Lindley, David 1956-

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LINDLEY, David 1956-

PERSONAL:

Born 1956. Education: Earned Ph.D. (astrophysics).

ADDRESSES:

Home—Washington, DC, area. Agent—c/o Author Mail, National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street NW, Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055.

CAREER:

Author and physicist. Worked as a scientist at Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, England, and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL. Also worked as quizmaster for Sounds like Science (weekly radio program); former senior editor, Science magazine.

WRITINGS:

The End of Physics: The Myth of a Unified Theory, Basic Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Where Does the Weirdness Go? Why Quantum Mechanics Is Strange, but Not as Strange as You Think, Basic Books (New York, NY), 1996.

(With Rob DeSalle) The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World; or, How to Build a Dinosaur, Basic Books (New York, NY), 1997.

The Quantum World, Reed Business Information (London, England), 1998.

(Editor, with T. Harvey Moore) Webster's New World Dictionary of Science, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1998.

Boltzmann's Atom: The Great Debate That Launched a Revolution in Physics, Free Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Degrees Kelvin: A Tale of Genius, Invention, and Tragedy (biography), Joseph Henry Press (Washington, DC), 2004.

Author of articles for magazines, including Discover, New Scientist, and Nature.

SIDELIGHTS:

David Lindley began his career as a research scientist but soon turned his efforts to writing about physics and physicists. His first book, The End of Physics: The Myth of a Unified Theory, was published in 1993 and deals with the historical development of modern physics and the scientific search for a unified mathematical theory that would be able to make sense of the entire physical world, that is, all the fundamental forces of nature. Lindley argues that such a theory is unlikely to be developed and that scientists must be careful not to make compromises by forgoing sound scientific observation and empirically verifiable data in their quest to produce such a theory. The consequence, according to Lindley, would be bad science. For example, as pointed out by Jeffrey Marsh in a review in Commentary, the author "discusses how theorists hope to be able to include gravitation—a phenomenon that has long eluded quantum mechanics—in their 'theory of everything' by making use of fashionable 'superstring' concepts. And he shows … just how unobservable these concepts really are." A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that "Lindley's study has rare expository grace and verve."

In Where Does the Weirdness Go? Why Quantum Mechanics Is Strange, but Not as Strange as You Think Lindley discusses the complex and far-reaching revolution in quantum mechanics, a field in which physicists have produced mathematical evidence that the underlying reality of nature, or the subatomic world, is dependent largely on the observer. Writing in Sciences, reviewer Laurence A. Marschall commented, "Physicists have long acknowledged that the observer plays an important role in the measurement process, but they have always assumed that whatever is being measured exists independent of the observer." In quantum mechanics, however, the act of observing and recording a process has a profound effect on the ambiguous behavior of the subatomic particles involved. As noted by James Morris in a review in Wilson Quarterly, "measurement itself gives definition to quantities that were previously indefinite. That is, a quantity has no meaning until it is measured. The primal state is indeterminism." Lindley tackles this complex and "weird" topic—a topic with which many physicists themselves feel uncomfortable—by discussing both the fundamental theories of quantum physics, such as the Copenhagen interpretation, and the various attempts to develop alternative formulations that involve a more familiar, or concrete, reality. Marschall remarked that "readers will surely enjoy his book and learn much from it." In his Wilson Quarterly review, Morris wrote that, "What is surprising is that a scientist should undertake to explain quantum mechanics to the general reader, and that he should succeed as well as David Lindley has."

Lindley turned to a scientific explanation of science fiction in his book The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World; or, How to Build a Dinosaur, written with Rob DeSalle. The idea of cloning dinosaurs from ancient DNA—deoxyribonucleic acid, the chromosomal constituent of cells—is the theme behind author Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and the movies that the novel spawned. Lindley and his coauthor delve into the question of whether or not it is scientifically possible to achieve such a feat. The authors look at how scientists might try to clone dinosaurs and the various obstacles to success, which they conclude are probably insurmountable. They also detail how both Crichton and the subsequent screenwriters use "scientific license" that strays from what cloning actually involves and what could conceivably be accomplished in the field. Noting that Lindley and DeSalle "do a commendable job of looking at all aspects of dinosaur life," a Publishers Weekly contributor went on to comment, "Along the way they present … much information about the life sciences." Peter Dodson wrote in Science that "the weakest aspect of the book is the dinosaur paleontology itself" but concluded with a recommendation of The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World as "a skillful presentation of science, especially molecular biology, to a general readership." Greg Sapp, writing in Library Journal, noted that "The authors take a critical approach, questioning every premise and exposing presumptions," while in Booklist Ray Olson praised Lindley and DeSalle for their ability to "relay a lot of technological and, yes, scientific knowledge as painlessly—and entertainingly—as possible."

Lindley turned his efforts to telling the tragic story of brilliant Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann in Boltzmann's Atom: The Great Debate That Launched a Revolution in Physics. Boltzmann was controversial for proposing that matter consisted of atoms and molecules, a belief that was still being debated in 1897. Lindley recounts Boltzmann's contributions to prove the existence of atoms, and also tells the story of the birth of modern physics, which owes a large debt to Boltzmann's development of statistical techniques that helped consolidate physicists' understanding of thermodynamics, the study of the relationship between heat and other forms of energy. Boltzmann's efforts in theoretical physics, however, were repudiated by many of his colleagues at the time. He committed suicide in 1906 probably without having read Albert Einstein's studies supporting his own view of subatomic reality.

Noting that "throughout the book Lindley describes the new atomic perspective of Boltzmann and others in imaginative ways," Marcia Bartusiak, writing in the Washington Post, commented, "With Boltzmann's Atom, Lindley gives us a unique look at science in the raw." Library Journal contributor James Olson praised the book as "Scholarly but accessible," adding: "this well-written work reveals the story's drama." In a review in Booklist, Bryce Christensen commented that Lindley avoids the "mathematical complexities" involved in Boltzmann's efforts while conveying "a fully nuanced sense of the obstacles—conceptual, personal, and professional—that Boltzmann had to surmount."

Lindley writes about another brilliant but tragic physicist in his 2004 book Degrees Kelvin: A Tale of Genius, Invention, and Tragedy. This biography tells the story of William Thomson, a successful and celebrated man who while hailed as Britain's greatest scientist during the nineteenth century, has since been largely forgotten. Publishing his first scientific paper at the age of sixteen, Thomson was the first scientist to be knighted, recognized for such work as the transformation of heat into work and the conservation of energy. After being knighted, Thomson became known as Lord Kelvin; the term "Kelvin" is now used to describe one of the temperature scales. Thomson also is credited with establishing the scientific foundation for underwater telegraph cables, which earned him a fortune. After 1870, however, Thomson, who never concentrated on one area of science for long, was soon left behind in his scientific thinking and largely ignored by his colleagues, many of whom he had treated badly. Kenneth Silverman, writing in Wilson Quarterly, commented that Lindley "reveals little about Thomson's day-to-day existence and does not try to dramatize his personality" but noted that the author "thoughtfully evaluates the 'tragedy'" of Thomson eventually being relegated to relative obscurity. A Science News contributor wrote that Lindley "looks to revive some of Kelvin's legacy and eloquently does so while explaining the scientific principles that Kelvin discovered." In a Booklist review, Gilbert Taylor concluded, "Wherever science biographies are popular, Lindley's perceptive work will be, too."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Scientist, March, 2001, review of Boltzmann's Atom: The Great Debate That Launched a Revolution in Physics, p. 174.

Booklist, December 1, 1994, Donna Seaman, review of The End of Physics: The Myth of a Unified Theory, p. 645; April 1, 1997, Ray Olson review of The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World; or, How to Build a Dinosaur, p. 1266; January 1, 2001, Bryce Christensen, review of Boltzmann's Atom, p. 892; February 1, 2004, Gilbert Taylor, review of Degrees Kelvin: A Tale of Genius, Invention, and Tragedy, p. 939.

Commentary, November, 1993, Jeffrey Marsh, review of The End of Physics: The Myth of a Unified Theory, p. 48.

History: Review of New Books, summer, 2004, Elizabeth Garber, review of Degrees Kelvin, p. 143.

Journal of the American Medical Association, September 22-29, 2004, Saty Satya-Murti, review of Degrees Kelvin, p. 1494.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2003, review of Degrees Kelvin, p. 1394.

Library Journal, May 1, 1997, Gregg Sapp, review of The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World, p. 134; December, 2000, James Olson, review of Boltzmann's Atom, p. 182; February 1, 2004, Margaret F. Dominy, review of Degrees Kelvin, p. 119.

New York Times, August 1, 1996, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, review of Where Does the Weirdness Go? Why Quantum Mechanics Is Strange, but Not as Strange as You Think, section C, p. 16.

Publishers Weekly, May 17, 1993, review of The End of Physics, p. 61; May 12, 1997, review of The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World, p. 69; November 13, 2000, review of Boltzmann's Atom, p. 94; December 22, 2003, review of Degrees Kelvin, p. 46.

Quarterly Review of Biology, September, 1999, Gregory A. Wray, review of The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World, p. 335.

Science, August 1, 1997, Peter Dodson, review of The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World, p. 644; March 30, 2001, Leo P. Kadanoff, review of Boltzmann's Atom, p. 2553.

Science News, April 17, 2004, review of Degrees Kelvin, p. 255.

Sciences, September-October, 1996, Laurence A. Marschall, review of Where Does the Weirdness Go?, p. 44.

Skeptical Inquirer, November-December, 1997, Terence Hines, review of The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World, p. 54.

U.S. News & World Report, December 18, 2000, Jay Tolson, review of Boltzmann's Atom, p. 54.

Washington Post, January 28, 2001, Marcia Bartusiak, review of Boltzmann's Atom, section T, p. 6; February 8, 2004, review of Degrees Kelvin, section T, p. 13.

Wilson Quarterly, autumn, 1993, review of The End of Physics, p. 85; autumn, 1996, James Morris, review of Where Does the Weirdness Go?, p. 96; summer, 2001, George Johnson, review of Boltzmann's Atom, p. 121; summer, 2004, Kenneth Silverman, review of Degrees Kelvin, p. 123.