Still, a clear, lively, and comprehensive view of the way science arrived at the leading theory of how everything began.
A historical overview of the science leading to acceptance of the Big Bang theory.
Former BBC producer Singh (Fermat’s Enigma, 1997; The Code Book, 1999) takes advantage of his sweeping subject to cover a wide swath of scientific history. After a glance at creation myths from around the world, he turns to the Greek philosophers, the first to base their speculations on actual data. Ptolemy’s system, with Earth at the center of a small universe, gave way to Copernicus’s Sun-centered scheme, bolstered by early telescopic observations and given a solid foundation by Newton’s gravitational law. Over the next two centuries, astronomers made it clear that the universe was both larger and older than had been believed. After Einstein refined Newtonian gravitation, the Russian mathematician Alexander Friedman found that Relativity implied an expanding universe. Astronomical observations—notably by Edwin Hubble—soon provided confirmation. That led the Belgian priest and astronomer Georges Lemaitre to propose that the universe had grown from a single point at some time in the past: the germ of the Big Bang theory. In the early 1940s, Lemaitre’s speculation was fleshed out by George Gamow and his student Ralph Alpher; at the same time, the British astronomers Fred Hoyle and Thomas Gold entered the debate with the proposition that the universe had no distinct beginning, the Steady State theory. Singh effectively profiles the often-colorful scientists who took part in the controversy, especially as the story moves closer to the present. He also gives belated credit to several figures slighted by the scientific establishment. (Among them, Alpher and Hoyle almost certainly deserved Nobel prizes.) The only disappointment comes in the final pages, where such key issues as post–Big Bang inflation are skimmed over a bit too quickly in the summing-up.
Still, a clear, lively, and comprehensive view of the way science arrived at the leading theory of how everything began.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2005
ISBN: 0-00-716220-0
Page Count: 544
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
An authoritative, engaging study of plant life, accessible to younger readers as well as adults.
A neurobiologist reveals the interconnectedness of the natural world through stories of plant migration.
In this slim but well-packed book, Mancuso (Plant Science/Univ. of Florence; The Revolutionary Genius of Plants: A New Understanding of Plant Intelligence and Behavior, 2018, etc.) presents an illuminating and surprisingly lively study of plant life. He smoothly balances expansive historical exploration with recent scientific research through stories of how various plant species are capable of migrating to locations throughout the world by means of air, water, and even via animals. They often continue to thrive in spite of dire obstacles and environments. One example is the response of plants following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Three decades later, the abandoned “Exclusion Zone” is now entirely covered by an enormous assortment of thriving plants. Mancuso also tracks the journeys of several species that might be regarded as invasive. “Why…do we insist on labeling as ‘invasive’ all those plants that, with great success, have managed to occupy new territories?” asks the author. “On a closer look, the invasive plants of today are the native flora of the future, just as the invasive species of the past are a fundamental part of our ecosystem today.” Throughout, Mancuso persuasively articulates why an understanding and appreciation of how nature is interconnected is vital to the future of our planet. “In nature everything is connected,” he writes. “This simple law that humans don’t seem to understand has a corollary: the extinction of a species, besides being a calamity in and of itself, has unforeseeable consequences for the system to which the species belongs.” The book is not without flaws. The loosely imagined watercolor renderings are vague and fail to effectively complement Mancuso’s richly descriptive prose or satisfy readers’ curiosity. Even without actual photos and maps, it would have been beneficial to readers to include more finely detailed plant and map renderings.
An authoritative, engaging study of plant life, accessible to younger readers as well as adults.Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63542-991-6
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Other Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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