Zapped
The universe is literally made of light
One hundred years after they were written, Marie Curie’s notebooks are still too radioactive to handle
In 1974 we sent a message to star cluster M13. If any aliens respond promptly, we’ll hear from them in 52000
From world-altering discoveries of the past to the wonderful science of the present, Bob Berman zooms across the universe to tell the story of invisible light. He reveals what microwaves from smartphones do to our brains, how birds use ultraviolet light to track prey, why gamma rays are the most powerful form of light, and so much more. Replete with amazing characters and mindboggling quantum leaps, Zapped offers a teasing peek into the future and some of the startling technologies we might yet live to see.
Bob Berman is a leading astronomy writer and the author of Zoom and The Sun’s Heartbeat. He contributed the popular ‘Night Watchman’ column for Discover for seventeen years and is currently a columnist for Astronomy, a host on Northeast Public Radio and science editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. He lives in Willow, New York.