Science Pathways of Discovery - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 047105660X ISBN 13: 9780471056607

Publisher: Wiley, 2002

Synopsis

A sweeping overview of the most exciting areas in science, from the most respected scientific journal in the United States
This volume contains twelve essays commissioned by Science magazine to mark the dawn of the new millennium. Here, the world's leading scientists present historical overviews of the most exciting areas in science today, while also speculating on the future for each field. Topics range from planetary science and genomics to quantum physics, neuroscience, and cosmology. Along with the articles are detailed chronologies and introductions setting the tone for each chapter. The stellar cast of contributors includes Stephen Jay Gould, Nobel laureates Eric Kandel and Joshua Lederberg, Robert A. Weinberg, and Sir Martin Rees. This authoritative science history offers something for everyone interested in the story of science, past, present, and future.

About this title

About the Author

SCIENCE is one of the most respected science journals in the world and is the official journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

IVAN AMATO, a freelance science writer and editor, is the author of Stuff: The Materials the World Is Made Of.

From the Back Cover

Definitive history from the world's leading scientists

In Science Pathways of Discovery, some of the sharpest scientific minds of our time reveal what science has in store by examining the histories of a dozen crucial areas of scientific inquiry. This awe-inspiring compendium features brilliant and provocative contributions from:

Stephen Jay Gould on the "science wars"
David J. Stevenson on planetary science
Eric S. Lander and Robert A. Weinberg on genomics
Joshua Lederberg on the history of infectious disease
Gregory B. Olson on materials science
Anne McLaren on cloning
Robert Lucky on science communication
Daniel Kleppner and Roman Jackiw on quantum physics
Paul Nurse on biological cell theory
Paul J. Crutzen and Veerabhadran Ramanathan on atmospheric sciences
Eric R. Kandel and Larry R. Squire on neuroscience
Martin J. Rees on the biography of the universe

From the Inside Flap

What characterizes the scientific way of knowing the world? What historical, intellectual, and personal pathways have led to the most exciting areas of scientific investigation? Where will those pathways lead? In Science Pathways of Discovery, sixteen of the most highly accomplished and articulate scientists in the world explore these and other questions.

Originally published as a year-long series in Science magazine, these twelve brilliant essays illuminate the ways in which the past 500 years of scientific discovery have provided countless new reasons for feeling awed by the wonders of the universe. From biology to astronomy, from physics to neuroscience to cosmology, Science Pathways of Discovery provides unique points of view and penetrating insights about the genesis, development, and major achievements of the scientific enterprise.

Through a surprising historical tale about a deceptive class of fossils called hysteroliths, renowned paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould examines the ways in which scientists get to know the world. Nobel Prize-winning geneticist and microbiologist Joshua Lederberg conducts a global tour of the intertwined history of humanity and microbes. David J. Stevenson explains how planetary scientists went from exploring the grandeur of our local cosmic neighborhood to becoming pivotal players in the quest to answer tantalizing questions about the origins of life, including where else it might exist in the universe.

Supplemented with informative timelines and brief introductions that provide context for each chapter, Science Pathways of Discovery invites you to discover the wonder and excitement of five centuries of scientific investigation, and to look toward the future with a better understanding and keener anticipation of wonders to come.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 047105660X
• ISBN 13: 9780471056607
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Amato Ivan