AMA | May 2025

The Voynich Manuscript is a hand-written codex from the early 15th century featuring elaborate illustrations of unknown plants, astronomical diagrams, and enigmatic human figures. Written in an unreadable script (Voynichese) that has resisted all modern cryptographic efforts, it first appeared in historical records through 17th-century correspondence between alchemist Georg Baresch and scholar Athanasius Kircher. The 2016 authorized facsimile edition includes high-resolution reproductions and scholarly essays examining its cryptographic, historical, and artistic mysteries.

In this book, Sean Carroll delves into the basics of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, explaining how the world is fundamentally composed of fields rather than particles. He addresses key concepts such as measurement, entanglement, spin, symmetry, Feynman diagrams, and the Higgs mechanism. Carroll's approach goes beyond analogies, providing a detailed and accessible explanation of the mathematical essence of these theories. The book challenges common misconceptions about quantum mechanics, such as its applicability only to the subatomic world, and discusses the scalability of quantum physics. It is part of Carroll's series, The Biggest Ideas in the Universe, and is designed to help readers understand the profound truths about the universe through a uniquely accessible approach.

Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity offers a lucid and thoroughly modern introduction to general relativity. The book covers the foundations of the theory, differential geometry, and Einstein's equations, leading to applications such as black holes, gravitational radiation, and cosmology. It is designed to be approachable for students, balancing physical intuition with mathematical rigor.