Historically, some of the greatest ideas in physics came about because of the inquisitive observation of nature by some scientists. This was the case with Giorgio Parisi, the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics, who, contemplating the curious flight of the flocks of starlings, obtained the appropriate inspiration to transfer this natural phenomenon to his field, which would later allow him to know much better how the calls work. complex systems.
In this little book, Parisi not only tells us about the collective behavior of animals and how this helped him in his work, he also invites us to travel with him throughout his life, from his student days to the peak of his career, which allowed me to get the Nobel. It is therefore a somewhat autobiographical journey, which serves as an excuse for the author to present to the public less knowledgeable about physics how ideas arise in science and the importance of observing the world around us.
The title of the work is a good clue about the interest that different fields of science have to intersect at times and this allows conclusions and results to be reached that otherwise would have taken much longer to become evident. Observing and analyzing starlings with scientific dedication, Parisi moved faster towards what is called in the subtitle “the wonders of complex systems”.
The Italian physicist, a specialist in physical systems of all sizes, from the atomic scale to the planetary scale, found in this species of birds the inspiration to better understand order and disorder, allowing him to elaborate the theory for which he was awarded.
Certainly, as important as the scientific discovery, is the path followed to reach it, and Parisi not only tells us how he did it, but also explains his own personal history, his work, his academic life, which act as fundamental ingredients to achieve finally the goal set.
Interestingly, if his studies of starlings would help advance his physical theory, the latter would do the same for ethologists and biologists, who could apply it to other species and complex animal behaviors. This is surely Parisi’s greatest success, making possible cooperation between such apparently different branches of science.
The reader will therefore find in this book both the life of a distinguished scientist and his work, but also, and above all, a moral that should be taken into account for future research.
Paidós. 2023. Collection Contexts. Hardcover, 151 pages. ISBN: 978-84-4934-038-3