The discount bin at bookstores contain old books and extra copies of unwanted books. One type of books in particular is abundant in the discount bin: astronomy books. The universe is so big and full of wonders yet most people only focus on the everyday business in the relatively tiny earth. So great astronomy writers: think twice before publishing another masterpiece. Wonders of the world are many; but readers are few. Besides astronomy books, sometimes among the unwanted books are little treasure books.
I found The Five biggest Unsolved Problems in Science for about 5 dollars. This is a great read for high school students and beyond. It also comes with great cartoon commentary. It is written by professors who know what they're talking about, yet done a great job at explaining it to general public. This book talks about a basic, yet big unsolved problem in physics, biology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy.
What does mass come from? What chemical reactions form life? Weather forecasting possible? What is structure and function of the proteome? Why is the universe expanding?
Posing questions is easy. Just list them (I just did). This book does a lot more. It starts with a good discussion of scientific method itself. You get a very nice presentation of backgrounds of the current discoveries in each field. This is like going to a great introductory class with your favorite professor. Each subject has an exciting journey of discovery. Though I have to admit I find the biology and chemistry section a bit difficult because I have little prior background.
I like the touch of comedy in the cartoon commentaries throughout.
About Science: we have come a long long way from philosophers who tell us ideas out of nowhere. But yet as we discover more, we discover how little we actually know. The universe is still full of mysteries and wonders.
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