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From the Stone Age to the Information Age, this one-volume reference work puts the basic road map of scientific progress at the reader's fingertips.

The cavemen did it. The ancient Mayans did it. The folks at Cal Tech, the Sorbonne, and Beijing University are still doing it. Science. Want the whole story? Here it is. The Chronology of Science offers the entire fascinating drama of exploration, discovery, invention, experimentation, hypothesis, and proof. How did the ancient Celts use Stonehenge to map the skies? When did the Arabs come up with the concept of zero? Who first observed the destructive power of germs? Where did the Internet come from?

This handy, one-volume reference offers the reader multiple ways to access the thousands of years of science history: chronologies divided into subject areas, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, ecology, mathematics, and physics; 16 feature essays on critical scientific discoveries; hundreds of biographies of key scientists from every age and continent; an extensive glossary of scientific terms; lists of the winners of major scientific prizes; a list of the most up-to-date science websites; and a lengthy bibliography.

* Chronologies divided into subject areas including astronomy, biology, chemistry, ecology, mathematics, and physics

* 16 feature essays on critical scientific achievements such as the origins of mathematics, the discovery of X-rays, and the discovery of the structure of DNA

* Hundreds of illustrations, diagrams such as molecular structures and polymerization, and photographs of key scientists such as John Muir, Rachel Carson, and James Lovelock

* Over 800 brief bibliographies of key scientists from every age and continent

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Contributors(p. vii)
• Acknowledgements(p. vii)
• Preface(p. viii)
• Introduction(p. ix)
• Chronologies(p. 1)
• Earliest Discoveries (30,000 BC-AD 499)(p. 1)
• The Medieval World (500-1449)(p. 28)
• The Scientific Revolution (1450-1749)(p. 43)
• The Industrializing World (1750-1899)(p. 95)
• The 20th Century (1900-2000)(p. 197)
• Feature Essays
• The Origins of Mathematics(p. 10)
• Some Thoughts About Nought(p. 32)
• Investigating the Solar System(p. 58)
• The Discovery of Boyle's Law(p. 79)
• Experiments to Determine the Nature of Light(p. 85)
• Pioneering Experiments on the Digestive System(p. 124)
• Discovering the Interior of the Earth(p. 130)
• The Discovery of X-rays(p. 195)
• The History of Plastics(p. 206)
• A Brief Chronology of Quantum Physics(p. 218)
• The Discovery of the Structure of DNA(p. 270)
• The Discovery of Pulsars(p. 284)
• Shades of Green: Ethics and Value in Ecology(p. 294)
• The Discovery of Carbon Fullerenes(p. 318)
• The Quest for the Red Planet(p. 330)
• The Human Genome Project(p. 334)
• Biographies(p. 353)
• Further Reading(p. 397)
• Weblinks(p. 403)
• Appendices
• Nobel Prize for Chemistry(p. 415)
• Nobel Prize for Physics(p. 420)
• Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine(p. 425)
• Fields Medal for Mathematics(p. 430)
• Discovery of the Elements(p. 431)
• Glossary(p. 435)
• Index(p. 529)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Divided into three broad categories of time periods from the earliest discoveries (30,000 BCE) to the 20th century, this ready reference work covers seven science disciplines--astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, ecology and environment, mathematics, and physics. Each chapter is further divided into narrower time periods, and scattered throughout are feature essays focusing on topics such as the origin of mathematics, history of plastics, and the human genome project. Another section includes short biographies of scientists and inventors, followed by a list of supplemental readings, an extensive glossary, Web links, a complete list of Nobel Prize winners, Fields Medal recipients, and discoveries of the chemical elements. Information contained in this chronology is conveniently arranged and includes black-and-white photographs and illustrations for additional appreciation, but the fields of computer science, engineering, technology, and the Internet are missing. Recommended for general readers at public and academic libraries with the proviso that some disciplines are omitted. O. L. Paradis Baylor University

Booklist Review

The material in this chronology is arranged by five time periods: "Earliest Discoveries," "The Medieval World," "The Scientific Revolution," "The Industrializing World," and "The Twentieth Century." These chapters are also divided into shorter time periods, then by scientific disciplines in alphabetical order, from astronomy to physics. (Some users may have preferred having the book arranged first by scientific disciplines, with a separate time line for each discipline.). There are 16 feature essays placed throughout the text in appropriate time periods. Some examples are "The Origins of Mathematics," "Pioneering Experiments on the Digestive System," and "The History of Plastics." Each section has an introduction that summarizes the important discoveries and concepts of each discipline by era. Entries are usually two to three sentences long, and many have longer explanations of the concept. The diagrams and illustrations are abundant and very helpful. The longer essays give interesting histories of concepts and discoveries. Every page has a guide tab at the top that lists the discipline and the time period on that page. Following the chronological portion are brief biographies. Not every scientist mentioned in the text is included in the biography section. The bibliography, which is divided by discipline and annotated, lists many Web sites. The glossary is quite extensive and has some detailed entries (atom, cell). Of special interest to many high-school chemistry programs is the list of elements with their discovery dates, names of scientists who discovered them, and uses. The text is well written and enjoyable to read, especially the longer essays. The 20 contributors succeed in making some of the most difficult concepts understandable to the layperson. This is originally a British publication, and though it retains British spelling, coverage is more universal than American publications tend to be. More up-to-date than Asimov's Chronology of Science and Technology (HarperCollins, 1994), this volume is a wonderful chronology to add to most high-school, academic, and public libraries.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Lisa Rosner is professor of historical studies, Richard Stockton College, New Jersey, and former chair of the Committee on Education, History of Science Society.