The Trouble With Gravity: Solving the Mystery Beneath Our Feet - Rilegato

Praise for The 4% Universe: “The centerpiece of The 4% Universe is a compelling narrative of science at its best... serve[s] handsomely as an illuminating guide to the dark mysteries lying at the heart of the intersection of astronomy and fundamental physics.”—The Wall Street Journal “Impeccably researched and highly readable.”—New Scientist “A model for all would-be popular-science writers.”—Physics World  

“I've long been a big fan of Richard Panek's writing. He is eloquent, smart, and a fascinating thinker, someone who is able to get me excited about topics that would have never even occurred to me. I respect and trust him—and am always eager to see what he will write next.” —Maria Konnikova, New York Times best-selling author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game

Praise for The 4% Universe: “The centerpiece of The 4% Universe is a compelling narrative of science at its best... serve[s] handsomely as an illuminating guide to the dark mysteries lying at the heart of the intersection of astronomy and fundamental physics.”—The Wall Street Journal “Impeccably researched and highly readable.”—New Scientist “A model for all would-be popular-science writers.”—Physics World "Somebody needed to tell this story—of all that is dark and mysterious in the cosmos. Science writer Richard Panek has risen to that task. In his journalistic yet artful style, Panek guides you through the quirky discoveries that established the existence of dark matter and dark energy. But along the way, you also get to meet the quirky cosmologists who got us there."—Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and many others "A contemporary adventure story of modern-day explorers who venture forth into the universe not by ships, but by telescopes and satellites. . . . Riveting."—Lee Smolin, author of The Trouble with Physics "It’s the biggest mystery of all: why is the universe expanding at an accelerated rate? At its heart is a search for what forces and particles make up reality. It baffled Einstein, and it now obsesses a cadre of fascinating cosmologists. By brilliantly capturing their passions and pursuits, Richard Panek has made this cosmic quest exciting and understandable."—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Einstein: His Life and Universe  "The 4% Universe is a reliable and readable account of how scientists discovered—and are struggling to come to grips with—the astounding fact that most of the observable universe has not yet even been observed, much less understood. It has the further merit of relating how scientists arrive at their findings, rather than simply presenting their theories as objects of admiration or adoration. Highly recommended."—Timothy Ferris, author of Coming of Age in the Milky Way and The Science of Liberty

Praise for The 4% Universe: "The centerpiece of The 4% Universe is a compelling narrative of science at its best... serve[s] handsomely as an illuminating guide to the dark mysteries lying at the heart of the intersection of astronomy and fundamental physics."—The Wall Street Journal "Impeccably researched and highly readable."—New Scientist "A model for all would-be popular-science writers."—Physics World "Panek's passion for the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy wins the day. He succeeds because he recognizes that he's writing not just about red shifts and supernovae, but about people...the success of The 4 Percent Universe also stems from Panek's wisdom about how science works."—The Washington Post "A superior account of how astronomers discovered that they knew almost nothing about 96 percent of the universe... Panek delivers vivid sketches of scientists, lucid explanations of their work and revealing descriptions of the often stormy rivalry that led to this scientific revolution, usually a media cliche, but not in this case." —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review "The 4% Universe is a lively and well-researched account of the personalities and ambitions of modern scientists." —Alan Lightman, author of Einstein’s Dreams "A contemporary adventure story of modern-day explorers who venture forth into the universe not by ships, but by telescopes and satellites. . . . Riveting."—Lee Smolin, author of The Trouble with Physics "The 4% Universe is a reliable and readable account of how scientists discovered—and are struggling to come to grips with—the astounding fact that most of the observable universe has not yet even been observed, much less understood. It has the further merit of relating how scientists arrive at their findings, rather than simply presenting their theories as objects of admiration or adoration. Highly recommended."—Timothy Ferris, author of Coming of Age in the Milky Way and The Science of Liberty  

“Thought-provoking . . . Panek’s inquisitive, fine-tuned narrative is full of character and, unlike many other books on physics, imbued with the friendly casualness of a coffee-shop chat. As such, it will delight both lay readers and serious students.” —Publishers Weekly “One of the best of the postgravitational-waves-discovery physics books for fans of popular science . . . highly recommended.” —Library Journal “Fine popular primer...expert description of the spectacular things that gravity does.” —Kirkus Reviews “I've long been a big fan of Richard Panek's writing. He is eloquent, smart, and a fascinating thinker, someone who is able to get me excited about topics that would have never even occurred to me. I respect and trust him—and am always eager to see what he will write next.” —Maria Konnikova, New York Times best-selling author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game “Richard Panek moves with startling grace and economy through the intersecting realms of philosophy and physics, always asking the unexpected question. He has forced me to rethink my fundamental assumptions about gravity—and shown me how much we can gain by doing so.” —Andrea Barrett, author of The Air We Breathe and Archangel "In The Trouble with Gravity, Richard Panek acts as a guide, both amiable and erudite, through one of the most puzzling mysteries of the natural world.  In explaining the various ‘explanations’ of gravity from classical to post-modern times, Panek draws us into a thoughtful meditation on the mythic, cultural, philosophical and, yes, scientific implications of what happens when a wet potato or a crystal vase slips from your hand." —Billy Collins “Gravity is a mystery—one of the greatest. It has baffled and teased humans since the dawn of history and perplexes us still. Richard Panek takes us on a journey that is original, brave, and ultimately very beautiful: a reminder that sometimes science isn’t a solution but a search.” —James Gleick, author of Time Travel: A History “Without gravity, there would be no earth, no humans and no non-fiction books. Which would be a shame, because we’d miss out on Richard Panek’s wonderful, entertaining work. Richard takes us on a vivid journey from the arctic to the tropics, from the human skeleton to the edges of the universe, filling our imagination with counter-intuitive modern science and ancient philosophy. And all of this is delivered in buoyant, almost poetic, writing. So thank you gravity and Richard.” —A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically “A thoroughly researched tour of humanity’s investigations of gravity through the ages, including the very exciting—but still unfinished—ones happening today.” —Professor Lisa Randall, author of Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs

"Thought-provoking...Panek’s inquisitive, fine-tuned narrative is full of character and, unlike many other books on physics, imbued with the friendly casualness of a coffee-shop chat. As such, it will delight both lay readers and serious students." —Booklist "Fine popular primer...expert description of the spectacular things that gravity does." —Kirkus Reviews “I've long been a big fan of Richard Panek's writing. He is eloquent, smart, and a fascinating thinker, someone who is able to get me excited about topics that would have never even occurred to me. I respect and trust him—and am always eager to see what he will write next.” —Maria Konnikova, New York Times best-selling author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game “Richard Panek moves with startling grace and economy through the intersecting realms of philosophy and physics, always asking the unexpected question. He has forced me to rethink my fundamental assumptions about gravity—and shown me how much we can gain by doing so.” —Andrea Barrett, author of The Air We Breathe and Archangel "In The Trouble with Gravity, Richard Panek acts as a guide, both amiable and erudite, through one of the most puzzling mysteries of the natural world.  In explaining the various ‘explanations’ of gravity from classical to post-modern times, Panek draws us into a thoughtful meditation on the mythic, cultural, philosophical and, yes, scientific implications of what happens when a wet potato or a crystal vase slips from your hand." —Billy Collins “Gravity is a mystery—one of the greatest. It has baffled and teased humans since the dawn of history and perplexes us still. Richard Panek takes us on a journey that is original, brave, and ultimately very beautiful: a reminder that sometimes science isn’t a solution but a search.” —James Gleick, author of Time Travel: A History “Without gravity, there would be no earth, no humans and no non-fiction books. Which would be a shame, because we’d miss out on Richard Panek’s wonderful, entertaining work. Richard takes us on a vivid journey from the arctic to the tropics, from the human skeleton to the edges of the universe, filling our imagination with counter-intuitive modern science and ancient philosophy. And all of this is delivered in buoyant, almost poetic, writing. So thank you gravity and Richard.” —A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically

"Thought-provoking...Panek’s inquisitive, fine-tuned narrative is full of character and, unlike many other books on physics, imbued with the friendly casualness of a coffee-shop chat. As such, it will delight both lay readers and serious students." —Publishers Weekly "One of the best of the postgravitational-waves-discovery physics books for fans of popular science...highly recommended." —Library Journal "Fine popular primer...expert description of the spectacular things that gravity does." —Kirkus Reviews “I've long been a big fan of Richard Panek's writing. He is eloquent, smart, and a fascinating thinker, someone who is able to get me excited about topics that would have never even occurred to me. I respect and trust him—and am always eager to see what he will write next.” —Maria Konnikova, New York Times best-selling author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game “Richard Panek moves with startling grace and economy through the intersecting realms of philosophy and physics, always asking the unexpected question. He has forced me to rethink my fundamental assumptions about gravity—and shown me how much we can gain by doing so.” —Andrea Barrett, author of The Air We Breathe and Archangel "In The Trouble with Gravity, Richard Panek acts as a guide, both amiable and erudite, through one of the most puzzling mysteries of the natural world.  In explaining the various ‘explanations’ of gravity from classical to post-modern times, Panek draws us into a thoughtful meditation on the mythic, cultural, philosophical and, yes, scientific implications of what happens when a wet potato or a crystal vase slips from your hand." —Billy Collins “Gravity is a mystery—one of the greatest. It has baffled and teased humans since the dawn of history and perplexes us still. Richard Panek takes us on a journey that is original, brave, and ultimately very beautiful: a reminder that sometimes science isn’t a solution but a search.” —James Gleick, author of Time Travel: A History “Without gravity, there would be no earth, no humans and no non-fiction books. Which would be a shame, because we’d miss out on Richard Panek’s wonderful, entertaining work. Richard takes us on a vivid journey from the arctic to the tropics, from the human skeleton to the edges of the universe, filling our imagination with counter-intuitive modern science and ancient philosophy. And all of this is delivered in buoyant, almost poetic, writing. So thank you gravity and Richard.” —A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically “A thoroughly researched tour of humanity’s investigations of gravity through the ages, including the very exciting—but still unfinished—ones happening today.” —Professor Lisa Randall, author of Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs

"Thought-provoking...Panek’s inquisitive, fine-tuned narrative is full of character and, unlike many other books on physics, imbued with the friendly casualness of a coffee-shop chat. As such, it will delight both lay readers and serious students." —Booklist "Fine popular primer...expert description of the spectacular things that gravity does." —Kirkus Reviews “I've long been a big fan of Richard Panek's writing. He is eloquent, smart, and a fascinating thinker, someone who is able to get me excited about topics that would have never even occurred to me. I respect and trust him—and am always eager to see what he will write next.” —Maria Konnikova, New York Times best-selling author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game “Richard Panek moves with startling grace and economy through the intersecting realms of philosophy and physics, always asking the unexpected question. He has forced me to rethink my fundamental assumptions about gravity—and shown me how much we can gain by doing so.” —Andrea Barrett, author of The Air We Breathe and Archangel "In The Trouble with Gravity, Richard Panek acts as a guide,...

A Guggenheim Fellow in science writing, RICHARD PANEK is the author of The 4% Universe, which won the American Institute of Physics communication award. He is also the coauthor, with Temple Grandin, of the New York Times bestseller The Autistic Brain.