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The Great Scientists: From Euclid to Stephen Hawking

From skyscrapers to jet aircraft, from mobile phones to computers, the products of modern science surround us on all sides. Perhaps the most significant product of science, however, is not the microwave, or the space station or the widescreen TV; it is the scientific method itself. Those societies that have actively embraced this method have flourished. The men and women who appear in The Great Scientists haver all excelled in their chosen field of science; some have excelled across a range of scientific areas, while still others can, with some justification, claim to be the founders of their own disciplines. The road into the light of reason has not always been an easy one: skepticism, mockery, threats and worse have often been the lot of the experimental scientist who has dared to challenge the accepted 'truths'. Yet they have persevered, and in doing so have provided a shining example for the rest of humanity. The great scientists have burned, in Bertrand Russell's telling phrase, 'with all the noonday brightness of human genius'. The Great Scientists tells their story."

The Story of Physics

Author Anne Rooney follows the story of physics from the earliest societies to the current day, discovering the entrancing appeal of the secrets that rule the universe. Writing in a straightforward way that is easy to understand, the author takes the reader on a journey of discovery from the birth of physics and early astronomy, to where we are now as we endeavour to make sense of dark matter and dark energy, black holes and whatever may lie beyond the universe.

The Story of Mathematics

In order to understand the universe you must know the language in which it is written. And that language is mathematics.' Galileo (1564-1642) For hundreds of thousands of years, we have sought order in the apparent chaos of the universe. Mathematics has been our most valuable tool in that search, uncovering the patterns and rules that govern our world and beyond. The Story of Mathematics traces humankind's greatest achievements, plotting a journey from innumerate cave-dwellers, through the towering mathematical intellects of the last 4,000 years, to where we stand today. Topics include: . Counting and measuring from the earliest times .The Ancient Egyptians and geometry .Working out the movement of the planets .Algebra, solid geometry and the trigonometric tables . The first computers .How statistics came to rule our finances .Impossible shapes and extra dimensions .Measuring and mapping the world .Chaos theory and fuzzy logic Set theory and the death of numbers The fascinating personalities behind world-changing discoveries in mathematics are profiled, including Euclid, Apollonius, Pythagoras, Brahmagupta, Aryabhata, Liu Hui, Omar Khayyam, al-Khwarizmi, Napier, Galileo, Pascal, Newton, Leibniz, Gauss, Riemann, Russell and many more.

The Story of Philosophy: From Ancient Greeks to Great Thinkers of Modern Times

A companion volume to The Story of Mathematics, The Story of Medicine and The Story of Physics, this book traces the strands of thought in western philosophy from the Ancient Greeks to the present day. Approaches to key questions are considered in chronological order, showing how each philosopher's thoughts have been influenced by those who have gone before, and have evolved or diversified over time. The Story of Philosophy includes easily absorbed explorations of all five branches of philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics and aesthetics). The accessible format features full-colour illustrations and panels giving biographies of important figures, accounts of important texts, and definitions of key philosophical concepts.

The Story of Neuroscience

'How can a three-pound mass of jelly that you can hold in your palm imagine angels, contemplate the meaning of infinity, and even question its own place in the cosmos?'
V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist, 2011

How we think, feel, move, remember, imagine, and experience the outside world and our own bodies is the domain of neuroscience. For millennia, the workings of the brain and nerves could be approached only through superstition and conjecture. Then, in the 19th century, neuroscience began to cast light on this most complex of our bodily systems. This book traces the development of neuroscience, from ancient beliefs to the technologies of the present day.

Neuroscience is the science of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Our fascination with the mental activity that makes humans unique in the animal kingdom is as old as humanity itself, and the interaction of the physical body with the insubstantial mind has puzzled some of the greatest thinkers. Here we trace the story of our growing understanding of the nervous system, from the time of the Ancient Greeks through Descartes, Willis and Golgi to the work of Nobel prizewinning scientists.

The Story of Neuroscience weaves together narratives from philosophy, religion, psychology, physics, anatomy, chemistry, pharmacology, and a host of other sciences. It is a story that is still unfolding today.

Topics include:

The interaction of mind, soul, and body
The localization of functions within the brain
The workings of the nervous system
The motor system and how we move
The sensory system and how we construct perception
Mental illness, brain damage, and lessons from dysfunction and disease
Mental activity, including learning, memory, identity, and imagination

The Story of Chemistry

'The importance of the end in view prompted me to undertake all this work, which seemed to me destined to bring about a revolution in physics and chemistry.'
Antoine Lavoisier, 1773

Great advances in human history have often rested on and prompted progress in chemistry. The exploitation of fire, the development of pigments, and the discovery that metals could be smelted and worked laid the foundations of civilization. The search for better tools and weapons drove metallurgy, and the need for medicines and perfumes lay behind the first laboratories. Our world and our bodies are immensely complex chemical systems; everything in life and matter comes down to chemistry in the end. The Story of Chemistry traces the emergence of this knowledge as humans have struggled to model and understand the world around and within them.

The origins of chemistry lie in practical applications developed in prehistory: smelting metal, cooking, and making pigments and medicines. The Ancient Greeks were the first to seek rational models to explain the behaviour and interaction of matter. Chemistry remains an innately practical science, but now has solid theoretical foundations that extend its usefulness beyond anything our ancestors could have imagined.

Our story takes us through centuries of alchemical endeavour, following gifted men who were led down the wrong path by a flawed paradigm, through the beginnings of modern chemistry in the Scientific Revolution, right up to the 21st century. En route we will see how chemistry became divorced from alchemy, with the scientific method applied first by Francis Bacon; how the theoretical groundwork of chemistry was laid by Robert Boyle's The Sceptical Chymist; how great practical and theoretical chemists such as Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, Joseph Priestley, and John Dalton uncovered the nature of gases; and how the discovery of atomic structure has ultimately explained the properties and behaviour of all matter.

Chemistry has brought huge benefits to humankind. Its practical application has given fuel to warm us, synthetic materials to enhance our lives, and medicines to cure life-threatening illnesses. Its theoretical framework enables us to explain how our bodies and the wider world work. But in the wake of these discoveries have come some immense problems, including pollution, climate change, and drug-resistant microbes. Modern chemistry uses our newfound knowledge to address these problems.

Topics include:

Prechemistry since prehistory
Alchemy and the transmutation of metals
The rise of the scientific method
Identifying the chemical elements
Understanding gases
The nature of the atom
Organic chemistry
Chemical analysis

The Story of Medicine

Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. It does not consist of compounding pills and plasters; it deals with the very processes of life, which must be understood before they may be guided.' Paracelsus (1493-1541) For thousands of years, people have sought ways to overcome the diseases and disorders of the body, with methods ranging from incantations, talismans and herbal cures to antibodies, vaccines and organ transplants. The Story of Medicine charts our remarkable progress along the road of medical discovery. In a fascinating narrative, it describes the key developments and breakthroughs in our understanding of our own bodies. Topics include: . Primitive surgery - when drilling a hole in the head to let demons out was the height of surgical sophistication . Historical models of the body and disease . Dead bodies hold the key - the role of dissection in medical discovery . Diagnosis - how doctors learned to read the signs of illness . Plagues and pandemics through history . Germ theory and contagion - discovering a hidden world . How the body can turn against itself .Scarificators, leeches, maggots and other nasty treatments . Nature's pharmacopeia Detailed within these pages, too, are the stories of those who have shaped the world of medicine, including scientists, surgeons, doctors and, of course, patients.

The History of Physics

Most young people only study physics through practical applications, such as equations, experiments and observations. This title, contrarily, brings physics to life and engages readers in a way that they've never experienced before. Readers will learn about the evolution of physics, from prehistory to the 21st century, including Newton and Einstein. Along the way, they gain a firm understanding of the laws of the universe, including the subatomic particle and the most vast galaxies.

The Story of Astronomy: From plotting the stars to pulsars and black holes

'Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility.'
Arthur C. Clarke, The Challenge of the Spaceship

For thousands of years, the stars, planets, Moon and Sun were central to religious and superstitious beliefs. Astronomy has its origins in the context of these beliefs. From this starting point, scientific thinking emerged, as humans began to seek explanations for the existence of celestial bodies - explanations that did not rely on the supernatural. In the 17th century, the invention of the telescope marked a watershed, opening the heavens to scrutiny and revealing that the planets are other worlds. The wonders of space have multiplied ever since, puzzling and enthralling us.

The Story of Astronomy charts our fascination with stars, from before Stonehenge to the search for exoplanets and extra-terrestrial life. This accessible, fascinating account of discoveries, from the times of Palaeolithic star-gazers to current space missions, shows how we have come to know so much about the universe. At the same time, unfolding knowledge has opened new horizons to explore. Our understanding of the boundless cosmos has only just begun.

Topics include:

Cosmology, from ancient times to the Big Bang
Our place in the solar system
Astrolabes, telescopes and radio astronomy
Mapping the stars
Space missions and probes
Comets, asteroids, supernovae and black holes
The unknown, from empty space to dark energy

The Story of Biology: From the evolution of species to genetic engineering

Following the successful pattern of previous Story of ... titles, The Story of Biology traces the development of biology from its origins in myths invented to explain the wonders and perils of the natural world, through the first attempts at empirical investigation, to the highly structured and technical discipline it has become today. The book focuses on the personalities, studies and theories that have led to our current understanding of the natural world.

The 15-Minute Scientist

Following on from the popular 15-Minute Philosopher, Psychologist, Mathematician and Economist, 15-Minute Scientist takes a look at some fascinating and topical questions in science. Ranging across biology, physics, astronomy, chemistry and geology, 15-Minute Scientist asks questions that are serious and questions that are quirky, some that will have an impact on how you live now and some that will change how you view the world and the future.

Tsunami! describes how earthquakes and volcanoes cause deadly waves, the devastation they inflict on communities and the environment, and why they are so difficult to predict.

Hurricane! describes how and where hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons happen.

Earthquake! describes how and where earthquakes happen.

The 15-Minute Philosopher: Ideas to Save Your Life

Part of the brand-new Arcturus series, Ideas to Save Your Life, The 15-Minute Philosopher introduces the reader to the main ideas of philosophy, showing how the subject has a clear practical purpose vital to our day-to-day lives and thinking. A fun introduction to the subject of philosophy...

The 15-Minute Mathematician

The 15-Minute Mathematician introduces the reader to the main ideas of mathematics. Mathematics is all around us. It governs how information is presented to us and how we understand it. It underpins all science and has thus been responsible for mankind's incredible progress throughout the ages. This is a fun introduction to the subject...

1001 Horrible Facts

1001 Horrible Facts is a great fact-packed and illustrated reference book covering topics including Science, Body, Animals, History and World Records. It provides the perfect ammunition for 8-12 year-olds to amaze and disgust parents, teachers and each other!

The 15-Minute Psychologist: Ideas to Save Your Life

Part of the brand-new Arcturus series, Ideas to Save Your Life, The 15-Minute Psychologist introduces the reader to universal aspects of psychology which affect our day-to-day lives and relationships and offers insight into many of life's dilemmas. An entertaining guide to a serious subject...

Bullying offers support and practical advice about dealing with bullies and discusses how we can all help solve the bullying problem together.

Alcohol gives the straight facts about alcohol, addresses teenagers concerns, and offers help for anyone affected by an alcohol problem.

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