Recommended Popular Books

There are varieties of excellent books which cover the topics of the origin of the Universe, life and consciousness. Below is Arisaka's personal list of suggested reading. For your convenience, the titles of the books are linked to Amazon.com.

Origin of the Universe - Cosmology and Particle Physics


(1) Before The Beginning: Our Universe And Others

  • Author : Martin Rees
  • Year : 1998
  • Level : Intermediate
  • Comments : The first book which advocated the concept of "Multiverse", written by a renowned astronomer, Sir. Martin Rees.

(2) Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape The Universe

  • Author : Martin Rees
  • Year : 2001
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : The second book written by a renowned astronomer, Sir. Martin Rees, easier to follow than the first book.

(3) The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

  • Author : Brian Greene
  • Year : 2000
  • Level : Advanced
  • Comments : The best introductory book of the latest particle theories such as superstings and extra dimensions.

(4) The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

  • Author : Brian Greene
  • Year : 2011
  • Level : Intermediate
  • Comments : The latest book by Brian Geene with is easier than the "Elegant Universe", explaining the "Multiverse".

(5) The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces

  • Author : Frank Wilczek
  • Year : 2010
  • Level : Advanced
  • Comments : The origin of mass is brilliantly explained by the inventor of QCD.

(6) The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design

  • Author : Leonard Susskind
  • Year : 2006
  • Level : Advanced
  • Comments : The best written, convincing scientific book of the Multiverse based on the cosmic landscape.

(7) The Life of the Cosmos

  • Author : Lee Smolin
  • Year : 1999
  • Level : intermediate
  • Comments : An extremely intriguing book, suggesting the multiverse created from black holes. Arisaka's favorite!

Origin and Evolution of Life


(1) Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution

  • Author : Nick Lane
  • Year : 2010
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : The best book describing the evolution of life in plain language, including the latest developments.

(2) Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origins

  • Author : Robert Hazen
  • Year : 2007
  • Level : Intermediate
  • Comments : One of the most detailed books about the origin of life, suggesting that it was likely to be emerged in deep ocean.

Origin of Consciousness


(1) I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self

  • Author : Rodolfo Llinas
  • Year : 2002
  • Level : Intermediate
  • Comments : Arisaka's favorite book, describing that the brain was emerged for movement. Very logical. A must read.

(2) In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind

  • Author : Eric Kandel
  • Year : 2007
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : Written by the greatest neuroscientist of today, Eric Kandel, it explains how he identified the neural circuit of memory.

(3) Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

  • Author : David Eagleman
  • Year : 2011
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : Introduction to unconsciousness behind the consciousness. Easy to follow.

Classic Historical Books


(1) The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

  • Author : James D. Watson
  • Year : 1968
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : A monumental book which describes the historical accounts of the DNA discovery by one of discoverers.

(2) The Selfish Gene

  • Author : Richard Dawkins
  • Year : 1976
  • Level : Intermediate
  • Comments : "The gene controls us" -- a very provocative yet profound classic book. A must read.

(3) What is Life?

  • Author : Erwin Schrödinger
  • Year : 1944
  • Level : Intermediate
  • Comments : A highly influential book which established the molecular biology, written by the inventor of quantum mechanics.

(4) Origins of Life

  • Author : Freeman Dyson
  • Year : 1985
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : A concise book. A renowned particle physicist, Dyson propose that life started from protein rather than RNA/DNA.

(5) The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of The Universe

  • Author : Steven Weinberg
  • Year : 1980
  • Level : Advanced
  • Comments : The very first book which applied the particle physics concept to the big bang.

Other Popular Books to Learn Historical Developments


(1) The Inflationary Universe

  • Author : Alan Guth
  • Year : 1998
  • Level : Intermediate
  • Comments : The book written by Alan Guth who came up with the idea of Inflation for the first time. Well written.

(2) Wrinkles in Time: Witness to the Birth of the Universe

  • Author : George Smoot, Keay Davidson
  • Year : 1994
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : The book written by George Smoot who discover the CMS non-uniformity by COBE.

(3) The Hubble Wars

  • Author : Eric J. Chaisson
  • Year : 1998
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : This describes the history behind the development of Hubble Telescope in depth.

(4) The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality

  • Author : Richard Panek
  • Year : 2011
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : The detailed history behind the discovery of the dark energy, which resulted in 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.

(5) Cracking the Genome: Inside the Race to Unlock Human DNA

  • Author : Kevin Davies
  • Year : 2002
  • Level : Introductory
  • Comments : The detailed history behind the Human Genome Project with Craig Venter's Celera Genomics.

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