Tag Archives: science

Allow me to recommend some popular science books on the Universe

For those who are interested in brushing on their knowledge of Cosmology, i.e. the study of the Cosmos (“Universe”), then I would like to recommend the following books. While there is a lot of good info on the web already (wiki is updated by experts I know for a fact) I still believe in having a good book that presents a structured and coherent account of the modern understanding of the Universe. Understandably, the books are not necessarily easy to read but I also believe that the effort will provide its own rewards. Such topics still fill me with wonder despite any cynicism I sometimes convey when asked about professional research: the topics are interesting and that is something I haven’t forgotten. So here is a brief list of my top picks…

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Travelling Faster-Than-Light

Faster Than Light (FTL) travel is thought to be impossible yet it is a staple of any space-faring sci-fi story. It is a necessity given the vastness of space yet this begs the question: is there any scientific basis for FTL? Yes as there is one important difference between most of what  we see in sci-fi (apparent FTL) and actual FTL. Whether it is used as a plot device or as decoration, most of the FTL concepts in science fiction could actually be possible, we just don’t know yet. So these fantastical stories may not necessarily break physics but rather they are exploring the untested and unknown areas of what is possible. This is exactly what sci-fi is designed to do: to ignite our imagination and provoke our minds to consider “what if”. What makes FTL possible in either our real universe or a sci-fi universe is that General Relativity doesn’t rule out the possibility of “folding space” in order to travel between two points at a speed which is apparently faster than the speed of light.

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