Science Changed the World

Science Changed the World is an introductory survey that examines and promotes critical thinking about the origin, development, and impact of science from ancient times to the present. Publication of this historical survey of science marks another milestone in the steady growth of college history of science courses. Science Changed the World's eleven chapters examine eleven themes that have dominated the emergence of science. They provide an integrated view of how science developed in different times and diverse cultures and offer a pathway to understanding the emergence and evolution of modern science and how science shaped modern society. Science Changed the World has four objectives: To broadens students' worldview and perspective by introducing them to the origin, growth, and impact of science on society. To neglect the history of science in discussing the history of global societies is to neglect the major force that has shaped and continues to shape our world. To make clear that science is a human activity or enterprise. People do science, science does not happen spontaneously. To show that science is dynamic, not static, and that science changes over time. Scientists are not infallible and neither are their ideas. To expose and eliminate misconceptions and erroneous beliefs that have crept into the sciences. Misconceptions and erroneous beliefs, once inserted in science, are difficult to remove and leave students with a false sense of historical and scientific truth. Science Changed the World tells us how our modern scientific society has emerged.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introductory Objectives of the History of Science Chapter 1: Introduction To The History Of Science: Its Language, Objectives, And Scope Introduction Science, Engineering, Technology, and the History of Science Science and Religion Three Different Approaches Used In Studying the History of Science Philosophies of Science Chapter Themes and Chronology of the History of Science Other Themes Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 2: Ancient Science: From Earliest Times to the Fall of Rome 476 AD Introduction Communication of Ancient Thought Middle East and African Science and Engineering Scientific World of the Greeks: The Beginning Of Organization of Greek Science Technology in Ancient Greece Ancients and Their Environment Science in the East Science in Pre-Columbian North America Science in Mesoamerica Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 3: Science and Its Application in the Middle Ages 400-1400 Introduction Rise of the Universities Medieval Science and Medicine Medieval Engineering Medieval Living Conditions and Practical Science Land and Water Transportation Industrial Developments: The Environment, Textiles, Iron, and Printing Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 4: Science in the Renaissance 1400-1600 Introduction Leonardo Da Vinci Nicolaus Copernicus and the Heliocentric Model of the Universe Andreas Vesalius and the Foundation of Anatomy Chemistry in Medicine: Iatrochemistry Witchcraft and Vampires Beginning of Metallurgy Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 5: Scientific Revolution of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 1600-1700 Introduction Experimental Method Galileo Galilei Problem of Chemical Identity in Seventeenth-Century Chemistry Studies on Air: Barometer and Air Pressure Experiments Advances in Mathematics Physics of Light Establishment of Scientific Societies and Academies Measuring Heat Sound and Its Measurement Revolution in Physiology: William Harvey, Circulation of the Blood René Descartes and the Mechanical Philosophy Theory of Universal Gravitation Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 6: Physical and Life Sciences in the Eighteenth Century, the Enlightenment Introduction Theories of Combustion and the Discovery of Gases Lavoisier and the Eighteenth-Century Revolution in Chemistry: Study of Composition Introduction of the Metric System Theories of Heat Applications of Heat Energy, Development of Steam Power Advances in Electrical Theory and Applications Classification in Nature Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 7: Darwin's Century Introduction How Old Is Earth How Old Is Humanity Argument for Design in the Universe Early Theories of Evolution Geological Developments: Catastrophists and Uniformitarians Evolution by Natural Selection American Debate over Darwinism: Louis Agassiz and Asa Gray Beginning of Genetics: Solving the Inheritance Problem A New Theory of Evolution: Punctuated Equilibrium Evidence Supporting Evolution How Many Species Inhabit Earth Evolution and Religion Conclusion Geological Charts Review Questions Chapter 8: Molecular Biology and the Double Helix Introduction Beginning of Genetics Discovery of Proteins and Nucleic Acids Use of X-Rays in Establishing Molecular Structure Chemical Contributions to the Structure of DNA and RNA: Evidence That Nucleic Acid Was the Gene and Information Carrier Discovering the Structure of DNA: X-Ray Diffraction, Models, Solving the Genetic Code Human Genome Project Developments in Cloning and Stem Cells Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 9: Nineteenth-Century Physical Science Introduction Study of Light Developments in Chemistry Electrical Theory and Applications Thermodynamics: The Study of Heat Kinetic-Molecular Theory of Gases Scientific Studies On Atmospheric and Water Pollution Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 10: Twentieth-Century Physical Science Introduction Fundamental Breakthroughs in Physics and Chemistry Search for Precise Atomic Weights Electron: The Fundamental Electric Charge Theories of Atomic Structure Chemical Bond Composition of the Nucleus Development of Quantum Mechanics: Matrix Mechanics and Wave Mechanics Spectroscopy and Chemical Bonds Quantum Mechanics and Structure of the Nucleus Search for Fundamental Particles Conclusion Review Questions Chapter 11: Energy And The Environment: Conflict Or Compatibility Introduction Early Developments in Nuclear Fission Manhattan Project: Controlling Nuclear Fission and Racing to Build the Bomb German, Soviet, British, and Japanese Atomic Bomb Projects Atomic Spy Scandals Post War Nuclear Developments Nuclear Fusion Solar Energy as an Appropriate Alternative Technology Wind Energy Environment and Pollution Conclusion Review Questions Epilogue Bibliography Index