Why It's Not All Rocket Science

Robert Cave

ISBN 10: 0500292000 / ISBN 13: 9780500292006

Published by Thames and Hudson Ltd, GB, 2016

About this Item

In Why It's Not All Rocket Science , Robert Cave examines 100 extraordinary projects, theories and experiments that have been conducted in the name of science. Some, including various nuclear tests, have attracted controversy and hostility; others, such as Johann Wilhelm Ritter's erotic self-experiments with a voltaic pile, seem downright weird. But Cave demonstrates, thoroughly and informatively, that it is only by doggedly asking awkward questions, and paying close attention to the answers, that scientists have been able to make progress. From spider monkeys to human cyborgs, and from swimming in syrup to chaos theory, Cave places each experiment and discovery in its scientific context to present an entertaining guide to some of the most jaw-dropping entries in the history of science. Why It's Not All Rocket Science contains chapters on the brain, the body, society and communications, planet Earth and the Universe, and to read it is to gain startling insights into why scientists seem to behave so oddly, and how their brilliant if sometimes bizarre work benefits all of society.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780500292006

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Why It's Not All Rocket Science
• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd, GB
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500292000
• ISBN 13: 9780500292006
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 470 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In 1983 Justin Schmidt recorded the degree of pain he felt when stung by different venomous insects, resulting in the ‘Schmidt Pain Indexâ€. With chapters on medicine, psychology, society, and the universe, this book examines 100 experiments, ranging from the peculiar (like Schmidtâ€s) to the groundbreaking (the creation of Dolly the sheep), and appraises their significance for practical science.