![Space Oddities cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41YNRFRb6cL._SL500_.jpg)
Space Oddities
The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $23.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Harry Cliff
-
Written by:
-
Harry Cliff
About this listen
Experimental physicist at CERN and acclaimed science presenter Harry Cliff offers an eye-opening account of the inexplicable phenomena that science has only recently glimpsed, and that could transform our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality.
Something strange is going on in the cosmos. Scientists are uncovering a catalogue of weird phenomena that simply can’t be explained by our long-established theories of the universe. Particles with unbelievable energies are bursting from beneath the Antarctic ice. Unknown forces seem to be tugging on the basic building blocks of matter. Stars are flying away from us far faster than anyone can explain.
After decades of fruitless searching, could we finally be catching glimpses of a profound new view of our physical world? Or are we being fooled by cruel tricks of the data?
In Space Oddities, Harry Cliff, a physicist who does cutting-edge work on the Large Hadron Collider, provides a riveting look at the universe’s most confounding puzzles. In a journey that spans continents, from telescopes perched high above the Atacama Desert to the subterranean caverns of state-of-the-art particle colliders to balloons hovering over the frozen icesheets of the South Pole, he meets the men and women hunting for answers—who have staked their careers and reputations on the uncertain promise of new physics.
The result is a mind-expanding, of-the-moment look at the fields of physics and cosmology as they transform before us. With wonder, clarity, and a dose of humor, Cliff investigates the question: Are these anomalies accidents of nature, or could they be pointing us toward vast, hidden worlds?
*Includes a downloadable PDF of diagrams from the text
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2024 Harry Cliff (P)2024 Random House AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
Einstein's Unfinished Revolution
- The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum
- Written by: Lee Smolin
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A daring new vision of quantum theory from one of the leading minds of contemporary physics. In Einstein's Unfinished Revolution, theoretical physicist Lee Smolin provocatively argues that the problems that have bedeviled quantum physics since its inception are unsolved and unsolvable, for the simple reason that the theory is incomplete.
-
-
Fantastic, interesting, inspiring.
- By Anonymous User on 2019-07-09
Written by: Lee Smolin
-
The Little Book of Aliens
- Written by: Adam Frank
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone is curious about life in the Universe, UFOs and whether ET is out there. Over the course of his thirty-year career as an astrophysicist, Adam Frank has consistently been asked about the possibility of intelligent life in the universe. Are aliens real? Where are they? Why haven’t we found them? What happens if we do?
-
-
outstanding!
- By Jeff Wodd on 2025-02-05
Written by: Adam Frank
-
The World Behind the World
- Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science
- Written by: Erik Hoel
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout history, two perspectives on the world have dueled in our minds: the extrinsic—that of mechanism and physics—and the intrinsic—that of feelings, thoughts, and ideas. The intrinsic perspective allows us to tell stories about our lives, to chart our anger and our lust, to understand our psychologies. The extrinsic allows us to chart the physical world, to build upon it, and to travel across it. These perspectives have never been reconciled; they almost seem to exist on different planes of thought.
-
-
Fascinating and thought provoking
- By A. Rahmani on 2023-09-10
Written by: Erik Hoel
-
The History of Philosophy
- Written by: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 28 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of philosophy is an epic tale, spanning civilizations and continents. It explores some of the most creative minds in history. But not since the long-popular classic by Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy, published in 1945, has there been a comprehensive and entertaining single-volume history of this great, intellectual, world-shaping journey.
-
-
Even-handed Treatment of the History of Philosophy
- By MEM on 2021-06-12
Written by: A. C. Grayling
-
Is Earth Exceptional?
- The Quest for Cosmic Life
- Written by: Mario Livio PhD, Jack Szostak PhD
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a long time, scientists have wondered how life has emerged from inanimate chemistry, and whether Earth is the only place where it exists. Charles Darwin speculated about life on Earth beginning in a warm little pond. Some of his contemporaries believed that life existed on Mars. It once seemed inevitable that the truth would be known by now. It is not. For more than a century, the origins and extent of life have remained shrouded in mystery. But, as Mario Livio and Jack Szostak reveal in Is Earth Exceptional?, the veil is finally lifting.
Written by: Mario Livio PhD, and others
-
Metropolis
- A History of the City, Humankind's Greatest Invention
- Written by: Ben Wilson
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a captivating tour of cities famous and forgotten, acclaimed historian Ben Wilson tells the glorious, millennia-spanning story how urban living sparked humankind's greatest innovations.
-
-
Masterful!
- By Pierre Gauthier on 2021-03-29
Written by: Ben Wilson
-
Einstein's Unfinished Revolution
- The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum
- Written by: Lee Smolin
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A daring new vision of quantum theory from one of the leading minds of contemporary physics. In Einstein's Unfinished Revolution, theoretical physicist Lee Smolin provocatively argues that the problems that have bedeviled quantum physics since its inception are unsolved and unsolvable, for the simple reason that the theory is incomplete.
-
-
Fantastic, interesting, inspiring.
- By Anonymous User on 2019-07-09
Written by: Lee Smolin
-
The Little Book of Aliens
- Written by: Adam Frank
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone is curious about life in the Universe, UFOs and whether ET is out there. Over the course of his thirty-year career as an astrophysicist, Adam Frank has consistently been asked about the possibility of intelligent life in the universe. Are aliens real? Where are they? Why haven’t we found them? What happens if we do?
-
-
outstanding!
- By Jeff Wodd on 2025-02-05
Written by: Adam Frank
-
The World Behind the World
- Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science
- Written by: Erik Hoel
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout history, two perspectives on the world have dueled in our minds: the extrinsic—that of mechanism and physics—and the intrinsic—that of feelings, thoughts, and ideas. The intrinsic perspective allows us to tell stories about our lives, to chart our anger and our lust, to understand our psychologies. The extrinsic allows us to chart the physical world, to build upon it, and to travel across it. These perspectives have never been reconciled; they almost seem to exist on different planes of thought.
-
-
Fascinating and thought provoking
- By A. Rahmani on 2023-09-10
Written by: Erik Hoel
-
The History of Philosophy
- Written by: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 28 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of philosophy is an epic tale, spanning civilizations and continents. It explores some of the most creative minds in history. But not since the long-popular classic by Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy, published in 1945, has there been a comprehensive and entertaining single-volume history of this great, intellectual, world-shaping journey.
-
-
Even-handed Treatment of the History of Philosophy
- By MEM on 2021-06-12
Written by: A. C. Grayling
-
Is Earth Exceptional?
- The Quest for Cosmic Life
- Written by: Mario Livio PhD, Jack Szostak PhD
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a long time, scientists have wondered how life has emerged from inanimate chemistry, and whether Earth is the only place where it exists. Charles Darwin speculated about life on Earth beginning in a warm little pond. Some of his contemporaries believed that life existed on Mars. It once seemed inevitable that the truth would be known by now. It is not. For more than a century, the origins and extent of life have remained shrouded in mystery. But, as Mario Livio and Jack Szostak reveal in Is Earth Exceptional?, the veil is finally lifting.
Written by: Mario Livio PhD, and others
-
Metropolis
- A History of the City, Humankind's Greatest Invention
- Written by: Ben Wilson
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a captivating tour of cities famous and forgotten, acclaimed historian Ben Wilson tells the glorious, millennia-spanning story how urban living sparked humankind's greatest innovations.
-
-
Masterful!
- By Pierre Gauthier on 2021-03-29
Written by: Ben Wilson
-
The Beauty of What Remains
- How Our Greatest Fear Becomes Our Greatest Gift
- Written by: Steve Leder
- Narrated by: Steve Leder
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the senior rabbi of one of the largest synagogues in the world, Steve Leder has learned over and over again the many ways death teaches us how to live and love more deeply by showing us not only what is gone but also the beauty of what remains. This inspiring and comforting book takes us on a journey through the experience of loss that is fundamental to everyone.
-
-
Beautiful just Beautiful
- By David Russell on 2023-10-10
Written by: Steve Leder
-
The Blazing World
- A New History of Revolutionary England, 1603-1689
- Written by: Jonathan Healey
- Narrated by: Oliver Hembrough
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The seventeenth century was a revolutionary age for the English. It started as they suddenly found themselves ruled by a Scotsman, and it ended in the shadow of an invasion by the Dutch. Under James I, England suffered terrorism and witch panics. Under his son Charles, state and society collapsed into civil war, to be followed by an army coup and regicide. For a short time—for the only time in history—England was a republic. There were bitter struggles over faith and Parliament asserted itself like never before. There were no boundaries to politics.
Written by: Jonathan Healey
-
Reality Is Not What It Seems
- The Journey to Quantum Gravity
- Written by: Carlo Rovelli, Simon Carnell - translator, Erica Segre - translator
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times best-selling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time, and Helgoland, a closer look at the mind-bending nature of the Universe. What are the elementary ingredients of the world? Do time and space exist? And what exactly is reality? Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli has spent his life exploring these questions. He tells us how our understanding of reality has changed over the centuries and how physicists think about the structure of the Universe today.
-
-
Amazing!!!
- By Anonymous User on 2018-07-20
Written by: Carlo Rovelli, and others
-
Frostbite
- How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves
- Written by: Nicola Twilley
- Narrated by: Nicola Twilley
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the developed world, we’ve reaped the benefits of refrigeration for more than a century, but the costs are catching up with us. We’ve eroded our connection to our food and redefined what “fresh” means. More important, refrigeration is one of the leading contributors to climate change. As the developing world races to build a US-style cold chain, Twilley asks: Can we reduce our dependence on refrigeration? Should we?
Written by: Nicola Twilley
-
1774
- The Long Year of Revolution
- Written by: Mary Beth Norton
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From one of our most acclaimed and original colonial historians, a groundbreaking book - the first to look at the critical "long year" of 1774 and the revolutionary change that took place from December 1773 to mid-April 1775, from the Boston Tea Party and the First Continental Congress to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Written by: Mary Beth Norton
-
Scotland
- A History from Earliest Times
- Written by: Alistair Moffat
- Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart
- Length: 23 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Covering the Ice Age to the recent Scottish Referendum, the acclaimed historian and author explores the history of the Scottish nation. Focusing on key moments such as the Battle of Bannockburn and the Jacobite risings, Moffat also features other episodes in history that are perhaps less well documented. From prehistoric timber halls to inventions and literature, Moffat's epic explores the drama of battle, change, loss, and innovation interspersed with the lives of ordinary Scottish folk, the men and women who defined a nation.
-
-
Good history of Scotland
- By Adam D Patterson on 2023-12-15
Written by: Alistair Moffat
-
Four Hundred Souls
- A Community History of African America, 1619-2019
- Written by: Ibram X. Kendi - editor, Keisha N. Blain - editor
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A chorus of extraordinary voices comes together to tell one of history’s great epics: the 400-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present - edited by Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire.
-
-
Stunning; epic; necessary
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-12-26
Written by: Ibram X. Kendi - editor, and others
-
A Brief History of Intelligence
- Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains
- Written by: Max S. Bennett
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Equal parts Sapiens, Behave, and Superintelligence, but wholly original in scope, A Brief History of Intelligence offers a paradigm shift for how we understand neuroscience and AI. Artificial intelligence entrepreneur Max Bennett chronicles the five “breakthroughs” in the evolution of human intelligence and reveals what brains of the past can tell us about the AI of tomorrow.
-
-
Nicely researched.
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-05-31
Written by: Max S. Bennett
-
The Bird Way
- A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think
- Written by: Jennifer Ackerman
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ackerman
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"There is the mammal way and there is the bird way." But the bird way is much more than a unique pattern of brain wiring, and lately, scientists have taken a new look at bird behaviors they have, for years, dismissed as anomalies or mysteries - what they are finding is upending the traditional view of how birds conduct their lives, how they communicate, forage, court, breed, survive. They are also revealing the remarkable intelligence underlying these activities, abilities we once considered uniquely our own.
-
-
Wow
- By Paul J. Lane on 2021-07-25
Written by: Jennifer Ackerman
-
The Berlin Wall
- August 13, 1961 - November 9, 1989
- Written by: Frederick Taylor
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 21 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the morning of August 13, 1961, the residents of East Berlin found themselves cut off from family, friends, and jobs in the West by a tangle of barbed wire that ruthlessly split a city of four million in two. Within days the barbed-wire entanglement would undergo an extraordinary metamorphosis: It became an imposing 103-mile-long wall guarded by 300 watchtowers. A physical manifestation of the struggle between Soviet Communism and American capitalism that stood for nearly 30 years, the Berlin Wall was the high-risk fault line between East and West.
Written by: Frederick Taylor
-
The Psychology of Totalitarianism
- Written by: Mattias Desmet
- Narrated by: Dan Crue
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Totalitarianism is not a coincidence and does not form in a vacuum. It arises from a collective psychosis that has followed a predictable script throughout history. In The Psychology of Totalitarianism, world-renowned Professor of Clinical Psychology Mattias Desmet deconstructs the societal conditions that allow this collective psychosis to take hold. By looking at our current situation and identifying the phenomenon of “mass formation”—a type of collective hypnosis—he clearly illustrates how close we are to surrendering to totalitarian regimes.
-
-
Powerfully informative and inspiring of hope.
- By Pyper Weiss on 2022-10-10
Written by: Mattias Desmet
-
The Anatomy of Anxiety
- Understanding and Overcoming the Body's Fear Response
- Written by: Ellen Vora
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anxiety affects more than forty million Americans—a number that continues to climb in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While conventional medicine tends to view anxiety as a “neck-up” problem—that is, one of brain chemistry and psychology—the truth is that the origins of anxiety are rooted in the body. In The Anatomy of Anxiety, holistic psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora offers nothing less than a paradigm shift in our understanding of anxiety and mental health, suggesting that anxiety is not simply a brain disorder but a whole-body condition.
-
-
Very informative
- By sm on 2022-05-09
Written by: Ellen Vora
What the critics say
"[Cliff] is also an engaging writer, with a keen ear for the fun metaphor and an observant eye when describing the scientific milieu in which he operates. . . . Mr. Cliff splendidly captures the behind-the-scenes experiences that are rarely reported on." —The Wall Street Journal
"Space Oddities is as fascinating as its title suggests. Anomalies are always interesting, sometimes fascinating, and occasionally revelatory, and Harry Cliff recounts with vivid clarity the stories of some of the most striking oddnesses that have lit up the landscape of modern physics. I enjoyed it enormously." —Philip Pullman, New York Times bestselling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy
"Many of us laugh at the implausible cosmologies believed by our medieval and ancient forebears. Dr. Cliff lays out the gaps and anomalies at the edge of modern science, which may make the best theories of today look as quaint as those of long ago." —Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, New York Times bestselling authors of A City on Mars
What listeners say about Space Oddities
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2025-01-26
This was great!!!!
Loved the style of this book, was so awesome!!! Highly recommend it!!! Check it out!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!