Michael Brooks (science writer)
Michael Brooks is an English science author. He is noted for articles and books which attempt to explain obscure scientific research and findings to the general population.
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[edit] Career
Brooks holds a PhD in Quantum Physics from the University of Sussex.[1][2] He was previously an editor for New Scientist magazine,[3] and currently works as a consultant for that magazine. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, The Times Higher Education Supplement, and Playboy.[4] His first novel, Entanglement, was published in 2007. His first non-fiction book, an exploration of scientific anomalies entitled 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, was published in 2009.[5][6] The book expands an article that Brooks wrote for New Scientist.[7]
Brooks' latest book, The Big Questions: Physics, was released in February 2010. It contains twenty 3,000-word essays addressing the most fundamental and frequently asked questions about science.[8]
Brooks currently appears as a regular guest on George Lamb's BBC Radio 6 Music show. His slot on the show, entitled Weird Science, features weird and wonderful stories from the world of science.[9]
In 2010 Brooks set up the Science Party to campaign in the UK general election on a pro-scientific manifesto. Brooks stood for the seat of Bosworth against incumbent MP David Tredinnick, who Brooks described as "a champion of pseudo-science and a hindrance to rational governance". Tredinnick is a supporter of Alternative medicine and critical of science. In 2009 it was revealed that Tredinnick had spent £700 of public money on astrology software, which he then repaid following media publicity[10] (see United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal). Brooks received 197 votes in the election, more than he expected, but certainly not enough to unseat Tredinnick.[11]
[edit] Academia
University of Sussex alumni bio [12]:
Mike Brooks, Freelance Writer, Sussex 1987, Physics
Michael Brooks came to Sussex in 1987 as a Physics undergraduate, eventually gaining a DPhil in quantum physics in 1991. He then took a job as an intern in the Information Office, helping produce the Bulletin. After two years as a volunteer science teacher in West Africa, he worked as a freelance science journalist, writing for the Guardian, the Observer and New Scientist among other publications. In 2000 he joined the staff of New Scientist as a features editor. He left his position running New Scientist's features team in 2006 to write his bestselling non-fiction book 13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The most Intriguing Scientific Mysteries of our Times. He has also published a novel, Entanglement, non-fiction title The Big Questions: Physics, and has just completed his next book, Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science, which will be published in July. Brooks is a consultant to New Scientist, a columnist for the New Statesman, and makes occasional forays into broadcasting.
[edit] Selected articles
- Smallest Planet weighs just Three Earths, New Scientist, 2 June 2008[13]
- To Make the Most of Wind Power, Go Fly a Kite, New Scientist, 14 May 2008[14]
- In Place of God: Can Secular Science ever oust Religious Belief - and should it even try?, New Scientist, 20 November 2006[15]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.michaelbrooks.org/
- ^ http://www.freeradicalsbook.com/about-the-author.html
- ^ http://www.tiborjones.com/author_michael_brooks.html
- ^ http://www.michaelbrooks.org/
- ^ http://www.michaelbrooks.org
- ^ http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780385520683.html
- ^ http://space.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18524911.600
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Big-Questions-Physics-Michael-Brooks/dp/1849161461/
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/georgelamb/features.shtml
- ^ UK election: Round one to the Science Party New Scientist article, retrieved 08/05/2010.
- ^ UK election: The Science Party's democracy experiment New Scientist article, retrieved 08/05/2010.
- ^ http://www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/documents/make-it-happen-biographies/doc
- ^ http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14038-smallest-planet-weighs-just-three-earths.html
- ^ http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19826562.000-to-make-the-most-of-wind-power-go-fly-a-kite.html
- ^ http://www.templeton-cambridge.org/fellows/brooks/publications/2006.11.20/beyond_belief/
[edit] External links
- MichaelBrooks.org - Official website for Brooks
- 13ThingsThatDontMakeSense.com - Official website for Brooks' book
- Video interview/discussion with Michael Brooks and John Horgan on Bloggingheads.tv
- mp3 of a March 2009 interview with Michael Brooks
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