Books on Science, especially for SF writers

[benbradley]

I thought I'd start a new thread on science books that may be helpful for SF writers. Perhaps when someone mentions some science or SF concept they have questions about (as there seems to be in the SF/F forum today), the questioner can be pointed to an appropriate book/essay/whatever in this thread.

In the past month or two I became aware of and have read Charles Sheffield's "Borderlands of Science" which is a science book specifically written for SF writers. It's from 1999, but virtually all of it's still good despite what the intro says. Having read Sheffield's fiction, I knew it would be good, but I thought it would only touch on a few things, because, well science and the results of scientific investigations are a big area of study.

I was quite surprised to see how complete it really is. It mentions the "EPR paradox" and quantum entanglement which we were discussing in recent months in another thread here. I had read about it years before (as I have most other things he writes about here) but I hadn't got the part about how it implies instantaneous transportation of information (violating Relativity's speed-of-light limitation). Sheffield discusses it here under "2.3 Quantum Transportation:"
http://www.webscription.net/chapters/0671319531/0671319531___2.htm
He goes over many different fields (and subfields within them such as genetics),as you can see in the table of contents in the link below.

The first six of 14 chapters are online here:
http://www.webscription.net/chapters/0671319531/0671319531.htm
but it's also available as a cheap mass-market paperback, and I highly recommend it.

[Peggy]

The National Academies Press just published a report on "The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems." It takes a look at what life might be like if it were different than here on Earth: non-carbon based life, non-DNA based life, non-water based life, etc. It's pretty technical, but it's free online, so it's worth looking at if you want to create a unique alien life form.

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11919.html
(scroll down the page to the Table of Contents to read)

Other biology titles that might be of interest:

How to Clone the Perfect Blonde: Using Science to Make Your Wildest Dreams Come True By Sue Nelson, Richard Hollingham ("an irreverent and sometimes humorous guide to selected scientific advances in biology, computer science and physics. Each of the eight chapters takes what the authors see as a popular fantasy and explores the science needed to bring the fantasy to life.")

More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement
By Ramez Naam ("Distilling the most radical accomplishments being made in labs worldwide, including gene therapy, genetic engineering, stem cell research, life extension, brain-computer interfaces, and cloning, [. . .]")

[Lyra Jean]

OH neato. I'm going to have to check those books out. Thanks!

[Peggy]

More free stuff!

The 1964 Rand Corporation report Habitable Planets for Man by Stephen H. Dole has been released as a free pdf.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R414/

Here's the description:
An attempt to make an estimate of the probabilities of finding planets habitable to man, where they might be found, and the number there may be in our own galaxy. The characteristics of a planet that can provide an acceptable environment for man are presented in detail. The stars nearest the earth, most likely to possess habitable planets, are itemized. The author also discusses special and unusual planets that may be discovered, how new environments might affect people who migrate to them, how to search for habitable planets. He also gives an appraisal of the earth as a planet and describes how its habitability would be changed if some of its basic properties were altered. An attempt to make an estimate of the probabilities of finding planets habitable to man, where they might be found, and the number there may be in our own galaxy. The characteristics of a planet that can provide an acceptable environment for man are presented in detail. The stars nearest the earth, most likely to possess habitable planets, are itemized. The author also discusses special and unusual planets that may be discovered, how new environments might affect people who migrate to them, how to search for habitable planets. He also gives an appraisal of the earth as a planet and describes how its habitability would be changed if some of its basic properties were altered. It sounds pretty useful for building worlds for human (or human-like) characters.

[newmod]

I recently read Michio Kaku's Hyperspace and thought it was very good. I suspect not one for the physicis heads though, I know almost bugger all about physics and was mostly able to follow it. It deals with dimensions, theory of relativity, wormholes, time travel etc. One for us science dummies ;)