Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown First Edition,

Michael Shermer explores the boundaries between established science and the unknown through fourteen essays. The collection examines how personal barriers and biases influence scientific inquiry, particularly when researchers investigate unfamiliar territory. Shermer presents varied scenarios: a scientist posing as a psychic, an athlete testing the effects of rituals and mental focus, a historian analyzing data about the Bounty mutiny, a son investigating alternative medicine for his mother's cancer, and a skeptic applying critical examination to science itself. The essays address fundamental questions about what is known and unknown, how science handles controversy and uncertainty, and the process by which theories become accepted fact. The book considers heretical ideas about the universe's boundaries and draws lessons from Star Trek about chance and time. Throughout, Shermer examines how humans perceive news and history, offering perspectives on topics ranging from breast implants to historical events.