A Short History of Nearly Everything
Reading this book gave me an intuition about how scientific discoveries are made. From the ancient Greeks to Einstein, I read about the people and methods that help us understand more about the world.
One important lesson I learned from my reading is that science is a tedious, time-consuming process that requires cooperation and communication. Most scientific discoveries are made by groups of scientists, who build upon generations of past scientists’ trial and error. Before I read this book, I thought that science was relatively easy, as many science popularizers, books, and magazines had made it out to be. Because the author was not afraid to write about the many failures that came before some important discoveries, I was able to develop a more pragmatic view of what it means to be a scientist. Much of my naïve childhood aspirations to make the next big discovery were washed away. It could be done, but not easily, nor alone. Cooperation with other scientists, patience, and persistence were the virtues I noticed in many of the successful scientists and discoverers in the book. I took these values to heart.
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21.A_Short_History_of_Nearly_Everything
