A LIVELY EXPLORATION OF THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS IN SCIENCEHow Did the Universe Begin?The Big Bang has been the accepted theory for decades, but does it explain everything?How Did Life on Earth Get Started?What triggered the cell division that started the evolutionary chain? Did life come from outer space, buried in a chunk of rock?What is Gravity?Newton's apple just got the arguments started, Einstein made things more complicated. Just how does gravity fit in with quantum theory?What Is the Inside of the Earth Like?What exactly is happening beneath our feet, and can we learn enough to help predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?How Do We Learn Language?Is language acquisition an inborn biological ability, or does every child have to start from scratch?Is There a Missing Link?The story of human evolution is not complete. In addition to hoaxes such as "Piltdown Man" and extraordinary finds such as "Lucy," many puzzles remain. What, in the end, do we mean by a "missing link"?
Author(s): John Malone
Edition: 1
Publisher: Wiley
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 242
Unsolved Mysteries of Science......Page 2
Contents......Page 7
Acknowledgments......Page 11
Introduction......Page 13
1 How Did the Universe Begin?......Page 17
2 How Did Life on Earth Get Started?......Page 28
3 What Causes Mass Extinctions?......Page 39
4 What Is the Inside of the Earth Like?......Page 51
5 What Causes Ice Ages?......Page 62
6 Were Dinosaurs Warm-blooded?......Page 71
7 Is There a Missing Link?......Page 82
8 What Caused the “Big Bang” in Human Culture?......Page 95
9 How Do We Learn Language?......Page 105
10 Are Dolphins As Smart As We Are?......Page 117
11 How Do Birds Migrate?......Page 126
12 What Is Red?......Page 135
13 How Did Mayan Astronomers Know So Much?......Page 143
14 What Is Gravity?......Page 152
15 What Is Light?......Page 162
16 Why Is There So Much Quantum Frustration?......Page 171
17 What Are Black Holes Really Like?......Page 182
18 How Old Is the Universe?......Page 192
19 Are There Multiple Universes?......Page 200
20 How Many Dimensions Are There?......Page 209
21 How Will the Universe End?......Page 218
Index......Page 227
