This is the third in a series of volumes of essays by Steven Weinberg, the previous two having also been published by HUP (Facing Up in 2001, and Lake Views in 2010). Weinberg, recipient of the Nobel Prize (1979) with Abdus Shalam and Sheldon Glashow for their contributions to the electroweak unification theory, is well known not only for his groundbreaking work in physics, but also for his efforts in popularizing science and the history of science,...

Packed with fascinating facts, amazing images, and some seriously staggering science, this science history book shows how thousands of years of human endeavor have expanded our knowledge and shaped our lives. Find out why the fruitless search for a potion of eternal life led to the birth to chemistry. See how the invention of magnifying lenses opened new windows into the cosmos and microcosmos. And learn how happy accidents led to the discovery of...

From the critically acclaimed author of The Book of M, a highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father's belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret--one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure and to the truth about her family's dark history. What is the purpose of a map? Nell Young's whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the...

Bayes' rule appears to be a straightforward, one-line theorem: by updating our initial beliefs with objective new information, we get a new and improved belief. To its adherents, it is an elegant statement about learning from experience. To its opponents, it is subjectivity run amok.In the first-ever account of Bayes' rule for general readers, Sharon Bertsch McGrayne explores this controversial theorem and the human obsessions surrounding it. She...

In this tour de force of science history, Manjit Kumar gives a dramatic and superbly written account of the theory that sparked the 20th century's most fundamental scientific revolution and the central conflict between Einstein and Bohr over the nature of reality and the soul of science.

A squirrel in the garden. A rat in the wall. A pigeon on the street. Humans have spent so much of our history drawing a hard line between human spaces and wild places. When animals pop up where we don’t expect or want them, we respond with fear, rage, or simple annoyance. It’s no longer an animal. It’s a pest. At the intersection of science, history, and narrative journalism, Pests is not a simple call to look closer at our urban ecosystem....

"The history of humankind has been driven by scientific discovery. From our distant ancestors learning to use tools and fire for the first time, to the modern breakthroughs that have shaped the world we live in today, science has defined the story of humans for thousands of years. Using beautiful illustrations and clear, easy-to-read text, SI Timelines of Science explains the history of science as it unfolded across the globe, and delves into the...