Do Aliens Speak Physics?: And Other Questions about Science and the Nature of Reality [Hardcover]

A hilarious, mind-bending investigation into how much humans and aliens might have in common, scientifically speakingfrom a best-selling cartoonist and acclaimed physicist. Chock-full of insights, from the physics of emergence to the limits of logic. & Charming, funny, and surprisingly philosophical speculations about alien science raise deep questions about science itself. Ive never met an alien, but contemplating how they might think is a great way of breaking out of our own conceptual cages. Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner have given us a book that is lighthearted and fun, but also shows a way to think truly deeply about what physics is and how we come to learn about it. Lots of fun! . . . I look forward to being on the welcoming committee when the aliens arrive. A ridiculously charming, fantastically thought-provoking, and remarkably accessible book of Big Questionswith a surprising number of Big Answers to go with them. I absolutely loved it. This book forced us to realize we had a bunch of preexisting assumptions about the nature of communication in our universe . . . all of which we have now had to change. Fun, thought-provoking, and packed with weird science and history. [A] charming, thoughtful meditation on the common language of the universea book that asks important questions about the fundamental nature not just of our existence but of reality itself. This is good. If we ever meet aliens, the first thing we should do is give them this book. [A]mbitious and well researched & [ [E]ntertaining and thought-provoking. This book might well make you laugh, but I guarantee it will make you think. Whether youre just curious about science or youve been doing science yourself for years, I suspect that, within the vast array of problems and issues that are raised in this broad-minded book, there will be some youve never thought of. Science fiction has long speculated about the possibility of first contact with an alien species from a distant world ló#