Discovery: Science as a Window to the World

The goal of Discovery: Science as a Window to the World is to relay the excitement of sciene by exploring selected topics in biology and medicine in a way that reveals the process of discovery.

Each chapter will focus on the curiosity and creativity that drives scientists to wonder, observe, question and experiment.

One impetus for this project is the recognition of a growing demand among instructors for a book that departs from fact-stuffed textbooks and instead engages students in the discovery process at a personal level.

• Emphasizes the process of discovery through interviews and key experiments.
• Written by a best-selling author.
• Provides an in-depth, conversational look at the science behind several "hot topics" in biology.
• Each chapter traces the beginnings of the field with stories of how serendipity and scientific inquiry intertwine.
• Presents the background to a field by including the scientific literature-so the reader does not have to do a literature search or plow through a review article.
• Many essays introduce the work of overlooked scientists or "unsung heroes." Alexey Olovnikov (telomeres), Leroy Steven (stem cells), to name a few.
• Also, well-known scientists are interviewed: Stanley Miller, Carl Woese, John Gearhart, and others.
• The essays show how ideas interact and coalesce from different lines of research.
• Highlights the role of the media in interpreting science for the public.

Ricki Lewis is Adjunct Professor of Medical Education at Alden March Bioethics Institute, Albany Medical Center, US. She has a PhD in Genetics, writes the DNA Science blog at the Public Library of Science, is a genetic counsellor, and is the author of several popular titles.