42 Reasons to Hate the Universe (and One Reason Not To)

Physicist Ferrie (Quantum Bullsh*t) teams up with Sci-gasm podcasters and Pranklab coauthors Fairclough and LaGinestra to present an irreverent survey of unsettling scientific findings and ideas. “We are programmed to be selfish pricks,” the authors contend (reason number 6 to hate the universe), arguing that pandemic-era toilet paper hoarding stemmed from humanity’s evolutionarily ingrained zero-risk bias, which describes how people, when faced with “elevated risk... beyond their control,” attempt to control less severe dangers to shore up their chances of survival, even at others’ expense. At the authors’ best, they use humor to enliven informative scientific discussions. A chapter on why “sex sucks” highlights some of the more harrowing mating rituals of the animal kingdom, noting that a male antechinus, a small Australian marsupial, will engage in marathon 14-hour love-making sessions with females until “he exhausts himself and eventually goes blind, just like your grandmother warned you could happen.” Elsewhere, jokes take the place of more substantial discussion. For instance, a primer on the theory that humans live in a Matrix-like simulation doesn’t include much readers even vaguely familiar with “simulation theory” haven’t already considered. This is fun, if light on substance. (Feb.)