Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light

by Bob Berman

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316311304
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	431,720
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Chapter 1 Light Fantastic 7

Chapter 2 Now You See It, Now You Don't 14

Chapter 3 The Green Planet and the Red Heat 26

Chapter 4 Hot Rays 39

Chapter 5 Ultraviolet Brings the Blues 46

Chapter 6 Danger Beyond the Violet 51

Chapter 7 Energy Rhythms 61

Chapter 8 The Exploding Sun 73

Chapter 9 No Soap 77

Chapter 10 Turning On and Tuning In 87

Chapter 11 The Speed That Destroyed Space and Time 93

Chapter 12 Microwaves Everywhere 103

Chapter 13 The Man with the X-ray Vision 112

Chapter 14 Rontgen Rays for Everyone 118

Chapter 15 What's in Your Basement? 126

Chapter 16 The Atomic Quartet 144

Chapter 17 Gamma Rays: The Impossible Light 155

Chapter 18 Cell-Phone Radiation 164

Chapter 19 Cosmic Rays 173

Chapter 20 Beams from the Universe's Birth 184

Chapter 21 Energy from Our Minds 191

Chapter 22 Ray Guns 198

Chapter 23 The Next Frontier: Zero-Point and Dark Energies 209

Chapter 24 Total Solar Eclipse: When the Rays Stop 216

Chapter 25 ETs May Be Broadcasting, but What's Their Number? 227

Chapter 26 Does Light Have a Bright Future? 236

Index 243

Editorial Reviews

06/05/2017
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.)

Publishers Weekly

"An enthusiastic account of all the light we cannot see from a science popularizer with a knack for presenting hard facts clearly and stylishly. . . . A guide for laymen written with gusto and assurance."—Kirkus

"The narrative is briskly conversational: We're on the porch, shooting the breeze with a knowledgeable neighbor. Mr. Berman's avowed goal in writing this book, he says, was 'to open a window onto the enormous universe of omnipresent energies.' Once that window is thrown open, it is hard to look at the world the same way." —Wall Street Journal

"Nimbly busts common myths ... Erudite but never stuffy, Berman writes with enthusiasm and clarity, making this an informative and digestible read for the science-curious."—Booklist


"[Berman's]
an unfailingly congenial explainer, always ready with the kinds of fascinating facts his readers might have missed in school."—Christian Science Monitor

"Captivating ... fear not the long-winded scientific discourse: Berman zings through historical and scientific adventures."—American Scholar

"Astronomy writer Berman runs through a fascinating history of the rainbow's invisible bands in this breezy, accessible read... In the style of a favorite professor, Berman injects bits of odd humor and captivating tangents into this complex but familiar topic."—Publishers Weekly

"[Berman] excels at making complex concepts accessible for lay readers...this is a great option for those curious about history, theories, and function of everyday things."—Library Journal

"Explaining light using anecdotal history and colloquial explication, Zapped makes entertaining sense out of what could be dry math and physics."—Shelf Awareness

PRAISE FOR ZOOM:

"Entertainingly kinetic.... [Berman] transmits science geekery in vivid prose stuffed with unexpected insights and arresting observations.... Absorbing."
— Michael Benson, New York Times—-

"Vastly entertaining.... Zoom is invaluable for everyone who once knew Newton's three laws and would like a refresher, but it is more fun than that.... Bob Berman knows how to make science accessible."
— Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe—-

"An engagingly quirky popular treatment of the ongoing debate about the nature of space and time in the universe and our place as both observers and participants."
— Kirkus Reviews—-

From the Publisher

07/01/2017
We are surrounded by a vital substance we cannot see. Berman (Zoom; The Sun's Heartbeat) tracks the history of invisible light from the findings of early Greek and Arab thinkers who observed the eye to discoveries of 19th-century scientists William Herschel, Heinrich Hertz, Michael Faraday, and the Curies. The author explores different types of invisible light including radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, and cosmic rays. He explains the principles behind microwave ovens, cell phones, GPS trackers, and X-rays, as well as the controversies over the perceived dangers of these technologies. Berman also addresses fantastical applications of light waves such as ray guns and ESP and still emerging fields of zero-point energy and dark energy. The author excels at making complex concepts accessible for lay readers. VERDICT Like other books that focus on common but often murky topics (for instance, Mark Kurlansky's Salt, Mary Roach's Stiff, and Donald Canfield's Oxygen), this is a great option for those curious about history, theories, and function of everyday things.—Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib.

Library Journal

2017-05-25
An enthusiastic account of all the light we cannot see from a science popularizer with a knack for presenting hard facts clearly and stylishly.Berman (Zoom: How Everything Moves: From Atoms and Galaxies to Blizzards and Bees, 2014, etc.), a columnist for Astronomy magazine and science editor of the Old Farmer's Almanac, promises that in his latest book of popular science, "myths will be busted and wild facts will abound." He keeps that promise as he clarifies for the nonscientist the nature of the many forms of radiation around us. First, the author tackles visible light, introducing the difficult concept that light is both a particle and a set of waves of electricity and magnetism. From there, he moves on to light outside the visible spectrum: infrared, ultraviolet, radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays, and other forms of radiation that surround us and bombard us. Due to information overload, some readers may be inclined to skim or skip ahead in certain sections. Aware that the material is occasionally dense, Berman cues readers with lines like, "read the preceding paragraph one more time," and "I hope you're taking notes on all this." Thankfully, the author interweaves his science lessons with selective profiles of pioneers in the field and fascinating tales from fiction and real life—e.g., Archimedes' supposed burning of enemy ships with focused sun rays, the death rays depicted by H.G. Wells in The War of the Worlds, and astronaut Edgar Mitchell's brain wave-based ESP experiments during the Apollo 14 mission. Berman includes a chapter on solar eclipses, a favorite phenomenon of his, and there is a bit on the Big Bang and cosmic radiation. For those concerned about health and safety, the author deftly separates fact from myths about cell-phones, brain scans, and other sources of radiation. For those curious about what lies ahead, he takes a look at future applications of invisible light in medicine and computing. A guide for laymen written with gusto and assurance.

Kirkus Reviews

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