Chronology of Science : From Stonehenge to the Human Genome Project

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

Lisa Rosner is professor of historical studies at Richard Stockton College, Pomona, NJ.