A Book of Scientific Curiosities
A Book of Scientific Curiosities: Everything You Need to Know About Science--But Never Had Time to Ask Cyril Aydon,
Publisher: Running Press
ISBN: 078671865X
DDC: 500
Edition: Paperback; 2006-11-07
Summary:
From the length of the human genome to the number of stars in the
sky, within these pages lies a fascinating collection of stories of
mankind's speculation and discovery. When the great Isaac Newton
looked back on his life's work, he felt he had been "like a boy
playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a
smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, while the great
ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." Given Newton's
prickly personality, we may guess he would have been very upset had
anyone else referred to his achievements in such terms. But the image
he conjured up has captivated scientists ever since, and Cyril Aydon
has cast his eye over the last 2,000 years at the pebbles discovered
by others. Here is his selection of nearly two hundred famous
scientists, and their astonishing discoveries — from how the
Babylonians taught us to measure time and the first use of the word
dinosaur to Galileo's revelations about the cosmos and Maimen's
development of the first laser — retold in wonderfully written short
chapters, together with timelines and a fascinating medley of facts
and figures.
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