The Rest Is Science Michael's Favourite Science Books
A lively tour through Michael’s favourite science, philosophy and fiction picks, from accessible popular science to deep reads on consciousness and the limits of reason. They chat about how books shaped curiosity and thinking. Practical talk includes airflow hacks to clear pet hair and smells from a car. Short, eclectic recommendations that mix wonder, history and hands-on tips.
52:38
Sum Sparked Reflection On Our Hidden Dependence
- Michael recommends David Eagleman's Sum as a short book of 40 afterlife thought experiments that inspire reflection.
- He cites a chapter imagining heaven populated only by your friends to highlight dependence on diverse skills you rarely notice.
New Technologies Often Become Toys Fast
- Novel technologies often become toys quickly, e.g., lasers went from first operation in 1960 to consumer laser pointers circa early 1980s.
- Michael Stevens notes it's plausible scientists or R&D teams introduced lasers to cats long before commercial pointers existed.
Pressurize Cabin Then Crack Rear Vents To Replace Air
- To remove hot air or mask smells before driving, pressurize the cabin and open tiny rear vents to force airflow from front to back.
- Turn on external-air intake or crack both back windows a little and run aircon to push air rearward efficiently.
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Intro
00:00 • 32sec
Michael's book-stack reveal and reading habits
00:32 • 3min
Why Michael curated a universal recommendation
03:04 • 1min
Ad break
04:13 • 22sec
Scale of the human genome explained
04:35 • 52sec
Ad break
05:27 • 19sec
Ads and episode structure
05:46 • 12sec
Ad break
05:58 • 33sec
Mailbag begins: laser pointers and cats
06:31 • 4min
From playthings to scientific tools
10:06 • 17sec
Optimal airflow to remove dog fur
10:24 • 5min
Car airflow hacks for smells and cooling
15:44 • 47sec
Experiment ideas for children
16:30 • 6min
Predictors of later ability in children
23:00 • 4min
Introducing Michael's favourite science books
27:26 • 11sec
Ad break
27:37 • 37sec
What Ryan Gosling should study to play a teacher
28:14 • 36sec
Ad break
28:50 • 1min
Michael's top general recommendation: Sum
29:55 • 28sec
Bill Bryson and wide-ranging popular science
30:22 • 10min
Accessible physics books that taught Michael
40:11 • 2min
Historical lens on mechanics
42:20 • 2min
Mathematics and limits of reason
44:28 • 2min
Philosophy picks on consciousness and death
46:07 • 2min
Fiction reading: Tolkien and creative insights
47:49 • 4min
Books as immersive perspective machines
51:58 • 22sec
Outro
52:20 • 2sec
#81395
The Seven Mysteries of Life: An Exploration of Science and Philosophy
The Seven Mysteries of Life
Guy Murchie
Guy Murchie writes with exceptional skill and depth about life's diversity and adaptations, from ocean depths to deserts.
He examines seven mysteries: the abstract universe, interrelatedness of life, its omnipresence, polarity, transcendence (including death), world's germination, and divinity.
Connecting these is life's dynamism and change, with analogies between living and non-living forms, embracing a mystical perspective without intrusive dogma.
#28219
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Illusion of Conscious Will
Daniel Wagner
#75394
Relativity Visualized
The Gold Nugget of Relativity Books
Lewis Carroll Epstein
Relativity Visualized demystifies Einstein's theories of special and general relativity through clever geometric diagrams, spacetime illustrations, and hands-on thought experiments that build deep intuition.
Lewis Carroll Epstein avoids complex mathematics, making the counterintuitive concepts of time dilation, length contraction, and gravity accessible to lay readers, students, and even physicists seeking better teaching tools.
Praised as one of the best popularizations of relativity, it includes arts-and-crafts style activities like spacetime diagrams on cones to visualize curved spacetime.
#56454
Experimenting with Kids
50 Amazing Science Projects You Can Perform on Your Child Ages 2-5
Shaun Gallagher
Re-create landmark studies in child development in your own home and watch your little one achieve developmental milestones in real time with this fascinating hands-on guide.
Covering ages two through five, the experiments reveal research-backed insights about different areas of mental, physical, and social growth, such as understanding language syntax, learning game rules, developing the impulse to lie, and testing memory.
#96196
Experimenting with babies
50 Amazing Science Projects You Can Perform on Your Kid
Shaun Gallagher
This fascinating book provides 50 easy, fun science projects that parents can perform at home to explore their baby's cognitive, motor, social, and behavioral development.
Inspired by academic research and the author's own children, each experiment is rated by difficulty and age, includes background science, and offers practical takeaways to understand and enhance your baby's skills, from recognizing faces to learning right from wrong.
It's a humorous, accessible bridge between parenting and child development research.
#78018
The Discovery of Dynamics
Julian Barbour
The Discovery of Dynamics is a highly original account of the development of notions about space, time, and motion from ancient times to the publication of Newton's Principia in 1687, with additional conceptual clarification from the 19th century.
The book covers ancient Greek astronomy, the Copernican revolution, Kepler's laws of planetary motion, and the contributions of Galileo, Descartes, Huygens, and Newton.
Written by the world's leading expert on Mach's Principle, it explores the central philosophical question of whether motion is absolute or relative, and how this question has shaped the development of physics and remains relevant to modern quantum gravity research.
#31910
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Outer Limits of Reason
What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us
Noson Yanofsky
Noson Yanofsky's "The Outer Limits of Reason" explores the boundaries of human knowledge, delving into what science, mathematics, and logic cannot reveal.
The book examines unsolvable problems and paradoxes across various fields, from computer science and physics to philosophy and mathematics.
Yanofsky categorizes these limitations, highlighting patterns and offering insights into the structure of reason itself.
He challenges our intuitions about the universe and explores the implications of these limitations on our understanding of knowledge.
The book ultimately pushes the reader to consider what lies beyond the confines of reason.
#2347
• Mentioned in 19 episodes
Sum
Forty Tales from the Afterlives
David Eagleman
#6
• Mentioned in 536 episodes
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R. R.
Tolkien, is an epic high fantasy novel set in Middle-earth.
The story follows Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo.
The Ring, forged by Sauron, holds the power to control all other Rings of Power and must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom to prevent Sauron's return.
Frodo is joined by a fellowship of other characters, including Gandalf the Grey, Samwise Gamgee, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir, as they embark on a dangerous quest across Middle-earth.
The novel explores themes of good vs.
evil, the corrupting influence of power, and the struggle between fate and free will.
#5263
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
The user illusion
Cutting Consciousness Down to Size
Tor Nørretranders
In this book, Tor Nørretranders delves into the nature of consciousness, drawing on psychology, evolutionary biology, and information theory.
He posits that consciousness represents only a small fraction of our ability to process information, with the brain filtering and simplifying vast amounts of sensory data to create a coherent, though incomplete, picture of the world.
Nørretranders uses the metaphor of a computer user interface to describe how our conscious experience is akin to a simplified interface, while the actual processing occurs at a subconscious level.
The book discusses the limitations of conscious information processing, the role of the subconscious in reducing information flow, and the implications of this 'user illusion' on our understanding of free will and human interaction.
#20474
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Mortal Questions
Thomas Nagel
Mortal Questions by Thomas Nagel delves into profound issues related to the meaning, nature, and value of human life.
The book addresses topics such as attitudes toward death, sexual behavior, social inequality, war, and political power, leading to deeper philosophical discussions on personal identity, consciousness, freedom, and value.
It offers a blend of theoretical and personal insights into life's most critical questions.
#30810
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Thinking Physics
Understandable Practical Reality
Lewis Carroll Epstein
Thinking Physics is a rigorously correct, lighthearted, and cleverly designed Q and A book that targets topics such as wing lift, tides, and more obscure phenomena like the Bernoulli sub and the artificial aurora created by hydrogen bombs.
The book is broken into many short sections and includes Epstein’s own playful hand-drawn illustrations.
It not only provides the right answers but also explains why incorrect answers are wrong, making it a valuable resource for physicists of all ages.
#2289
• Mentioned in 20 episodes
A short history of nearly everything
Bill Bryson
In this book, Bill Bryson embarks on a journey to understand and explain the vast expanse of scientific knowledge, from the origins of the universe to the development of modern science.
He explores various fields such as astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and anthropology, making complex concepts clear and entertaining for the layman.
Bryson's approach is informal and chatty, filled with wit and anecdotes about the scientists and their discoveries.
The book is structured chronologically, helping readers understand how each scientific discovery led to the next, and it highlights both the achievements and the failures of scientists throughout history.
What do Bill Bryson, Daniel Wegner and J.R.R. Tolkien have in common? They are all part of Michael's reading recommendations. On this episode of Field Notes we answer one of our most frequent inbox questions... "What do you both read?"
Alongside that Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens delve into whether some numbers give off "vibes" and the optimal way to use airflow to rid your car of dog hairs and unwanted smells.
A handy list of Michael's books (Hannah's will come in the future)!
Sum by David Eagleman
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
The Seven Mysteries of Life by Guy Murchie
Thinking Physics: Understandable Practical Reality by Lewis Carroll Epstein
The Discovery of Dynamics: A Study from a Machian Point of View of the Discovery and the Structure of Dynamical Theories by Julian Barbour
The Outer Limits of Reason: What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us by Noson S. Yanofsky
Mortal Questions by Thomas Nagel
The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size by Tor Nørretranders
The Illusion of Conscious Will by Daniel Wegner
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