Science: The Definitive Guide is a visually stunning introduction to all the major scientific disciplines, covering chemistry, physics, geology, biology and cosmology. Each section begins with a lively introduction to the scientific branch under investigation, before moving on to a more in-depth exploration of its constituent components and themes. The end result is a magnificent introduction to all that is currently understood about the natural world. Piers Bizony begins with physics and the basic building blocks of matter, offering a lucid and usefully illustrated account of the extraordinary and often baffling world of atomic and subatomic particles.
There follows a discussion of chemistry and the main phases of matter such as solids, liquids, gases, compounds, and the Elements, all illustrated in a large-format Periodic Table. This leads to geology and the ever shifting world beneath our feet, including volcanoes, fault lines, plate tectonics and rock strata. Having established a clear outline of the material world, the author then takes a look at its most extraordinary feature: life. DNA, RNA, cells, algae, plants, sponges, reptiles, mammals and man are all surveyed within these pages.
Science: The Definitive Guide concludes with the infinite world above our heads: planets, stars, galaxies, and the irresistible forces that govern our expanding universe.
EARTH
- Our Place in the Universe
- Our Origins
- The Early Earth
- The Early Environment
- The Sun
- Inside the Earth
- Plate Tectonics
- The Restless Earth
- The Earth's Surface
- The Earth Today.
CLIMATE
- Seasons and Tides
- The Earth's Atmosphere
- Weather
- Reading the Sky
- Weather Mapping
- Extreme Storms
- Ocean Currents
- Atmospheric Currents
- Global Warming
CHEMISTRY
- Elements and Compounds
- The Periodic Table
- Carbon
- Oxygen and Combustion
- Industrial Metals
- Hydrocarbons
- Plastics
- Acids and Alkalis, Salts and Metals
- Organic Chemistry
BIOLOGY
- DNA
- The Cell
- Cell Division
- Genetic Modification
- The Human Genome Project
- Bacteria and Viruses
- Life on Earth
- The Tree of Life
- The Animal Kingdom
- The Human Body
- Plant Classification
- Plant Reproduction
- Photosynthesis
- The Carbon Cycle
- Ecosystems and Food Chains
SPACE
- The Solar System
- The Planets
- The Moon
- Space Exploration
- Asteroids and Meteorites
- Comets and The Oort Cloud
- Stars
- Galaxies
PHYSICS
- The Mechanics of Physics
- Work, Energy, and Force. Entropy and the Arrow of Time
- Electric Currents
- The Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Beyond the Simple Atom
- Tracking the Subatomic World
- Nuclear Fission
- The Quantum Universe
- Quantum Uncertainty and You
- Relativity
- String Theory
COSMOLOGY
- The Big Bang
- Dark Matter and Dark Energy
- Black Holes and Multiple Universes
- The End of Everything?
Glossary
Index
Piers Bizony is an internationally successful writer on science and film. He is a regular contributor to Focus magazine, The Independent and Wired. His previous books include the bestselling 2001: Filming the Future; Island in the Sky: Building the International Space Station; The Rivers of Mars; Starman: The Truth Behind the Legend of Yuri Gagarin and Digital Domain.