New Releases by John Gribbin

The quantum computer is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Pioneering physicists are on the brink of unlocking a new quantum universe which provides a better representation of reality than our everyday experiences and common sense ever could. The birth of quantum computers - which, like Schrödinger's famous "dead and alive" cat, rely on entities like electrons, photons, or atoms existing in two states at the same time - is set to turn the computing world on its head. In his fascinating study of this cutting-edge technology, and featuring a new introduction, John Gribbin explores the nature of quantum reality, arguing for a universe of many parallel worlds where "everything is real." Looking back to Alan Turing's work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle. He takes us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore their practical applications - from machines which learn through "intuition" and trial and error to unhackable laptops and smartphones. And he investigates the potential for this extraordinary science to create a world where communication occurs faster than light and teleportation is possible. This is an exciting insider's look at the new frontier of computer science and its revolutionary implications.

Time travel is a familiar theme of science fiction, but is it really possible? Surprisingly, time travel is not forbidden by the laws of physics - and John Gribbin argues that if it is not impossible then it must be possible. Gribbin brilliantly illustrates the possibilities of time travel by comparing familiar themes from science fiction with their real-world scientific counterparts, including Einstein's theories of relativity, black holes, quantum physics, and the multiverse, illuminated by examples from the fictional tales of Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Carl Sagan and others. The result is an entertaining guide to some deep mysteries of the Universe which may leave you wondering whether time actually passes at all, and if it does, whether we are moving forwards or backwards. A must-read for science fiction fans and anyone intrigued by deep science.

In 1972, when James Lovelock first proposed the Gaia hypothesis--the idea that the Earth is a living organism that maintains conditions suitable for life--he was ridiculed by the scientific establishment. Today Lovelock's revolutionary insight, though still extremely controversial, is recognized as one of the most creative, provocative, and captivating scientific ideas of our time. James Lovelock tells for the first time the whole story of this maverick scientist's life and how it served as a unique preparation for the idea of Gaia. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Lovelock himself and unprecedented access to his private papers, John and Mary Gribbin paint an intimate and fascinating portrait of a restless, uniquely gifted freethinker. In a lifetime spanning almost a century, Lovelock has followed a career path that led him from chemistry, to medicine, to engineering, to space science. He worked for the British secret service and contributed to the success of the D-Day landings in World War II. He was a medical experimenter and an accomplished inventor. And he was working with NASA on methods for finding possible life on Mars when he struck upon the idea of Gaia, conceiving of the Earth as a vast, living, self-regulating system. Deftly framed within the context of today's mounting global-warming crisis, James Lovelock traces the intertwining trajectories of Lovelock's life and the famous idea it brought forth, which continues to provoke passionate debate about the nature and future of life on our planet.

“An elegant and accessible” investigation of quantum mechanics—“highly recommended” for students of the sciences, sci-fi fans, and anyone interested in the strange world of quantum physics (Forbes) Rules of the quantum world seem to say that a cat can be both alive and dead at the same time and a particle can be in two places at once. And that particle is also a wave; everything in the quantum world can described in terms of waves—or entirely in terms of particles. These interpretations were all established by the end of the 1920s, by Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg, Paul Dirac, and others. But no one has yet come up with a commonsense explanation of what is going on. In this concise and engaging book, astrophysicist John Gribbin offers an overview of six of the leading interpretations of quantum mechanics. Gribbin calls his account “agnostic,” explaining that none of these interpretations is any better—or any worse—than any of the others. Gribbin presents: • The Copenhagen Interpretation, promoted by Niels Bohr and named by Heisenberg • The Pilot-Wave Interpretation, developed by Louis de Broglie • The Many Worlds Interpretation • The Decoherence Interpretation • The Ensemble “Non-Interpretation” • The Timeless Transactional Interpretation, which theorized waves going both forward and backward in time All of these interpretations are crazy, Gribbin warns, and some are more crazy than others—but in the quantum world, being more crazy does not necessarily mean more wrong.

"First published in the United Kingdom in 2015 by Icon Books Ltd."--Title page verso.

WAS THE UNIVERSE MADE FOR MAN?Is our universe the only one of its kind or are there others? Is it just a coincidence that life evolved on Earth or are the remarkable and unusual set of circumstances that brought about the emergence of humankind part of some deeper mystery that reveals an as yet unknown cosmic purpose?A PROVOCATIVE SEARCH THROUGH SPACE AND TIME FOR A COSMIC BLUEPRINT-AND THE SOURCE OF LIFE IN THE UNIVERSEIn this intriguing exploration of our relationship with the universe, eminent physicist Martin Rees and acclaimed science writer John Gribbin search for the grand design of the universe-and the meaning of the so-called coincidences that allow life to exist on our planet. Rees and Gribbin present the advances in understanding the nature of dark matter (which controls the dynamics, structure, and eventual fate of the universe), explore mini and massive black holes, brown dwarfs, and novel forms of matter such as quark nuggets. Along the way they fascinate us with what scientists have already discovered about cosmic strings, superstrings, and the elusive TOE (theory of everything). They also speculate on the possibility of the existence of other universes and of other intelligent life in our own. An expert, exhilarating tour of cosmic evolution and human destiny. Cosmic Coincidences' investigation sheds new light on the monumental questions of why our universe is the way it is and why we are here.JOHN GRIBBIN, science writer and cosmologist, is the author of many books, including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, In Search of the Big Bang, In Search of the Double Helix, and The Omega Point.MARTIN REES is a professor of astronomy and a colleague of Stephen Hawking's at Cambridge University. He is one of the world's leading theorists in the field of astrophysics."A brilliant and highly readable tour through the Universe.... This is an authoritative and challenging book. It will spark hot debate among scientists and grasp the reader from start to finish"-F. David Peat, Ph.D., author of Synchronicity"A lucid and exciting guide... An evenhanded appraisal of the controversial 'anthropic principle.'"- Nick Herbert, author of Quantum Reality

Looking back to Alan Turing's work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, and featuring a new introduction on the recent evolution of quantum computing, author John Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle, taking us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore the potential for this extraordinary science.

Cartoon characters explain cosmology, quantum physics, and other concepts covered by Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. Humorous graphic novel–style treatment, perfect for young readers and curious folk of all ages.

A physicist and author of popular-science books offers down-to-earth discussions of string theory, black holes, superfluidity, and other cosmic oddities. Playful engravings and cartoons illustrate these imaginative explanations of the laws of physics and their application to everything from massive stars to miniscule atoms. Suitable for readers of all ages.

Because of the length of time that a voyage takes, knowledge of the purpose and nature of the universe often becomes lost to the succeeding generations of starship occupants. Through the experiences of a woman, and the people she encounters in a journey, the truth of their existence is revealed.

Accessible exploration of one of the most exciting areas of scientific inquiry - the nature of light. Following on from his bestseller, SCHRODINGER'S CAT, John Gribbin presents the recent dramatic improvements in experimental techniques that have enabled physicists to formulate and test new theories about the nature of light. He describes these theories not in terms of hard-to-imagine entities like spinning subnuclear particles, but in terms of the fate of two small cats, separated at a tender age and carried to opposite ends of the universe. In this way Gribbin introduces the reader to such new developments as quantum cryptography, through which unbreakable codes can be made, and goes on to possible future developments such as the idea that the ¿entanglement' of quantum particles could be a way to build a STAR TREK style teleportation machine.

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Richard Lee has stirred up fanatical religious hatred with his controversial theory that chimpanzees and humans may have shared a common ancestor as little as three million years ago. When this hatred loses him both his reputation and his beloved colleague Marjorie, Lee retreats into hiding with his experiments and with Adam, an apelike creature thought by some to be Lee's own deformed love-child, or even a kind of Frankenstein's monster. But Adam is growing up, and the astonishing secret of his genetic parentage cannot remain secret forever, especially once investigative journalist Louise Henderson scents a story in the remote Norfolk village where Lee has gone to earth.

The Dragon, an enormous comet, is on a trajectory that will bring it perilously close to an Earth that is still suffering from the scars of a nuclear incident, and from the problems of the Greenhouse Effect. For the optimists - those that remain - it is a sign of change for the better; for others, the comet foreshadows humanity's final doom. But to Francis Reese and the hard-pressed astronauts of the depleted space programme, the Dragon presents a third outrageous, yet irresistible possibility - the transformation of a barren world into a new home for the beleaguered peoples of Earth.

The acclaimed author of In Search of Schrödinger's Cat searches for life on other planets Are we alone in the universe? Surely amidst the immensity of the cosmos there must be other intelligent life out there. Don't be so sure, says John Gribbin, one of today's best popular science writers. In this fascinating and intriguing new book, Gribbin argues that the very existence of intelligent life anywhere in the cosmos is, from an astrophysicist's point of view, a miracle. So why is there life on Earth and (seemingly) nowhere else? What happened to make this planet special? Taking us back some 600 million years, Gribbin lets you experience the series of unique cosmic events that were responsible for our unique form of life within the Milky Way Galaxy. Written by one of our foremost popular science writers, author of the bestselling In Search of Schrödinger's Cat Offers a bold answer to the eternal question, "Are we alone in the universe?" Explores how the impact of a "supercomet" with Venus 600 million years ago created our moon, and along with it, the perfect conditions for life on Earth From one of our most talented science writers, this book is a daring, fascinating exploration into the dawning of the universe, cosmic collisions and their consequences, and the uniqueness of life on Earth.

Critical acclaim for John Gribbin "The master of popular science." —Sunday Times (London) "Gribbin explains things very well indeed, and there's not an equation in sight." —David Goodstein, The New York Times Book Review (on Almost Everyone's Guide to Science) "Gribbin breathes life into the core ideas of complexity science, and argues convincingly that the basic laws, even in biology, will ultimately turn out to be simple." —Nature magazine (on Deep Simplicity) "Gribbin takes us through the basics [of chaos theory] with his customary talent for accessibility and clarity. [His] arguments are driven not by impersonal equations but by a sense of wonder at the presence in the universe and in nature of simple, self-organizing harmonies underpinning all structures, whether they are stars or flowers." —Sunday Times (London) (on Deep Simplicity) "In the true quantum realm, Gribbin remains the premier expositor of the latest developments." —Booklist (on Schrödinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality)

"Clear and elegant . . . Anyone who has tried to get through one of the many books on quantum theory, superstrings, and such, ought to give this book a try." — American Way No one is more successful than John Gribbin when it comes to making the cutting edge of physics more accessible to a broad lay audience. In Schrodinger's Kittens, he took readers to the eerie world of subatomic particles & waves. Now, he explores the most exciting area of research in physics today: string theory. Following a series of major breakthroughs in the 1990s, physicists are putting together a clearer picture of how subatomic particles work. By hypothesizing particles as a single loop of vibrating "string," they are on the brink of discovering a way to explain all of nature's forces in a single theory. Grandly named "superstrings," and incorporating the ideas of "supersymmetry," these models are the prime candidate for the long sought-for "Theory of Everything." Written in clear & accessible language, The Search for Superstrings, Symmetry, and the Theory of Everything brings to life the remarkable scientific research that is on the cusp of radically altering our conception of the universe. "One of England's best-known science writers . . . Gribbin is an optimist, believing that we are ever closer to another 'Deep Truth' about the universe . . . For those who want the story up to now, this is a fine place to begin." —David Williams, The Seattle Times "A clear and comprehensive popular treatment of the cutting edge of physics." — Kirkus Reviews "A thorough yet palatable primer . . . an exciting tour de force." — Publishers Weekly

'Gribbin takes us through the basics with his customary talent for accessibility and clarity' Sunday Times The world around us can be a complex, confusing place. Earthquakes happen without warning, stock markets fluctuate, weather forecasters seldom seem to get it right - even other people continue to baffle us. How do we make sense of it all? In fact, John Gribbin reveals, our seemingly random universe is actually built on simple laws of cause and effect that can explain why, for example, just one vehicle braking can cause a traffic jam; why wild storms result from a slight atmospheric change; even how we evolved from the most basic materials. Like a zen painting, a fractal image or the pattern on a butterfly's wings, simple elements form the bedrock of a sophisticated whole. Synthesizing chaos and complexity theory for the perplexed, Deep Simplicity brilliantly illuminates the harmony underlying our existence.

In this sweeping survey, acclaimed science writers Paul Davies and John Gribbin provide a complete overview of advances in the study of physics that have revolutionized modern science. From the weird world of quarks and the theory of relativity to the latest ideas about the birth of the cosmos, the authors find evidence for a massive paradigm shift. Developments in the studies of black holes, cosmic strings, solitons, and chaos theory challenge commonsense concepts of space, time, and matter, and demand a radically altered and more fully unified view of the universe.

The Universe: A Biography makes cosmology accessible to everyone. John Gribbin navigates the latest frontiers of scientific discovery to tell us what we really know about the history of the universe. Along the way, he describes how the universe began; what the early universe looked like; how its structure developed; and what emerged to hold it all together. He describes where the elements came from; how stars and galaxies formed; and the story of how life emerged. He even looks to the future: is the history of the universe going to end with a Big Crunch or a Big Rip?

Provides an overview of the hundred-year saga of particle physics, explaining details from the basics to the research that has produced new models of the universe, among them the radical theories of "superstrings" - the hypothesis that particles are loops of vibrating "string" - and "supersymmetry."

From the bestselling author of Science: A History comes the enthralling story of a revolution that shook the world. Seventeenth-century England was racked by civil war, plague and fire; a world ruled by superstition and ignorance. A series of meetings of 'natural philosophers' in Oxford and London saw the beginning of a new method of thinking based on proof and experiment. John Gribbin's gripping, colourful account of this unparalleled time of discovery explores the impact of the Royal Society, culminating with Isaac Newton's revolutionary description of the universe and Edmund Halley's prediction of the return of a comet in 1759. This compelling book shows the triumph not as the work of one isolated genius, but of a Fellowship.

Gribbin focuses on ten controversial, unanswered issues in the physical sciences and explains how current cutting-edge research may yield solutions in the very near future. He explores ideas concerning the creation of the universe, the possibility of other forms of life, and the fate of the expanding cosmos.

2005 marks the 100th anniversary of Einstein's three papers which were the basis for the Theory of Relativity, and that are referred to in the science community as the "Annus Mirabilis."

Admiral FitzRoy made his name as a captain on the HMS Beagle. It was for his second voyage on the ship (1831-36) that he decided to ask Charles Darwin to accompany him, and it was during this time that Darwin began to develop the ideas that would lead him to his theory of evolution by natural selection. But FitzRoy was not just 'Darwin's captain': he was an MP, he was the second Governor of New Zealand from 1843-45 when he made himself unpopular with the settlers by upholding Maori rights, and in 1854 he set up the Meteorological Office which made the lives of all sailors who came after him so much safer. John and Mary Gribbin's portrait of this multi-talented man whose impact on modern life is still felt will fascinate all who read it.

In the ultimate guide to the ultimate mystery--the quantum world--an award-winning scientist and a master of popular science writing explains recent breakthroughs and the wondrous possibilities that lie in the future. Illustrations throughout.

En este libro encontraras: ADN, Agua, Agujeros de gusano, Ctomo, Efecto Jupiter, Evento KT, Experimento Young, Genes saltarines, Gaia, Seleccion natural, Vida unicelular, Virus, ...

Fire on Earth reveals that comets have been a continuing problem throughout geological time. It examines the controversial claims that there are 'periodic extinctions' of life on earth linked to a recurring cycle of cometary impacts

Time travel has been a common feature in popular science fiction, but with today's understanding of black holes, it could possibly be a reality. Many astrophysicists believe black holes can function as tunnels leading to other times and other places and that they contain the key to the Big Bang.