Alan Lightman is having a moment. Just weeks after the debut of his three-part PBS mini-series, Dr. Lightman, a GPSW Professor of the Practice of the Humanities, has published his latest book. The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science explores mysteries that scientists haven’t yet unraveled and whether there’s room within those quandaries for spiritual experiences.

“Drawing on intellectual history and conversations with contemporary scientists, philosophers, and psychologists, Lightman asks a series of thought-provoking questions that illuminate our strange place between the world of particles and forces and the world of complex human experience,” a press release for the book states. “Can strict materialism explain our appreciation of beauty? Or our feelings of connection to nature and to other people? Is there a physical basis for consciousness, the most slippery of all scientific problems?”

In addition to The Transcendent Brain, Dr. Lightman has published more than 20 fiction and nonfiction books. His works have been translated into more than 30 languages. You can pre-order a copy of The Transcendent Brain here. Congratulations, Dr. Lightman.