In 2018 some science books changed my life.
Since then, I have started to perceive and experience my days differently.
And they were the reason for one of the most important decisions in my life: to become a scientist.
By the end of this article, I hope one of these books inspires you and change your life as it did with me :)
I added affiliative marketing links in all my recommendations, so I may earn a small commission if you click on them :)
🦜 Follow me to learn more about Science: Axel
Top 5: The Demon-Haunted World By Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan was one of my heroes and probably one of yours too.
He was a pioneer in scientific communication since he discovered that the work of scientists did not reach society or non-academic people.
Carl wrote many many books, but this one is his best.
Why?
Because it is the core of how we should think as scientists.
This book taught me how to think.
Fact: The name of the book refers to the idea that, throughout history, humans have often attributed mysteries to supernatural or demonic forces.
I loved the part when we talked about aliens, OVNI, and how we worked with the American government to study these observations.
An amazing book that everyone should read, especially when fake news is common.
Table of Contents:
- The most precious thing
- Science and hope
- The man in the moon and the face on mars
- Aliens
- Spoofing and secrecy
- Hallucinations
- The demon-haunted world
- On the distinction between true and false visions
- Therapy
- The dragon in my garage
- The city of grief
- The fine art of baloney detection
- Obsessed with reality
- Antiscience
- Newton's sleep
- When scientists know sin
- The marriage of skepticism and wonder
- The wind makes dust
- No such things as a dumb question
- House on fire
- The path to freedom
- Significance junkies
- Maxwell and the nerds
- Science and witchcraft
- Real patriots ask questions
- Acknowledgments
- References
Check this book with this affiliative link: https://amzn.to/3UO3XdH
Top 4: A Universe Of Consciousness: How Matters Becomes Imagination
Moving on to this principle, I want to share the first Neuroscience book I read.
A Universe Of Consciousness is a masterpiece that inspired many scientists worldwide.
Edelman, a Nobel-prize winner, and his student Tonini wrote a provocative piece where they propose the idea that consciousness can be measured.
The authors begin with how consciousness was something only philosophers could discuss, and how neuroscience came on the scene to try to explain the mysteries of subjective experiences.
They argue about the properties and qualities of consciousness, propose a definition, and why some brain regions are key for this.
This book was written beautifully, putting a very complex topic in simple words that anyone can digest.
However, it became hard to read and follow when they started proposing how to quantify consciousness.
But I still think this is a masterpiece.
This book is the reason why I'm interested in the science of consciousness.
Table of Contents:
- Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Part I. The World Knot
- 1. Consciousness: Philosophical Paradox or Scientific Object?
- 2. The Special Problem of Consciousness
- 3. Everyman's Private Theater: Ongoing Unity, Endless Variety
- Part II. Consciousness and the Brain
- 4. Building a Picture of the Brain
- 5. Consciousness and Distributed Neural Activity
- 6. Neural Activity Integrated and Differentiated
- Part III. Mechanisms of Consciousness: the Darwinian Perspective
- 7. Selectionism
- 8. Nonrepresentational Memory
- 9. Perception into Memory: The Remembered Present
- Part IV. Dealing with Plethora: the Dynamic Core Hypothesis
- 10. Integration and Reentry
- 11. Consciousness and Complexity
- 12. Determining Where the Knot Is Tied: The Dynamic Core Hypothesis
- Part V. Untangling the Knot
- 13. Qualia and Discrimination
- 14. The Conscious and the Unconscious
- Part VI. Observer Time
- 15. Language and the Self
- 16. Thinking
- 17. Prisoners of Description
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Credits
- Index
Check this book with this affiliative link: https://amzn.to/3y90DkF
Top 3: The Gene: An Intimate History By Siddhartha Mukherjee
I wish I could have the words to describe how AMAZING this book is.
I mean, Mukherjee summarized the entire history of the biology of the gene in just one book!!
Siddhartha had the beautiful idea to write a piece covering the history of one of the most important things in life: our genes.
He starts telling us the history of how this began, from Darwin and his cousin Galton to the discovery of the DNA structure and CRISPR.
But what I found so interesting was how discoveries and ideas about the gene shaped philosophies and ideas, leading to monstrosities like Nazism.
It's amazing how a misconception of a concept can lead to such atrocities.
A highly, highly recommended book!
Table of Contents (have lots of sub-chapters!):
- Prologue: Families
- "The missing science of heredity" 1865–1935
- "In the sum of the parts, there are only the parts" 1930–1970
- "The dreams of geneticists" 1970–2001
- "The proper study of mankind is man" 1970–2005
- Through the Looking Glass 2001–2015
- Post-genome 2015-…
- Epilogue: Bheda, Abheda.
Check this book with this affiliative link: https://amzn.to/4dsPrzw
Top 2: Brief Answers To The Big Questions By Stephen Hawking
This book made me cry.
Stephen had such a beautiful style of writing that could inspire you, make you laugh, and cry while learning the mysteries of the universe.
If there's a book I would have to choose to read on my last day on earth would be this one.
What is more touching is that Stephen couldn't finish writing this, as he sadly passed away in 2018 before finishing it.
Families and friends decided to conclude it using their memories, interviews, and letters.
In the book, Hawking wrote a personal essay about his opinions on the big questions, such as "Is there a God?" or "Is time travel possible?".
I learned a lot while reading this, even without a good knowledge of general science, as I first read this book when I was a teenager.
Everyone in the world should read this book.
Truly inspiring and touching.
Table of Contents:
- Foreword: Eddie Redmayne
- An introduction: Kip Thorne
- Why we must ask the big questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Can we predict the future?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Should we colonize space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
- Afterword: Lucy Hawking
- Acknowledgments
- Index.
Check this book with this affiliative link: https://amzn.to/3Wxhwj4
Top 1: An Immense World by Ed Yong
My last recommendation is my favorite book so far.
I LOVE animals, and since I was a kid I have been interested in what is it like to be one of them.
And Ed Yong wrote a masterpiece about this.
He writes about Umwelt, which refers to how animals perceive their surroundings.
For a pretty long time, we used to think that they perceive and experience the world in a similar way to us.
However, the reality is that there's a perceptual diversity in the animal kingdom.
What I loved about this book is that Ed, a scientific journalist, talked with many experts in the field about many different ways to perceive the world.
So the book is pure science with lots of scientific papers in the references.
Nowhere else will you learn as much about animals as in this book.
I'm sure it will change your life, as it did with me.
Table of Contents:
- Leaking Sacks of Chemicals — Smells and tastes
- Endless Ways of Seeing — Light
- Rurple Grurple, Yurple — Color
- The Unwanted Sense — Pain
- So Cool — Heat
- A Rough Sense — Contact and Flow
- The Rippling Ground — Surface Vibrations
- All Ears — Sound
- A Silent World Shouts Back — Echoes
- Living Batteries — Electric Fields
- They Know the Way — Magnetic Fields
- Every Window at Once- Uniting the Senses
- Save the Quiet, Preserve the Dark — threatened Sensescapes
Check this book with this affiliative link: https://amzn.to/4b8Tnni
I hope these books inspire you to perceive and experience life differently.
Do you have more recommendations?
Which is your favorite science book?
Let me know in the responses :)
If you liked my article, here are some ways you can help:
👏 Clap 50 times and respond to this article
🦜 Follow me to learn more about Science: Axel
🗂 Subscribe to get my newest articles
You May Be Interested In:
Thanks for reading!
See you,
Axel