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Seeing further : the story of science, discovery, and the genius of the Royal Society / edited & introduced by Bill Bryson ; contributing editor, Jon Turney.

Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : William Morrow, c2010.Edition: 1st edDescription: 506 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 0061999768 (hc.)
  • 9780061999765 (hc.)
Other title:
  • Story of science, discovery & the genius of the Royal Society
Subject(s):
Contents:
At the beginning : more things in heaven and earth / James Gleick -- Of the madness of mad scientists : Jonathan Swift's grand academy / Margaret Atwood -- Lost in space : the spiritual crisis of Newtonian cosmology / Margaret Wertheim -- Atoms of cognition : metaphysics in the Royal Society / Neal Stephenson -- What's in a name? : Rivalries and the birth of modern science / Rebecca Newberger Goldstein -- Charged atmospheres : promethean science and the Royal Society / Simon Schaffer -- A new age of flight : Joseph Banks goes ballooning / Richard Holmes -- Archives of life : science and collections / Richard Fortey -- Darwin's five bridges : the way to natural selection / Richard Dawkins -- Images of progress : conferences of engineers / Henry Petroski -- X-ray visions : structural biologists and social action in the twentieth century / Georgina Ferry -- Ten thousand wedges : biodiversity, natural selection and random change / Steve Jones -- Making stuff : From Bacon to bakelite / Philip Ball -- Just typical : our changing place in the universe / Paul Davies -- Behind the scenes : the hidden mathematics that rules our world / Ian Stewart -- Simple, really : from simplicity to complexity--and back again / John D. Barrow -- Globe and sphere, cycles and flows : how to see the world / Oliver Morton -- Beyond ending : looking into the void / Maggie Gee -- Confidence, consensus and the uncertainty cops : tackling risk management in climate change / Stephen H. Schneider -- Time : the winged chariot / Gregory Benford -- Conclusion: Looking fifty years ahead / Martin Rees.
Summary: As editor of "Seeing Further," Bryson has rounded up an extraordinary roster of scientists who write and writers who know science in order to celebrate 350 years of the Royal Society, Britain's scientific national academy. The contributors include Margaret Atwood, Steve Jones, Richard Dawkins, James Gleick, Richard Holmes, and Neal Stephenson, among many others, on subjects ranging from metaphysics to nuclear physics, from the threatened endtimes of flu and climate change to our evolving ideas about the nature of time itself, from the hidden mathematics that rule the universe to the cosmological principle that guides "Star Trek."
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Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 506.041 S451 Available 33111006479303
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Bryson is as amusing as ever....As a celebration of 350 years of modern science, [Seeing Further] it is a worthy tribute."

--The Economist



In Seeing Further, New York Times bestseller Bill Bryson takes readers on a guided tour through the great discoveries, feuds, and personalities of modern science. Already a major bestseller in the UK, Seeing Further tells the fascinating story of science and the Royal Society with Bill Bryson's trademark wit and intelligence, and contributions from a host of well known scientists and science fiction writers, including Richard Dawkins, Neal Stephenson, James Gleick, and Margret Atwood. It is a delightful literary treat from the acclaimed author who previous explored the current state of scientific knowledge in his phenomenally popular book, A Short History of Nearly Everything.

Originally published: London : Harper Press, 2010.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 486-489) and index.

At the beginning : more things in heaven and earth / James Gleick -- Of the madness of mad scientists : Jonathan Swift's grand academy / Margaret Atwood -- Lost in space : the spiritual crisis of Newtonian cosmology / Margaret Wertheim -- Atoms of cognition : metaphysics in the Royal Society / Neal Stephenson -- What's in a name? : Rivalries and the birth of modern science / Rebecca Newberger Goldstein -- Charged atmospheres : promethean science and the Royal Society / Simon Schaffer -- A new age of flight : Joseph Banks goes ballooning / Richard Holmes -- Archives of life : science and collections / Richard Fortey -- Darwin's five bridges : the way to natural selection / Richard Dawkins -- Images of progress : conferences of engineers / Henry Petroski -- X-ray visions : structural biologists and social action in the twentieth century / Georgina Ferry -- Ten thousand wedges : biodiversity, natural selection and random change / Steve Jones -- Making stuff : From Bacon to bakelite / Philip Ball -- Just typical : our changing place in the universe / Paul Davies -- Behind the scenes : the hidden mathematics that rules our world / Ian Stewart -- Simple, really : from simplicity to complexity--and back again / John D. Barrow -- Globe and sphere, cycles and flows : how to see the world / Oliver Morton -- Beyond ending : looking into the void / Maggie Gee -- Confidence, consensus and the uncertainty cops : tackling risk management in climate change / Stephen H. Schneider -- Time : the winged chariot / Gregory Benford -- Conclusion: Looking fifty years ahead / Martin Rees.

As editor of "Seeing Further," Bryson has rounded up an extraordinary roster of scientists who write and writers who know science in order to celebrate 350 years of the Royal Society, Britain's scientific national academy. The contributors include Margaret Atwood, Steve Jones, Richard Dawkins, James Gleick, Richard Holmes, and Neal Stephenson, among many others, on subjects ranging from metaphysics to nuclear physics, from the threatened endtimes of flu and climate change to our evolving ideas about the nature of time itself, from the hidden mathematics that rule the universe to the cosmological principle that guides "Star Trek."

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