We Are All Stardust

scientists who shaped our world talk about their work, their lives, and what they still want to know
Stefan Klein (trans. Ross Benjamin)

‘[Klein’s] interview subjects explain their science clearly and display their passions vividly, making this an engaging introduction to a great breadth of scientific topics.’

American Scientist

‘Strongly recommended for biography readers and science enthusiasts who want to take a look at what events have shaped the lives of influential scientists, and how their scientific discoveries have changed the way they see the world.’

Universe Today

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‘[A] comprehensive book of ideas, distilled in language that even a layperson can understand.’

Thuy On, Sunday Age

‘Klein has chosen an eclectic group to tackle everything from expected questions about their areas of study to issues concerning religion, morality, pain, and parenthood … He is exceedingly well read in the work of his interviewees, and they exchange ideas with ease, moving readily from deeply technical concepts to pop culture, making for an exceedingly welcome volume that will expose readers to all manner of topics that are likely new to them in a manner that focuses first on the lively personalities of the scientists, while slowly diving into their work … Truly enjoyable.’

Booklist

‘If you want to get a glimpse of the workings of some great minds — and find out how a trip in a sports car led to a Novel Prize and what Lord Rees nearly ended up doing for a living — this is the book for you.’

BBC Focus

‘This work will enthral popular science lovers and STEM enthusiasts.’

Library Journal

‘The dazzling clutch of scientific minds caught in mid-thought here makes for a read that provokes thought in its turn … This collection sees science writer Stefan Klein interview the likes of anthropologist Sarah Hrdy and astronomer Martin Rees. Delights abound.’

Barbara Kiser, Nature

World-leading natural and social scientists shed light on their discoveries and lives in conversation with an award-winning science writer.

When acclaimed science writer Stefan Klein asks Nobel Prize-winning chemist Roald Hoffmann what sets scientists apart, Hoffmann says, ‘First and foremost, curiosity.’ In this collection of intimate conversations with 19 of the world’s best-known scientists, Klein lets us listen in as today’s leading minds reveal what they still hope to discover — and how their paradigm-changing work entwines with their lives outside the lab.

From the sports car that physicist Steven Weinberg says helped him on his quest for ‘the theory of everything’ to the jazz musicians who gave psychologist Alison Gopnik new insight into raising children, scientists explain how they find inspiration everywhere. Hear from evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins on selfishness; anthropologist Sarah Hrdy on motherhood; primatologist Jane Goodall on animal behaviour; neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran on consciousness; geographer Jared Diamond on chance in history; and other luminaries!

‘[Klein’s] interview subjects explain their science clearly and display their passions vividly, making this an engaging introduction to a great breadth of scientific topics.’

American Scientist

Universe Today

View all reviews

‘[A] comprehensive book of ideas, distilled in language that even a layperson can understand.’

Thuy On, Sunday Age

Booklist

BBC Focus

‘This work will enthral popular science lovers and STEM enthusiasts.’

Library Journal

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 210mm × 140mm

Extent:288pp

ISBN (13):9781925106992

RRP:$27.99

Pub date:18 Nov 2015

Rights Held: UK & Commonwealth

Rights Sold: India (Speaking Tiger)

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

2016 Australian Book Design Association Awards, The Affirm Press Best Designed Non-Fiction Book - Short-listed

CATEGORIES / tags

AUTHOR

Stefan Klein

Stefan Klein, PhD, has studied physics and analytical philosophy and holds a doctorate in biophysics. After several years as an academic researcher, he turned to writing about science for a general audience. From 1996 to 1999 he was an editor at Der Spiegel, Germany’s leading news magazine, and in 1998 he won the prestigious Georg von Holtzbrinck Prize for Science Journalism. Today Klein is recognised as one of Europe’s most influential science writers and journalists. His interviews with the world’s leading scientists are a regular feature in Germany’s Zeit magazine. His books, which have been translated into more than 25 languages, include the #1 international bestseller The Science of Happiness, The Secret Pulse of Time, and Leonardo’s Legacy. A frequent speaker and university guest lecturer, he lives with his family in Berlin.

TRANSLATOR

Ross Benjamin

Ross Benjamin is a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow. He has received the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize as well as a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship for Translation. He is currently at work on a translation of Franz Kafka’s complete Diaries, to be published by Liveright/Norton.