Sir Isaac Newton famously said, regarding his discoveries, "If I have seen further it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants."
The Evolving Universe and the Origin of Life describes, complete with fascinating biographical details of the thinkers involved, the ascent to the metaphorical shoulders accomplished by the greatest minds in history. For the first time, a single book can take the reader on a journey through the history of the universe as interpreted by the expanding body of knowledge of humankind. From subatomic particles to the protein chains that form life, and expanding in scale to the entire universe, this book covers the science that explains how we came to be.
The Evolving Universe and the Origin of Life contains a great breadth of knowledge, from astronomy to physics, from chemistry to biology. It includes over 350 figures that enhance the comprehension of concepts both basic and advanced, and is a non-technical, easy-to-read text at an introductory college level that is ideal for anyone interested in science as well as its history.
Author(s): Pekka Teerikorpi, Mauri Valtonen, K. Lehto, Harry Lehto, Gene Byrd, Arthur Chernin
Series: Lecture Notes in Physics
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 507
Cover......Page 1
Frontmatter......Page 2
ISBN 9780387095332......Page 4
Preface......Page 5
Contents......Page 8
List of Tables......Page 16
1: When Science Was Born......Page 17
2: Science in Athens......Page 26
3: Planetary Spheres and the Size of the Universe......Page 35
4: Medieval Cosmology......Page 48
5: The Roots of the Copernican Revolution......Page 57
6: The True Laws of Planetary Motion Revealed......Page 66
7: Galileo Galilei and His Successors......Page 76
8: How Far Away Are the Stars?......Page 88
9: The Scale of the Solar System......Page 101
10: Newton......Page 108
Part III The Universe......Page 115
12: Nature of Light......Page 128
13: Electricity and Magnetism......Page 137
14: Time and Space......Page 148
15: Curved Space and Gravity......Page 158
16: Atoms and Nuclei......Page 171
17: Strange Microworld......Page 185
18: Elementary Particles......Page 198
19: Stars: Cosmic Fusion Reactors......Page 214
20: The Riddle of the Milky Way......Page 231
21: Entering the Galaxy Universe......Page 251
22: Large-scale Structure of the Universe......Page 276
23: Finite or Infinite Universe: Cosmological Models......Page 286
24: When it all Began: Big Bang......Page 303
25: The Dark Side of the Universe......Page 319
26: Active Galaxies: Messages Through Radio Waves......Page 328
27: Origin of Galaxies......Page 346
28: The Nature of Life......Page 358
29: The Origin of Earth and its Moon......Page 383
30: Emergence and Evolution of Life......Page 400
31: Life and our Solar System......Page 422
32: Extrasolar Planetary Systems and Life in other Solar Systems......Page 450
33: Human’s Role in the Universe......Page 467
Recommended Reading......Page 477
Index......Page 480
Color Plates......Page 496
