12 Essential Scientific Concepts

Operating under the premise that the purpose of science is to understand the universe and enrich human experience, neuroscientist Viskontas delivers a series of 24 half-hour lectures examining a range of scientific concepts including cell biology, neuroanatomy, fluid mechanics, chemistry, atomic theory, and quantum physics. Curiously, no rationale is given as to which of these concepts is "essential" or why. What is presented is an overwhelming barrage of facts and speculation. More troubling, the lectures seem uncertain as to the level of the audience's scientific sophistication. The talks on evolution, for example, would work well in an advanced high school biology class. The lecture on atomic structure, on the other hand, presupposes extensive grounding in particle physics. The lectures themselves are delivered clearly and occasionally entertainingly, with a minimum of pedagogical droning.