Book Review: 13 Things That Don't Make Sense

In Michael Brooks’ non-fiction hit “13 Things That Don’t Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time,” he blows open the door to science’s most notorious anomalies that have our leading scientists running circles.

It may not sound so exciting. After all, it is a non-fiction novel about science; most of us have difficulty staying awake while reading our chemistry textbooks.

So what makes this science novel different from the rest? Brooks’ unique style of turning complicated scientific materials into easy reads and adding his own brand of humor helps keep the story lively and fun. If Brooks wrote purely science fiction, he’d be the new Douglas Adams.
The book begins with Brooks standing in a hotel lobby watching three Nobel laureates attempting to close the gate of an old-fashioned elevator. He makes a great statement with this first observation, noting how he “likes to think of scientists as being on top of things, able to explain the world we live in, masters of their universe. But maybe that’s just a comforting delusion.” Scientists aren’t omniscient; they can struggle with the most mundane like anybody else. In a word, they’re human.

According to Brooks, these 13 scientific mysteries are the key to an upcoming scientific revolution. Scientists are stuck at an impasse, and now they must go back to re-evaluate data and theories that could rock the very foundations of the science world. In the first chapter, Brooks says only 4 percent of the universe can be accounted for. What happened to the rest? He delves deep into the past, citing a variety of different scientists (famous or not) who have helped discover bits and pieces, shaping the puzzle. Simply put, the universe is expanding at a rapid rate and unseen forces, labeled by scientists as dark matter and energy, are playing havoc with our laws of physics.

Also in that category are the two Pioneer probes that are openly flouting the laws, and 30 years later, scientists are still no closer to figuring out why.

Some of the other mysteries addressed in the book include cold fusion, a giant virus that’s a freak of nature, the ever-popular placebo effect, death and a radio signal from outer space.
One of my favorite chapters deals with free will. Neurologists have long wondered whether we can consciously control our movements and actions. Some argue that it’s all self-deception. Through experiments, they found in their results that before one is even aware that they are going to tap their finger, the brain is already firing signals to do the action. Basically, the brain is telling our bodies what to do whether we choose to do it or not. But if we have no free will, what makes us human?

Not all of the chapters are as riveting as others, but they are well researched and worth reading. I found myself laughing at times and struck speechless at others. Go out to your nearest bookstore or Amazon.com and purchase a copy for yourself. This is a must read book for anyone. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.