Great ideas of science
Author
1) The Big Bang
Author
Series
Description
Where did our universe come from? People have been trying to answer this question for thousands of years. The twentieth century brough new discoveries in physics and astronomy that led scientists to develop the Big Bang theory-a detailed idea that describes how our universe formed. According to this theory, the entire universe began in a single instant, in an unimaginably powerful explosion. That explosion created all time and space, all matter and...
2) Evolution
Author
Series
Description
Outraged people claimed that Darwin's theory had made humans the relatives of monkeys. Scientists were sure that species changed over time, but no one could explain how. In the 1800s, Charles Darwin's studies of thousands of specimens of living things showed that no two individuals of any species were exactly alike. He realized that over millions of years, some individuals had traits that gave them an edge to survive and reproduce. As they reproduced,...
Author
Series
Publisher
Twenty-First Century Books
Pub. Date
[2008]
Language
English
Description
What is matter made of? Scientists have been trying to answer this question for thousands of years. The concept of the atom-the tiniest fragment of a substance that still retains the characteristics of that substance-goes back to the Greek philosopher Leucippus, who lived in about 450 b.c. In the mid-1600s, Robert Boyle provided experimental evidence that atoms did, indeed, exist. And in 1897, British physicist Joseph John Thomson discovered the first...
Author
Series
Publisher
Twenty-First Century Books
Pub. Date
[2008]
Language
English
Description
How are polar bears related to pandas? For thousands of years, philosophers and scientists have tried to organize and understand, or classify, the relationships among Earth's animals and plants. Early classification systems were cumbersome and inconsistent. In the late 1720s, Carl Linnaeus began developing a classification system to describe relationships among all living things, including animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. This organization, called...
Author
Series
Publisher
Twenty-First Century Books
Pub. Date
[2008]
Language
English
Description
Since prehistoric times, people have been fascinated by electricity and magnetism. Ancient people marveled at the auroras-streaks of colored light that appear in the night sky near the poles. They wondered about the ability of materials such as amber and magnetite rock to attract or repel other objects. Many people believed magic was behind these phenomena. Then, in the 1600s, scientists began to lift the fog of superstition. Electricity and magnetism...