John Gribbin

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John R. Gribbin (born 1946) is a British science writer and a visiting Fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex.

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[edit] Biography

John Gribbin graduated with a degree in physics from the University of Sussex in 1966. He later completed an MSc in astronomy, also from Sussex (1967) and a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Cambridge (1971).

As a science writer, he has worked for the science journal Nature, and the magazine New Scientist and has written for The Times, The Guardian and the Independent as well as their Sunday counterparts and BBC radio.

He is best known for his book In Search of Schrödinger's Cat (1984), the definitive bluffer's guide to quantum physics.

In 1974 he published, with Stephen Plagemann, a book with the idea that the massive planet Jupiter would destroy Los Angeles by setting off an earthquake in 1982. This became the infamous Jupiter Effect, which predicted: "in 1982, when Jupiter aligns with Mars and with the other seven planets of the solar system, Los Angeles will be destroyed".[1] Gribbin repudiated it in the July 17, 1980 issue of New Scientist where he stated that he had been "too clever by half".[2]

In a February 1988 article in Nature, Gribbin was the first person to suggest that the greenhouse effect might be reduced by adding iron to the oceans as a "fertiliser".[3]

He published his 100th book, The Fellowship, in 2005.

[edit] Bibliography

Partial list

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kruszelnicki, Karl S.. "Planetary Alignment - Part 2". Dr Karl. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  2. ^ Gedney, Larry (February 8, 1982). "The Jupiter Effect: Article #526". Alaska Science Forum. University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  3. ^ Gribbin, John (February 1988). "Any old iron?". Nature 331 (6157): 570ff. doi:10.1038/331570c0. ISSN 0028-0836. 

[edit] External links