Amanda Gefter MSc

About Amanda Gefter

The American science journalist Amanda Gefter, advisor to the magazine New Scientist, writes about the latest insights in physics and cosmology. In her first book ‘In Einstein’s Backyard’ (2014), she recounts the years-long quest she undertook with her father to uncover the greatest mysteries of the universe. What is reality, what is an illusion, and what role do observers play? At the end of the book about a father, a daughter, the meaning of nothing, and the beginning of everything, readers can also literally solve the puzzle. The young American writer specializes in fundamental physics and cosmology and is fascinated by neuroscience and the philosophy of mind. She is an advisor to the magazine New Scientist, where she previously worked as a books and arts editor, and is the founder of CultureLab. In 2012 and 2013, she was affiliated with MIT. Gefter holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy and the History of Science from the London School of Economics. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and regularly gives lectures. However, the story is not yet fully told: “There is a question we haven’t asked, but which feels very real to me: what role do our mind and consciousness play? My book is actually only about physics. There is talk of observers, references, and how things come across to you and me, but without really delving into how people process that through their brain. It could very well be that I am working on a second book that addresses this.”