A little history of science / William Bynum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bynum, W. F. (William F.), 1943-

Series:

Little Histories

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--History.

Science.

Science and civilization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (270 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Science is fantastic. It tells us about the infinite reaches of space, the tiniest living organism, the human body, the history of Earth. People have always been doing science because they have always wanted to make sense of the world and harness its power. From ancient Greek philosophers through Einstein and Watson and Crick to the computer-assisted scientists of today, men and women have wondered, examined, experimented, calculated, and sometimes made discoveries so earthshaking that people understood the world-or themselves-in an entirely new way.This inviting book tells a great adventure story: the history of science. It takes readers to the stars through the telescope, as the sun replaces the earth at the center of our universe. It delves beneath the surface of the planet, charts the evolution of chemistry's periodic table, introduces the physics that explain electricity, gravity, and the structure of atoms. It recounts the scientific quest that revealed the DNA molecule and opened unimagined new vistas for exploration.Emphasizing surprising and personal stories of scientists both famous and unsung, A Little History of Science traces the march of science through the centuries. The book opens a window on the exciting and unpredictable nature of scientific activity and describes the uproar that may ensue when scientific findings challenge established ideas. With delightful illustrations and a warm, accessible style, this is a volume for young and old to treasure together.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

chapter 1. In the Beginning

chapter 2. Needles and Numbers

chapter 3. Atoms and the Void

chapter 4. The Father of Medicine Hippocrates

chapter 5. 'The Master of Those Who Know' Aristotle

chapter 6. The Emperor's Doctor Galen

chapter 7. Science in Islam

chapter 8. Out of the Darkness

chapter 9. Searching for the Philosopher's Stone

chapter 10. Uncovering the Human Body

chapter 11. Where is the Centre of the Universe?

chapter 12 .Leaning Towers and Telescopes Galileo

chapter 13. Round and Round Harvey

chapter 14. Knowledge is Power Bacon and Descartes

chapter 15 .The 'New Chemistry'

chapter 16. What Goes Up . . . Newton

chapter 17. Bright Sparks

chapter 18 .The Clockwork Universe

chapter 19. Ordering the World

chapter 20 .Airs and Gases

chapter 21. Tiny Pieces of Matter

chapter 22 .Forces, Fields and Magnetism

chapter 23. Digging Up Dinosaurs

chapter 24. The History of Our Planet

chapter 25 .The Greatest Show on Earth

chapter 26. Little Boxes of Life

chapter 27. Coughs, Sneezes and Diseases

chapter 28. Engines and Energy

chapter 29. Tabling the Elements

chapter 30. Into the Atom

chapter 31 .Radioactivity

chapter 32. The Game-Changer Einstein

chapter 33. Moving Continents

chapter 34. What Do We Inherit?

chapter 35 .Where Did We Come From?

chapter 36. Wonder Drugs

chapter 37. Building Blocks

chapter 38 .Reading 'the Book of Life' The Human Genome Project

chapter 39 .The Big Bang

chapter 40. Science in Our Digital Age

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

1-283-63101-6

0-300-18942-7

9786613943460

OCLC:

813392172