Natural History of the Present
Rob Brooks – Evolutionary Biologist & Author
Teaching writing in a single two-hour tutorial seemed a cushy assignment, even if that tutorial repeated eight times over two days. Until I started giving it some thought. What the hell do you teach a group of bright, ambitious students about writing if you only have a two-hour tutorial period?
Despite awful pop stereotypes about scientists slaving away to uncover monolithic truths about the universe, disagreeing only occasionally when a new theory comes along, reality turns out to be far more complicated. We scientists have to break problems down into smaller parts, dissecting one aspect of the observable world at a time. Occasionally, researchers working on different problems, or coming from different backgrounds, discover just how different they are and just how messy the reality they are observing can be. The encounter often undermines old certainties, and it can leave scars.
My second book is to be published by NewSouth Books (Australia and New Zealand) on 1 May 2021. Columbia University Press are publishing it in the remainder of the English-Speaking World.
Here are some snippets from blurbs and from independent reviews, together with information on places to preorder or buy the book.