A Century of Nature

Twenty-One Discoveries that Changed Science and the World

Edited by Laura Garwin and Tim Lincoln

Read excerpts from the book.

Edited by Laura Garwin and Tim Lincoln

Cloth $94.00 ISBN: 9780226284132 Published December 2003

Paper $30.00 ISBN: 9780226284156 Published December 2003

E-book $7.00 to $30.00 About E-books ISBN: 9780226284163 Published March 2010

Many of the scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century were first reported in the journal Nature. A Century of Nature brings together in one volume Nature's greatest hits—reproductions of seminal contributions that changed science and the world, accompanied by essays written by leading scientists (including four Nobel laureates) that provide historical context for each article, explain its insights in graceful, accessible prose, and celebrate the serendipity of discovery and the rewards of searching for needles in haystacks.

Review Quotes

Booklist

"Nature's eminence attracts papers of revolutionary import, making this volume of 21 articles of wide interest. A preface to each article explains its recognition . . . not only as a milestone in its field but also as meaningful for ordinary people. . . . This anthology's aura of discovery will absorb avid science fans."

Phil Campbell | Nature

"Some of the original papers almost leap off the page. . . . In other cases it is the accompanying essays, many written by those working close to the original research, that bring the papers to life. But whatever the topic--plate tectonics, extrasolar planets, T-cell immunology, the ozone hole, the generation of animal body plans, cloning--the essays also entice the reader into far greater appreciation of the work than can be obtained when it is transmitted through textbooks."

Oren S. Harman | JAMA

"Laura Garwin and Tim Lincoln give us a handsome little book, a celebration of 21 of the most explosive and influential papers published by <I>Nature<I> in the 20th century. Beginning with the unearthing of the African origins of humanity in 1925 and ending with the identification in 1995 of the first extrasolar planets that may harbor life . . . <I>A Century of Nature<I> is a pleasure to read."

Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel

“Here is a fascinating romp through many fields of twentieth-century science, as captured by twenty-one classic discoveries originally published in Nature, the leading weekly journal of science. You'll find accounts of the first laser and pulsar and quasar, the discoveries of neutrons and nuclear fission, and finds of the first African ape-men. Comparisons of the original papers themselves with comments by experts placing the paper in perspective today make entertaining reading.”<\#209>

Freeman Dyson, Institute for Advanced Study

“A Century of Nature brings together in one volume a collection of the most important documents in the history of many of the sciences. Whether they cover physics or biology, geology or chemistry, astronomy or paleontology, every one of these articles records a discovery that started a new line of research or a new way of thinking. This book provides a much more solid basis for scientific literacy than the many popular books that are devoted to the latest scientific fad.”

For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu

Anthropology: Physical Anthropology

Archaeology

Biological Sciences: Biochemistry | Biology--Systematics | Evolutionary Biology | Microbiology

Chemistry

Earth Sciences: Environment | General Earth Sciences | Oceanography and Hydrology

History of Science

Physical Sciences: Physics--Popular Books

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