7 December 2011, 4 pm
Michael Brooks "The Secret Anarchy of Science"
The public perception of the scientist is of a cool, logical and level-headed individual, but many of the world’s most successful scientists have more in common with libertines than librarians. Some of science’s greatest moments came from those who played fast and loose with data and research ethics, got into vicious fights and even took drugs just to get ahead. Making the most brilliant discoveries, and bringing them to the world's attention, often requires nothing short of anarchy.
Michael Brooks, who holds a PhD in quantum physics, is a consultant at New Scientist magazine, writes a weekly column for the New Statesman and is a Huffington Post UK blogger. He is the author of Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science and the bestselling non-fiction title 13 Things That Don't Make Sense.
