Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s most recent book is titled Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.
Personally, I have a soft spot for books that make me stop and wonder at the world, and his quirky, meditative tome did just that. It’s also a perspective-widening take on our earthly problems, and a reassuring look at the progress we’ve made. Because we liked reading his book so much, we decided to ask the famed scientist for a couple more suggestions.
His answers are below :
What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
by Randall Munroe
"What if" questions are my favorite. But clearly I’m not the only one in town who feels that way. Now on his second book—a sequel to the first—it’s clear that there’s no end of inquiries that explore authentic scientifically literate answers to seemingly preposterous questions.
The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human
by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Any time a book on science reaches best-seller lists, I celebrate. In this case, the subject—cells—certainly longs for a wider appreciation for its role in human evolution, physiology, and health. Mukherjee accomplishes just that.
Superior: The Return of Race Science
by Angela Saini
To skew research in ways that support one’s own world views is to abdicate the methods and tools of science, developed precisely to ferret out such bias wherever and whenever it appears. The social, cultural, and anthropological ranking of humans is especially susceptible to pernicious racism, as Saini explores in this timely and illuminating treatise.
Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age
by Lori Garver
Career champion of everything space, Lori Garver offers a front-row seat to the decades-long struggles within and among space bureaucrats and space billionaires. From presidents to heads of agencies to astronauts to key members of congress, she knew them all and they knew her—and they did not always see eye-to-eye. Bring popcorn as you bear witness to an untold slice of space history.
