When I was first asked to review A Tribble’s Guide To Space, I thought – wrongly as it turned out – that the book was a send-up. Star Trek enthusiasts may recall that in one episode,...
Indeed, it is now possible to study for a degree in science and science fiction. Rest assured that this degree course at the University of Glamorgan in the UK does not involve watching videos and read...
There is one central quandary to 21st-century physics. It is that the two main pillars of 20th-century physics – quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general theory of relativity – are m...
One hundred years ago the mathematician David Hilbert compiled a list of his field’s great unsolved problems. A century later, drawing up such lists has again become popular – even Physics...
A burning issue for fatties like me is whether you can make a low-fat Black Forest gateau. The answer, surprisingly, can be found in two new science books. The Pursuit of Perfect Packing by Tomaso Ast...
Columbia University string theorist Brian Greene can put his feet up this Christmas, safe in the knowledge that his popular-science title The Elegant Universe is this year’s best-selling physics...
Try this introspective experiment. Think about your favourite quiz show and ask yourself how many questions you can remember after the programme ends (never mind the answers). You’ll find that y...
From the pure beauty of general relativity to modern high technology, physics is a fascinating and worthwhile subject, leading to both vast new industries and far-reaching speculations about the world...
Hari Seldon, the fictional creator of “psychohistory” in Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” series of novels, predicts the imminent demise of the First Galactic Empire after a 1...