Overview

When aliens finally arrive on Earth, they might enslave us—or maybe, they might just share the secrets of the universe. Will we be able to receive those precious jewels of knowledge? Is the common idea that maths and physics are a universal language really true? In Do Aliens Speak Physics?, Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner ask and answer questions both light-hearted and profound. Would aliens even need science to build the technology that brings them to Earth? Is it possible that they could experience the universe very differently, tasting electrons and smelling photons or are these particles only convenient concepts in our minds? With cartoons, deep insight and dad jokes, Whiteson and Warner explode the ideas you had about science and reality, leaving the universe—and humanity—stranger and more marvellous than before.

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9781324064640

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Reviews

Chock-full of insights, from the physics of emergence to the limits of logic. ... Charming, funny, and surprisingly philosophical speculations about alien science raise deep questions about science itself.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" [E]ntertaining and thought-provoking.--Hamish Johnston ""Physics World"" [A] charming, thoughtful meditation on the common language of the universe--a book that asks important questions about the fundamental nature not just of our existence but of reality itself.--Blake Crouch, New York Times best-selling author of Dark Matter I've never met an alien, but contemplating how they might think is a great way of breaking out of our own conceptual cages. Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner have given us a book that is lighthearted and fun, but also shows a way to think truly deeply about what physics is and how we come to learn about it.--Sean Carroll, New York Times best-selling author of The Biggest Ideas in the Universe If we ever meet aliens, the first thing we should do is give them this book.--Phil Plait, astronomer and author of Under Alien Skies Lots of fun! . . . I look forward to being on the welcoming committee when the aliens arrive.--Carlo Rovelli, New York Times best-selling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics This book forced us to realize we had a bunch of preexisting assumptions about the nature of communication in our universe . . . all of which we have now had to change. Fun, thought-provoking, and packed with weird science and history.--Kelly & Zach Weinersmith, New York Times best-selling authors of A City on Mars A ridiculously charming, fantastically thought-provoking, and remarkably accessible book of Big Questions--with a surprising number of Big Answers to go with them. I absolutely loved it.--Ryan North, author of How to Invent Everything This is good.--Daniel Dennett, author of From Bacteria to Bach and Back

""A ridiculously charming, fantastically thought-provoking, and remarkably accessible book of Big Questions—with a surprising number of Big Answers to go with them. I absolutely loved it."" -- Ryan North, author of How to Invent Everything ""This book forced us to realize we had a bunch of pre-existing assumptions about the nature of communication in our universe, mostly derived from TV, all of which we have now had to change. Fun, thought-provoking, and packed with weird science and history."" -- Kelly & Zach Weinersmith, New York Times best-selling authors of A City on Mars ""This is good."" -- Daniel Dennett, author of From Bacteria to Bach and Back

Author Information

Daniel Whiteson is a particle physicist and professor at UC Irvine and the coauthor of We Have No Idea and Frequently Asked Questions About the Universe. He lives in Irvine, California. Andy Warner is a cartoonist, editor, and teacher at the California College of the Arts and Stanford University. His work has been published by American Public Media, Popular Science, KQED, and more. He lives in Berkeley, California.

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