Caesar's last breath : decoding the secrets of the air around us / Sam Kean.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kean, Sam, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Air.

Atmosphere.

SCIENCE / Chemistry / General.

SCIENCE / History.

Chemistry.

Local Subjects:

SCIENCE / Chemistry / General.

SCIENCE / History.

Physical Description:

viii, 373 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Little, Brown and Company, [2017]

Summary:

A round-the-globe journey through the periodic table explains how the air people breathe reflects the world's history, tracing the origins and ingredients of the atmosphere to explain air's role in reshaping continents, steering human progress, and powering revolutions.

"The fascinating science and history of the air we breathe: It's invisible. It's ever-present. Without it, you would die in minutes. And it has an epic story to tell. In Caesar's Last Breath, ... bestselling author Sam Kean takes us on a journey through the periodic table, around the globe, and across time to tell the story of the air we breathe, which, it turns out, is also the story of earth and our existence on it. With every breath, you literally inhale the history of the world. On the ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar died of stab wounds on the Senate floor, but the story of his last breath is still unfolding; in fact, you're probably inhaling some of it now. Of the sextillions of molecules entering or leaving your lungs at this moment, some might well bear traces of Cleopatra's perfumes, German mustard gas, particles exhaled by dinosaurs or emitted by atomic bombs, even remnants of stardust from the universe's creation. Tracing the origins and ingredients of our atmosphere, Kean reveals how the alchemy of air reshaped our continents, steered human progress, powered revolutions, and continues to influence everything we do. Along the way, we'll swim with radioactive pigs, witness the most important chemical reactions humans have discovered, and join the crowd at the Moulin Rouge for some of the crudest performance art of all time. Lively, witty, and filled with the astounding science of ordinary life, Caesar's Last Breath illuminates the science stories swirling around us every second."--Jacket.

Contents:

Introduction: The last breath ; I: Making air : our first four atmospheres. Earth's early air ; The exploding lake ; The devil in the air ; Welding a dangerous weapon ; The curse and blessing of oxygen ; Hotter than the Dickens

II: Harnessing air : the human relationship with air. The wonder-working gas of delight ; Le Pétomane ; Controlled chaos ; Steeling yourself for tragedy ; Into the blue ; Night lights

III: Frontiers : the new heavens. The fallout of fallout ; Albert Einstein and the people's fridge ; Weather wars ; Rumbles from Roswell ; Putting on alien airs.

II: Harnessing air : the human relationship with air. The wonder-working gas of delight ; Le P�etomane ; Controlled chaos ; Steeling yourself for tragedy ; Into the blue ; Night lights

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 357-362) and index.

ISBN:

0316381640

9780316381642

OCLC:

962831326