One day, astrobiologists could make the most fantastic discovery of all time: the detection of complex extraterrestrial life. As space agencies continue to search for life in our Universe, fundamental questions are raised: are we awake to the revolutionary effects on human science, society and culture that alien contact will bring? And how is it possible to imagine the unknown? In this book, Mark Brake tells the compelling story of how the portrayal of extraterrestrial life has developed over the last two and a half thousand years. Taking examples from the history of science, philosophy, film and fiction, he showcases how scholars, scientists, film-makers and writers have devoted their energies to imagining life beyond this Earth. From Newton to Kubrick, and Lucian to H. G. Wells, this is a fascinating account for anyone interested in the extraterrestrial life debate, from general readers to amateur astronomers and undergraduate students studying astrobiology.

Alien Life Imagined: Communicating the Science and Culture of Astrobiology

Science & Math

Brake, Mark

Astronomy & Space Science

Cambridge University Press

One day, astrobiologists could make the most fantastic discovery of all time: the detection of complex extraterrestrial life. As space agencies continue to search for life in our Universe, fundamental questions are raised: are we awake to the revolutionary effects on human science, society and culture that alien contact will bring? And how is it possible to imagine the unknown? In this book, Mark Brake tells the compelling story of how the portrayal of extraterrestrial life has developed over the last two and a half thousand years. Taking examples from the history of science, philosophy, film and fiction, he showcases how scholars, scientists, film-makers and writers have devoted their energies to imagining life beyond this Earth. From Newton to Kubrick, and Lucian to H. G. Wells, this is a fascinating account for anyone interested in the extraterrestrial life debate, from general readers to amateur astronomers and undergraduate students studying astrobiology.

Really, Really Big Questions About Space and Time

Children's Books

Science, Nature & How It Works

Roaring Brook

Really Really Big Questions From Space and Time is an unusual and fun introduction to space science and astrophysics. It explores those massive, complicated, weird and often unanswered questions such as Does the Universe have a shape? What makes sunshine? Do stars explode? How do you build a time machine? and Do aliens look like me? Your head will spin – with knowledge!

Kingfisher

Does the universe have a shape? What makes sunshine? Do stars explode? How do you build a time machine? Do aliens look like me? When it comes to the big questions about astrophysics, kids go right for the interesting stuff. Professor Mark Brake makes great use of this as he serves up a heaping helping of kid-friendly space science. Through an entertaining Q&amp;A format, hip retro illustrations, mind teasers, quotations, amusing anecdotes, and plenty of great research, kids will get a thought-provoking introduction to the work of great scientific minds including Newton, Galileo, and Einstein while they have their most interesting (and oddball) questions answered in style.

Given the mind-bogglingly large number of other galaxies and planets in the Universe, odds are pretty good that we may have neighbors out there somewhere. The Alien Hunter's Handbook: How To Look For Extra-Terrestrial Life is a practical and entertaining introduction to the field of Astrobiology which shows readers how life evolved on planet Earth, and how to go about finding other forms of life in other parts of the Universe. Although this is a fun, quirky, and visually inventive approach to the search for aliens, it is entirely based on real facts and ongoing, international research, and is written by Mark Brake, a founding member of NASA's Astrobiology Institute. Through five easy-to-follow chapters, the reader will find out where to look for an alien habitat, how long aliens may have been in existence, what they might look like, how we might communicate with them, and whether they may have made contact with-or even visited-planet Earth.

Alien Hunter's Handbook: How To Look For Extra-Terrestrial Life

Jack, Colin

What's the difference between me, a planet and a star? Does the Universe follow a recipe? If a wardrobe has three dimensions, what is the fourth? These are some of life's biggest questions, and you are a daring thinker for even thinking about them! So open your mind and prepare to explore some of the biggest, boldest ideas about astrophysics, space and time--from the ridiculously silly to the strikingly serious. Each question in Really Big Questions For Daring Thinkers: Space and Time will unlock new ways of thinking and may lead you to some intriguing answers. If you're daring enough to take on this mind-expanding challenge, then read on! Written by science communicator and space expert Mark Brake, the easy-to-understand text, intriguing mind-teasers, and incredible thought experiments make this philosophic journey unforgettably fun!

Really Big Questions For Daring Thinkers: Space and Time (Really Really Big Questions)

Let Mark Brake open your eyes to how science fiction helped us dream of things to come and building the future we inhabit—from Star Trek to The Martian, from Back to the Future to Guardians of the Galaxy from 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Avengers. Media headlines declare this the age of automation. The TV talks about the coming revolution of the robot, tweets tell tales of jets that will ferry travelers to the edge of space, and social media reports that the first human to live for a thousand years has already been born. The science we do, the movies we watch, and the culture we consume is the stuff of fiction that became fact, the future imagined in our past—the future we now inhabit. The Science of Science Fiction is the story of how science fiction shaped our world. No longer a subculture, science fiction has moved into the mainstream with the advent of the information age it helped realize. Explore how science fiction has driven science, with topics that include: <ul>
<li>
Guardians of the Galaxy: Is Space Full of Extraterrestrials?</li>
<li>Jacking In: Will the Future Be Like Ready Player One?</li>
<li>
Mad Max: Is Society Running down into Chaos?</li>
<li>The Internet: Will Humans Tire of Mere Reality?</li>
<li>
Blade Runner 2049: When Will We Engineer Human Lookalikes?</li>
<li>And many more!</li>
</ul>
 “This book is the story of how science fiction shaped our world. No longer a subculture, science fiction has moved into the mainstream with the advent of the information age it helped realize. Explore how science fiction has driven science. This book will open your eyes to the way science fiction helped us dream of things to come, forced us to uncover the nature and limits of our own reality, and helped us build the science-fiction-driven world we live in today.”

The Science of Science Fiction: The Influence of Film and Fiction on the Science and Culture of Our Times

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

Skyhorse

The geeks will inherit the earth. With well over two hundred episodes and a dozen seasons, The Big Bang Theory is one of America’s favorite television series, bringing a new class of character to mainstream television: the science nerd. In spite of its evident popularity and influence in shaping public attitudes to science and scientists, there are relatively few books that explore the show’s culture and social dimension. The Science of The Big Bang Theory looks behind the comedy scenes and scripts of this long-running and successful TV show to explore topics such as: <li>The Bachelor Party Corrosion and Archimedes</li>
<li>The Valentino Submergence: Fun with Flags</li>
<li>The Dumpling Decoupling: Sheldon and Doctor Who
</li>
<li>The Mystery Date Observation: The Unlikely Dating Habits of Eggheads</li>
<li>And More!</li>
 This book is a light-hearted science companion to TV's The Big Bang Theory, providing you with just the kind of dissection of the science and culture you’d need to understand “math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries, that all started with the big bang! Hey!”

The Science of The Big Bang Theory: What America's Favorite Sitcom Can Teach You about Physics, Flags, and the Idiosyncrasies of Scientists

Television

Spy-Fi Culture with a License to Kill From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig,&nbsp;James Bond is the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time. Out-grossing Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the world's most iconic and international secret agent has a shelf life of almost six decades, from Dr. No to Spectre. As nuclear missile threats are replaced by a series of subtler threats in a globalized and digital world, Bond is with us still. In The Science of James Bond, we recognize the Bond franchise as a unique genre: spy-fi. A genre of film and fiction that fuses spy fiction with science fiction. We look at Bond's obsessions with super-villains, the future, and world domination or destruction. And we take a peek under the hood of trends in science and tech, often in the form of gadgets and spy devices in chapters such as: <ul> <li>Goldfinger: Man Has Achieved Miracles in All Fields but Crime!</li> <li>You Only Live Twice: The Race to Conquer Space</li> <li>Live and Let Die: Full Throttle: Bond and the Car</li> <li>Skyfall: The Science of Cyberterrorism</li> <li>And more!</li> </ul> This is the only James Bond companion that looks at the film and fiction in such a spy-fi way, taking in weapon wizards, the chemistry of death, threads of nuclear paranoia, and Bond baddies' obsession with the master race!

The Science of James Bond: The Super-Villains, Tech, and Spy-Craft Behind the Film and Fiction

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Brake, Mark. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Brake, Mark

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Brake, Mark. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Alien Life Imagined: Communicating the Science and Culture of Astrobiology

Alien Life Imagined: Communicating the Science and Culture of Astrobiology

Really, Really Big Questions About Space and Time

Really, Really Big Questions About Space and Time

Really, Really Big Questions About Space and Time

Alien Hunter's Handbook: How To Look For Extra-Terrestrial Life

Really Big Questions For Daring Thinkers: Space and Time (Really Really Big Questions)

The Science of Science Fiction: The Influence of Film and Fiction on the Science and Culture of Our Times

The Science of The Big Bang Theory: What America's Favorite Sitcom Can Teach You about Physics, Flags, and the Idiosyncrasies of Scientists

The Science of James Bond: The Super-Villains, Tech, and Spy-Craft Behind the Film and Fiction