Why Aren't Black Holes Black?: The Unanswered Questions at the Frontiers of Science

Front Cover
Anchor Books, 1997 - Nature - 309 pages
Current news articles and science books give one the distinct impression that the great questions of science have been answered, and we have reached the "end of science": the great forces of the universe are known, and the basic building blocks of life have been discovered. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. While countless books have explored the at times breathtaking breakthroughs in science over the last two centuries, none has explored the vast- and crucial-questions for which we do not have answers. After all, these are the burning issues and questions driving current research across the globe. What are the great questions upon which the vast machinery of science is spinning its collective gears?

In "Why Aren't Black Holes Black?" scientists Robert M. Hazen and Maxine Singer (President of the Carnegie Institution) take us into the worlds of chemistry, physics, earth sciences and biochemistry, to explore the secrets for which science does not have an answer-and the relentless, coordinated efforts to bring those secrets to light. From the origins of the universe and the nature of life, to the consuming search for a unified field theory and quest to plumb the composition of the earth's core, Hazen & Singer take the reader on a fascinating journey into the realm of the unknown. Written in the mini-essay format that made books like "Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things" and "Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?" "New York Times" bestsellers "Why Aren't Black Holes Black?" is popular science at its best and most entertaining.

From inside the book

Contents

WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL
12
How Do ATOMS COMBINE?
69
WILL WE RUN OUT?
91
Copyright

8 other sections not shown

Common terms and phrases

About the author (1997)

The son of Don Francis and Dorothy Ellen, Robert Miller Hazen was born in Rockville Centre, N.Y. on November 1, 1948. Hazen received his Bachelor of Science Degree at MIT in 1971 and earned his Ph.D. at Harvard University. A research scientist as well as a part-time musician, Hazen has used his vast background in both fields to write a number of books and articles over the years. Some of those books include Music Men, The Poetry of Geology, Keepers of the Flame, and Sciences: An Integrated Approach. Hazen's book, Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy, written with James S. Trefil, was heralded by Kirkus Review as "easily one of the finest available single-volume introductions to science."

Bibliographic information