History of science Books

Book SynopsisAn archaeology of innovation is the first monograph-length investigation of innovation and the innovation process from an archaeological perspective. It interrogates the idea of innovation that permeates our popular media and our political and scientific discourse, setting this against the long-term perspective that only archaeology can offer. Case studies span the entire breadth of human history, from our earliest hominin ancestors to the contemporary world. The book argues that the present narrow focus on pushing the adoption of technical innovations ignores the complex interplay of social, technological and environmental systems that underlies truly innovative societies; the inherent connections between new technologies, technologists and social structure that give them meaning and make them valuable; and the significance and value of conservative social practices that lead to the frequent rejection of innovations.Trade Review'Whether you are a social archaeologist or not, this book is a must-read for anyone studying innovations and change, but especially anyone interested in human complexity and how we were, and always will be, connected in a flux.'Ana Catarina Basílio, European Journal of Archaeology'This is a book that deserves to be widely read, and the ideas inside discussed and debated not only in archaeology but across fields [...] It is an invaluable contribution.'James L. Flexner, Archaeology in Oceania'Frieman has produced an extremely valuable piece of work for which praise is due [...] The discussion firmly situates innovation as something worth considering in its own right, and not simply as the means to the end of technological change. Instead, innovation is conceptualised as a social process within which material, human, structural and historical actors dynamically and uniquely interact in myriad ways.' Adam Sutton, Archäologische Informationen -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: loomings1 Innovation as discourse2 Messy narratives/flexible methodologies3 Invention as process4 Power, influence and adoption5 Pass it on6 Tradition, continuity and resistance7 Create/innovateConclusion: the widening gyreIndex

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Book SynopsisThe untold story of two sisters whose discoveries sped the growth of American science in the nineteenth centuryIn Mischievous Creatures, historian Catherine McNeur uncovers the lives and work of Margaretta Hare Morris and Elizabeth Carrington Morris, sisters and scientists in early America. Margaretta, an entomologist, was famous among her peers and the public for her research on seventeen-year cicadas and other troublesome insects. Elizabeth, a botanist, was a prolific illustrator and a trusted supplier of specimens to the country's leading experts. Together, their discoveries helped fuel the growth and professionalization of science in antebellum America. But these very developments confined women in science to underpaid and underappreciated roles for generations to follow, erasing the Morris sisters' contributions along the way.Mischievous Creatures is an indelible portrait of two unsung pioneers, one that places women firmly at the center of the birth of American science.

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Book SynopsisRocket Age traces the history of spaceflight innovation from Robert Goddard’s early experiments with liquid fuel rockets, through World War II and the work of Wernher von Braun and his German engineers, on to the postwar improvements made by Sergei Korolev and his team in the Soviet Union, and culminating with the historic Moon walk made by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969. From designers to engineers, and even communication specialists and the builders who assembled these towering rockets, hundreds of thousands of people worked on getting humans to the Moon, yet only a few have been recognized for their contributions. George D. Morgan sets the record straight by giving these forgotten figures of space travel their due. The son of rocket scientists who worked directly on NASA projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, Morgan gives behind-the-scenes details on the famous missions, including a rare interview with Dieter Huzel –Wernher von Braun’s right-hand man and a chief engineer on every major manned space program. Even the most voracious readers of US space flight history will discover things in this book that they have never read before. Rocket Age shines a light on those that have for too long been left out of the picture of the race to land on the Moon.

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Book SynopsisOn Solid Ground is intended to inform a general audience about what geologists know about the earth. It will do so by telling the stories of the people who made the discoveries. It will also chronicle the doubters and nay-sayers who have worked so hard to undermine our understanding of the earth. We know, for example, that the earth is old, in part because William Smith created our modern system of dating fossils to win a bar bet. The warming properties of atmospheric carbon dioxide were first discovered by Eunice Newton Foote, when she wasn’t pursuing her other passion –fighting for women’s rights at Seneca Falls. We are sure the earth is round despite the efforts of Samuel Birley Rowbotham, a conman who convinced thousands of people that it was flat before moving on from science to sell bogus health tonics .Each of its nine chapters will contain three things: the human story of a geologic controversy, an explanation of why geologists are so sure about the right answer to that controversy, and a short discussion of the logical fallacies being used by those still unwilling to accept geologic expertise

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice An exploration of humanity’s relationship with ice since the dawn of civilization, Of Ice and Men reminds us that only by understanding this unique substance can we save the ice on our planet—and perhaps ourselves.Ice tells a story. It writes it in rock. It lays it down, snowfall by snowfall at the ends of the earth where we may read it like the rings on a tree. It tells our planet’s geological and climatological tale. Ice tells another story too: a story about us. It is a tale packed with swash-buckling adventure and improbable invention, peopled with driven, eccentric, often brilliant characters. It tells how our species has used ice to reshape the world according to our needs and our desires: how we have survived it, harvested it, traded it, bent science to our will to make it—and how in doing so we have created globe-spanning infrastructures that are entirely dependent upon it. And even after we have done all that, we take ice so much for granted that we barely notice it. Ice has supercharged the modern world. It has allowed us to feed ourselves and cure ourselves in ways unimaginable two hundred years ago. It has enabled the global population to rise from less than 1 billion to nearly 7½ billion—which just happens to cover the same period of time as humanity has harvested, manufactured, and distributed ice on an industrial scale. And yet the roots of our fascination with ice and its properties run much deeper than the recent past.Trade Review"This book doesn’t just speak to the nerd in me, it invites him out for an evening of martinis and an utterly engaging ramble through the commoditisation and exploitation of cold. And if that sentence doesn’t appeal to you, we can no longer be friends.” * The Financial Times *“[Of Ice and Men] is funny and quirky and full of well-told stories. Hogge, a gifted storyteller, brings many subjects to cinematic life. He ties the book up beautifully, with a detailed, well-explained chapter on climate change. This book will amuse and inform you.” -- Mark Kurlansky, The New York Times Book Review“A fascinating history of an important and timely subject that we have taken for granted for too long.” -- Stanley Tucci, American actor and filmmaker "In his first book written under his own name, [Fred] Hogge gives ice its due in this fascinating natural history. Hogge writes with wit and flair, bringing natural history alive in a way that will have great appeal for those who enjoy the work of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson." * Booklist, starred review *“[Fred] Hogge makes his solo debut with an illuminating and wide-ranging look at one of humanity’s most overlooked natural resources: ice. Hogge gathers an impressive collection of arcana. This sparkling history informs and entertains.” * Publishers Weekly *“Hogge makes many fascinating points and digressions in this casual history about applications of cold.” * —Library Journal *"Fire and ice may be polar opposites, but each has shaped human history and impacts our daily lives. In Of Ice and Men, Fred Hogge harnesses both the importance of ice and its role from the cardiovascular to the chalets and slopes of Chamonix, and the ominous impact of rapidly losing ice globally. That he does so with both the empirical and anecdotal, insight and humor, will keep the reader turning page after page." -- Douglas Heye

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Book SynopsisTraveling with the Atom is a historical travel guide to the development of one of the most significant and enduring ideas in the history of humankind: the atomic concept. This history covers the notable places and landmarks commemorating this achievement, visiting homesteads, graveyards, laboratories, apartments, abbeys and castles, through picturesque rural villages and working class municipalities. From Montreal to Manchester, via some of the most elegant and romantic cities in Europe, Traveling with the Atom guides the reader on a trip through the lives and minds of the great thinkers who collectively unveiled the mystery of the atom. Fully illustrated and interspersed with intriguing and insightful notes throughout, this book is an ideal companion for the wandering scientist, their students, friends and companions or quintessential fireside reading for lovers of science and travel.Trade ReviewTraveling with the Atom provides a panoramic view of atomic scientists, their lives and times, and the places connected with them. The geographical space covered extends from North America to New Zealand with obvious emphasis on Europe. Only someone who loves traveling and science could produce such a book. It may be a guide for visits , but it is also a captivating read. It informs and entertains, and urges the reader to embark on adventures to find the venues described in the book and to make further discoveries. -- Istvan Hargittai, Author of the Martians of Science and Buried GloryI predict that anyone with the slightest interest in chemistry will enjoy this book. The armchair traveller can simply see it as an attractive historical survey through the development of the atomic theory, while the intrepid explorer can use it alongside railway timetables and airline schedules to plot visits across Europe to the homesteads, graveyards, laboratories, apartments, abbeys and castles of their chemistry heroes. Warmly recommended! -- Alan Dronsfield, Chemistry World March 2020Traveling with the Atom is a fast-paced, whiz-bang adventure chock full of nerdy details, wry humor, little-known facts and anecdotes, plus solid history and science as the framework. This makes for a wonderful journey, from a traveler in a rocking chair to a spaceship traveling at the speed of light. -- Mary Virginia Orna, author of The Lost Elements: The Periodic Table's Shadow Side and Science History: A Traveler's GuideAs someone who has had the privilege and pleasure of living in James Clerk Maxwell’s home for over 60 years I can well appreciate the importance and magic of seeing such places first-hand. -- Captain Duncan Ferguson RN, Chairman, The Maxwell at Glenlair TrustThis book is a delight to read and a great encouragement to travel. In reading about the life and research of Rutherford the reader cannot avoid being impressed by the numerous great new results he obtained at all the places he worked from Montreal to Manchester to Cambridge! -- Jean Barrette, Emeritus Professor, Department of Physics, McGill UniversityI liked this book and learned a lot from it. Highly recommended for the armchair or deckchair traveller. -- Bill Griffith, Emeritus Professor, Imperial College LondonTable of ContentsTraveling with the History of the Atomic Concept; Bookending the Atom; Pneumatists Set the Atomic Stage; Hard Spheres and Pictograms, The First Concrete Atomic Theory; Electricity and the Atom; The Brits, Led by the "Crocodile" and His Boys, Take the Atom Apart; Scientists at the Heart of Westminster Abbey; The New French Chemistry and Atomism; Atoms Go South; Questioning the Reality of Atoms on the Ground; Lighting the Dark Path to Atomism; The Danes Jump in; Röntgen Rays Revolutionize Physics and Lead to the Inner Atom; The Discovery That Atoms "Fly to Bits"; Quantum Mechanics Reluctantly Proposed; Quantum Mechanics Brings Uncertainty to the Atom; Nuclear Physics with "the Pope"; Mendeleev's and Our Path to the Periodic Table; Stockholm, the Atom, and the Nobel Prizes; Appendix; Place Index

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Book SynopsisSpices, scents and silks were at the centre of world trade for millennia. Exotic luxuries such as cinnamon, ginger, pepper, saffron, clove, frankincense and myrrh. Through their international trade, humans were pushed to explore and then travel to the far corners of the earth. Almost from their inception, the earliest great civilizations - Egypt, Sumer and Harappa - became addicted to the luxury products of far-off lands and established long-reaching trade networks. Over time, great powers fought mightily for the kingdoms where silk, spices and scents were produced. The New World was accidentally discovered by Columbus in his quest for spices. What made trade in these products so remarkable was that the plants producing them grew in very restricted areas of the world, distant from the wealthy civilizations of northern Africa, Greece and Europe. These luxuries could be carried from mysterious locations on the backs of camels or in the holds of ships for months on end, and arrived at their final destination in nearly perfect condition. Once the western world discovered the intoxicating properties of these products, their procurement became a dominant force in the world economy. Nothing else compared with their possible profit returns. In this book, eminent horticulturist and author James Hancock examines the origins and early domestication and culture of spices, scents and silks and the central role they played in the lives of the ancients. The book also traces the development of the great international trade networks and explores how struggles for trade dominance and demand for such luxuries shaped the world. Recommended for academics, students and general readers with an interest in crop and agricultural development, world trade, economic botany, history of food, and global economics and public policy, Spices, Scents and Silk offers a fascinating and insightful history.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Origins of Scents, Spices and Silk Chapter 3: Exotic Luxuries in Antiquity Chapter 4: Ancient Mediterranean Trade Links Chapter 5: Land of Punt and the Incense Routes Chapter 6: Origins of Spice Trade in the Indian Ocean Chapter 7: Silk Route Beginnings Chapter 8: Silk Route Connections Chapter 9: Ancient Southeast Asian Maritime Trade Chapter 10: Golden Age of Byzantium Chapter 11: Pan Islamica Chapter 12: Spice Trade in the Dark Ages of Europe Chapter 13: The Eastern Roman Empire and the Rise of Venice Chapter 14: Medieval Shifts in the Balance of Power Chapter 15: Monsoon Islam Chapter 16: Portuguese Discovery and Conquest Chapter 17: The Portuguese Build an Empire Chapter 18: The Spanish Build Their Empire Chapter 19: The Dutch and English Conquest of South East Asia Chapter 20: Age of Expansion Chapter 21: The Ottoman and Safavid Silk Trade Chapter 22: End of the Spice Era

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Book SynopsisThe later Middle Ages in Europe c.1150–c.1500 can be viewed as an extensive scientific laboratory, with scholars and other writers producing texts that sought to define and redefine the human body – in relation to its daily work and environment, and in relation to God. This volume draws on written and visual evidence from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, placing gender at the centre of its enquiries, addressing the relationship between the human and the ‘natural’ (including the non-human) at a time when new worlds, new texts and new religious experiences were reshaping the individual and collective relationship with the cosmos, and challenging as well as reinforcing established hierarchies.Table of ContentsForeword Laura Kalas 1. Introduction: Considering Nature Patricia Skinner and Theresa L. Tyers WOMEN’S SPACES 2. Intersections of [Un]Nature, Power, and [Dis]Order: The Presentation of Elite Women in Medieval Chronicles Linda E. Mitchell 3. Gendering Treatment: Cupping by Female Practitioners in Late Medieval Visual Culture Jennifer Borland 4. Fracturing Boundaries: Domesticity and Agriculture Practices in a LateFourteenth Century Manuscript Theresa L. Tyers 5. Distilling Nature: Raw Materials, ‘Artificial’ Remedies and the Human Body in the Later Middle Ages Elma Brenner QUEER BODIES 6. Recreating the ‘Natural World’: The Medieval Oyster and her Pearl Diane Heath 7. Amazed and Ravished in the Medieval Garden: The Space of Lesbian Desire in The Assembly of Ladies and The Floure and the Leafe Michelle M. Sauer 8. Monstrous Hybrids, Maternal Sin, and the Concept of Species in Nicole Oresme’s De causis mirabilium Tess Wingard BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS CITED

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Book SynopsisThe Royal Institution of South Wales is a very special organisation, one of the few such institutions to survive into the twenty-first century. Founded in 1835, it opened Wales’s first museum in 1841, running it until 1990, and it remains today a thriving centre of culture. RISW’s original lecture theatre, library and laboratory demonstrate its early involvement in scientific research and education. This substantial and richly illustrated book sets the story in context – in local, national and international terms – and presents RISW as a significant contributor to the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge. The book covers the growth of RISW, the notable members it attracted, later challenges it faced and its survival into the world of today. The formation of the museum’s many varied collections is described by leading specialists, including the developing sciences – geology; natural history; botany; archaeology; Egyptology and photography; the decorative arts; historical records; coins; maps; and costume. Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors Acknowledgements Preface Lyndon Morris Introduction Jenny Sabine PART 1 Chapter 1The Swansea Context Louise Miskell PART 2 Foundations and Early Period Chapter 2 Beginnings 2.1 Origins and Ambitions Karmen Thomas 2.2 The BAAS meeting 1848 John Tucker 2.3 The Role of Women in the RISW Jenny Sabine 2.4 The Lectures Programme Gerald Gabb and Helen Hallesy 2.5 Education 1835-1939 Gerald Gabb Chapter 3 Swansea Museum 3.1 Planning and funding the building Helen Hallesy 3.2 Uses of building and extensions Gerald Gabb PART 3 The Collections Chapter 4 Sciences Introduction Iwan Morus 4.1 Geology Ronald Austin 4.2 Botany Kevin Davies 4.3 Other Natural Sciences Emma Williams 4.4 Photography Katy Williams Chapter 5 Artefacts and Records 5.1 The Archives Andrew Dulley 5.2 The Library Gerald Gabb 5.3 Maps and Charts Phil Treseder 5.4 Local Historians Gerald Gabb 5.5 Art Helen Hallesy 5.6 Ceramics Helen Hallesy 5.7 Archaeology Gerald Gabb 5.8 Egyptology Caroline Graves-Brown 5.9 Numismatics Alan and Noel Cox 5.10 Costume Deborah Griffiths 5.11 Miscellaneous Phil Treseder PART 4 Later developments Chapter 6 Introduction Elizabeth Belcham 6.1 The Museum during WW2 Helen Hallesy 6.2 The transfer to Swansea University Syd Howells 6.3 Swansea University to Swansea City Council Iwan Davies 6.4 Education post 1939 Gerald Gabb Chapter 7 Associated Societies Introduction Gerald Gabb and Helen Hallesy 7.1 Swansea Farmers Club Helen Hallesy 7.2 Musical Groups Gerald Gabb 7.3 Literary and Scientific Society Gerald Gabb 7.4 Swansea Astronomical Society Helen Hallesy 7.5 Swansea Geological Society Helen Hallesy 7.6 Swansea Scientific Society Gerald Gabb 7.7 Field Naturalists Society Gerald Gabb 7.8 Swansea Photographic Association Helen Hallesy 7.9 Welsh Society Gerald Gabb 7.10 Philatelic Society Helen Hallesy 7.11 Shiplovers’ Society Helen Hallesy 7.12 Gower Society Ruth and Malcolm Ridge 7.13 Swansea Little Theatre Eryl Jenkins and Dave Taylor 7.14 Gower Ornithological Society Gerald Gabb List of RISW Presidents 1835-2022 Bibliography List of Subscribers Index

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Book SynopsisTowards the end of the 18th century the attention of mapmakers, explorers and travellers turned to the north of Scotland. The mountains that rise north of Stirling formed a formidable barrier for anyone wanting to visit the Highlands, and travellers to the Far North were even rarer: there were no roads at all into most of Sutherland, and Ross and Cromarty until the early years of the 19th century. Who did go there, and why? This book follows the early mapmakers who gradually revealed the area, including Timothy Pont and Alexander Bryce who published the first accurate map of the north coast. General Roy covered the whole of Scotland for his remarkable 'Great Map', and later, the indomitable and energetic General Colby dragged his reluctant Ordnance Survey team across much of the north, as documented by Robert Kearsley Dawson. Meanwhile, Culloden led to increased interest in the area, as is evident not only from the visit of Dr. Johnson, but also those from Thomas Pennant, Bishop Pococke and the Rev. Charles Cordiner, all of whom managed to reach the far north-west and leave fascinating accounts of what they found. The poverty that was apparent to these visitors from the south led to action from the British government, not least an important road-making scheme under Thomas Telford which is documented in this book using not only the official reports, but also an enthusiastic account left by the Poet Laureate of the time, Robert Southey. With the new roads came the tourists, flocking to sites like Loch Katrine, in search of signs of Sir Walter Scott's heroes and heroines. But it was only the bolder few who made it to the far north-west, men like the Rev. James Hall, 'making love' under the table at Caithness, or James Hogg, ever the ladies' man at Lochs Duich and Maree. The book follows this story, which has barely been mentioned in popular literature, and delights in choice anecdotes from all these accounts, touching on a number of disciplines: cartography, early geology and botany. But above all, it gives a picture of this unknown region, as it seemed to those exploring it, an area of astonishing beauty, with inhabitants that showed notable warmth and generosity in spite of their poverty. The book ends with an account of the Highlands Controversy, a debate that divided the geological community for much of the 19th century, culminating in discoveries that revealed that the area contained some of the most remarkable geology not just in Britain, but in the whole world. Thus recognition was at last achieved for a region that contains some of the most striking scenery in the United Kingdom.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a distinctively original biography of Galileo Galilei, probably the last eclectic genius of the Italian Renaissance, who was not only one of the greatest scientists ever, but also a philosopher, a theologian, and a man of great literary, musical, and artistic talent – “The Tuscan Artist”, as the poet John Milton referred to him. Galileo was exceptional in simultaneously excelling in the Arts, Science, Philosophy, and Theology. These diverse aspects of his life were closely intertwined; indeed, it may be said that he personally demonstrated that human culture is not divisible, but rather one, with a thousand shades. Galileo also represented the bridge between two historical epochs. As the philosopher Tommaso Campanella, a contemporary of Galileo, recognized at the time, Galileo was responsible for ushering in a new age, the Modern Age. This book, which is exceptional in the completeness of its coverage, explores all aspects of the life of Galileo, as a Tuscan artist and giant of the Renaissance, in a stimulating and reader-friendly way.Trade Review“This new biography by Pietro Greco, an influential, well-known Italian science journalist and writer, emphasizes Galileo’s literary, musical, artistic, and poetic side, attributes that are usually bypassed. The result is a most enjoyable book, extremely thought-provoking and revealing, and offering a refreshingly new insight into Galileo’s character.” (David W. Hughes, The Observatory, Vol. 139 (1268), February, 2019)“The book covers his whole life in comprehensive detail, starting from his birth in February 1564 (the same year as Shakespeare’s birth), and ending with his death in January 1642 just a few weeks short of his 78th birthday. … If you feel as I did, that there is a gap in your knowledge about the full life of Galileo, then this book is recommended to you.” (Odyssey The e-Magazine of the British Interplanetary Society, 2018)Table of ContentsGalileo’s birth.- Music at the time of Vincenzio Galilei.- Vincenzio in Florence.- Galileo in Pisa.- A Novice in Monastery.- Challenging Zarlino.- Return to Pisa.- Galileo meeting Ostilio Ricci.- A young unemployed Mathematician.- Galileo as a literary critic.- Galileo’s first approach to a new method.- Teaching in Pisa.- Galileo as a literary critic and writer.- The best eighteen years of his age.- A Tuscan artist in Padua.- The Nova Star.- A Sidereus Nuncius.- An artists’ warning.- New projects.- Galileo superstar.- Vicisti Galilaee!.- Galileo as a mathematician and philosopher in Florence.- Galileo’s triumph in Rome.- Converting the Church.- A theory of culture.- You cannot prevent humankind from looking at the stars: the Copernican Letters.- They silence him.- Three comets and an Assayer.- The censored masterpiece.- Will to live.- Galileo’s Dialogues and music.- Galileo’s last years.- The Enigma.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the life and work of Mary Elizabeth Barber, a British-born settler scientist who lived in the Cape during the nineteenth century. It provides a lens into a range of subjects within the history of knowledge and science, gender and social history, postcolonial, critical heritage and archival studies. The book examines the international importance of the life and works of a marginalized scientist, the instrumentalisation of science to settlers' political concerns and reveals the pivotal but largely silenced contribution of indigenous African experts. Including a variety of material, visual and textual sources, this study explores how these artefacts are archived and displayed in museums and critically analyses their content and silences. The book traces Barber’s legacy across three continents in collections and archives, offering insights into the politics of memory and history-making. At the same time, it forges a nuanced argument, incorporating study of the North and South, the history of science and social history, and the past and the present.Table of Contents1 IntroductionPart I: African Experts and Science in the Cape2 African Farmers and Medical Plant Experts3 African Naturalists, Collectors, and TaxidermistsPart II: From Providing Data to Forging New Practices and Theories4 Gender, Class and Competition5 Proving and Circulating the Theory of Natural Selection6 Barber’s Forging Scientific Practices and TheoriesPart III: Negotiating Belonging through Science7 Arguing with Artefacts, Biofacts and Organisms: Barber's Advocacy for 1820 Settlers’ Supremacy and Land Rights8 Barber’s World of Birds as a Space of Gender Equality9 Colonial Legacies in Post-Colonial Collections10 ‘The fragments that are left behind’.

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Book SynopsisThis book is an investigation of the ideological dimensions of the disciplinary discourses on science in line with the scholarly tradition of historical epistemology. It offers a programmatic treatment of the political-epistemological problematic along three entangled lines of inquiry: socio-historical, epistemological and historiographical. The book aims for a meta-level integration of the existing scholarship on the social and cultural history of science in order to consider the ways in which struggles for hegemony have constantly informed scientific discourses. This problematic is of primary relevance for scholars in Science Studies, philosophers, historians and sociologists of science, but would also be relevant for anybody interested in scientific culture and political theory.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Political Epistemology: Positioning Science Studies.- Chapter 2. The Logic of Science and Technology as a Developmental Tendency of Modernity.- Chapter 3. On Both Sides of the Iron Curtain: The Marxist Struggle for Cultural Hegemony and HPS for a ‘Free Society’.- Chapter 4. Toward a Socio-Political History of Science: From Structures to Hegemonies.- Chapter 5. Hegemony and Science: Epistemological and Historiographical Perspectives.

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Book SynopsisThis book describes the historical development of the principle of stationary action from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Reference is made to the most important contributors to this topic, in particular Bernoullis, Leibniz, Euler, Lagrange and Laplace. The leading theme is how the action principle is applied to problems in classical physics such as hydrodynamics, electrodynamics and gravity, extending also to the modern formulation of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, especially quantum electrodynamics. A critical analysis of operator versus c-number field theory is given. The book contains many worked examples. In particular, the term "vacuum" is scrutinized.The book is aimed primarily at actively working researchers, graduate students and historians interested in the philosophical interpretation and evolution of physics; in particular, in understanding the action principle and its application to a wide range of natural phenomena.Table of ContentsShort Historical Introduction.- Curva Elastica.- The Curva Elastica, a Curve of Least Energy.- From Euler to Lagrange.- Laplace and the Capillary - 1807.- A Final Application in Elasticity with Jacobi Elliptic Functions.- Short List of Jacobi Elliptic Functions and Constants Used in Chapter 5.- Variational Methods for Periodic Motions; Mathieu Functions.- Lagrangian for Isentropic Irrotational Flow.- Action Principle in Classical Electrodynamics.- The Two Giants in Gravity: Einstein and Hilbert.- The Quantum Action Principle.- The Action Principle in Quantum Field Theory.- Quantum Field Theory on Space-Like Hypersurfaces.- Lagrangian Formulation of Gauge Theories.- Effective Actions (Lagrangians) in Quantum Field Theory.- Modified Photon Propagation Function, Source Theory.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents key works of Boris Hessen, outstanding Soviet philosopher of science, available here in English for the first time. Quality translations are accompanied by an editors' introduction and annotations. Boris Hessen is known in history of science circles for his “Social and Economic Roots of Newton’s Principia” presented in London (1931), which inspired new approaches in the West. As a philosopher and a physicist, he was tasked with developing a Marxist approach to science in the 1920s. He studied the history of physics to clarify issues such as reductionism and causality as they applied to new developments. With the philosophers called the “Dialecticians”, his debates with the opposing “Mechanists” on the issue of emergence are still worth studying and largely ignored in the many recent works on this subject. Taken as a whole, the book is a goldmine of insights into both the foundations of physics and Soviet history.Table of Contents1. Introduction.- 2. The Fifth Congress of Russian Physicists.- 3. On Comrade Timiryazev’s Attitude to Modern Science.- 4. On the Bicentenary of Isaac Newton’s Death. Foreword to the Articles by A. Einstein and J.J. Thomson.- 5. Marian Smoluchowski (On the tenth anniversary of his death).- 6. Mechanical Materialism and Modern Physics (Section 1).- 7. Mechanical Materialism and Modern Physics (Section 2)

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a considered yet entertaining reflection on the progress of modern scientific research. The winding path of science can only be understood by revealing the personal, human side of scientific research, demystifying the actions of the scientist and exposing the human drama on the stage of science. The book looks at the true nature of contemporary science and scientists through the lens of the personal experiences of the author, a renowned and leading materials scientist, over the last half century. It examines the positive threads of modern scientific progress in sober juxtaposition to the manifest negative developments arising from stiff competition within the current academic landscape. A collection of stories and real-life anecdotes is presented in parallel to the career of the author, providing a first-hand account of important achievements in the field of materials science. As a result, this book provides fascinating reading for students, seasoned scientists, and anybody else interested in the workings and machinations of modern science.Trade Review“This is a fascinating book that should appeal to anyone wanting to have a view of the life of a typical academic scientist. … this book is thought provoking and should be of interest to anyone already working in science, especially those intending to work in science. There are many warnings and, at the same time, delights to be found in the numerous anecdotes and descriptions provided by the author. It is a generally good and entertaining read.” (A. Mike Glazer, Journal of Applied Crystallography, Vol. 56, 2023)“The book is a mixture of family history, the history of science, an insight into the politics of science, impressions of the publishing world … . It is recommended reading for researchers at all levels who are interested in materials-science research, funding and politics. … This book is a gem. A gem in the rough perhaps, but all the more genuine and valuable (to many) for that.” (C. Barry Carter, Journal of Materials Science, Vol. 58, 2023)Table of ContentsThe Parents.- Growing Up.- Touching Science; School Years.- The Notions Science and Physical Law.- The Becoming of a Scientist.

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Book SynopsisThis biography gives an insider view of 20th century German science in the making. The discovery by Max von Laue in 1912 of interference effects demonstrated the wave-like nature of X-rays and the atomic lattice structure of crystals. This major advance for research on solids earned him the Nobel Prize two years later, the ultimate acclaim as an exceptional theoretician. As an early supporter of Einstein’s relativity theory, he published fundamental papers on light scattering as well as on matter waves and superconductivity. Laue may be counted among the few persons of influence in Germany who – as Einstein put it – managed to “stay morally upright” under Nazism. It is thus surprising that this is the first extensive biography of this famous scientist.Jost Lemmerich could hardly have been better equipped to describe German physics and physicists in the 1920s. His copiously illustrated historical account is based as much on scientific material as on private correspondence, creating a fascinating and convincingly detailed portrait.Trade Review“There can be no doubt that a comprehensive scientific biography of Max von Laue is overdue. He is most famous for the discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals which earned him the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physics. … His life … deserves interest both from the perspective of physics as a discipline and the performance of a scientist within society. … the material contained in this biography makes it worthwhile to study carefully for anyone making a new attempt.” (Michael Eckert, Physics in Perspective, Vol. 25, 2023)“This book is a scholarly tour de force. It is illustrated with numerous portraits of the scientists and with fully referenced quotes and footnotes from their correspondence. It is a joy to read; and I learnt a lot.” (Moreton Moore, Crystallography Reviews, March 10, 2023)Table of ContentsForeword.- Introduction.- Childhood and youth.- Studies in physics.- Doctoral dissertation and first scientific research.- Private lecturer at the University of Munich.- Professorship in Zurich.- Professorship in Frankfurt am Main, WW I, Nobel Prize in physics.- Berlin – general and special theories of relativity.- Physics and politics in Berlin during the 1930s.- Physics and politics during WW II.- War’s end and Farm Hall.- Back in Germany.- Back in Berlin – in West Berlin.

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Book SynopsisThis open access book offers a comprehensive overview of the history of genomics across three different species and four decades, from the 1980s to the recent past. It takes an inclusive approach in order to capture not only the international initiatives to map and sequence the genomes of various organisms, but also the work of smaller-scale institutions engaged in the mapping and sequencing of yeast, human and pig DNA. In doing so, the authors expand the historiographical lens of genomics from a focus on large-scale projects to other forms of organisation. They show how practices such as genome mapping, sequence assembly and annotation are as essential as DNA sequencing in the history of genomics, and argue that existing depictions of genomics are too closely associated with the Human Genome Project. Exploring the use of genomic tools by biochemists, cell biologists, and medical and agriculturally-oriented geneticists, this book portrays the history of genomics as inseparably entangled with the day-to-day practices and objectives of these communities. The authors also uncover often forgotten actors such as the European Commission, a crucial funder and forger of collaborative networks undertaking genomic projects. In examining historical trajectories across species, communities and projects, the book provides new insights on genomics, its dramatic expansion during the late twentieth-century and its developments in the twenty-first century. Offering the first extensive critical examination of the nature and historicity of reference genomes, this book demonstrates how their affordances and limitations are shaped by the involvement or absence of particular communities in their production. Table of ContentsChapter 1. IntroductionPart I. The Diversity of GenomicsChapter 2. Distributed and Concentrated Strategies in the Sequencing of the Yeast GenomeChapter 3. The Human Genome Project(s)Part II. Communities and Reference GenomesChapter 4. The Funnelling Effect of the Sanger InstituteChapter 5. The Pig Community and Their Reference GenomePart III. Contextualising and Enhancing Reference GenomesChapter 6. Making Reference Genomes Useful: AnnotationChapter 7. Improving and Going Beyond Reference GenomesChapter 8. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe book addresses for the first time the dynamics associated with the modernization of mathematics in China from the nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century from a transcultural global historical perspective. Rather than depict the transformations of mathematical knowledge in terms of a process of westernization, the book analyzes the complex interactions between different scientific communities and the ways in which the past, modernity, language, and mathematics were negotiated in a global context. In each chapter, Andrea Bréard provides vivid portraits of a series of go-betweens (such as translators, educators, or state statisticians) based on a vast array of translated primary sources hitherto unavailable to a non-Chinese readership. They not only illustrate how Chinese scholars mediated between new mathematical objects and discursive modes, but also how they instrumentalized their autochthonous scientific roots in specific political and intellectual contexts. While sometimes technical in style, the book addresses all readers who are interested in the global and cultural history of science and the complexities involved in the making of universal mathematics. “While the pursuit of modernity is in the title, entanglement is of as much interest. Using the famous ‘Nine Chapters’ as a framework, Bréard considers a wide range of that entanglement from divination to data management. Bréard’s analysis and thought-provoking insights show once again how much we can learn when two cultures intersect. A fascinating read!” (John Day, Boston University).Trade Review“This collection of essays will make great reading for college students interested in Chinese history or in the history of mathematics and sciences. The topics in many essays are worth further exploration and continue to be a fertile ground for research.” (Jiang-Ping Jeff Chen, Mathematical Reviews, September, 2020)“This book is very useful. It is thoughtful and well researched. The inclusion of many, many translations of original source material, from Chinese into English, makes it a valuable reference in that sense as well.” (Joel Haack, MAA Reviews, January 19, 2020)Table of Contents1 Visions of Antiquity.- 2 The Ellipse Seen from 19th Century China.- 3 Filling Euclid’s Gaps.- 4 Negotiating a Linguistic Space in-between.- 5 Discourse Transformed: Changing Modes of Argumentation.- 6 Fate Calculation : The Mathematics of Divination.- 7 Data Management and Knowledge Production in Late Qing Institutions.- 8 Data Management and Knowledge Production in Late Qing Institutions.- 9 Visions of Modernity.

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Book SynopsisThe 18th and 19th centuries saw the emergence of new intermediary types of knowledge in areas such as applied mechanics, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, which came to be labeled as engineering science, transforming technology into the scientific discipline that we know today. This book analyzes how the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries and the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries provided the intellectual, social, economic and institutional foundations for the emergence of engineering science. The book then traces the rise of engineering science from the 18th century through the 19th century and concludes by showing how it led to new technological developments in such areas as steel production, the invention of internal combustion engines, the creation of automobiles and airplanes, and the formulation of Mass Production and Scientific Management all of which brought about major transformations in the materials, power sources, transportation and production techniques that have come to shape our modern world. Table of ContentsAcknowledgements.- Part I: Introduction.- 1 Changing Relationships between Science and Technology.- References.- Part II: The Roots of Engineering Science.- 2 The Intellectual Roots of Engineering Science.- 2.1 The Scientific Revolution – Overview.- 2.2 Roots of the Mechanical Philosophy.- 2.3 Roots of the Experimental Philosophy.- 2.4 The New Ideology of Science.- 2.5 Conclusions.- References.- 3 The Social and Economic Roots of Engineering Science.- 3.1 The Industrial Revolution – Overview.- 3.2 Iron Production.- 3.3 The Steam Engine.- 3.4 The Textile Revolution.- 3.5 Conclusions.- References.- 4 The Institutional Roots of Engineering Science.- 4.1 Great Britain.- 4.2 France.- 4.3 The German States.- 4.4 The United States.- 4.5 Conclusions.- References.- Part III: The Rise of Engineering Science.- 5 The Emergence of Engineering Science.- 5.1 Applied Mechanics.- 5.2 Fluid Mechanics.- 5.3 Thermodynamics.- 5.4 Conclusions.- References.- 6 The Establishment of Engineering Science: The Harmony of Theory and Practice.- 6.1 Theory and Practice in Great Britain.- 6.2 Theory and Practice in the German States.- 6.3 Theory and Practice in France.- 6.4 Theory and Practice in the United States.- 6.5 Conclusions.- References.- Part IV: Engineering Science-Based Industries.- 7 New Materials.- 7.1 Steel Production.- 7.2 Steel Construction.- 7.3 Conclusions.- References.- 8 New Power Sources.- 8.1 Internal Combustion Engines.- 8.2 Conclusions.- References.- 9 New Transportation Systems.- 9.1 The Automobile Industry.- 9.2 The Aeronautics Industry.- 9.3 Conclusions.- References.- 10 New Methods of Production.- 10.1 Mass Production – Fordism.- 10.2 Scientific Management – Taylorism.- 10.3 Conclusions.- References.- Part V: Epilogue.- 11 From Engineering Science to Technoscience.- References.- Name Index.

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Book SynopsisBy addressing the enigma of the exceptional success of Hungarian emigrant scientists and telling their life stories, Brilliance in Exile combines scholarly analysis with fascinating portrayals of uncommon personalities. István and Balazs Hargittai discuss the conditions that led to five different waves of emigration of scientists from the early twentieth century to the present. Although these exodes were driven by a broad variety of personal motivations, the attraction of an open society with inclusiveness, tolerance, and – needless to say – better circumstances for working and living, was the chief force drawing them abroad. While emigration from East to West is a general phenomenon, this book explains why and how the emigration of Hungarian scientists is distinctive. The high number of Nobel Prizes among this group is only one indicator. Multicultural tolerance, a quickly emerging, considerably Jewish, urban middle class, and a very effective secondary school system were positive legacies of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Multiple generations, shaped by these conditions, suffered from the increasingly exclusionist, intolerant, antisemitic, and economically stagnating environment, and chose to go elsewhere. “I would rather have roots than wings, but if I cannot have roots, I shall use wings," explained Leo Szilard, one of the fathers of the Atom Bomb.Table of ContentsForeword (Ivan T. Berend) Introduction Preface Joseph A. Galamb Philipp Lenard Part 1, Early 1920s Introduction: Fleeing Ervin Bauer Stephen Brunauer Ladislaus Farkas Dennis Gabor George de Hevesy Theodore von Kármán Arthur Koestler Stephen W. Kuffler Nicholas Kurti Cornelius Lanczos John von Neumann Egon Orowan Michael Polanyi George Pólya Elizabeth Rona Leo Szilard Maria Telkes Edward Teller Eugene P. Wigner “Control”—Imre Bródy Part 2, Late 1930s – Early 1940s Introduction: Before It Is Too Late Michael and Alice Balint Ladislao José Biro Paul Erdos John G. Kemeny Olga Kennard Peter D. Lax George J. Popjak Valentine L. Telegdi Laszlo Tisza Part 3, Immediate Post-World War II Introduction: Post-War and Pre-Soviet Trauma, Endre A. Balazs Zoltan Bay Georg von Békésy Lars Ernster John C. Harsanyi Avram Hershko Georg and Eva Klein Albert Szent-Györgyi Part 4, 1956 Introduction: In the Wake of Suppressed Revolution Laszlo Z. Bito Andy Grove Peter Lengyel Joseph Nagyvary George A. Olah Gabor A. Somorjai Part 5, 1957‒1989 Introduction: Escape from “Paradise” Gyorgy Buzsaki Gabor Fodor Katalin Karikó Charles Simonyi Agnes Ullmann “Control”—Árpád Furka Conclusion: Thirty Years Later, and Continuing Acknowledgments Bibliography Index of Names

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Book SynopsisThis book is a superposition of two distinct narratives: the first is historical, discussing the evolution of astronomical knowledge since the dawn of civilizations; the second is scientific, conveying mathematical and physical content of each advancement. Great scientists of antiquity, Middle Ages and modern times until the 18th century, are presented along with their discoveries, through short biographies and anecdotes. Special care is taken to explain their achievements using mathematical and physical concepts of their time, with modern perspective added only when ancient methodology is too cumbersome or its language hardly understandable to contemporary readers.The book conveys a lot of astronomical facts and data in a pleasant and accessible manner. Almost all findings and discoveries made in ancient times are followed by simple mathematical exercises using basic knowledge, so that the reader can check the assertions himself. The book contains a lot of inedited illustrations. Geometrical schemes are given extra attention to make the examples clear and understandable. The language is simple and accessible to the young audience.

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Book SynopsisThis book systematically introduces readers to traditional Chinese handicrafts, which are original, distinct, and have had major impacts in China and around the globe. It explores 14 different types of handicraft, and provides a clear definition, detailed information on the techniques, and extensive discussion of each. Readers will not only learn the fascinating stories behind traditional Chinese handicrafts, but also be inspired by the great Chinese handicraftsmen’s inherent spirit of innovation and creativity. Table of ContentsMaking Tools and Devices.- Agricultural and Mineral Processing.- Construction.- Spinning, Dyeing, and Embroidering.- Ceramics.- Metallurgy and Metalworking.- Sculpture.- Weaving and Tying.- Lacquering.- Furniture Making.- Making Calligrapher’s Tools.- Printing.- Carving and Painting.- Special Handicrafts and Others .- Protection, Inheritance and Revitalization of Traditional Crafts.

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Book SynopsisThis is the third book in a series presenting Nobel Prizes in the life sciences using the remarkably rich archives of nominations and reviews which are kept secret for 50 years after the awards have been made. The two previous books are The present book discusses the prizes in physiology or medicine 1963-65. The 1963 prize recognized milestone discoveries in the field of neurosciences, the way electrical impulses are generated and spread in nerves. The impressive developments of insights into tantalizing brain functions, like consciousness and memory, is discussed in the perspective of prizes both before and after the 1963 prize. The prize in 1964 marked the advanced biochemical venture that led to a full understanding of the synthesis of cholesterol, a central molecule for providing flexibility of the membranes of the trillions of cell in our body. The importance of this molecule for the appearance of cardiovascular diseases and the possibilities to prevent them is presented in the light of other prizes earlier and later in this field. The 1965 prize recognized three impressive French intellectuals, Lwoff, Monod and Jacob. Their contributions allowed the full maturation of the initial phase of the emerging field of molecular biology. The comprehension of the information flow from DNA via RNA to proteins was the source of a revolution of life sciences and of medicine.Table of ContentsNeurophysiology, a Discipline Developing Consciousness; Testing of Nobel Prize Patience and a Near Prize Recipient; Two British Neurophysiologists and the Potential for Action; Advances in Organic Chemistry and Two 1955 Nobel Prizes; A Tale of Two Scientists Who Changed the World; 1964 - An Important Year in the World and for Nobel Prizes; Magnifiques, Nos 3 Nobel - Our Great 3 Nobels; A Scientist of Many Talents; From Heroic War Efforts to Intellectual Battles;

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Book SynopsisThe latest advances and discoveries in science have made, and continue to make, a huge impact on our lives. This book is a history of the social impact of science and technology from the beginnings of civilization up to the present. The book explains how the key inventions: agriculture, writing and printing with movable type, initiated an explosive growth of knowledge and human power over the environment. It also shows how the Industrial Revolution changed the relationship between humans and nature, and initiated a massive use of fossil fuels. Problems related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, genetic engineering, information technology, exhaustion of non-renewable resources, use of fossil fuels and climate change are examined in the later chapters of the book. Finally, the need for ethical maturity to match our scientific progress is discussed.Table of ContentsPreface; The Beginnings of Civilization; Ancient Greece; The Hellenistic Era; Civilizations of the East; Science in the Renaissance; Galileo; The Age of Reason; The Industrial Revolution; Evolution; Victory Over Disease; Atoms in Chemistry; Electricity and Magnetism; Atomic and Nuclear Physics; Relativity; Nuclear Fission; Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Genesplicing; Artificial Intelligence; Caring for the Earth; Looking Towards the Future; Index;

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Book SynopsisThis book seeks to understand what bring to pass the birth of modern physics by focusing upon the formation of the concept of force. This would be the first book to note the important role magnetism has played in this process. Indeed, the force between celestial bodies, before the introduction of the Isaac Newtonian gravitational force, is first introduced by Johannes Kepler by analogy with the magnetic force. Moreover, this book, by concentrating our attention on the magnetism, fully describes the developments and the recognition of the force concept during the Middle Ages. The detailed description of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is a strong point of this book. By discussing and emphasizing on the role accomplished by the magnetic force, this book makes clear the connection between the natural magic and the modern experimental physics. This book will open up a new aspect of the birth of modern physics.

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Book Synopsis'This is a thought-provoking book that would be of interest to anyone wanting to ponder the concept of time, and to develop more critical thinking skills that may be useful when reading popular science books or articles.'IEEE Electrical Insulation MagazineThe aim of this book is to explain in simple language what we know about time and about the history of time. It is shown that the briefest (as well as the lengthiest) history of time can be described in one or two pages.The second purpose of the book is to show that neither entropy, nor the Second Law of Thermodynamics has anything to do with time. The third purpose is to educate the lay reader how to read popular science books, critically. Towards this goal, detailed reviews of four books on time are presented.There are many popular science books on Time, on the beginning of Time and the end of Time. This book is unique in the following two senses:Table of ContentsPreface; List of Abbreviations; Acknowledgements; What is Time?; What is a History of Something?; The Briefest History of Space; The Briefest History of Time; Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics; The History of Histories of Time; Epilogue; Notes; Bibliography; Index;

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Book SynopsisWritten by a cancer researcher and teacher, this book offers a personal and professional reflection on the most significant developments in molecular genetics and cell biology. It looks at various crucial scientific advances and offers an insider's perspective on what scientists have actually learned from them.Trade ReviewThose who are already grounded in the basics of molecular biology will profit...from this worthwhile, if challenging, volume...Recommended. Choice Erwin Fleissner asks: what can molecular biology tell us about our place in the world? That he is able to accomplish this in a lucid manner while at the same time evoking a sense of wonder at the complexity and beauty of nature is both impressive and moving. -- Robert N. Eisenman Nature Cell Biology [A] one-of-a-kind insider's reminiscence of how human enquiry about the basic blocks all humans are made of changed the world. Midwest Book ReviewTable of ContentsPrefatory Note Acknowledgments Prologue: Molecular Biology from the Viewpoint of a Practitioner The Genetic Point of View The Logic of the Cell From Cell to Organism Abnormal Cell Growth in Cancer Human Genomes and Human Beings On Consciousness Molecular Biology and the Limits of Molecular Explanation Notes Glossary Select Bibliography and Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisNeuroscientist Eric R. Kandel recounts his remarkable career since receiving the Nobel in 2000. He takes readers through his lab’s scientific advances as well as his efforts to promote public understanding of science and to put brain science and art into conversation.Trade ReviewThis is an amazing book that gives us a peek inside the mind of one of the giants of contemporary neuroscience. While most of us struggle to succeed in a single discipline, Eric R. Kandel has excelled in three: first his discovery of the neural basis of memory—a discovery comparable to DNA; second, as an art historian successfully bridging art and neuroscience; and now, a parallel career, as a science writer of almost unparalleled excellence. -- V. S. Ramachandran, author of The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us HumanOf course Eric Kandel didn’t stop doing experiments on learning and memory after he got a Nobel Prize; he would have had to become an entirely different person. But what did change, fortunately for the reader, is that he acquired the skill and confidence to convey deep scientific insights about the brain as they relate to a variety of subjects, such as abstract expressionist art, gender dysphoria, poverty, and morality. -- Margaret S. Livingstone, Takeda Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical SchoolThis is an inspiring and unique story of creativity, perseverance, and humanity from the most influential neuroscientist of his generation. -- Larry W. Swanson, University Professor, Appleman Professor of Biological Sciences, and Professor of Biological Sciences and Psychology, University of Southern CaliforniaIn this slim but wide-ranging book, Eric R. Kandel—an escapee from Nazi Austria and a student of history and literature in college—reflects thoughtfully on his recent research as a benchtop neuroscientist, his experiences as a public communicator about brain and cognitive science, and his keen exploration of the arts. -- Howard Gardner, Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of EducationEric Kandel is a scientific giant. As in his other wonderful books, he has a fascinating tale to tell in this one, and does it well. A great story to read. -- Joseph E. LeDoux, Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science, New York University, and author of The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious BrainsA short, cheerful memoir from an energetic Nobel laureate. * Kirkus *In this remarkable recap of his post-prize career, Kandel’s intellect and passion are present on every page. Readers will be awed by the depth and breadth of Kandel’s work. * Publishers Weekly *Has Eric Kandel rested on his laurels? No. [This book] adds to Kandel’s respected literary oeuvre, which ranges from neuroscience textbooks to highly original popular science. * Nature *The 'great joy' that [he derives from] explaining science to the public can also be felt in Kandel's new book. * Austrian Press Agency *Accessible and interesting. . . . [Kandel has] a truly gifted mind with a facility for teaching, and a willingness to do so. Four stars. * Nonstop Reader *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Moving to Columbia and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute2. Further Advances in Science3. Adventures in the Public Understanding of Science4. Introducing Brain Science to Art5. Return to Austria6. Columbia University and the Science of Mind, Brain, BehaviorConclusionAcknowledgmentsAppendix: AwardsNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisNobel Prize–winning physicist Roger Penrose questions some of the most fashionable ideas in physics today, including string theoryWhat can fashionable ideas, blind faith, or pure fantasy possibly have to do with the scientific quest to understand the universe? Surely, theoretical physicists are immune to mere trends, dogmatic beliefs, or flights of fancy? In fact, acclaimed physicist and bestselling author Roger Penrose argues that researchers working at the extreme frontiers of physics are just as susceptible to these forces as anyone else. In this provocative book, he argues that fashion, faith, and fantasy, while sometimes productive and even essential in physics, may be leading today''s researchers astray in three of the field''s most important areas—string theory, quantum mechanics, and cosmology.Arguing that string theory has veered away from physical reality by positing six extra hidden dimensions, Penrose cautions that the fashionable nature of a theory can cloud our judgment of its plausibility. In the case of quantum mechanics, its stunning success in explaining the atomic universe has led to an uncritical faith that it must also apply to reasonably massive objects, and Penrose responds by suggesting possible changes in quantum theory. Turning to cosmology, he argues that most of the current fantastical ideas about the origins of the universe cannot be true, but that an even wilder reality may lie behind them. Finally, Penrose describes how fashion, faith, and fantasy have ironically also shaped his own work, from twistor theory, a possible alternative to string theory that is beginning to acquire a fashionable status, to 'conformal cyclic cosmology,' an idea so fantastic that it could be called 'conformal crazy cosmology.'The result is an important critique of some of the most significant developments in physics today from one of its most eminent figures.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2017 PROSE Award in Chemistry & Physics, Association of American Publishers "Physics has been at an awkward impasse for the past century. Two theories--quantum mechanics and general relativity--are widely believed to be true... But they contradict each other in basic ways--they cannot both be entirely true. InFashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe... Roger Penrose, an elder statesman of physics, considers the problem. As intellectually offbeat as he is eminent... he ventures here some novel ways in which the two theories might be reconciled."--Wall Street Journal "Penrose gets to the heart of modern physics' problem with subjectivity in this insightful and provocative pop-sci title... [A] rewarding discussion of scientific stumbles in the search for truth."--Publishers Weekly "It is always inspiring to read Penrose's uncompromisingly independent perspec-tive on physics."--Richard Dawid, Nature "An extremely original, rich, and thoughtful survey of today's most fashionable attempts to decipher the cosmos on its smallest and largest scales."--Science "I can't recommend [Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe] too highly to anyone with a serious interest in fundamental questions about physics."--Peter Woit, Not Even Wrong blog "In standing outside the fray and criticising the central dogmas of fundamental physics, Penrose is playing the role of Einstein, who forced quantum theorists to defend and hone their ideas, and Sir Fred Hoyle, who persistently challenged Big Bang theorists to sharpen their ideas. This is an extremely important role, and long may Penrose fulfill it."--Times Higher Education "[A] beautifully produced, beautifully laid-out and diagrammed book... There is possibly no better or more original expositor than Penrose to draw from. If modern physics theory is of interest to you, you certainly won't want to ignore this book."--Math Frolic "The book is replete with phenomenal visual representations of the physics under discussion, a reminder of Penrose's ability to see and describe physics in a unique way... Ultimately, what is most valuable about the book is the excellent example he offers in how to ask questions."--Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Physics World "Something is rotten in the state of physics... The eminent mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose identifies several possible sources of the rot... He is not one to be intimidated by an overwhelming majority, no matter how illustrious and vocal it is. He sets out his objections politely and with exemplary patience towards the keepers of physics orthodoxy... Time will tell whether any of his judgments are correct. In the meantime, his critics would do well to remember George Bernard Shaw's warning: 'The minority is sometimes right; the majority is always wrong.'"--Graham Farmelo, Guardian "A valuable insight into what one of the most prominent theoretical physicists of recent times makes of reality's relationship to ideas in quantum theory, standard cosmology, and theories that pretend to replace them."--Richard Webb, New Scientist "The strength of this book is how the reader can appreciate science as a human undertaking."--Choice "The most important thing is not exactly what he writes about string theory, cosmology and quantum mechanics in his latest book ... but that a book so wide and deep in its erudition could be written at all. If his successors cannot do the same, science will be all the poorer."--Philip Ball, ProspectTable of ContentsAcknowledgements ix Preface xi Are fashion, faith, or fantasy relevant to fundamental science? xi 1 Fashion 1 1.1 Mathematical elegance as a driving force 1 1.2 Some fashionable physics of the past 10 1.3 Particle-physics background to string theory 17 1.4 The superposition principle in QFT 20 1.5 The power of Feynman diagrams 25 1.6 The original key ideas of string theory 32 1.7 Time in Einstein's general relativity 42 1.8 Weyl's gauge theory of electromagnetism 52 1.9 Functional freedom in Kaluza-Klein and string models 59 1.10 Quantum obstructions to functional freedom? 69 1.11 Classical instability of higher-dimensional string theory 77 1.12 The fashionable status of string theory 82 1.13 M-theory 90 1.14 Supersymmetry 95 1.15 AdS/CFT 104 1.16 Brane-worlds and the landscape 117 2 Faith 121 2.1 The quantum revelation 121 2.2 Max Planck's E = hnu 126 2.3 The wave-particle paradox 133 2.4 Quantum and classical levels: C, U, and R 138 2.5 Wave function of a point-like particle 145 2.6 Wave function of a photon 153 2.7 Quantum linearity 158 2.8 Quantum measurement 164 2.9 The geometry of quantum spin 174 2.10 Quantum entanglement and EPR effects 182 2.11 Quantum functional freedom 188 2.12 Quantum reality 198 2.13 Objective quantum state reduction: a limit to the quantum faith? 204 3 Fantasy 216 3.1 The Big Bang and FLRW cosmologies 216 3.2 Black holes and local irregularities 230 3.3 The second law of thermodynamics 241 3.4 The Big Bang paradox 250 3.5 Horizons, comoving volumes, and conformal diagrams 258 3.6 The phenomenal precision in the Big Bang 270 3.7 Cosmological entropy? 275 3.8 Vacuum energy 285 3.9 Inflationary cosmology 294 3.10 The anthropic principle 310 3.11 Some more fantastical cosmologies 323 4 A New Physics for the Universe? 334 4.1 Twistor theory: an alternative to strings? 334 4.2 Whither quantum foundations? 353 4.3 Conformal crazy cosmology? 371 4.4 A personal coda 391 Appendix A Mathematical Appendix 397 A.1 Iterated exponents 397 A.2 Functional freedom of fields 401 A.3 Vector spaces 407 A.4 Vector bases, coordinates, and duals 413 A.5 Mathematics of manifolds 417 A.6 Manifolds in physics 425 A.7 Bundles 431 A.8 Functional freedom via bundles 439 A.9 Complex numbers 445 A.10 Complex geometry 448 A.11 Harmonic analysis 458 References 469 Index 491

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Einstein Was Right is a compelling and thought-provoking account of one of the most thrilling scientific discoveries of the modern age travel." * Society for the History of Astronomy Bulletin *"The book is in general well written and the articles are all interesting and informative. In spite of my decades-long acquaintance with the subject, I found much material that I was not familiar with and which was enlightening."---Ajit Kembhavi, Current Science

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the PROSE Award in Biological Anthropology, Archaeology, and Ancient History, Association of American Publishers"

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Book Synopsis"Oatley provides [a] ... history of modern psychology told through the stories of its most important breakthroughs and the men and women who made them, [discussing] conscious and unconscious knowledge, brain physiology, emotion, mental development, language, memory, mental illness, creativity, human cooperation, and much more"--Back cover.

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Book SynopsisBased on wide-ranging and imaginative research, Elephant Slaves and Pampered Parrots stands as a major contribution to the history of human-animal relations, eighteenth-century culture, and French colonialism.Trade ReviewIt is both amusing and disturbing to read of people's bizarre interactions with animals in 18th-century France... Elephant Slaves and Pampered Parrots conveys the joy and wonder Parisians reaped from the monkeys and elephants frolicking around in their society. As Robbins points out, lurking beneath is the animals' profound exploitation: their torturous importation from their native climes; their high mortality rates on the way to France (many died of maltreatment aboard ship; others, if food supplies ran low, simply became dinner); their minimally competent care is they happened to arrive in Paris intact. -- Randy Malamud Chronicle of Higher Education A lively glimpse of 18th-century Paris's infatuation with exotic animals. Here is a genuine labor of love, not merely synthesizing what has already been published, but the result of an apparently exhaustive culling of Parisian archives... What exotic animals 18th-century Parisians saw and owned, how they got there, what the locals made of them, how they influenced fashion, are all well described in Louise Robbins's fascinating book. -- Herman Reichenbach International Zoo News This book adds a new dimension to our understanding of eighteenth-century France by investigating the provenance, treatment, and fate of exotic animals living in Paris in the 1700s. Attentive to the minutiae of everyday life as well as to long-term changes in the Parisian mentalite, Louise E. Robbins studies such creatures in order to show that human history is inseparable from that of the animals living in our midst... A signal contribution. Free of the jargon that plagues much historiography, this study is accessible to the specialist and the general reader alike. -- Julia V. Douthwaite American Historical Review A delightful tour of the world of exotic animals in eighteenth-century Paris... Robbins sketches a striking picture of what the public might have seen by using handbills, police records, and natural history texts. She has been resourceful. In her research, for example, she uncovered a trove of documents relating to the oiseleur's guild. Although small and generally unknown, the guild's history allows us a detailed glimpse into the bird trade (and trade in other animals, as well)... A welcome addition to the literature on eighteenth-century Paris and to our understanding of what animals meant to the people of that city. -- Paul Lawrence Farber Journal of the History of Biology A closely researched account, richly illustrated with material drawn from the contemporary press and archives, of the material and cultural presence of a range of exotic creatures imported into Paris... An exemplary historical account of the domestication of the exotic, cataloging the specific workings of such a process at a given historical moment. -- Charles Forsdick Journal of Romance Studies Robbins's book... highlights a neglected area of social and scientific historical writing. Notable is a deft use of a delicious variety of primary sources ranging from ships logs and personal correspondence of the French crown with its scattered agents to prints circulated among the Parisians and entries in tomes as formidable as the 1765 Encyclopedie... An unusual and fascinating piece of scholarship. -- Robert B. Ridinger E-Streams Using an impressively broad range of sources, Robbins gives a comprehensive account of the many unlikely spaces (literal and figurative) occupied by exotic animals in eighteenth-century Paris. From travelers' descriptions and aristocrats' memoirs, Robbins culls stories of the princesse de Chimay's pet monkey and of the seal loveingly exhibited by a fairground entrepreneur; from police reports, she traces the workings of the Paris bird-sellers' guild; from the colonial archives (and those of the king's menagerie), she charts the routes of African, Asian, and American animals on their way to the French capital... In short, Robbins' book is the product of research that was thorough and thoughtful. -- Rebecca L. Spang H-France Book Reviews Solid and engaging, this book is thoroughly satisfying in its fresh approach to eighteenth-century society. -- Mary Beth Decatur VIII: New Perspectives on the Eighteenth Century Elephant Slaves and Pampered Parrots has rightly attracted plaudits for its richness and the fascinating subject-the multifarious worlds of animal trading and keeping in eighteenth-century Paris-which the author treats in extensive and well-researched detail... The book is an enjoyable read, well written and thorough, and undoubtedly contributes much to our understanding of a subject about which little was previously known. -- E. C. Spary British Journal for the History of Science Elephant Slaves and Pampered Parrots is a job very well done. Robbins forcefully uses her sources of diaries, letters, and not least newspapers to drive home the importance of exotic animals in eitheenth-century French imagination... All in all, this book is a delight to read with well-chosen illustrations -- Sofia Akerberg Environmental History 2003 Caged animals could stand in metaphorically not only for slaves but also for victims of royal despotism... It is in showing how ubiquitous such discourses were and how central exotic animals were to them that this well-researched, witty, and thoroughly enjoyable book make its major contribution. -- Cissie Fairchilds Journal of Social History 2004 A captivating book that is not only impreccably researched but also eloquently written. -- Dorothee Brantz Journal of Modern History 2005 Let me stress that although Robbins' book is lots of fun to read, it is also meticulously researched and cogently argued... Do read this book; you will enjoy it and learn a lot. -- Jean Perkins Eighteenth-Century Intelligencer 2010Table of ContentsContents: List of Illustrations and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Live Cargo Chapter 2: The Royal Menagerie Chapter 3: Fairs and Fights Chapter 4: The Oiseleurs' Guild Chapter 5: Pampered Parrots Chapter 6: Animals in Print Chapter 7: Elephant Slaves Chapter 8: Vive la Liberte Epilogue Abbreviations List of Primary Resources Bibliographical Essay Index

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Book SynopsisThe result, a masterful combination of science and history, will appeal to a broad audience of specialists as well as general readers.Trade ReviewA fascinating tale at the interface of geophysics, maritime history, and the history of science... A remarkable blend of scientific and historical scholarship. Choice 2003 This book illuminates a dark corner of history and science from a unique and well-grounded perspective. By choosing to examine the natural phenomenon of Earth's magnetism within a historical context, A. R. T. Jonkers has found a way to lend both interest and accessibility to what otherwise could be an esoteric topic. Engaging, highly readable, and well written with sound scholarship, Earth's Magnetism in the Age of Sail is a valuable and original contribution to the history of science. Dr. Gregory Good, editor of Earth Sciences History and Director of the West Virginia Cultural Resource Management Certificate Program Jonkers has provided a truly interdisciplinary study that will be accessible to scientists as well as historians. -- Kathy S. Mason History: Reviews of New Books In this ambitious work, the author sets out to rescue from obscurity the thousands of measurements of magnetic declination made by European sailors in the early modern period... The monumental contribution of information and insight brought by this study... will bear fruit well into the future. -- Jordan Kellman International Journal of Maritime History 2005Table of ContentsContents:List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Note on Spelling and Other Conventions List of AbbreviationsIntroduction: Merging Geomagnetism and HistoryPART I: Earth's Magnetism 1 The Earth's Magnetic Field 2 The Age of Diversity: Geomagnetism before 1600 3 The Age of Discord: Geomagnetism in the Seventeenth Century 4 The Age of Data: Geomagnetism in the Eighteenth CenturyPART II: In the Age of Sail 5 Traversing the Trackless Oceans 6 Following in Iron Arrow 7 Plotting the Third CoordinateConclusion: Quantifying Geomagnetic NavigationAppendix Chronology of Geomagnetic Hypotheses Notes Essay on Sources Index

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Book SynopsisFeaturing references to Classical mythology and science, star charts of the northern and southern skies, extensive notes, and an introduction to the work's stylistic features and literary reception, this dynamic work will appeal to students of Ancient Greece who want to deepen their understanding of the Classical world.Trade ReviewThose who always wanted to read the Phaenomena in translation, but never came round to doing it will be pleased with this accessible, nimble translation in flowing English couplets, which conveys the pleasure of Aratus well. Both the introduction and the notes are up-to-date, clear, and useful. Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010 Poochigian here gives us an Aratus for our own time, turned in witty heroic couplets which fittingly recall Pope's didactic poems, decently faithful to the original, and helpfully introduced and annotated... This lively and polished version illuminates why this potentially austere cataloguepoem was so enthusiastically read for so many centuries, and it is to be warmly welcomed. Times Literary Supplement 2011Table of ContentsIntroductionInvocationThe Axle, the Poles, and the Northern SkyThe Southern SkyThe Planets and the Great CirclesWeather SignsAppendix 1: Constellation Risings and SettingsAppendix 2: Bayer DesignationsNotesWorks Cited

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Book SynopsisBased on Stearns's analysis of Muslim and Christian legal, theological, historical, and medical texts in Arabic, Medieval Castilian, and Latin, Infectious Ideas is the first book to offer a comparative discussion of concepts of contagion in the premodern Mediterranean world.Trade ReviewA welcome addition to the growing literature on plague-and medical thought-in the premodern Islamic world. Stearns's translations add new voices to those already known, and approach known figures with subtlety and nuance, challenging or at least refining the conclusions of the established scholarship... Stearns has provided future students commanding the requisite skills and depth of vision both a model and a solid target. -- Joseph P. Byrne American Historical Review Provides readers not only with a fascinating, beautifully researched account of contagion and plague in the premodern Western Mediterranean, but also with a series of thought-provoking new approaches to religious exegesis, legal interpretation, and literary production, and a set of methodological models that should serve scholars in the fields far beyond the realm of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century studies of illness and health in the Maghrib. The book is a fascinating read. -- Ruth A. Miller Journal of the American Oriental SocietyTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChronological List of Relevant Muslim and Christian Scholars Who Wrote on Contagion in the Premodern PeriodIntroduction: Contagion and Causality in the Study of Premodern Muslim and Christian Societies1. Contagion in the Commentaries on Prophetic Tradition2. Contagion as Metaphor in Iberian Christian Scholarship3. Contagion Contested: Greek Medical Thought, Prophetic Medicine, and the First Plague Treatises4. Situating Scholastic Contagion between Miasmaand the Evil Eye5. Contagion between Islamic Law and Theology6. Contagion Revisited: Early Modern Maghribi Plague TreatisesConclusion: Reframing Muslim and Christian Views on ContagionAppendix A: Contagion in the Christian Exegetical TraditionAppendix B: The Presence of Ash'arism in the MaghribNotesBibligraphyIndex

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