Mind, Life and Universe: Conversations with Great Scientists of Our Time (Sciencewriters) - Softcover

What a delight it is to eavesdrop on conversations with so many agile, inventive, piquantly original minds. That the interviewers are far-sighted and wide-ranging themselves enriches the dialogues. A profound and timely book. n Diane Ackerman

Nearly forty of the worldis most esteemed scientists discuss the big questions that drive their illustrious careers. Coeditor Eduardo Punset n one of Spainis most loved personages for his popularization of the sciences n interviews an impressive collection of characters, drawing out their seldom-seen personalities. In Mind, Life and Universe, they describe in their own words the most important and fascinating aspects of their research. Frank and often irreverent, these interviews will keep even the most casual reader of science books rapt for hours. Can brain science explain feelings of happiness and despair? Is it true that chimpanzees are just like us when it comes to sexual innuendo? Is there any hard evidence that life exists anywhere other than on the Earth? Through Punsetis skillful questioning, readers meet one scientist who spends her waking hours assuring the freedom of African primates, another passionate about his idea that his wife's choice of husband was determined when she was a foetus, and another who explains the evidence for more than the standard four dimensions of length, width, height, and time. In captivating conversations with such science luminaries as Richard Dawkins, Sheldon Glashow, Jane Goodall, James E. Lovelock, Lisa Randall, Robert Sapolski, Oliver Sacks, and E. O.Wilson, the editors reveal a unique, hidden world of intellectual interest, verve, and humour. Science enthusiasts and general readers alike will devour Mind, Life and Universe.