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Amanda Gefter

science writer

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Amanda Gefter

I am a physics writer and consultant for New Scientist magazine, where I previously served as Books & Arts editor and founded CultureLab , New Scientist’s books and arts blog. I am currently embarking on the wonderfully terrifying task of writing a book, which will be published by Random House in 2013.

I frequently write about physics and cosmology for New Scientist. I am also interested in neuroscience, philosophy of mind and the relationship between science and religion. I have a passion for literature and modern art.

In addition to New Scientist, I have written for Scientific American, Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Mercury, Forbes and the Philadelphia Inquirer. I have given invited talks about science journalism at Harvard and MIT.

I have a Masters degree in the Philosophy and History of Science from the London School of Economics and I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

blog

Blog

No Frame

Image: Joe Kitsch

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colliderscope

banana

music evolve

Spots

I blog about the intersections of books, art and science at

New Scientist's CultureLab

Check out a selection of posts here. Click on each one to read it in full.

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features

Features

Cover story, New Scientist 6 August 2011

"Why does time's arrow fly only one way?" New Scientist, 8 October 2011

"Countdown to the theory of everything" New Scientist, 8 October 2011

feature_multiverse

Cover story New Scientist, 5 March 2010

5D

feature_5d

New Scientist, 25 August 2009

feature_antimatter

New Scientist, 25 April 2009

feature_darkflow

New Scientist, 24 January 2009

feature_4routes

Cover story New Scientist, 2 May 2008

feature_darkenergy

Cover story New Scientist, 8 March 2008

feature_timesup

Cover story New Scientist, 19 January 2008

string theory fight

feature_stringtheoryfights

Cover story New Scientist, 14 July 2007

feature_quantumundemolition

Cover story New Scientist, 12 May 2007

fractal $feature_fractal$

Cover story New Scientist, 9 March 2007

feature_einsteinspin

Cover story New Scientist, 20 January 2007

citypaper

Cover story Philadelphia Citypaper, 7 September 2006

feature_hawking

Cover story New Scientist, 22 April 2006

feature_riddle

Cover story New Scientist, 13 Oct 2005

sky and tel skyandtel

skyandtel

Cover story Sky and Telescope, July 2005

liquid universe

feature_liquid

Cover story New Scientist, 16 Oct 2004

feature_bojowald

Cover story New Scientist, 20 March 2004

feature_darkenergy

Cover story Mercury, September 2003

feature_fotini

Scientific American, Dec 2002

Click on each image to read the full article

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Book reviews

Believing Brain

Review of The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer New Scientist, 28 May 2011

Shadows Bright as Glass

Review of Shadows Bright as Glass by Amy Ellis Nutt New Scientist, 30 April 2011

Review of Biopunk by Mark Wohlsen Technology Review, 21 April 2011

Kaku future review_kaku_future

review_kaku_future

Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku New Scientist, 19 March 2011

looking glass club

review_lookingglassclub

The Looking Glass Club by Gruff Davies New Scientist, 25 Dec 2010

review_hidden reality

The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene New Scientist, 9 Feb 2011

Royal Society 2010

review_royalsociety2010

Royal Society Science Writing Shortlist New Scientist, 28 August 2010

review_grandboldthing

A Grand and Bold Thing by Ann Finkbeiner New Scientist, 21 August 2010

review_nonsense

Nonsense on Stilts by Massimo Pigliucci New Scientist, 22 May 2010

30 Second Theories

review_30seconds

30 Second Theories edited by Paul Parsons New Scientist, 22 May 2010

Brain and Meaning

review_brainmeaninglife

The Brain and the Meaning of Life by Paul Thagard New Scientist, 17 April 2010

Little String Theory

review_littlestringtheory

The Little Book of String Theory by Steven Gubser New Scientist, 27 March 2010

review_36arguments

36 Arguments for the Existence of God by Rebecca Goldstein New Scientist, 30 January 2010

physics_dog

How to Teach Physics to Your Dog by Chad Orzel New Scientist, 23 December 2009

review_atheistxmas

The Atheist's Guide to Christmas edited by Ariane Sherine New Scientist, 15 December 2009

best sci writing 09

review_bestsciwriting09

Best American Science and Technology Writing 2009 New Scientist, 31 October 2009

Generosity inquirer_generosity

inquirer_generosity

Generosity by Richard Powers Philadelphia Inquirer, 11 Oct 2009

review_tormentedhope

Tormented Hope by Brian Dillon New Scientist, 3 October 2009

Before the Big Bang

review_beforebigbang

Before the Big Bang by Brian Clegg New Scientist, 22 August 2009

Royal Society 09

review_royalsociety09

Royal Society Science Writing Shortlist New Scientist, 11 July 2009

review_whatsnext

What's Next edited by Max Brockman New Scientist, 9 June 2009

review_invisiblecows

Beware Invisible Cows by Andy Martin New Scientist, 6 June 2009

review_quantumgods

Quantum Gods by Victor Stenger New Scientist, 18 April 2009

review_galileosjail

Galileo Goes to Jail edited by Ronald Numbers New Scientist, 4 April 2009

Einstein Telescope

review_einsteinstelescope

Einstein's Telescope by Evalyn Gates New Scientist, 21 February 2009

review_antimatter

Antimatter by Frank Close New Scientist, 20 February 2009

Evolutionary Writings

review_darwin

Evolutionary Writings by Charles Darwin New Scientist, 7 February 2009

review_searchoftime

In Search of Time by Dan Falk New Scientist, 8 November 2008

review_wilczek

The Lightness of Being by Frank Wilczek New Scientist, 20 September 2008

Idiots String Theory

review_idiotsstringtheory

The Complete Idiot's Guide to String Theory by George Musser New Scientist, 28 July 2008

review_riffingonstrings

Riffing on Strings edited by Sean Miller and Shveta Verma New Scientist, 19 July 2008

review_blackholewar

The Black Hole War by Leonard Susskind

New Scientist, 5 July 2008

review_wraparound

The Wraparound Universe by Jean-Pierre Luminet New Scientist, 16 February 2008

stubborn illusion

review_stubborn

A Stubbornly Persistent Illusion edited by Stephen Hawking New Scientist, 16 February 2008

very special relativity

review_veryspecialrelativity

Very Special Relativity by Sander Bais New Scientist, 10 November 2007

review_darwinsangel

Darwin's Angel by John Cornwell New Scientist, 22 September 2007

review_bodyhasamind

The Body Has a Mind of Its Own by Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee New Scientist, 15 September 2007

review_manyworlds

Many Worlds in One by Alex Vilenkin New Scientist, 12 Aug 2006

review_bestsci

The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2005 edited by Jonathan Weiner New Scientist, 15 Oct 2005

book_planets

The Planets by Dava Sobel New Scientist, 10 Sept 2005

Click on each image to read the full article

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opinion

Opinion

detente

agenda column
opinion_agenda

opinion_agenda

Guest column New Scientist, 28 February 2009

multiverse column

column_multiverse

Guest column New Scientist, 6 December 2008

void

creativity

little green men

green_men

inquirer genetics opinion_genetics

opinion_genetics

Philadelphia Inquirer, 13 April 2008

id proponents

ethics

trouble cosmology

trouble cosmology

inquirer string inquirer_string theory

inquirer_string theory

Philadelphia Inquirer, 5 Feb 2006

Click on each image to read the full article

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Interviews

Interview with Brian Greene New Scientist, 7 Feb 2011

interview_kevinnelson

Interview with Kevin Nelson New Scientist, 25 Dec 2010

interview_coover

Interview with Robert Coover New Scientist, 13 November 2010

interview_samharris

Interview with Sam Harris New Scientist, 16 October 2010

interview_timtaylor

Interview with Timothy Taylor New Scientist, 21 August 2010

interview_rifkin

Interview with Jeremy Rifkin New Scientist, 13 February 2010

interview_lancebecker

Interview with Lance Becker New Scientist, 13 October 2007

interview_burgess

Interview with Lowry Burgess New Scientist, 26 May 2007

interview_chapman

Interview with Matthew Chapman New Scientist, 31 March 2007

interview_marvinminsky

Interview with Marvin Minsky New Scientist, 24 February 2007

interview_deutsch

Interview with David Deutsch New Scientist, 9 Dec 2006

interview_susskind

Interview with Leonard Susskind New Scientist, 17 Dec 2005

interview_thooft

Interview with Gerard 't Hooft New Scientist, 3 Sept 2005

Click on each image to read the full article

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news

News

Fermilab update

Tevatron's mystery signal grows stronger New Scientist, 1 June 2011

Mystery signal at Fermilab hints at 'technicolour' force New Scientist, 13 April 2011

What if supersymmetry is wrong? New Scientist, 15 March 2011

chiral gravitons

news_chiral gravitons

New Scientist, 5 March 2011

news_multiverse

How many is the multiverse? New Scientist, 28 October 2009

war on brain news_declaringwaronbrain

news_declaringwaronbrain

Special report New Scientist, 25 October 2008

news_classconflict

Special Report New Scientist, 12 July 2008

wheeler

earliest galaxy

news_earliest galaxies

Astronomy, 1 May 2004

news_galaxy start

Astronomy, 17 February 2004

news_fast jets

Astronomy, 29 January 2004

news_magnetic planet

Astronomy, 17 January 2004

news_pulsars

Astronomy, 15 December 2003

news_dark energy

Astronomy, 23 December 2003

earthlike planets

news_earthlike

Astronomy, 22 December 2003

distant supernovae

news_distant supernovae

Astronomy, 26 October 2003

Click on each image to read the full article

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Art reviews

measure for measure

art_measureformeasure

Measure for Measure at LA's MOCA New Scientist, 7 October 2010

art_isff

Imagine Science Film Festival New Scientist, 16 October 2010

art_et

Seeing Around by Edward Tufte CultureLab, 3 February 2010

dj spooky

DJ Spooky's Terra Nova New Scientist, 16 November 2009

green aria

Scent Opera, Guggenheim New Scientist, 5 June 2009

art_kurzweilfilmreview

Transcendent Man by Barry Ptolemy New Scientist, 9 May 2009

art_expelled

Expelled by Nathan Frankowski New Scientist, 12 April 2008

review_inconvenient

Review of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth New Scientist, 8 July 2006

review_dodos

Flock of Dodos by Randy Olson New Scientist, 3 June 2006

review_pods

Safe: Design takes on risk at the MoMA New Scientist, 17 Dec 2005

Click on each image to read the full article

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Essays

Essays

Invited response to the 2012 Edge Annual Question: What is your favorite deep, elegant or beautiful explanation? 15 January 2012, Edge.org

edge crop

Invited response to 2011 Edge Annual Question: What scientific concept would improve everybody's cognitive toolkit? 15 Jan 2011, Edge.org

essay_storytelling

New Scientist, 13 November 2010

essay_online

New Scientist, 16 Sept 2006

essay_einstein

New Scientist, 10 Dec 2005

Click on each image to read the full article

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©Amanda Gefter 2010