First published in 1936, this volume contains six of the Halley Stewart Lectures – originally founded "For Research towards the Christian Ideal in All Social Life" – by some of the greatest of English scientists of the mid-20th century, each a leading authority in his respective field: cosmology, physics, meteorology, medicine and genetics.The final lecture considers the relationship between scientific knowledge and human ideals, commenting on the paradox that a century which produ...

With wit, colour and clarity, What A Wonderful World quickly and painlessly brings us up to speed on how the world of the 21st century works. From economics to physics and biology to philosophy, Marcus Chown explains the complex forces that shape our universe.Why do we breathe? What is money? How does the brain work? Why did life invent sex? Does time really exist? How does capitalism work - or not, as the case may be? Where do mountains come from? How do computer...

A spirited volume on the great adventures of science throughout history, for curious readers of all ages“In Mr. Bynum’s telling, a little history goes a long way.”—Alan Hirshfeld, Wall Street JournalFor readers of all ages, 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 digs beneath the sur...

Most people remember chemistry from their schooldays as largely incomprehensible, a subject that was fact-rich but understanding-poor, smelly, and so far removed from the real world of events and pleasures that there seemed little point, except for the most introverted, in coming to terms with its grubby concepts, spells, recipes, and rules. Peter Atkins wants to change all that. In this Very Short Introduction to Chemistry, he encourages us to look at chemistry anew, through a ch...

"A lovely, fascinating book, which brings science to life." —Alan LightmanCombining science, history, and adventure, Tom Shachtman "holds the reader's attention with the skill of a novelist" as he chronicles the story of humans' four-centuries-long quest to master the secrets of cold ( Scientific American)."A disarming portrait of an exquisite, ferocious, world-ending extreme," Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold demonstrates how tempera...

"If I saw further than others," said Sir Isaac Newton, "it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants."Science introduces one hundred of these giants-the men and women who, often in the face of extreme skepticism or worse, succeeded in extending the range of human knowledge through the profound nature of their achievements.Ranging across the spectrum of scientific endeavor, from the cosmology of Copernicus and Galileo, through th...

The brilliantly told and gripping story of the most familiar - yet, amazingly, still poorly understood - substance in the universe: Water.The extent to which water remains a scientific mystery is extraordinary, despite its prevalence and central importance on Earth. Whether one considers its role in biology, its place in the physical world (where it refuses to obey the usual rules of liquids) or its deceptively simple structure, there is still no complete answer to...

Science is full of surprises: the peculiar peepshow beginnings of baby incubators; the unexpected positive fallout from the H-bomb; the dinosaurs that caused sonic booms; the irrational nature of the number pi; the fifth taste sensation lurking in everyone's taste buds which nobody knew about (except for the Japanese).Whilst shedding light on these conundrums, Karl Sabbagh shows that seemingly trivial queries or assumptions lead to a deeper understanding of how science works. Who w...

The Fontana History of Chemistry, which draws on both the author’s own original research and that of other scholars, is an unrivalled work of synthesis.Beginning with the first tentative chemical explorations, Dr Brock proceeds via the alchemists’ futile, but frequently profitable, efforts to turn lead into gold to recount the emergence of the modern discipline of chemistry as fashioned by Boyle, Lavoisier and Dalton. Brock chronicles chemical developments during the last 150 years...

For years, leading scientists and science popularizers have insisted humans are nothing special in the cosmic scheme of things. In this important and provocative new book, renowned biologist Michael Denton argues otherwise. According to Denton, the cosmos is stunningly fit not just for cellular life, not just for carbon-based animal life, and not even just for air-breathing animals, but especially for bipedal, land-roving, technology-pursuing creatures of our general physiological design. ...

PAX-RN over 300 Practice Test Questions, prepared by a dedicated team of exam experts, with detailed answer key with step-by-step solutions, exam tips and multiple choice strategies.Pass the PAX-RN! will help you:Learn fasterPractice with 2 complete practice question sets (over 300 questions)Increase your score with multiple choice strategies from exam expertsLearn what you MUST do in the exam room

From man's first exploration of natural materials and their transformations to today's materials science, chemistry has always been the central discipline that underpins both the physical and biological sciences, as well as technology. In this Very Short Introduction, William H Brock traces the unique appeal of this fundamental science throughout history. Covering alchemy, early-modern chemistry, pneumatic chemistry and Lavoisier's re-interpretation of chemical change, the rise of...