1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Science

A selection of 1,001 entries offers information on such broad topics as classical and molecular biology, evolution, classical and modern physical science, earth science and astronomy

Another weapon in the fight against scientific illiteracy, this book is a collection of short essays on scientific topics. Some are simply cute little facts with no real connection to the passages around them. Others are actually parts of a more lengthy sequence that attempts to adumbrate the state of the art in some discipline. The educated scientist will enjoy dipping into the book for amusement or to update his or her knowledge. The scientifically illiterate may benefit from the ease of the presentation and find that science can be more interesting than it was in those old high school courses. It should be noted that (1) much of the material is similar to that in Robert Hazen and Trefil's Science Matters ( LJ 1/1/91), and (2) "science" to Trefil means physical science, astronomy, biology, and geology. See also Richard Brennan's Dictionary of Scientific Literacy , reviewed in this issue, p. 132.--Ed.
- Harold D. Shane, Baruch Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.