13 Things That Don't Make Sense

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Science becomes truly intriguing when it encounters the inexplicable. Today, there are experimental results that even the brightest minds cannot explain or dismiss. Historically, such anomalies have led to revolutionary discoveries, like Copernicus’s realization that the Earth orbits the sun and the discovery of oxygen in the 1770s, which defied existing theories. These past precedents suggest that today’s unexplained phenomena could shape the future of science. In this exploration, the narrative begins at the twenty-third Solvay physics conference, where scientists grapple with an anomaly: is the universe expanding at an accelerating rate instead of the gradual pace predicted by the big bang theory? From this cosmic mystery, the journey takes Brooks to a Turin basement, where he undergoes tests on the placebo effect, a phenomenon that remains poorly understood yet foundational in medicine. Further questions arise: Is 96 percent of the universe unaccounted for? Could a 1977 signal from space be from extraterrestrial life? What explains the peculiar behavior of some NASA satellites? Covering a range of disciplines from biology to physics, Brooks vividly illustrates the excitement and controversies surrounding the future of science, emphasizing that the anomalies may be the key to significant breakthroughs. As he notes, “being stuck can be a sign that you are about to make a great leap forward.”