Whether you are giving gifts to others or to yourself this holiday season, this list of the best popular science books of 2017 in the physical sciences is a great place to start reading and gifting

Bob O'Hara

Ten Best Astronomy, Physics & Mathematics Books of 2017.

Those of you who have been following my writing for a few years (or longer) will know that I am always reading popular science books -- even those that are out of my own field of expertise. And like anyone who spends more than a few minutes doing something, I develop opinions about those books. Since the holidays are here and you may wish to buy a science book or ten for the people on your gift list, I am sharing those books published this year in various science genres that I think are the best out there. This is my list for the best books about physics, astronomy and mathematics.

Forces of Nature by Andrew Cohen and Professor Brian Cox (William Collins, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

自然之力

Why do honeybees build hexagonal cells in their hives? Why are living organisms symmetrical? Why does the sky turn red at sunset? Why is every snowflake different? You’ve probably pondered some of these questions yourself. In this book, writer and particle physicist Brian Cox, explains by exploring the four fundamental forces of nature: gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear and weak nuclear. As the reader learns, these forces that embody the universe also shape our world -- its colors, structures, and natural events. Each of four chapters -- Symmetry, Motion, Elements and Color -- start with a simple question that sparks a more comprehensive exploration that fuses history with our current understanding of the science involved, and shows how these seemingly simple questions can be explained by the four fundamental forces. The many splendiferous photographs and illustrations in the book, along with the overall sense of wonder captured in the writing more than atone for the complex concepts and mathematical formulae that might scare some readers. This book accompanies the BBC One TV series.

Forces of Nature was a Sunday Times Bestseller.

Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies by Geoffrey West (Penguin Press, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

   《尺度：关于增长、创新、可持续性以及生命体、城市、经济体和企业之生命节奏的普遍规律》，这是我评介过的书，见http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-1557-1080713.html。

Geoffrey West, a theoretical physicist and former president of the Santa Fe Institute, has written a fascinating book where he applies mathematical scaling law to complex systems, starting with living organisms and moving on to companies and cities. The first part of the book is my favorite because the evidence supporting how scaling law applies to living organisms is best established. This part of the book tells how West and his colleagues found that as the body mass of mammalian species doubles, its energetic efficiency increases by 25%, and its lifespan becomes 25% longer. Basically, larger mammals have a decreased metabolic rate per unit mass than smaller mammals -- and this relationship holds true from microbes to blue whales. After establishing this physiological connection, West moves on to argue that scaling laws can also be applied to complex human creations: social networks, city infrastructure, and companies. This is where West’s ideas become more speculative, although no less interesting. It is worth noting that although the book includes plenty of charts and graphs, there are no mathematical equations in the book, which some readers may find frustrating whilst others might like. The writing can be dense in places and thus, can be challenging, but insights gleaned from this book are worth the effort, and will change how you think about the world.

Elements of Mathematics: From Euclid to Gödel by John Stillwell (Princeton University Press, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

数学之基元：从欧几里得到哥德尔

This fascinating book by John Stillwell, an Australian mathematician who won the prestigious Chauvenet Prize, is a carefully structured and clearly written overview of a variety of "elementary" mathematical topics, from number theory, computability, algebra, geometry, calculus, combinatorics, probability, and logic. The book discusses how each sub-discipline informs more advanced topics that build mathematics as a whole. Each chapter ends with informative “philosophical remarks” and “historical remarks” sections that help the reader glimpse the beauty of the area as well as providing new insights into its breadth and limitations. Stillwell also discusses how “reverse mathematics” is essential for proving well-known theorems. (Reverse mathematics is a relatively new field that I’ve never heard of before, that uses infinity to measure the strength of axioms needed to prove a theorem, and to establish the borders of elementary mathematics.) This lovely book could easily serve as a textbook or supplemental reading for those wishing to explore maths more fully. Specialists will enjoy it, whilst the rest of us will learn a lot. One caveat: don’t get this book on Kindle.

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly (Doubleday, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

坚持：一年的太空生活，终生的发现之旅

      宇航员Scott Kelly自述在国际空间站上一年的生活。

Like many of us, Scott Kelly didn’t start out knowing what he wanted to do. But after happening across Tom Wolfe’s book, The Right Stuff, the youthful Kelly suddenly discovered his life’s goal, and that made all the difference. This inspirational memoir chronicles Kelly’s year aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where he became the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space. The story is interspersed with flashbacks that detail how Kelly ended up on the ISS: from his struggles to overcome an aimless childhood, to joining the Navy and then becoming part of NASA’s celebrated space program. We learn about what it’s like to live aboard the ISS, from the weird to the mundane, and the effects that his long stay in space had on his body -- important information for NASA as they plan a mission to Mars. Throughout the entire book, Kelly’s compassion, wit and honesty shine brightly. Part science, part personal memoir, this unforgettable adventure will leave you wanting more. If you read only one popular science book this year, make this that book.

Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger (Henry Holt and Co., 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

阿波罗8号：第一次绕月航行的震撼故事

Fifty years ago, America was experiencing dark and turbulent times, so the country looked to its space program to lead them up and out of the chaos. Only a year after the disastrous Apollo 1 mission, when three astronauts burned to death in their spacecraft, NASA approached three men, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, and asked if they were willing to give the space race another try. They didn’t hesitate for a second. This triggered an intense flurry of preparation during the next 16 weeks (!!) that launched the successful Apollo 8 mission. The rewards from this mission included an incredible list of firsts: the first look at the far side of the moon; the first Earthrise; and the first re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere -- all accomplished using a spacecraft with less total computing power than an iPhone. This fast-paced book includes biographies of these three men and their families in an enticing examination of NASA’s space program at this pivotal time, providing an insider’s view of the Apollo 8 mission for the first time and documenting all that went in to making it happen. I guarantee you will not put down this gripping book until you’ve finished.

Breakthrough!: 100 Astronomical Images That Changed the World by Robert Gendler and R. Jay GaBany (William Collins, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

突破：改变了世界的100幅天文图像

Are you a photographer, or do you love looking at space photography? If so, then this is the book for you. This book presents a photographic chronology of our efforts to understand the universe. The authors, two acclaimed astrophotographers, start by explaining how photography works and tracing how astrophotography has evolved over 175 years. The book then scrutinizes the science, technology and history behind 100 of the most significant astronomical images of all time -- especially illuminating when you realize that major breakthroughs in understanding the universe were heralded by photographs. Indeed, some of these images led to the greatest discoveries in astronomy. One chapter shares photographs of the multi-wavelength universe that exists outside the band of light visible to humans, and the final chapter shares some of the pictures by manned and unmanned spacecraft. Careful readers will notice a few errors have crept into the text, but overall, these are minor when compared to the many spectacular, high quality photographs and the information that accompanies them. One caveat: don’t buy this book on Kindle.

The Telescope in the Ice: Inventing a New Astronomy at the South Pole by Mark Bowen (St. Martin’s Press, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

冰雪中的望远镜：在南极开拓新的天文学研究

This book follows the decades of struggle by hundreds physicists and engineers to construct the largest particle physics detector ever built, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica. The construction of this remarkable instrument was inspired by the hunt for the elusive neutrino, a particle that was first proposed to exist by Wolfgang Pauli in 1930. Located at the geographic South Pole, IceCube uses a cubic kilometer block of diamond-clear ice located more than one mile beneath the Earth’s surface to detect neutrinos. Ultimately, this instrument was an extraordinary achievement: in 2010, IceCube detected the first neutrinos, thereby giving birth to a new field of astronomy. But this book also shares the human story of this incredible endeavour. The author, Mark Bowen, a recovering physicist, tells the inside story of the people who built IceCube; the mistakes they made, the solutions they found, their rivalries and disagreements, and their teamwork. It also shares some of the strange lessons the neutrino is teaching us about the nature of space and time.

Out of the Shadow of a Giant: Hooke, Halley and the Birth of British Science by John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin (William Collins, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

走出巨人的阴影：胡克、哈雷和英国科学之诞生

“What if Newton had never lived? Who else would have filled his shoes?” In this book, astrophysicist John Gribbin and science writer, Mary Gribbin, blend history and biography seamlessly into their persuasive argument that mathematician Isaac Newton was not quite the genius that many of us think he is today. In fact, it appears that Newton was a liar and a plagiarist who frequently stole important scientific ideas from his contemporaries and claimed them as his own. Two of his targets were British scientists, polymaths Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley (who discovered the comet named for him). According to the Gribbins’s argument, these two comparatively overlooked scientists could have easily initiated the development of modern science since, hey, many of Newton’s ideas were theirs to begin with. Although the Gribbins’s do have a valid point, they seemed a bit excessive in their admiration for Hooke: for example, they mention that Hooke was responsible for some of Darwin’s key theories -- basically, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (and such evidence to support this claim is thin). Despite my minor quibbles, this engaging book presents an interesting and, at times, controversial view of the history of British science and brings two overlooked scientists of the time, Halley and, especially, Hooke, to center stage.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson (W. W. Norton & Company, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

写给忙人看的天体物理学

       作者为美国当代科普名人、海顿天文馆馆长泰森。

In this short romp through contemporary astrophysics, Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium, proves once again that he is a versatile science communicator. Celebrated for his ability to write clearly about complicated scientific ideas, Tyson takes on today’s big questions in astrophysics, from the Big Bang to dark energy, from quarks to dark matter, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe. Although this book is sometimes referred to as “astrophysics for dummies” because it uses simplified prose that is readily understandable, the writing invites the reader to explore today’s big, mind-expanding questions about space, time, and reality. Plenty of witty anecdotes and cultural references -- quotes from Shakespeare and the Bible, and a poem by Einstein -- make the reader’s visit more enjoyable. I was surprised to discover that a lot of material in this book was recycled from several of Tyson’s previous books, especially Death by Black Hole and Origins, so if you’ve read his previous titles, you may want to give this one a miss. This short book comprises 12 bite-sized essays that are the perfect length for subway or coffee break reading.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry was a #1 New York Times Bestseller in nonfiction for June 2017.

American Eclipse: A Nation’s Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by David Baron (Liveright, 2017; Amazon US / Amazon UK)

美国月食

       讲述了1878年月全食的相关故事。

Only a few short months ago, a total eclipse enshrouded much of America in total darkness for a few minutes, sending millions of people outdoors to look up. But this wasn’t the first total eclipse since white Europeans first began to settle in what was expanding into the United States of America. In American Eclipse, eclipse chaser and prize-winning science journalist, David Baron, tells the fascinating story of another eclipse that occurred on a blistering hot afternoon in America’s “Wild West”, creating a path of darkness from the Montana Territory to Texas, in July 1878. In Baron's meticulously researched account, we gain a deeper appreciation for the history of America as we learn about the adventures of three particularly provocative eclipse chasers. Of these three, I was most interested to read about Vassar astronomer Maria Mitchell, and her group of female students who were determined to prove to a male-dominated world that higher education and femininity were compatible goals. Baron’s gripping story captures the thrilling race to the Rocky Mountains, braving train robberies and Indian conflicts, by these intrepid eclipse chasers so they could witness three minutes of darkness.

For more excellent popular science books, please refer to my list of the 10 best popular science books of 2016 for Maths, Physics, and Chemistry