Science's Greatest Mysteries

Today on Word of Mouth we’re looking at the things that make scientists want to tear their hair out - the mysteries that defy explanation, the unanswered questions that lie just outside the frontier of knowledge.

Science reporting tends to herald new explanations for things - the latest ideas on how the universe was formed, how our brains work, or uncovering a new species.

But Dr. Michael Brooks is more interested in what scientists don’t know. His new book is "Thirteen Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time." He was formerly the senior features editor at New Scientist magazine.

He joins Word of Mouth by phone from his home in England to discuss some embarassing problems for scientists, including dark matter and dark energy, cold fusion, the search for extraterrestrial life, the placebo effect, free will, and the evolutionary origins of death and sex.

(Photo by ~BostonBill~)