A unique guide to growing up perfectly weird and perfectly happy, by Dr Camilla Pang who was diagnosed with autism age 8 and was the youngest person and first writer of colour to win the Royal Society Science Book Prize for her book, Explaining Humans.
An instruction manual for life, love, and relationships by a brilliant young scientist whose Asperger's syndrome allows her—and us—to see ourselves differently and improve our humanity. Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at eight, Camilla Pang struggled to comprehend her surroundings. Seeking guidance, she asked her mother for a human instruction manual. Lacking a blueprint for life, Pang began crafting her own using the language of science. This lifelong endeavor culminated in a unique exploration of human nature and social norms, beneficial even to neurotypical thinkers. Pang employs scientific principles to analyze everyday interactions: how machine learning aids in rational decision-making; the significance of protein bonds in embracing individual differences for diverse groups; the importance of thermodynamics in prioritizing balance over perfection; and how prisms refracting light can help manage fears and anxieties by breaking them into manageable "wavelengths." Pang's distinctive viewpoint reveals much about our identities and behaviors, serving as a captivating guide to living a more fulfilling and connected life.
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at eight, Dr. Camilla Pang sought to understand the world around her. In her quest for clarity, she asked her mother for an instruction manual for humans, only to realize that no such blueprint existed. Undeterred, she began crafting her own understanding. With a PhD in Bioinformatics, Camilla analyzes social customs and explores the essence of humanity through a scientific lens. This work delves into everyday interactions, examining how we make decisions, navigate conflicts, form relationships, and adhere to etiquette. Her exploration provides a unique perspective on human nature and the peculiarities of social norms, offering insights from an outsider's viewpoint. In doing so, Camilla reveals much about ourselves—who we are and why we behave as we do. This fascinating guide encourages readers to reflect on their own lives and relationships, ultimately aiming to foster a more connected and fulfilling existence. Through her original and incisive analysis, she invites us to rethink our understanding of human interactions and to embrace the complexities of our social world.
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her and the way people worked. Desperate for a solution, Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult. But, without the blueprint to life she was hoping for, Camilla began to create her own. Now armed with a PhD in biochemistry, Camilla dismantles our obscure social customs and identifies what it really means to be human using her unique expertise and a language she knows best: science. Through a set of scientific principles, this book examines life's everyday interactions including: decisions and the route we take to make them; conflict and how we can avoid it; relationships and how we establish them; etiquette and how we conform to it.
How to Think Like a Scientist, Learn to Fail and Embrace the Unknown
Exploring the complexities of scientific discovery, Dr. Camilla Pang shares her insights on the journey from observation to breakthrough. She emphasizes that understanding the world is only part of the scientific narrative, highlighting the role of failure and unexpected paths. By examining contemporary scientific mysteries, Pang illustrates how leading scientists can inspire personal growth in observation, hypothesis, and exploration, encouraging readers to apply these principles to their own lives.
A unique guide to growing up happy, through the twin lenses of autism and scientific curiosity, by Dr Camilla Pang, who was diagnosed with ASD aged 8, and was the youngest person and first writer of colour to win the Royal Society Science Book Prize.
A scientist’s journey from observation to discovery is anything but straightforward. It is littered with failure, unexpected diversions and joyous realizations. Science helps us to understand ourselves – but what we know about the world around us, what has already been explored and discovered, is only half of science’s story.Dr Camilla Pang will look at some of the biggest mysteries facing science today and how some of the best, most cutting-edge scientists can illuminate our own approaches to observation, hypothesis, exploration, troubleshooting and discovery in our own lives. Breakthrough explores the frontier between what we do and don’t know about the where knowledge meets mystery, complexity overwhelms certainty, and the vastness of our universe unspools the logic of science's established laws.There's a scientist hidden inside all of us. Science's greatest gift to us is not formulae but enabling the urge to discover that makes us truly human.
Nagroda Royal Society 2020 dla najlepszej książki popularnonaukowej. Dr Camilla Pang, jako ośmiolatka, otrzymała diagnozę zaburzeń ze spektrum autyzmu, ADHD i zespołu lęku uogólnionego. Nie rozumiała ludzkich zachowań ani emocji, czując, że nie ma instrukcji obsługi człowieka. Teraz, z doktoratem z biochemii, analizuje nasze złożone zwyczaje społeczne i definiuje, co to znaczy być człowiekiem. Jak białka, uczenie maszynowe i chemia molekularna mogą pomóc w zrozumieniu ludzkiego zachowania? Jak rozpoznajemy motywacje i reakcje innych? Wykorzystując swoją unikalną wiedzę, autorka bada codzienne interakcje, takie jak podejmowanie decyzji, rozwiązywanie konfliktów, relacje międzyludzkie oraz empatię. To wnikliwa eksploracja ludzkiej natury i norm społecznych z perspektywy osoby, która przez wiele lat żyła na ich marginesie. Perspektywa dr Pang dostarcza cennych informacji o nas samych i naszych działaniach. To fascynujący przewodnik, który pokazuje, jak zrozumienie siebie i innych może prowadzić do szczęśliwszego życia. Autorka stworzyła „instrukcję”, której zawsze potrzebowała, oferując wyjątkowy wgląd w życie widziane z zewnątrz.