Contact: Zack Plair
STARKVILLE, Miss.--In 2014, the story of celebrated British physicist Stephen Hawking was told in the biopic "The Theory of Everything."
This year, a retired Mississippi State mechanical engineering professor dives into more scientific specifics with a new book titled "The Mechanical Theory of Everything."
Written by Joseph M. "Joe" Brown, the 287-page hardcover work published by Basic Research Press explores three major topics: a theory of universal scientific language that seeks to improve teaching, his theory of where energy originates and the best ways to make use of it, and the science of aging.
He said the book has been selling well since it was released June 25.
"The idea is that the universe is made up of a bunch of really tiny particles, smaller than atoms, (that make up) everything we see," Brown said, adding, "This tells where those are, how they move and how that motion changes."
According to the Purdue University doctoral graduate, "By far, the biggest problem in human biology is why people age.
"I've got a theory on what causes aging, but I don't have a theory on how to fix it," he said with a smile.
After completing degrees in mechanical engineering, mechanics and mathematics from Purdue, Brown worked in the aerospace industry before coming to MSU in 1970 for what would be a faculty career spanning more than two decades.
"Mechanical Theory" is the latest in a score of published works dating to the early 1960s that he has produced on physics, mechanics and biology. He said he considers it something of a successor to "The Grand Unified Theory of Physics," a 2004 hardcover also published by Basic Research Press.
In addition to scientific subjects, Brown has amassed considerable knowledge in books and publishing. Shortly after coming to MSU, he opened a bookstore in downtown Starkville. Since launching The Bookmark in 1972, his private business has grown to include six retail locations in Mississippi, including three in Starkville, two in Oxford and one in Hattiesburg.
Naturally, copies of "The Mechanical Theory of Everything" are available at all Book Mart locations, as well as at www.campusbookmart.com and Amazon.
MSU, Mississippi's flagship research university, is online at www.msstate.edu, facebook.com/msstate, instagram.com/msstate and twitter.com/msstate.