by Melvyn Bragg
First published 2012
Science advances through the minds of extraordinary individuals. Melvyn Bragg examines twelve pivotal figures who transformed human understanding across centuries. From Archimedes calculating principles of physics in ancient Greece to Crick and Watson decoding DNA structure in the twentieth century, each scientist broke new ground in their field. Bragg explores Galileo's telescopic observations, Newton's laws of motion, Lavoisier's chemical discoveries, Faraday's electromagnetic experiments, Darwin's evolutionary theory, Poincaré's mathematical insights, Freud's psychological frameworks, Einstein's relativity concepts, and Marie Curie's radioactive research. Contemporary experts including Stephen Jay Gould, Oliver Sacks, Lewis Wolpert, Susan Greenfield, Roger Penrose, and Richard Dawkins provide modern perspectives on these historic achievements. The book reveals how scientific progress builds across generations and demonstrates the continuing relevance of these foundational discoveries to current research and understanding.
Genres: biography, science, non-fiction, academic, history-of-science, science-nature
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: educational
Period: 20th-Century, Ancient-Greece, Modern
Kindle Edition · Hodder & Stoughton