off on a tangent into loosely themed "nothing" related subjects. From homeopathy (which is quite literally nothing) to the placebo effect which helps feel better while using nothing, this makes you think about the physical word around you. It presents nothing as a concept, as a philosophy, as a mathematical certainty and as the absence of something - it will show you ways of thinking about nothing in ways you'd never previously considered.
I particularly liked the studies of the number 0 and how it provided so much angst for some societies throughout history. Also of interest is what comes next for the universe, the various theories for where the universe is heading billions of years from now. This may change your worldview, it may go above your head or it may teach you nothing you do not already know.
The only real complaint I have about this book is that it feels a real mish-mash. That's kind of understandable when you're creating a book from edited articles that once featured in New Scientist but it feels that the editors haven't quite thought as much about its structure. You will find your attention drift at times too as seemingly unrelated sections get shunted together.
They explain the general idea of working it the way they did, but it didn't quite work for me. It's confusing and seemingly unrelated in places - a shame because they had the chance to structure it in a way that feels organic and natural with nothing being a natural state of the universe.
January 10, 2022
A collection of articles about *nothings* from New Scientist.
Some are really interesting, fast reads that spark interest about the topic and encourage further explorations, while others really stall the reading, making me put away the book for weeks (or months... oops). If I have piqued your interest - the book also offers a reading approach where each article has another related article indicated further in the book, so you can start with the subchapter that you find interesting and continue reading from there, skipping the parts that seem less interesting to you.
Some are really interesting, fast reads that spark interest about the topic and encourage further explorations, while others really stall the reading, making me put away the book for weeks (or months... oops). If I have piqued your interest - the book also offers a reading approach where each article has another related article indicated further in the book, so you can start with the subchapter that you find interesting and continue reading from there, skipping the parts that seem less interesting to you.
November 28, 2023
Totalnie cudne, nie da się znudzić, bo jest wiele różnych wątków i dziedzin, rozwala mózg w bardzo przyjemny sposób
November 29, 2014
More of a three and a half star review for me. This one took me almost three times as long to read as an ordinary fiction or biography book would, but that's not to say it wasn't VERY good reading and a very valuable educational experience.
I'd have to say though, this book is very heavy on quantum vacuum discussion and this aspect was what bored me most.
Most enjoyable for me were the discussions on the placebo effect, and the later discussions on exercise physiology. In essence the studies of doing nothing.
I found the discussions referring to absolute zero temperature to be highly informative and enlightened me on more than one of the scientific elements of the periodic table that my own school education had neglected.
I also loved the "choose your own adventure" model of organising the book, which I know other readers have found difficult. It allowed me to read the things I was interested in at my own pace, eventually getting through the entire book. This is the reason for the book not seeming to be in any logical or academically sound order, the essays are not meant to be linked together in chronological order. They do not refer to one another and are not supposed to.
The contributions are from a group of highly qualified and intelligent people ranging from Paul Davies and Philip Ball to Ian Stewart and Richard Webb and with professions ranging from professor emeritus of mathematics, particle physicist, cell biologist, novelist, journalist and associate professor of material physics. These people also work at varied institutions including but not limited to CERN, NewScientist and various prestigious universities and research facilities.
Overall, this is a well researched, and cohesive collective study of different states of nothingness.
I'd have to say though, this book is very heavy on quantum vacuum discussion and this aspect was what bored me most.
Most enjoyable for me were the discussions on the placebo effect, and the later discussions on exercise physiology. In essence the studies of doing nothing.
I found the discussions referring to absolute zero temperature to be highly informative and enlightened me on more than one of the scientific elements of the periodic table that my own school education had neglected.
I also loved the "choose your own adventure" model of organising the book, which I know other readers have found difficult. It allowed me to read the things I was interested in at my own pace, eventually getting through the entire book. This is the reason for the book not seeming to be in any logical or academically sound order, the essays are not meant to be linked together in chronological order. They do not refer to one another and are not supposed to.
The contributions are from a group of highly qualified and intelligent people ranging from Paul Davies and Philip Ball to Ian Stewart and Richard Webb and with professions ranging from professor emeritus of mathematics, particle physicist, cell biologist, novelist, journalist and associate professor of material physics. These people also work at varied institutions including but not limited to CERN, NewScientist and various prestigious universities and research facilities.
Overall, this is a well researched, and cohesive collective study of different states of nothingness.
July 29, 2015
"It's time to make much ado about nothing" says the back of the book. From the origin of the number zero, and the search for the perfect vacuum and the coldest temperature, to doing nothing and the affect on living things.
Being a collection of essays from New Scientist first published 2013, some of the material is dating fast, especially in the quantum world and the search for new sub-atomic particles. At least the introduction is aware of this so new editions can be popped out every 10 years or so with relevant updates.
My favourite chapters concerned biology, making vacuums, and the search for absolute zero temperature. Bed rest experiments have shown it is bad for human circulatory health, while for other animals the cost of moving versus the energy available after digesting food leans towards sedentary lifestyles. Vacuums are best measured in particles per cubic area instead of the usual bar, kilo pascals or millimetres of mercury.
The chapter I found most lacking was about the number zero itself. The potted history seemed to miss how an empty circle came to represent zero for most Europeans. What did ordinary people make of it while philosophers and clerics were debating the meaning of dividing by zero?
Being a collection of essays from New Scientist first published 2013, some of the material is dating fast, especially in the quantum world and the search for new sub-atomic particles. At least the introduction is aware of this so new editions can be popped out every 10 years or so with relevant updates.
My favourite chapters concerned biology, making vacuums, and the search for absolute zero temperature. Bed rest experiments have shown it is bad for human circulatory health, while for other animals the cost of moving versus the energy available after digesting food leans towards sedentary lifestyles. Vacuums are best measured in particles per cubic area instead of the usual bar, kilo pascals or millimetres of mercury.
The chapter I found most lacking was about the number zero itself. The potted history seemed to miss how an empty circle came to represent zero for most Europeans. What did ordinary people make of it while philosophers and clerics were debating the meaning of dividing by zero?
January 14, 2019
A book which gives insights on many topics related to nothing. It gives an informative discussion about the concept of zero as a number, and how it came to be accepted through history. Another topic is the mysterious placebo effect, of which many studies with evaluations are made; it even goes further to describe the nocebo effect. Other concepts about health (why doing nothing is bad for health) and what goes on in the mind when it is doing nothing are also discussed. On the flipside, the book also explains why doing nothing can be absolutely key to the survival of certain animals. Philosophically, what is meant by nothing is also explored, with discussions concerning what existed before the big bang and what goes on in a the vacuum in space.
An interesting book with a broad variety of the different sciences involved.
An interesting book with a broad variety of the different sciences involved.
April 15, 2014
What a superb book!
A very abstract layout, with an abstract range of topics split between chapters.
All topics revolve on the concept of "nothing", and the deeper you get into the book, the more that word seems to mean.
A brilliant array of fully scientific articles, from authorities around the world.
Ranging between physical and metaphysical realms, the arguments and ideas brought forth within the book are a delicious variety of flavours for your mind to munch on.
Another great point worth mentioning, is that the language used is not particularly difficult to understand. Very high level scientific subjects are brought forth in semi-layman terms.
Excellent book for just reading on the sideline. Highly recommended.
A very abstract layout, with an abstract range of topics split between chapters.
All topics revolve on the concept of "nothing", and the deeper you get into the book, the more that word seems to mean.
A brilliant array of fully scientific articles, from authorities around the world.
Ranging between physical and metaphysical realms, the arguments and ideas brought forth within the book are a delicious variety of flavours for your mind to munch on.
Another great point worth mentioning, is that the language used is not particularly difficult to understand. Very high level scientific subjects are brought forth in semi-layman terms.
Excellent book for just reading on the sideline. Highly recommended.
April 25, 2014
It turns out there's a lot to consider in nothingness, whether you are talking about zero or oblivion. From the placebo effect to absolute vacuum to voodoo curse efficacy - this book covers it all. I found this collection of essays alternately charming and exasperating. Most of the essays are well written and informative and discuss interesting concepts.
They tried to be a little too cutesy in the organization of the book. The chapters aren't logically arranged. Instead they have chapter headings like Surprises and Mysteries. Instead of grouping like essays together, they tried to make a "create your own story" arrangement. At the end of some (not all) essays, they offered suggestions to skip around in the book to follow particular topics. I didn't care for the approach.
They tried to be a little too cutesy in the organization of the book. The chapters aren't logically arranged. Instead they have chapter headings like Surprises and Mysteries. Instead of grouping like essays together, they tried to make a "create your own story" arrangement. At the end of some (not all) essays, they offered suggestions to skip around in the book to follow particular topics. I didn't care for the approach.
July 15, 2018
Al acabar el libro, no tengo una sensación de vacío o de no haber aprendido "nada", en contra del título del libro. Todo lo contrario. El libro es una colección de relatos que a lo largo de los años han ido apareciendo en la revista New Scientist correspondientes a diversos ámbitos científicos. A menudo corresponden a historias curiosas. Otros a teorías que podrían resultar descabelladas (ejemplo, en cosmología).
Como los artículos son totalmente independientes unos de otros, el libro se puede ir leyendo en pequeños ratitos según queramos ir alimentando y saciando nuestra curiosidad científica.
Como los artículos son totalmente independientes unos de otros, el libro se puede ir leyendo en pequeños ratitos según queramos ir alimentando y saciando nuestra curiosidad científica.
February 18, 2015
This book has an excellent premise and take off. There is a lot to be gained by paying attention to the nothings. It was a long time before zero was accepted. After all the universe also started with nothing or so it may be.
However, since it is a collection of essays matter repeats and is at times too detailed. In that sense the book does not take the theories forward in a consistent manner.
Nevertheless still recommend it as being well worth a read.
However, since it is a collection of essays matter repeats and is at times too detailed. In that sense the book does not take the theories forward in a consistent manner.
Nevertheless still recommend it as being well worth a read.
January 31, 2017
I thought this might have some philosophy in it, as well as science, but no. It covers a lot of different topics, some more interesting than others for me. It's one of those chatty popular science books that jumps around a lot, but taking it one article at a time works. The chapters (groups of articles) don't hang together particularly well but each article is cohesive on its own terms.
March 10, 2017
Amazingly interesting
June 12, 2019
interesting articles with big ideas explained well
September 2, 2017
This book is a collection of articles written by authors with an extensive background in science, scientific reporting, and writing. As the subtitle of the book hints, it is a gourmet of articles from varied fields - from the voids of the quantum world to the voids on the cosmic scale, the studies of things that go on in our brains when we do absolutely nothing, and how one can be healed or killed by nothing at all, the story of zero that symbolizes nothing and to the revelations when we try to create nothing and how nothing can create something. This isn't a book review exactly but should give you a good flavour of different nothings.
The articles have been organized in an overall theme of a story - a beginning, the mysteries of being, the sense making process, the journey forward and finally the conclusion of the story. This is a heady mixture and it is easy to lose sense of where we are headed. First, we talk about how the universe was formed in sufficient detail, and then we dive into our heads to see where does it spend all the energy as we do nothing at all.
My head often hurts when I try to think about the shape of the universe. It is explained to be the surface of the balloon that is being inflated, but we are told it is just the surface and not the interior volume. My mind insists, "how can I not think of the interior when the surface is expanding". Did this book help? Not quite, but I am getting better. Then, I never really appreciated the E=mc2 equation from the way it was introduced in school. Yes, it is the mass energy equivalence relationship, but if that is so, what is the mass of a photon? No body explained why it is almost fruitless to think of it that way. The book helped understand. It is the flipped relationship worth looking at to understand it better. Given a photon with sufficient energy, mass can be created. That is how something tangible is created out of nothing. That is what is expected to have been commonplace occurrence during the formative years of our universe.
If you have read till here, and are liking it, then there's more of it at Aesthetic Blasphemy
Regards :-)
The articles have been organized in an overall theme of a story - a beginning, the mysteries of being, the sense making process, the journey forward and finally the conclusion of the story. This is a heady mixture and it is easy to lose sense of where we are headed. First, we talk about how the universe was formed in sufficient detail, and then we dive into our heads to see where does it spend all the energy as we do nothing at all.
My head often hurts when I try to think about the shape of the universe. It is explained to be the surface of the balloon that is being inflated, but we are told it is just the surface and not the interior volume. My mind insists, "how can I not think of the interior when the surface is expanding". Did this book help? Not quite, but I am getting better. Then, I never really appreciated the E=mc2 equation from the way it was introduced in school. Yes, it is the mass energy equivalence relationship, but if that is so, what is the mass of a photon? No body explained why it is almost fruitless to think of it that way. The book helped understand. It is the flipped relationship worth looking at to understand it better. Given a photon with sufficient energy, mass can be created. That is how something tangible is created out of nothing. That is what is expected to have been commonplace occurrence during the formative years of our universe.
If you have read till here, and are liking it, then there's more of it at Aesthetic Blasphemy
Regards :-)
December 7, 2017
A wonderful book on Nothing. Looks like an oxymoron, but read it to have the oxymoron disproved. The topics covered range from the obvious zero of mathematics, to nocebo effect from the medical field (absolute must read), the effect of zero activity on human body, the absolute zero temperature and vacuum which we assume is nothing.
It is interesting to know who Europe resisted the introduction of zero into Mathematics for a very very long time before finally accepting it. The rest as they say is history.
Many are aware of the placebo effect. The tests seem to suggest that it is power of "suggestion" or the "positive thought" that causes the placebo effect. Not many are aware of the nocebo effect which states that if one is given effective medicines, but with a negative suggestion then the chances of the medicine having a negative impact is very high.
Vacuum comes as a another surprise. It does not actually mean nothing, it only means that the density of substance is so less that it can be considered to be nothing, but not truly nothing.
The negative impact of inactivity on the human body is huge. It takes effect within a matter of weeks and takes quite sometime of positive activity to offset.
As a corollary evidence shows that regular moderate activity helps humans maintain their health and even regain their health.
The effect of absolute zero on the physical elements, specifically on Helium and how we actually have not reached real absolute zero degree Kelvin is a good read indeed.
On the whole a very good book to read.
It is interesting to know who Europe resisted the introduction of zero into Mathematics for a very very long time before finally accepting it. The rest as they say is history.
Many are aware of the placebo effect. The tests seem to suggest that it is power of "suggestion" or the "positive thought" that causes the placebo effect. Not many are aware of the nocebo effect which states that if one is given effective medicines, but with a negative suggestion then the chances of the medicine having a negative impact is very high.
Vacuum comes as a another surprise. It does not actually mean nothing, it only means that the density of substance is so less that it can be considered to be nothing, but not truly nothing.
The negative impact of inactivity on the human body is huge. It takes effect within a matter of weeks and takes quite sometime of positive activity to offset.
As a corollary evidence shows that regular moderate activity helps humans maintain their health and even regain their health.
The effect of absolute zero on the physical elements, specifically on Helium and how we actually have not reached real absolute zero degree Kelvin is a good read indeed.
On the whole a very good book to read.
August 18, 2022
Attenzione a quello che dite: "Non vale niente, conta quanto zero, dopo c'è il nulla". Non c'è nulla che valga quanto il niente, lo zero conta più di tutti gli altri numeri che lo seguono, il senso lo trovi nel nulla. La lettura di questo libro lo dice chiaro e tondo.
Zero, zip, nada, zero. È fin troppo facile ignorare le affascinanti possibilità del vuoto e della non esistenza, e potremmo chiederci cosa c'è da dire sul nulla. Ma gli scienziati sanno da secoli che nulla è la chiave per comprendere assolutamente tutto, dal motivo per cui le particelle hanno massa all'espansione dell'universo, quindi senza nulla non saremmo esattamente da nessuna parte. Lo zero assoluto (il freddo più freddo che può esistere) e il il potere sorprendente di placebo, lampadine, superconduttori, aspirapolvere, energia oscura, "riposo a letto" e la nascita del tempo: sono tutti aspetti diversi del concetto di nulla. Più guardiamo da vicino, più grande diventa il soggetto. Perché alcuni animali passano tutto il giorno senza far nulla? Cosa succede nel nostro cervello quando cerchiamo di non pensare a nulla? Con capitoli di 20 scrittori scientifici, inclusi nomi di spicco come Ian Stewart, Marcus Chown, Nigel Henbest, Michael Brooks, Paul Davies e David Fisher, questo libro affascinante e intrigante racconta un argomento che ha stuzzicato le menti migliori per secoli e dimostra che non c'è niente che soddisfi di più del nulla.
Zero, zip, nada, zero. È fin troppo facile ignorare le affascinanti possibilità del vuoto e della non esistenza, e potremmo chiederci cosa c'è da dire sul nulla. Ma gli scienziati sanno da secoli che nulla è la chiave per comprendere assolutamente tutto, dal motivo per cui le particelle hanno massa all'espansione dell'universo, quindi senza nulla non saremmo esattamente da nessuna parte. Lo zero assoluto (il freddo più freddo che può esistere) e il il potere sorprendente di placebo, lampadine, superconduttori, aspirapolvere, energia oscura, "riposo a letto" e la nascita del tempo: sono tutti aspetti diversi del concetto di nulla. Più guardiamo da vicino, più grande diventa il soggetto. Perché alcuni animali passano tutto il giorno senza far nulla? Cosa succede nel nostro cervello quando cerchiamo di non pensare a nulla? Con capitoli di 20 scrittori scientifici, inclusi nomi di spicco come Ian Stewart, Marcus Chown, Nigel Henbest, Michael Brooks, Paul Davies e David Fisher, questo libro affascinante e intrigante racconta un argomento che ha stuzzicato le menti migliori per secoli e dimostra che non c'è niente che soddisfi di più del nulla.
June 14, 2020
This has been on my Goodreads "currently reading" shelf for four years somehow, left on pause for months and years at a time. The fragmented nature of a book such as this, which collects various disparate essays, naturally lends itself to abandonment part way through - especially considering the dryer articles about maths. Still, most of the essays in this book are excellent, and filled with enlightening perspectives on topics which relate to the overarching concept of "nothing". In particular, some of the lighter stories towards the end, about exercise and "doing nothing" were fantastic. There is enough variety in this collection so that most people would enjoy at least one section, however some of the parts rehash some well trodden ideas and the dryer moments might put some casual readers to sleep. 3.5/5 - It has its moments.
February 16, 2018
The book is a selection of science and maths articles that broadly concern 'nothing'.
I found the majority readable straight out the box, but certain areas (primarily concerning chemistry and physics) required a reasonably good working knowledge of scientific concepts (or Google!).
A lot of the articles concern what we know about x and how we arrived at that knowledge.
The ordering is a little unusual with the chapter content determined on broad themes e.g. 'Voyages of Discovery'. So you end up with a chapter which contains unrelated articles which cover a bit of biology, a bit of maths, and a bit of astrophysics together.
I'd only recommend this book to you if you're interested in popular science and you have recently refreshed your basic science knowledge.
I found the majority readable straight out the box, but certain areas (primarily concerning chemistry and physics) required a reasonably good working knowledge of scientific concepts (or Google!).
A lot of the articles concern what we know about x and how we arrived at that knowledge.
The ordering is a little unusual with the chapter content determined on broad themes e.g. 'Voyages of Discovery'. So you end up with a chapter which contains unrelated articles which cover a bit of biology, a bit of maths, and a bit of astrophysics together.
I'd only recommend this book to you if you're interested in popular science and you have recently refreshed your basic science knowledge.
November 7, 2017
I love the idea; an entire book covering the concept of 'nothing' from a variety of angles. Mathematics, psychology, physics, biology etc.
The book itself was okay. Naturally, with the broad diversity of subjects covered, there were some topics I found more interesting, others less. The articles are rather short, which sometimes causes them to stay rather superficial, but this way it is also easier as a reader to stay engaged with the texts, even the less interesting ones.
As with most 'one author-one chapter' books, the quality of the different articles varies. Some are a bit incoherent, while others are captivating. Three stars seems to be a good average and summary of the book.
The book itself was okay. Naturally, with the broad diversity of subjects covered, there were some topics I found more interesting, others less. The articles are rather short, which sometimes causes them to stay rather superficial, but this way it is also easier as a reader to stay engaged with the texts, even the less interesting ones.
As with most 'one author-one chapter' books, the quality of the different articles varies. Some are a bit incoherent, while others are captivating. Three stars seems to be a good average and summary of the book.
December 20, 2017
I really enjoyed the concept of this book as I would have never drawn the line between the invention of the number zero, hoodoo curses, vacuums, and the end of the universe. Some of the essays were really good and but some were not so great.
I did not like the format of this book. It lacked a unifying flow, I felt as though I was being bumped around from thought to thought and then shuttled back to something previously read.
I will, however, likely pick this book up again to read very specific chunks—the essay on boredology was hilarious.
I've found that nothing is extremely powerful and quite inspiring and this book has been a catalyst.
I did not like the format of this book. It lacked a unifying flow, I felt as though I was being bumped around from thought to thought and then shuttled back to something previously read.
I will, however, likely pick this book up again to read very specific chunks—the essay on boredology was hilarious.
I've found that nothing is extremely powerful and quite inspiring and this book has been a catalyst.
April 21, 2025
This book contains a selection of, sometimes tenuously linked, articles on the subject of ‘nothing’. It is an enjoyable read that you can grab when you have a spare few minutes. It does a good job of taking very complex issues and making them (almost) understandable even for someone not particularly talented at maths or science, such as myself.
Reading this in 2025 I could tell that science has probably moved on a fair bit since most of these articles were written. I think I probably would have rated it higher had I read it back in 2013 when it was published. Still an interesting read though.
Reading this in 2025 I could tell that science has probably moved on a fair bit since most of these articles were written. I think I probably would have rated it higher had I read it back in 2013 when it was published. Still an interesting read though.
May 17, 2017
An entertaining collection of short science articles, grouped around the "theme" of nothing -- zero, vacuum, what your brain does when you think about nothing, etc. If your the sort of person who likes facts for their own sake (raises hand), then you'll find book this enjoyable. If you want an overall theme that actually connects everything in a meaningful way, then you might find this book kind of pointless.
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