Summary
Summary
How much do you know about the radiation all around you?
Your electronic devices swarm with it; the sun bathes you in it. It's zooming at you from cell towers, microwave ovens, CT scans, mammogram machines, nuclear power plants, deep space, even the walls of your basement. You cannot see, hear, smell or feel it, but there is never a single second when it is not flying through your body. Too much of it will kill you, but without it you wouldn't live a year.
From beloved popular science writer Bob Berman, Zapped tells the story of all the light we cannot see, tracing infrared, microwaves, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays, radio waves and other forms of radiation from their historic, world-altering discoveries in the 19th century to their central role in our modern way of life, setting the record straight on health costs (and benefits) and exploring the consequences of our newest technologies.
Lively, informative, and packed with fun facts and "eureka moments," Zapped will delight anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of our world.
Author Notes
Bob Berman , one of America's top astronomy writers, is the author of Zapped, Zoom and The Sun's Heartbeat . He contributed the popular "Night Watchman" column for Discover for seventeen years and is currently a columnist for Astronomy , a host on Northeast Public Radio, and the science editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac . He lives in Willow, New York.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Electromagnetic radiation-light-is everywhere, but it's not all visible to the naked eye. Astronomy writer Berman (Zoom) runs through a fascinating history of the rainbow's invisible bands in this breezy, accessible read. Berman draws from topics as far-flung as art, gardening, relativity, and radioactivity to explain light's intriguing nature and its influence on humans, in order "to explore the unseen energies that pervade our universe, our planet, and our bodies." Humans only "perceive sunlight's most abundant energies," Berman writes; thus we regard the "universe through the sun's eyes." In those bounds, evolution honed our ability to distinguish green "wavelengths that differ by just one nanometer." Berman adeptly explains the physics of light and its modern applications in studious detail. Since the discoveries of infrared radiation, microwaves, and UV rays, invisible light has made microwave ovens, cellphones, GPS, and other innovations possible. Scientists use it as a tool to examine the distant universe and search for alien life. In the style of a favorite professor, Berman injects bits of odd humor and captivating tangents into this complex but familiar topic. After the final page, readers will still be reflecting on "the unseen lights that blaze brilliantly in realms beyond what our senses can ever perceive." Agent: Albert Zuckerman, Writers House. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
What role does invisible light play in our medicine, our technology, and our culture in the twenty-first century? What new opportunities for its use are on the horizon? Berman (Zoom: How Everything Moves, 2014) answers these and other questions about the many ways unseen light affects our world. The author is quick to point out that light is fundamentally a sensation, lacking color and brightness, that doesn't exist without being observed. This scientific principle, which he deems Wonderland-strange, informs the stories of illuminating discoveries throughout history, like amateur astronomer William Herschel (who also discovered Uranus) accidentally stumbling upon infrared radiation in 1800, Heinrich Hertz's experiments with radio waves, the unauthorized ESP experiments conducted by an Apollo 14 astronaut, and the unimaginably violent and superpowerful gamma rays. Along the way, Berman nimbly busts common myths about the danger of cell-phone microwave radiation (overrated); UV rays (can still burn you in the shade!); and other not-so-light concerns. Erudite but never stuffy, Berman writes with enthusiasm and clarity, making this an informative and digestible read for the science-curious.--Comello, Chad Copyright 2017 Booklist