Science – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers & Wonks

By Scott J. Pearson | April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” or so the old saying goes. When portraying data, its visualization is often worth more than a thousand words. Indeed, in some contexts, it’s the only way that the data are accessible. In this book, Jonathan Schwabish provides a comprehensive look at visual options available to portray data. True to his background as an economist, He provides examples mainly from governmental concerns and social-science fields. As a scientist,…

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

By Scott J. Pearson | December 20, 2025December 20, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

We know enough about the physics of earth and the universe to be able to predict what’d happen in absurd situations, like a neuron star hitting the earth, flying a plane on Uranus, or experiencing a Richter magnitude -2 earthquake. Of course, we don’t talk about it because most of us aren’t physics geeks. Fortunately, Randall Munroe is, and he has a great sense of humor dealing with the absurd. He runs an online blog…

Poetry Science

The Universe in Verse: 15 Portals to Wonder through Science & Poetry

By Scott J. Pearson | December 13, 2025December 13, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Poetry and science are often placed opposite each other because they describe different things. One describes the human soul; the other describes nature. That’s unfortunate because they can complement each other vividly. The natural world and the vast universe are sources of unending wonder. It’s a shame that too many people are put off by science as intimidating. In truth, it’s awe-inducing and humbling. Maria Popova brings these lessons to life with 15 poems by…

Humor Science

How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems

By Scott J. Pearson | November 18, 2025November 18, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Ever wonder what it takes to land a plane on top of a train? Or what’s the best way to send nuclear waste to the sun? Or how to take a selfie with yourself and the moon? Well, Randall Munroe has answers, filled in a humorous tone. The beauty of how science generalizes – particularly, physics – is how it applies to all sorts of absurd situations. Munroe understands how to create such situations in…

Artificial Intelligence Science

AI for Scientific Discovery: Proceedings of a Workshop by the National Academies

By Scott J. Pearson | November 8, 2025November 8, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine guide America’s federal research policies based on identifying challenges in the field. This 2024 workshop looked at opportunities within scientific research for artificial intelligence (AI) to contribute. It was led by national experts discussing use cases in their research and attempted to generalize based on those experiences. Most use cases were from American-based science, but AI in Africa was a recurring theme. Overall, the abundance of unique…

Biography-Memoir Religion-Philosophy Science

Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World

By Scott J. Pearson | September 1, 2025September 1, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

I have had a 25-year fascination with Blaise Pascal, and this book did nothing but nurture my admiration even more. He applied his fecund mind to so many topics and discovered the vacuum, pioneered computation, founded probability theory and conic sections, and wrote one of the most enigmatic yet persuasive defenses of Christianity’s reasonableness. Any book that helps me swap my wits with his, even if only by a little, helps me become better at…

Biography-Memoir Kids Science

Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson

By Scott J. Pearson | August 29, 2025August 29, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Recent decades have shed light on how the history of science has forgotten key figures, often women and often people of color. In the quest to put a man on the moon, scientific efforts often relied on black women as the book and movie Hidden Figures chronicled. This autobiography captures one of those personalities Katherine Johnson in her own words. She writes towards a middle school audience who might like science, technology, engineering, and math…

Healthcare Psychology Science

Second & Third Generation Antipsychotics: A Comprehensive Handbook

By Scott J. Pearson | July 12, 2025July 12, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Therapies for serious mental illness – namely, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – have become more prevalent in recent decades. Second- and now third-generation antipsychotics more effectively deal with symptoms while having less stigma-provoking side effects. These diseases, once intractable, are now relatively treatable. This book provides a well-documented summary of the research about these drugs. Reading this book is not for the feint of heart. It’s highly technical and requires significant biomedical literacy. Most patients…

Religion-Philosophy Science Society

Science, Faith & Society: A Searching Examination of the Meaning & Nature of Scientific Inquiry

By Scott J. Pearson | May 28, 2025May 28, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

In this book, philosopher of science and eminent chemist Michael Polanyi warns, scientific inquiry cannot exist without a society and a culture that supports it. That is, science’s light can be extinguished if society decides to stamp it out. The freedom to learn about nature requires not only economic supports but also cultural supports. Writing just after the conclusion of World War II, he argues that scientific progress in Europe needs the foundation of a…

Indie Presentation Visualization

Seeing with Fresh Eyes: Meaning, Space, Data, Truth

By Scott J. Pearson | May 6, 2025May 6, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

I read anything that Edward Tufte writes. This “father of data visualization” has taught classes at Yale on the subject for decades. His books have also taught the reading public how to present data more effectively in the digital age. This work represents his fifth book. While his other books focus on getting the data right, this one’s subject meanders around transforming presentations into a form of art that provokes an audience response. I enjoyed…