Book Reviewed: What Is Thought? by Eric B. Baum

The essence of life Author Eric Baum proposes an interesting theory that the mind is the result of evolution, and thought processes is rooted in DNA that represents a natural algorithm. DNA code programmed the mind to construct few meaningful possibilities among countless of possibilities. The nature of thought and consciousness is built on this compact code. DNA is a language connecting two parts of the cosmos, the matter (non-living) and life (living) in a circle. The initial time-forward process of cosmos corresponds to disorder and entropy driven physical system, and the second part is conscious awareness, the semantics of DNA information of the living cell, which corresponds to increasing order and lowering of entropy. This classical projection of the semantics of DNA encryption is analogous to the famous Double-Slit Experiment that demonstrates the quantum nature of existence, the wave-particle duality of matter and the probabilistic nature of quantum reality. In this experiment when each photon hits the screen, its location in classical space appears random and disorderly. But the wave interference pattern leads to a conclusion that the random outcome of photon hits in classical space becomes an ordered image on the screen through conscious interaction. Indeed, life which reflects a transition from disorder (matter) to order was termed as negative entropy by physicist Erwin Schrodinger. the Informational model of consciousness is the acquisition and transmission mechanisms of certain traits to the future generations without affecting the DNA sequences. These epigenetic mechanisms are described as signal transmission agents embodying or disembodying information. Mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance could include DNA methylation, histone modification and small RNA transmission. The epigenetic mechanisms allow body adaptation in terms of the computation informational system. The author is a developer of algorithms based on machine learning and Bayesian reasoning. Some chapters are technically more challenging than others, the overall read is a little bumpy, but the take-home message is well described.

Book Reviewed: Our Universe: An Astronomer’s Guide by Jo Dunkley

The smorgasbord view This book is targeted to a lay audience without prior scientific knowledge of the cosmos. But it is not structured well and written in a hurried fashion to give an overview of the universe. The book’s narratives are colloquial which focuses on space instead of spacetime. Some Figures that illustrate physical astronomy ideas are referred to cartoons. How can serious ideas be referred to caricatures that depicts humor? Figure 5.7 that tries to illustrate the expansion of the cosmos (space) and the distancing of galaxies is confusing and difficult to comprehend. The second chapter entitled “We are made of Stars” that purports to a discussion of stars and galaxies in the cosmos gravitate to a discussion of inner rocky planets and the gaseous Jupiter and Saturn of the outer solar system. The book lacks photographs of galaxies and stellar clusters in cosmic background. This is not what I expected from a book the universe.

Book Reviewed: Perfect Union by Catherine Allgor

Dolley The First Lady, Dolley Madison, wife of the Fourth President of the United States of America, James Madison had a strong will and unique personality. She hosted parties for Washington D.C.'s social and political elite and invited members of both political parties spearheading the concept of bipartisan cooperation. At this time, the position of First Lady was not officially authorized or defined. She was known to have saved the only portrait of George Washington before the British burned down the White House in the War of 1812. Historical figures were brought to life through their experience of this unprecedented attack; the presidential family displaced, a nation humbled, and an American spirit shaken. Dolley sometimes served as widower Thomas Jefferson's hostess for official ceremonial functions befriending the wives of the ambassador of Spain, and France. Her charm precipitated a diplomatic crisis called the “Merry Affair,” after Jefferson escorted Dolley to the dining room instead of the wife of Anthony Merry, the English diplomat to the U.S., in a faux pas. Dolley was known for her good heart and warmth, but she was indifferent to the plight of her slaves and the practice of slavery in America. Even though James Madison is a founding member of American Colonization Society that sought to liberate the slaves and be sent to newly created African nation of Liberia. in 1836, at the James Madison’s funeral, white mourners were moved by the slaves gave vent to their lamentations that showed their admiration for him. Jams Madison had stipulated in his will that female slaves not be sold after his death, but to combat debt and need for the cash, Dolley proceeded to sell her slaves. Dolley grew up in a quaker family and her parents did not approve the practice of slavery. In 1783, following the American Revolutionary War, her father John Payne emancipated his slaves. In the last days of her life, before Congress purchased her husband's Presidential papers, she was in a state of absolute poverty. A slave named Paul Jennings recalled that she suffered for the daily necessities of life. Occasionally he gave her small sums from his own pocket; this was years after he gained freedom from her. However, in the periodical of abolition movement “The Liberator” the editors disputed her claims of poverty stating that U.S. Congress had given her liberal amount. Even conceding her penury, the editors were blunt and censorious. Why did Dolley’s contemporaries admire her? In this book, historian Catherine Allgor reveals how Dolley manipulated her gender role to construct and to achieve her husband's political goals. By emphasizing cooperation over coercion, she learnt to find common goals that benefited her husband’s leadership, and her difficult issues with her son’s failures.

Book Reviewed: Chandra: A Biography of S. Chandrasekhar by Kameshwar C. Wali

The life of a brilliant astrophysicist This is an outstanding book about the life and work of Nobel Laureate S. Chandrasekhar (Chandra) who won Nobel Prize in 1983 for his work on white dwarfs and stellar black holes. His calculations showed that stars which collapse into white dwarfs, in some cases become stellar black holes. This mathematical work was done in 1930 during his voyage from India to England to study at Cambridge University. This new discovery brought him into conflict with Sir Arthur Eddington, a giant in astrophysics during this time. Eddington ridiculed his ideas with scientifically inaccurate explanations until his death in 1944. Chandra sailed into an intellectual and emotional abyss for four decades. It is the moving tale of one man's struggle against the scientific establishment that shows prejudices among even very rational minds. This book articulates in detail as how the leading physicist at Cambridge University got so mean to a young graduate student from India. This was a time when no one knew about the energy production mechanisms in stars. But Chandra’s theory was simple and made sense to many physicists at that time but refused to override Eddington’s contentions. The Pauli Exclusion Principle teaches us that two electrons cannot remain in the same quantum state, i.e., two electrons with same spin cannot remain in same atomic orbital. This is due to an emergent quantum degeneracy pressure (QDP) that lead to further compression of matter into much smaller volumes of space and collapse into its own atomic nucleus. Pauli Exclusion Principle illustrates this barrier to a total collapse of an atom. Similarly, the gravitational collapse of large dying stars leads to white dwarfs, and if the mass of white dwarf is above 1.44 solar mass, now called the Chandrasekhar limit, the white dwarf continue to collapse on its own core to becomes a neutron star or stellar black hole. In one of his letter to his father, Chandra writes that Eddington thinks that Pauli Exclusion Principle is wrong! How could that be? The book gives a glimpse of racial prejudices Chandra experienced in British India, Europe, and the United States, they are brief accounts of some disturbing incidents. Like most Indians, he focused on his professional commitment and ignored the social distractions. He was an ideal example of a true fighter for his beliefs in science. The author is a compatriot of Chandra, a fellow physicist and a close friend who worked at the Syracuse University and his narratives come from his heart. He illustrates the story with numerous rare pictures of Chandrasekhar in the company of leading physicists and astronomers of his time, many of them are the founding members of quantum physics. These images illustrate the important points in history to connect with actual events and how it may have flowed in the life of Chandrasekhar. This highly acclaimed nook speaks volumes about the work of the author that describes the life one of the earliest proponents of cataclysmic events in the life of a star.

Book Reviewed: Nazi Wives: The Women at the Top of Hitler's Germany by James Wyllie

Women of Nazi legacy This is a captivating study of the personal lives of Hitler's henchmen and the women who shared their lives at the height of the second world war. This narrative history looks at the uncertainties and instabilities in the lives of the men discussed here: Hermann Goering, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrich, Rudolph Hess, Martin Bormann, and Hitler. How did these darkest and powerful figures handle their family lives? Because their wives gave them support, encouragement and direction, and most importantly stood by the Nazi ideology. The Third Reich controlled every aspect of their officer’s lives that included who they had romantic relationships, who they married, and the family background of these women. Their family lives offer perceptions of Nazi rule and the psychology of its leaders. For example, Gerda Bormann, wife of Martin Bormann, was Hitler’s private secretary and an ideal Nazi wife. She had her blonde hair in a tress and wore traditional Bavarian dress and walked with gait and elegance of Julie Andrews of “The Sound of Music.” The Nazis believed their mission was to 'masculinize' life in Germany and women must play a supportive role that included not complaining about their husband’s infidelities. Gerda Bormann was programmed to obey her husband. She went on to suggest a contract be drawn up granting her husband’s mistress Manja Behrens the same rights as her. And even suggested a law to be passed that would entitle healthy men to have two wives. But behind the propaganda machinery, its leaders were involved in debauched affairs, three-way relationships and brutal mistreatment of their wives that would have shocked in today’s world. Joseph Goebbels was another dirty dog in his personal life. He pursued director Leni Riefenstahl and stuck his hand under her dress while they were at an opera. He had an affair with Czech actress Lida Baarova and asked his wife Magda if his mistress can move in together in a three-way relationship. She reluctantly agreed, but progressively fed up with his behavior, she considered a divorce, but Hitler refused to permit that. The book is quite narrative and sometimes gets boring to read. Readers interested in the history of Nazi Germany may find this interesting.

Book Reviewed: Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind Vol 1 by Yuval Noah Harari

An incomplete and inaccurate graphic history of life Teaching kids to impart knowledge relies on project-based learning (PBL), graphic illustrations, video materials and other tools. After reading this book with the star-studded “positive” comments from Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Natalie Portman, we learn that a good marketing strategy works for sales, but not for knowledge to be gained. It is an exciting journey through ancient times to discover the images, paintings, habitats, and pottery, left by our ancestors. But historical evidence for our ancestry also comes from paleo-biological studies of fossils. Interweaving recent discoveries, maps, and illustrations. Evolution tells the story of our origins. This book is narrated with an inquisitive child, an educator, a cop, and author Harari about our origins. There are several instances of inaccuracy and unscientific facts in this book, the examples are: Only homo sapiens can change their social system, and behavior in all animals is determined by their genetic system; homo sapiens had a cognitive revolution that made them different from other animals; and humans are still adapted to hunter-gather lifestyle. The last few pages are devoted to boring narratives of Diprotodons, the largest marsupials whose extinction was brought about by humans. This book which brings life in 245 pages of illustrations miss out on critical historical facts. For example, there were five mass extinctions of life on the planet including the last event called the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that occurred 66 million years ago. This wiped-out dinosaurs, and it was critical in creating geophysical conditions for the rapid evolution of mammals. The book barely mentions the relationship between humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans. There is genetic evidence for interbreeding with at least four archaic hominin species that included Neanderthals and Denisovans. The continental drift in the late Triassic Period (which lasted from approximately 251 million to 199.6 million years ago), the supercontinent of Pangea fragmented, and the continents began to move away from one another to the current structure creating new opportunities for species evolution. The book has several cases of cultural sensitivities. The story is supposed to be narrated by a character referred to as Professor Saraswati, apparently referring to Hindu Goddess Saraswati of knowledge and learning who is depicted as a fat Indian lady with a large tilak on the forehead. The book also refers to birth of Christianity and Islam but do not refer to Hinduism, the oldest faith in the world. The earliest hymns of the sacred scriptures of Rig-Veda were written in 1700 B.C.E. They not only connect mankind to worshiping God, but also represent some of the finest poetry ever written in an ancient language.