{"product_id":"the-shape-of-wonder-how-scientists-think-work-and-live-9780593702024","title":"The Shape of Wonder: How Scientists Think, Work, and Live","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this captivating, insightful book, acclaimed physicists Alan Lightman and Martin Rees illuminate the life and work of numerous scientists in order to demystify the scientific process and show that scientists are concerned citizens, just like the rest of us. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Remarkable. . . . Illuminating with refreshing clarity the ordinary and sometimes extraordinary work of scientists. This book is essential reading.\" --Jennifer Ackerman, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eWhat an Owl Knows\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn an age of rapid scientific discovery and technological advancement, it's understandable that many feel uneasy about the future. While we might have confidence in these new developments when we go to the hospital for a medical procedure, fly in an airplane, or take an elevator to the top floor of a building, the motivations and lives of scientists themselves feel shrouded from public view. There is a growing sense that scientists are not to be trusted--that they may be guided by political or financial interests, or beholden to governments, or state institutions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis growing mistrust of scientists is an urgent problem. With the onset of climate change, the imminent threats of pandemic or nuclear war, and rapid acceleration in the fields of artificial intelligence and DNA sequencing, innovations in science have the potential to change the world. It's crucial that we not only gain a better understanding of science as a field, but also reestablish trust with its practitioners. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Shape of Wonder\u003c\/i\u003e guides us through the fascinating lives and minds of scientists around the world and throughout time, from a young theoretical physicist who works as a research assistant professor at the University of Washington and rock climbs in their free time; to German physicist Werner Heisenberg in his early life, when he was a student of music and philosophy; to Govind Swarup, an Indian astronomer whose work on radio telescopes was profoundly important. We get an inside peek at what makes scientists tick--their daily lives, passions, and concerns about the societies they live in. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this brilliant and elucidative work, Lightman and Rees pull back the curtain on the field of science, revealing that scientists are driven by the same sense of curiosity, wonder, and responsibility towards the future that shapes us all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alan Lightman,Martin Rees\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pantheon Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/02\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.49h x 5.83w x 0.92d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593702024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/15\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2025 pg. 107\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/30\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eALAN LIGHTMAN\u003c\/b\u003e, PhD physicist, is the author of seven novels, including the international best seller \u003ci\u003eEinstein's Dreams \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Diagnosis\u003c\/i\u003e, a finalist for the National Book Award. He has taught at Harvard and at MIT, and is the host of the public television series \u003ci\u003eSearching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science\u003c\/i\u003e. He is a professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMARTIN REES\u003c\/b\u003e is the UK's Astronomer Royal. He is based at Cambridge University where he is a Fellow (and Former Master) of Trinity College. He is a member of the House of Lords, a former President of the Royal Society, and co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risks at Cambridge University (CSER). His research interests include space exploration, black holes, galaxy formation, the multiverse and prospects for extraterrestrial life. He has written ten books, most recently \u003ci\u003eOn the Future: Prospects for Humanity\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Alan Lightman \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47712265535645,"sku":"9780593702024","price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_5753edad-db7c-4127-9287-a48f289667fc.jpg?v=1773172377","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-shape-of-wonder-how-scientists-think-work-and-live-9780593702024","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}