History of science Books

Book SynopsisHeinz von Foerster was the inventor of second-order cybernetics, which recognizes the investigator as part of the system he is investigating. The Beginning of Heaven and Earth Has No Name provides an accessible, nonmathematical, and comprehensive overview of Heinz von Foerster's cybernetic ideas and of the philosophy latent within them.Trade Review"Heinz Von Foerster spent most of his career seeking to understand cognition based on neurophysiology, mathematics, and philosophy. He came to a new understanding of knowledge which led to a new epistemology. What this book reveals is that after retiring from the University of Illinois, von Foerster reinterpreted his earlier professional training in physics and the sciences generally from the new perspective. The conversational structure and style of the book brilliantly gives von Foerster the opportunity to retell the story of creation by referring to all of the various branches of natural science, but with the additional insight of the new epistemology. This is a remarkable achievement which will delight any serious student of the natural sciences or of scientific writing. The scholarship that went into the conversation that the book records, both the questions and the answers, is impressive. The ideas here will be of particular interest to ambitious younger scientists looking for new lines of research." -- -Stuart Umpleby George Washington University "I know of no other such a broad and coherent statement of Foerster's essential thinking." -- -Ranulph Glanville Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Cybernetics, The Bartlett, University College London, UKTable of ContentsA Fore-word by the Series Editor An Author's Fore-words Fore-wards with Two Editors Fore-taste of an Author with Two Editors 1. First Day: Building Blocks, Observers, Emergence, Trivial Machines 2. Second Day: Innovation, Life, Order, Thermodynamics 3. Third Day: Movement, Species, Recursion, Selectivity 4. Fourth Day: Cognition, Perception, Memory, Symbols 5. Fifth Day: Communicating, Talking, Thinking, Falling 6. Sixth Day: Experiences, Heuristics, Plans, Futures 7. Seventh Day: Rest, Rest, Rest, Rest Epilogue in Heaven ... Translators' Notes Notes

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Book SynopsisHeinz von Foerster was the inventor of second-order cybernetics, which recognizes the investigator as part of the system he is investigating. The Beginning of Heaven and Earth Has No Name provides an accessible, nonmathematical, and comprehensive overview of Heinz von Foerster's cybernetic ideas and of the philosophy latent within them.Trade Review"Heinz Von Foerster spent most of his career seeking to understand cognition based on neurophysiology, mathematics, and philosophy. He came to a new understanding of knowledge which led to a new epistemology. What this book reveals is that after retiring from the University of Illinois, von Foerster reinterpreted his earlier professional training in physics and the sciences generally from the new perspective. The conversational structure and style of the book brilliantly gives von Foerster the opportunity to retell the story of creation by referring to all of the various branches of natural science, but with the additional insight of the new epistemology. This is a remarkable achievement which will delight any serious student of the natural sciences or of scientific writing. The scholarship that went into the conversation that the book records, both the questions and the answers, is impressive. The ideas here will be of particular interest to ambitious younger scientists looking for new lines of research." -- -Stuart Umpleby George Washington University "I know of no other such a broad and coherent statement of Foerster's essential thinking." -- -Ranulph Glanville Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Cybernetics, The Bartlett, University College London, UKTable of ContentsA Fore-word by the Series Editor An Author's Fore-words Fore-wards with Two Editors Fore-taste of an Author with Two Editors 1. First Day: Building Blocks, Observers, Emergence, Trivial Machines 2. Second Day: Innovation, Life, Order, Thermodynamics 3. Third Day: Movement, Species, Recursion, Selectivity 4. Fourth Day: Cognition, Perception, Memory, Symbols 5. Fifth Day: Communicating, Talking, Thinking, Falling 6. Sixth Day: Experiences, Heuristics, Plans, Futures 7. Seventh Day: Rest, Rest, Rest, Rest Epilogue in Heaven ... Translators' Notes Notes

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Book SynopsisHow does the work of influential theorist Bruno Latour offer a fresh angle on the practices and purposes of the humanities?In recent years, defenses of the humanities have tended to argue along predictable lines: the humanities foster empathy, the humanities encourage critical thinking, the humanities offer a counterweight to the cold calculations of the natural and social sciences. The essays in Latour and the Humanities take a different approach. Exploring the relevance of theorist Bruno Latour's work, they argue for attachments and entanglements between the humanities and the sciences while looking closely at the interests, institutions, and intellectual projects that shape the humanities within and beyond the university. The collection, which is written by a group of highly distinguished scholars from around the world, is divided into two sections. In the first part, authors engage in depth with Latour's work while also rethinking the ties between the humanities and the sciences. ETable of ContentsIntroduction, by Rita FelskiI. What Do the Humanities Do?1. Stephen Muecke, An Ecology of Institutions: Recomposing the Humanities 002. Antoine Hennion, From ANT to Pragmatism: A Journey with Bruno Latour at the CSI 003. Graham Harman, Demodernizing the Humanities with Latour4. Heather Love, Care, Concern, and the Ethics of Description5. Anders Blok and Casper Bruun Jensen, Redistributing Critique6. Steven Connor, Decomposing the Humanities7. Dipesh Chakrabarty, Humanities in the Anthropocene: The Crisis of an Enduring Kantian Fable8. Yves Citton, Fictional Attachments and Literary Weavings in the Anthropocene9. Simon During, Are the Humanities Modern?10. Nigel Thrift, The University of LifeII. Latour and the Disciplines11. David J. Alworth, Critique, Modernity, Society, Agency: Matters of Concern in Literary Studies12. Claudia Breger, Cinematic Assemblies: Latour and Film Studies13. Michael Witmore, Latour, the Digital Humanities, and the Divided Kingdom of Knowledge14. Barbara Herrnstein Smith, Anthropotheology: Latour Speaking Religiously15. Gerard de Vries, Politics Is a "Mode of Existence": Why Political Theorists Should Leave Hobbes for Montesquieu 16. Patrice Maniglier, Art as Fiction: Can Latour's Ontology of Art Be Ratified by Art Lovers? (An Exercise in Anthropological Diplomacy17. Francis Halsall, Actor-Network Aesthetics: The Conceptual Rhymes of Bruno Latour and Contemporary ArtAfterwordLife among Conceptual Characters, by Bruno LatourContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisThe publication in 1859 of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species touched off a violent controversy which, when the tumult had died down, left the theory of biological evolution firmly established. The success of the book was instantaneous, partly because the educated public was ready to listen to a reasonable explanation and parly because Thomas Huxley and Herbert Spencer were available and anxious to fight for the theory in the face of all opposition. The opposition was considerable but merely served to fan the flame of public interest. Hence the concept of descent with modification spread and widened and the doctrine of Evolution did more to revitalize human thinking during the past century than any other force. It is for this reason that the Royal Society of Canada commemorated the centenary of the publication of Darwin's book by organizing a symposium on Evolution at its annual meeting in June 1959. This volume consists of papers on geological, biological, ph

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Book SynopsisFor the first time, this book compiles original documents from Science for the People, the most important radical science movement in U.S. history. Between 1969 and 1989, Science for the People mobilized American scientists, teachers, and students to practice a socially and economically just science, rather than one that served militarism and corporate profits. Through research, writing, protest, and organizing, members sought to demystify scientific knowledge and embolden ""the people"" to take science and technology into their own hands. The movement's numerous publications were crucial to the formation of science and technology studies, challenging mainstream understandings of science as ""neutral"" and instead showing it as inherently political. Its members, some at prominent universities, became models for politically engaged science and scholarship by using their knowledge to challenge, rather than uphold, the social, political, and economic status quo. Highlighting Science for the People's activism and intellectual interventions in a range of areas - including militarism, race, gender, medicine, agriculture, energy, and global affairs - this volume offers vital contributions to today's debates on science, justice, democracy, sustainability, and political power.

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Book SynopsisWhat is life? This was a question of particular concern for Mary Shelley and her contemporaries. But how did she, and her fellow Romantic writers, incorporate this debate into their work, and how much were they influenced by contemporary science, medicine and personal loss? This book is the first to compile the many attempts in science and medicine to account for life and death in Mary Shelley’s time. It considers what her contemporaries thought of air, blood, sunlight, electricity and other elements believed to be most essential for living. Mary Shelley’s (and her circle’s) knowledge of science and medicine is carefully examined, alongside the work of key scientific and medical thinkers, including John Abernethy, James Curry, Humphry Davy, John Hunter, William Lawrence and Joseph Priestley. Frankenstein demonstrates what Mary Shelley knew of the advice given by medical practitioners for the recovery of persons drowned, hanged or strangled and explores the contemporary scientific basis behind Victor Frankenstein’s idea that life and death were merely ‘ideal bounds’ he could transgress in the making of the Creature. Interweaving images of the manuscript, portraits, medical instruments and contemporary diagrams into her narrative, Sharon Ruston shows how this extraordinary tale is steeped in historical scientific and medical thought exploring the fascinating boundary between life and death.Table of ContentsContents Introduction 1 Life and Death in Romantic Literature 2 Vital Air 3 Electric Life 4 Vis Vitae (the Vital Principle) 5 Raising the Dead Afterword Notes Further Reading Picture Credits Index

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Book SynopsisThat is, the public was reassured by bioethical oversight of biomedicine; in reality, however, bioethicists belonged to the same mainstream that produced the doctors and researchers whom the bioethicists were guiding.Trade ReviewUltimately, the innovations and court decisions most associated with bioethics, Stevens shows, were less rooted in concern about the abuse of patients than in researchers' and biomedical institutions' desires for the freedom to pursue new medical technologies and their need for protection from legal liability. Bioethics has served more as a 'midwife' to new medical research and technologies than as a critic. These findings should concern all of us. Steven's critical analysis of bioethics is a valuable revision. -- Leslie J. Reagan American Historical Review An interesting and provocative book, well worth reading for the issues it raises as well as for the historical analysis of the bioethics movement. -- Audrey K. Gordon Perspectives in Biology and Medicine Bioethics in America merits our attention. It will encourage additional reflection on the sources and meaning of the rise of this new profession dedicated to moral arbitration. -- Raymond DeVries Journal of American History Stevens has a pithy prose style and a healthy willingness to challenge received wisdom. -- Robert Baker, Ph.D Journal of the History of Medicine A major contribution to the history of bioethics. ChoiceTable of ContentsContents: Prologue The Tradition of AmbivalenceChapter One The Culture of Post-atomic AmbivalenceChapter Two "Leaders of Leaders": The Hastings Center, 1969 to the PresentChapter Three Redefining Death in America, 1968Chapter Four "Sleeping Beauty": Karen Ann Quinlan and the Rise of Bioethics in AmericaEpilogue Conclusion and Outlook

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Book SynopsisLindee's pathbreaking study shows the interdependence of technical and social parameters in contemporary biomedicine.Trade ReviewThese fascinating, well-written stories portray what it is like to work in human or medical genetics, both in the clinic and as a researcher. -- Uta Francke Nature 2006 As difficult as it is to pinpoint the key events in history, Lindee manages this well, singling out and humanising the most important events and players. -- Lindsay Banham Lancet 2006 This history will reward anyone interested in the paths from gene discoveries to cures or the potential for genomic medicine. Science 2006 Captures the complexities of research on genetic disease while prompting us to reconsider the distribution of scientific authority and the dynamics of knowledge production. -- Michael R. Dietrich New England Journal of Medicine 2006 An elegant, accessible, even thrilling book that is itself a moment of historical truth and a must-read. -- Alice Wexler Bulletin of the History of Medicine 2006 An important contribution to our understanding of the making of the future of medicine, not just substantively, but methodologically as well. -- Paolo Palladino Journal of History of Biology 2006 Provocative and thoughtful... An important and interesting exploration of post-World War II genetics and its impact on the current revolution in genetics and biology. -- Michael Yudell Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences 2006 Lindee argues that the production of scientific knowledge is a community project involving not just researchers, but also research subjects, patients and their families... The resulting insight into the structure and organization of contemporary biomedicine is one of the chief contributions of this original and important new book. -- Diane Paul Medical History 2007 Moments of Truth in Genetic Medicine opens up an important area of contemporary biomedicine, the 'genetization' of disease, to historical scrutiny, looking for decisive turning points far beyond the narrow confines of molecular genetics. Written in a highly accessible style, it will be of interest to anyone concerned with the making of biomedical knowledge, genetic and otherwise. -- Soraya de Chadarevian Isis 2007 A fascinating and thorough job of summarizing the emergence of human genetics from an almost totally ignored discipline to its current position as one of the most high-profile biomedical and societal endeavors. -- Ronald G. Davidson American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A 2006 Thoughtful book... Raises novel issues about the rise of genetic knowledge and formulates questions and strategies that are critical to understanding both the past and future of genetic medicine. -- Stephen Pemberton History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 2006 A 'must' for any health library concerned with health history, particularly at the college level. Midwest Book Review 2009Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1. Introduction2. Babies' Blood: Phenylketonuria and the Rise of Public Health Genetics3. Provenance and the Pedigree: Victor McKusick's Field Work with the Pennsylvania Amish4. Squashed Spiders: Standardizing the Human Chromosomes and Other Unruly Things5. Two Peas in a Pod: Twin Science and the Rise of Human Behavior Genetics6. Jewish Genes: History, Emotion, and Familial Dysautonomia7. ConclusionNotesEssay on SourcesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the ASLI Choice Award, Atmospheric Science Librarians International""Winner of the PROSE Award in Earth Science, Association of American Publishers""Winner of the Special Book Award, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards""Winner of the Award of Excellence in Plants and Environmental Change, Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries""A detailed and authoritative account that reveals the rich and fascinating story of this unique landscape and its climate, geology and natural history. . . . Williams’s book offers a wonderful insight into how climate can transform the landscape across long stretches of time, as well as how delicately balanced are the ecosystems on which we depend."---P. D. Smith, The Guardian"This vivid historical survey by Earth scientist Martin Williams is the result of a lifetime’s work."---Andrew Robinson, Nature"Fascinating. . . . Engrossing. . . . When the Sahara Was Green covers the cyclical, gradual desiccation of the Sahara, the changing of its biomes, the nature of its current occupants, and even the question of its future. It’s formidably researched . . . but so warmly, approachably written that learning was never so pleasant."---Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review"Given Williams’s deep well of knowledge, this book could have been bogged down by technicalities and jargon. Instead, When the Sahara Was Green is admirably accessible to a broad audience with only basic knowledge of geography and earth sciences. Furthermore, the book stands out for the numerous clear and well-designed illustrations that explain complex concepts."---Leon Vlieger, Inquisitive Biologist"Highly accessible . . . and filled with interesting facts about geological history."---Nicole Barbaro, Bookmarked"[A] fascinating and informative introduction to the history of the Sahara, the past and present lifeforms it hosts, and its role in the wider planetary environment . . . Read this book and spread interest in Earth’s largest desert."---Jeffery Hirschy, H-Environment

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"New Zealand Listener's Best Book of 2019""One of FiveBooks' Best Climate Books of 2019""Oreskes joins a distinguished line of thinkers who explain why we should trust the findings of the scientific community . . . [and] clearly reminds readers that science has consistently brought home the bacon." * Kirkus Reviews *"Why Trust Science? is an optimistic analysis of the opportunities that exist for enhancing public trust in science. This book should be mandatory reading for anyone who is part of the scientific endeavor."---Elisabeth Gilmore, Science"[A] fascinating new book . . . in a field with few reasons to be cheerful, it is both enlightening and encouraging. Once we begin to understand the size of the chasm that separates science’s outsiders and insiders, as Oreskes clearly does, we can at least start to design a bridge."---Michael Brooks, New Scientist"Two features of science, [Oreskes] claims, account for its trustworthiness: its ‘sustained engagement with the world’ together with ‘its social character.’ Her emphasis on the second feature may surprise readers used to thinking of science as a tidy epistemic enterprise neatly insulated from social influence, but this view emerges clearly from her sober review of studies of science by historians, philosophers, sociologists, and anthropologists during the past half century."---Philip Kitcher, Boston Review"A compelling argument in favour of experts."---Hettie O’Brien, New Statesman"For both its evidence-based rigor and striking honesty, Why Trust Science? by Naomi Oreskes should be required reading for everyone in scholarly communications. Addressing the broadest view of science possible — from the experimental to the historical — this book offers crisp, accessible writing and draws important connections to our world of research dissemination and publishing."---Lettie Conrad, The Scholarly Kitchen"Naomi Oreskes challenges easy answers." * New Scientist *"A marvellous, up to date, thorough historical survey of science and its processes."---John R. Helliwell, Journal of Applied Crystallography"The decline of trust in science is one aspect of a much wider social issue, and the author gives a detailed survey of various perspectives from history and philosophy of science including many of the best-known names in the field."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer"Oreskes' definition of science provides us with the best knowledge we can philosophically hope to get."---Ed Gibney, The Philosopher"A fascinating and accessible read that considers numerous domains and issues to bring the reader to Oreskes’ ultimate point, that trustworthy science depends on consensus, diversity, and methodological openness and flexibility."---Jeff Share, Journal of Sustainability Education"Why Trust Science? is an incredibly important work, bringing the history of science into something of a thinker’s field guide to the pursuit of knowledge. It is sharply written and, beyond being merely informative, it is sage. Wherever the reader stands on the for or against science divide, Oreskes’ determined and open-minded curiosity is infectious, as is her earned belief in science. Hopefully, it will encourage more scientists and science-lovers to spread the good word."---Katherine Oktober Matthews, Riding the Dragon"Oreskes is eloquent, insightful and bold. At a time where we are still confronted by climate change deniers and the anti-vaccine movement . . . it is easy to see why a book like this is so important. . . . This thought-provoking, timely and comprehensive book is a must-read."---Joanna Florence Sparks, Chemistry World"This book is well worth the effort for anyone concerned about climate change, protection of biodiversity, and other issues that involve science advising policy. Insights from Naomi Oreskes can bolster our arguments countering the anti-science, anti-expertise, anti-intellectual forces at work in the world today."---John Miles, National Parks Traveler

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Book SynopsisMaking Sense of World History is a comprehensive and accessible textbook that helps students understand the key themes of world history within a chronological framework stretching from ancient times to the present day.To lend coherence to its narrative, the book employs a set of organizing devices that connect times, places, and/or themes. This narrative is supported by: Flowcharts that show how phenomena within diverse broad themes interact in generating key processes and events in world history. A discussion of the common challenges faced by different types of agent, including rulers, merchants, farmers, and parents, and a comparison of how these challenges were addressed in different times and places. An exhaustive and balanced treatment of themes such as culture, politics, and economy, with an emphasis on interaction. Explicit attention to skill acquisition in organizing information, cultural sensitivity, comparison, visual Table of ContentsPART I: Organizing world history 1. Making sense of world history PART II: Prehistory and ancient history 2. The Big History prelude: From the Big Bang to hominids 3. Evolution of human nature itself in early human history 4. A critical transformation: The development of agriculture, nomadism, and fishing 5. Some early impacts of agriculture: Key technologies and trade practices 6. Grappling with “civilization”: The development of cities, states, and writing 7. Early civilizations around the world 8. Belief systems: The nature and development of early religions PART III: Classical history 9. Political organization on an unprecedented scale: The classical empires 10. Similarities and differences: The Roman and Chinese Empires compared 11. The birth of missionary religions: Why and how did the world’s major religions emerge? 12. A new force in world history: The Islamic conquests 13. Eurasia in the centuries after the fall of the classical empires PART IV: The Middle Ages 14. Seeking global commonalities: Some key thematic trends 900–1500 and beyond 15. Regional developments: Eurasia after 900 16. Regional developments: Polynesia, the Americas, and Africa 17. The Mongols and the largest ever contiguous empire PART V: The Early Modern period 18. Thematic developments in the Early Modern period 1450–1800 19. Exploration and trade: Linking the continents 20. Comparing new empires in Asia 21. It seems so natural now: The emergence of the modern nation state 22. The Great Divergence: The rise of the European economy and military PART VI: The nineteenth and twentieth centuries 23. Key thematic transformations of the long nineteenth entury 24. Industrial revolutions: Innovation, factories, and economic growth 25. Political revolutions around the world: A diverse set of experiences with important commonalities 26. A unique historical transformation: The abolition of slavery and serfdom 27. Key thematic transformations of the twentieth century 28. Devastation and fear: War in the twentieth century 29. The worst of times and the best of times: The Great Depression and postwar recovery 30. An unprecedented development: Postwar decolonization 31. Population movements: Dramatic changes in the numbers, location, and health of humans PART VII: Drawing lessons 32. Drawing lessons from history: Why, how, and what

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Book SynopsisIn the twenty-first century, we take the means to measure time for granted, without contemplating the sophisticated concepts on which our time scales are based. This volume presents the evolution of concepts of time and methods of time keeping up to the present day. It outlines the progression of time based on sundials, water clocks, and the Earth''s rotation, to time measurement using pendulum clocks, quartz crystal clocks, and atomic frequency standards. Time scales created as a result of these improvements in technology and the development of general and special relativity are explained. This second edition has been updated throughout to describe twentieth- and twenty-first-century advances and discusses the redefinition of SI units and the future of UTC. A new chapter on time and cosmology has been added. This broad-ranging reference benefits a diverse readership, including historians, scientists, engineers, educators, and it is accessible to general readers.Trade Review'Why do we add 1 second to our clocks at midnight at the end of some years, or at the end of June in others? Why don't we subtract 1 second sometimes instead? … You will find the answers to these and many more questions in this excellent book, written by two experts who worked on the practical aspects of these topics at the US Naval Observatory … The second edition brings these subjects right up to date, and investigates the possible future developments in timekeeping.' L. V. Morrison, The ObservatoryTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Time: pre-twentieth century; 2. Solar time; 3. Ephemerides; 4. Variable Earth rotation; 5. Earth orientation; 6. Ephemeris time; 7. Relativity and time; 8. Time and cosmology; 9. Dynamical and coordinate time scales; 10. Clock developments; 11. Microwave atomic clocks; 12. Optical atomic standards; 13. Definition and role of a second; 14. International Atomic Time (TAI); 15. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); 16. Time in the solar system; 17. Time and frequency transfer; 18. Modern Earth orientation; 19. International activities; 20. Time applications; 21. Future of time keeping; Acronyms; Glossary.

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Book SynopsisResurrects the largely forgotten figure of Velikovsky and uses his strange career and surprisingly influential writings to explore the changing definitions of the line that separates legitimate scientific inquiry from what is deemed bunk and to show how vital this question remains to us today.Trade Review"A slyly funny writer.... Make no mistake: Michael D. Gordin's sympathies are not with the occult. His fascination with pseudoscience is more like a negative method: the experts define the boundaries of their domain by fending off the quacks. For Gordin, pseudoscience is an instrument by which he takes the temperature of the past.... The Pseudoscience Wars is a relatively slim volume, but Gordin siphons into it an overwhelming amount of information." (New Republic) "Those who are interested in how bad ideas start, how they diffuse, how they covet and resist confrontation, and how they wax and wane in popularity over time will find much food for thought in this gripping book." (Science) "Scholarly and highly readable.... Michael D. Gordin's historical analysis of pseudoscience remains disturbingly relevant." (Nature)"

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Book SynopsisLysenko became one of the most notorious figures in twentieth-century science after his genetic theories were discredited decades ago. Yet some scientists now claim that discoveries in epigenetics prove that he was right after all. Loren Graham reopens the case, to determine whether new developments in molecular biology validate Lysenko’s claims.Trade ReviewThe ways that politics, religion, cultural norms, and ideologies of all kinds distort science is at the heart of Lysenko’s Ghost. Those ideologies can alter our interpretation of facts and reshape our understanding of natural events. -- Maggie Koerth-Baker * Technology Review *Graham has delivered an account of one of the most infamous and important, yet least-known episodes in twentieth-century science—one on which he is the leading scholar. -- Edward O. WilsonThis book adds valuable new insights into the current debates concerning elements of the newly emerging field of epigenetics and its connections to the older debates about the inheritance of acquired characteristics, especially in the context of Russia and the theories of Lysenko. Graham is in command of the materials throughout and in many cases he is one of the few who knows the materials at hand. -- Everett Mendelsohn, Harvard UniversityA thoughtful, historically grounded, and engaging commentary on current Russian perspectives on Lysenko and his legacy in the context of recent developments in epigenetics and Russian politics and culture. -- Daniel Todes, Johns Hopkins UniversityGraham’s book is a timely and important antidote to the idea that everything that is not mainstream heredity is Lysenkoism. -- Maurizio Meloni * Science *[Graham’s] survey of the terrifying milieu in which Lysenko thrived includes a discussion of the eugenics movement in the Soviet Union, and the short book thus encompasses two major types of threat to the integrity of scientific inquiry: institutional interference from without and political infection from within. The latter threat, in particular, is ever present…Graham’s survey of Lysenkoism and eugenics in Soviet Russia contains important lessons about threats to the health of science. -- Nicholas Wade * Wall Street Journal *Graham offers a sweeping history of the concept of inheritance of acquired characteristics as it shaped, and was shaped by, philosophy and politics in the 19th and 20th century. The book highlights how the scientific process can be imperiled when political objectives—here, Lysenko’s goals for demonstrating that environmental conditions can induce heritable biological change—are prioritized over experimental design and data analysis. -- D. P. Genereux * Choice *

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Book SynopsisOne of Gardens Illustrated's Best Books of 2020Acclaimed author David Mabberley provides a ground-breaking analysis of early European understanding of Australia’s lora. Combining science, horticulture, art and economics, this lavishly illustrated book – with many never before-published images – reveals the motives and complex networks that led to the international spread of knowledge and cultivation of hundreds of Australian plants in Europe in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.Based on the superb Peter Crossing Collection, Botanical Revelation documents a revolutionary phase in the understanding of Australia’s flora and science more generally.Features: David Mabberley is one of the world’s foremost botanical scholarsof early colonial Australia The detailed story of early European encounters with Australianplants is told here for the first time A beautifully designed and produced book packed with stunningillustrations, many never before published Uses a comprehensive private library - the Peter Crossing Collection-devoted to the early encountering, documenting and illustratingof Australian plants by Europeans before Darwin came here in1836 - to tell a fascinating story Trade Review"A hugely impressive endeavour [...] all efforts to delve into this book will be more than amply repaid." - Gardens Illustrated

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Book Synopsis This is a new translation, with introduction, commentary, and an explanatory glossary. 'Sachs''s translation and commentary rescue Aristotle''s text from the rigid, pedantic, and misleading versions that have until now obscured his thought. Thanks to Sachs''s superb guidance, the Physics comes alive as a profound dialectical inquiry whose insights into the enduring questions about nature, cause, change, time, and the ''infinite'' are still pertinent today. Using such guided studies in class has been exhilarating both for myself and my students.' ––Leon R. Kass, The Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago Aristotle’s Physics is the only complete and coherent book we have from the ancient world in which a thinker of the first rank seeks to say something about nature as a whole. For centuries, Aristotle’s inquiry into the causes and conditions of motion and rest dominated science and philosophy. To understand the inTrade ReviewSachs's translation and commentary rescue Aristotle's text from the rigid, pedantic, and misleading versions that have until now obscured his thought. Thanks to Sachs's superb guidance, the Physics comes alive as a profound dialectical inquiry whose insights into the enduring questions about nature, cause, change, time, and the 'infinite' are still pertinent today. Using such guided studies in class has been exhilarating both for myself and my students. -- Leon R. Kass * The Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago *Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Preface Introduction Note on Aristotle's Central Vocabulary Book I Beginnings Book II, Chapter 1-3 Causes Chapters 4-9 Chance and Necessity Book III, Chapters 1-3 Motion Chapters 4-8 The Infinite Book IV, Chapters 1-5 Place Chapters 6-9 The Void Chapters 10-14 Time Book V Motions as Wholes Book VI Internal Structure of Motions Book VII Relation of Mover and Moved Book VIII, Chapters 1-6 Deduction of Motionless First Mover Chapters 7-10 The First Motion

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Book SynopsisQuantum physics helps explain many mysteries of the universe. It underpins everything, but it need not be quantum difficult with this informative, accessible, easy-to-follow guide to the fundamentals and concepts of quantum physics and our quantum universe!Quantum physics is all around us. It?s in electrical lights, lasers, and the color of the sky. Without it, the sun wouldn?t shine. It even explains how human eyes work. With its role in photosynthesis, it literally supports life. Yet, it had Schrödinger wondering whether his cat was alive or dead. It tells us that something can be both a wave and a particle and that two linked particles can communicate across the universe instantaneously! And it might even explain how the multiverse is real. Quantum physics is the key to understanding our complex world, yet even our most brilliant minds haven?t figured it all out yet.Engaging and approachable, The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book helps untangle this complex subject, making quantum physics and its impact on us, the world, and the universe entertaining and easy to grasp. From the basics to the theories and from the practical applications to the future, this illuminating book answers more than 800 fascinating questions so you can easily understand quantum physics, including ...Did the Big Bang arise from quantum foam?When did philosophers first consider the existence of atoms?What is the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated?What are quarks?What is quantum teleportation? What is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?What is the quantum principle used in MRI machines?Does entangled time mean the present can affect the past?Why did Albert Einstein say, ?God does not play dice with the universe??How is a black hole a quantum object?How does quantum physics appear in portrayals of space?Do we live in a multiverse?What is artificial intelligence?Are human brains actually quantum computers?How does quantum physics affect me?The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book provides a bridge between scientific concepts and everyday understanding, allowing you to grasp the wonders and implications of quantum physics. This compelling resource is for the casually curious as well as those seeking a deeper understanding of one of the most captivating scientific fields of our time. With 135 photos and graphics, this tome is richly illustrated. Its glossary of commonly used terms cuts through the jargon, a helpful bibliography provides sources for further exploration, and an extensive index adds to its usefulness.

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Book SynopsisA wide-ranging and original introduction to the Anthropocene (the Age of Humanity) that offers fresh, theoretical insights bridging the sciences and the humanitiesTrade Review“A very impressive book. . . . Merchant’s keen synthesis and original thinking will appeal to field experts.”—Miles Alexander Powell, Environment and History“A remarkably clear and accessible study of multiple dimensions of the environmental crisis and their effects on the humanities.”—J. R. McNeill, coauthor of The Great Acceleration: An Environmental History of the Anthropocene since 1945“A text of great importance that investigates how science, technology, and the humanities can create a new and compelling awareness of human impact on earth.”—Mary Evelyn Tucker, coauthor of Journey of the Universe“Carolyn Merchant has written a pithy, well‑rounded introduction to what the environmental humanities can offer in moving our planet toward an Age of Sustainability.”—Edward Melillo, author of Strangers on Familiar Soil“Carolyn Merchant provides a useful interdisciplinary primer on the supreme challenges of living responsibly in the era of continual climate change. Her tone is both analytical and personal, and she offers a vision for an ecologically just future.”—Jacob Darwin Hamblin, author of Arming Mother Nature: The Birth of Catastrophic Environmentalism

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Book Synopsis1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization takes readers on a journey through years of forgotten Islamic history to discover one thousand fascinating scientific and technological inventions still being used throughout the world today. Take a look at all of the discoveries that led to the great technological advances of our time; engineering, early medicinal practices, and the origins of cartography are just a few of the areas explored in this book. 1001 Inventions provides unique insight into a significant time period in Muslim history that has been looked over by much of the world. A time where discoveries were made and inventions were created that have impacted how Western civilization and the rest of the world lives today. The book will cover seven aspects of life relatable to everyone, including home, school, hospital, market, town, world and universe.Trade Review"...this heavily illustrated volume, edited by Salim T.S. Al-Hassani, stands on its own as an accessible history of the golden era that spanned from the 7th to the 17th century." --Boston Sunday Globe

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Book SynopsisTo begin to understand this apparent contradiction in terms, we must first understand the exacting nature of space technologies and the concerns of those who create them.Trade ReviewSoundly based on the secondary literature and on archival research in the United States and Europe and provides an excellent overview of the topic within Johnson's chosen boundaries... I can highly recommend Johnson's book to historians of both the Cold War military and civilian space programs. Journal of Military History Johnson has been inspired by engineering to write good history. -- Jon Agar British Journal for the History of Science 2004 A book for general readers interested in business and management issues in the space program. Choice 2003 Johnson's in-depth, nuts-and-bolts manual sheds much light on a seldom studied secret of our recent space history. Space Review 2006 Well written and engaging in style. Satellite Evolution Group 2007Table of ContentsContents: Introduction: Managment and the Conrol of Research Social and Technical Issues of Spaceflight Creating Concurrency From Concurrency to Systems Managment JPL's Journey from Missiles to Space Organizing the Manned Space Program Organizing ELDO for Failure ERSO's American Bridge across the Managment Gap Coordination and Control of High-Tech Research and Development

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Book SynopsisOn the bicentennial of his death, this beautifully illustrated volume pays tribute to the Scot who became the father of American ornithology. Alexander Wilson made unique contributions to ecology and animal behavior. His drawings of birds in realistic poses in their natural habitat inspired Audubon, Spencer Fullerton Baird, and other naturalists.Trade Review[Burtt and Davis] are in no doubt that their man is the one to deserve the title of ‘Father’ [of American ornithology]… And it is a strong case, convincingly made… This will be a very valuable resource for scholars, and the drawings themselves are attractive and persuasive evidence for the authors’ claims about Wilson’s originality and importance. The authors and publishers have done full justice to these illustrations in this handsome volume and they are beautifully laid out and reproduced. -- Jeremy Mynott * Times Literary Supplement *Burtt and Davis argue convincingly for Wilson’s contribution to modern scientific ornithology and celebrate Wilson as the man who inspired John James Audubon… This book…give[s] us Wilson’s wonderful illustrations—and a sense of the spirit of an extraordinary man whose curiosity reached far beyond the man-made world. -- Karin Altenberg * Wall Street Journal *Burtt and Davis include brief essays on the ornithologists whom Wilson read or corresponded with, providing a valuable overview of the burgeoning natural sciences of the early nineteenth century… They establish Wilson’s stature as a bird illustrator, and their handsome volume reproduces them beautifully… Burtt and Davis successfully make clear Wilson’s importance in establishing American ornithology on two firm pillars: international Linnaean binomial nomenclature and close observation of living birds as well as specimens… Wilson’s position as the founder of American ornithology was won with intense struggle from inauspicious beginnings, and it seems secure. -- Robert O. Paxton * New York Review of Books *It is as the author of American Ornithology—a nine-volume work that aimed to list every species in the U.S.—that Wilson will be remembered. Wilson’s books were revolutionary. He wrote his descriptions of birds from observing them in the field, rather than looking at stuffed birds in collections. It was an approach that helped promote the adoption of the scientific method in the U.S. He also penned his narrative so that readers would be able to identify birds themselves, making it the first field guide… Wilson’s life and his struggle to publish American Ornithology are fascinating. -- Peter Ranscombe * The Scotsman *Wilson was first to describe 26 species of North American birds, he has more birds named after him than any other American ornithologist, and John James Audubon, Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Thomas Nuttall, Spencer Fullerton Baird, and Elliot Coues all were inspired by him, yet most people, when asked who the father of American ornithology is, say, wrongly, Audubon. This well-illustrated study, the first to reproduce many of Wilson’s drawings and draft plates from American Ornithology, his nine-volume masterwork, sets the record straight. -- Chuck Hagner and Matt Mendenhall * Bird Watching *Wilson has more birds named after him than any other American ornithologist, including Audubon, and now, thanks to Burtt and Davis, he has a superb modern-day biography and critical assessment, one every scholarly birder should buy and read. It’s entirely right that we regularly remember to give Alexander Wilson the credit for inventing the school and ethos of American bird-study. -- Steve Donoghue * Open Letters Monthly *One of the objectives of this book is to publish all of Wilson’s previously unpublished illustrations… Wilson’s artwork is superb… The case Burtt and Davis make for Wilson being the true father of American ornithology is overwhelming, and in that sense they have succeeded admirably. -- Tim Birkhead * Times Higher Education *Alexander Wilson, the Scotsman who came to the United States in 1794…more than Audubon, deserves credit for having founded American ornithology, as biographers Edward Burtt and William Davis rightly insist. -- Christoph Irmscher * Weekly Standard *The book includes many letters to and from U.S. naturalists and dozens of beautifully reproduced and previously unpublished line drawings and paintings of birds that contributed to Wilson’s greatest tangible achievement, the encyclopedic nine-volume American Ornithology. Unlike most of his contemporaries, such as Audubon, Wilson argued for the need for field observation to truly understand and illustrate the character of wild creatures, and he traveled thousands of miles across a wild continent to accomplish this. This book is full of delightful anecdotes and excellent detailed drawings; it will do much to elevate the reputation of Wilson among those with an interest in birds, illustration, and history. -- D. Flaspohler * Choice *A Scottish emigré, Alexander Wilson (1766–1813) became the preeminent ornithologist of early America. His systematic approach to the study of birds and his nine-volume American Ornithology (1808–14) greatly influenced John James Audubon, in whose shadow Wilson has since remained… Burtt and Davis describe Wilson’s mentoring by such prominent figures as Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, William Bartram, and the Philadelphia family of artists, the Peales… The authors show that it is Wilson, rather than Audubon, who deserves the sobriquet of the father of American ornithology… This excellent work is highly recommended for birders and for readers who appreciate American art or natural history. -- Henry T. Armistead * Library Journal *Before Audubon and Birds of America, there was Alexander Wilson and American Ornithology, a nine-volume work published between 1808 and 1814 that singlehandedly transformed the study of birds in the wild and presaged the field guides of today. In addition to being the first to adopt the Linnaean system of binomial nomenclature to classify North American birds, Wilson was also one of the first to base his findings primarily on the ‘observation and description of live birds.’ By 1812, the Scottish poet had documented nearly 80% of bird species in the United States, and developed the discipline of ‘economic ornithology,’ whereby bird types are valued according to a kind of cost–benefit analysis (i.e. one that takes into account whether a bird is prone to destroy certain crops, whether they can be consumed, etc.)… What makes this book of such great value is the third chapter: ‘Illustrating American Ornithology.’ Composing over half of the book, this section features every illustration from Wilson’s landmark publication. Alongside excerpts from Wilson’s own commentary, the authors painstakingly detail how each sketch developed into its final iteration. A must-have for any serious bird-watcher. * Publishers Weekly *A definitive work on the history of bird art, ornithology, and nature writing. Volumes have been written on Audubon as though he were the dean of American ornithology, but Burtt and Davis reveal Alexander Wilson as providing the foundation. -- Bernd Heinrich, author of The Nesting SeasonOur knowledge of New World birds stems deeply from the adventurous spirit of a talented rebel poet, Alexander Wilson. This richly illustrated, very special book brings him back to life as an engaging and influential character whose passion for birds primed ours. I couldn’t put it down. -- Frank Gill, author of Ornithology: Third Edition

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Book SynopsisFocuses on the journalists and writers who wrote about science for a general audience in the second half of the nineteenth century. This title examines more than thirty of the popularizers of the day, investigating how they communicated with their audience. It offers insights into the role of women in scientific inquiry.Trade Review"The book is a substantial work of scholarship rather than a casual read, and it offers much for historians of science as well as students of popular writing." - Jon Turney, Times Higher Education "Bernard Lightman's excellent Victorian Popularizers of Science combines an unusually comprehensive sweep with strikingly meticulous research. In so doing, it makes a compelling case for the importance of the legions of self-conscious popularizers." - Gowan Dawson, Times Literary Supplement.

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Book SynopsisA fine treatment of this critical time in geology's history. Although it goes against our standard histories of the field, Laudan defends her views convincingly. Her style is direct, with carefully reasoned personal opinions and interpretations clearly defined. Jere H. Lipps, The Scientist

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Book SynopsisHow did Europeans three centuries apart respond to two mysterious beastsa living rhinoceros previously known only from ancient texts and a nameless monster's massive bones? Juan Pimentel shows that their reactions reflect deep cultural changes but also the enduring power of image and imagination to shape our understanding of the natural world.Trade ReviewSophisticated and provocative, this is an outstanding study of the possible ways of interpreting unknown beings through an examination of their multifaceted and presumed pasts, shedding light on the changing understanding of scientific forms over 300 years. -- Stéphane Van Damme, European University InstituteIn a series of brilliantly illuminating juxtapositions, between Renaissance and Revolution, between the worlds of the East and West Indies, and, above all, between the enterprises of analysis and description, Pimentel’s astute book shows how the work of imagination and of ingenious imagery has long played a decisive if neglected role in making natural knowledge. -- Simon Schaffer, University of CambridgePimentel’s inspired pairing limns how image and imagination shape our understanding of nature. -- Barbara Kiser * Nature *[A] fascinating book…Pimentel rather brilliantly describes his book as a ‘historical essay with a tentative and slightly provocative character’ (for which praise must be shared with Peter Mason, for his excellent translation). And if that isn’t a wonderfully tempting hook for the reader, then what is? The Rhinoceros and the Megatherium is part detective story reconstructing the scientific process, and part historical study of how people reacted to the hitherto unknown and unusual. The parallels drawn by Pimentel are beautifully constructed and drip from the page like honey: a section describing the sea voyages of the fossils mirroring the political and intellectual shifts of the periods is especially effective…He has adeptly and eloquently brought back to life not only these two much-marvelled-at beasts but the minds of the people who sought to explain them and the worlds in which they lived. -- Simon Underdown * Times Higher Education *A dazzlingly strange and resolutely readable dual biography…The Rhinoceros and the Megatherium becomes as much an interrogation of history and science as it is a chronicle of these two animals’ stories. -- Colin Dickey * Los Angeles Review of Books *Pimentel is an agile and amiable companion through his rich materials…Each half of Juan Pimentel’s fantastic binomial rewards reading in its own right. -- Lorraine Daston * Times Literary Supplement *For the student of history, this will be a valuable contribution. -- J. E. Grinnell * Choice *One of the strengths of [Pimentel’s] book is the attention it gives to the relationship between imagination and images—pictures of things seen and then made available to those who have not seen. -- Steven Shapin * London Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisJohn William Strutt, third Baron Rayleigh (18421919), was an English physicist best known as the co-discoverer of the element argon. These highly influential volumes, first published between 1877 and 1878, contain Rayleigh's classic account of acoustics, which provided the foundations of modern acoustic theory.Table of Contents11. Aerial vibrations; 12. Vibrations in tubes; 13. Aerial vibrations in a rectangular chamber; 14. Arbitrary initial disturbance in an unlimited atmosphere; 15. Secondary waves due to a variation in the medium; 16. Theory of resonators; 17. Applications of Laplace's functions to acoustical problems; 18. Problem of a spherical layer of air; 19. Fluid friction; Appendix.

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Book SynopsisJo Marchant is Opinion Editor at New Scientist magazine. She has a PhD in medical microbiology and has been a science journalist for nine years. She spent three years of that as an editor at the journal Nature, and her articles have also appeared in the Guardian and The Economist. She lives with her boyfriend in Brixton, London.Trade ReviewThough it is more than 2,000 years old, the Antikythera Mechanism represents a level that our technology did not match until the 18th century, and must therefore rank as one of the greatest basic mechanical inventions of all time. I hope [this] book will rekindle interest in this artefact, which still remains under-rated -- Arthur C. ClarkeSunken treasure. A mysterious artefact. Scrambled inscriptions. Warring academic egos. Technology 1,000 years before its time. [This] tale of a wondrous relic ... sounds like pulp fiction. But it's all true ... Puts ancient Greece in a whole new light * The Independent *A fabulous piece of storytelling, thick with plot, intrigue, science, historical colour and metaphysical speculation. The mechanism is fascinating - but the larger question of why its knowledge was lost, and what else with it, is mind-blowing * Metro *An informative and thoroughly researched book -- Andrew Crumey * Scotland on Sunday *A dizzyingly brilliant thing ... the Antikythera mechanism bears a chilling message for our technological age * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisThe Dutch physicist Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (18531928) was a leading figure of theoretical physics of his time and won the Nobel Prize in 1902. In this 1895 work, he looks at electromagnetic phenomena (the propagation of light) in relation to moving bodies and optics.Table of ContentsEinleitung; Einige Definitionen und mathematische Bezeichnungen; 1. Die Grundleichungen für ein System in den Aether eingelagerter Ionen; 2. Electrische Erscheinungen in ponderablen Körpern; 3. Untersuchung der Schwingungen; 4. Die Bewegungsgleighungen des Lichtes für ponderable Körper; 5. Anwendung auf die optischen Erscheinungen; 6. Versuche, deren Ergebnisse sich nicht ohne weiteres erklären lassen.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers an innovative examination of the interactions of science and technology, art, and literature in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Scholars in the history of art, literature, architecture, computer science, and media studies focus on five historical themes in the transition from energy to information: thermodynamics, electromagnetism, inscription, information theory, and virtuality. Different disciplines are grouped around specific moments in the history of science and technology in order to sample the modes of representation invented or adapted by each field in response to newly developed scientific concepts and models. By placing literary fictions and the plastic arts in relation to the transition from the era of energy to the information age, this collection of essays discovers unexpected resonances among concepts and materials not previously brought into juxtaposition. In particular, it demonstrates the crucial centrality of the theme of energy in moTrade Review"The essays in this remarkable collection are productively disruptive of disciplinary and historical boundaries, richly detailed, and elegantly argued. Written by some of the leading figures in the history of art, literary studies, and science studies (as well as a handful of emerging stars), these essays are virtuoso performances that will capture a wide audience in a number of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields."—David Horn, Ohio State University"Beyond the intrinsic merit of the essays in From Energy to Information, the collection also demonstrates the payoff of such work for our understanding of major issues in modernism and postmodernism."—Modernism/ModernityTable of ContentsILLUSTRATIONS CONTRIBUTORS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Introduction BRUCE CLARKE AND LINDA DALRYMPLE HENDERSON From Thermodynamics to Virtuality BRUCE CLARKE Part One. The Cultures of Thermodynamics Introduction 1. Time Discovered and Time Gendered in Victorian Science and Culture M. NORTON WISE 2. Dark Star Crashes: Classical Thermodynamics and the Allegory of Cosmic Catastrophe BRUCE CLARKE 3. Energetic Abstraction: Ostwald, Bogdanov, and Russian Post-Revolutionary Art CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS Part Two. Ether and Electromagnetism: Capturing the Invisible Introduction 4. Lines of Force, Swirls of Ether BRUCE J. HUNT 5. The Real and the Ethereal: Modernist Energies in Eliot and Pound IAN F. A. BELL 6. Vibratory Modernism: Boccioni, Kupka, and the Ether of Space LINDA DALRYMPLE HENDERSON Part Three. Traces and Inscriptions: Diagramming Forces Introduction 7. Representation on the Line: Graphic Recording Instruments and Scientific Modernism ROBERT M. BRAIN 8. Concerning the Line: Music, Noise, and Phonography DOUGLAS KAHN 9. Bodies in Force Fields: Design Between the Wars CHRISTOPH ASENDORF Part Four. Representing Information Introduction 10. On the Imagination's Horizon Line: Uchronic Histories, Protocybernetic Contact, and Charles Babbage's Calculating Engines DAVID TOMAS 11. Escape and Constraint: Three Fictions Dream of Moving from Energy to Information N. KATHERINE HAYLES Part Five. Voxels and Sensels: Bodies in Virtual Space Introduction 13. Authorship and Surgery: The Shifting Ontology of the Virtual Surgeon TIMOTHY LENOIR AND SHA XIN WEI 14. Eversion: Brushing against Avatars, Aliens, and Angels MARCOS NOVAK Part Six. Representation from Pre- to Post-Modernity Introduction 5. Puppet and Test Pattern: Mechanicity and Materiality in Modern Pictorial Representation RICHARD SHIFF 16. Dinosaurs and Modernity W. J. T. MITCHELL NOTES INDEX

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[T]here is much solid information to be gleaned from careful reading."--Publishers Weekly "A stellar read"--Nature "In this grand chronicle of the science behind the origins of our 4.6-billion-year-old Solar System, John Chambers and Jacqueline Mitton peruse everything from the giant collision thought to have formed our Moon to the nature of meteorites."--Rosalind Metcalfe, Nature "[This book] provides a truly comprehensive overview of our solar system's origins and is written in plain, jargon-free language."--Marcus Chown, New Scientist "Incredibly thorough and detailed, yet very accessible to non-scientists too... A compelling overview of the evolution of the Solar System."--Katia Moskvitch, BBC Sky at Night "This is not your average tour of our solar system. Using clear, relatively jargon-free language, Chambers and Mitton provide a comprehensive examination of our current understanding of its formation, which should readily appeal to the general reader who enjoys scientific detail without getting into equations."--Library Journal "Chambers and Mitton stay focused on the science in From Dust to Life: unlike other books that create narratives around the scientists, they discuss the science and the history of its development, rather than the individuals who made it possible. That's a worthwhile trade: while there have been, and are today, interesting people studying the formation of the solar system, the science is even more fascinating as we find out just how complex the process is to turn a cloud of gas and dust into a star and planets."--Jeff Foust, Space Review "Read From Dust to Life to gain a fascinating perspective on the current state of the science behind solar system formation."--David Dickinson, Astro Guys blog "This wild ride across the cosmos and through time covers a lot of territory but isn't merely a laundry list of observations. Instead, readers will find one lucid explanation piggybacked onto another... The authors ... make celestial mechanics comprehensible even to readers with more curiosity than scientific background... Best of all, the authors help readers glimpse the why of it all."--Science News "This book ... is accessible to a scientifically literate general reader... The author team is eminently qualified ... one is a well-known planetary scientist and the other an experienced science writer. The result of their efforts is a highly readable book."--Star Formation Newsletter "Chambers and Mitton present a well-researched, detailed, big-picture overview of the solar system that shows how all of people's observations of its contents contribute to a coherent model for its origin. The authors place the modern theory and latest observations in historical context by beginning each chapter with an overview of the development of these scientific ideas from their beginning."--Choice "This book is up-to date, thorough, and authoritative. It revels in the latest discussions and controversies... It is a joy to read and is accessible to any student with a scientific background... Read this book. Join the cosmogonists and help change the cosmogony/cosmology ratio."--David W. Hughes, Observatory "From Dust to Lifefurnishes a comprehensive overview of current models for the formation of the solar system."--Cait MacPhee, Times Higher EducationTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xi Preface xv 1 Cosmic Archaeology 1 A fascination with the past 1 A solar system to explain 3 Real worlds 9 Winding back the clock 12 Putting the pieces together 16 2 Discovering the Solar System 19 Measuring the solar system 19 From wandering gods to geometrical constructions 22 The Sun takes center stage 25 Laws and order 27 Gravity rules 29 The missing planet 31 Asteroids enter the scene 34 Rocks in space 36 Uranus behaving badly 37 Completing the inventory 40 3 An Evolving Solar System 43 A changing world 43 A nebulous idea begins to take shape 44 The nebular hypothesis in trouble 48 A chance encounter? 50 Nebular theory resurrected 54 4 The Question of Timing 56 Reading the cosmic clock 57 Early estimates: ingenious-but wrong 57 Geology versus physics 58 Radioactivity changes everything 61 Hubble and the age of the universe 63 How radioactive timers work 64 Meteorites hold the key 68 Dating the Sun 71 The age of the universe revisited 73 5 Meteorites 75 A dramatic entrance 75 Where do meteorites come from? 76 Irons and stones 80 Identifying the parents 83 Lunar and Martian meteorites 86 A rare and precious resource 87 What meteorites can tell us 88 6 Cosmic Chemistry 92 Element 43: first a puzzle then a clue 92 An abundance of elements 94 The first elements 96 Cooking in the stellar furnace 98 Building heavier elements 104 Supernovae 105 7 A Star Is Born 108 A child of the Milky Way 108 Where stars are born 110 First steps to a solar system 113 The solar system's birth environment 119 Essential ingredients 121 8 Nursery for Planets 123 An excess of infrared 123 Two kinds of disks 125 Inside the solar nebula 129 Getting the dust to stick 131 The influence of gas 134 How to build planetesimals 135 The demise of the disk 137 9 Worlds of Rock and Metal 140 Sisters but not twins 140 The era of planetesimals 141 Planetary embryos take over 144 The final four 147 Earth 148 Mercury 153 Venus 158 Mars 161 10 the Making of the Moon 168 The Moon today 169 What the Moon is made of 170 The Moon's orbit 172 The fission theory 174 The capture hypothesis 175 The coaccretion hypothesis 176 The giant impact hypothesis 177 Encounter with Theia 179 Earth, Moon, and tidal forces 181 Late heavy bombardment 183 11 Earth, Cradle of Life 186 The Hadean era 186 The tree of life 191 The building blocks of life 193 The rise of oxygen 196 A favorable climate 199 Snowball Earth 202 Future habitability 204 12 Worlds of Gas and Ice 205 Giants of the solar system 205 Building giants by core accretion 211 The disk instability model 214 Spin and tilt 215 Masters of many moons 217 Formation of regular satellites 219 The origin of irregular satellites 220 Rings 221 13 What Happened to the Asteroid Belt? 225 The asteroid belt today 225 Ground down by collisions? 226 Emptied by gravity? 229 Asteroid families 231 The missing mantle problem 233 Asteroids revealed as worlds 236 14 The Outermost Solar System 242 Where do comets come from? 242 Centaurs 246 Looking beyond Neptune 247 The Kuiper belt 248 Sedna 251 The nature of trans-Neptunian objects 252 Where have all the Plutos gone? 256 The Nice model 259 15 Epilogue: Paradigms, Problems, and Predictions 263 The paradigm: solar system evolution in a nutshell 264 Unsolved puzzles 267 Searching the solar system for answers 268 Other planetary systems 271 Future evolution of the solar system 273 Afterword to the 2017 edition 277 Glossary 291 Sources and Further Reading 305 Index 307

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of the acclaimed Chaos and Genius comes a thoughtful and provocative exploration of the big ideas of the modern era: Information, communication, and information theory.   Acclaimed science writer James Gleick presents an eye-opening vision of how our relationship to information has transformed the very nature of human consciousness. A fascinating intellectual journey through the history of communication and information, from the language of Africa’s talking drums to the invention of written alphabets; from the electronic transmission of code to the origins of information theory, into the new information age and the current deluge of news, tweets, images, and blogs. Along the way, Gleick profiles key innovators, including Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Samuel Morse, and Claude Shannon, and reveals how our understanding of information is transforming not only how we look at the world, but how we live.A

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Book SynopsisThe Cavendish Laboratory is arguably the most famous physics laboratory in the world. Founded in 1874, it rapidly gained a leading international reputation through the researches of the Cavendish professors beginning with Maxwell, Rayleigh, J. J. Thomson, Rutherford and Bragg. Its name will always be associated with the discoveries of the electron, the neutron, the structure of the DNA molecule and pulsars, but these are simply the tip of the iceberg of outstanding science. The physics carried out in the laboratory is the central theme of the book and this is explained in reasonably non-technical terms. The research activities are set in their international context. Generously illustrated, with many pictures of the apparatus used and diagrams from the original papers, the story is brought right up to date with descriptions of the science carried out under the leadership of the very different personalities of Mott, Pippard and Edwards.Trade Review'In what is patently a labour of love, the astronomer Malcolm Longair now gives us a comprehensive scientific history of the Cavendish in Maxwell's Enduring Legacy. Longair, who was the lab's head from 1997 to 2005, describes its inception well … Longair's history is in the form of a well-organized modern physics book, most of its twenty-two sections replete with charts, tables and lucid technical explanations presented neatly in boxes. Abundant diagrams, photographs, line drawings, floor-plans and facsimiles of historical documents give fascinating insights into the lab's development.' Graham Farmelo, Nature'… a wonderful exposition of the many contributions made by this renowned institution … written by one of its recent leaders … The author writes with great erudition on the incredible range of essential research projects that were conducted at this famous laboratory. There are helpful notes, indexes, and references.' N. Sadanand, Choice'… any physicist (from within or outside the Laboratory) will surely find a wealth of information of interest.' Guy Pooley, The Observatory'One must say that the Cavendish is extremely fortunate that one of its recent heads has had the vision, energy and talent to meet the formidable challenge of chronicling the evolution of the Cavendish into the world-leading institution … This magnificent book is a fitting tribute to past and present staff and students at the Cavendish. … The focus has naturally been on events in the Cavendish itself. However, the author properly locates those events in the wider international context. Moreover, he is not averse to offering supporting physical explanations, as well as mathematical expositions where appropriate … Having expertly traced the history of the Cavendish - which has required much archival research - the author closes with a survey of the highly diverse activities of today's Cavendish and signals also the future of another re-building of the Cavendish planned for completion in 2020. The legacy of Maxwell would appear to be safe for another 140 years.' K. Alan Shore, Contemporary Physics'Besides the accuracy of the scientific descriptions and the sharpness of the ideas, this book inaugurates a useful compromise that might inspire future science historians … the history of the Cavendish shows that lasting progress can come from diversity of opinion, the inclusiveness of practices and mutual respect between fundamental sciences. How can we sum up the secret of the scientific successes described in this book? A tentative recipe might be unity in necessary things, freedom in doubtful ones and respect for every honest scientific endeavour.' Massimo Giovannini, CERN CourierTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; Figure credits; Part I. To 1874: 1. Physics in the nineteenth century; 2. Mathematics and physics in Cambridge in the nineteenth century; Part II. 1874 to 1879: 3. The Maxwell era; Part III. 1879 to 1884: 4. Rayleigh's Quinquennium; Part IV. 1884 to 1919: 5. The challenges facing J. J. Thomson; 6. The J. J. Thomson era, 1884–1900 - the electron; 7. The Thomson era, 1900–19 - atomic structure; Part V. 1919 to 1937: 8. Rutherford at McGill and Manchester Universities - new challenges in Cambridge; 9. The Rutherford era - the radioactivists; 10. Rutherford era - the seeds of the new physics; Part VI. 1938 to 1953: 11. Bragg and the war years; 12. Bragg and the post-war years; Part VII. 1953 to 1971: 13. The Mott era - an epoch of expansion; 14. The Mott era - radio astronomy and high energy physics; 15. The Mott era - the growth of condensed matter physics; Part VIII. 1971 to 1982: 16. The Pippard era - a new laboratory and a new vision; 17. The Pippard era - radio astronomy, high energy physics and laboratory astrophysics; 18. The Pippard era - condensed matter physics; Part IX. 1984 to 1995: 19. The Edwards era - a new epoch of expansion; 20. The Edwards era - new directions in condensed matter physics; 21. The Edwards era - high energy physics and radio astronomy; Part X. 1995 to present: 22. Towards the new millennium and beyond; 23. The evolution of the New Museums site; Notes; Bibliography; Author index; Index.

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Book SynopsisJohn William Strutt, third Baron Rayleigh (18421919), was an English physicist best known as the co-discoverer of the element argon. These highly influential volumes, first published between 1877 and 1878, contain Rayleigh's classic account of acoustics, which provided the foundations of modern acoustic theory.Table of ContentsPreface; 1. Sound due to vibrations; 2. Composition of harmonic motions of like period; 3. Systems with one degree of freedom; 4. Generalized co-ordinates; 5. Cases in which the three functions, T, F, V are simultaneously reducible to sums of squares; 6. Law of extension of a string; 7. Classification of the vibrations of bars; 8. Potential energy of bending; 9. Tension of a membrane; 10. Vibrations of plates.

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Book SynopsisA gently guided, profusely illustrated Grand Tour of the world of mathematics.

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Book SynopsisAmong the many constants that appear in mathematics, ?, e, and i are the most familiar. Following closely behind is ?,, or gamma, a constant that arises in many mathematical areas yet maintains a profound sense of mystery. In a tantalizing blend of history and mathematics, Julian Havil takes the reader on a journey through logarithms and the harmonTrade Review"[A] wonderful book... Havil's emphasis on historical context and his conversational style make this a pleasure to read... Gamma is a gold mine of irresistible mathematical nuggets. Anyone with a serious interest in maths will find it richly rewarding."--Ben Longstaff, New Scientist "This book is a joy from start to finish."--Gerry Leversha, Mathematical Gazette "Wonderful... Havil's emphasis on historical context and his conversational style make this a pleasure to read...Gammais a gold mine of irresistible mathematical nuggets. Anyone with a serious interest in math will find it richly rewarding."--New Scientist"A joy from start to finish."--Mathematical Gazette"[Gamma] is not a book about mathematics, but a book of mathematics... [It] is something like a picaresque novel; the hero, Euler's constantg, serves as the unifying motif through a wide range of mathematical adventures."--Notices of the American Mathematical Society "[Gamma] is enjoyable for many reasons. Here are just two. First, the explanations are not only complete, but they have the right amount of generality... Second, the pleasure Havil has in contemplating this material is infectious."--MAA Online "It is only fitting that someone should write a book about gamma, or Euler's constant. Havil takes on this task and does an excellent job."--Choice "Mathematics is presented throughout as something connected to reality... Many readers will find in [Gamma] exactly what they have been missing."--Mohammad Akbar, Plus Magazine, Millennium Mathematics Project, University of Cambridge "This book is written in an informal, engaging, and often amusing style. The author takes pains to make the mathematics clear. He writes about the mathematical geniuses of the past with reverence and awe. It is especially nice that the mathematical topics are discussed within a historical context."--Ward R. Stewart, Mathematics TeacherTable of ContentsForeword xv Acknowledgements xvii Introduction xix Chapter One The Logarithmic Cradle 1 1.1 A Mathematical Nightmare- and an Awakening 1 1.2 The Baron's Wonderful Canon 4 1.3 A Touch of Kepler 11 1.4 A Touch of Euler 13 1.5 Napier's Other Ideas 16 Chapter Two The Harmonic Series 21 2.1 The Principle 21 2.2 Generating Function for Hn 21 2.3 Three Surprising Results 22 Chapter Three Sub-Harmonic Series 27 3.1 A Gentle Start 27 3.2 Harmonic Series of Primes 28 3.3 The Kempner Series 31 3.4 Madelung's Constants 33 Chapter Four Zeta Functions 37 4.1 Where n Is a Positive Integer 37 4.2 Where x Is a Real Number 42 4.3 Two Results to End With 44 Chapter Five Gamma's Birthplace 47 5.1 Advent 47 5.2 Birth 49 Chapter Six The Gamma Function 53 6.1 Exotic Definitions 53 6.2 Yet Reasonable Definitions 56 6.3 Gamma Meets Gamma 57 6.4 Complement and Beauty 58 Chapter Seven Euler's Wonderful Identity 61 7.1 The All-Important Formula 61 7.2 And a Hint of Its Usefulness 62 Chapter Eight A Promise Fulfilled 65 Chapter Nine What Is Gamma Exactly? 69 9.1 Gamma Exists 69 9.2 Gamma Is What Number? 73 9.3 A Surprisingly Good Improvement 75 9.4 The Germ of a Great Idea 78 Chapter Ten Gamma as a Decimal 81 10.1 Bernoulli Numbers 81 10.2 Euler -Maclaurin Summation 85 10.3 Two Examples 86 10.4 The Implications for Gamma 88 Chapter Eleven Gamma as a Fraction 91 11.1 A Mystery 91 11.2 A Challenge 91 11.3 An Answer 93 11.4 Three Results 95 11.5 Irrationals 95 11.6 Pell's Equation Solved 97 11.7 Filling the Gaps 98 11.8 The Harmonic Alternative 98 Chapter Twelve Where Is Gamma? 101 12.1 The Alternating Harmonic Series Revisited 101 12.2 In Analysis 105 12.3 In Number Theory 112 12.4 In Conjecture 116 12.5 In Generalization 116 Chapter Thirteen It's a Harmonic World 119 13.1 Ways of Means 119 13.2 Geometric Harmony 121 13.3 Musical Harmony 123 13.4 Setting Records 125 13.5 Testing to Destruction 126 13.6 Crossing the Desert 127 13.7 Shuffiing Cards 127 13.8 Quicksort 128 13.9 Collecting a Complete Set 130 13.10 A Putnam Prize Question 131 13.11 Maximum Possible Overhang 132 13.12 Worm on a Band 133 13.13 Optimal Choice 134 Chapter Fourteen It's a Logarithmic World 139 14.1 A Measure of Uncertainty 139 14.2 Benford's Law 145 14.3 Continued-Fraction Behaviour 155 Chapter Fifteen Problems with Primes 163 15.1 Some Hard Questions about Primes 163 15.2 A Modest Start 164 15.3 A Sort of Answer 167 15.4 Picture the Problem 169 15.5 The Sieve of Eratosthenes 171 15.6 Heuristics 172 15.7 A Letter 174 15.8 The Harmonic Approximation 179 15.9 Different-and Yet the Same 180 15.10 There are Really Two Questions, Not Three 182 15.11 Enter Chebychev with Some Good Ideas 183 15.12 Enter Riemann, Followed by Proof(s)186 Chapter Sixteen The Riemann Initiative 189 16.1 Counting Primes the Riemann Way 189 16.2 A New Mathematical Tool 191 16.3 Analytic Continuation 191 16.4 Riemann's Extension of the Zeta Function 193 16.5 Zeta's Functional Equation 193 16.6 The Zeros of Zeta 193 16.7 The Evaluation of (x) and p(x)196 16.8 Misleading Evidence 197 16.9 The Von Mangoldt Explicit Formula-and How It Is Used to Prove the Prime Number Theorem 200 16.10 The Riemann Hypothesis 202 16.11 Why Is the Riemann Hypothesis Important? 204 16.12 Real Alternatives 206 16.13 A Back Route to Immortality-Partly Closed 207 16.14 Incentives, Old and New 210 16.15 Progress 213 Appendix A The Greek Alphabet 217 Appendix B Big Oh Notation 219 Appendix C Taylor Expansions 221 C.1 Degree 1 221 C.2 Degree 2 221 C.3 Examples 223 C.4 Convergence 223 Appendix D Complex Function Theory 225 D.1 Complex Differentiation 225 D.2 Weierstrass Function 230 D.3 Complex Logarithms 231 D.4 Complex Integration 232 D.5 A Useful Inequality 235 D.6 The Indefinite Integral 235 D.7 The Seminal Result 237 D.8 An Astonishing Consequence 238 D.9 Taylor Expansions-and an Important Consequence 239 D.10 Laurent Expansions-and Another Important Consequence 242 D.11 The Calculus of Residues 245 D.12 Analytic Continuation 247 Appendix E Application to the Zeta Function 249 E.1 Zeta Analytically Continued 249 E.2 Zeta's Functional Relationship 253 References 255 Name Index 259 Subject Index 263

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