Science

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the chemical sciences to the modern world. In the last 150 years, they have transformed our physical environment, our material culture, our manner of living, and even our persons—and they are continuing to do so in profound ways. Yet the detailed and systematic study of the history of the modern chemical sciences has been relatively late in coming.

This compilation of essays by leading scholars represents the first fruits of modern historical scholarship. The essays vary in form and content: some represent detailed, original research; others are cast as synoptic blueprints for future research in major domains of scholarship; still others are provocative reflections on the opportunities and challenges facing historians of chemical sciences and industries and their audiences.

The essays in Part One deal with the experimental generation of new chemical knowledge, the nature of theories about chemical knowledge, and the reception of new knowledge by the chemical community. Part Two is devoted primarily to the development of modern industrial chemistry. Part Three is concerned with preserving archives and artifacts owned by public and private institutions, with making the history of chemistry accessible to persons interested but not trained in history, and with helping both policymakers and the general public to understand the policy issues involving the chemical sciences and industries trough the insights provided by historical research. Part Four, the concluding section, discusses future prospects for the history f the chemical sciences, addressing questions about methodology, audience, and new directions for research.

Hamilton Cravens challenges widespread belief to argue that the impact of evolutionary ideas on American culture and science has been greater since the collapse of Social Darwinism. he portrays a new generation of American scientists whose pioneering work led to the bitterly debated heredity-environment controversy in the 1920s and then, in the '30s, to a "synthetic" theory of the way heredity and environment together have shaped human nature and culture.

The resolution of this issue seemed to hold an exhilarating promise. If scientists could explain—and even predict—human behavior, they might help restore social control and stability in an age of domestic ferment and international turmoil.

The Triumph of Evolution is the first scholarly history of one of the most significant scientific controversies of the twentieth century.

The appearance of three comets in the autumn of 1618 touched off a controversy of such proportions that its effects are still inextricably associated with some of the most dramatic events marking the dawn of our modern era.

This volume contains the principal works, in English translation, that were published during the extended controversy between Galileo and the Jesuits over the nature of comets, concluding with a commentary by Johann Kepler. The controversy of of both scientific and philosophical significance because it was in this connection that Galileo disclosed his conception of scientific method, which has been vastly influential on the course of modern thought. The principal work, Il Saggiatore (The Assayer), is also of extraordinary literary merit; it is considered the greatest polemic ever written in the domain of physical science.

Selected as one of the Best "Sci-Tech" Books of 1988 by Library Journal

The essays in this volume represent original work to celebrate the centenary of the American Society of Zoologists. They illustrate the impressive nature of historical scholarship that has subsequently focused on the development of biology in the United States.

In this handbook on a growing public menace, Clifford R. Bragdon applies acoustical engineering and social science to the least understood—yet one of the most serious—environmental hazards of modern society. This book is a precision tool; it gives facts and figures, precise scientific measurements, and accurate data on what noise is, what it does, and how to combat it. The author pinpoints the noise levels—many of them illegal—of automobiles, buses, subways, airplanes, household appliances, and children's toys in numerous charts and tables and relates these data to the measurable social, physical, and psychological damage they do to human beings. He catalogues the "noise-free" claims of manufacturers of these products in an Appendix that speaks for itself.

A thorough case study of an area near Philadelphia International Airport and other townships, including five hundred households, the author evaluates existing noise abatement programs on local, state, and federal levels, and finds most of them seriously inadequate. As steps toward the solution to the noise crisis, he proposes a system for rating environmental health, new approaches to community noise management, and a variety of architectural suggestions.

The bibliography—probably the most complete and up-to-date source collection on the subject ever assembled—is an invaluable reference work in itself. It lists over five hundred sources, arranged in six major categories: Noise, General; Physical Effects; Psycho-Social Effects; Law; Noise Abatement; and Noise Sources.

Noise Pollution is indispensable not only for the concerned citizen but for all those who can, and must, take immediate and effective action in our unquiet crisis: urban planners, architects, hospital administrators, public health officials, transportation executives, lawyers, realtors, sound engineers, manufacturers of transportation equipment and household appliances, and community leaders. It is a vital resource in dealing with the noise crisis that is destroying pleasure, lowering work performance, eroding health, causing physical injury, and even challenging basic human survival.

This volume focuses on a group of diverse developmental processes that have resisted incisive analysis when conventional genetic and biochemical methodologies were employed. Relatively little is known at the molecular level about these processes, but the contributors have taken a firm stand by either presenting hypotheses or suggesting new ways to approach research problems in their fields.

The authors describe new models and hypotheses for such complex questions as: Embryos are biological clocks, but how do they keep time? Oncogenes cause many tumors, even though they are, or are related to, normal components of genomes. What is their normal function? Morphogenesis is the acquisition or form by embryos, and it is under strict genetic control. Nevertheless, no gene product yet identified plays a direct role in these cellular movements. Why has it not been found?

Molecular Approaches to Supracellular Phenomena will Interest students, scholars, and researchers in developmental biology.

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of polymer science to life in the twentieth century. Developments in polymer chemistry and engineering have led not only to the creation of a variety of substances such as synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, and plastic but also to discoveries about proteins, DNA, and other biological compounds that have revolutionized western medicine. For these reasons, the history of the discipline tells an important story about how both our material and intellectual worlds have come to be as they are.

Yasu Furukawa explores that history by tracing the emergence of macromolecular chemistry, the true beginning of modern polymer science. It is a lively book, given human interest through its focus on the work of two of the central figures in the development of macromolecular chemistry, Hermann Staudinger and Wallace Carothers. In Inventing Polymer Science, Furukawa examines the origins and development of the scientific work of Staudinger and Carothers, illuminates their different styles in research and professional activities, and contrasts the peculiar institutional and social milieux in which they pursued their goals.

This volume focuses on a group of diverse developmental processes that have resisted incisive analysis when conventional genetic and biochemical methodologies were employed. Relatively little is known at the molecular level about these processes, but the contributors have taken a firm stand by either presenting hypotheses or suggesting new ways to approach research problems in their fields.

The authors describe new models and hypotheses for such complex questions as: Embryos are biological clocks, but how do they keep time? Oncogenes cause many tumors, even though they are, or are related to, normal components of genomes. What is their normal function? Morphogenesis is the acquisition or form by embryos, and it is under strict genetic control. Nevertheless, no gene product yet identified plays a direct role in these cellular movements. Why has it not been found?

Molecular Approaches to Supracellular Phenomena will Interest students, scholars, and researchers in developmental biology.

In this handbook on a growing public menace, Clifford R. Bragdon applies acoustical engineering and social science to the least understood—yet one of the most serious—environmental hazards of modern society. This book is a precision tool; it gives facts and figures, precise scientific measurements, and accurate data on what noise is, what it does, and how to combat it. The author pinpoints the noise levels—many of them illegal—of automobiles, buses, subways, airplanes, household appliances, and children's toys in numerous charts and tables and relates these data to the measurable social, physical, and psychological damage they do to human beings. He catalogues the "noise-free" claims of manufacturers of these products in an Appendix that speaks for itself.

A thorough case study of an area near Philadelphia International Airport and other townships, including five hundred households, the author evaluates existing noise abatement programs on local, state, and federal levels, and finds most of them seriously inadequate. As steps toward the solution to the noise crisis, he proposes a system for rating environmental health, new approaches to community noise management, and a variety of architectural suggestions.

The bibliography—probably the most complete and up-to-date source collection on the subject ever assembled—is an invaluable reference work in itself. It lists over five hundred sources, arranged in six major categories: Noise, General; Physical Effects; Psycho-Social Effects; Law; Noise Abatement; and Noise Sources.

Noise Pollution is indispensable not only for the concerned citizen but for all those who can, and must, take immediate and effective action in our unquiet crisis: urban planners, architects, hospital administrators, public health officials, transportation executives, lawyers, realtors, sound engineers, manufacturers of transportation equipment and household appliances, and community leaders. It is a vital resource in dealing with the noise crisis that is destroying pleasure, lowering work performance, eroding health, causing physical injury, and even challenging basic human survival.

Hamilton Cravens challenges widespread belief to argue that the impact of evolutionary ideas on American culture and science has been greater since the collapse of Social Darwinism. he portrays a new generation of American scientists whose pioneering work led to the bitterly debated heredity-environment controversy in the 1920s and then, in the '30s, to a "synthetic" theory of the way heredity and environment together have shaped human nature and culture.

The resolution of this issue seemed to hold an exhilarating promise. If scientists could explain—and even predict—human behavior, they might help restore social control and stability in an age of domestic ferment and international turmoil.

The Triumph of Evolution is the first scholarly history of one of the most significant scientific controversies of the twentieth century.

Selected as one of the Best "Sci-Tech" Books of 1988 by Library Journal

The essays in this volume represent original work to celebrate the centenary of the American Society of Zoologists. They illustrate the impressive nature of historical scholarship that has subsequently focused on the development of biology in the United States.

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of polymer science to life in the twentieth century. Developments in polymer chemistry and engineering have led not only to the creation of a variety of substances such as synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, and plastic but also to discoveries about proteins, DNA, and other biological compounds that have revolutionized western medicine. For these reasons, the history of the discipline tells an important story about how both our material and intellectual worlds have come to be as they are.

Yasu Furukawa explores that history by tracing the emergence of macromolecular chemistry, the true beginning of modern polymer science. It is a lively book, given human interest through its focus on the work of two of the central figures in the development of macromolecular chemistry, Hermann Staudinger and Wallace Carothers. In Inventing Polymer Science, Furukawa examines the origins and development of the scientific work of Staudinger and Carothers, illuminates their different styles in research and professional activities, and contrasts the peculiar institutional and social milieux in which they pursued their goals.

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the chemical sciences to the modern world. In the last 150 years, they have transformed our physical environment, our material culture, our manner of living, and even our persons—and they are continuing to do so in profound ways. Yet the detailed and systematic study of the history of the modern chemical sciences has been relatively late in coming.

This compilation of essays by leading scholars represents the first fruits of modern historical scholarship. The essays vary in form and content: some represent detailed, original research; others are cast as synoptic blueprints for future research in major domains of scholarship; still others are provocative reflections on the opportunities and challenges facing historians of chemical sciences and industries and their audiences.

The essays in Part One deal with the experimental generation of new chemical knowledge, the nature of theories about chemical knowledge, and the reception of new knowledge by the chemical community. Part Two is devoted primarily to the development of modern industrial chemistry. Part Three is concerned with preserving archives and artifacts owned by public and private institutions, with making the history of chemistry accessible to persons interested but not trained in history, and with helping both policymakers and the general public to understand the policy issues involving the chemical sciences and industries trough the insights provided by historical research. Part Four, the concluding section, discusses future prospects for the history f the chemical sciences, addressing questions about methodology, audience, and new directions for research.

The appearance of three comets in the autumn of 1618 touched off a controversy of such proportions that its effects are still inextricably associated with some of the most dramatic events marking the dawn of our modern era.

This volume contains the principal works, in English translation, that were published during the extended controversy between Galileo and the Jesuits over the nature of comets, concluding with a commentary by Johann Kepler. The controversy of of both scientific and philosophical significance because it was in this connection that Galileo disclosed his conception of scientific method, which has been vastly influential on the course of modern thought. The principal work, Il Saggiatore (The Assayer), is also of extraordinary literary merit; it is considered the greatest polemic ever written in the domain of physical science.

Covering the astronomical work achieved with telescopes of moderate size, this volume indicates how recent developments in electronics make it possible for these telescopes to cope with problems formerly attacked only by the largest instruments. Because the future accomplishments of the telescopes of moderate size should be tremendously increased, this book considers both what is being accomplished and what scientists may confidently expect to be able to do in the predictable future.

In searching for an appropriate topic for the symposium, the astronomers who have contributed to this volume recognized that although much attention has been devoted in recent years to Schmidt type telescopes, radio telescopes, and very large instruments, a great deal of the useful work has been and is being carried out by conventional telescopes of moderate size. Especially in the fields of astrometry and photometry a rather large fraction of the observations are being made with telescopes within, roughly, an aperture range of twelve to forty inches. Although perhaps the most exciting or novel results will be obtained with the giant reflectors, much of our progress depends upon the unspectacular accumulation and discussion of data and, within the limits of stellar magnitude to which they are suited, the smaller instruments can contribute substantially, meriting the definitive research provided in the pages of this book.

Outstanding scientists have contributed to this volume their findings in such matters as image tube development; photoelectric problems in astronomy; investigation of image detectors (sensitivity assessment, equivalent quantum efficiencies, etc.); modern computing machines capable of solving photometric problems; the Newton Lacy Pierce Photometer; the infrared technique for stellar photometry; application of the small telescope to photoelectric problems; photoelectric studies of scintillation of starlight; the upper atmosphere as discerned from studies of stellar scintillation; variable star problems, present and future; and stellar spectroscopy with the mode rate size telescope. The result is a book of vital importance to the student of astronomy who wishes to understand the advances in his field made possible by electronic progress.

Covering the astronomical work achieved with telescopes of moderate size, this volume indicates how recent developments in electronics make it possible for these telescopes to cope with problems formerly attacked only by the largest instruments. Because the future accomplishments of the telescopes of moderate size should be tremendously increased, this book considers both what is being accomplished and what scientists may confidently expect to be able to do in the predictable future.

In searching for an appropriate topic for the symposium, the astronomers who have contributed to this volume recognized that although much attention has been devoted in recent years to Schmidt type telescopes, radio telescopes, and very large instruments, a great deal of the useful work has been and is being carried out by conventional telescopes of moderate size. Especially in the fields of astrometry and photometry a rather large fraction of the observations are being made with telescopes within, roughly, an aperture range of twelve to forty inches. Although perhaps the most exciting or novel results will be obtained with the giant reflectors, much of our progress depends upon the unspectacular accumulation and discussion of data and, within the limits of stellar magnitude to which they are suited, the smaller instruments can contribute substantially, meriting the definitive research provided in the pages of this book.

Outstanding scientists have contributed to this volume their findings in such matters as image tube development; photoelectric problems in astronomy; investigation of image detectors (sensitivity assessment, equivalent quantum efficiencies, etc.); modern computing machines capable of solving photometric problems; the Newton Lacy Pierce Photometer; the infrared technique for stellar photometry; application of the small telescope to photoelectric problems; photoelectric studies of scintillation of starlight; the upper atmosphere as discerned from studies of stellar scintillation; variable star problems, present and future; and stellar spectroscopy with the mode rate size telescope. The result is a book of vital importance to the student of astronomy who wishes to understand the advances in his field made possible by electronic progress.