# kb

id: hydrology-in-practice-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrology_in_Practice-0.md
category: reference
title: Hydrology in Practice
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrology_in_Practice
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:46.534024+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: hydrology-in-practice-20260505-0
summary:
Hydrology in Practice is a hydrology textbook by British hydrologist Elizabeth M. Shaw. The book was originally published in 1983 by Van Nostrand Reinhold (UK) Co. Ltd. and the most recent fourth edition was published in July 2010 by CRC Press, a division of Taylor & Francis. The book has been described as both an introductory text and a resource for professionals. == Synopsis == The third edition of the book is separated into three parts which discuss hydrological measurements, hydrological analysis, and engineering applications. == Reception == Hydrology in Practice has been described by CRC Press as "likely to be the course text for every undergraduate/MSc hydrology course in the UK". The book has been reviewed by the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, the Journal of the American Water Resources Association, the Hydrological Sciences Journal, and the Journal of Hydrology, along with being cited in many scientific journals. In a review of the third edition, the Hydrological Sciences Journal described the book as "an excellent compendium of techniques and methods of hydrological measurement and data analysis". The book is also recommended reading at Dartmouth College, Utah State University, the University of Malta, the American Institute of Hydrology,


id: de-re-metallica-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica-0.md
category: reference
title: De re metallica
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:50.484105+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-re-metallica-20260505-0
summary:
De re metallica (Latin for On the Nature of Metals [Minerals]) is a book in Latin cataloguing the state of the art of mining, refining, and smelting metals, published a year posthumously in 1556 due to a delay in preparing woodcuts for the text. The author was Georg Bauer, whose pen name was the Latinized Georgius Agricola ("Bauer" and "Agricola" being respectively the German and Latin words for "farmer"). The book remained the authoritative text on mining for 180 years after its publication. It was also an important chemistry text for the period and is significant in the history of chemistry. Mining was typically left to professionals, craftsmen and experts who were not eager to share the experiential knowledge they had accumulated over centuries; this knowledge was passed down orally within a small group of technicians and mining overseers. In the Middle Ages, these people held the same leading role as the master builders of the great cathedrals, or were perhaps like alchemists; a small, cosmopolitan elite within which knowledge was guarded from the outside world. Only a few writers found it worth the effort to write about mining, and only in the Renaissance did this begin to change. With


id: de-re-metallica-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica-1.md
category: reference
title: De re metallica
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:50.484105+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-re-metallica-20260505-0
summary:
=== Book I: Arguments for and against this art === This book consists of the arguments used against the art and Agricola's counter arguments. He explains that mining and prospecting are not just a matter of luck and hard work; there is specialized knowledge that must be learned. A miner should have knowledge of philosophy, medicine, astronomy, surveying, arithmetic, architecture, drawing and law, though few are masters of the whole craft and most are specialists. This section is full of classical references and shows Agricola's classical education to its fullest. The arguments range from philosophical objections to gold and silver as being intrinsically worthless, to the danger of mining to its workers and its destruction of the areas in which it is carried out. He argues that without metals, no other activity such as architecture or agriculture are possible. The dangers to miners are dismissed, noting that most deaths and injuries are caused by carelessness, and other occupations are hazardous too. Clearing forests for timber is advantageous as the land can be farmed. Mines tend to be in mountains and gloomy valleys with little economic value. The loss of food from the forests destroyed can be replaced by purchase from


id: de-re-metallica-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica-2.md
category: reference
title: De re metallica
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:50.484105+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-re-metallica-20260505-0
summary:
This book is extensively illustrated and describes the tools and machinery associated with mining. Handtools and different sorts of buckets, wheelbarrows and trucks on wooded plankways are described. Packs for horses and sledges are used to carry loads above ground. Agricola then provides details of various kinds of machines for lifting weights. Some of these are man-powered and some powered by up to four horses or by waterwheels. Horizontal drive shafts along tunnels allow lifting in shafts not directly connected to the surface. If this is not possible, treadmills will be installed underground. Instead of lifting weights, similar machines use chains of buckets to lift water. Agricola also describes several designs of piston force pumps, which are either man or animal-powered, or powered by water wheels. Because these pumps can only lift water about 24 feet, batteries of pumps are required for the deepest mines. Water pipe designs are also covered in this section. Designs of wind scoop for ventilating shafts or forced air using fans or bellows are also described. Finally, ladders and lifts using wicker cages are used to get miners up and down shafts. === Book VII: On the assaying of ore === This book deals with


id: de-re-metallica-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica-3.md
category: reference
title: De re metallica
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:50.484105+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-re-metallica-20260505-0
summary:
=== Book XII: Manufacturing salt, soda, alum, vitriol, sulphur, bitumen, and glass === This describes the preparation of what Agricola calls "juices": salt, soda, nitre, alum, vitriol, saltpetre, sulphur and bitumen. Finally glass making is covered. Agricola seems less secure about this process. He is not clear about making glass from the raw ingredients but clearer about remelting glass to make objects. Prof. Philippus Bechius (1521–1560), a friend of Agricola, translated De re metallica libri XII into German. It was published with the German title Vom Bergkwerck XII Bücher in 1557. Herbert Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover describe the translation as "a wretched work, by one who knew nothing of the science," but it, like the Latin original, saw further editions. In 1563 Agricola's publisher, Froben and Bischoff ("Hieronimo Frobenio et Nicolao Episcopio") in Basel, published an Italian translation by Michelangelo Florio as well. == Publication history == Although Agricola died in 1555, the publication was delayed until the completion of the extensive and detailed woodcuts one year after his death. A German translation was published in 1557 and a second Latin edition appeared in 1561. A version in Spanish, though not a mere translation, was produced by Bernardo Pérez


id: aberdeen-bestiary-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Bestiary-0.md
category: reference
title: Aberdeen Bestiary
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Bestiary
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:51.826157+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: aberdeen-bestiary-20260505-0
summary:
The Aberdeen Bestiary (Aberdeen University Library, Univ Lib. MS 24) is a 12th-century English illuminated manuscript bestiary that was first listed in 1542 in the inventory of the Old Royal Library at the Palace of Westminster. Due to similarities, it is often considered to be the "sister" manuscript of the Ashmole Bestiary. The connection between the ancient Greek didactic text Physiologus and similar bestiary manuscripts is also often noted. Information about the manuscript's origins and patrons are circumstantial, although the manuscript most likely originated from the 13th century and was owned by a wealthy ecclesiastical patron from northern or southern England. Currently, the Aberdeen Bestiary resides in the Aberdeen University Library in Scotland. == History == The Aberdeen Bestiary and the Ashmole Bestiary are considered by Xenia Muratova, a professor of Art History, to be "the work of different artists belonging to the same artistic milieu." Due to their "striking similarities" they are often compared and described by scholars as being "sister manuscripts." The medievalist scholar M. R. James considered the Aberdeen Bestiary ''a replica of Ashmole 1511" a view echoed by many other art historians. === Provenance === The original patron of both the Aberdeen and Ashmole Bestiary was


id: aberdeen-bestiary-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Bestiary-1.md
category: reference
title: Aberdeen Bestiary
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Bestiary
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:51.826157+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: aberdeen-bestiary-20260505-0
summary:
=== Illuminations === Folio page 1 to 3 recto depicts the Genesis 1:1-25 which is represented with a large full page illumination Biblical Creation scene in the manuscript. Folio 5 recto shows Adam, a large figure surrounded by gold leaf and towering over others, with the theme of 'Adam naming the animals' - this starts the compilation of the bestiary portion within the manuscript. Folio 5 verso depicts quadrupeds, livestock, wild beasts, and the concept of the herd. Folio 7 to 18 recto depicts large cats and other beasts such as wolves, foxes and dogs. Many pages from the start of the manuscript's bestiary section such as 11 verso featuring a hyena shows small pin holes which were likely used to map out and copy artwork to a new manuscript. Folio 20 verso to 28 recto depicts livestock such as sheep, horses, and goats. Small animals like cats and mice are depicted on folio 24 to 25. Pages 25 recto to 63 recto feature depictions of birds and folio 64 recto to 80 recto depicts reptiles, worms and fish. 77 recto to 91 verso depicts trees and plants and other elements of nature such as the nature of man. The


id: aberdeen-bestiary-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Bestiary-2.md
category: reference
title: Aberdeen Bestiary
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Bestiary
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:51.826157+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: aberdeen-bestiary-20260505-0
summary:
=== Livestock (Pecora) === Folio 20 verso : Sheep (Ovis) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 9; Ambrose, Hexaemeron, Book VI, 20) Folio 21 recto : Wether (Vervex) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 10) Folio 21 recto : Ram (Aries) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 11) Folio 21 recto : Lamb (Agnus) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 12; Ambrose, Hexaemeron, Book VI, 28) Folio 21 recto : He-goat (Hircus) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 14) Folio 21 verso : Kid (Hedus) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 13) Folio 21 verso : Boar (Aper) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 27) Folio 21 verso : Bullock (Iuvencus) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 28) Folio 21 verso : Bull (Taurus) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 29) Folio 22 recto : Horse (Equus) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 41–56; Hugh of Fouilloy, III, xxiii) Folio 23 recto : Mule (Mulus) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, i, 57–60) === Small animals (Minuta animala) === Folio 23 verso : Cat (Musio) (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Book XII, ii, 38) Folio 23 verso : Mouse (Mus) (Isidore


id: aberdeen-bestiary-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Bestiary-3.md
category: reference
title: Aberdeen Bestiary
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Bestiary
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:51.826157+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: aberdeen-bestiary-20260505-0
summary:
=== Stones (Lapides) === Folio 93 verso : Fire-bearing stone (Lapis ignifer) Folio 94 verso : Adamas stone (Lapis adamas) Folio 96 recto : Myrmecoleon (Mermecoleon) Folio 96 verso : Verse (Versus) Folio 97 recto : Stone in the foundation of the wall (Lapis in fundamento muri) Folio 97 recto : The first stone, Jasper Folio 97 recto : The second stone, Sapphire Folio 97 recto : The third stone, Chalcedony Folio 97 verso : The fourth stone, Smaragdus Folio 98 recto : The fifth stone, Sardonyx Folio 98 recto : The sixth stone, Sard Folio 98 verso : The seventh stone, Chrysolite Folio 98 verso : The eighth stone, Beryl Folio 99 recto : The ninth stone, Topaz Folio 99 verso : The tenth stone, Chrysoprase Folio 99 verso : The eleventh stone, Hyacinth Folio 100 recto : The twelfth stone, Amethyst Folio 100 recto : Of stones and what they can do (De effectu lapidum) == Gallery == == See also == Bestiary List of medieval bestiaries Physiologus Ashmole Bestiary Paris Psalter Aviarium == References == == External links == The Aberdeen Bestiary Project - University of Aberdeen, Online version of the bestiary. David Badke, The Medieval Bestiary


id: almost-like-a-whale-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almost_Like_a_Whale-0.md
category: reference
title: Almost Like a Whale
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almost_Like_a_Whale
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:53.025647+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: almost-like-a-whale-20260505-0
summary:
Almost like a Whale by Steve Jones is a modern introduction to Charles Darwin's Origin of Species and closely follows its structure. It won the 1999 BP Natural World Book Prize. An American version was published as Darwin's Ghost: The Origin of Species Updated (ISBN 978-0-375-50103-6). The title refers to Darwin's observation that a bear, swimming in a lake and catching insects in its mouth, might conceivably evolve over time into a creature "almost like a whale". This statement attracted much ridicule at the time. == References ==


id: the-ancestor-s-tale-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ancestor's_Tale-0.md
category: reference
title: The Ancestor's Tale
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ancestor's_Tale
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:54.233690+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-ancestor-s-tale-20260505-0
summary:
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life is a popular science book by Richard Dawkins and Yan Wong in which the history of life is retraced in reverse chronological order. A growing band of species meet their most recent common ancestors (concestors) at 40 rendezvous points. First published in 2004, it was updated in 2016 to reflect recent discoveries. Many reviewers described it as Dawkins's magnum opus. Dawkins dedicated the book to John Maynard Smith. == Background == The book is patterned on Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, in which pilgrims on the road to Canterbury converge with other travelers and tell tales. Here, species convene with their common ancestors ("concestors"), and "Canterbury" is the origin of life. The epigraph is from Mark Twain: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes." The authors contend that "Evolution rhymes, patterns occur. And this doesn't just happen to be so. It is so for well-understood reasons: Darwinian reasons, mostly, for unlike human history or even physics, biology already has its grand unifying theory." They emphasize that no living species is ancestral to any other, but that all share a common ancestor, some more recently than others. Evidence for this fact


id: the-ancestor-s-tale-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ancestor's_Tale-1.md
category: reference
title: The Ancestor's Tale
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ancestor's_Tale
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:54.233690+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-ancestor-s-tale-20260505-0
summary:
== Reception == Carl Zimmer of the New York Times wrote that it is one of the best books to understand evolutionary trees. Rob Colwell of the Wall Street Journal called it "a fittingly superior beast -- lavishly produced and, weighing in at 1.6 kilograms, substantially heavier than the fully-evolved human brain that thought it up." Clive Cookson of the Financial Times called it "one of the richest accounts of evolution ever written. It is also an object lesson in the way thorough picture research, carefully commissioned illustrations and good design can enhance even the best text." He adds "He is so good at explaining complex scientific issues that readers will learn painlessly about matters well outside the author's field of evolutionary biology, from maths to cosmology. But he interlaces the hard science with 'pleasing speculations', humorous asides, personal anecdotes and even political observations." He concludes "we have no right to expect a second magnum opus on the scale of The Ancestor's Tale." Marek Kohn wrote "The success of this book comes from having one truly Chaucerian character: the author himself." Robin McKie in The Guardian thought it awkward to move backward in time starting from humans and thought this


id: anticipatory-systems-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticipatory_Systems-0.md
category: reference
title: Anticipatory Systems
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticipatory_Systems
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:55.400444+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: anticipatory-systems-20260505-0
summary:
Anticipatory Systems: Philosophical, Mathematical, and Methodological Foundations is a book by Robert Rosen, conceived in the 1970s and published for the first time in 1985. The book describes the way that biological systems anticipate the environment. The book draws from mathematics, in particular category theory, in describing the way systems can anticipate. The first five chapters of the book are about modeling: Rosen shows that natural systems, physical things in the world, are modeled by formal systems, which are at their heart mathematical. These formal systems simulate the natural systems. But in order to provide anticipatory knowledge, they must produce predictions ahead of the predicted phenomena. == Publication history == The first edition of Anticipatory Systems was published in 1985 by Pergamon Press. The second edition of Anticipatory Systems was published in 2012 by Springer. == Publication details == The second edition includes a fifty-page prolegomena by Mihai Nadin, as well as contributions by Judith Rosen and John J. Kineman. The book is the 27th volume in the International Federation for Systems Research International Series on Systems Science and Engineering, a series edited by George Klir. == Critical reception == A review by Eric Minch of the first edition called


id: behave-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behave_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: Behave (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behave_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:56.575701+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: behave-book-20260505-0
summary:
Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst is a 2017 non-fiction book by Robert Sapolsky. It describes how various biological processes influence human behavior, on scales ranging from less than a second before an action to thousands of years before. == Reception == A review in The Guardian called Behave "a miraculous synthesis of scholarly domains". Kirkus Reviews called it "An exemplary work of popular science, challenging but accessible." A review in the Star Tribune considers Behave to be Sapolsky's magnum opus as well as "a stunning achievement and an invaluable addition to the canon of scientific literature." In Science Magazine's edited book review blog, Behave was described as "exceptional in its scale, scope, detail, and writing style". == References ==


id: the-biology-of-the-cell-surface-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Biology_of_the_Cell_Surface-0.md
category: reference
title: The Biology of the Cell Surface
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Biology_of_the_Cell_Surface
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:57.758861+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-biology-of-the-cell-surface-20260505-0
summary:
The Biology of the Cell Surface is a book by American biologist Ernest Everett Just. It was published by P. Blakiston’s Son & Co in 1939. Just began writing the book in 1934 in Naples and finished it in France, shortly before being sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. He considered the book to be his "crowning achievement". The book examined the role of the cell surface in embryology, development and evolution, and presented a critique of gene theory, particularly the views of Jacques Loeb. Sapp suggests that "Just’s theorizing on the cell cortex [in this work] was unsurpassed". == References == == External links == The Biology of the Cell Surface - full text Biodiversity Heritage Library


id: brain-gender-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Gender-0.md
category: reference
title: Brain Gender
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Gender
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:29:58.927865+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: brain-gender-20260505-0
summary:
Brain Gender is a 2005 biology book by Melissa Hines, published by Oxford University Press. Hines is a psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge in England. Hines graduated with an undergraduate degree from Princeton, following through with a doctorate in psychology from UCLA. Brain Gender is a book exploring the biological differences between sex and gender. Hines questions whether different biological differences, such as hormones, affect the way people develop and act. Hines demonstrates the possibilities that genetic, biological, neuroendocrine, behavioral, social, and statistical aspects of born sex affect the differences between males or females in gender roles. In the end of the book, it is concluded that the human tendency to perceive generalized gender differences is not supported by evidence. Biology does not imply a deterministic set of gender creation or identification. == References ==


id: frank-macfarlane-burnet-bibliography-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Macfarlane_Burnet_bibliography-0.md
category: reference
title: Frank Macfarlane Burnet bibliography
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Macfarlane_Burnet_bibliography
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:00.062720+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: frank-macfarlane-burnet-bibliography-20260505-0
summary:
This is a list of books and monographs by Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, arranged thematically, with original titles, publishers and dates of publication. Burnet wrote widely on virology, immunology and later in life on popular science issues. He wrote over 500 papers and 31 books, several of which were published in multiple editions; 15 of those books followed his retirement as director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. == Virology == The Use of the Developing Egg in Virus Research (Special Report No, 220), London: Medical Research Council, 1936 Biological Aspects of Infectious Disease Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1940. Later editions of the book were published as The Natural History of Infectious Disease in 1953, 1962 and in 1973 with D.O. White. Published in Italian, Japanese, Spanish and German. With E. Clarke, Influenza: A Survey of the Last 50 years in Light of Modern Work and the Virus of Epidemic Influenza (Monograph of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute). Melbourne: Macmillam, 1942 Virus as Organism: evolutionary and ecological aspects of some human virus diseases. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1945. Published in Russian and Japanese. The Background of Infectious Diseases in Man. Melbourne: The Melbourne Permanent Postgraduate Committee, 1946 With


id: campbell-biology-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell_Biology-0.md
category: reference
title: Campbell Biology
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell_Biology
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:01.197728+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: campbell-biology-20260505-0
summary:
Campbell Biology is a biology textbook used for introductory Biology and Advanced Placement Biology courses. The textbook was initially published in 1987 by American biologist Neil Campbell, and has been used internationally by over 700,000 students in both high school and college-level classes. == History == The first edition of the textbook was published in 1987 by Benjamin Cummings, an imprint of Pearson Education. Over time, the textbook was substantially revised and updated. American biologists Jane Reece and Lisa Urry have provided substantial pedagogical contributions, making it an internationally known biology textbook. It is used in 90 percent of AP Biology classes and 60 percent of introductory college biology courses. As of 2024, the textbook has been used by over 14 million students and has been translated into over 20 languages. The book is currently in its 13th edition. == Contents == The textbook is divided into eight separate units comprising 56 chapters. The organization of the units are logical, appropriate, and easy for first-year university students to follow and help them learn the content. The first unit is an introductory unit that introduces the scientific method and concepts of evolution. The second unit focuses on the various components of


id: the-canon-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canon_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: The Canon (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canon_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:02.438846+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-canon-book-20260505-0
summary:
The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science is a book written by American science author Natalie Angier. == Overview == The Canon presents a summary of some of the different areas of science, as well as extensive descriptions of, and interviews with, contemporary scientists who work in these fields. Angier's tenet is that an understanding of the basics of major areas of science can assist with providing a means by which to understand current scientific issues, and that this process should be fun. In her Introduction, Angier writes: Of course you should know about science, for the same reason Dr. Seuss counsels his readers to sing with a Ying or play Ring the Gack: These things are fun, and fun is good. Angier included quotes from the scientists she interviewed throughout her descriptions of different scientific topics in an attempt to show how scientists experience and think about their work, and why they do it. == Scientists interviewed == To obtain material for The Canon, Angier interviewed a number of scientists, professors, and other science professionals, and incorporated their stories and quotes into her work. She asked them questions such as, "What does it mean to


id: chasing-shadows-my-life-tracking-the-great-white-shark-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasing_Shadows:_My_Life_Tracking_the_Great_White_Shark-0.md
category: reference
title: Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasing_Shadows:_My_Life_Tracking_the_Great_White_Shark
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:03.601135+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: chasing-shadows-my-life-tracking-the-great-white-shark-20260505-0
summary:
Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark is a memoir written by Greg Skomal that chronicles his decades long career as an Atlantic shark researcher. It was published in July 2023 by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins. Ret Talbot, a science writer and independent journalist, co-authored this book. Talbot collaborated with Skomal so that the book would appeal to a general audience. The goal for Skomal is to educate and share insights with readers about the Great white shark. == Other books == Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo about the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 Twelve Days of Terror by Richard Fernicola about the same events The Devil's Teeth by Canadian born journalist Susan Casey. == References == == External links == Official website Book excerpt Ret Talbot biography page. ISBN 9780063090835


id: close-to-shore-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_to_Shore-0.md
category: reference
title: Close to Shore
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_to_Shore
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:04.769968+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: close-to-shore-20260505-0
summary:
Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence is a non-fiction book by journalist Michael Capuzzo about the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. The book was published in 2001 by Broadway Books. According to a reviewer writing for the New Yorker, it is an "adventure classic". The factual content and backgrounds were based on Richard Fernicola's In Search of the Jersey Man-Eater (1987). An adapted version, Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916, was published in 2003, aimed at a middle-school audience, with fewer biographical background of the victims. There are photos and news clippings not in the original. Capuzzo's description of the shark's behaviour verges on being anthropomorphic. == References == == External links == Close to Shore homepage at RandomHouse.com. Capuzzo, Michael. Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916. Crown. ISBN 0375922318.


id: colecci-n-la-fauna-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colección_La_Fauna-0.md
category: reference
title: Colección La Fauna
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colección_La_Fauna
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:05.933883+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: colecci-n-la-fauna-20260505-0
summary:
Colección La Fauna (La Fauna Collection) is a series of books about the Fauna of Venezuela. The first four titles were published in 2019 by Ediciones La Fauna KPT, based in Madrid. The collection have as origin the studies by German-born, Venezuelan zoologist, Pedro Trebbau, along with the documentary research of Israel Cañizales and Salvador Boher. The adaptation of the texts were made by writer Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles. The illustrations were made by the artist Leonardo Rodríguez. The editorial director of the collection is Miriam Ardizzone, the art direction is in charge of Manuel González Ruiz == History == The collection is part of the project for rescue of the scientific works of Pedro Trebbau, initiated with the re-edition of the book The Turtles of Venezuela (2018), as well of the publication of the biography Trebbau: Maestro por naturaleza (2018), by Albor Rodríguez. Trebbau is known for the promotion and preservation of Venezuelan wildlife and nature. == Titles == == References ==


id: daedalus-or-science-and-the-future-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daedalus-0.md
category: reference
title: Daedalus; or, Science and the Future
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daedalus;_or,_Science_and_the_Future
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:08.274374+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: daedalus-or-science-and-the-future-20260505-0
summary:
Daedalus; or, Science and the Future is a book by the British scientist J. B. S. Haldane, published in England in 1924. It was the text of a lecture read to the Heretics Society (an intellectual club at the University of Cambridge) on 4 February 1923. Haldane uses the Greek myth of Daedalus as a symbol for the revolutionary nature of science with particular regard to his own discipline of biology. The chemical or physical inventor is always a Prometheus. There is no great invention, from fire to flying, which has not been hailed as an insult to some god. But if every physical and chemical invention is a blasphemy, every biological invention is a perversion. There is hardly one which, on first being brought to the notice of an observer from any nation which had not previously heard of their existence, would not appear to him as indecent and unnatural. He also expressed skepticism over the human benefits of some scientific advances, arguing that scientific advance would bring grief, rather than progress to mankind, unless it was accompanied by a similar advance in ethics. The book is an early vision of transhumanism and his vision of a future in


id: darwin-and-his-children-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_and_His_Children-0.md
category: reference
title: Darwin and His Children
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_and_His_Children
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:09.432218+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: darwin-and-his-children-20260505-0
summary:
Darwin and His Children: His Other Legacy is a 2013 book by biologist and author, Tim Berra. The book examines the full lives of the ten children of Charles Darwin and his wife Emma Wedgwood. This book is written for a lay audience concluding with a timeline, cast of characters, references and index. An overview of Darwin's scientific achievements runs though the chronology of the children's lives. The book was published by Oxford University Press. == Synopsis == The book is broken into twelve chapters. The first, "Darwin's Paradigm Shift", is described by reviewer Christopher Cumo as a good overview of Darwin for any history of science student, saying the book is able to "present the scaffolding of Darwin's ideas without requiring one to build the entire house". Chapter two covers Charles Darwin and his first-cousin soon to be wife, Emma Wedgwood, with whom he had been friends since childhood. Emma's father, Josiah Wedgwood, was brother to Charles's mother Susannah Wedgwood. The stress of believing this close family relationship was the reason so many of their ten children suffered from ill health, and the infertility of three adult children, was woven throughout chapters three to twelve. Darwin struggled with intestinal


id: charles-darwin-bibliography-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin_bibliography-0.md
category: reference
title: Charles Darwin bibliography
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin_bibliography
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:10.668533+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: charles-darwin-bibliography-20260505-0
summary:
This is a list of the writings of Charles Darwin. == Works published during lifetime == 1829–1832. [Records of captured insects, in] Stephens, J. F., Illustrations of British entomology 1835: Extracts from Letters to Henslow (Read at a meeting of the Cambridge Philosophical Society on 16 November 1835, with comments by John Stevens Henslow and Adam Sedgwick, and printed for private distribution dated 1 December 1835. Selected remarks had been read by Sedgwick to the Geological Society of London on 18 November 1835, and these were summarised in Proceedings of the Geological Society published in 1836. Further extracts were published in the Entomological Magazine and, with a review, in the Magazine of Natural History. A reprint was issued in 1960, again for private distribution.) 1836: A LETTER, Containing Remarks on the Moral State of TAHITI, NEW ZEALAND, &c. – BY CAPT. R. FITZROY AND C. DARWIN, ESQ. OF H.M.S. 'Beagle.' 1838–1843: Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle: published between 1839 and 1843 in five Parts (and nineteen numbers) by various authors, edited and superintended by Charles Darwin, who contributed sections to two of the Parts: 1838: Part 1 No. 1 Fossil Mammalia, by Richard Owen (Preface and Geological introduction


id: darwinian-happiness-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwinian_Happiness-0.md
category: reference
title: Darwinian Happiness
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwinian_Happiness
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:11.849211+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: darwinian-happiness-20260505-0
summary:
Darwinian Happiness: Evolution As a Guide for Living and Understanding Human Behavior, ISBN 0-87850-159-2, is a 2002 book by the Norwegian biologist Bjørn Grinde from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. He argues that human emotions find their cause in evolution, and offers ways by which we can use this to our advantage. More specifically, mammals are equipped with a nerve system that enables them to distinguish not only between pleasant and unpleasant sensations, but positive and negative experiences in general. While the biological term fitness refers to the capacity to create offspring, happiness (or quality of life) is, at least in a biological perspective, a question of the qualities of the experiences our nervous system offers us. In order to improve these experiences there are two main principles to consider: To utilize the rewarding sensations the brain has evolved to offer in a way that gives optimal long-term benefits; and, similarly, to avoid punishing sensations. To avoid stress and maladaptive ways of living in order to have a healthy mind with optimal potential for positive experiences. As to the first principle, humans may actually have been equipped with more powerful positive and negative sensations, compared to other mammals, due


id: demonic-males-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonic_Males-0.md
category: reference
title: Demonic Males
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonic_Males
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:12.979177+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: demonic-males-20260505-0
summary:
Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence is a 1996 book by Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson examining the evolutionary factors leading to human male violence. == Summary == Demonic Males begins by explaining that humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans are a group of genetically related great apes, that humans are genetically closer to chimps than chimps are to gorillas, and that chimps and bonobos are most closely genetically related. After speculating about what enabled humans' ancestors to leave the rainforest (the use of roots as sources of water and food), Demonic Males next provides a catalog of the types of violence practiced by male chimpanzees (intragroup hierarchical violence, violence against females, and extragroup murdering raids). The high incidence of rape by non-alpha male orangutans and infanticide by male gorillas are also cited as examples of our mutual genetic heritage. The authors present chimp society as extremely patriarchal, in that no adult male chimpanzee is subordinate to any female of any rank. They present evidence that most dominant human civilizations have always been likewise behaviorally patriarchal, and that male humans share male chimpanzees' innate propensity for dominance, gratuitous violence, war, rape, and murder. They claim that the brain's


id: a-devil-s-chaplain-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Devil's_Chaplain-0.md
category: reference
title: A Devil's Chaplain
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Devil's_Chaplain
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:14.150365+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: a-devil-s-chaplain-20260505-0
summary:
A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love is a 2003 book of selected essays and other writings by Richard Dawkins. Published five years after Dawkins's previous book Unweaving the Rainbow, it contains essays covering subjects including pseudoscience, genetic determinism, memetics, terrorism, religion and creationism. A section of the book is devoted to Dawkins' late adversary Stephen Jay Gould. The book's title is a reference to a quotation of Charles Darwin, in a letter to J.D. Hooker dated 13 July 1856, made in reference to Darwin's lack of belief in how "a perfect world" was designed by God (and a reference to Reverend Robert Taylor): "What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering low and horridly cruel works of nature!" == Reception == Robin McKie reviewed the book for The Observer and stated that the book contained a mixture of touching essays and "the good, old knockabout stuff at which Dawkins excels". == See also == Argument from poor design Great Ape Project == References == == External links == Review by Michael Ruse, 2003. "Through a Glass, Darkly." American Scientist. Review by Richard Holloway, 2003. "A callous world." The Guardian.


id: the-devil-s-teeth-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil's_Teeth-0.md
category: reference
title: The Devil's Teeth
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil's_Teeth
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:15.324544+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-devil-s-teeth-20260505-0
summary:
The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks is a non-fiction book about great white sharks by Canadian born journalist Susan Casey. The text was initially published by Henry Holt and Company on June 7, 2005. == Overview == Susan Casey became infatuated with great white sharks of the Farallon Islands—dubbed by sailors in the 1850s the "devil's teeth." The sharks there are at the top of the food chain, some longer than twenty feet, and they congregate 27 miles off the coast of San Francisco. After going through many restrictions and barriers, she manages to join a group of scientists studying predation patterns by great white sharks within the so-called Red Triangle. == Commentary == As the creative director of Outside magazine during its Jon Krakauer-Sebastian Junger heyday, Casey ([then] the development editor of Time Inc.) acquired a good ear for the false notes of ecotourism and a thorough understanding of the humbling swipe nature can take at cocky adventurers. Because of that awareness, she often allows herself to come across as a blundering nautical novice, which is refreshing (and true), though somewhat alarming considering that her lack of competence puts the


id: the-dialectical-biologist-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dialectical_Biologist-0.md
category: reference
title: The Dialectical Biologist
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dialectical_Biologist
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:16.453154+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-dialectical-biologist-20260505-0
summary:
The Dialectical Biologist is a 1985 book by the ecologist Richard Levins and the biologist Richard Lewontin, in which the authors sketch a dialectical approach to biology. They see "dialectics" more as a set of questions to ask about biological research, a weapon against dogmatism, than as a set of pre-determined answers. They focus on the (dialectical) relationship between the "whole" (or totality) and the "parts." "Part makes whole, and whole makes part". That is, a biological system of some kind consists of a collection of heterogeneous parts. All of these contribute to the character of the whole, as in reductionist thinking. On the other hand, the whole has a nature of its own and feeds back to affect and determine the nature of the parts. This back-and-forth (dialectic) of causation implies a dynamic process. For example, Darwinian evolution points to the competition of a variety of species, each with heterogeneous members, within a given environment. This leads to changing species and even to new species arising. A dialectical biologist fully accepts this picture then looks for ways in which the competing creatures (which serve as the internal conflicts in the environment) lead to changes. The changes manifest in the


id: the-different-forms-of-flowers-on-plants-of-the-same-species-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Different_Forms_of_Flowers_on_Plants_of_the_Same_Species-0.md
category: reference
title: The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Different_Forms_of_Flowers_on_Plants_of_the_Same_Species
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:17.609466+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-different-forms-of-flowers-on-plants-of-the-same-species-20260505-0
summary:
The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species is a book by Charles Darwin first published in 1877. It is the fifth of his six books devoted solely to the study of plants (excluding The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication). == Context == These writings contributed to Darwin's pursuit of evidence that would support his theory of natural selection. There were only two more books to follow: The Power of Movement in Plants (1880) and The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms (1881). He conducted a wide range of experiments and observations and the results of these form the framework of the book. He was assisted in this work by his son, Francis Darwin who also wrote a preface for the second edition which was published two years after his father's death in 1882. The book was dedicated to his longtime friend and colleague, Harvard botany professor Asa Gray "as a small tribute of respect and affection". == The work == Using the four classifications established by Carl Linnaeus (hermaphroditic, monoecious, dioecious, polygamous), Darwin concentrated on two divisions of the hermaphroditic class, namely the cleistogamic and heterostyled. Darwin’s reflections indicate the economy


id: dna-repair-and-mutagenesis-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_Repair_and_Mutagenesis-0.md
category: reference
title: DNA Repair and Mutagenesis
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_Repair_and_Mutagenesis
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:30.549881+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dna-repair-and-mutagenesis-20260505-0
summary:
DNA Repair and Mutagenesis is a college-level textbook about DNA repair and mutagenesis written by Errol Friedberg, Graham Walker, Wolfram Siede, Richard D. Wood, and Roger Schultz. In its second edition as of 2009, DNA Repair and Mutagenesis contains over 1,000 pages, 10,000 references and 700 illustrations and has been described as "the most comprehensive book available in [the] field." == References ==


id: the-double-helix-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double_Helix-0.md
category: reference
title: The Double Helix
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double_Helix
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:31.737265+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-double-helix-20260505-0
summary:
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA is an autobiographical account of the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA written by James D. Watson and published in 1968. It has earned both critical and public praise, along with continuing controversy about credit for the Nobel award and attitudes towards female scientists at the time of the discovery. == Significance == Watson was an American molecular biologist, geneticist and zoologist, best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA in 1953 with Francis Crick. In 1998, the Modern Library placed The Double Helix at number 7 on its list of the 100 best nonfiction books of the 20th century. In 2012, The Double Helix was named as one of the 88 "Books That Shaped America" by the Library of Congress. Since its publication, The Double Helix has been a controversial account. Although it was originally slated to be published by Harvard University Press, Watson's home university, Harvard dropped the arrangement after protestations from Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, and it was published instead by Atheneum in the United States and Weidenfeld & Nicolson


id: the-double-helix-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double_Helix-1.md
category: reference
title: The Double Helix
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double_Helix
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:31.737265+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-double-helix-20260505-0
summary:
== Film adaptation == In 1987, the memoir was adapted as a 107-minute television docudrama called Life Story for the BBC, airing on Horizon, the long-running British documentary television series on BBC Two that covers science and philosophy. The script was written by William Nicholson, and it was produced and directed by Mick Jackson. Jeff Goldblum starred as Watson, with Tim Pigott-Smith as Francis Crick, Juliet Stevenson as Rosalind Franklin, and Alan Howard as Maurice Wilkins. The film won several awards in the UK and U.S., including the 1988 BAFTA TV Award as the Best Single Drama. == Notes == == References == James D. Watson, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (1968), Atheneum, 1980, ISBN 0-689-70602-2, OCLC 6197022 James D. Watson, The Annotated and Illustrated Double Helix, edited by Alexander Gann and Jan Witkowski (2012) Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1-4767-1549-0. James D. Watson, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (1980 Norton Critical Edition), editor Gunther Stent, W.W. Norton, ISBN 0-393-95075-1. Maddox, Brenda (2002). Rosalind Franklin: the dark lady of DNA. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-393-32044-8. Sayre, Anne. Rosalind Franklin and DNA (1975), New York: W.W.


id: louis-du-preez-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_du_Preez-0.md
category: reference
title: Louis du Preez
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_du_Preez
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:32.941961+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: louis-du-preez-20260505-0
summary:
Louis Heyns Du Preez (born 9 July 1962) is a South African professor of zoology who specialises in parasitology and herpetology at the North-West University. Du Preez is best known for his research on South African frog species, writing a widely used wildlife guide for the frogs of Southern Africa, and contributions to global parasitology with special focus studies on polystome worms. His contributions to polystome research have led to a recently discovered Malagasy frog species, Blommersia dupreezi, being named in his honour. == Biography == Du Preez grew up in Ficksburg and started his tertiary education at the University of the Free State located in the same province he was brought up. In 1986 he obtained his Master of Science degree with the thesis titled 'Polystoma australis (Monogenea): aspekte van ontwikkeling en gedrag wat betrekking het op rekrutering en vestiging'. From 1989 to 1990 he was a school teacher in Bloemfontein. From 1991 to 1993 he was Head of the Department of Herpetology at the National Museum in Bloemfontein. In 1994 he obtained a PhD degree from the University of the Free State with a thesis titled 'Study of factors influencing the nature and extent of host-specificity among polystomatids


id: louis-du-preez-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_du_Preez-1.md
category: reference
title: Louis du Preez
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_du_Preez
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:32.941961+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: louis-du-preez-20260505-0
summary:
=== Species descriptions === Du Preez has described or contributed to the description of at least 24 polystome species, 8 polystome genera, and more than 10 other non-polystome parasite species that have frogs or reptiles as their hosts. In herpetology, du Preez has described or contributed to the description of at least 20 new frog species and 6 reptile species. ==== Amphibians ==== Breviceps carruthersi Du Preez, Netherlands, and Minter, 2017 Breviceps passmorei Minter, Netherlands, and Du Preez, 2017 Gephyromantis cornucopia Miralles, Köhler, Glaw, Wollenberg Valero, Crottini, Rosa, Du Preez, Gehring, Vieites, Ratsoavina, and Vences, 2023 Gephyromantis feomborona Miralles, Köhler, Glaw, Wollenberg Valero, Crottini, Rosa, Du Preez, Gehring, Vieites, Ratsoavina, and Vences, 2023 Gephyromantis fiharimpe Vences, Köhler, Crottini, Hofreiter, Hutter, Du Preez, Preick, Rakotoarison, Rancilhac, Raselimanana, Rosa, Scherz, and Glaw, 2022 Gephyromantis kremenae Miralles, Köhler, Glaw, Wollenberg Valero, Crottini, Rosa, Du Preez, Gehring, Vieites, Ratsoavina, and Vences, 2023 Gephyromantis mafifeo Miralles, Köhler, Glaw, Wollenberg Valero, Crottini, Rosa, Du Preez, Gehring, Vieites, Ratsoavina, and Vences, 2023 Gephyromantis matsilo Vences, Köhler, Crottini, Hofreiter, Hutter, Du Preez, Preick, Rakotoarison, Rancilhac, Raselimanana, Rosa, Scherz, and Glaw, 2022 Gephyromantis mitsinjo Miralles, Köhler, Glaw, Wollenberg Valero, Crottini, Rosa, Du Preez, Gehring, Vieites, Ratsoavina, and Vences, 2023


id: louis-du-preez-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_du_Preez-2.md
category: reference
title: Louis du Preez
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_du_Preez
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:32.941961+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: louis-du-preez-20260505-0
summary:
==== Flatworms ==== Aussietrema queenslandense (Pichelin, 1995) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Aussietrema spratti (Pichelin, 1995) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Emoleptalea mozambiquensis Curran, Dutton, Warren, du Preez & Bullard, 2021 Eupolystoma namibiense Du Preez, 2015 Fornixtrema elizabethae (Platt, 2000) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Fornixtrema guianense (Du Preez, Badets, Héritier & Verneau, 2017) Du Preez & Verneau, 1920 Fornixtrema liewi (Du Preez & Lim, 2000) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Fornixtrema grossi (Du Preez & Morrison, 2012) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Fornixtrema palpebrae (Strelkov, 1950) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Fornixtrema scorpioides (Du Preez, Badets, Héritier & Verneau, 2017) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Indopolystoma hakgalense (Crusz & Ching, 1975) Chaabane, Verneau & Du Preez, 2019 Indopolystoma indicum (Diengdoh & Tandon, 1991) Chaabane, Verneau & Du Preez, 2019 Indopolystoma parvum Chaabane, Verneau & Du Preez, 2019 Indopolystoma viridi Chaabane, Verneau & Du Preez, 2019 Indopolystoma zuoi (Shen, Wang & Fan, 2013) Chaabane, Verneau & Du Preez, 2019 Manotrema brasiliensis (Viera, Novelli, Sousa & SouzaLima, 2008) du Preez, Domingues & Verneau, 2022 Manotrema fuquesi (Mañe-Garzón & Gil, 1962) du Preez, Domingues & Verneau, 2022 Manotrema uruguayensis (Mañe-Garzón & Gil, 1961) du Preez, Domingues & Verneau, 2022 Metapolystoma ansuanum Landman,


id: evolution-of-infectious-disease-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_Infectious_Disease-0.md
category: reference
title: Evolution of Infectious Disease
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_Infectious_Disease
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:35.384243+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: evolution-of-infectious-disease-20260505-0
summary:
Evolution of Infectious Disease is a 1993 book by the evolutionary biologist Paul W. Ewald. In this book, Ewald contests the traditional view that parasites should evolve toward benign coexistence with their hosts. He draws on various studies that contradict this dogma and asserts his theory based on fundamental evolutionary principles. This book provides one of the first in-depth presentations of insights from evolutionary biology on various fields in health science, including epidemiology and medicine. == Infectious diseases == Infectious disease are illnesses induced by another organism. Such diseases range from mild to severe cases. The onset of infectious disease can be induced by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Several examples of infectious diseases are as follows: tuberculosis, chickenpox, mumps, meningitis, measles, and malaria. Infectious diseases can be obtained through many routes of transmission such as inhalation, open wounds, sores, ingestion, sexual intercourse, and insect bites. Author, Paul Ewald used his book to expound upon infectious diseases in humans and animals, explain various routes of transmission as well as epidemiology as a whole. Epidemiology is defined as the study of the onset, distribution, and control of diseases. Evolutionary epidemiology focuses on the distribution of infectious diseases whereas Darwinian epidemiology focuses


id: evolutionary-biology-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_Biology_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: Evolutionary Biology (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_Biology_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:36.555686+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: evolutionary-biology-book-20260505-0
summary:
Evolutionary Biology is a college-level evolutionary biology textbook written by Eli C. Minkoff that is 627 pages long. It was published in 1983 by Addison-Wesley. This is Minkoff's first foray into the world of college-level textbook authorship. The book contains an index and various biographical references. == About the book == The textbook Evolutionary Biology was written and published in 1983 during which Minkoff was the head of the Biology department at Bates College. The book is written in a format to which it could be used in an evolutionary biology 101 course. The book contains over 25 chapters, for example, "The Origin and Early Evolution of Life". == Bibliography == Eli C. Minkoff (1983). Evolutionary Biology. 1st Edition. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-15890-6.


id: the-facts-of-life-darlington-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Facts_of_Life_(Darlington_book)-0.md
category: reference
title: The Facts of Life (Darlington book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Facts_of_Life_(Darlington_book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:37.656653+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-facts-of-life-darlington-book-20260505-0
summary:
The Facts of Life is a book published in 1953 by C. D. Darlington of the subject of race, heredity and evolution. Darlington was a major contributor to the field of genetics around the time of the modern synthesis. == References ==


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-0.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
Fertilisation of Orchids is a book by English naturalist Charles Darwin published on 15 May 1862 under the full explanatory title On the Various Contrivances by Which British and Foreign Orchids Are Fertilised by Insects, and On the Good Effects of Intercrossing. Darwin's previous book, On the Origin of Species, had briefly mentioned evolutionary interactions between insects and the plants they fertilised, and this new idea was explored in detail. Field studies and practical scientific investigations that were initially a recreation for Darwin—a relief from the drudgery of writing—developed into enjoyable and challenging experiments. Aided in his work by his family, friends, and a wide circle of correspondents across Britain and worldwide, Darwin tapped into the contemporary vogue for growing exotic orchids. The book was his first detailed demonstration of the power of natural selection, and explained how complex ecological relationships resulted in the coevolution of orchids and insects. The view has been expressed that the book led directly or indirectly to all modern work on coevolution and the evolution of extreme specialisation. It influenced botanists, and revived interest in the neglected idea that insects played a part in pollinating flowers. It opened up the new study areas of pollination


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-1.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
In the summer of 1841 Charles and Emma Darwin moved from the turmoil of London to the countryside, to Down House, a quiet former parsonage in the village of Downe. He wrote, "The flowers are here very beautiful". Darwin followed the recommendation of his friend, the leading botanist Robert Brown, and read Das entdeckte Geheimnis der Natur im Bau und in der Befruchtung der Blumen (The Secret of Nature in the Form and Fertilisation of Flowers Discovered). The little known book, published in 1793 by Christian Konrad Sprengel but never translated into English, introduced the idea that flowers were created by God to fulfill a teleological purpose: insects would act as "living brushes" to cross-fertilise plants in a symbiotic relationship. This functional view was rejected and mostly forgotten, as it contradicted the common belief that flowers had been created for beauty, and were generally self-fertilising. For Darwin, the concept of evolution gave new meaning to Sprengel's research into the mechanisms for cross-fertilisation. He welcomed its support for his supposition that cross-fertilisation in flowering plants tended to allow their offspring to avoid possible disadvantages resulting from self-fertilisation, and by 1845 he had verified many of Sprengel's observations. A favourite walk took


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-2.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
During 1861, botany became a preoccupation for Darwin, and his projects became serious scientific pursuits. He continued his study of orchids throughout the summer, writing to anyone who might be able to supply specimens he had not yet examined. Field naturalists, botanists, and country gentry sent specimens from across the British Isles. Darwin also tramped around the countryside with tin cans and biscuit boxes, collecting specimens which his gardeners potted up for him. His family joined in, and neighbours contributed to the research. As he had only a cold greenhouse, a friend on the other side of the village who had a hot-house allowed him to use that, and offered the services of his gardener to look after the delicate specimens. Darwin's aim was to show how the complex structures and life cycles of the plants could be explained by natural selection rather than by the handiwork of God; he saw the huge variety of flowers as a collection of ad hoc evolutionary adaptations. In June he described his examination of bee orchids as a passion, and his findings on insect fertilisation of orchids as "beautiful facts". There were several replies to Darwin's enquiry in The Gardeners' Chronicle seeking evidence


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-3.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
The orchid book was delayed because of illness, but Darwin continued to "look at it as a hobby-horse, which has given me great pleasure to ride". He was particularly astounded by the long spur of the Angraecum sesquipedale flowers, one of the orchids sent by the distinguished horticulturist James Bateman, and wrote to Hooker "Good Heavens what insect can suck it[?]" By November, a specimen of the exotic South American Catasetum orchid Hooker had given to Darwin had shown its "truly marvellous" mechanism, by which it shot out a pollinium at any insect touching a part of the flower "with sticky gland always foremost". This plant had astonished botanists in 1836 when Robert Hermann Schomburgk stated that he had seen one plant growing three distinct flowers which usually grew separately and had wrongly been categorised as three distinct genera, namely Catasetum tridentatum, Monachanthus viridis, and Myanthus barbatus. John Lindley had remarked that "such cases shake to the foundation all our ideas of the stability of genera and species." One of Darwin's correspondents told of delight at growing a beautiful specimen of Myanthus barbatus imported from Demerara, then dismay when the plant flowered the next year as a simple Catasetum. In


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-4
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-4.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
A poet might imagine, that whilst the pollinia are borne from flower to flower through the air, adhering to a moth's body, they voluntarily and eagerly place themselves, in each case, in that exact position in which alone they can hope to gain their wish and perpetuate their race. This is followed by descriptions of the differences in the mechanisms of several other orchids. In Orchis pyramidalis, the adhesive balls are combined into a strap or saddle shape, which curls round the thin proboscis of a moth or butterfly to attach to it the pair of pollen masses, illustrated in the book by figure 4 showing a moth's head with seven pairs of pollen masses attached to its proboscis. While the bee orchid showed adaptation for self-fertilisation, its mechanism also enabled occasional cross-fertilisation, creating the biological diversity that Darwin felt was needed for vigorous survival, which could not be provided by self-fertilisation. As an example of "how beautifully everything is contrived", Darwin described how he had found that in Spiranthes flowers the pollen is ready for collection before access is open for the female organ to receive pollen. At Torquay he had watched bees visiting spires of these flowers, starting


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-5
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-5.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
=== Final chapter === Darwin noted that the essential nectar, secreted to attract insects, seemed also in some cases to act as an excretion: "It is in perfect accordance with the scheme of nature, as worked out by natural selection, that matter excreted to free the system from superfluous or injuring substances should be utilised for purposes of the highest importance." Homologies of the flowers of orchids showed them all to be based on "fifteen groups of vessels, arranged three within three, in alternating order". He disparaged the idea that this was an "ideal type" fixed by the Omnipotent Creator, but attributed it instead to its "descent from some monocotyledonous plant, which, like so many other plants of the same division, possessed fifteen organs, arranged alternately three within three in five whorls; and that the now wonderfully changed structure of the flower is due to a long course of slow modification,—each modification having been preserved which was useful to each plant, during the incessant changes to which the organic and the inorganic world has been exposed". Describing the final end state of the whole flower cycle as the production of seed, he set out a simple experiment in which he


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-6
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-6.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
Although the book contradicted the prevailing natural theology and its teleological approach to design in nature, the Saturday Review thought that it would avoid the angry polemics aroused by On the Origin of Species. The Literary Churchman welcomed "Mr. Darwin's expression of admiration at the contrivances in orchids", only complaining that it was too indirect a way of saying "O Lord, how manifold are Thy works!" (Psalm 104:24) Darwin regarded these theological views as irritating misunderstandings, but wrote to Asa Gray describing his approach as a "flank movement on the enemy". By showing that the "wonderful contrivances" of the orchid have discoverable evolutionary histories, Darwin was countering claims by natural theologians that the organisms were examples of the perfect work of the Creator. There was considerable controversy surrounding Darwin's prediction that a moth would be found in Madagascar with a long proboscis matching the nectary of Angraecum sesquipedale. An anonymous article in the Edinburgh Review of October 1862 by George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll, argued that Darwin's wording implied purpose, and concluded that "We know, too, that these purposes and ideas are not our own, but the ideas and purposes of Another." He considered Darwin's explanations the "most unsatisfactory


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-7
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-7.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
For some years before 1862 I had specially attended to the fertilisation of our British orchids; and it seemed to me the best plan to prepare as complete a treatise on this group of plants as well as I could, rather than to utilise the great mass of matter which I had slowly collected with respect to other plants. My resolve proved a wise one; for since the appearance of my book, a surprising number of papers and separate works on the fertilisation of all kinds of flowers have appeared; and these are far better done than I could possibly have effected. The merits of poor old Sprengel, so long overlooked, are now fully recognised many years after his death. Among the many prominent biologists who began research on coevolution, Hermann Müller was particularly interested in the evolutionary sequence in which insects and flowers became adapted to each other. Like Darwin, he began with the premise that flowers were adapted to ensure cross-fertilisation, and added his own premise that most insects were not "limited by hereditary instinct to particular flowers". On this basis, he developed the view that specialisation develops from the need for flowers to attract pollinating insects (without


id: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-8
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids-8.md
category: reference
title: Fertilisation of Orchids
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilisation_of_Orchids
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:38.882356+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fertilisation-of-orchids-20260505-0
summary:
Darwin had "found the study of orchids eminently useful in showing me how nearly all parts of the flower are coadapted for fertilisation by insects, & therefore the result of n. selection,—even most trifling details of structure". His own interest in orchids and in fertilisation of plants by insects continued. Darwin had been given the use of a hot-house at The Rookery on the other side of the village, and at the end of 1862 he was persuaded by this neighbour's helpful gardener to have his own built at Down House as an extension to the existing cold lean-to greenhouse. The gardener drew up plans, and Darwin investigated stoves and ventilation devices. When it was completed in February 1863 he asked Hooker for some plants from Kew Gardens, writing "I long to stock it, just like a school-boy", and sent his butler with a cart. When over 160 different plants were delivered, Darwin made apologetic remarks about depleting the national collection. He told Hooker "You cannot imagine what pleasure your plants give me ... Henrietta & I go & gloat over them." Darwin's life was changed by having a warm hothouse to spend time in before his walk round the


id: fields-virology-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fields_Virology-0.md
category: reference
title: Fields Virology
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fields_Virology
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:40.085413+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fields-virology-20260505-0
summary:
Fields Virology is an English-language virology textbook, originally it was published in two volumes and edited by Bernard N. Fields. The first edition in 1985 was called Virology, but from the second edition, the book's title was changed to Fields Virology. The book is widely regarded as an influential work on the subject and is cited as the "bible of virology" by many virologists. Fields was the senior editor for the first three editions of the textbook. After his death in 1995, subsequent editions have retained his name in the title. The sixth edition was published in 2013 by Wolters Kluwer under the Lippincott Williams & Wilkins imprint and it was edited by David M. Knipe and Peter M. Howley. Volume 1 (of 4) of the seventh edition was published in 2020. The fourth volume including ebook was published in June 2023. == References ==


id: figments-of-reality-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figments_of_Reality-0.md
category: reference
title: Figments of Reality
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figments_of_Reality
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:41.241633+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: figments-of-reality-20260505-0
summary:
Figments of Reality: The Evolution of the Curious Mind (1997) is a book about the evolution of the intelligent and conscious human mind by biologist Jack Cohen and mathematician Ian Stewart. == Overview == In this book Cohen and Stewart give their ideas on how the sentient human being evolved. Various chapters discuss scientific and philosophical ideas such as emergence and chaos, free will, perception versus reality, objectivity versus subjectivity, self-awareness, the ego and id, groupthink, and extelligence. A theme is that the traditional reductionist approach of trying to understand things as interaction of simpler things can not alone explain such complex concepts as intelligence or culture. To better understand them one has to consider also the context in which they have evolved and the fact that the evolution is a recursive process, often changing the context so that previously unseen evolutionary paths became available. The authors claim that intelligence is an inevitable result of letting evolution progress for long enough. Topics are illustrated with humorous science fiction snippets dealing with a hypothetical alien intelligence, the Zarathustrians, whom Cohen and Stewart use as metaphors of the human mind itself, an alternative evolution story, and various philosophical concepts. == References ==


id: fuzz-when-nature-breaks-the-law-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzz:_When_Nature_Breaks_the_Law-0.md
category: reference
title: Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzz:_When_Nature_Breaks_the_Law
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:42.363919+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: fuzz-when-nature-breaks-the-law-20260505-0
summary:
Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law is a 2021 nonfiction book by Mary Roach. Published by W. W. Norton & Company, it details the "curious science of human-wildlife conflict." In the book, Roach details many ways humans have tried, often unsuccessfully, to handle animals that might harm humans or damage crops and livestock. The work mostly follows her first-hand accounts of wildlife researchers on the job. For example, Roach follows Colorado Parks and Wildlife when they get called in after bears break into restaurant dumpsters late at night (a hyperphagic black bear, Roach notes, can consume double or triple its usual amount of calories), she tags along as the Wildlife Institute of India holds meetings to warn residents about migrating elephants (for an elephant that smells something delicious, small things like doors and walls don't get in their way), and she visits Vatican City to witness lasers set up to guard Easter flowers, after a famous 2017 debacle where gulls destroyed the arrangements. Interspersed throughout the book is a history of previous efforts to handle species considered pests, often with poison or explosives. For example, she notes that between 1934 and 1945, an estimated 3.8 million crows were killed in


id: god-apes-and-fossil-men-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God-Apes_and_Fossil_Men-0.md
category: reference
title: God-Apes and Fossil Men
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God-Apes_and_Fossil_Men
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:43.516783+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: god-apes-and-fossil-men-20260505-0
summary:
God-Apes and Fossil Men is a book on paleoanthropology in the Indian subcontinent by Kenneth A.R. Kennedy (Ann Arbor, 2000). The book is a detailed study of the history of Indian paleoanthropology and of the fossil record of prehistoric people of the Indian Subcontinent. == Contents == The fifth chapter is about the prehistoric God-Apes of the Siwalik hills. Other chapters describe the fossil hominids of the Pleistocene. The Mesolithic skeletal record is also described, and the last chapters treat the Harappan civilization and the Megalith builders. == References == == External links == Publisher announcement Review by Lynne A. Schepartz


id: good-natured-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Natured-0.md
category: reference
title: Good Natured
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Natured
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:44.657322+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: good-natured-20260505-0
summary:
Good Natured is a book by primatologist Frans de Waal on animal behavior and the evolution of ethics. == Publishing history == The book was published in 1996 by Harvard University Press under the full title Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals. Much of the book details observations of primate behavior, especially that of chimpanzees and bonobos. On the final page, he concludes: We seem to be reaching a point at which science can wrest morality from the hands of philosophers. That this is already happening—albeit largely at a theoretical level—is evident from recent books by, among others, Richard D. Alexander, Robert Frank, James Q. Wilson, and Robert Wright (journalist). The occasional disagreements within this budding field are far outweighed by the shared belief that evolution needs to be part of any satisfactory explanation of morality. … It takes up space in our heads, it reaches out to fellow human beings, and it is as much a part of what we are as the tendencies that it holds in check. == Notes == == References == Frans, de Waal (1996). Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals.


id: the-goodness-paradox-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goodness_Paradox-0.md
category: reference
title: The Goodness Paradox
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goodness_Paradox
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:45.807693+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-goodness-paradox-20260505-0
summary:
The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution is a book by British primatologist Richard Wrangham. Wrangham argues that humans have domesticated themselves by a process of self-selection similar to the selective breeding of foxes described by Dmitry Belyayev, a theory first proposed by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach in the early 1800s. Charles Darwin disagreed, as have most evolutionary biologists since. According to paleoanthropologist John D. Hawks, Wrangham follows scholars including Kenneth A. Dodge in dividing human aggression into two types. The first type, "reactive aggression", is when individuals attack in response to provocation. The second type, "proactive aggression", is planned, premeditated, and involves deliberate tactical strikes. To explain his idea, Wrangham invited readers to imagine a commercial airline flight. Other primates crowded into such a space would react by, in Hawks' words, "ripping one another limb from limb". Humans do not because they have a comparatively very low tendency to reactive aggression. Proactive aggression, by contrast, is so highly developed in humans that we must put elaborate security measures in place to prevent others from carrying out plans to bring the plane down. Wrangham offers a new perspective on a topic that has been investigated


id: grossology-book-series-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grossology_(book_series)-0.md
category: reference
title: Grossology (book series)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grossology_(book_series)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:46.945712+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: grossology-book-series-20260505-0
summary:
Grossology (ISBN 0-201-40964-X) is a non-fiction children's book written by Sylvia Branzei and published by Price Stern Sloan in 1992. It is a frank, thorough, yet light-hearted examination of various unappealing bodily functions and medical conditions. The topics are organized into three categories: “Slimy Mushy Oozy Gross Things,” (vomit, diarrhea, urine, acne, blisters, etc.); “Crusty Scaly Gross Things,” (dandruff, tooth decay, etc.); and “Stinky Smelly Gross Things,” (halitosis, flatulence, etc.). The text is also accompanied by many humorous illustrations, which were provided by Jack Keely. Grossology spawned several sequels, most notably Animal Grossology (ISBN 0-201-95994-1) and Grossology Begins at Home (ISBN 0-201-95993-3), both written and illustrated by Branzei and Keely. Animal Grossology, published in 1996, is an exploration of various organisms that either produce or consume unappealing substances. It is divided into four sections: “Vomit Munchers” (flies, starfish, etc.); “Blood Slurpers” (leeches, ticks, etc.); “Slime Makers” (hagfish, slime mold, sea cucumbers, etc.); and “Dookie Lovers” (tapeworms, dung beetles, etc.). Grossology Begins at Home, published in 1997, focuses on the hidden germs and unseen pests that thrive in a typical house. One of the highlights of this book is a chapter on Defect Action Levels, the acceptable amounts of animal contaminants


id: the-growth-of-biological-thought-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Growth_of_Biological_Thought-0.md
category: reference
title: The Growth of Biological Thought
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Growth_of_Biological_Thought
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:48.130829+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-growth-of-biological-thought-20260505-0
summary:
The Growth of Biological Thought: Diversity, Evolution, and Inheritance is a book written by Ernst Mayr, first published in 1982 by Belknap Press and is as much a book of philosophy and history as it is of biology. It is a sweeping, academic study of the first 2,400 years of the science of biology. It focuses largely on how the philosophical assumptions of biologists influenced and limited their understanding. It includes many important general observations about the role of philosophy in scientific inquiry and the place of biology amongst the sciences. == Reception == Horace Freeland Judson praised the book for its extremely extensive coverage which he likened to an encyclopaedia. He commended the book for examining through the lens of evolution the discipline whose central theory is the theory of evolution, writing that it "turns the scholarly component of Darwinian method reflexively onto the evolution of the very disciplines that make up evolutionary theory". == References == == External links == The Growth of Biological Thought - Google Books


id: gulp-adventures-on-the-alimentary-canal-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulp:_Adventures_on_the_Alimentary_Canal-0.md
category: reference
title: Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulp:_Adventures_on_the_Alimentary_Canal
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:49.285281+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: gulp-adventures-on-the-alimentary-canal-20260505-0
summary:
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal is a nonfiction work by science author Mary Roach, published in April 2013 by W.W. Norton & Company. == Topics covered == The book covers 17 topics: Nose Job: Tasting has little to do with taste I'll Have the Putrescine: Your pet is not like you. Liver and Opinions: Why we eat what we eat and despise the rest The Longest Meal: Can thorough chewing lower the national debt? Hard to Stomach: The acid relationship of William Beaumont and Alexis St. Martin. Spit Gets a Polish: Someone ought to bottle the stuff A Bolus of Cherries: Life at the oral processing lab Big Gulp: How to survive being swallowed alive Dinner's Revenge: Can the eaten eat back? Stuffed: The science of eating yourself to death Up Theirs: The alimentary canal as criminal accomplice Inflammable You: Fun with hydrogen and methane Dead Man's Bloat: And other diverting tales from the history of flatulence research. Smelling a Rat: Does noxious flatus do more than clear a room? Eating Backward: Is the digestive tract a two-way street? I'm All Stopped Up: Elvis Presley's megacolon, and other ruminations on death by constipation. The Ick Factor: We can cure


id: how-the-snake-lost-its-legs-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Snake_Lost_Its_Legs-0.md
category: reference
title: How the Snake Lost Its Legs
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Snake_Lost_Its_Legs
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:51.528717+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: how-the-snake-lost-its-legs-20260505-0
summary:
How the Snake Lost Its Legs: Curious Tales from the Frontier of Evo-Devo is a 2014 book on evolutionary developmental biology by Lewis I. Held, Jr. The title pays homage to Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, but the "tales" are strictly scientific, explaining how a wide range of animal features evolved, in molecular detail. The book has been admired by other biologists as both accurate and accessible. == Context == Lewis Irving Held, Jr. is a professor of developmental genetics at Texas Tech University. His laboratory is known for its research on pattern formation in the fruit fly embryo. His books on evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) include Imaginal Discs: The Genetic and Cellular Logic of Pattern Formation (2002), Quirks of Human Anatomy: An Evo-Devo Look at the Human Body (2009), and Deep Homology? Uncanny Similarities of Humans and Flies Uncovered by Evo-Devo (2017). In Held's view, Quirks, Snake, and Deep Homology form a trilogy on evo-devo. == Book == === Contents === How the Snake Lost Its Legs is ostensibly organised into six chapters, but in effect into three parts. The first chapter serves as an introduction and overview. The next four chapters provide what Held calls "the meatier aspects


id: human-biology-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Biology_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: Human Biology (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Biology_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:52.702095+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: human-biology-book-20260505-0
summary:
Human Biology is a basic biology textbook published in 1993 by Jones & Bartlett Learning. It has been recognized as a "good introductory text" for students without a strong scientific background. == References == == External links == Human Biology


id: kunstformen-der-natur-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunstformen_der_Natur-0.md
category: reference
title: Kunstformen der Natur
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunstformen_der_Natur
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:53.932600+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: kunstformen-der-natur-20260505-0
summary:
Kunstformen der Natur (known in English as Art Forms in Nature) is a book of lithographic and halftone prints by German biologist Ernst Haeckel. == Publication == Originally published in sets of ten between 1899 and 1904 and collectively in two volumes in 1904, it consists of 100 prints of various organisms, many of which were first described by Haeckel himself. Over the course of his career, over 1000 prints were produced based on Haeckel's sketches and watercolors; many of the best of these were chosen for Kunstformen der Natur, translated from sketch to print by lithographer Adolf Giltsch. A second edition of Kunstformen, containing only 30 prints, was produced in 1914. == Themes == According to Haeckel scholar Olaf Breidbach, the work was "not just a book of illustrations but also the summation of his view of the world." The over-riding themes of the Kunstformen plates are symmetry and level of organization. The subjects were selected to embody these to the full, from the scale patterns of boxfishes to the spirals of ammonites to the perfect symmetries of jellies and microorganisms, while images composing each plate are arranged for maximum visual impact. Among the notable prints are numerous radiolarians,


id: list-of-books-about-mushrooms-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_about_mushrooms-0.md
category: reference
title: List of books about mushrooms
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_about_mushrooms
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:55.034027+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: list-of-books-about-mushrooms-20260505-0
summary:
This is a list of published books about mushrooms and mycology, including their history in relation to man, their identification, their usage as food and medicine, and their ecology. == Identification guides == These are larger works that may be hard to take on a hike but help with in depth identification after mushroom hunting. Kuo, Michael (2005). Morels. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0472030361. Pacioni, Giovanni (1981). Simon and Schuster's Guide to Mushrooms. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0671428495. Stamets, Paul (1978). Psilocybe Mushrooms & Their Allies. Seattle Berkeley, Calif: Homestead Book Co. Distributed nationally by And/Or Press. ISBN 0-930180-03-8. Stamets, Paul (1996). Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide. Berkeley, Calif: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 0-89815-839-7. === Europe === These are identification guides relevant only to Europe. Bondartsev, A.S. (1971). The Polyporaceae of the European USSR and Caucasia. Jerusalem, Israel: Program for Scientific Translations. OCLC 204648. Breitenbach, J (1984). Fungi of Switzerland. Mad River Press. ISBN 978-0916422479. Kavina, Karel (1934). Atlas des Champignons de l'Europe (in French). Praha: Chez les éditeurs. OCLC 3065296.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) Lange, Jakob (1983). Guide des Champignons (in French). Neuchâtel: Delachaux et Niestle. ISBN 9782603004692. Lange,


id: list-of-books-about-mushrooms-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_about_mushrooms-1.md
category: reference
title: List of books about mushrooms
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_about_mushrooms
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:55.034027+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: list-of-books-about-mushrooms-20260505-0
summary:
=== Field guides === These are identification guides small enough to take with you while mushroom hunting or on a hike. Arora, David (1991). All That the Rain Promises and More...: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-0-89815-388-0. Marrone, Teresa (2016). Mushrooms of the Northeast: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 978-1591935919. Marrone, Teresa (2014). Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms. Cambridge, Minnesota: Adventure Publications, Inc. ISBN 978-1591934172. Lincoff, Gary (1981). National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. New York: Knopf Distributed by Random House. ISBN 978-0394519920. Smith, Alexander and Weber, Nancy (1980). The Mushroom Hunter's Field Guide. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-85610-7. Russel, Bill. (2006). Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic. University Park, PA. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-271-02891-2. == Cultivation == These are books about growing mushrooms and fungiculture. Cotter, Tradd (2014). Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation: Simple to Advanced and Experimental Techniques for Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1603584555. Oss, O. T. (1991). Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide: A Handbook for Psilocybin Enthusiasts.


id: mathematical-biology-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_Biology-0.md
category: reference
title: Mathematical Biology
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_Biology
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:56.209611+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: mathematical-biology-20260505-0
summary:
Mathematical Biology is a two-part monograph on mathematical biology first published in 1989 by the applied mathematician James D. Murray. It is considered to be a classic in the field and sweeping in scope. == Part I: An Introduction == Part I of Mathematical Biology covers population dynamics, reaction kinetics, oscillating reactions, and reaction-diffusion equations. Chapter 1: Continuous Population Models for Single Species Chapter 2: Discrete Population Models for a Single Species Chapter 3: Models for Interacting Populations Chapter 4: Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination (TSD) Chapter 5: Modelling the Dynamics of Marital Interaction: Divorce Prediction and Marriage Repair Chapter 6: Reaction Kinetics Chapter 7: Biological Oscillators and Switches Chapter 8: BZ Oscillating Reactions Chapter 9: Perturbed and Coupled Oscillators and Black Holes Chapter 10: Dynamics of Infectious Diseases Chapter 11: Reaction Diffusion, Chemotaxis, and Nonlocal Mechanisms Chapter 12: Oscillator-Generated Wave Phenomena Chapter 13: Biological Waves: Single-Species Models Chapter 14: Use and Abuse of Fractals == Part II: Spatial Models and Biomedical Applications == Part II of Mathematical Biology focuses on pattern formation and applications of reaction-diffusion equations. Topics include: predator-prey interactions, chemotaxis, wound healing, epidemic models, and morphogenesis. Chapter 1: Multi-Species Waves and Practical Applications Chapter 2: Spatial Pattern Formation with


id: the-mathematics-of-life-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mathematics_of_Life-0.md
category: reference
title: The Mathematics of Life
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mathematics_of_Life
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:57.378085+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-mathematics-of-life-20260505-0
summary:
The Mathematics of Life is a 2011 popular science book by mathematician Ian Stewart, on the increasing role of mathematics in biology. == Overview == Stewart discusses the mathematics behind such topics as population growth, speciation, brain function, chaos theory, game theory, networking, symmetry, and animal coloration, with little recourse to equations. He identifies six revolutions which modernized biology: The invention of the microscope A systematic means of classifying species Evidence of evolution The expansion of the field of genetics The discovery of the structure of DNA The application of new mathematics to biology == Reception == Writer Alex Bellos described The Mathematics of Life as "a testament to the versatility of maths and how it is shaping our understanding of the world." Kirkus Reviews called the book "an ingenious overview of biology with emphasis on mathematical ideas—stimulating but requiring careful reading despite the lack of equations." A review in Notices of the American Mathematical Society noted that the book "does an admirable job of unfolding the mathematics undergirding so much of the research being carried out today in the many fields that comprise the subject of biology." Mathematician and science writer Keith Devlin criticized the book, writing that "readers


id: men-microscopes-and-living-things-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men,_Microscopes,_and_Living_Things-0.md
category: reference
title: Men, Microscopes, and Living Things
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men,_Microscopes,_and_Living_Things
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:30:59.007480+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: men-microscopes-and-living-things-20260505-0
summary:
Men, Microscopes, and Living Things is a children's book written by the American author Katherine Shippen and illustrated by Anthony Ravielli. The book was first published in 1955 and is a 1956 Newbery Honor recipient. == Overview == Shippen traces the history of biological thought beginning with Aristotle and followed by Pliny, Linnaeus, Cuvier, Lamarck, Darwin, and several others. The book is 190 pages including a 7-page index. == References ==


id: metamorphosis-of-plants-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphosis_of_Plants-0.md
category: reference
title: Metamorphosis of Plants
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphosis_of_Plants
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:01.366960+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: metamorphosis-of-plants-20260505-0
summary:
Versuch die Metamorphose der Pflanzen zu erklären, known in English as Metamorphosis of Plants, was published by German poet and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1790. In this work, Goethe essentially discovered the (serially) homologous nature of leaf organs in plants, from cotyledons, to photosynthetic leaves, to the petals of a flower. Although Sir Richard Owen, the British vertebrate anatomist, is generally credited with first articulating a definition of the word "homology" (in 1843), it is clear that Goethe had already arrived at a sophisticated view of homology and transformation (within an idealist morphological perspective) more than fifty years earlier. == See also == Goethean science Phyllody Teratology == External links == Metamorphosis of Plants (poem) in English Versuch die Metamorphose der Pflanzen zu Erklären (Gotha, 1790) The Metamorphosis of Plants, by Zemplén Gábor


id: micrographia-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrographia-0.md
category: reference
title: Micrographia
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrographia
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:02.549383+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: micrographia-20260505-0
summary:
Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses. With Observations and Inquiries Thereupon is a historically significant book by Robert Hooke about his observations through various lenses. It was the first book to include illustrations of insects and plants as seen through microscopes. Published in January 1665, the first major publication of the Royal Society, it became the first scientific best-seller, inspiring a wide public interest in the new science of microscopy. The book originated the biological term "cell". == Observations == Hooke most famously describes a fly's eye and a plant cell (where he coined that term because plant cells, which are walled, reminded him of the cells of a monastery). Known for its spectacular copperplate of the miniature world, particularly its fold-out plates of insects, the text itself reinforces the tremendous power of the new microscope. The plates of insects fold out to be larger than the large folio itself, the engraving of the louse in particular folding out to four times the size of the book. Although the book is best known for demonstrating the power of the microscope, Micrographia also describes distant planetary bodies, the wave theory of light, the organic origin


category: reference
title: Microscopical researches into the accordance in the structure and growth of animals and plants
tags: science, encyclopedia
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:03.689055+00:00
instance: kb-cron
id:
microscopical-researches-into-the-accordance-in-the-structure-and-growth-of-animals-and-plants-20260505-0

file:
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microscopical_researches_into_the_accordance_in_the_structure_and_growth_of_animals_and_plants-0.md

summary:
Microscopical researches into the accordance in the structure and growth of animals and plants is a famous treatise by Theodor Schwann published in 1839 which officially formulated the basis of the cell theory. The original title was Mikroskopische Untersuchungen über die Uebereinstimmung in der Struktur und dem Wachsthum der Thiere und Pflanzen. The book has been called "a conspicuous milestone in nineteenth century biology" by Karl Sudhoff and "epoch making" By Francis Münzer. The book, originally published in German, was translated to English in 1847 by Henry Spencer Smith in an edition that also contained the treatise Phytogenesis, by Matthias Schleiden. Besides the theoretical work, that Schwann called a "philosophical" section of general anatomy, Schwann provided several plates with drawings of cells and tissues and discussions of observations of other microscopists. == Cell theory == Schwann dedicated a chapter of the treatise to explicitly formulate the cell theory, stating that ("the elementary parts of all tissues are formed of cells” and that “there is one universal principle of development for the elementary parts of organisms... and this principle is in the formation of cells" (Henry Smith's translation, 1847). His book had the goal to prove via observations that the cell

source_url:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microscopical_researches_into_the_accordance_in_the_structure_and_growth_of_animals_and_plants

parent:
microscopical-researches-into-the-accordance-in-the-structure-and-growth-of-animals-and-plants-20260505-0


id: monad-to-man-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monad_to_Man-0.md
category: reference
title: Monad to Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monad_to_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:06.056642+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: monad-to-man-20260505-0
summary:
Monad to Man: the concept of progress in evolutionary biology is a 1996 book about the longstanding idea that evolution is progressive by the philosopher of biology Michael Ruse. It analyses the connection between ideas of progress in culture generally and its application in evolutionary biology. == Summary == Ruse surveys the attitude to progress throughout the history of biology, exploring the connections between the idea of progress and the belief that evolution is progressive (orthogenesis). He argues that from early nineteenth century speculation, Charles Darwin came to suggest that natural selection drove species to "a higher stage of perfection", jumping from relative to absolute progress. In this, Ruse argues, he was followed by many later biologists. Ruse interviews well-known evolutionary biologists such as Ernst Mayr, John Maynard Smith, Stephen Jay Gould, and E. O. Wilson, and both reports their views and gives his own opinion of how progressionist they were. == Illustrations == The book is illustrated with photographs of the major figures, such as Henry Fairfield Osborn and Sewall Wright, and a few drawings such as of the titanothere, an animal used by Osborn to illustrate "orthogenetic evolution beyond the adaptive optimum" There are a few diagrams such


id: monkeyluv-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeyluv-0.md
category: reference
title: Monkeyluv
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeyluv
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:07.210910+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: monkeyluv-20260505-0
summary:
Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals is a 2005 non-fiction book by Robert Sapolsky. It collects eighteen essays on biological topics previously published by Sapolsky in various magazines, with additional notes and three section introductions. It has been reviewed in The New York Times, Kirkus Reviews, and New Scientist. == References ==


id: monographiae-biologicae-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monographiae_Biologicae-0.md
category: reference
title: Monographiae Biologicae
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monographiae_Biologicae
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:08.355110+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: monographiae-biologicae-20260505-0
summary:
Monographiae Biologicae (ISSN 0077-0639) is a scholarly scientific literature review series, consisting of monographs published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, an imprint of Springer Science+Business Media. The series subject area generally covers ecology, zoology, and biology. More specifically, the book series covers the biogeography of continental areas, including whole continents; differentiated stand-alone ecosystems such as islands, island groups, mountains or mountain chains; aquatic or marine ecosystems such as coastal systems, mangroves, coral reefs, and other related ecosystems. Fresh water environments are also included in this series such as major river basins, lakes, and groups of lakes. Taxonomic studies include the main groups of animals, plants, fungi and the comparative ecology of major biomes. The series continues Physiologia comparata et oecologia, (ISSN 0369-8637). == Abstracting and indexing == This series is indexed by the following services: Bibliography of agriculture (USDA) Biological Abstracts Chemical Abstracts Service GeoRef == References == == External links == Official website


id: thomas-hunt-morgan-bibliography-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hunt_Morgan_bibliography-0.md
category: reference
title: Thomas Hunt Morgan bibliography
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hunt_Morgan_bibliography
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:09.578105+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: thomas-hunt-morgan-bibliography-20260505-0
summary:
This is a list of books and monographs by the American geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan. Morgan produced 22 books on embryology, genetics and evolution. Books are in order by date. Three of Morgan's co-authors have their own articles: Calvin Bridges, Alfred Sturtevant and Hermann Joseph Muller. The Development of the Frog's Egg: An Introduction to Experimental Embryology, New York: Macmillan, 1897. Full text online at [1]. Translated into German by Bernhard Solger and published in 1904 as Die Entwicklung des Froscheies.[2]. Regeneration Columbia University Biological Series, New York: Macmillan, 1901. Full text online at [3]. Evolution and Adaptation, New York: Macmillan, 1903. Full text online at [4]. Experimental Zoology, New York: Macmillan, 1907 Heredity and Sex, New York: Columbia University Press, 1913. Full text online at [5]. The Mechanism of Mendelian Heredity, with A.H. Sturtevant, H.J. Muller and C.B. Bridges, New York:Henry Holt, 1915. Revised and re-issued in 1922. Full text online at [6]. A Critique of the Theory of Evolution, Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 1916. Full text online at [7]. Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila, with C.B. Bridges, Washington DC: Carnegie Institution, 1916. Full text online at [8]. The Genetic and the Operative Evidence of Relating to Secondary Sexual


id: mycelium-running-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium_Running-0.md
category: reference
title: Mycelium Running
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium_Running
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:10.759280+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: mycelium-running-20260505-0
summary:
Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World is the sixth book written by American mycologist Paul Stamets. In Mycelium Running (Ten Speed Press 2005), Stamets explores the use and applications of fungi in bioremediation—a practice called mycoremediation. Stamets details methods of termite and ant control using nontoxic mycelia, and describes how certain fungi may be able to neutralize anthrax, nerve gas, and smallpox. He includes the following with regard to the mycelium: Is this the largest organism in the world? This 2,400-acre (9.7 km2) site in eastern Oregon had a contiguous growth of mycelium before logging roads cut through it. Estimated at 1,665 football fields in size and 2,200 years old, this one fungus has killed the forest above it several times over, and in so doing has built deeper soil layers that allow the growth of ever-larger stands of trees. Mushroom-forming forest fungi are unique in that their mycelial mats can achieve such massive proportions. == See also == List of books about mushrooms == References ==


id: naples-dioscurides-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples_Dioscurides-0.md
category: reference
title: Naples Dioscurides
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples_Dioscurides
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:11.878971+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: naples-dioscurides-20260505-0
summary:
The Naples Dioscurides, in the Biblioteca Nazionale, Naples (MS Suppl. gr. 28), is an early 7th-century secular illuminated manuscript Greek herbal. The book has 172 folios and a page size of 29.7 x 14 cm (11 11/16 x 5 1/2 inches) and the text is a redaction of De Materia Medica by the 1st century Greek military physician Dioscorides, with descriptions of plants and their medicinal uses. Unlike De Materia Medica, the text is arranged alphabetically by plant. The patron who commissioned it and the craftsmen who worked on the manuscript have not been identified. The style of Greek script used in the manuscript indicates that it was probably written in Byzantine-ruled southern Italy, where ancient Greek cultural traditions remained strong, although it is not known exactly where it was produced. The codex derives independently from the same model as the Vienna Dioscurides, which was created ca. 512 for a Byzantine princess, but differs from it significantly. Additionally, in the Naples manuscript, the illustrations occupy the top half of each folio, rather than being full page miniatures as in the Vienna Dioscurides. The script is somewhat rough and uneven, and the painting style of the miniatures less precise and naturalistic


id: naples-dioscurides-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples_Dioscurides-1.md
category: reference
title: Naples Dioscurides
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples_Dioscurides
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:11.878971+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: naples-dioscurides-20260505-0
summary:
=== Composition === The composition of the Naples Dioscurides differs greatly from its predecessor, De Materia Medica, and its contemporary, the Vienna Dioscurides. The Vienna Dioscurides is closer to the original text than the Naples Dioscurides. It also predates the Naples Dioscurides by one hundred years. The Vienna Dioscurides retains descriptions of animal and mineral medicine. It also differs in that it includes references to Pedanius Dioscorides through two author portraits, which are absent on the Naples Dioscurides. In fact, other copies of the Dioscurides are all much closer to the original, with only the Naples example as the outlier. Another major difference between the manuscripts is the way they are illustrated. The Naples Dioscurides features illustrations that take up one-half to two-thirds of the page. The uses of the plants are written underneath. The illustrations of the Vienna Dioscurides are full page illustrations, in contrast. A possible reason why the Naples Dioscurides only features plant information may lie with its intended use. Rather than focus on wonderfully illustrated pictures and artistic value, as the Vienna Dioscurides does, the Naples Dioscurides may have had a more practical purpose. A competing explanation for the manuscript states that it was intended as


id: nationalnyckeln-till-sveriges-flora-och-fauna-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalnyckeln_till_Sveriges_flora_och_fauna-0.md
category: reference
title: Nationalnyckeln till Sveriges flora och fauna
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalnyckeln_till_Sveriges_flora_och_fauna
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:13.113610+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: nationalnyckeln-till-sveriges-flora-och-fauna-20260505-0
summary:
Nationalnyckeln till Sveriges flora och fauna (Swedish for "National Key to Sweden's Flora and Fauna") is a set of books, the first volume of which, Fjärilar: Dagfjärilar (Butterflies, 140 species), appeared on 25 April 2005. The publishing plan comprises 100,000 illustrations spread over more than 100 volumes, to appear over a period of 20 years, listing and providing popular scientific descriptions of all species of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) in Sweden. So large a work has never been published in the history of Swedish literature. Nationalnyckeln is a popular scientific account produced on contract from the Riksdag by the Swedish Species Information Centre (ArtDatabanken) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. == References == == External links == Nationalnyckeln, official website SLU Artdatabanken, official website


id: natural-obsessions-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Obsessions-0.md
category: reference
title: Natural Obsessions
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Obsessions
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:14.320712+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: natural-obsessions-20260505-0
summary:
Natural Obsessions is a book written by American science author Natalie Angier published in 1988. It chronicles a year in the laboratories of two prominent cancer biologists during a period where there was a race to discover and characterize some of the first cancer-causing and cancer-suppressing genes. == Overview == It chronicles the time, about a year, that she spent in the labs of two very prominent cancer biologists, Robert Weinberg and Michael Wigler, during a period where there was a race to discover and characterize some of the first cancer causing and cancer-suppressing genes (oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, respectively). This book gives insight into the day-to-day working of a top scientific laboratory with no embellishment - both the excitement and thrill of discovery as well as the drudgery and politics can be found in Natural Obsessions. Pressure to find these genes mounts and everyone is scrambling to be the first to announce this major discovery which could have gone to several laboratories. == Commercial and critical reception == Natural Obsessions was reviewed favorably in the New York Times and Smithsonian magazine in the months after its initial publication. The book was named a New York Times Notable Book


id: the-naturalists-handbooks-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naturalists'_Handbooks-0.md
category: reference
title: The Naturalists' Handbooks
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naturalists'_Handbooks
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:15.491076+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-naturalists-handbooks-20260505-0
summary:
The Naturalists' Handbooks is a series of natural history books aimed at students, naturalists and ecologists. Most volumes cover topics relating to insects, but some cover other groups of invertebrates, and some are botanical or mycological in scope, and other cover study techniques. The series first handbook, Insects on Nettles was published in 1983. == Volumes == A list of the volumes published to date is: Insects on Nettles by B N K Davis (1991) Grasshoppers by V K Brown (1990) Solitary Wasps by Peter F Yeo and Sarah A Corbet (1995) Insects and Thistles by Margaret Redfern (1995) Hoverflies by Francis S Gilbert (1993) Bumblebees by Oliver E Prys-Jones and Sarah A Corbet (1991) Dragonflies by Peter L Miller (1995) Common Ground Beetles by Trevor G Forsythe (1987) Animals on Seaweed by Peter J Hayward (1998) Ladybirds by Michael Majerus and Peter Kearns (1989) 11 Aphid Predators by Graham E Rotheray (1989) Animals on the Surface Film by Marjorie Guthrie (1989) Mayflies by Janet Harker (1989) Mosquitoes by Keith R Snow (1990) Insects, Plants and Microclimate by D M Unwin and Sarah A Corbet (1991) Weevils by M G Morris (1991) Plant Galls by Margaret Redfern and R R


id: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism-0.md
category: reference
title: Neural Darwinism
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:16.671366+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
summary:
Neural Darwinism is a biological, and more specifically Darwinian and selectionist, approach to understanding global brain function, originally proposed by American biologist, researcher and Nobel-Prize recipient Gerald Maurice Edelman (July 1, 1929 – May 17, 2014). Edelman's 1987 book Neural Darwinism introduced the public to the theory of neuronal group selection (TNGS), a theory that attempts to explain global brain function. TNGS (also referred to as the theory of neural Darwinism) has roots going back to Edelman and Mountcastle's 1978 book, The Mindful Brain – Cortical Organization and the Group-selective Theory of Higher Brain Function, which describes the columnar structure of the cortical groups within the neocortex, and argues for selective processes operating among degenerate primary repertoires of neuronal groups. The development of neural Darwinism was deeply influenced by work in the fields of immunology, embryology, and neuroscience, as well as Edelman's methodological commitment to the idea of selection as the unifying foundation of the biological sciences. == Introduction to neural Darwinism == Neural Darwinism is really the neural part of the natural philosophical and explanatory framework Edelman employs for much of his work – Somatic selective systems. Neural Darwinism is the backdrop for a comprehensive set of biological hypotheses


id: neural-darwinism-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism-1.md
category: reference
title: Neural Darwinism
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:16.671366+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
summary:
=== Antibodies and NCAM – the emerging understanding of somatic selective systems === Edelman was a medical researcher, physical chemist, immunologist, and aspiring neuroscientist when he was awarded the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with Rodney Porter of Great Britain). Edelman's part of the prize was for his work revealing the chemical structure of the vertebrate antibody by cleaving the covalent disulfide bridges that join the component chain fragments together, revealing a pair of two-domain light chains and four-domain heavy chains. Subsequent analysis revealed the terminal domains of both chains to be variable domains responsible for antigen recognition. The work of Porter and Edelman revealed the molecular and genetic foundations underpinning how antibody diversity was generated within the immune system. Their work supported earlier ideas about pre-existing diversity in the immune system put forward by the pioneering Danish immunologist Niels K. Jerne (December 23, 1911 – October 7, 1994); as well as supporting the work of Frank MacFarlane Burnet describing how lymphocytes capable of binding to specific foreign antigens are differentially amplified by clonal multiplication of the selected preexisting variants following antigen discovery. Edelman would draw inspiration from the mechano-chemical aspects of antigen/antibody/lymphocyte interaction in relation to


id: neural-darwinism-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism-2.md
category: reference
title: Neural Darwinism
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:16.671366+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
summary:
=== Rejection of computational models, codes, and point-to-point wiring === Edelman was well aware of the earlier debate in immunology between the instructionists, who believed the lymphocytes of the immune system learned or was instructed about the antigen and then devised a response; and the selectionists, who believed that the lymphocytes already contained the response to the antigen within the existing population that was differentially amplified within the population upon contact with the antigen. And, he was well aware that the selectionist had the evidence on their side. Edelman's theoretical approach in Neural Darwinism was conceived of in opposition to top-down algorithmic, computational, and instructionist approaches to explaining neural function. Edelman seeks to turn the problems of that paradigm to advantage instead; thereby highlighting the difference between bottom-up processes like we see in biology vis a vis top-down processes like we see in engineering algorithms. He sees neurons as living organisms working in cooperative and competitive ways within their local ecology and rejects models that see the brain in terms of computer chips or logic gates in an algorithmically organized machine. Edelman's commitment to the Darwinian underpinnings of biology, his emerging understanding of the evolutionary relationships between the two molecules


id: neural-darwinism-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism-3.md
category: reference
title: Neural Darwinism
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:16.671366+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
summary:
Genome-germ (zygotes) – the paternal and maternal gene contributions are recombined in the fertilized egg, along with the maternal endowment of proteins, and mRNAs, and other developmental components, but the individuals newly formed diploid genetic complement is not in control of the zygote yet; it needs to be activated, or bootstrapped, into the zygotes ongoing maternally-inherited metabolism and physiology. Shortly after recombination the zygote proceeds through transformation (T1) to the point where genetic control of the zygote has been handed off to the individual, Phenotype-soma (embryo) – the embryo, which transforms (T2) according to the rules that govern the relationship between the genes, cellular behavior, and the epigenetic contingencies of nature, into Phenotype-soma (adult) – an adult, who procreates (T3) with another individual to bring together a new genetic recombination by each introducing a gamete in the form of Genome-germ (gametes) – sperm and egg, which contain the haploid genetic contribution of each parent which is transformed (T4)... Genome-germ (zygotes) -into a diploid set genes in a fertilized egg, soon to be a newly individual zygote . Lewontin's exploration of these transformations between genomic and phenotypic spaces was in terms of key selection pressures that sculpt the organism over geological


id: neural-darwinism-20260505-4
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism-4.md
category: reference
title: Neural Darwinism
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:16.671366+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
summary:
== TNGS – the theory of neuronal group selection == Edelman's motivation for developing the theory of neuronal group selection (TNGS) was to resolve "a number of apparent inconsistencies in our knowledge of the development, anatomy, and physiological function of the central nervous system." A pressing issue for Edelman was explaining perceptual categorization without reference to a central observing homunculus or "assuming that the world is prearranged in an informational fashion." To free himself of the demands, requirements, and contradictions of information processing model; Edelman proposes that perceptual categorization operates by the selection of neuronal groups organized into variant networks that are differentially amplified of their responses in conjunction with hedonic feedback over the course of experience, from within a massive population of neuronal groups being confronted by a chaotic array of sensory input of differing degrees of significance and relevance to the organism. Edelman outright rejects the notion of a homunculus, describing it as a "close cousin of the developmental electrician and the neural decoder", artifacts of the observer-centralized top-down design logic of information processing approaches. Edelman properly points out that "it is probably a safe guess that most neurobiologists would view the homunculus as well as dualist solutions


id: neural-darwinism-20260505-5
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism-5.md
category: reference
title: Neural Darwinism
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:16.671366+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
summary:
==== Secondary repertoire – experiential selection ==== The second tenet of TNGS regards postnatal events that govern the development of a secondary repertoire of synaptic connectivity between higher-order populations of neuronal groups whose formation is driven by behavioral or experiential selection acting on synaptic populations within and between neuronal groups. Edelman's notion of the secondary repertoire heavily borrows from work of Jean-Pierre Changeux, and his associates Philippe Courrège and Antoine Danchin – and, their theory of selective stabilization of synapses. ===== Synaptic modification ===== Once the basic variegated anatomical structure of the primary repertoire of neuronal groups is laid down, it is more or less fixed. But given the numerous and diverse collection of neuronal group networks, there are bound to be functionally equivalent albeit anatomically non-isomorphic neuronal groups and networks capable of responding to certain sensory input. This creates a competitive environment where neuronal groups proficient in their responses to certain inputs are "differentially amplified" through the enhancement of the synaptic efficacies of the selected neuronal group network. This leads to an increased probability that the same network will respond to similar or identical signals at a future time. This occurs through the strengthening of neuron-to-neuron synapses. These adjustments


id: neural-darwinism-20260505-6
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism-6.md
category: reference
title: Neural Darwinism
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:16.671366+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
summary:
== Reception == An early review of the book Neural Darwinism in The New York Review of Books by Israel Rosenfield invited a lively response on the part of the neurosciences community. Edelman's views would be seen as an attack on the dominant paradigm of computational algorithms in cognitive psychology and computational neuroscience – inviting criticism from many corners. There would be copious complaints about the language difficulty. Some would see Edelman coming across as arrogant, or an interloper into the field of neuroscience, from neighboring molecular biology. There were legitimate arguments raised as to how much experimental and observational data had been gathered in support of the theory at that time. Or, if the theory was even original or not. But more often, rather than dealing with Edelman's critique of computational approaches, the criticism would be centered around whether Edelman's system was a truly proper Darwinian explanation. Nonetheless, Neural Darwinism, both the book and the concept, received fairly broad critical acclaim. One of the most famous critiques of Neural Darwinism would be the 1989 critical review by Francis Crick, Neural Edelmanism. Francis Crick based his criticism on the basis that neuronal groups are instructed by the environment rather than


id: neural-darwinism-20260505-7
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism-7.md
category: reference
title: Neural Darwinism
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_Darwinism
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:16.671366+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: neural-darwinism-20260505-0
summary:
Burnet, Frank MacFarlane; Medawar, Peter Brian (1960). "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1960". NobelPrize.org. Calvin, William (June 24, 1988). "Neural Darwinism: The Theory of Neuronal Group Selection". Science. Changeux, Jean-Pierre (1985). Neuronal Man – The Biology of Mind. Translated by Laurence Carey. Pantheon Books, New York. ISBN 0-394-53692-4. Changeux, Jean-Pierre; Courrège, Philippe; Danchin, Antoine (1973). "A theory of the epigenesis of neural networks by selective stabilization of synapses". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 70 (10): 2974–2978. Bibcode:1973PNAS...70.2974C. doi:10.1073/pnas.70.10.2974. PMC 427150. PMID 4517949. Crick, Francis (1989). "Neural Edelmanism". Trends Neurosci. 12 (7): 240–248. doi:10.1016/0166-2236(89)90019-2. PMID 2475933. S2CID 3947768. Darwin, Charles (1859). On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1869. Darwin, Charles (1872). The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals – with a preface by Konrad Lorentz. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 1965. ISBN 0-226-13656-6. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) Darwin, Charles (1887). The Autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809–1882. With the Original Omissions Restored. Edited and with Appendix and Notes by his Granddaughter Nora Barlow. W.W. Norton & Company, 1969. ISBN 0-393-00487-2. {{cite


id: not-in-our-genes-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_in_Our_Genes-0.md
category: reference
title: Not in Our Genes
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_in_Our_Genes
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:17.915639+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: not-in-our-genes-20260505-0
summary:
Not in Our Genes: Biology, Ideology and Human Nature is a 1984 book by the evolutionary geneticist Richard Lewontin, the neurobiologist Steven Rose, and the psychologist Leon Kamin, in which the authors criticize sociobiology and genetic determinism and advocate a socialist society. Its themes include the relationship between biology and society, the nature versus nurture debate, and the intersection of science and ideology. The book formed part of a larger campaign against sociobiology. Its authors were praised for their criticism of IQ testing and were complimented by some for their critique of sociobiology. However, they have been criticized for misrepresenting the views of scientists such as the biologist E. O. Wilson and the ethologist Richard Dawkins, for using “determinism” and “reductionism” simply as terms of abuse, and for the influence of Marxism on their views. Critics have seen its authors' conclusions as political rather than scientific. == Summary == Lewontin, Rose and Kamin identify themselves as "respectively an evolutionary geneticist, a neurobiologist, and a psychologist." They criticize biological determinism and reductionism, and state that they share a commitment to the creation of a socialist society and a recognition that "a critical science is an integral part of the struggle to


id: not-in-our-genes-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_in_Our_Genes-1.md
category: reference
title: Not in Our Genes
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_in_Our_Genes
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:17.915639+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: not-in-our-genes-20260505-0
summary:
=== Mainstream media === Not in Our Genes received positive reviews from the columnist Gene Lyons in Newsweek and the paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould in The New York Review of Books, a mixed review from the philosopher Philip Kitcher in The New York Times Book Review, and negative reviews from the anthropologist Melvin Konner in Natural History and the biologist Patrick Bateson and the ethologist Richard Dawkins (whom they criticized) in New Scientist. The editors of New Scientist noted that the book would "inevitably attract either extreme criticism or glowing praise" depending on the reviewer's stance on sociobiology, and that they published two reviews to help encourage debate, having approached Dawkins "for the opposition" and Bateson, "who feels that the attack on genetic determinism is justified." The book was reviewed by the psychologist Sandra Scarr in American Scientist, Nathaniel S. Lehrman in The Humanist, and in The Wilson Quarterly and Science News. Lyons described the book as a "spirited, if often repetitive, demolition of sociobiology's pretensions", adding that its authors' arguments were "made doubly impressive" by their "analysis of how the economic determinism of what they call '“vulgar” Marxism' and the spinelessness of 'sociological relativism' have contributed to a climate


id: not-in-our-genes-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_in_Our_Genes-2.md
category: reference
title: Not in Our Genes
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_in_Our_Genes
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:17.915639+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: not-in-our-genes-20260505-0
summary:
=== Academic journals === Not in Our Genes received positive reviews from the biologist Peter Medawar in Nature, the geneticist Alan Emery in Trends in Neurosciences, and T. Benton in The Sociological Review, the biologist Franz M. Wuketits in the Journal of Social and Biological Structures, and a mixed review from the anthropologist Vernon Reynolds in Ethnic and Racial Studies. The book was also reviewed by Howard L. Kaye in Society. Medawar described the book as a well-written and "in the main convincing rebuttal of a variety of determinist ideologies that have come to acquire the status of a public nuisance in biology and sociology." He endorsed its authors' criticism of IQ testing and their argument that determinism is an expression of conservative ideology. However, he was less satisfied by their criticism of reductionism, writing that despite its shortcomings reductive analysis was "the most successful research stratagem ever devised in science." He argued that it was also the way of understanding the world that made it easiest to see how it could be changed, something left-wing writers such as the authors of Not in Our Genes should appreciate. Emery welcomed the book as a refreshing attempt to create a more


id: not-in-our-genes-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_in_Our_Genes-3.md
category: reference
title: Not in Our Genes
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_in_Our_Genes
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:17.915639+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: not-in-our-genes-20260505-0
summary:
== Criticism == The psychologist David P. Barash criticized Lewontin et al. for unfairly linking sociobiology with "racist eugenics and misguided Social Darwinism." Dawkins accused the authors of misquoting his comment on genes, "they created us, body and mind", by altering "created" to "control". He maintained that genes do not control people in the way that "genetic determinism" suggests and accused Lewontin et al. of failing to understand that genes can "exert a statistical influence on human behavior" but that "this influence can be modified, overridden or reversed by other influences." The biologist Dean Hamer described Not in Our Genes as "a political rather than a scientific book". He expressed his disagreement with its politics. Nevertheless, Hamer commented that it taught him that the genetics of behavior is an emotionally and politically charged topic, especially where it concerns sexuality, and helped motivate him to change fields from metallothionein research to the genetics of homosexuality. The philosopher Daniel Dennett criticized Lewontin et al.′s account of reductionism, calling it "idiosyncratic". He also criticized their claim that memes involve a Cartesian view of the mind, arguing that memes are "a key (central but optional) ingredient in the best alternatives to Cartesian models", and


id: of-moths-and-men-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Moths_and_Men-0.md
category: reference
title: Of Moths and Men
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Moths_and_Men
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:19.077244+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: of-moths-and-men-20260505-0
summary:
Of Moths and Men is a book by journalist Judith Hooper about the Oxford University ecological genetics school led by E.B. Ford. The book specifically concerns Bernard Kettlewell's experiments on the peppered moth which were intended as experimental validation of evolution. She highlights supposed problems with the methodology of Kettlewell's experiments and suggests that these issues could invalidate the results obtained, ignoring or disparaging evidence supporting natural selection while repeatedly implying that Kettlewell and his colleagues committed fraud or made careless errors. Subject matter experts have described the book as presenting a "conspiracy theory" with "errors, misrepresentations, misinterpretations and falsehoods". The evolutionary biologist Michael Majerus spent the last 7 years of his life systematically repeating Kettlewell's experiments, demonstrating that Kettlewell had in fact been correct. == Allegations of poor experimental practice == In the book, Hooper alleges multiple flaws in experimental methodology, including gluing the moths in place on parts of trees where they would not naturally settle, feeding birds heavily enough to condition them to expect feeding at that point, artificially boosting recapture rates, altering experiments (unconsciously) to favour the expected outcome, and errors in statistical analysis. == Rebuttals by experts == The book was described as well-written in


id: on-human-nature-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Human_Nature-0.md
category: reference
title: On Human Nature
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Human_Nature
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:20.293240+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-human-nature-20260505-0
summary:
On Human Nature (1978; second edition 2004) is a book by the biologist E. O. Wilson, in which the author attempts to explain human nature and society through sociobiology. Wilson argues that evolution has left its traces on characteristics such as generosity, self-sacrifice, worship and the use of sex for pleasure, and proposes a sociobiological explanation of homosexuality. He attempts to complete the Darwinian revolution by bringing biological thought into social sciences and humanities. Wilson describes On Human Nature as a sequel to his earlier books The Insect Societies (1971) and Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975). The book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1979. == Summary == === 2004 Preface === The conundrum of human nature, as I and a few others saw it in 1978, can be solved only if scientific explanations embrace both the how (neurosciences) and why (evolutionary biology) of brain action, with the two axes of explanation fitted together. In The Insect Societies (1971), I proposed that a coherent branch of biology might be constructed from a synthesis of social behavior and population biology. In 1975 I expanded the conception of the discipline outlined to include vertebrate animals. The result was Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, a


id: on-human-nature-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Human_Nature-1.md
category: reference
title: On Human Nature
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Human_Nature
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:20.293240+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-human-nature-20260505-0
summary:
=== Chapter 6. Sex === Sex has evolved because it creates diversity which can cope with a changing environment. The differing roles of the two sexes creates a conflict of interest which varies between species. But how far are the observed cultural differences innate or environmental? Some indication is given by considering the effects of hormone treatments during pregnancy and the equal treatment in the kibbutz movement. The theoreticians of Judaism and Christianity have misinterpreted the biological significance of sex, with the insistence that its primary role is procreation, and particularly in its treatment of homosexuals. Homosexuality is common in many species and may be normal in a biological sense as a form of bonding. === Chapter 7. Altruism === Human cultures value highly those who pay the “ultimate sacrifice”, more than most mammal species and only outperformed by the social insects where kin selection reigns. One needs to distinguish this from “soft-core” altruism where the giver expects something in return. Hard-core altruism is the enemy of civilization. But in humans soft-core altruism has been carried to elaborate extremes. Loyalty to close kin is emotionally important but doesn't always override other issues. === Chapter 8. Religion === Religion is one


id: on-the-movements-and-habits-of-climbing-plants-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Movements_and_Habits_of_Climbing_Plants-0.md
category: reference
title: On the Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Movements_and_Habits_of_Climbing_Plants
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:22.574346+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-the-movements-and-habits-of-climbing-plants-20260505-0
summary:
On the Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants is a book by Charles Darwin first printed in book form in 1875 by John Murray. Originally, the text appeared as an essay in the 9th volume of the Journal of the Linnean Society, therefore the first edition in book form is actually called the ‘second edition, revised.’ Illustrations were drawn by Charles Darwin’s son, George Darwin. Following the 1859 publication of Origin of Species Darwin set out to produce evidence for his theory of natural selection. Initially Darwin spent much time in studying plants to achieve this aim. This book stands second in line to his first work on plants, On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects. (1862) This work is subdivided into chapters concentrating on a particular type of climber which he divided into four main classes but Darwin, in this volume, concentrates on the two main classes, the twining plants and the leaf climbers (divided into two sub-divisions: leaf climbers and tendril bearers) The following comprise the chapters: 1. Twining plants 2. Leaf climbers 3 & 4.Tendril bearers 5. Hook and Root climbers. == Context == Inspired by reading an 1858 short


id: origination-of-organismal-form-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origination_of_Organismal_Form-0.md
category: reference
title: Origination of Organismal Form
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origination_of_Organismal_Form
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:24.926590+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: origination-of-organismal-form-20260505-0
summary:
Origination of Organismal Form: Beyond the Gene in Developmental and Evolutionary Biology is an anthology published in 2003 edited by Gerd B. Müller and Stuart A. Newman. The book is the outcome of the 4th Altenberg Workshop in Theoretical Biology on "Origins of Organismal Form: Beyond the Gene Paradigm", hosted in 1999 at the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research. It has been cited over 200 times and has a major influence on extended evolutionary synthesis research. == Description of the book == The book explores the multiple factors that may have been responsible for the origination of biological form in multicellular life. These biological forms include limbs, segmented structures, and different body symmetries. It explores why the basic body plans of nearly all multicellular life arose in the relatively short time span of the Cambrian Explosion. The authors focus on physical factors (structuralism) other than changes in an organism's genome that may have caused multicellular life to form new structures. These physical factors include differential adhesion of cells and feedback oscillations between cells. The book also presents recent experimental results that examine how the same embryonic tissues or tumor cells can be coaxed into forming dramatically different


id: oxford-dictionary-of-biology-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Dictionary_of_Biology-0.md
category: reference
title: Oxford Dictionary of Biology
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Dictionary_of_Biology
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:26.175388+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: oxford-dictionary-of-biology-20260505-0
summary:
Oxford Dictionary of Biology (often abbreviated to ODB) is a multiple editions dictionary published by the English Oxford University Press. With more than 5,500 entries, it contains comprehensive information in English on topics relating to biology, biophysics, and biochemistry. The first edition was published in 1985 as A Concise Dictionary of Biology. The seventh edition, A Dictionary of Biology, was published in 2015 and it was edited by Robert Hine and Elizabeth Martin. Robert Hine studied at King's College London and University of Aberdeen and since 1984 he has contributed to numerous journals and books. == Digital and on-line availability == The sixth and seventh editions of the ODB are available online for members of subscribed institutions and for subscribed individuals via Oxford Reference. == Editions == The first edition of Oxford Dictionary of Biology was first published in 1985 and the seventh edition in 2015. == References == == External links == Oxford Reference Online


id: parasite-rex-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite_Rex-0.md
category: reference
title: Parasite Rex
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite_Rex
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:27.343842+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: parasite-rex-20260505-0
summary:
Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures is a nonfiction book by Carl Zimmer that was published by Free Press in 2000. The book discusses the history of parasites on Earth and how the field and study of parasitology formed, along with a look at the most dangerous parasites ever found in nature. A special paperback edition was released in March 2011 for the tenth anniversary of the book's publishing, including a new epilogue written by Zimmer. Signed bookplates were also given to fans that sent in a photo of themselves with a copy of the special edition. The cover of Parasite Rex includes a scanning electron microscope image of a tick as the focus, along with illustrations in the centerfold of parasites and topics discussed in the book. == Content == The book begins by discussing the history of parasites in human knowledge, from the earliest writings about them in ancient cultures, up through modern times. The focus comes to rest extensively on the views and experiments conducted by scientists in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, such as those done by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Japetus Steenstrup, Friedrich Küchenmeister, and Ray Lankester. Among them, Leeuwenhoek


id: patterns-of-sexual-behavior-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterns_of_Sexual_Behavior-0.md
category: reference
title: Patterns of Sexual Behavior
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterns_of_Sexual_Behavior
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:28.484178+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: patterns-of-sexual-behavior-20260505-0
summary:
Patterns of Sexual Behavior is a 1951 book by anthropologist Clellan S. Ford and ethologist Frank A. Beach, in which the authors integrate information about human sexual behavior from different cultures, and include detailed comparisons across animal species, with particular emphasis on primates. The book received positive reviews and has been called a classic. It provided the foundation for the later research of Masters and Johnson. == Summary == Ford and Beach employ a "cross-cultural correlational method" in exploring sexual behavior, a statistical approach suitable for distinguishing behavioral trends and making generalizations. They integrate information from 191 cultures: 47 from Oceania, 28 from Eurasia, 33 from Africa, 57 from North America, and 26 from South America. Much of their data was collected in the Human Relations Area Files, a cross-institutional organization co-founded by Ford. They offer information on such topics as "sexual positions, length (time) of intercourse, locations for intercourse, orgasm experiences, types of foreplay, courting behaviors, frequencies of intercourse [and] methods of attracting a partner." They cover homosexuality in both humans and other animals, citing evidence of accepted homosexual behavior in 49 of the 76 cultures for which the relevant data were available. Ford and Beach conclude that there


id: phycologia-australica-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phycologia_Australica-0.md
category: reference
title: Phycologia Australica
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phycologia_Australica
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:29.655199+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: phycologia-australica-20260505-0
summary:
Phycologia Australica, written by William Henry Harvey, is one of the most important 19th-century works on phycology, the study of algae. The work, published in five volumes between 1858 and 1863, is the result of Harvey's extensive collecting along the Australian shores during a three-year sabbatical. By the time Harvey set foot in Western Australia, he had already established himself as a leading phycologist, having published several large works on algae from the British Isles, northern America as well as the Southern Ocean (Nereis Australica). The fact that Harvey travelled the globe on several occasions and collected the seaweeds which he described himself in his later publications, set him apart from most of his contemporaries who relied for the most part on specimens collected by others. In addition, Harvey's zest for work meant he pressed sometimes over 700 specimens in a single day, which were distributed to his colleagues a set of Australian algae. Upon his return to Trinity College in Dublin, Harvey embarked on a mission: the illustration and description of over 300 species of Australian algae, for which he earned the title "father of Australian Phycology". The dedications and specific epithets of the species commemorate his friend George


id: physiologus-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiologus-0.md
category: reference
title: Physiologus
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiologus
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:30.874377+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: physiologus-20260505-0
summary:
The Physiologus (Greek: Φυσιολόγος) is a didactic Christian text written or compiled in Greek by an unknown author in Alexandria. Its composition has been traditionally dated to the 2nd century AD by readers who saw parallels with writings of Clement of Alexandria, who is asserted to have known the text, though Alan Scott has made a case for a date at the end of the 3rd or in the 4th century. The Physiologus consists of descriptions of animals, birds, and fantastic creatures, sometimes stones and plants, provided with moral content. Each animal is described, and an anecdote follows, from which the moral and symbolic qualities of the animal are derived. Manuscripts are often, but not always, given illustrations, often lavish. The book was translated into Armenian in 5th century, into Latin by the early 6th century or possibly even by the mid-4th century and into Ethiopic and Syriac, then into many European and Middle-Eastern languages, and many illuminated manuscript copies such as the Bern Physiologus survive. It retained its influence over ideas of the "meaning" of animals in Europe for over a thousand years. It was a predecessor of bestiaries (books of beasts). Medieval poetical literature is full of allusions


id: physiologus-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiologus-1.md
category: reference
title: Physiologus
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiologus
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:30.874377+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: physiologus-20260505-0
summary:
== Translations == The Physiologus had an impact on neighboring literatures: medieval translations into Latin, Armenian, Georgian, Slavic, Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopic are known. Translations and adaptations from the Latin introduced the "Physiologus" into almost all the languages of Western Europe. An Old High German (Alemannic) translation was written in Hirsau in c. 1070 (ed. Müllenhoff and Scherer in Denkmäler deutscher Poesie und Prosa No. LXXXI); a later translation (12th century) has been edited by Friedrich Lauchert in Geschichte des Physiologus (pp. 280–99); and a rhymed version appears in Karajan, Deutsche Sprachdenkmale des XII. Jahrhunderts (pp. 73–106), both based on the Latin text known as Dicta Chrysostomi. Fragments of a 9th-century metrical Anglo-Saxon Physiologus are extant (ed. Thorpe in Codex Exoniensis pp. 335–67, Grein in Bibliothek der angelsächsischen Poesie I, 223-8). About the middle of the 13th century there appeared a Middle English metrical Bestiary, an adaptation of the Latin Physiologus Theobaldi; this has been edited by Wright and Halliwell in Reliquiæ antiquæ (I, 208-27), also by Morris in An Old English Miscellany (1-25). There is an Icelandic Physiologus preserved in two fragmentary redactions from around 1200. In the 12th and 13th centuries there appeared the Bestiaires of Philippe de


id: plague-time-the-new-germ-theory-of-disease-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_Time:_The_New_Germ_Theory_of_Disease-0.md
category: reference
title: Plague Time: The New Germ Theory of Disease
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_Time:_The_New_Germ_Theory_of_Disease
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:32.029862+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: plague-time-the-new-germ-theory-of-disease-20260505-0
summary:
Plague Time: The New Germ Theory of Disease is a non-fiction book by evolutionary biologist Paul W. Ewald. It argues that the role of pathogens has been overlooked in medicine, as a primary cause of many chronic diseases. It is his second book, following Evolution of Infectious Disease in 1994. Collecting accounts from medical history, Ewald describes the ways in which infectious agents are underestimated, in favour of genetic or environmental causes of disease. As an evolutionarily biologist, he takes the long-term perspective of the virus or bacteria circulating in its lifecycle. Although much is known about the acute phase of infections, he argues we have systematically overlooked the medical effects of long-term infections. == Overview == === Part I: A sphere of infection === In part one, Ewald describes the lifecycle of different viruses, and the way this can manifest in medical disease. Respiratory viruses must spread between people in a short period of time before the immune system response, while sexually transmitted infections must maintain a longer lifespan in the human body, sometimes for one’s entire life. He also compares the trade-offs in lifecycle of diarrhea-born, vector borne, and hospital acquired infections. Ewald argues against the aggressive application


id: quantum-aspects-of-life-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Aspects_of_Life-0.md
category: reference
title: Quantum Aspects of Life
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Aspects_of_Life
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:33.191007+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: quantum-aspects-of-life-20260505-0
summary:
Quantum Aspects of Life, a book published in 2008 with a foreword by Roger Penrose, explores the open question of the role of quantum mechanics at molecular scales of relevance to biology. It contains chapters written by various world experts from a 2003 symposium and includes two debates from 2003 to 2004, giving rise to a mix of both sceptical and sympathetic viewpoints. The book addresses questions of quantum physics, biophysics, nanoscience, quantum chemistry, mathematical biology, complexity theory, and philosophy that are inspired by the 1944 seminal book What Is Life? by Erwin Schrödinger. == Contents == Foreword by Roger Penrose Section 1: Emergence and Complexity Chapter 1: "A Quantum Origin of Life?" by Paul C. W. Davies Chapter 2: "Quantum Mechanics and Emergence" by Seth Lloyd Section 2: Quantum Mechanisms in Biology Chapter 3: "Quantum Coherence and the Search for the First Replicator" by Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden Chapter 4: "Ultrafast Quantum Dynamics in Photosynthesis" by Alexandra Olaya-Castro, Francesca Fassioli Olsen, Chiu Fan Lee, and Neil F. Johnson Chapter 5: "Modeling Quantum Decoherence in Biomolecules" by Jacques Bothma, Joel Gilmore, and Ross H. McKenzie Section 3: The Biological Evidence Chapter 6: "Molecular Evolution: A Role for Quantum Mechanics


id: race-the-reality-of-human-difference-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race:_The_Reality_of_Human_Difference-0.md
category: reference
title: Race: The Reality of Human Difference
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race:_The_Reality_of_Human_Difference
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:34.369594+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: race-the-reality-of-human-difference-20260505-0
summary:
Race: The Reality of Human Differences is an anthropology book, in which authors Vincent M. Sarich, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Frank Miele, senior editor of Skeptic Magazine, argue for the reality of race, a view rejected by modern science. The book was published by Basic Books in 2004. It particularly disputes the statements of the PBS documentary Race: The Power of an Illusion aired in 2003. After arguing that human races exist, the authors put forth three different political systems that take race into account in the final chapter, "Learning to Live with Race." These are "Meritocracy in the Global Marketplace", "Affirmative Action and Race Norming", and "Resegregation and the Emergence of Ethno-States." Sarich and Miele list the advantages and disadvantages of each system and advocate Global Meritocracy as the best of the three options. The authors then discuss "the horrific prospect of ethnically targeted weapons," which they view as technically feasible but not very likely to be used. == References == == External links == Website of the video Race: The Power of an Illusion


id: the-science-of-life-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Science_of_Life-0.md
category: reference
title: The Science of Life
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Science_of_Life
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:35.983998+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-science-of-life-20260505-0
summary:
The Science of Life is a book written by H. G. Wells, Julian Huxley and G. P. Wells, published in three volumes by The Waverley Publishing Company Ltd in 1929–30, giving a popular account of all major aspects of biology as known in the 1920s. It has been called "the first modern textbook of biology" and "the best popular introduction to the biological sciences". Wells's most recent biographer notes that The Science of Life "is not quite as dated as one might suppose". In undertaking The Science of Life, H. G. Wells, who had published The Outline of History a decade earlier, selling over two million copies, desired the same sort of treatment for biology. He thought of his readership as "the intelligent lower middle classes ... [not] idiots, half-wits ... greenhorns, religious fanatics ... smart women or men who know all that there is to be known". Julian Huxley, the grandson of T. H. Huxley under whom Wells had studied biology, and Wells' son "Gip", a zoologist, divided the initial writing between them; H. G. Wells revised, dealt (with the help of his literary agent, A. P. Watt) with publishers, and acted as a strict taskmaster, often obliging his


id: the-science-of-life-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Science_of_Life-1.md
category: reference
title: The Science of Life
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Science_of_Life
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:35.983998+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-science-of-life-20260505-0
summary:
== Publication record == The Science of Life: a summary of contemporary knowledge about life and its possibilities was first issued in 31 fortnightly parts published by Amalgamated Press in 1929–30, bound up in three volumes as publication proceeded. A mail-order version of the book was also published, though this was dropped after the stock market crash. It was first issued in one volume by Cassell in 1931, and reprinted in 1934 and 1937; a popular edition, fully revised, with a new preface by H. G. Wells, appeared in 1938. It was again published as separate volumes by Cassell in 1934–1937: I The living body. II Patterns of life (1934). III Evolution—fact and theory. IV Reproduction, heredity and the development of sex. V The history and adventure of life. VI The drama of life. VII How animals behave (1937). VIII Man's mind and behaviour. IX Biology and the human race. In New York, it was published by Doubleday, Doran & Co. in 1931, 1934 and 1939; and by The Literary Guild in 1934. Doubleday also issued a four-volume limited edition of the work in 1931, limited to 750 sets, with the first volume autographed on the limitation page by the


id: the-sea-around-us-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sea_Around_Us-0.md
category: reference
title: The Sea Around Us
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sea_Around_Us
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:37.146601+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-sea-around-us-20260505-0
summary:
The Sea Around Us is a prize-winning and best-selling book by the American marine biologist Rachel Carson, first published as a whole by Oxford University Press in 1951. It reveals the science and poetry of the sea while ranging from its primeval beginnings to the latest scientific probings. Often described as "poetic," it was Carson's second published book and the one that launched her into the public eye and a second career as a writer and conservationist; in retrospect it is counted the second book of her so-called sea trilogy, including Under the Sea-Wind and The Edge of the Sea. The Sea Around Us won both the 1952 National Book Award for Nonfiction and a Burroughs Medal in nature writing. It remained on the New York Times Best Seller List for 86 weeks and it has been translated into 28 languages. == History == Simon & Schuster had published her first book Under the Sea Wind in 1941; it was reviewed favorably but it sold poorly. Carson initially planned to call the sequel Return to the Sea, and began writing in 1948, just after hiring Marie Rodell as her literary agent. Carson began by writing a single chapter (what would


id: the-selfish-gene-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene-0.md
category: reference
title: The Selfish Gene
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:38.351487+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-selfish-gene-20260505-0
summary:
The Selfish Gene is a 1976 popular science book by Richard Dawkins that espouses the gene-centred view of evolution. It builds upon the thesis of George Christopher Williams's Adaptation and Natural Selection (1966) and W. D. Hamilton's work on kin selection. From the gene-centred view, it follows that the more genes two individuals share, the more sense it makes for them to co-operate. The book introduced the term meme for a unit of cultural evolution analogous to the gene. Memetics has become a subject in its own right in the years since. In popularising Hamilton's ideas, as well as making its own valuable contributions to the field, the book has also stimulated research on human inclusive fitness. The "selfish gene" is a metaphor for the gene-centred view of evolution. As such, the book is not about a particular gene that causes selfish behaviour; in fact, much of it is devoted to explaining the evolution of altruism. Dawkins says of the title that he "can readily see that it might give an inadequate impression of its contents" and in retrospect wishes he had taken Tom Maschler's advice and titled it The Immortal Gene. He laments that “Too many people read it


id: the-selfish-gene-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene-1.md
category: reference
title: The Selfish Gene
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:38.351487+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-selfish-gene-20260505-0
summary:
9. Battle of the Sexes Dawkins discusses Darwin’s theory of sexual selection. Females can afford to be choosy in their mates, and select for attractive traits in males. Fisher's principle explains why a 50:50 ratio of males to females is evolutionarily stable. This is true even in an extreme case like the harem-keeping elephant seal, where 4% of the males get 88% of copulations. In that case, the strategy of having a female offspring is safe, as she will have a pup, but the strategy of having a male can bring a large return (dozens of pups), even though many males live out their lives as bachelors. 10. You Scratch My back, I’ll Ride on Yours Dawkins discusses reciprocal altruism. Amotz Zahavi's theory of honest signalling explains stotting as a selfish act that improves the springbok's chances of escaping from a predator by indicating how difficult the chase would be. Dawkins discusses why many species live in groups, achieving mutual benefits through mechanisms such as Hamilton's selfish herd model: each individual behaves selfishly but the result is herd behaviour. Altruism can evolve, as in the social insects such as ants and bees, where workers give up the right to reproduce


id: the-selfish-gene-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene-2.md
category: reference
title: The Selfish Gene
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:38.351487+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-selfish-gene-20260505-0
summary:
=== Choice of words === A good deal of objection to The Selfish Gene stemmed from its failure to be always clear about "selection" and "replication". Dawkins says the gene is the fundamental unit of selection, and then points out that selection does not act directly upon the gene, but upon "vehicles" or '"extended phenotypes". Stephen Jay Gould took exception to calling the gene a 'unit of selection' because selection acted only upon phenotypes. Summarising the Dawkins-Gould difference of view, Sterelny says: Gould thinks gene differences do not cause evolutionary changes in populations, they register those changes. The word "cause" here is somewhat tricky: does a change in lottery rules (for example, inheriting a defective gene "responsible" for a disorder) "cause" differences in outcome that might or might not occur? It certainly alters the likelihood of events, but a concatenation of contingencies decides what actually occurs. Dawkins thinks the use of "cause" as a statistical weighting is acceptable in common usage. Like Gould, Gabriel Dover in criticising The Selfish Gene says: It is illegitimate to give 'powers' to genes, as Dawkins would have it, to control the outcome of selection...There are no genes for interactions, as such: rather, each unique


id: the-selfish-gene-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene-3.md
category: reference
title: The Selfish Gene
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:38.351487+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-selfish-gene-20260505-0
summary:
== Awards and recognition == In July 2017 a poll to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Royal Society Science Book Prize listed The Selfish Gene as the most influential science book of all time. The Royal Institution conducted a poll to determine the best science book ever. The Selfish Gene made the shortlist, along with Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, Konrad Lorenz's King Solomon's Ring and, in first place, Primo Levi's The Periodic Table. Ian McEwan writes that it "stood at the beginning of a golden age of science writing. With a fine sense of literary tradition, the physicist Steven Weinberg, in his book Dreams of a Final Theory, revisited Huxley's lecture on chalk in order to make the case for reductionism. Steven Pinker's application of Darwinian thought to Chomskyan linguistics in The Language Instinct is one of the finest celebrations of language I know. Among many other indispensable 'classics', I would propose EO Wilson's The Diversity of Life on the ecological wonders of the Amazon rain forest, and on the teeming micro-organisms in a handful of soil; David Deutsch's masterly account of the Many Worlds theory in The Fabric of Reality; Jared Diamond's melding of history with biological thought in


id: stiff-the-curious-lives-of-human-cadavers-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiff:_The_Curious_Lives_of_Human_Cadavers-0.md
category: reference
title: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiff:_The_Curious_Lives_of_Human_Cadavers
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:39.507531+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: stiff-the-curious-lives-of-human-cadavers-20260505-0
summary:
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is a 2003 nonfiction book by Mary Roach. Published by W. W. Norton & Company, it details the unique scientific contributions of the deceased. In the book, Roach gives firsthand accounts of cadavers, a history of the use of cadavers, and an exploration of the surrounding ethical/moral issues. She places each chapter's content into a historical context by discussing the history of the method of using a cadaver she is about to witness. Stiff was a New York Times Best Seller, a 2003 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick, and one of Entertainment Weekly's Best Books of 2003. It also won the Amazon.com Editor's Choice award in 2003, was voted as a Borders Original Voices book, and was the winner of the Elle Reader's Prize. Stiff has been translated into 17 languages, including Hungarian (Hullamerev) and Lithuanian (Negyvėliai). Stiff was also selected for Washington State University's Common Reading Program in 2008–09. == Topics covered == The book covers 12 topics: Practicing cosmetic surgery on cadaver heads Body snatching and the early years of human dissection The nature of decomposition Cadavers for use as crash test dummies Using cadavers to analyze a


id: the-surprising-archaea-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Surprising_Archaea-0.md
category: reference
title: The Surprising Archaea
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Surprising_Archaea
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:41.804585+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-surprising-archaea-20260505-0
summary:
The Surprising Archaea: Discovering Another Domain of Life is a popular science book written about the domain Archaea. It was written by John L. Howland and first published in 2000 by the Oxford University Press. The book records the, "archaeal rise from obscurity...to their current prominent place in molecular and evolutionary biology." == See also == Carl Woese Towards a natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya == References ==


id: the-song-of-the-cell-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Song_of_the_Cell-0.md
category: reference
title: The Song of the Cell
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Song_of_the_Cell
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:42.981156+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-song-of-the-cell-20260505-0
summary:
The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human is a book on the history of the human understanding of cell biology, written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, an Indian-born American physician and oncologist, who is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University. == Background == Song of the Cell is Mukherjee's fourth book. He is the author of the 2011 "biography of cancer" The Emperor of All Maladies, which won the Pullitzer Prize for General Nonfiction . == Content == The book tells the history of human understanding of the cell. In recounting the early history in the field, Murkherjee focuses on telling the stories of figures such as Robert Hooke, who first coined the term cell after viewing a small piece of cork under a microscope. The book is written for a general readership and there is an emphasis on explaining the roles of cells. The book also examines current concerns, such as on the use of stem cells within regenerative medicine. == Reception == Song of the Cell was positively reviewed. Tom Whipple of The Times called it "a wonderfully ambitious overview of cell biology". In The Guardian Suzanne O'Sullivan felt the imagery could sometimes


id: toward-a-new-philosophy-of-biology-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toward_a_New_Philosophy_of_Biology-0.md
category: reference
title: Toward a New Philosophy of Biology
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toward_a_New_Philosophy_of_Biology
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:44.146071+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: toward-a-new-philosophy-of-biology-20260505-0
summary:
Toward a New Philosophy of Biology: Observations of an Evolutionist (published by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1988) is a book by Harvard evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr. It is a collection of 28 essays, five previously unpublished, grouped into ten categories—Philosophy, Natural Selection, Adaptation, Darwin, Diversity, Species, Speciation, Macroevolution, and Historical Perspective. The book, Mayr notes in the Forward, is an attempt "to strengthen the bridge between biology and philosophy, and point to the new direction in which a new philosophy of biology will move." == Reviews == Ayala, Francisco J. Science, New Series, Vol. 240, No. 4860 (June, 1988). Griesemer, James R. The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 64, No. 1 (March, 1989). Maienschein, Jane. Isis, Vol. 80, No. 3 (September, 1989). Smith, John Maynard. New York Review of Books, Volume 39, Number 9, May 14, 1992. == Notes ==


id: treatise-on-man-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treatise_on_Man-0.md
category: reference
title: Treatise on Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treatise_on_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:45.250497+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: treatise-on-man-20260505-0
summary:
The Treatise on Man (French: L'Homme) is an unfinished treatise by René Descartes written in the 1630s and published posthumously, firstly in 1662 in Latin, then in 1664 in French by Claude Clerselier. The 1664 edition is accompanied by a short text, The Description of the Human Body and All Its Functions (La description du corps humain et de toutes ses fonctions), also known as the Treatise on the Formation of the Foetus (Traité de la formation du fœtus), the remarks of Louis La Forge and the translated preface from the Latin edition by Florent Schuyl. The book in part focuses on Descartes' views on human physiology. It covers the topics of digestion, nutrition, respiration, blood circulation, nerves, muscles, and tendons. == Editorial context == René Descartes first began work on the treatise in the 1630s, but gave up seeking its publication when he learned of Galileo Galilei's condemnation by the Roman Inquisition. A first version of the text appeared in Latin in 1662, edited and prefaced by Florent Schuyl, who proposed another edition in 1664 in the same language from another manuscript. The first French language edition was published the same year, edited by Claude Clerselier. It includes figures


id: treatise-on-man-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treatise_on_Man-1.md
category: reference
title: Treatise on Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treatise_on_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:45.250497+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: treatise-on-man-20260505-0
summary:
=== The Description of the Human Body === The Description of the Human Body is also an unfinished treatise. It was written in 1647. Descartes felt knowing oneself was particularly useful. This for him included medical knowledge. He hoped to cure and prevent disease, even to slow down aging. René Descartes believed the soul caused conscious thought. The body caused automatic functions like the beating of the heart and digestion he felt. The body was necessary for voluntary movement as well as the will. However, he believed the power to move the body was wrongly imagined to come from the soul. A sick or injured body does not do what we want or moves in ways we do not want. He believed the death of the body stopped it from being fit to bring about movement. This did not necessarily happen because the soul left the body. René Descartes believed the body could exist through mechanical means alone. This included digestion, blood circulation, muscle movement and some brain function. He felt we all know what the human body is like because animals have similar bodies and we have all seen them opened up. He saw the body as a machine.


id: twelve-days-of-terror-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Terror-0.md
category: reference
title: Twelve Days of Terror
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Terror
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:46.411437+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: twelve-days-of-terror-20260505-0
summary:
Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks is a non-fiction book by Richard G. Fernicola about the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. The book was published in 2001 by Lyons Press. == Overview == Fernicola offers an in-depth investigation of the shark attacks of 1916 plus modern-day attacks. He interviewed people connected with the victims of the attacks and examines the arguments and conclusions of contemporary and modern scientists to determine the species of the shark involved in the attacks. == Film == The book was made into an episode of the History Channel's documentary series In Search of... titled Shark Attack 1916 (2001) and the Discovery Channel's docudrama 12 Days of Terror in 2004. == References ==


id: under-the-sea-wind-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_Sea_Wind-0.md
category: reference
title: Under the Sea Wind
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_Sea_Wind
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:47.663814+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: under-the-sea-wind-20260505-0
summary:
Under the Sea Wind: A Naturalist's Picture of Ocean Life (1941) is the first book written by the American marine biologist Rachel Carson. It was published by Simon & Schuster in 1941 and received very good reviews, but sold poorly. After the great success of a sequel The Sea Around Us (Oxford, 1951), it was reissued by Oxford University Press; that edition was an alternate Book-of-the-Month Club selection and became another bestseller, and has never gone out of print. It is recognized as one of the "definitive works of American nature writing," and is in print as one of the Penguin Nature Classics. Under the sea-wind was reportedly Rachel Carson's personal favourite book, although first edition copies by Simon & Schuster remain scarce. == Background == Under the Sea Wind was based on the article Undersea by Carson, published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1937. This article began as an eleven-page introduction to a government fisheries brochure, and grew into Carson's first book. Prior to publishing Undersea, she wrote marine themed radio scripts which influenced her later work. The article elaborates on ecology and the unwavering will to survive that embodies marine organisms. After the article was published, Dutch-born children's


id: a-universe-of-consciousness-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Universe_of_Consciousness-0.md
category: reference
title: A Universe of Consciousness
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Universe_of_Consciousness
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:48.830461+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: a-universe-of-consciousness-20260505-0
summary:
A Universe of Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination is the title of a 2000 book by biologists Gerald Maurice Edelman and Giulio Tononi; published in UK as Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination. This book, written with Giulio Tononi, is the culmination of a series of works by Gerald Edelman on the workings of the brain which include Neural Darwinism and Bright Air, Brilliant Fire. == Synopsis == It is divided into six sections: the first three cover existing work from philosophical, neurological and Darwinian perspectives. Part IV presents the novel thesis of the work: the Dynamic Core Hypothesis. The remaining two parts explore how it resolves various philosophical and practical issues. === The Background === Since Descartes, philosophers have been occupied with the concept of consciousness and its subjective nature has posed a special problem for science. Its nature arises from the neuronal structures in the brain and some understanding of these, together with the experimental tools needed to explore them, is given in the following chapters. They then recapitulate Edelman's still controversial theory of somatic selectionism during early development which controls the topology of a particular brain and enables restructuring in response to experience. They argue that memory is


id: les-v-lins-du-roi-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Vélins_du_Roi-0.md
category: reference
title: Les Vélins du Roi
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Vélins_du_Roi
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:50.015233+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: les-v-lins-du-roi-20260505-0
summary:
Les Vélins du Roi (The King's Vellums) is a collection of 6984 paintings of plants and animals started in 1631 to document specimens from the royal garden and animal collection. Foremost illustrators contributed to the codex during the reigns of Louis XIII, Louis XIV and Louis XV, and the codex was finally entrusted to the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in 1793, where it still is. According to Ernest Hamy, the Muséum has a "collection of flowers painted by Jean Le Roy de la Boissière", 1610, consisting of 44 watercolour-illuminated vellums, 39 cm × 29 cm; reference Ms 2224) acquired for the Muséum in 1888 by Joseph Deniker. These pages are “sometimes decorated on one side only, and sometimes on both sides, with very fine paintings representing flowers, insects, etc.”. Le Roy devotes some twenty pages to tulips (including several wild tulips), presents a few fruits (including tomatoes and red peppers), and adds a few insects and snails here and there. A smaller vellum (31.1 cm by 20.2 cm) depicting an iris made in Poitiers (where Le Roy lived) in 1608 by one Van Kuyk, a pupil of van Kessel appears in the Cleveland Museum of Art which presents it as


id: les-v-lins-du-roi-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Vélins_du_Roi-1.md
category: reference
title: Les Vélins du Roi
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Vélins_du_Roi
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:50.015233+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: les-v-lins-du-roi-20260505-0
summary:
Henri-Joseph Redouté (1766-1852) was a painter at the Muséum, then took part in the Commission des Sciences et des Arts during the "Expedition to Egypt", in the company of botanists such as Ernest Coquebert de Monbret, Hippolyte Nectoux and Raffeneau-Delile - the latter being responsible for the botanical plates in the Description de l'Égypte, illustrated with engravings taken from Redouté's watercolours on Bristol paper. [Pancrace Bessa (1772-1846) succeeded Henri Redouté as painter at the Natural History Museum in 1823. Ange-Louis-Guillaume Le Sourd de Beauregard (Paris, 17 April 1800 – 1886), a pupil of van Spaendonck and a painter of flowers, also became a professor of iconography in 1841. We can also mention Adèle Riché; Jean Saturnin Abeille de Fontaine (born in Paris in 1721, the son of Joseph Abeille); Édouard Maubert (1806-1879), who specialised in botanical and horticultural illustrations; Alfred Riocreux (1820-1912), a painter at the Manufacture Royale de Porcelaine at Sèvres, he drew for Gustave Thuret, algologist, whom he accompanied to Cherbourg (around 1844-45). He bequeathed many vellums to the Muséum from 1849 to 1857. Charles-Émile Cuisin was a pupil of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran: Atlas de la flore des environs de Paris by Ernest Cosson and Germain de


id: vienna-dioscurides-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Dioscurides-0.md
category: reference
title: Vienna Dioscurides
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Dioscurides
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:51.191481+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: vienna-dioscurides-20260505-0
summary:
The Vienna Dioscurides or Vienna Dioscorides is an early 6th-century Byzantine Greek illuminated manuscript of an even earlier 1st century AD work, De materia medica (Ancient Greek: Περὶ ὕλης ἰατρικῆς, romanized: Perì hylēs iatrikēs) by Pedanius Dioscorides in uncial script. It is an important and rare example of a late antique scientific text. After residing in Constantinople for just over a thousand years, the text passed to the Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna in the 16th century, a century after the city fell to the Ottoman Empire. The 491 vellum folios measure 37 cm (15 in) by 30 cm (12 in) and contain more than 400 pictures of animals and plants, most done in a naturalistic style. In addition to the text by Dioscorides, the manuscript has appended to it, the Carmen de herbis attributed to Rufus, a paraphrase of an ornithological treatise by a certain Dionysius, usually identified with Dionysius of Philadelphia, and a paraphrase of Nicander's treatise on the treatment of snake bites. == History == The manuscript was created in about 515 AD in the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire's capital, Constantinople, for a resident Byzantine imperial princess, Anicia Juliana, the daughter of Anicius Olybrius (one of the


id: vienna-dioscurides-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Dioscurides-1.md
category: reference
title: Vienna Dioscurides
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Dioscurides
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:51.191481+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: vienna-dioscurides-20260505-0
summary:
In addition to the illustrations of the text, the manuscript contains several frontispieces in the form of a series of full-page miniatures. Of special note is the dedication miniature portrait of Anicia Juliana on folio 6 verso. The manuscript was presented to Anicia out of gratitude for her funding the construction of a church in the suburbs of Constantinople. This portrait is the oldest extant dedication portrait. The portrait has Anicia seated in a ceremonial pose distributing alms. She is flanked by personifications of Megalopsychia (magnanimity) and Phronesis (prudence). At her feet, another personification, labeled "Gratitude of the Arts", kneels. A putto holds a dedication copy up to Anicia. Anicia and her attendants are enclosed within an eight-point star within a circle all formed of intertwined rope. Within the outer spandrels of the star are putti, done in grisaille, working as masons and carpenters. This miniature is an altogether original creation and, with the inclusion of the personifications and the putti, shows the endurance of the classical tradition in Constantinople, despite the fact that Anicia herself was a pious Christian.The series of frontispieces in the manuscript begins with two full-page miniatures, each having a group of seven noted pharmacologists. In


id: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle-0.md
category: reference
title: The Voyage of the Beagle
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:52.406583+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-0
summary:
The Voyage of the Beagle, originally published as Journal and Remarks, is an 1839 book written by Charles Darwin, covering his research and activities during the second survey expedition of the ship HMS Beagle, bringing him considerable fame and respect. This was the third volume of The Narrative of the Voyages of H.M. Ships Adventure and Beagle, the other volumes of which were written or edited by the commanders of the ships. Due to the popularity of Darwin's account, the publisher reissued it later in 1839 as Darwin's Journal of Researches, and the revised second edition published in 1845 also used this title. A republication of the book in 1905 introduced the title The Voyage of the Beagle, by which it is now best known. Beagle sailed from Plymouth Sound on 27 December 1831 under the command of Captain Robert FitzRoy. While the expedition was originally planned to last two years, it lasted almost five—Beagle did not return until 2 October 1836. Darwin spent most of this time exploring on land (three years and three months on land; 18 months at sea). The book is a vivid travel memoir as well as a detailed scientific field journal covering biology, geology,


id: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle-1.md
category: reference
title: The Voyage of the Beagle
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:52.406583+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-0
summary:
=== Darwin's diary / journal === On board the ship, Darwin began a day-to-day record of activities in the form of a diary, which he commonly called "my Journal". Darwin wrote entries, in ink, while on the ship or when staying for a period in a house on shore. When travelling on land, he left the manuscript on the ship, and made pencil notes in pocket books to record details of his excursions along with his field notes on geology and natural history. He then wrote up his diary entries from these notes or from memory, sometimes several weeks after the event. Pages 1 and 2, dated 16 December 1831, outline events from Darwin arriving home on 29 August to his arrival at Devonport on 24 October. From page 3 onwards he adopts a consistent layout, with month, the year and place in a heading at the top, page number in a top corner, and the day of the month in the margin at each entry. After delays and false starts due to weather, they set off on 27 December. Darwin suffered seasickness, and his entry for that date starts "I am now on the 5th of Jan.y writing the


id: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle-2.md
category: reference
title: The Voyage of the Beagle
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:52.406583+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-0
summary:
=== Journal and remarks === Soon after Darwin's return, he was at a party hosted by Fanny and Hensleigh Wedgwood for their relatives on 4 December 1836. They agreed to review his journal. The physician and travel writer Henry Holland looked at some pages and "thought that it would not be worth while to publish it alone, as it would be partly going over the same ground with the Captain", leaving Darwin "more perplexed" but "becoming rather inclined to the plan of mixing up long passages with Capt Fitzroy." He would "go on with the geology and let the journal take care of itself", but Emma Wedgwood did not think Holland "any judge as to what is amusing or interesting", and like Catherine thought it should be published by itself, not "mixed up with Capt. FitzRoy's". Fanny and Hensleigh found the "Journal so interesting, that it is quite difficult to stop to criticize". Though "not in general a good reader of travels", he "found no part of yours tedious." They had "read a great deal of it aloud too" as a more severe test, and concluded it had "more variety and a greater number of interesting portions" than other travel


id: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle-3.md
category: reference
title: The Voyage of the Beagle
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:52.406583+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-0
summary:
The second edition of 1845 incorporated extensive revisions made in the light of interpretation of the field collections and developing ideas on evolution. This edition was commissioned by the publisher John Murray, who actually paid Darwin a fee of £150 for the copyright. The full title was modified to Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world. In the first edition, Darwin remarks in regard to the similarity of Galápagos wildlife to that on the South American continent, "The circumstance would be explained, according to the views of some authors, by saying that the creative power had acted according to the same law over a wide area". (This was written in a reference to Charles Lyell's ideas of "centres of creation".) Darwin notes the gradations in size of the beaks of species of finches, suspects that species "are confined to different islands", "But there is not space in this work, to enter into this curious subject." Later editions hint at his new ideas on evolution: Considering the small size of these islands, we feel the more astonished at the number of their aboriginal beings, and at


id: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-4
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle-4.md
category: reference
title: The Voyage of the Beagle
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:52.406583+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-voyage-of-the-beagle-20260505-0
summary:
== Sources == Darwin, Charles (June 1960), "Darwin as a Traveller", The Geographical Journal, 126 (2): 129–136, Bibcode:1960GeogJ.126..129D, doi:10.2307/1793952, JSTOR 1793952 Retrieved on 15 December 2006 Browne, E. Janet (1995), Charles Darwin: vol. 1 Voyaging, London: Jonathan Cape, ISBN 1-84413-314-1{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) Browne, E. Janet (2002), Charles Darwin: vol. 2 The Power of Place, London: Jonathan Cape, ISBN 0-7126-6837-3{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) Darwin, Charles (1835), Extracts from letters to Professor Henslow. Cambridge, [printed by the Cambridge University Press for private distribution] Retrieved on 30 April 2007 Darwin, Charles (1887), Darwin, F (ed.), The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter., London: John Murray{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) (The Autobiography of Charles Darwin) Retrieved on 15 December 2006 Darwin, Charles (1958), Barlow, N (ed.), The autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809–1882. With the original omissions restored. Edited and with appendix and notes by his grand-daughter Nora Barlow., London: Collins{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) (The Autobiography of Charles Darwin) Retrieved on 15 December 2006 Desmond, Adrian; Moore, James (1991), Darwin, London: Michael Joseph, Penguin Group, ISBN 0-7181-3430-3 Freeman, R. B. (1977), The Works of Charles Darwin: An Annotated Bibliographical Handlist (Second ed.), Cannon


id: what-mad-pursuit-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Mad_Pursuit-0.md
category: reference
title: What Mad Pursuit
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Mad_Pursuit
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:54.697243+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: what-mad-pursuit-20260505-0
summary:
What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery is a book published in 1988 and written by Francis Crick, the English co-discoverer in 1953 of the structure of DNA. In the book, Crick gives important insights into his work on the DNA structure, along with the central dogma of molecular biology and the genetic code, and his later work on neuroscience. == Description == The main purpose of Crick's book is to describe some of his experiences before and during the "classical period" of molecular biology from the 1953 discovery of the DNA double helix to the 1966 elucidation of the genetic code. There is a prologue outlining Crick's upbringing, education, and war work on magnetic and acoustic mines, and following World War II his decision on what branch of science to study, using the "gossip test". (Your interests are revealed by your gossip.) There is also an epilogue that outlines Crick's work after 1966, his move to the Salk Institute with his career transition to neuroscience concentrating on visual consciousness in primates, and some of his conclusions regarding research in theoretical biology, especially with regard to the brain sciences. Crick comments on various aspects of the DNA double


id: where-do-camels-belong-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Do_Camels_Belong-0.md
category: reference
title: Where Do Camels Belong?
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Do_Camels_Belong?
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:55.886547+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: where-do-camels-belong-20260505-0
summary:
Where Do Camels Belong? is a book by biologist Ken Thompson. The book examines the science and history of invasive species. The book describes itself as "an examination of the whole question of native and alien species, and what might be called an alien invasions industry—and its implications". The title of the book is in reference to a question posed on its first page, questioning the reader as to "where camels belong?" as a native species; while pointing out that whilst most associated with the Middle East, camels actually first evolved in North America, are most diverse in South America, and have their only truly wild extant population in Australia. == References ==


id: why-is-sex-fun-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Is_Sex_Fun-0.md
category: reference
title: Why Is Sex Fun?
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Is_Sex_Fun?
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:57.090689+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: why-is-sex-fun-20260505-0
summary:
Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality is a 1997 book about the evolution of human sexuality by the biologist Jared Diamond. == Introduction == Why is sex fun? This question has intrigued scientists for years. Sexual pleasure isn't just about biology—it's also a big part of human relationships and culture. While sex originally evolved for reproduction, in humans it serves other purposes like bonding, emotional connection, and even stress relief. In this article, we'll look at biological, psychological, and cultural reasons why sex is enjoyable, using ideas from Jared Diamond's book Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality. == Concealed Ovulation and Recreational Sex == One unique feature of human sexuality is concealed ovulation. Unlike many animals, women do not show obvious signs of fertility. This means sex can happen anytime during the menstrual cycle, not just when a woman is fertile. Diamond offers two main theories for why this evolved: Many-Fathers Theory: Women had sex with multiple men to confuse paternity, which reduced the risk of infanticide. Daddy-at-Home Theory: Frequent sex encouraged men to stick around, provide resources, and protect their children. These ideas help explain why sex became recreational and pleasurable instead of


id: why-zebras-don-t-get-ulcers-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Zebras_Don't_Get_Ulcers-0.md
category: reference
title: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Zebras_Don't_Get_Ulcers
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:58.244182+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: why-zebras-don-t-get-ulcers-20260505-0
summary:
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers is a 1994 (2nd ed. 1998, 3rd ed. 2004) book by Stanford University biologist Robert M. Sapolsky. The book includes the subtitle "A Guide to Stress, Stress-related Diseases, and Coping" on the front cover of its third edition. == Background and synopsis == The title derives from Sapolsky's premise that for animals such as zebras, stress is generally episodic (e.g., running away from a lion), while for humans, stress is often chronic (e.g., worrying about losing one's job). Therefore, many wild animals are less susceptible than humans to chronic stress-related disorders such as ulcers, hypertension, decreased neurogenesis and increased hippocampal neuronal atrophy. However, chronic stress occurs in some social primates (Sapolsky studies baboons) for individuals on the lower side of the social dominance hierarchy. Sapolsky focuses on the effects of glucocorticoids on the human body, arguing that such hormones may be useful to animals in the wild escaping their predators, (see fight-or-flight response) but the effects on humans, when secreted at high quantities or over long periods of time, are much less desirable. Sapolsky relates the history of endocrinology, how the field reacted at times of discovery, and how it has changed through the years.


id: wider-than-the-sky-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wider_than_the_Sky-0.md
category: reference
title: Wider than the Sky
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wider_than_the_Sky
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:31:59.407766+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: wider-than-the-sky-20260505-0
summary:
Wider than the Sky: The Phenomenal Gift of Consciousness is an English-language book on neuroscience by the neuroscientist Gerald M. Edelman. Yale University Press published the book in 2004. The book includes a glossary, a bibliographic note, and an index. The title alludes to an English-language poem written by Emily Dickinson in about 1862. In that poem, Dickinson describes the brain as "wider than the sky", "deeper than the sea", and "just the weight of God". In the preface, Edelman describes, as follows, the purpose of the book: A scientific analysis of consciousness must answer the question: How can the firings of neurons give rise to subjective sensations, thoughts, and emotions? To some, the two domains are so disparate as to be irreconcilable. A scientific explanation must provide a causal account of the connection between these domains so that properties in one domain may be understood in terms of events in the other. This is the task I have set myself in this small book. The book's content is similar to the 2000 book Edelman co-authored: A Universe of Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination. Both books put forward the theory of neuronal group selection, also known as neural Darwinism. Both


id: wormbook-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WormBook-0.md
category: reference
title: WormBook
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WormBook
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:00.588160+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: wormbook-20260505-0
summary:
WormBook is an open access, comprehensive collection of original, peer-reviewed chapters covering topics related to the biology of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). WormBook also includes WormMethods, an up-to-date collection of methods and protocols for C. elegans researchers. WormBook is the online text companion to WormBase, the C. elegans model organism database. Capitalizing on the World Wide Web, WormBook links in-text references (e.g. genes, alleles, proteins, literature citations) with primary biological databases such as WormBase and PubMed. C. elegans was the first multicellular organism to have its genome sequenced and is a model organism for studying developmental genetics and neurobiology. == Contents == The content of WormBook is categorized into the sections listed below, each filled with a variety of relevant chapters. These sections include: Genetics and genomics Molecular biology Biochemistry Cell Biology Signal transduction Developmental biology Post-embryonic development Sex-determination systems The germ line Neurobiology and behavior Evolution and ecology Disease models and drug discovery WormMethods == References ==


id: bully-for-brontosaurus-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bully_for_Brontosaurus-0.md
category: reference
title: Bully for Brontosaurus
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bully_for_Brontosaurus
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:02.081985+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: bully-for-brontosaurus-20260505-0
summary:
Bully for Brontosaurus (1991) is the fifth volume of collected essays by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. The essays were culled from his monthly column "This View of Life" in Natural History magazine, to which Gould contributed for 27 years. The book deals, in typically discursive fashion, with themes familiar to Gould's writing: evolution and its teaching, science biography, and probabilities. The title essay, "Bully for Brontosaurus", discusses the theory and history of taxonomy by examining the debate over whether Brontosaurus should be labelled Apatosaurus. In "Justice Scalia's Misunderstanding", Gould dissects and decisively rejects Antonin Scalia's dissent in the United States Supreme Court case Edwards v. Aguillard that overturned the last creationist statute in the country. Gould claimed his favourite essay to be "In a Jumbled Drawer" which discusses the debate between Nathaniel Shaler and William James over whether the improbability of our having evolved necessitates divine intervention (Gould, like James, argues no); the essay includes a letter from former President Jimmy Carter as a postscript, which discusses the issue. The essay "Male Nipples and Clitoral Ripples" dealt with the issue of adaptive arguments. It derives from some work by Elisabeth Lloyd, whose subsequent 2005 book was dedicated to


id: dinosaur-in-a-haystack-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_in_a_Haystack-0.md
category: reference
title: Dinosaur in a Haystack
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_in_a_Haystack
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:03.336326+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dinosaur-in-a-haystack-20260505-0
summary:
Dinosaur in a Haystack (1995) is the seventh volume of collected essays by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. It collects essays culled from Gould's monthly column "The View of Life" published in Natural History magazine, which Gould contributed for 27 years. The book deals with themes familiar to Gould's writing: evolution, science biography, probabilities, and strange oddities found in nature. His essay "Poe's Greatest Hit" analyzes the controversial conchology textbook The Conchologist's First Book (1839), edited by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe's volume on natural history sold out within two months, and was his only book republished during his lifetime. Essay "Dinomania" is a review of Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park and Steven Spielberg's blockbuster film of the same name. == Reception == The book received favorable reviews in Publishers Weekly and The New York Times. == References == == External links == Up Against the Wall - by Steve Jones Essay Summaries - by Lawrence N. Goeller Dinosaur in a Haystack Review - by Danny Yee Book review by Kathryn Denning Two Cultures - by Howard A. Doughty, Innovation Journal Dinosaur in a Haystack Hooking Leviathan by Its Past Dinomania Cordelia's Dilemma Of Tongue Worms, Velvet Worms, and Water


id: eight-little-piggies-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Little_Piggies-0.md
category: reference
title: Eight Little Piggies
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Little_Piggies
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:04.512301+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: eight-little-piggies-20260505-0
summary:
Eight Little Piggies (1993) is the sixth volume of collected essays by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. The essays were selected from his monthly column "The View of Life" in Natural History magazine, to which Gould contributed for 27 years. The book covers topics that are common to Gould's writing in a discursive manner, including evolution and its teaching, science biography, probabilities, and common sense. The title essay, "Eight Little Piggies", is a thought piece on the prevalence of five digits on hands and feet throughout the animal kingdom. It also explores concepts such as archetypes and polydactyly via the anatomy of early tetrapods. Other essays discuss themes such as the scale of extinction, vertebrate anatomy, grand patterns of evolution, and human nature. == References == == External links == The Snail Wars - by Derek Bickerton, The New York Times Book review - by Howard A. Doughty, College Quarterly Book review - John Farrell, National Review Book review - Edward Kay, Eye Weekly W. W. Norton promotional page Google Books - contains book excerpts and jacket description


id: ever-since-darwin-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_Since_Darwin-0.md
category: reference
title: Ever Since Darwin
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_Since_Darwin
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:05.662577+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: ever-since-darwin-20260505-0
summary:
Ever Since Darwin is a 1977 book by the paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. Gould's first book of collected essays, it originated from his monthly column "This View of Life," published in Natural History magazine. Edwin Barber—who was then the editorial director for W. W. Norton & Company— encouraged Gould to produce a book. He soon commissioned Gould to write The Mismeasure of Man, but it was not until three years later, when Gould accumulated 33 columns, that it occurred to either of them that the Natural History columns should be published in a single volume. The collection of essays, written between 1973–1977, became a best-seller and propelled Gould to national prominence. == Reviews == James Gorman, "The History of a Theory", The New York Times, 20 November 1977. Richard Dawkins, "Rejoicing in Multifarious Nature. Review of Ever Since Darwin by S. J. Gould", reprinted in The Devil's Chaplain: Selected Essays, Phoenix, 2003 (ISBN 978-0-7538-1750-6). == External links == W.W.Norton Promotional page == References ==


id: the-flamingo-s-smile-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flamingo's_Smile-0.md
category: reference
title: The Flamingo's Smile
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flamingo's_Smile
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:06.828166+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-flamingo-s-smile-20260505-0
summary:
The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History, published in 1985, is the fourth volume of collected essays from evolutionary biologist and well-known science writer Stephen Jay Gould. The essays were culled from his monthly column The View of Life in Natural History magazine, to which Gould contributed for more than two decades. The book deals, in typically discursive fashion, with themes familiar to Gould's writing: evolution and its teaching, science biography, probabilities and common sense. The title essay, "The Flamingo's Smile", discusses changes in morphology arising as a consequence of behavior, as illustrated by the beak and tongue of the flamingo. Topics discussed in other essays include SETI, the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Omphalos hypothesis, and the importance of taxonomy. == References == == External links == Quammen, David (22 September 1985). "Evolution and the .400 Hitter". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2012.


id: full-house-the-spread-of-excellence-from-plato-to-darwin-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_House:_The_Spread_of_Excellence_from_Plato_to_Darwin-0.md
category: reference
title: Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_House:_The_Spread_of_Excellence_from_Plato_to_Darwin
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:07.995496+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: full-house-the-spread-of-excellence-from-plato-to-darwin-20260505-0
summary:
Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin is a 1996 book by evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould. It was released in the United Kingdom as Life's Grandeur, with the same subtitle and with an additional eight-page introduction entitled "A Baseball Primer for British Readers". == Summary == Full House aims to explain to the general reader how misconceptions about statistics can lead people to misunderstand the role variation plays in driving trends in complex systems. One misconception people often have is focusing too narrowly on averages or extreme values rather than the full spectrum of variation in the entire system (what Gould calls the "full house" of variation). The book focuses on two main examples of this misconception: the disappearance of the 0.400 batting average in baseball, and the perceived tendency of evolution towards "progress" making organisms more complex and sophisticated. In the first example, Gould explains that the decline of the top batting average does not imply that there has been a decline in the skill of baseball players. Quite the contrary: he shows that all that has happened is that the variance of the batting average decreased as professional baseball got better and better, while


id: the-hedgehog-the-fox-and-the-magister-s-pox-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog,_the_Fox,_and_the_Magister's_Pox-0.md
category: reference
title: The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister's Pox
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog,_the_Fox,_and_the_Magister's_Pox
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:09.168207+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-hedgehog-the-fox-and-the-magister-s-pox-20260505-0
summary:
The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister's Pox is a posthumous volume by Stephen Jay Gould released in 2003 exploring the historically complex relationship between the sciences and the humanities in a scholarly discourse. Employing the Greek proverb about the crafty cunning fox that devises many strategies versus the persistent hedgehog who knows one effective strategy, Gould offers a study of the division between the two ways of knowing, attempting to debunk the commonly assumed inextricable conflict between science and the arts as the two falsely opposed realms of the pursuit of knowledge.


id: the-hedgehog-the-fox-and-the-magister-s-pox-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog,_the_Fox,_and_the_Magister's_Pox-1.md
category: reference
title: The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister's Pox
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog,_the_Fox,_and_the_Magister's_Pox
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:09.168207+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-hedgehog-the-fox-and-the-magister-s-pox-20260505-0
summary:
== Four historical periods == Gould prefers to focus on the commonalities between the humanities and the sciences, such as creative thinking and the psychology of transcendence and discovery. He discusses four historic periods in which the supposed Science wars have been characterized falsely. In each case, the strategy for either side has been to portray centrist members of the opposing camp with radical minority views of extremist strawmen, so as to easily defeat these misrepresentations of otherwise-rational mainstream arguments. He stresses the dangers of presenting cut and dried dichotomies, such as good vs. bad or spirit vs. matter, or focusing on polar positions within continuous ranges of actions, methods, discourse and beliefs. The first period is represented by the leaders of the Scientific Revolution in the seventeenth century, the vast majority of whom had sincere religious convictions. Atheism was extremely rare among these scholars. In the Renaissance, which preceded the period under consideration, scholars focused on the recovery of lost knowledge with an associated reverence for the Ancients. Renaissance compendiums of knowledge did not necessarily discriminate between truth and fiction. Both were domains of human opinion and thought regarded as noteworthy, especially when associated with authoritative classical sources, and


id: the-hedgehog-the-fox-and-the-magister-s-pox-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog,_the_Fox,_and_the_Magister's_Pox-2.md
category: reference
title: The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister's Pox
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog,_the_Fox,_and_the_Magister's_Pox
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:09.168207+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-hedgehog-the-fox-and-the-magister-s-pox-20260505-0
summary:
He also argued that most social critics and historians of science that he was aware of were not pure relativists, and agreed that there is an external reality that may be scientifically modeled with associated benefits of acquired knowledge and applications.


id: the-hedgehog-the-fox-and-the-magister-s-pox-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog,_the_Fox,_and_the_Magister's_Pox-3.md
category: reference
title: The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister's Pox
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog,_the_Fox,_and_the_Magister's_Pox
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:09.168207+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-hedgehog-the-fox-and-the-magister-s-pox-20260505-0
summary:
== Analysis of Consilience: The Unity Of Knowledge == Gould includes an analysis of E. O. Wilson's book Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge within the larger scope of his recommendations for a confederation of the physical sciences and humanities. He also provides an exegesis of texts participating in the development of the word consilience within a larger historical context of the concept's inception by Reverend William Whewell, who also is said to have coined the term scientist to refer to Mary Somerville in an anonymous 1834 review of her publication in the Quarterly Review, titled On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences. Gould proclaims William Whewell to be "the first modernist with joint command of both history and philosophy in the analysis of science" (Whewell being best known for his 1837 History of the Inductive Sciences and for his 1840 The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded Upon Their History.). Gould also reminds the reader that he revived Whewell's concept of consilience in print, prior to Wilson. Gould reproves Wilson's program of reductionism by utilizing two main arguments based upon the emergence and contingency or randomness found in some complex, nonlinear or non-additive systems. He indicates that there exist new


id: i-have-landed-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_Landed-0.md
category: reference
title: I Have Landed
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_Landed
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:11.495790+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: i-have-landed-20260505-0
summary:
I Have Landed (2002) is the 10th and final volume of collected essays by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. The essays were culled from his monthly column "This View of Life" in Natural History magazine, to which Gould contributed for 27 years. The book deals, in typically discursive fashion, with themes familiar to Gould's writing: evolution and its teaching, science biography, probabilities and common sense. The series of consecutive essays began in 1974, ending in January 2001 with the title essay "I have landed." The title refers to the very first words his grandfather Papa Joe wrote as he arrived on Ellis Island, New York as a newly arrived Hungarian immigrant, September 11, 1901. In I Have Landed, Gould examines Isabelle Duncan's writings in 1860, in which she tried to reconcile the Biblical creation story and geography. He also provides an analysis of Johann Friedrich Blumenbach's classification of humans into five races. == References == == External links == A Grand Finale - by Robin McKie, The Observer. Review of I Have Landed Book review - by Jim Walker


id: leonardo-s-mountain-of-clams-and-the-diet-of-worms-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo's_Mountain_of_Clams_and_the_Diet_of_Worms-0.md
category: reference
title: Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo's_Mountain_of_Clams_and_the_Diet_of_Worms
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:12.674176+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: leonardo-s-mountain-of-clams-and-the-diet-of-worms-20260505-0
summary:
Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms (1998) is the eighth volume of collected essays by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. This collection focuses on what Gould calls "humanistic natural history". The essays were culled from his monthly column "The View of Life" in Natural History magazine, to which Gould contributed for 27 years. The book deals, in typically discursive fashion, with themes familiar to Gould's writing: evolution and its teaching, science biography, probabilities and common sense. == References == == External links == Book Review: by Jacqueline Boone, New York Times The Royal Road of Science: by Bryan Appleyard, Spectator Book review: by Jim Sullivan, Humanist Review by Graham Brack, Renaissance Book Review by Jim Walker Book summary: by Ryan Robinson Profile Page (with introduction) - Unofficial Stephen Jay Gould Archive


id: the-lying-stones-of-marrakech-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lying_Stones_of_Marrakech-0.md
category: reference
title: The Lying Stones of Marrakech
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lying_Stones_of_Marrakech
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:13.894106+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-lying-stones-of-marrakech-20260505-0
summary:
The Lying Stones of Marrakech (2000) is the ninth volume of collected essays by the Harvard paleontologist, Stephen Jay Gould. The essays were culled from his monthly column "The View of Life" in Natural History magazine, to which Gould contributed for nearly 30 years. The book addresses themes familiar to Gould's writing, including evolution and its teaching, science biography, probability, and iconoclasm. == References == == External links == Book review - by Christine Kenneally, The New York Times A Gouldian Valediction, Almost - by Henry Gee, Nature Essay Summaries - by Lawrence N. Goeller Book review - by Jim Walker Book excerpt - Random House Press Profile Page (with introduction) - Unofficial Stephen Jay Gould Archive Video interview about the book - Charlie Rose


id: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man-0.md
category: reference
title: The Mismeasure of Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:15.085525+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-0
summary:
The Mismeasure of Man is a 1981 book by paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. The book is both a history and critique of the statistical methods and cultural motivations underlying biological determinism, the belief that "the social and economic differences between human groups—primarily races, classes, and sexes—arise from inherited, inborn distinctions and that society, in this sense, is an accurate reflection of biology". Gould argues that the primary assumption underlying biological determinism is that "worth can be assigned to individuals and groups by measuring intelligence as a single quantity". Biological determinism is analyzed in discussions of craniometry and psychological testing, the two principal methods used to measure intelligence as a single quantity. According to Gould, these methods possess two deep fallacies. The first fallacy is reification, which is "our tendency to convert abstract concepts into entities". Examples of reification include the intelligence quotient (IQ) and the general intelligence factor (g factor), which have been the cornerstones of much research into human intelligence. The second fallacy is that of "ranking", which is the "propensity for ordering complex variation as a gradual ascending scale". The book received many positive reviews in the literary and popular press, while scientific reception was highly polarized. Positive


id: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man-1.md
category: reference
title: The Mismeasure of Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:15.085525+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-0
summary:
=== IQ, g, statistical correlation, and heritability === As an evolutionary biologist and historian of science, Gould accepted biological variability (the premise of the transmission of intelligence via genetic heredity), but opposed biological determinism, which posits that genes determine a definitive, unalterable social destiny for each man and each woman in life and society. The Mismeasure of Man is an analysis of statistical correlation, the mathematics applied by psychologists to establish the validity of IQ tests, and the heritability of intelligence. For example, to establish the validity of the proposition that IQ is supported by a general intelligence factor (g factor), the answers to several tests of cognitive ability must positively correlate; thus, for the g factor to be a heritable trait, the IQ-test scores of close-relation respondents must correlate more than the IQ-test scores of distant-relation respondents. However, correlation does not imply causation; for example, Gould said that the measures of the changes, over time, in "my age, the population of México, the price of Swiss cheese, my pet turtle's weight, and the average distance between galaxies" have a high, positive correlation—yet that correlation does not indicate that Gould's age increased because the Mexican population increased. More specifically, a


id: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man-2.md
category: reference
title: The Mismeasure of Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:15.085525+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-0
summary:
=== Praise === Gould claimed the majority of reviews of The Mismeasure of Man were positive. Gould's colleague Richard Lewontin, a celebrated evolutionary biologist who held positions at both the University of Chicago and Harvard, wrote a glowing review of Gould's book in The New York Review of Books, endorsing most aspects of its account, and suggesting that it might have been even more critical of the racist intentions of the scientists he discusses, because scientists "sometimes tell deliberate lies because they believe that small lies can serve big truths." Gould said that the most positive review of the first edition to be written by a psychologist was in the British Journal of Mathematical & Statistical Psychology, which reported that "Gould has performed a valuable service in exposing the logical basis of one of the most important debates in the social sciences, and this book should be required reading for students and practitioners alike." In The New York Times, journalist Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote that the critique of factor analysis "demonstrates persuasively how factor analysis led to the cardinal error in reasoning, of confusing correlation with cause, or, to put it another way, of attributing false concreteness to the abstract". The


id: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man-3.md
category: reference
title: The Mismeasure of Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:15.085525+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-0
summary:
=== Criticism === In a review of The Mismeasure of Man, Bernard Davis, professor of microbiology at Harvard Medical School, said that Gould erected a straw man argument based upon incorrectly defined key terms—specifically reification—which Gould furthered with a "highly selective" presentation of statistical data, all motivated more by politics than by science. Davis said that Philip Morrison's laudatory book review of The Mismeasure of Man in Scientific American was written and published because the editors of the journal had "long seen the study of the genetics of intelligence as a threat to social justice". Davis also criticized the popular-press and the literary-journal book reviews of The Mismeasure of Man as generally approbatory; whereas, he said that most scientific-journal book reviews were generally critical. Davis accused Gould of having misrepresented a study by Henry H. Goddard (1866–1957) about the intelligence of Jewish, Hungarian, Italian, and Russian immigrants to the U.S., wherein Gould reported Goddard's qualifying those people as "feeble-minded"; whereas, in the initial sentence of the study, Goddard said the study subjects were atypical members of their ethnic groups, who had been selected because of their suspected sub-normal intelligence. Davis also argued that Goddard had proposed that the low IQs


id: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-4
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man-4.md
category: reference
title: The Mismeasure of Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mismeasure_of_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:15.085525+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-mismeasure-of-man-20260505-0
summary:
=== Responses to the second edition (1996) === Arthur Jensen and Bernard Davis argued that if the g factor (general intelligence factor) were replaced with a model that tested several types of intelligence, it would change results less than one might expect. Therefore, according to Jensen and Davis, the results of standardized tests of cognitive ability would continue to correlate with the results of other such standardized tests, and that the intellectual achievement gap between black and white people would remain. James R. Flynn, a researcher critical of racial theories of intelligence, repeated the arguments of Arthur Jensen about the second edition of The Mismeasure of Man. Flynn wrote that "Gould's book evades all of Jensen's best arguments for a genetic component in the black–white IQ gap, by positing that they are dependent on the concept of g as a general intelligence factor. Therefore, Gould believes that if he can discredit g no more need be said. This is manifestly false. Jensen's arguments would bite no matter whether blacks suffered from a score deficit on one or ten or one hundred factors." Rather than defending Jensen and Rushton, however, Flynn concluded that the Flynn Effect, a nongenetic rise in IQ


id: ontogeny-and-phylogeny-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontogeny_and_Phylogeny-0.md
category: reference
title: Ontogeny and Phylogeny
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontogeny_and_Phylogeny
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:16.301562+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: ontogeny-and-phylogeny-20260505-0
summary:
Ontogeny and Phylogeny is a 1977 book on evolution by Stephen Jay Gould, in which he explores the relationship between embryonic development (ontogeny) and biological evolution (phylogeny). Unlike his many popular books of essays, it was a technical book, and over the following decades it was influential in stimulating research into heterochrony (changes in the timing of embryonic development), which had been neglected since Ernst Haeckel's theory that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny had been largely discredited. This helped to create the field of evolutionary developmental biology. == Context == Ontogeny and Phylogeny is Stephen Jay Gould's first technical book. He wrote that Ernst Mayr had suggested in passing that he write a book on development. Gould stated he "only began it as a practice run to learn the style of lengthy exposition before embarking on my magnum opus about macroevolution." This later work was published in 2002 as The Structure of Evolutionary Theory. == Book == === Publication === The book was published in 1977 by the Belknap Press of the Harvard University Press. === Summary === The first half of the book explores Ernst Haeckel's biogenetic law (recapitulation)—the discredited idea that embryonic developmental stages replay the evolutionary transitions of adult


id: ontogeny-and-phylogeny-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontogeny_and_Phylogeny-1.md
category: reference
title: Ontogeny and Phylogeny
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontogeny_and_Phylogeny
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:16.301562+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: ontogeny-and-phylogeny-20260505-0
summary:
The anthropologist C. Loring Brace, in American Anthropologist, noted that two years earlier, E. O. Wilson's Sociobiology had with "woeful ignorance" strayed into anthropology, and Wilson's "bright young colleague" Gould had now done the same thing, possibly making trouble for years to come. Gould was "a wonderful writer, literate, erudite, gracefully witty, and gifted with the ability to present difficult material in a straightforward and easily readable fashion." The bulk of the book was fine, though of no interest to anthropologists. But the tenth chapter, "Retardation and Neoteny in Human Evolution", would "mislead a great many people" who would be unable to make an informed judgement about its conclusions. Gould "turns out to be just as much of a teleologist and progressivist as the scholars of previous generations whom he appraises so effectively. He notes that we associate 'cute' features with mammals of higher intelligence, features that show 'the common traits of babyhood: relatively large eyes, short face, smooth features, bulbous cranium. The presence of this complex in advanced adult mammals argues for neoteny' (Gould p. 350)." In Brace's view, "Gould's main thesis founders between the Scylla of mosaic evolution and the Charybdis of Darwinian theory." Brace concluded that Gould


id: the-panda-s-thumb-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Panda's_Thumb_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: The Panda's Thumb (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Panda's_Thumb_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:17.485954+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-panda-s-thumb-book-20260505-0
summary:
The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History (1980) is a collection of 31 essays by the Harvard University paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. It is the second volume culled from his 27-year monthly column "This View of Life" in Natural History magazine. Recurring themes of the essays are evolution and its teaching, science biography, probabilities and common sense. The title essay (of 1978, originally titled "The panda's peculiar thumb") presents the paradox that poor design is a better argument for evolution than good design, as illustrated by the anatomy of the panda's "thumb"—which is not an actual thumb at all, but an extension of the radial sesamoid bone. Topics addressed in other essays include the female brain, the Piltdown Man hoax, Down syndrome, and the relationship between dinosaurs and birds. The Panda's Thumb won the 1981 U.S. National Book Award in Science. == Reviews == Books of the Times - by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times == Notes == == References ==


id: questioning-the-millennium-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questioning_the_Millennium-0.md
category: reference
title: Questioning the Millennium
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questioning_the_Millennium
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:18.626227+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: questioning-the-millennium-20260505-0
summary:
Questioning the Millennium is a 1997 book by the paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould that deals with the definition and calculation of the millennium, and its meaning in Western culture. New York Times reviewer Robert Eisner described it as a "slim and attractive meditation," which touches upon calendrics, Biblical exegesis, millennial cults, and includes "a charming essay on a young autistic man whose amazing ability to calculate instantly which day of the week coincided with any date mentioned over many centuries". Gould reveals that this young man was his autistic son, Jesse. Michiko Kakutani wrote that while not one of Gould's more important books, Questioning the Millennium "beguiles and entertains, even as it teaches us to reconsider our preconceptions about the natural world." Kakutani noted that its subject was much broader than simply the millennium, encompassing the human love for order and regularity. == References == == Multimedia == "Questioning the Millennium" - interview with Gould on Charlie Rose "Questioning the Millenium" - interview with Gould on All Things Considered == External links == Questioning the Millennium - by Stephen Jay Gould "The First Day of the Rest of Our Life" - by Stephen Jay Gould "Redefining the Millennium: From Sacred


id: rocks-of-ages-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocks_of_Ages-0.md
category: reference
title: Rocks of Ages
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocks_of_Ages
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:19.826529+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: rocks-of-ages-20260505-0
summary:
Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life is a 1999 book about the relationship between science and religion by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. First published by Ballantine Books, it was reprinted by Vintage Books. The book is a volume in the series The Library of Contemporary Thought. == Summary == Gould addresses the conflict between secular scientists and religious believers who question or deny scientific theory when it is in discrepancy with religious teachings on the origin and nature of the natural world. Borrowing a term from the Catholic Church, Gould describes science and religion as each comprise a separate magisterium of human understanding. Science defines the natural world, and religion the moral world. If each realm is separate, then according to Gould, they are not in conflict. He calls this the principle of non-overlapping magisteria, abbreviated NOMA. == Reception == The book has been reviewed extensively, and commented on by both sides of the conflict he addresses. == See also == Intelligent design Richard Dawkins Moral Landscape == References == == External links == Rocks of Ages at Ballantine Books website


id: the-structure-of-evolutionary-theory-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Structure_of_Evolutionary_Theory-0.md
category: reference
title: The Structure of Evolutionary Theory
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Structure_of_Evolutionary_Theory
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:21.033766+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-structure-of-evolutionary-theory-20260505-0
summary:
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory (2002) is Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould's technical book on macroevolution and the historical development of evolutionary theory. The book was twenty years in the making, published just two months before Gould's death. Aimed primarily at professionals, the volume is divided into two parts. The first is a historical study of classical evolutionary thought, drawing extensively upon primary documents; the second is a constructive critique of the modern synthesis, and presents a case for an interpretation of biological evolution based largely on hierarchical selection, and the theory of punctuated equilibrium (developed by Niles Eldredge and Gould in 1972). == Summary == According to Gould, classical Darwinism encompasses three essential core commitments: Agency, the unit of selection (which for Charles Darwin was the organism) upon which natural selection acts; efficacy, which encompasses the dominance of natural selection over all other forces—such as genetic drift, and biological constraints—in shaping the historical, ecological, and structural influences on evolution; and scope, the degree to which natural selection can be extrapolated to explain biodiversity at the macroevolutionary level, including the evolution of higher taxonomic groups. Gould described these three propositions as the "tripod" of Darwinian central logic, each being so


id: time-s-arrow-time-s-cycle-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time's_Arrow,_Time's_Cycle-0.md
category: reference
title: Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time's_Arrow,_Time's_Cycle
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:22.239345+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: time-s-arrow-time-s-cycle-20260505-0
summary:
Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle: Myth and Metaphor in the Discovery of Geological Time is a 1987 history of geology by the paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, in which the author offers a historical account of the conceptualization of Deep Time and uniformitarianism using the works of the English theologian Thomas Burnet, and the Scottish geologists James Hutton and Charles Lyell. == Deep Time == Gould ranks the development of the concept "deep time," which involved deliberately rejecting the biblical description of earth's past for nearly incomprehensible eons, with the revolutions associated with Copernicus and Charles Darwin. To illustrate this, Gould picked three major figures in the history of geology, one traditional villain (Thomas Burnet) and two traditional heroes (James Hutton and Charles Lyell). == Flimsy 'cardboard' == Standard textbook accounts of the achievements of these three figures have long provided what Gould describes as a "self-serving mythology." These flimsy "cardboard" accounts vaunt the superiority of empiricism and inductivism over the scientific nemesis of religious bigotry. This legend, as perpetuated by geology textbooks over the last century, claims that geology remained in the service of the Mosaic story of creation so long as armchair geological theorists refused to place fieldwork ahead of


id: time-s-arrow-time-s-cycle-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time's_Arrow,_Time's_Cycle-1.md
category: reference
title: Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time's_Arrow,_Time's_Cycle
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:22.239345+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: time-s-arrow-time-s-cycle-20260505-0
summary:
== Hutton’s endless cycles of deep time == Before James Hutton, most geological theorists had dealt only with processes of decay. The earth was created and its geologic structures just wore down through catastrophic events like weathering and especially the biblical Flood. Hutton introduced the concept of repair into geology and, with it, the notion of deep time. The textbook myths see this as a triumph of science and empiricism over religion, but it was nothing of the kind. Hutton's theory of the earth as a geological clockwork of eroding continents balanced against uplifting ocean basins was not based on field observations but on a priori conceptions inspired jointly by religious considerations and "the most rigid and uncompromising version of time's cycle ever developed by a geologist." Hutton's theory grew out of what may be called "the paradox of the soil." Good soil, the product of the "denudation," or eroding, of rock strata, eventually loses its richness to the plant life it sustains. Were there no geological source for continual new soil then the world would bear the intolerable stamp of an imperfectly designed abode for man's existence. Hutton's homocentric and teleological concept of the world therefore demanded that the


id: time-s-arrow-time-s-cycle-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time's_Arrow,_Time's_Cycle-2.md
category: reference
title: Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time's_Arrow,_Time's_Cycle
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:22.239345+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: time-s-arrow-time-s-cycle-20260505-0
summary:
=== From steady state to progressionism === Nor was Lyell's eventual conversion to evolution a strictly empirical affair. When he finally took this step publicly, in 1868, it was not because he had been persuaded by Darwin's theory of natural selection. In fact, Lyell rejected that theory, accepting only a general evolutionary process without its celebrated Darwinian mechanism. Admitting nonmiraculous progression (that is, evolution) in turn allowed him to preserve three of his four uniformities (uniformity of law, process, and rate) while giving up only uniformity of state. This was as Gould notes, "the most conservative intellectual option available to him." Charles Lyell may have lost the battle over progressionism to Darwinism, but through rhetoric he won a battle against catastrophism, which enabled his hypothesis of the uniformity of rate to become a textbook shibboleth. The catastrophists of Lyell's day, Gould nevertheless maintains, were right all along. The literal fossil evidence of major rapid changes in previous faunas does not need to be interpreted away, as Lyell tried to do by appealing to the imperfection of the geological record. Gould sees supreme irony in the recent hypothesis of the Berkeley scientists Luis and Walter Alvarez that mass extinctions were caused


id: an-urchin-in-the-storm-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Urchin_in_the_Storm-0.md
category: reference
title: An Urchin in the Storm
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Urchin_in_the_Storm
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:23.418361+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: an-urchin-in-the-storm-20260505-0
summary:
An Urchin in the Storm is a 1987 essay collection from paleontologist and science writer Stephen Jay Gould. == Overview == All but one of the essays had originally appeared in The New York Review of Books. Grouped by theme, the sections of the book deal respectively with the irreducibility of history (and the pleasures and challenges of contingency) in its two principal domains of life and the earth, nature's complexity, the theory and consequences of biological determinism, and rationalism in explanation. The book is dedicated to Peter Medawar and Isaiah Berlin. It was reviewed in The New York Times by Michiko Kakutani, who noted that although the pieces were technically book reviews, Gould "tends to use the subject at hand as a jumping-off point for more general discussions". == References ==


id: wonderful-life-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderful_Life_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: Wonderful Life (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderful_Life_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:24.616556+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: wonderful-life-book-20260505-0
summary:
Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History is a 1989 book on the evolution of Cambrian fauna by Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. The volume made The New York Times Best Seller list, was the 1991 winner of the Royal Society's Rhone-Poulenc Prize and the American Historical Association's Forkosch Award, and was a 1991 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Pulitzer juror Joyce Carol Oates later revealed the non-fiction jury had unanimously recommended the book for the prize, but the selection was rejected by the Pulitzer board. Gould described his later book Full House (1996) as a companion volume to Wonderful Life. == Summary == Gould's thesis in Wonderful Life was that contingency plays a major role in the evolutionary history of life. He based his argument on the extraordinarily well preserved fossils of the Burgess Shale, a rich fossil-bearing deposit in Canada's Rocky Mountains, dating 505 million years ago. Gould argues that during this period just after the Cambrian explosion there was a greater disparity of anatomical body plans (phyla) than exist today. However most of these phyla left no modern descendants. All of the Burgess animals, Gould argues, were exquisitely adapted to their environment, and there


id: the-50-most-extreme-places-in-our-solar-system-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_50_Most_Extreme_Places_in_Our_Solar_System-0.md
category: reference
title: The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_50_Most_Extreme_Places_in_Our_Solar_System
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:27.363954+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-50-most-extreme-places-in-our-solar-system-20260505-0
summary:
The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System is a science book by David Baker, professor of physics at Austin College and Todd Ratcliff, a planetary geophysicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The book explores the most extreme environments found across the Solar System, from the tallest peaks and deepest valleys to the hottest and coldest places. It was published to provide insights into the diverse conditions present within the Solar System and to highlight the extremes that can exist on other planets and moons. == Content Detail == The book is divided into several chapters, each detailing a specific "extreme" location within the Solar System. These locations are selected based on their unique physical characteristics and their scientific interest. The authors utilize data and images from various space missions and telescopes to illustrate the conditions of these extreme sites. Each chapter explains the formation, discovery, and importance of these locations in the broader context of planetary science and astronomy. Valles Marineris on Mars: The largest canyon in the Solar System, Valles Marineris stretches over 4,000 km long and reaches depths of up to 7 km. The authors explore its geological formation and discuss its comparison to Earth’s Grand


id: accessory-to-war-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_to_War-0.md
category: reference
title: Accessory to War
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_to_War
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:28.533234+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: accessory-to-war-20260505-0
summary:
Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military is the fifteenth book by American astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson which he co-wrote with researcher and writer Avis Lang. It was released on September 11, 2018 by W. W. Norton & Company. The book chronicles war and the use of space as a weapon going as far back as before the Ancient Greeks, and includes examples such as Christopher Columbus' use of his knowledge of a lunar eclipse and the use of satellite intelligence by the United States during the Gulf War. While speaking on the book, Tyson told National Geographic that he regards the collaboration between science and the military as a "two-way street." Marcelo Gleiser wrote that the book "rings like a wake-up call, even if an uncomfortable one." == References == == Further reading == The long entanglement of war and astrophysics - Sharon Weinberger, nature.com Neil deGrasse Tyson on ‘Accessory to War’ and the ‘moon situation’ - Brian McElhiney, stripes.com Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Surprising Alliance Between Astrophysicists and the Military - John Ismay, The New York Times


id: alien-oceans-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Oceans-0.md
category: reference
title: Alien Oceans
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Oceans
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:29.704749+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: alien-oceans-20260505-0
summary:
Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space is a 2020 non-fiction book by American writer and scientist Kevin Peter Hand. The book explores the possibility of life on planets and moons with subsurface oceans, and argues that the common understanding of the habitable zone should include natural satellites around gas giants. Satellites discussed in the book include Europa, Enceladus, Titan, and Ganymede. Hand wrote the book to make the scientific information it discusses readily accessible to the public. == References ==


id: almagest-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagest-0.md
category: reference
title: Almagest
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagest
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:30.906530+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: almagest-20260505-0
summary:
The Almagest ( AL-mə-jest) is a 2nd-century mathematical and astronomical treatise on the apparent motions of the stars and planetary paths, written by Claudius Ptolemy (c. AD 100 – c. 170) in Koine Greek. One of the most influential scientific texts in history, it canonized a geocentric model of the Universe that was accepted for more than 1,200 years from its origin in ancient Greece, through to the medieval Byzantine and Islamic worlds, and in Western Europe through the Middle Ages and early Renaissance until the Scientific Revolution. It is also a key source of information about ancient Greek astronomy. Ptolemy set up a public inscription at Canopus, Egypt, in 147 or 148. Norman T. Hamilton found that the version of Ptolemy's models set out in the Canopic Inscription was earlier than the version in the Almagest. Hence the Almagest could not have been completed before about 150, a quarter-century after Ptolemy began observing. == Names == The name comes from Arabic اَلْمَجِسْطِيّ al-majisṭī, with اَلـ al- meaning 'the' and majisṭī being a corruption of Greek μεγίστη megístē 'greatest'. The Arabic name was popularized by a Latin translation known as Almagestum made in the 12th century from an Arabic translation,


id: almagest-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagest-1.md
category: reference
title: Almagest
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagest
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:30.906530+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: almagest-20260505-0
summary:
The layout of the catalogue has always been tabular. Ptolemy writes explicitly that the coordinates are given as (ecliptical) "longitudes" and "latitudes", which are given in columns, so this has probably always been the case. It is significant that Ptolemy chooses the ecliptical coordinate system because of his knowledge of precession, which distinguishes him from all his predecessors. Hipparchus' celestial globe had an ecliptic drawn in, but the coordinates were equatorial. Since Hipparchus' star catalogue has not survived in its original form, but was absorbed into the Almagest star catalogue (and heavily revised in the 265 years in between), the Almagest star catalogue is the oldest one in which complete tables of coordinates and magnitudes have come down to us. As mentioned, Ptolemy includes a star catalog containing 1022 stars. He says that he "observed as many stars as it was possible to perceive, even to the sixth magnitude". The ecliptic longitudes are given in terms of a zodiac sign and a number of degrees and fractions of a degree. The zodiac signs each represent exactly 30°, starting with Aries representing longitude 0° to 30°. The degrees are added to the lower limit of the 30-degree range to obtain the


id: almagest-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagest-2.md
category: reference
title: Almagest
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagest
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:30.906530+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: almagest-20260505-0
summary:
==== Constellations in the star catalogue ==== The star catalogue contains 48 constellations, which have different surface areas and numbers of stars. In Book VIII, Chapter 3, Ptolemy writes that the constellations should be outlined on a globe, but it is unclear exactly how he means this: should surrounding polygons be drawn or should the figures be sketched or even line figures be drawn? This is not stated. Although no line figures have survived from antiquity, the figures can be reconstructed on the basis of the descriptions in the star catalogue: The exact celestial coordinates of the figures' heads, feet, arms, wings and other body parts are recorded. It is therefore possible to draw the stick figures in the modern sense so that they fit the description in the Almagest. These constellations form the basis for the modern constellations that were formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922, with official boundaries that were agreed in 1928. Of the stars in the catalogue, 108 (just over 10%) were classified by Ptolemy as 'unformed', by which he meant lying outside the recognized constellation figures. These were later absorbed into their surrounding constellations or in some cases used to form new


id: almagest-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagest-3.md
category: reference
title: Almagest
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagest
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:30.906530+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: almagest-20260505-0
summary:
== Modern assessment == Under the scrutiny of modern scholarship, and the cross-checking of observations contained in the Almagest against figures produced through backwards extrapolation, various patterns of errors have emerged within the work. A prominent example is Ptolemy's use of measurements said to have been taken at noon, but which systematically produce readings that are off by half an hour, as if the observations were taken at 12:30pm. However, an explanation for this error was found in 1969. The overall quality of Claudius Ptolemy's scholarship and place as "one of the most outstanding scientists of antiquity" has been challenged by several modern writers, most prominently by Robert R. Newton in the 1977 book The Crime of Claudius Ptolemy, which asserted that the scholar fabricated his observations to fit his theories. Newton accused Ptolemy of systematically inventing data or doctoring the data of earlier astronomers, and labelled him "the most successful fraud in the history of science". One striking error noted by Newton was an autumn equinox said to have been observed by Ptolemy and "measured with the greatest care" at 2pm on 25 September 132, when the equinox should have been observed at 9:54am the day prior. Herbert Lewis,


id: aryabhatiya-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryabhatiya-0.md
category: reference
title: Aryabhatiya
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryabhatiya
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:33.274391+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: aryabhatiya-20260505-0
summary:
Aryabhatiya (IAST: Āryabhaṭīya) or Aryabhatiyam (Āryabhaṭīyaṃ), a Sanskrit astronomical treatise, is the magnum opus and only known surviving work of the 5th century Indian mathematician Aryabhata. Historian of astronomy Roger Billard estimates that the book was composed around 510 CE based on historical references it mentions. == Structure and style == Aryabhatiya is written in Sanskrit and divided into four sections; it covers a total of 121 verses describing different moralitus via a mnemonic writing style typical for such works in India (see definitions below): Gitikapada (13 verses): large units of time—kalpa, manvantara, and yuga—which present a cosmology different from earlier texts such as Lagadha's Vedanga Jyotisha (ca. 1st century BCE). There is also a table of [sine]s (jya), given in a single verse. The duration of the planetary revolutions during a mahayuga is given as 4.32 million years, using the same method as in the Surya Siddhanta. Ganitapada (33 verses): covering mensuration (kṣetra vyāvahāra); arithmetic and geometric progressions; gnomon/shadows (shanku-chhAyA); and simple, quadratic, simultaneous, and indeterminate equations (Kuṭṭaka). Kalakriyapada (25 verses): different units of time and a method for determining the positions of planets for a given day, calculations concerning the intercalary month (adhikamAsa), kShaya-tithis, and a seven-day week


id: aryabhatiya-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryabhatiya-1.md
category: reference
title: Aryabhatiya
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryabhatiya
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:33.274391+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: aryabhatiya-20260505-0
summary:
Sanskrit language: Prabhakara (c. 525) Bhaskara I (c. 629) Someshvara (c. 1040) Surya-deva (born 1191), Bhata-prakasha Parameshvara (c. 1380-1460), Bhata-dipika or Bhata-pradipika Nila-kantha (c. 1444-1545) Yallaya (c. 1482) Raghu-natha (c. 1590) Ghati-gopa Bhuti-vishnu Telugu language Virupaksha Suri Kodanda-rama (c. 1854) The estimate of the diameter of the Earth in the Tarkīb al-aflāk of Yaqūb ibn Tāriq, of 2,100 farsakhs, appears to be derived from the estimate of the diameter of the Earth in the Aryabhatiya of 1,050 yojanas. The work was translated into Arabic as Zij al-Arjabhar (c. 800) by an anonymous author. The work was translated into Arabic around 820 by Al-Khwarizmi, whose On the Calculation with Hindu Numerals was in turn influential in the adoption of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system in Europe from the 12th century. Aryabhata's methods of astronomical calculations have been in continuous use for practical purposes of fixing the Panchangam (Hindu calendar). == Apparent errors in Aryabhata's statements == O'Connor and Robertson state: "Aryabhata gives formulae for the areas of a triangle and of a circle which are correct, but the formulae for the volumes of a sphere and of a pyramid are claimed to be wrong by most historians". For example Ganitanand describes as


id: the-assayer-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Assayer-0.md
category: reference
title: The Assayer
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Assayer
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:34.439118+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-assayer-20260505-0
summary:
The Assayer (Italian: Il saggiatore) is a book by Galileo Galilei, published in Rome in October 1623. It is generally considered to be one of the pioneering works of the scientific method, first broaching the idea that the book of nature is to be read with mathematical tools rather than those of scholastic philosophy, as generally held at the time. Despite the retroactive acclaim given to Galileo’s theory of knowledge, the empirical claim conjectured in the book — that comets and their observed properties are the product of optical phenomena — is incorrect. == Background – Galileo vs. Grassi on comets == In 1619, Galileo became embroiled in a controversy with Father Orazio Grassi, professor of mathematics at the Jesuit Collegio Romano. It began as a dispute over the nature of comets, but by the time Galileo had published The Assayer, his last salvo in the dispute, it had become a much wider controversy over the very nature of science itself. === An Astronomical Disputation === The debate between Galileo and Grassi started in early 1619, when Father Grassi anonymously published the pamphlet, An Astronomical Disputation on the Three Comets of the Year 1618 (Disputatio astronomica de tribus cometis anni


id: the-assayer-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Assayer-1.md
category: reference
title: The Assayer
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Assayer
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:34.439118+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-assayer-20260505-0
summary:
Philosophy [i.e. natural philosophy] is written in this grand book—I mean the Universe—which stands continually open to our gaze, but it cannot be understood unless one first learns to comprehend the language and interpret the characters in which it is written. It is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometrical figures, without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it; without these, one is wandering around in a dark labyrinth. Galileo used a sarcastic and witty tone throughout the essay. The book was read with delight at the dinner table by Urban VIII. In 1620 Maffeo Barberini wrote a poem entitled Adulatio Perniciosa in Galileo's honor. An official, Giovanni di Guevara, said that The Assayer was free from any unorthodoxy. === Perceived vs. real phenomena === In The Assayer Galileo described heat as an artifact of our minds. He wrote that heat, pressure, smell and other phenomena perceived by our senses are apparent properties only, caused by the movement of particles, which is a real phenomenon. Galileo also theorized that senses such as smell and taste are made possible by the release of tiny particles from their host


id: astronomicum-caesareum-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomicum_Caesareum-0.md
category: reference
title: Astronomicum Caesareum
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomicum_Caesareum
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:36.856966+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: astronomicum-caesareum-20260505-0
summary:
Astronomicum Caesareum (Astronomy of the Caesars; also translated as The Emperor's Astronomy) is a book by Petrus Apianus first published in 1540. Astronomicum was initially published in 1540. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and his brother Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, both commissioned the work. It was printed at Apianus's press in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, and took eight years to produce. It expanded and changed when reprinted; the final version has 55 leaves. Apianus evidently changed his plans while producing a single edition. A volvelle in one version of Astronomicum has "an entirely irrelevant base of an astrolabe" underneath, suggesting that he considered creating one and then abandoned the idea. Twenty-one of its 36 woodcuts are volvelles. Astronomicum's volvelles rely on a geocentric model of the universe. However, despite the false science on which they depended, knowledgeable readers could still use them to predict planetary movements. Nicolaus Copernicus published De revolutionibus orbium coelestium shortly after Astronomicum appeared, which began a transition to heliocentrism as the standard astronomical model. Although other 16th-century books used volvelles, Astronomicum's are distinctive because they take precedence over the book's text, as opposed to serving as illustrations. According to Ronald Brashear and Daniel Lewis, Astronomicum is "really


id: astrophysics-for-people-in-a-hurry-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophysics_for_People_in_a_Hurry-0.md
category: reference
title: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophysics_for_People_in_a_Hurry
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:38.015967+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: astrophysics-for-people-in-a-hurry-20260505-0
summary:
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is a 2017 popular science book by Neil deGrasse Tyson, centering around a number of basic questions about the universe. Published on May 2, 2017, by W. W. Norton & Company, the book is a collection of Tyson's essays that appeared in Natural History magazine at various times from 1997 to 2007. == Contents == Neil deGrasse Tyson's Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is a popular introduction to the main concepts and issues of modern astrophysics. The author explains the origin and structure of the Universe, the force of gravity, light, dark matter and dark energy, about our place in the Cosmos and how we try to understand its laws. The book is written in a simple and lively language, using vivid analogies. It is intended for a wide range of readers who want to get a general idea of astrophysics without complex formulas and details. The book consists of 12 short chapters, based on essays published in Natural History magazine. == Sales == The book debuted at #1 on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller list when it first appeared in May, 2017. It sold 48,416 copies in its first week,


id: atlas-coelestis-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Coelestis-0.md
category: reference
title: Atlas Coelestis
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Coelestis
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:39.210473+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: atlas-coelestis-20260505-0
summary:
The Atlas Coelestis is a star atlas published posthumously in 1729, based on observations made by the First Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed. The Atlas – the largest that ever had been published and the first comprehensive telescopic star catalogue and companion celestial atlas – contains 26 maps of the major constellations visible from Greenwich, with drawings made in the Rococo style by James Thornhill. It also presents two planispheres designed by Abraham Sharp. == History == The first stellar atlas based in telescopic observations, the Atlas Coelestis was published only ten years after the death of Flamsteed, by his widow, assisted by Joseph Crosthwait and Abraham Sharp. It was preceded by the opus "Stellarum inerrantium Catalogus Britannicus" (or simply "British Catalogue", published in 1725, with 2919 stars). One of Flamsteed's main motivations to produce the Atlas, was to correct the representation of the figures of the constellations, as made by Bayer in his "Uranometria" (1603). Bayer represented the figures viewed from behind (not from the front, as was done since the time of Ptolemy), and these new positions contradicted the traditional star descriptions (i.e., Ptolemy's "star in the right shoulder" of Orion had become, in Bayer's rendering, the star in


id: bad-astronomy-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Astronomy-0.md
category: reference
title: Bad Astronomy
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Astronomy
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:40.345989+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: bad-astronomy-20260505-0
summary:
Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax" is a non-fiction book by the American astronomer Phil Plait, who is also known as "the Bad Astronomer". The book was published in 2002 and deals with various misunderstandings about space and astronomy, such as sounds being audible in space (a misconception because in the vacuum of space, sound has no medium in which to propagate). Plait's first book received generally favorable reviews within the academic and astronomy communities and was the first volume in the Bad Science series by John Wiley & Sons Publishing == Overview == Inspired by the author's web site, "Bad Astronomy", the book attempts to explore twenty-four common astronomical fallacies and explain the scientific consensus concerning these topics within the field of astronomy. The book explains and corrects many ideas relating to space that, according to Plait, are mistaken but nevertheless often portrayed in popular movies. Plait also dedicates much of the book to debunking the idea of a Moon landing hoax and explains why astrology should not be taken seriously. A part of the book describes the Moon's tidal effects and explains the Coriolis effect, why the sky is blue, the


id: bibliography-of-encyclopedias-astronomy-and-astronomers-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography_of_encyclopedias:_astronomy_and_astronomers-0.md
category: reference
title: Bibliography of encyclopedias: astronomy and astronomers
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography_of_encyclopedias:_astronomy_and_astronomers
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:41.522052+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: bibliography-of-encyclopedias-astronomy-and-astronomers-20260505-0
summary:
This is a list of encyclopedias and encyclopedic/biographical dictionaries published on the subject of astronomy and astronomers in any language. Entries are in the English language except where noted. == A == Amils, Ricardo; Quintanilla, José Cernicharo; Cleaves, Henderson James (1 June 2011). Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-11271-3. Angelo, Joseph A. (1 January 2009). Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-1018-9. Angelo, Joseph A. Encyclopedia of space exploration. Facts on File, 2000. ISBN 0816039429. Angelo, Joseph A. The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia: Our Search for Life in Outer Space. Facts on File, rev. ed., 1991. Angelo, Joseph A., Jr., Facts on File. The Facts on File space and astronomy handbook. Facts on File, 2002. ISBN 0816045429. Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov's Library of the Universe. Gareth Stevens, 1988. == B == Baker, David. Larousse Guide to Astronomy. Larousse, 1978. Bakich, Michael E. (10 July 2003). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Amateur Astronomy. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81298-6. == C == Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy. Crown, 1977. Clapham, Frances M.; Taylor, Ron B. (1982). Rand McNally astronomy encyclopedia. Children's Press. ISBN 978-0-516-09853-1. == D == Daintith, John; Gould, William (September 2006). Collins Dictionary of Astronomy. Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-722092-2. Daintith, John; Gould, William;


id: big-bang-singh-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang_(Singh_book)-0.md
category: reference
title: Big Bang (Singh book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang_(Singh_book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:42.682757+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: big-bang-singh-book-20260505-0
summary:
Big Bang: The most important scientific discovery of all time and why you need to know about it is a book written by Simon Singh and published in 2004 by Fourth Estate. Big Bang chronicles the history and development of the Big Bang model of the universe, from the ancient Greek scientists who first measured the distance to the Sun to the 20th century detection of the cosmic radiation still echoing the dawn of time. The book discusses how different theories of the universe evolved, along with a personal look at the people involved. == Before Big Bang theories == The book takes up how the inaccuracies of the theories of Copernicus and Galileo lead them to be dismissed. Copernicus and Galileo used false arguments to persuade people that the Earth went in circles around the Sun, and that the Sun was the center of the universe. Both these statements were alien to the public at the time, and are still alien to a modern public. Only the finally mathematically correct interpretation of Johannes Kepler made the theories accepted, within a single generation. As Singh points out, the old generation must die before a new theory can be accepted. ==


id: the-big-splash-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Splash_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: The Big Splash (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Splash_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:43.920954+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-big-splash-book-20260505-0
summary:
The Big Splash: A Scientific Discovery That Revolutionizes the Way We View the Origin of Life, the Water We Drink, the Death of the Dinosaurs, the Creation of the Oceans, the Nature of the Cosmos, and the Very Future of the Earth Itself is a 1990 book written by Louis A. Frank with Patrick Huyghe. In the book, Frank claims to have found scientific evidence that every year, millions of small comets (made of ice and water) strike the Earth's atmosphere, and that these comets created Earth's lakes, rivers and oceans. While many scientists disputed Frank's hypothesis, he continued to argue that there are tests which can be performed which would either rule it out or confirm it. == Authors == Louis A. Frank was a Carver/James A. Van Allen Professor of Physics at the University of Iowa, and principal investigator for the auroral imaging instruments for NASA's Dynamics Explorer mission. Patrick Huyghe is a science writer. == References == == External links == Book Review: Overbye, Dennis (November 11, 1990). "IN SHORT: NONFICTION - THE BIG SPLASH: ..." The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-28. Excerpt: "The Original Discovery". Small Comets. University of Iowa. Retrieved 2007-07-28.


id: the-birth-and-death-of-the-sun-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_and_Death_of_the_Sun-0.md
category: reference
title: The Birth and Death of the Sun
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_and_Death_of_the_Sun
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:45.172530+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-birth-and-death-of-the-sun-20260505-0
summary:
The Birth and Death of the Sun is a popular science book by theoretical physicist and cosmologist George Gamow, first published in 1940, exploring atomic chemistry, stellar evolution, and cosmology. The book is illustrated by Gamow. It was revised in 1952. == Reception == Critical reception has been positive. In February 1941, Gerard F. W. Mulders gave a favorable review for The Birth and Death of the Sun, writing that "[i]t gives authentic information in nontechnical language from which mathematical formulae have been completely eliminated. The entertaining presentation of the most modern developments in physics and astrophysics, the sparkling humor, and the original drawings and graphs will be enjoyed by scientist and amateur alike." In April 2015, physicist and Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg included The Birth and Death of the Sun in a personal list of "the 13 best science books for the general reader". == See also == Formation and evolution of the Solar System == References == == External links == The Birth and Death of the Sun at the Internet Archive


id: bnf-m-langes-de-colbert-60-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BnF,_Mélanges_de_Colbert_60-0.md
category: reference
title: BnF, Mélanges de Colbert 60
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BnF,_Mélanges_de_Colbert_60
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:46.404683+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: bnf-m-langes-de-colbert-60-20260505-0
summary:
Mélanges de Colbert 60 (Mel. Col. 60) is a medieval astronomical multiple-text manuscript preserved in the funds of Bibliothèque nationale de France. This manuscript was compiled, approximately, at the end of the 15th century, using different codicological units originating from the 14th and 15th century. The main interest in the Mel. Col. 60 in the history of astronomy, are the different versions of the Oxford tables and John of Lignères' Tabule magne, which underlines the circulation of these famous alfonsine texts between continental Europe and the British Isles starting in the 14th century. Another peculiarity of this manuscript is that the canons and tables of the Tabule magne are conserved within the same codex, which is unusual for the transmission of this work == History == Little is known about the composition and provenance of Mel. Col. 60. It was composed around the end of the 15th century. However, the codex consists of several quires, some of which might be from the 14th century, while the others are from the 15th century. The manuscript is made partly of parchment, and partly of paper, which makes it easier for scholars to distinguish the quires of different provenance. The identity of the


id: canon-of-eclipses-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_of_Eclipses-0.md
category: reference
title: Canon of Eclipses
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_of_Eclipses
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:48.727232+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: canon-of-eclipses-20260505-0
summary:
The Canon of Eclipses (German: Canon der Finsternisse), published in 1887 at the Imperial Academy of Sciences of Vienna by Theodor Ritter von Oppolzer, is a compilation of over 13000 (8000 solar and 5200 lunar) eclipses, including all solar and all umbral lunar eclipses between the years 1208 BC and 2161 CE. It was republished by Dover Books in 1962. == References == == External links == 1887 Original German edition at Internet Archive


id: the-case-for-mars-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Case_for_Mars-0.md
category: reference
title: The Case for Mars
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Case_for_Mars
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:49.896282+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-case-for-mars-20260505-0
summary:
The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must is a nonfiction science book by Robert Zubrin, first published in 1996, and revised and updated in 2011. The book details Zubrin's Mars Direct plan to make the first human landing on Mars. The plan focuses on keeping costs down by making use of automated systems and available materials on Mars to manufacture the return journey's fuel in situ. The book also reveals possible Mars colony designs and weighs the prospects for a colony's material self-sufficiency and for the terraforming of Mars. == Mars Direct == The Mars Direct plan was originally detailed by Zubrin and David Baker in 1990. The Case for Mars is, according to Zubrin, a comprehensive condensation for laymen of many years' work and research. Chapters 1 and 4 deal primarily with Mars Direct. == Colonization == For Robert Zubrin, the attractiveness of Mars Direct does not rest on a single cost-effective mission. He envisions a series of regular Martian missions with the ultimate goal of colonization, which he details in the seventh through ninth chapters. As initial explorers leave hab-structures on the planet, subsequent missions become easier to undertake. Large


id: the-case-for-mars-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Case_for_Mars-1.md
category: reference
title: The Case for Mars
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Case_for_Mars
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:49.896282+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-case-for-mars-20260505-0
summary:
=== Viability === In the third and tenth chapters, The Case for Mars addresses the politics and costs of the ideas described. The authors argue that the colonization of Mars is a logical extension of the settlement of North America. They envision a frontier society, providing opportunities for innovation and social experimentation. Zubrin suggests three models to provide the will and capital to drive Mars exploration forward: the J.F.K. model, in which a far-sighted U.S. leader provides the funding and mobilizes national public opinion around the idea; the Sagan model, in which international co-operation is the driving force; and the Gingrich approach, which emphasizes incentives and even prizes for private sector actors who take on research and development tasks. In keeping with the third idea, Zubrin describes twelve challenges that address various aspects of the exploration program. A monetary prize – from five hundred million to twenty billion dollars – is offered to companies who successfully complete the challenges. The prize-based approach to hardware development has emerged within the private aeronautics community, though not yet on the scale envisioned by Zubrin. Ventures such as the Ansari X-Prize and Robert Bigelow's America's Space Prize seek low-cost spaceflight development through private enterprise,


id: comet-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: Comet (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:51.078430+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: comet-book-20260505-0
summary:
Comet is a 1985 popular-science book by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. The authors describe the scientific nature of comets, as well as their varying roles and perceptions throughout history. The evolution of human understanding of comets is also detailed, and thinkers and astronomers such as Edmond Halley, Immanuel Kant, and William Huggins are discussed. The publication of the first edition was months ahead of the 1986 appearance of Halley's Comet. A 1997 edition includes additional material. == References ==


id: commentariolus-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentariolus-0.md
category: reference
title: Commentariolus
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentariolus
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:52.246082+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: commentariolus-20260505-0
summary:
The Commentariolus (Little Commentary) is Nicolaus Copernicus's brief outline of an early version of his revolutionary heliocentric theory of the universe. After further long development of his theory, Copernicus published the mature version in 1543 in his landmark work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres). Copernicus wrote the Commentariolus in Latin by 1514 and circulated copies to his friends and colleagues. It thus became known among Copernicus's contemporaries, though it was never printed during his lifetime. In 1533, Johann Albrecht Widmannstetter delivered a series of lectures in Rome outlining Copernicus' theory. Pope Clement VII and several Catholic cardinals heard the lectures and were interested in the theory. On 1 November 1536, Nikolaus von Schönberg, Archbishop of Capua and since the preceding year a cardinal, wrote to Copernicus from Rome and asked him for a copy of his writings "at the earliest possible moment". Although copies of the Commentariolus circulated for a time after Copernicus's death, it subsequently lapsed into obscurity, and its previous existence remained known only indirectly, until a surviving manuscript copy was discovered and published in the second half of the nineteenth century. == Summary == The Commentariolus is subdivided into eight sections


id: commentariolus-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentariolus-1.md
category: reference
title: Commentariolus
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentariolus
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:52.246082+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: commentariolus-20260505-0
summary:
Including the annual revolution around the Sun, which the Moon shares with the Earth in his system, Copernicus explains the Moon's motion as composed of five independent motions. Its motion around the Earth lies in a plane which is inclined at an angle of 5° to the plane of the Earth's orbit, and which precesses from east to west around an axis perpendicular to that plane, with a period of between 18 and 19 years with respect to the fixed stars. The remaining three motions, which take place within this orbital plane, are depicted in the diagram to the right. The first of these is that of the first, and larger, of two epicycles, whose center (represented by the point e1 in the diagram) moves uniformly from west to east around the circumference of a deferent centred on the Earth (represented by point T in the diagram), with a period of one draconitic month. The centre of the second, smaller epicycle (represented by the point e2 in the diagram) moves uniformly from east to west around the circumference of the first so that the period of the angle β in the diagram is one anomalistic month. The Moon itself, represented


id: commentariolus-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentariolus-2.md
category: reference
title: Commentariolus
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentariolus
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:52.246082+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: commentariolus-20260505-0
summary:
Like the Moon's motion, that of the outer planets, represented in the diagram to the right, is produced by a combination of a deferent and two epicycles. The centre of the first, and larger of the two epicycles, represented by the point e1 in the diagram, revolves uniformly from west to east around the circumference of a deferent whose centre is the centre of the Earth's orbit, represented by the point S in the diagram, with a period relative to the fixed stars as given in the section The order of the spheres above. The centre of the second epicycle, represented by the point e2 in the diagram, revolves uniformly from east to west around the circumference of the first, with the same period relative to the radial line joining S to e1. As a consequence, the direction of the radial line joining e1 to e2 remains fixed relative to the fixed stars, parallel to the planet's line of apses EW, and the point e2 describes an eccentric circle whose radius is equal to that of the deferent, and whose centre, represented by the point O in the diagram, is offset from that of the deferent by the radius of


id: the-conquest-of-space-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conquest_of_Space-0.md
category: reference
title: The Conquest of Space
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conquest_of_Space
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:53.403477+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-conquest-of-space-20260505-0
summary:
The Conquest of Space is a 1949 speculative science book written by Willy Ley and illustrated by Chesley Bonestell. The book contains a portfolio of paintings by Bonestell depicting the possible future exploration of the Solar System, with explanatory text by Ley. Most of the 58 illustrations by Bonestell in Conquest, were previously published in color, in popular magazines. == Influences on fiction == Some of Bonestell's designs inspired the look of George Pal's 1955 science fiction movie Conquest of Space, which also takes its title from the book, but uses it as a framework on which to hang a melodramatic plot. Bonestell's illustrations of the Moon in The Conquest of Space were used by Hergé as a basis for his illustrations of the lunar surface in his 1952–53 The Adventures of Tintin comic, Explorers on the Moon. Arthur C. Clarke was also an admirer of The Conquest of Space; in his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, Clarke refers to Saturn's moon Iapetus as "Japetus" due to that being the spelling used by Ley in The Conquest of Space. Larry Niven's 1967 short story "The Soft Weapon" is set on a planet around Beta Lyrae; Niven's description of Beta Lyrae


id: the-cosmic-connection-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cosmic_Connection-0.md
category: reference
title: The Cosmic Connection
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cosmic_Connection
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:32:54.624992+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-cosmic-connection-20260505-0
summary:
The Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial Perspective is a book by the astronomer Carl Sagan, produced by Jerome Agel. It was originally published in 1973; an expanded edition with contributions from Freeman Dyson, David Morrison, and Ann Druyan was published in 2000 under the title Carl Sagan's Cosmic Connection. The book contains artwork by Jon Lomberg and other artists. The book was listed as number thirteen in a list of the "25 Greatest Science Books of All Time" by Discover Magazine in 2006. == Summary == Sagan covers several topics, and focuses mainly on the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence, the likelihood of the existence of more advanced civilizations, and their distribution in the local galaxy, and in the universe. He describes the hypothetical opinions of more advanced intelligences and their views of the Earth, as well as communication with mankind. He also discusses the popularity of UFO sightings and attempts mathematically to portray the probability of such events. Sagan also discusses his view of astrology as a pseudoscience. == References == == External links == Cambridge catalogue listing


id: cosmos-sagan-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos_(Sagan_book)-0.md
category: reference
title: Cosmos (Sagan book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos_(Sagan_book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:09.983031+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: cosmos-sagan-book-20260505-0
summary:
Cosmos is a popular science book written by astronomer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sagan. It was published in 1980 as a companion piece to the PBS mini-series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage with which it was co-developed and intended to complement. Each of the book's 13 illustrated chapters corresponds to one of the 13 episodes of the television series. Just a few of the ideas explored in Cosmos include the history and mutual development of science and civilization, the nature of the Universe, human and robotic space exploration, the inner workings of the cell and the DNA that controls it, and the dangers and future implications of nuclear war. One of Sagan's main purposes for both the book and the television series was to explain complex scientific ideas in a way that anyone interested in learning can understand. Sagan also believed the television was one of the greatest teaching tools ever invented, so he wished to capitalize on his chance to educate the world. Spurred in part by the popularity of the TV series, Cosmos spent 50 weeks on the Publishers Weekly best-sellers list and 70 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list to become the best-selling science


id: de-phenomenis-in-orbe-lunae-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Phenomenis_in_Orbe_Lunae-0.md
category: reference
title: De Phenomenis in Orbe Lunae
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Phenomenis_in_Orbe_Lunae
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:11.162505+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-phenomenis-in-orbe-lunae-20260505-0
summary:
De Phenomenis in Orbe Lunae is a 1612 book by Collegio Romano philosophy professor Giulio Cesare la Galla that describes emission of light by a stone. La Galla's inspiration came from Galileo's debate with Vincenzo Casciarolo regarding a "lapis solaris," a stone that emitted light seemingly on its own. In De Phenomenis, de Galla asserts that the stone was only able to emit light after the stone itself had calcified. It released "a certain quantity of fire and light" that it had absorbed, just as water would be absorbed by a sponge. Robert Burton discusses De Phenomenis in The Anatomy of Melancholy. == References ==


id: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium-0.md
category: reference
title: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:12.369663+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-0
summary:
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) is the seminal work on the heliocentric theory of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543 CE). The book, first printed in 1543 CE in Nuremberg, Holy Roman Empire, offered an alternative model of the universe to Ptolemy's geocentric system, which had been widely accepted since ancient times. == History == Copernicus initially outlined his system in a short, untitled, anonymous manuscript that he distributed to several friends, referred to as the Commentariolus. A physician's library list dating to 1514 includes a manuscript whose description matches the Commentariolus, so Copernicus must have begun work on his new system by that time. Most historians believe that he wrote the Commentariolus after his return from Italy, possibly only after 1510. At this time, Copernicus anticipated that he could reconcile the motion of the Earth with the perceived motions of the planets easily, with fewer motions than were necessary in the version of the Ptolemaic system current at the time. Among other techniques, the heliocentric Copernican model made use of the Urdi Lemma developed in the 13th century by the Arab astronomer Mu'ayyad al-Din al-'Urdi, the first of the Maragha astronomers to develop a


id: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium-1.md
category: reference
title: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:12.369663+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-0
summary:
Book I chapters 1–11 are a general vision of the heliocentric theory, and a summarized exposition of his cosmology. The world (heavens) is spherical, as is the Earth, and the land and water make a single globe. The celestial bodies, including the Earth, have regular circular and everlasting movements. The Earth rotates on its axis and around the Sun. Answers to why the ancients thought the Earth was central. The order of the planets around the Sun and their periodicity. Chapters 12–14 give theorems for chord geometry as well as a table of chords. Book II describes the principles of spherical astronomy as a basis for the arguments developed in the following books and gives a comprehensive catalogue of the fixed stars. Book III describes his work on the precession of the equinoxes and treats the apparent movements of the Sun and related phenomena. Book IV is a similar description of the Moon and its orbital movements. Book V explains how to calculate the positions of the wandering stars based on the heliocentric model and gives tables for the five planets. Book VI deals with the digression in latitude from the ecliptic of the five planets. Copernicus argued that the


id: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium-2.md
category: reference
title: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:12.369663+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-0
summary:
it is the duty of an astronomer to compose the history of the celestial motions through careful and expert study. Then he must conceive and devise the causes of these motions or hypotheses about them. Since he cannot in any way attain to the true causes, he will adopt whatever suppositions enable the motions to be computed correctly ... The present author has performed both these duties excellently. For these hypotheses need not be true nor even probable. On the contrary, if they provide a calculus consistent with the observations, that alone is enough ... For this art, it is quite clear, is completely and absolutely ignorant of the causes of the apparent [movement of the heavens]. And if any causes are devised by the imagination, as indeed very many are, they are not put forward to convince anyone that they are true, but merely to provide a reliable basis for computation. However, since different hypotheses are sometimes offered for one and the same ... the astronomer will take as his first choice that hypothesis which is the easiest to grasp. The philosopher will perhaps rather seek the semblance of the truth. But neither of them will understand or state


id: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium-3.md
category: reference
title: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:12.369663+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-0
summary:
For Rheticus, this extreme position surely must have resonated uncomfortably with Pico della Mirandola's attack on the foundations of divinatory astrology." In his Disputations, Pico had made a devastating attack on astrology. Because those who were making astrological predictions relied on astronomers to tell them where the planets were, they also became a target. Pico held that since astronomers who calculate planetary positions could not agree among themselves, how were they to be held as reliable? While Pico could bring into concordance writers like Aristotle, Plato, Plotinus, Averroes, Avicenna, and Aquinas, the lack of consensus he saw in astronomy was a proof to him of its fallibility alongside astrology. Pico pointed out that the astronomers' instruments were imprecise and any imperfection of even a degree made them worthless for astrology, people should not trust astrologists because they should not trust the numbers from astronomers. Pico pointed out that astronomers couldn't even tell where the Sun appeared in the order of the planets as they orbited the Earth (some put it close to the Moon, others among the planets). How, Pico asked, could astrologists possibly claim they could read what was going on when the astronomers they relied on could offer


id: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-4
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium-4.md
category: reference
title: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:12.369663+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-0
summary:
== Reception == Even before the 1543 publication of De revolutionibus, rumors circulated about its central theses. In one of his Tischreden (Table Talks), Martin Luther is quoted as saying in 1539: People gave ear to an upstart astrologer who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon ... This fool wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred Scripture tells us [Joshua 10:13] that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth. When the book was finally published, demand was low, with an initial print run of 400 failing to sell out. Copernicus had made the book extremely technical, unreadable to all but the most advanced astronomers of the day, allowing it to disseminate into their ranks before stirring great controversy. And, like Osiander, contemporary mathematicians and astronomers encouraged its audience to view it as a useful mathematical model without necessarily being true about causes, thereby somewhat shielding it from accusations of blasphemy. Among some astronomers, the book "at once took its place as a worthy successor to the Almagest of Ptolemy, which had hitherto been the Alpha and Omega of astronomers". Erasmus Reinhold


id: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-5
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium-5.md
category: reference
title: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:12.369663+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-revolutionibus-orbium-coelestium-20260505-0
summary:
1543, Nuremberg, by Johannes Petreius. A copy of this is held by the University of Edinburgh; it had been owned by an astronomer, who filled the pages with scholarly annotations, and subsequently by the Scottish economist Adam Smith. Another copy is held by the Cary Graphic Arts Collection in New York, alongside astronomer Johannes de Sacrobosco's manuscript "De sphaera mundi" (On the Sphere of the World), which supports the earlier Ptolemaic model of the universe. Another 1543 copy is present in the Special Collections of Leiden University Libraries. 1566, Basel, by Henricus Petrus. A copy of this is held by the University of Sydney; previously owned by Owen Gingerich. 1617, Amsterdam, by Nicolaus Mulerius. 1854, Warsaw, with Polish translation and the authentic preface by Copernicus. 1873, Thorn; German translation sponsored by the local Coppernicus Society, with all of Copernicus' textual corrections given as footnotes. == Latin texts available online == 1543, Nuremberg, by Johannes Petreius; online from Harvard University. == English texts available online == Copernicus, Nicolaus (1543) De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium; online from Source Library. == Translations == English translations of De revolutionibus have included: On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, translated by C. G. Wallis, Annapolis, St


id: de-sphaera-mundi-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_sphaera_mundi-0.md
category: reference
title: De sphaera mundi
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_sphaera_mundi
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:13.531615+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: de-sphaera-mundi-20260505-0
summary:
De sphaera mundi (Latin title meaning On the Sphere of the World, sometimes rendered The Sphere of the Cosmos; the Latin title is also given as Tractatus de sphaera, Textus de sphaera, or simply De sphaera) is a medieval introduction to the basic elements of astronomy written by Johannes de Sacrobosco (John of Holywood) c. 1230. Based heavily on Ptolemy's Almagest, and drawing additional ideas from Islamic astronomy, it was one of the most influential works of pre-Copernican astronomy in Europe. == Reception == Sacrobosco's De sphaera mundi was the most successful of several competing thirteenth-century textbooks on this topic. It was used in universities for hundreds of years and the manuscript copied many times before the invention of the printing press; hundreds of manuscript copies have survived. The first printed edition appeared in 1472 in Ferrara, and at least 84 editions were printed in the next two hundred years. The work was frequently supplemented with commentaries on the original text. The number of copies and commentaries reflects its importance as a university text. == Content == The 'sphere of the world' is not the earth but the heavens, and Sacrobosco quotes Theodosius saying it is a solid body. It


id: death-by-black-hole-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_Black_Hole-0.md
category: reference
title: Death by Black Hole
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_Black_Hole
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:14.706343+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: death-by-black-hole-20260505-0
summary:
Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries is a 2007 popular science book written by Neil deGrasse Tyson. It is an anthology of several of Tyson's most popular articles, all published in Natural History magazine between 1995 and 2005, and was featured in an episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. == Summary == Death by Black Hole is divided into seven sections: The Nature of Knowledge, The Knowledge of Nature, Ways and Means of Nature, The Meaning of Life, When the Universe Turns Bad, Science and Culture, and Science and God. Section 1 comprises five chapters: Chapter 1, "Coming to Our Senses", discusses how important the augmentation of our five basic senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch) is for expanding scientific knowledge. Tools that convert (seemingly) latent aspects of our environment into quantities we can sense greatly ease scientific discovery. For example, night vision goggles convert the near-infrared spectrum into the visible spectrum, making it easier for biologists to observe nocturnal animal behavior. Chapter 2, "On Earth as in the Heavens", addresses the history of physics and how it came to be known that physical laws observed on Earth are also observed on the sun and the


id: death-from-the-skies-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_from_the_Skies!-0.md
category: reference
title: Death from the Skies!
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_from_the_Skies!
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:15.883083+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: death-from-the-skies-20260505-0
summary:
Death from the Skies!: These Are The Ways The World Will End is a book by the American astronomer Phil Plait, also known as "the Bad Astronomer". The book was published in 2008 and explores the various ways in which the human race could be rendered extinct by astronomical phenomena. == Background == The author stated during an interview that one of the reasons for writing the book was that "the Universe is incredibly inhospitable, yet we have this planet that's doing OK by us. Another is that the Universe is incredibly cool and interesting. Black holes are really fun to think about. Actually, most of this is mind-stretching and fun. What happens to the Sun after 100 quadrillion years? One hundred octillion? A googol?" He also said that the reason for using doomsday scenarios was to take a scientific viewpoint, make it like a roller coaster or horror movie to make it fun and exciting. The stories were not to scare people out of their pants but make it cool to read about it. == Some of the subjects discussed in the book == == Reviews == The book has had positive reviews from Todd Dailey of Wired Magazine,


id: dictionary-of-minor-planet-names-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_Minor_Planet_Names-0.md
category: reference
title: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_Minor_Planet_Names
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:18.234927+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dictionary-of-minor-planet-names-20260505-0
summary:
The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names is a reference book containing information about the discovery and naming of 12,804 asteroids (March 2006). It is published by the International Astronomical Union. == Editions == Lutz D. Schmadel (1992). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (1st ed.). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ———————— (1993). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (2nd ed.). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ———————— (1996). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (3rd ed.). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.(5,252 names, 7,041 numbered until June 1996) ———————— (1999). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (4th ed.). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ———————— (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (5th ed.). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 3-540-00238-3. (+10,000 names) ———————— (2005). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names Addendum to 5th edition. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 3-540-34360-1. ———————— (2008). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names Addendum to 5th edition. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7. ———————— (2012). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (6th ed.). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-642-29717-5. (+17,000 names) ———————— (2014). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names Addentum to 6th edition. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-642-29717-5. (22,000 names)


id: divination-by-astrological-and-meteorological-phenomena-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination_by_Astrological_and_Meteorological_Phenomena-0.md
category: reference
title: Divination by Astrological and Meteorological Phenomena
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination_by_Astrological_and_Meteorological_Phenomena
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:19.416240+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: divination-by-astrological-and-meteorological-phenomena-20260505-0
summary:
The Divination by Astrological and Meteorological Phenomena (Chinese: 天文氣象雜占; pinyin: Tiān Wén Qì Xiàng Zá Zhàn) is an ancient astronomy silk manuscript compiled by Chinese astronomers of the Western Han dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD) and found in the Mawangdui of Changsha, Hunan, China in 1973. It lists 29 comets (referred to as 彗星, huì xīng, literally broom stars) that appeared over a period of about 300 years. It is now exhibited in the Hunan Provincial Museum. == Contents == The Divination by Astrological and Meteorological Phenomena contains what archaeologists claim is the first definitive atlas of comets. There are roughly two dozen renderings of comets, some in fold out/pop-up format. In some cases, the pages of the document roll out to be five feet long. Each comet's picture has a caption which describes an event its appearance corresponded to, such as "the death of the prince", "the coming of the plague", or "the three-year drought." One of the comets in the manuscript has four tails and resembles a swastika. In their 1985 book Comet, Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan argue that the appearance of a rotating comet with a four-pronged tail as early as 2,000 years BCE could


id: dream-pool-essays-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays-0.md
category: reference
title: Dream Pool Essays
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:20.668462+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dream-pool-essays-20260505-0
summary:
The Dream Pool Essays (or Dream Torrent Essays) was an extensive book written by the Chinese polymath and statesman Shen Kuo (1031–1095), published in 1088 during the Song dynasty (960–1279). Shen compiled this encyclopedic work while living in forced retirement from government office, naming the book after his private estate near modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province. The Dream Pool Essays was heavily reorganized in reprint editions by later Chinese authors from the late 11th to 17th centuries. In modern times it has been translated from Chinese into several languages. These include English, German, French, and Japanese translations. The Dream Pool Essays covers a range of topics including discoveries and advancements in traditional Chinese medicine, mathematics, astronomy, science and technology, optics, architecture and civil engineering, metallurgy, and early archaeology. Observations of the natural world included those of wildlife, meteorology, hypotheses advancing early ideas in geomorphology and climate change based on findings of petrification and natural erosion, and strange recorded phenomena such as the description of an unidentified flying object. In addition to establishing the theory of true north in magnetic declination towards the North Pole, Shen was also the first to record the use of a compass for navigation, the first to


id: dream-pool-essays-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays-1.md
category: reference
title: Dream Pool Essays
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:20.668462+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dream-pool-essays-20260505-0
summary:
In recent years [cca. 1080] there was a landslide on the bank of a large river in Yong-ning Guan near Yanzhou. The bank collapsed, opening a space of several dozens of feet, and under the ground a forest of bamboo shoots was thus revealed. It contained several hundred bamboo with their roots and trunks all complete, and all turned to stone...Now bamboos do not grow in Yanzhou. These were several dozens of feet below the present surface of the ground, and we do not know in what dynasty they could possibly have grown. Perhaps in very ancient times the climate was different so that the place was low, damp, gloomy, and suitable for bamboos. On the Jin-hua Shan in Wuzhou there are stone pine-cones, and stones formed from peach kernels, stone bulrush roots, stone fishes, crabs, and so on, but as these are all (modern) native products of that place, people are not very surprised at them. But these petrified bamboos appeared under the ground so deep, though they are not produced in that place today. This is a very strange thing. === Astronomy === When the Director of the Astronomical Observatory asked Shen Kuo if the shapes of the


id: dream-pool-essays-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays-2.md
category: reference
title: Dream Pool Essays
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:20.668462+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dream-pool-essays-20260505-0
summary:
=== Personal beliefs and philosophy === Of Taoism and the inability of empirical science to explain everything in the world, Shen Kuo wrote: Those in the world who speak of the regularities underlying the phenomena, it seems, manage to apprehend their crude traces. But these regularities have their very subtle aspect, which those who rely on mathematical astronomy cannot know of. Still even these are nothing more than traces. As for the spiritual processes described in the [Book of Changes] that "when they are stimulated, penetrate every situation in the realm," mere traces have nothing to do with them. This spiritual state by which foreknowledge is attained can hardly be sought through changes, of which in any case only the cruder sort are attainable. What I have called the subtlest aspect of these traces, those who discuss the celestial bodies attempt to know by depending on mathematical astronomy; but astronomy is nothing more than the outcome of conjecture. === Dissertation on the Timberwork Manual === Below are two passages from Shen's book outlining the basics contained in Yu Hao's Timberwork Manual. Yu Hao was a Chinese architect of the earlier 10th, and Kuo was one to praise his work. In


id: dream-pool-essays-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays-3.md
category: reference
title: Dream Pool Essays
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:20.668462+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dream-pool-essays-20260505-0
summary:
A house belonging to Li Shunju was struck by lightning. Brilliant sparkling light was seen under the eaves. Everyone thought that the hall would be burnt, and those who were inside rushed out. After the thunder had abated, the house was found to be alright, though its walls and the paper on the windows were blackened. On certain wooden shelves, certain lacquered vessels with silver mouths had been struck by the lightning, so that the silver had melted and dropped to the ground, but the lacquer was not even scorched. Also, a valuable sword made of strong steel had been melted to liquid, without the parts of the house nearby being affected. One would have thought that the thatch and wood would have been burnt up first, yet here were metals melted and no injury to thatch and wood. This is beyond the understanding of ordinary people. There are Buddhist books which speak of 'dragon fire' which burns more fiercely when it meets with water instead of being extinguished by water like 'human' fire. Most people can only judge of things by the experiences of ordinary life, but phenomena outside the scope of this are really quite numerous. How insecure


id: dream-pool-essays-20260505-4
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays-4.md
category: reference
title: Dream Pool Essays
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:20.668462+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dream-pool-essays-20260505-0
summary:
=== Bibliography === Bowman, John S. (2000). Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture. New York: Columbia University Press. Chan, Alan Kam-leung and Gregory K. Clancey, Hui-Chieh Loy (2002). Historical Perspectives on East Asian Science, Technology and Medicine. Singapore: Singapore University Press ISBN 9971-69-259-7 Mohn, Peter (2003). Magnetism in the Solid State: An Introduction. New York: Springer-Verlag Inc. ISBN 3-540-43183-7. Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 1, Introductory Orientations. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 3, Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3: Civil Engineering and Nautics. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 1: Paper and Printing. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 6, Biology and Biological Technology, Part 1: Botany. Taipei, Caves Books Ltd. Sivin, Nathan (1995). Science in Ancient China: Researches and Reflections. Brookfield, Vermont: VARIORUM, Ashgate Publishing. Ropp, Paul S. (1990). Heritage of China: Contemporary Perspectives on Chinese History. Berkeley: University of California Press.


id: dresden-codex-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Codex-0.md
category: reference
title: Dresden Codex
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Codex
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:21.809015+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dresden-codex-20260505-0
summary:
The Dresden Codex is a Maya book originating from the region of Chichén Itzá in Mexico. It was believed to be the oldest surviving book written in the Americas, dating to the 11th or 12th century, however in 2018 it was proven that the Maya Codex of Mexico, previously known as the Grolier Codex, is in fact older by about a century. The codex was rediscovered in the city of Dresden, Germany, hence the book's present name. It is located in the museum of the Saxon State Library. The codex contains information relating to astronomical and astrological tables, religious references, seasons of the earth, and illness and medicine. It also includes information about conjunctions of planets and moons. The book suffered serious water damage during World War II. The pages are made of amate, 20 centimetres (7.9 in) high, and can be folded accordion-style; when unfolded the codex is 3.7 metres (12 ft) long. It is written in Mayan hieroglyphs and refers to an original text of some three or four hundred years earlier, describing local history and astronomical tables. Like all other pre-Hispanic books from Mesoamerica, the Dresden Codex takes the form of a screenfold. The pages consist of


id: dresden-codex-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Codex-1.md
category: reference
title: Dresden Codex
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Codex
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:21.809015+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dresden-codex-20260505-0
summary:
The Dresden Codex is described by historian J. Eric S. Thompson as writings of the indigenous people of the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico. Maya historians Peter J. Schmidt, Mercedes de la Garza, and Enrique Nalda confirm this. Thompson further narrows the probable origin of the Dresden Codex to the area of Chichen Itza, because certain picture symbols in the codex are only found on monuments in that location. He also argues that the astronomical tables would support this as the place of origin. Thompson claims that the people of the Yucatán Peninsula were known to have done such studies around 1200 A.D. Thompson also notes the similar ceramic designs in the Chichen Itza area which are known to have ceased in the early thirteenth century. British historian Clive Ruggles suggests, based on the analyses of several scholars, that the Dresden Codex is a copy and was originally written between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. Thompson narrows the date closer to 1200 to 1250. Maya archaeologist Linton Satterthwaite puts the date when it was made as no later than 1345. Johann Christian Götze (1692–1749), German theologian and director of the Royal Library at Dresden, purchased the codex from a private


id: dresden-codex-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Codex-2.md
category: reference
title: Dresden Codex
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Codex
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:21.809015+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: dresden-codex-20260505-0
summary:
== References == == Bibliography == American Anthropologist (1891). American Anthropologist. American Anthropological Association. Coe, S.D. (1982). Maya Hieroglyphic Codices. Institute for Mesoamerican Studies, State University of New York at Albany. Deckert, Helmut (1989). Die Dresdner Maya-Handschrift (in German). Akademische Druck-u. Verlagsanstalt. ISBN 978-3-201-01478-6. Foster, Lynn V. (2005). Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-518363-4. Grube, Nikolai K. "Dresden, Codex." In David Carraco (ed). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures. : Oxford University Press, 2001. Keane, A. H. (9 June 2011). Man: Past and Present. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-23410-8. Lyons, Martyn (2011). Books: A Living History. J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN 978-1-60606-083-4. It dates from the eleventh or twelfth century, making it the earliest surviving book from the Americas. Nalda, Enrique (1998). Maya. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-2129-7. Ruggles, Clive L. N. (2005). Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-477-6. Sharer, Robert J. (2006). The Ancient Maya. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-4817-9. Smithsonian Institution (1897). Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. U.S. Government Printing Office. Taube, Karl A. (1992). The Major Gods of Ancient Yucatan. Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 978-0-88402-204-6. Thomas, Cyrus (1894).


id: einstein-s-unfinished-symphony-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein's_Unfinished_Symphony-0.md
category: reference
title: Einstein's Unfinished Symphony
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein's_Unfinished_Symphony
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:23.046674+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: einstein-s-unfinished-symphony-20260505-0
summary:
Einstein's Unfinished Symphony: Listening to the Sounds of Space-Time is a 2000 non-fiction book by Marcia Bartusiak about the preliminary work preceding operational efforts to detect the gravitational waves predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. She tells the story of LIGO's two gravitational-wave observatories in Louisiana and Washington State, with some mention of other such observatories in Italy, Germany, Japan, and Australia, and the scientists and scientific considerations involved. Initial LIGO operations between 2002 and 2010 did not detect any gravitational waves. After technical enhancements, gravitational waves were first detected in 2016. After the detection, Bartusiak wrote an updated version entitled Einstein's Unfinished Symphony: The Story of a Gamble, Two Black Holes, and a New Age of Astronomy published in 2017 by Yale University Press. == Reception == For her 2000 book, Bartusiak won the 2001 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award to a Journalist. The route to LIGO was long and checkered; it is beautifully recounted by Marcia Bartusiak in her latest book, Einstein’s Unfinished Symphony. ... She has clearly made a great effort to interview all major players in the field, scan the literature, and capture the relevant science. What results is an easy-to-read and clear


id: ephemeris-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephemeris-0.md
category: reference
title: Ephemeris
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephemeris
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:24.329178+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: ephemeris-20260505-0
summary:
In astronomy and celestial navigation, an ephemeris (; pl. ephemerides ; from Latin ephemeris 'diary', from Ancient Greek ἐφημερίς (ephēmerís) 'diary, journal') is a book with tables that gives the trajectory of naturally occurring astronomical objects and artificial satellites in the sky, i.e., the position (and possibly velocity) over time. Historically, positions were given as printed tables of values, given at regular intervals of date and time. The calculation of these tables was one of the first applications of mechanical computers. Modern ephemerides are often provided in electronic form. However, printed ephemerides are still produced, as they are useful when computational devices are not available. The astronomical position calculated from an ephemeris is often given in the spherical polar coordinate system of right ascension and declination, together with the distance from the origin if applicable. Some of the astronomical phenomena of interest to astronomers are eclipses, apparent retrograde motion/planetary stations, planetary ingresses, sidereal time, positions for the mean and true nodes of the moon, the phases of the Moon, and the positions of minor celestial bodies such as Chiron. Ephemerides are used in celestial navigation and astronomy. They are also used by astrologers. GPS signals include ephemeris data used to


id: ephemeris-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephemeris-1.md
category: reference
title: Ephemeris
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephemeris
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:24.329178+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: ephemeris-20260505-0
summary:
== Modern ephemeris == For scientific uses, a modern planetary ephemeris comprises software that generates positions of planets and often of their satellites, asteroids, or comets, at virtually any time desired by the user. After introduction of electronic computers in the 1950s it became feasible to use numerical integration to compute ephemerides. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory Development Ephemeris is a prime example. Conventional so-called analytical ephemerides that utilize series expansions for the coordinates have also been developed, but of much increased size and accuracy as compared to the past, by making use of computers to manage the tens of thousands of terms. Ephemeride Lunaire Parisienne and VSOP are examples. Typically, such ephemerides cover several centuries, past and future; the future ones can be covered because the field of celestial mechanics has developed several accurate theories. Nevertheless, there are secular phenomena which cannot adequately be considered by ephemerides. The greatest uncertainties in the positions of planets are caused by the perturbations of numerous asteroids, most of whose masses and orbits are poorly known, rendering their effect uncertain. Reflecting the continuing influx of new data and observations, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has revised its published ephemerides nearly every year since 1981.


id: the-equatorie-of-the-planetis-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Equatorie_of_the_Planetis-0.md
category: reference
title: The Equatorie of the Planetis
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Equatorie_of_the_Planetis
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:25.529318+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-equatorie-of-the-planetis-20260505-0
summary:
The Equatorie of the Planetis is a 14th-century scientific work which describes the construction and use of an equatorium. It was first studied in the early 1950s by Derek J. Price, and was formerly attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer. However, in 2014 it was shown to be written in the hand of the St Albans monk John Westwyk. It is largely written in Middle English, with some additions in Latin. It is accompanied by extensive astronomical tables, with Latin headings and annotations. == Manuscript == Peterhouse MS 75 was a composite manuscript. In the early 1950s, after Price discovered the Equatorie in it, the manuscript was split into two parts (and both parts rebound): MS 75.I, containing the Equatorie, and MS 75.II, containing works by Nicholas Trivet and Vegetius. MS 75.I has two parts: fol. 1r-71r contains largely astronomical tables, and some astrological material, in two hands; 71v-78v contains the text of the Equatorie treatise. The parchment is of varying quality, with ten quires of pages measuring 365x260mm (except for the last quires). The ink is brown; there are signs of dampness on the upper edge, especially in the first quire, with some blurring in the fourth quire on the top


id: the-equatorie-of-the-planetis-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Equatorie_of_the_Planetis-1.md
category: reference
title: The Equatorie of the Planetis
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Equatorie_of_the_Planetis
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:25.529318+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-equatorie-of-the-planetis-20260505-0
summary:
The text describes the construction of an equatorium, an instrument comparable to the astrolabe – but where an astrolabe shows the positions of the stars, an equatorium computes them for the planets, according to the Geocentric model of Ptolemy. The instrument is constructed from two discs, six feet in diameter. One of them is solid, and is marked with characteristics of the orbits of the various planets: their apogee, their equants, and other centres. The other disc consists of "a ring, a diametral bar, and a rule pivoted at the centre of the bar". The two discs are joined and simulate the motions of each of the planets. A divided circle around the rims of the two discs allow for the transferral of information from sets of tables (the Alfonsine tables, from a Parisian document) that contain the data for each planet. The design was based on earlier equatoria, but refined for greater ease of manufacture and use. It permits the user to find the longitudes of any classical planet (including the Sun and Moon, as well as the lunar latitude). === Cipher === A cipher is used for some comments on the tables, and Price gave the key. He


id: extraterrestrial-the-first-sign-of-intelligent-life-beyond-earth-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial:_The_First_Sign_of_Intelligent_Life_Beyond_Earth-0.md
category: reference
title: Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial:_The_First_Sign_of_Intelligent_Life_Beyond_Earth
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:27.836561+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: extraterrestrial-the-first-sign-of-intelligent-life-beyond-earth-20260505-0
summary:
Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth (also known as Extraterrestrial) is a popular science book written by American theoretical physicist and Harvard University astronomer Avi Loeb, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on 26 January 2021. == Contents == The book describes the 2017 detection of ʻOumuamua, the first known interstellar object to pass through the Solar System. Loeb, an astronomer at Harvard University, speculates that the object might be an extraterrestrial artifact, a suggestion considered unlikely by the scientific community collectively. Earlier, Loeb claimed to have demonstrated that the interstellar object was not an asteroid, was moving too fast in a very unusual orbit and left no gas trail or debris in its path to be a comet. Loeb believes, due to the observed acceleration of the object near the Sun, that ʻOumuamua may be a thin disk that acts as a solar sail. Elizabeth Kolbert of The New Yorker magazine summarized the reasoning used by Avi Loeb about ʻOumuamua as follows: It’s often said that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” The phrase was popularized by the astronomer Carl Sagan, who probably did as much as any scientist has done to promote the search for extraterrestrial life.


id: first-light-preston-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Light_(Preston_book)-0.md
category: reference
title: First Light (Preston book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Light_(Preston_book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:30.155532+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: first-light-preston-book-20260505-0
summary:
First Light: The Search for the Edge of the Universe is a 1987 non-fiction book on astronomy and astronomers by Richard Preston. The title refers to the astronomical term first light, which is when a telescope is first used to take an astronomical image after it has been constructed. First light also refers to the moment when stars and galaxies first formed out of a dark universe. == Content == The central character of First Light is the Hale Telescope on Palomar Mountain, which was the world's biggest telescope for more than three decades. Preston describes its history and technical details, and he profiles many of the people involved in astronomical research at Palomar. First Light portrays astronomers scanning the Solar System for minor planets and those seeking the outermost astronomical objects in universe. It describes historical events such as the discovery of quasars and celebrates the scientists' joy in their endeavors, their obsessions and even their thoughts. == Structure == The book is structured as follows. Foreword: To Readers and Teachers Part 1: Big Eye Part 2: The Shoemaker Comets Part 3: Gadgeteers Part 4: Discoveries (List of) Main Characters Glossary Credits First Light provides neither an index nor


id: five-billion-years-of-solitude-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Billion_Years_of_Solitude-0.md
category: reference
title: Five Billion Years of Solitude
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Billion_Years_of_Solitude
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:31.311483+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: five-billion-years-of-solitude-20260505-0
summary:
Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars is a nonfiction work by the science author Lee Billings. The text was initially published on October 3, 2013 by Current. The paperback version was published on October 28, 2014. == Overview == In this book, Billings explores the scientists and science behind the ever-expanding universe of exoplanets. Since the first detection of a planet orbiting another Sun-like star in 1995, scientists have discovered an increasing number of worlds beyond the Solar System through detections by telescopes and spacecraft. Billings reveals the scientists behind these discoveries and their thoughts on not only exoplanets, but also their triumphs and frustrations in their quest to solve one of the greatest mysteries of humankind: Are we alone? Billings includes interviews with Frank Drake, Geoffrey Marcy, Greg Laughlin, James Kasting, Matt Mountain, Wesley Traub, Sara Seager, and many other prominent researchers. == Topics covered == The book has 10 chapters: Looking for Longevity Drake's Orchids A Fractured Empire The Worth of a World After the Gold Rush The Big Picture Out of Equilibrium Aberrations of the Light The Order of the Null Into the Barren Lands == Reviews == Overbye, Dennis (8


id: ganitagannadi-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganitagannadi-0.md
category: reference
title: Ganitagannadi
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganitagannadi
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:32.502568+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: ganitagannadi-20260505-0
summary:
Gaṇitagannaḍi (Mirror of Mathematics) is a commentary in Kannada on Viddṇācārya's Vārșikatantra composed by Śaṅkaranārāyaṇa Joisāru in 1604. Viddṇācārya's Vārșikatantra is a karaṇa text written before 1370 CE. The book, written in Nandinagari script, is a karaṇa text, that is, a book which explain the various computations in astronomy especially with regard to those related to the preparation of Panchangam-s (calendar). Even though manuscripts of Kannada commentaries of several Sanskrit texts on astronomy like Sūryasiddhānta have been identified, Gaṇitagannaḍi is the first such commentary ever to be translated into English, printed and published. Gaṇitagannaḍi was translated into English by B. S. Shylaja, a scientist associated with Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru and Seetharama Javagal and was published in 2021. It was Seetharama Javagal who brought to light the palm leaf manuscript of Gaṇitagannaḍi in his grandfather's collection. The most important specialty of the book from an astronomical point of view is that, "in the third chapter (Chāyāddhāya). all the computations are based on a single parameter, namely the shadow length. Other quantities are based on Dyu-nishardha-Karna, to be obtained daily. This includes vishuvat-karna and vishuvatchaya. This clearly demonstrates the importance of actual observations. These traditional astronomers always advocated drig-ganita-aikya (that is,


id: grahalaghava-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grahalaghava-0.md
category: reference
title: Grahalaghava
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grahalaghava
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:33.688671+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: grahalaghava-20260505-0
summary:
Grahalāghavaṃ is a Sanskrit treatise on astronomy composed by Gaṇeśa Daivajna (c. 1507–1554), a sixteenth century astronomer, astrologer, and mathematician from western India, probably from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a work in the genre of the karaṇa text in the sense that it is in the form of a handbook or manual for the computation of the positions of the planets. Of all the ancient and medieval karaṇa texts on astronomy, Grahalāghavaṃ is the most popular among the pañcāṅgaṃ makers of most parts of India.It is also considered to be the most comprehensive, exhaustive and easy to use karaṇa text on astronomy. The popularity of this work is attested by the large number of commentaries (at least 14 in number) on it and also by the large number of modern editions (at least 23 in number) of the book. The work is divided into sixteen chapters and covers all the commonly discussed topics in such texts including planetary positions, timekeeping and calendar construction, eclipses, heliacal rising and settings, planetary conjunctions, and the mahāpāta-s. The most striking features of the work that made it highly popular include its use of an ingenious method to reduce the traditional method


id: the-grand-design-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Design_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: The Grand Design (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Design_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:34.876413+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-grand-design-book-20260505-0
summary:
The Grand Design is a popular-science book written by physicists Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow and published by Bantam Books in 2010. The book examines the history of scientific knowledge about the universe and explains eleven-dimensional M-theory. The authors of the book point out that a Unified Field Theory (a theory, based on an early model of the universe, proposed by Albert Einstein and other physicists) may not exist. It argues that invoking God is not necessary to explain the origins of the universe, and that the Big Bang is a consequence of the laws of physics alone. In response to criticism, Hawking said: "One can't prove that God doesn't exist, but science makes God unnecessary." When pressed on his own religious views by the 2010 Channel 4 documentary Genius of Britain, he clarified that he did not believe in a personal God. Published in the United States on September 7, 2010, the book became the number one bestseller on Amazon.com just a few days after publication. It was published in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2010, and became the number two bestseller on Amazon.co.uk on the same day. It topped the list of adult non-fiction books of The


id: the-grand-design-book-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Design_(book)-1.md
category: reference
title: The Grand Design (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Design_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:34.876413+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-grand-design-book-20260505-0
summary:
=== Positive reactions === Evolutionary biologist and advocate for atheism Richard Dawkins welcomed Hawking's position and said that "Darwinism kicked God out of biology but physics remained more uncertain. Hawking is now administering the coup de grace." Theoretical physicist Sean M. Carroll, writing in The Wall Street Journal, described the book as speculative but ambitious: "The important lesson of The Grand Design is not so much the particular theory being advocated but the sense that science may be able to answer the deep 'Why?' questions that are part of fundamental human curiosity." Cosmologist Lawrence Krauss, in his article "Our Spontaneous Universe", wrote that "there are remarkable, testable arguments that provide firmer empirical evidence of the possibility that our universe arose from nothing. ... If our universe arose spontaneously from nothing at all, one might predict that its total energy should be zero. And when we measure the total energy of the universe, which could have been anything, the answer turns out to be the only one consistent with this possibility. Coincidence? Maybe. But data like this coming in from our revolutionary new tools promise to turn much of what is now metaphysics into physics. Whether God survives is anyone's guess."


id: the-grand-design-book-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Design_(book)-2.md
category: reference
title: The Grand Design (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Design_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:34.876413+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-grand-design-book-20260505-0
summary:
=== Critical reactions === John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, declared "nonsense remains nonsense, even when talked by world-famous scientists." He points to several self-contradictory elements within the central claim of the text, as well as many logical errors made throughout the book which claims "philosophy is dead." Roger Penrose in the FT doubts that adequate understandings can come from this approach, and points out that "unlike quantum mechanics, M-theory enjoys no observational support whatsoever". Joe Silk in Science suggests that "Some humbleness would be welcome here...A century or two hence...I expect that M-theory will seem as naïve to cosmologists of the future as we now find Pythagoras's cosmology of the harmony of the spheres". Gerald Schroeder in "The Big Bang Creation: God or the Laws of Nature" explains that "The Grand Design breaks the news, bitter to some, that … to create a universe from absolute nothing God is not necessary. All that is needed are the laws of nature. … [That is,] there can have been a big bang creation without the help of God, provided the laws of nature pre-date the universe. Our concept of time begins with the creation of the universe. Therefore if


id: the-grand-design-book-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Design_(book)-3.md
category: reference
title: The Grand Design (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Design_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:34.876413+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-grand-design-book-20260505-0
summary:
That view is not undermined by what Hawking has said." British scientist Baroness Greenfield also criticized the book in an interview with BBC Radio: "Of course they can make whatever comments they like, but when they assume, rather in a Taliban-like way, that they have all the answers, then I do feel uncomfortable." She later claimed her Taliban remarks were "not intended to be personal", saying she "admired Stephen Hawking greatly" and "had no wish to compare him in particular to the Taliban". Denis Alexander responded to Stephen Hawking's The Grand Design by stating that "the 'god' that Stephen Hawking is trying to debunk is not the creator God of the Abrahamic faiths who really is the ultimate explanation for why there is something rather than nothing", adding that "Hawking's god is a god-of-the-gaps used to plug present gaps in our scientific knowledge." "Science provides us with a wonderful narrative as to how [existence] may happen, but theology addresses the meaning of the narrative". Mathematician and philosopher of science Wolfgang Smith wrote a chapter-by-chapter summary and critique of the book, first published in Sophia: The Journal of Traditional Studies, and subsequently published as "From Physics to Science Fiction: Response to


id: guinness-book-of-astronomy-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinness_Book_of_Astronomy-0.md
category: reference
title: Guinness Book of Astronomy
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinness_Book_of_Astronomy
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:36.059550+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: guinness-book-of-astronomy-20260505-0
summary:
The Guinness Book of Astronomy is a book (ISBN 0-85112-375-9) by the British astronomer Patrick Moore, first published in 1979, and running to seven editions. The first part of the book is written like a Guinness Book of Records, with paragraphs like "the most luminous star", "the farthest star", and so on. Solar System objects are explained in detail. The second part is a detailed sky atlas for amateur astronomy observations: for each constellation, a list of bright and dim stars, deep sky, and other notable objects is given to the reader. The object tables are so complete that this book alone is enough for months of observations with small telescopes. == Notes ==


id: habitable-planets-for-man-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitable_Planets_for_Man-0.md
category: reference
title: Habitable Planets for Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitable_Planets_for_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:37.225643+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: habitable-planets-for-man-20260505-0
summary:
Habitable Planets For Man is a work by Stephen Dole, first edition published by Blaisdell Publishing Company, A division of Ginn and Company, copyright 1964 by The RAND Corporation. Originally 158 pages, it was republished in a posthumous second edition in 2007, as Planets for Man. The revised edition, 174 pages, contains a detailed scientific study on the nature of worlds that may support life in the universe, the probability of their existence, and ways of finding them. It includes assessments of 14 stars within 22 light years with a relatively high probability of having habitable planets (a collective probability of 43%). Writing in a Scientific American blog in 2011, Caleb Scharf called it "extraordinarily detailed and prescient". == Publication data == ISBN 0833042270 ISBN 978-0833042279 == External links == Official RAND Corporation Site == References ==


id: harmonia-macrocosmica-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_Macrocosmica-0.md
category: reference
title: Harmonia Macrocosmica
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_Macrocosmica
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:38.322123+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: harmonia-macrocosmica-20260505-0
summary:
Harmonia Macrocosmica is a celestial atlas written by Andreas Cellarius and published in 1660 in Amsterdam by the cartographic publisher Johannes Janssonius. It is regarded as an important work in the history of celestial cartography and was produced during the Golden Age of Netherlandish cartography. The atlas contains engraved diagrams illustrating several cosmological systems discussed in early modern astronomy, including those associated with Claudius Ptolemy, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe. It also includes star charts depicting the constellations of the northern and southern skies. Cellarius intended Harmonia Macrocosmica to serve as the introductory astronomical volume of a larger work on cosmography. A planned second volume was never published. == History == The celestial atlas Harmonia Macrocosmica was published in Amsterdam in 1660 by the map publisher Johannes Janssonius. It was created by the German–Dutch cosmographer Andreas Cellarius as part of a larger cosmographical project. The volume contains diagrams illustrating several cosmological systems, including those associated with Claudius Ptolemy, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe. It also includes celestial charts depicting the constellations, some of which follow the Christianized constellation system introduced by Julius Schiller in Coelum stellatum christianum (1627). Cellarius intended the atlas to serve as the introductory historical and astronomical


id: horizons-exploring-the-universe-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizons:_Exploring_the_Universe-0.md
category: reference
title: Horizons: Exploring the Universe
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizons:_Exploring_the_Universe
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:41.101889+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: horizons-exploring-the-universe-20260505-0
summary:
Horizons: Exploring the Universe is an astronomy textbook that was written by Michael A. Seeds and Dana E. Backman. It is in its 14th edition (as of 2019), and is used in some colleges as a guide book for introductory astronomy classes. It covers all major ideas in astronomy, from the apparent magnitude scale, to the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, to gamma ray bursts. == Reception == Henry Albers, a professor at Vassar College, penned a mixed review of the book's first edition. He praised it for having "accurately presented" content in which he could not find clear mistakes. Albers found that "the diagrams and photographs complement the text material quite well". However, he said, "Because the text is introductory in nature it would have been helpful to have omitted some material; the concept density is quite high." He found that the book's second chapter contained enough content to occupy nearly 50% of a semester. Edward C. Olson, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, found the second edition of the book to be "exceptionally easy to use in a one-semester non-mathematical course". He thought it was "written in a clear direct style that avoids the slightly 'cute' approach


id: how-i-killed-pluto-and-why-it-had-it-coming-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_Killed_Pluto_and_Why_It_Had_It_Coming-0.md
category: reference
title: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_Killed_Pluto_and_Why_It_Had_It_Coming
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:42.284969+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: how-i-killed-pluto-and-why-it-had-it-coming-20260505-0
summary:
How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming is a 2010 memoir by Mike Brown, the American astronomer most responsible for the reclassification of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet. == Summary == The memoir is an account of the events surrounding the redefinition of the term planet that eventually changed the status of Pluto. Brown recounts his professional career as a faculty member at the California Institute of Technology leading a team which examined large patches of the sky in an attempt to identify and track Trans-Neptunian objects. In the mid to late 1990's, the team utilizes analog plates (in the same way as Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930), a painstaking process, which did not yield good results. The team progresses to computer software and digital scanning technology, writing code to automatically identify patches of sky with moving stars. Initial iterations of the software identified many false positives due to smudges and light artifacts. Into the early 2000's, the team is successful in finding a series of Kuiper belt objects. The first, dubbed "Object X" (Quaoar) is discovered in 2002. A year later, Brown's team finds more objects, which the team dubs "Santa" (Haumea) and "Easter


id: how-it-began-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_It_Began-0.md
category: reference
title: How It Began
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_It_Began
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:43.457736+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: how-it-began-20260505-0
summary:
How It Began: A Time Traveler's Guide to the Universe is a non-fiction book by the astronomer Chris Impey that discusses the history of the universe, with chapters ranging from the proximate universe to within an iota of the Big Bang. It was published as a hardcover by W. W. Norton & Company in 2012 and as a paperback in 2013. It is actually the prequel to his 2010 book How it Ends: From You to the Universe, which talks about how everything, from individual humans, to the human species, to the Earth, and finally, the universe, might one day end in the future. == Summary == How It Began: A Time Traveler's Guide to the Universe is a non-fiction book by astronomy professor Chris Impey on the origins of everything from the Moon to the universe. The finite speed of light and the vastness of space turn modern large telescopes into time machines and astronomers into armchair time travelers. Looking out in space is looking back in time. Each chapter has vignettes that place the reader in increasingly unfamiliar physical situations that are increasingly unfamiliar. How It Began has an associated web site containing source material on each major


id: interstellar-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-and-our-future-in-the-stars-20260505-0
category: reference
title: Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars
tags: science, encyclopedia
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:44.646272+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: interstellar-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-and-our-future-in-the-stars-20260505-0
file:
data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar:_The_Search_for_Extraterrestrial_Life_and_Our_Future_in_the_Stars-0.md

summary:
Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars (also known as Interstellar) is a popular science book written by American theoretical physicist and Harvard University astronomer Avi Loeb that was published by Mariner Books on 29 August 2023. == Contents == Author Avi Loeb, according to Sarah Scoles of Undark Magazine, claims that a "search for physical evidence of alien technology within our solar system represents not just an interesting scientific pursuit but also one that will elevate our species, perhaps by connecting it to more advanced cosmic civilizations." According to Loeb, it's "arrogant of us to think that we are alone, that we don't have a neighbor out there. ... There are tens of billions of planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone and hundreds of billions of galaxies like the Milky Way in the observable volume of the universe, ... Perhaps noticing a neighbor will be a wake-up call that will bring us together, ... There might be many more neighbors that are far more accomplished than we are, and we can learn from them. So my hope is that it will bring humanity to a better place in the long term future." ==

source_url:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar:_The_Search_for_Extraterrestrial_Life_and_Our_Future_in_the_Stars


id: irish-astronomical-tract-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Astronomical_Tract-0.md
category: reference
title: Irish Astronomical Tract
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Astronomical_Tract
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:45.786045+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: irish-astronomical-tract-20260505-0
summary:
The Irish Astronomical Tract is an Irish text that was created in the first half of the 14th century. It was written in Early Modern Irish and is based on a Latin translation of an Arabic work De Scientia Motus Orbis by Masha'allah ibn Atharī (c.740–815 AD). Of its 40 chapters, 27 correspond to chapters in Masha'allah's work and the rest to various classical authors. The name of its author and place of composition is unknown, but it is dated by its reference to the use of spectacles. == See also == Ranna an aeir == Manuscripts == Stowe, B II 1; Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. Electronically available, with cataloguing information, on the ISOS Project (http://www.isos.dcu.ie). Z 2. 2. 1. (olim V. 3. 1. 38); Marsh's Library, Dublin. 23 F 13; Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. British Library L 3. B. 32 (transcript of 'De Scientia Motus Orbis'). == Editions == J. J. O'Farrelly, Irish Cosmographical Tract: Transcription of the Irish Text with contractions retained [From Stowe B II 1]. Unpublished handwritten manuscript, MS 3A7, 852, Royal Irish Academy Library, 1893. J. J. O'Farrelly, Irish Cosmographical Tract Transcription of the Irish Text, with contractions in Irish extended with reference to Marsh


id: isaac-asimov-s-guide-to-earth-and-space-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov's_Guide_to_Earth_and_Space-0.md
category: reference
title: Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov's_Guide_to_Earth_and_Space
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:46.892486+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: isaac-asimov-s-guide-to-earth-and-space-20260505-0
summary:
Guide to Earth and Space (ISBN 0-449-22059-1) is a non-fiction work by American writer Isaac Asimov and published by Random House in 1991. The book differs somewhat in structure from typical literature by presenting its information in the form of answers to a series of questions, presumably posed by the reader. Like many of Asimov's non-fiction pieces, this "Guide" starts with the basics, answering relatively simple (to the modern reader) questions about the Earth - is it flat, does it spin, is it the center of the universe, etc... From there, the questions progress roughly through the evolution of astronomy and discovery to introduce more complex topics, from the orbits of the planets to the formation of stars and the characteristics of quasars and black holes. Many of the concepts discussed in the latter sections of the books can be compared with those presented in Asimov's 1966 work The Universe: From Flat Earth to Quasar; furthermore, they serve in several cases to update the state of the art from the intervening 25 years between publications.


id: the-jupiter-effect-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jupiter_Effect-0.md
category: reference
title: The Jupiter Effect
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jupiter_Effect
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:48.058108+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-jupiter-effect-20260505-0
summary:
The Jupiter Effect is a 1974 book by John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann, in which the authors predicted that an alignment of the planets of the Solar System would create a number of catastrophes, including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault, on March 10, 1982. The book became a best-seller. The predicted catastrophes did not occur. == History == Astronomers had long been aware that there would be an alignment of the planets on that date, when Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto would be on the same side of the Sun, within an arc 95 degrees wide. But no effect could be expected as the tidal forces of the other planets affecting the Earth's crust are negligible even at the planets' closest approach. In this book, the authors sought to partially sidestep these objections by considering the effect of the alignment on the Sun, and hence on the solar wind, which in turn is known to affect weather on the Earth. Atmospheric conditions on the Earth can alter the speed of its rotation. The effect on the Sun would also be quite small, however, and in fact there had been an even closer


id: karanapaddhati-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karanapaddhati-0.md
category: reference
title: Karanapaddhati
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karanapaddhati
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:49.309331+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: karanapaddhati-20260505-0
summary:
Karanapaddhati is an astronomical treatise in Sanskrit attributed to Puthumana Somayaji, an astronomer-mathematician of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. The period of composition of the work is uncertain. C.M. Whish, a civil servant of the East India Company, brought this work to the attention of European scholars for the first time in a paper published in 1834. The book is divided into ten chapters and is in the form of verses in Sanskrit. The sixth chapter contains series expansions for the value of the mathematical constant π, and expansions for the trigonometric sine, cosine and inverse tangent functions. == Author and date of Karanapaddhati == Nothing definite is known about the author of Karanapaddhati. The last verse of the tenth chapter of Karanapaddhati describes the author as a Brahamin residing in a village named Sivapura. Sivapura is an area surrounding the present day Thrissur in Kerala, India. The period in which Somayaji lived is also uncertain. There are several theories in this regard. C.M. Whish, the first westerner to write about Karanapaddhati, based on his interpretation that certain words appearing in the final verse of Karanapaddhati denote in katapayadi system the number of days in the Kali Yuga,


id: khandakhadyaka-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khandakhadyaka-0.md
category: reference
title: Khandakhadyaka
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khandakhadyaka
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:50.539050+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: khandakhadyaka-20260505-0
summary:
Khaṇḍakhādyaka (meaning "edible bite; morsel of food") is a Sanskrit-language astronomical treatise written by Indian mathematician and astronomer Brahmagupta in 665 CE. The treatise contains eight chapters covering such topics as the longitudes of the planets, diurnal rotation, lunar and solar eclipses, risings and settings, the moon's crescent and conjunctions of the planets. The treatise also includes an appendix which in some versions has only one chapter, and in other has three. The treatise was written as a response to Aryabhata's Ardharatrikapaksa. Ama-raja alias Ama-sharman (c. 1200) of Anandapura wrote a commentary titled Vasana-bhashya (IAST: Vāsanābhāṣya) on Khanda-khadyaka during the Chaulukya period. This work refers to earlier commentaries on Bhaskara's text, including those by Lalla (c. 748 CE), Prthudaka-svamin (c. 864), Utpala, and Someshvara (c. 1040). Khandakhadyaka was known to al-Biruni. == References ==


id: kriyakramakari-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriyakramakari-0.md
category: reference
title: Kriyakramakari
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriyakramakari
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:51.711586+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: kriyakramakari-20260505-0
summary:
Kriyakramakari (Kriyā-kramakarī) is an elaborate commentary in Sanskrit written by Sankara Variar and Narayana, two astronomer-mathematicians belonging to the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics, on Bhaskara II's well-known textbook on mathematics Lilavati. Kriyakramakari ('Operational Techniques'), along with Yuktibhasa of Jyeshthadeva, is one of the main sources of information about the work and contributions of Sangamagrama Madhava, the founder of Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. Also the quotations given in this treatise throw much light on the contributions of several mathematicians and astronomers who had flourished in an earlier era. There are several quotations ascribed to Govindasvami a 9th-century astronomer from Kerala. Sankara Variar (c. 1500 - 1560), the first author of Kriyakramakari, was a pupil of Nilakantha Somayaji and a temple-assistant by profession. He was a prominent member of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. His works include Yukti-dipika an extensive commentary on Tantrasangraha by Nilakantha Somayaji. Narayana (c. 1540–1610), the second author, was a Namputiri Brahmin belonging to the Mahishamangalam family in Puruvanagrama (Peruvanam in modern-day Thrissur District in Kerala). Sankara Variar wrote his commentary of Lilavati up to stanza 199. Variar completed this by about 1540 when he stopped writing due to other preoccupations. Sometimes


id: list-of-indian-astronomical-treatises-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_astronomical_treatises-0.md
category: reference
title: List of Indian astronomical treatises
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_astronomical_treatises
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:52.919488+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: list-of-indian-astronomical-treatises-20260505-0
summary:
Ancient India was one of the most important seat of Astronomical studies. There were many scholars, philosophers and astronomers in ancient India, who wrote treatises on experimental and mathematical astronomy. Most of the Ancient Indian Astronomical Treatises were written and composed in Sanskrit language. == List of the Astronomical Treatises == Vedanga Jyotisha Aryabhatiya Brahmasphuta-siddhanta Pañcasiddhāntikā Mahabhaskariya Laghubhaskariya Aryabhatiyabhashya Śisyadhīvrddhida Siddhāntatilaka Siddhāntaśiromani Karanakutūhala Siddhāntaśekhara Yantra-rāja Jyotirmimamsa Sphutanirnaya Karanottama Uparāgakriyākrama Śiṣyadhīvṛddhidatantra Brihat-Samhita Grahana-Maala Lilavati Shatapatha Brahmana Surya Siddhanta Makarandasarini Mahadevi (astronomy book) Rājamṛgāṅka (astronomy book) Jagadbhūṣaṇa Grahacaranibandhana and lost text Mahamarganibandhana Tantrasamgraha Karanapaddhati Venvaroha == References ==


id: the-living-cosmos-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Living_Cosmos-0.md
category: reference
title: The Living Cosmos
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Living_Cosmos
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:54.122320+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: the-living-cosmos-20260505-0
summary:
The Living Cosmos: Our Search for Life in the Universe is a non-fiction book by the astronomer Chris Impey that discusses the subject of astrobiology and efforts to discover life beyond Earth. It was published as a hardcover by Random House in 2007 and as a paperback by Cambridge University Press in 2011. == Summary == The Living Cosmos is a non-fiction book by University of Arizona professor of astronomy Chris Impey on the status of astrobiology. It summarizes the state of research as scientists trying to address one of the most profound questions we can ask about nature: Is there life in the universe beyond the Earth? The author interviewed dozens of leading researchers, and he includes material from the interviews and vignettes of the researchers in the book. The companion web site to the book contains articles and video clips on astrobiology produced by the author, as well as a glossary and links to other relevant sites. The book begins with a review of the cosmic setting for life and reviews the insights of astronomy since Copernicus. The discovery that we live in a "biological universe" would be a continuation of the progression where there is nothing exceptional


id: mad-about-physics-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_About_Physics-0.md
category: reference
title: Mad About Physics
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_About_Physics
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:55.250372+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: mad-about-physics-20260505-0
summary:
Mad about Physics: Brainteasers, Paradoxes, and Curiosities is a book revolving around physics puzzles first released in 2001 and published by Wiley. It covers mechanics, electricity, magnetism and optics, as well as the physics of sports, space exploration and astronomy. It has been translated into seven languages, including German, Greek, Japanese and Chinese. The book is in its 10th reprinting as of 2013. == Content == The book contains around 400 questions, along with many marginalia, jokes, anecdotes, and scientific facts. It also contains some quotations from Albert Einstein and the cartoon character Bugs Bunny congruent to the theme of the book. == Reception and Reviews == Peter Ford, a physicist at the University of Bath in the UK, called Mad about Physics "an interesting new book." He wrote that "many of its problems will be useful for teachers, both at senior level in schools and at universities, for discussion with students in small groups. Such tutorials should be used to encourage students to start talking about physics and 'thinking like a physicist.'" Carol Ryback wrote, "Here's a quick fix for those brain-teasing inquiries that stick in your mind like an old song. While not limited to astronomy-related trivia, 'Mad


id: man-and-the-planets-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_the_Planets-0.md
category: reference
title: Man and the Planets
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_the_Planets
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:56.410348+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: man-and-the-planets-20260505-0
summary:
Man and the Planets: The Resources of the Solar System is a book written by Duncan Lunan. == Contents == Man and the Planets is a book published in 1983 which studies the resources of each planet in the Solar System. == Reception == Dave Langford reviewed Man and the Planets for White Dwarf #41, and stated that "Lunan's enthusiasm is infectious, his research exhaustive; he's absolutely committed to the Dream of Space and has no time for the many equally learned people who fear that the expense of opening up this new frontier would wreck our world economy long before producing tangible benefits." == Reviews == Review by Tom Easton (1983) in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, November 1983 Space Voyager == References ==


id: mars-and-the-mind-of-man-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_and_the_Mind_of_Man-0.md
category: reference
title: Mars and the Mind of Man
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_and_the_Mind_of_Man
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:57.631828+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: mars-and-the-mind-of-man-20260505-0
summary:
Mars and the Mind of Man is a non-fiction book chronicling a public symposium at the California Institute of Technology on November 12, 1971. The panel consisted of five luminaries of science, literature, and journalism: Ray Bradbury; Arthur C. Clarke; Bruce C. Murray; Carl Sagan and Walter Sullivan. These five are the authors of this book. The symposium occurred shortly before the Mariner 9 space probe entered orbit around Mars. The book was published in 1973 by Harper and Row of New York. == About the book == The book is record of the November 1971 discussion undertaken by the five distinguished panel members mentioned above. This conversation earmarked Mariner 9's Martian arrival as an important moment. Also, the symposium hailed a remarkable milestone. Mariner 9 was to be the first earth spacecraft to be inserted into the orbit of another distinct planet. As noted, "...Caltech Planetary Science professor Bruce Murray summoned [the] formidable panel of thinkers to discuss the implications of this historic event." The discussion's moderator was Walter Sullivan, the New York Times science editor. Varied perspectives were offered on the Mariner 9 mission; the red planet itself; the interrelationship of humans and the Cosmos; prioritizing the exploration


id: mirror-earth-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Earth-0.md
category: reference
title: Mirror Earth
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Earth
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:58.824393+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: mirror-earth-20260505-0
summary:
Mirror Earth: The Search for Our Planet's Twin is a 2012 non-fiction book by Michael D. Lemonick. It discusses the work of "exoplaneteers"—defining the term as a group of scientists looking through various other planetary systems to detect alternate planets that are suitable for possible life. Lemonick has served as a science journalist for Time as well as an author of multiple other books such as Echo of the Big Bang. Positive reviews for his latest book appeared in publications such as Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and The Wall Street Journal. == Contents == Lemonick describes the diverse methods with which astronomers work to try to find Earth-like planets. Some evaluate images of clumps of stars, tens of thousands of them together, in order to pick up slight reductions in brightness caused by planets passing in front of their host stars, some examine individual stars for planetary gravitation influences, and others focus on stars considerably smaller than the Earth's sun to pick up more easily detectable planetary information. == Reviews == The Wall Street Journal ran a supportive review by Mike Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at Caltech. He commented that "Lemonick's interactions with these scientists is the overwhelming


id: mysterium-cosmographicum-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterium_Cosmographicum-0.md
category: reference
title: Mysterium Cosmographicum
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterium_Cosmographicum
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:59.923834+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: mysterium-cosmographicum-20260505-0
summary:
Mysterium Cosmographicum (lit. The Cosmographic Mystery, alternately translated as Cosmic Mystery, The Secret of the World, or some variation) is an astronomy book by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, published at Tübingen in late 1596 and in a second edition in 1621. Kepler proposed that the distance relationships between the six planets known at that time could be understood in terms of the five Platonic solids, enclosed within a sphere that represented the orbit of Saturn. This book explains Kepler's cosmological theory, based on the Copernican system, in which the five Platonic solids dictate the structure of the universe and reflect God's plan through geometry. This was virtually the first attempt since Copernicus to say that the theory of heliocentrism is physically true. Thomas Digges had published a defense of Copernicus in an appendix in 1576. According to Kepler's account, he discovered the basis of the model while demonstrating the geometrical relationship between two circles. From this he realized that he had stumbled on a similar ratio to the one between the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter. He wrote, "I believe it was by divine ordinance that I obtained by chance that which previously I could not reach by any


id: mysterium-cosmographicum-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterium_Cosmographicum-1.md
category: reference
title: Mysterium Cosmographicum
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterium_Cosmographicum
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:33:59.923834+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: mysterium-cosmographicum-20260505-0
summary:
== Epistemology and philosophy of sciences == Many of Kepler's thoughts about epistemology can be found in his Defense of Tycho against Ursus or Contra Ursum (CU), a work which emerged from a polemical framework, the plagiarism conflict between Nicolaus Raimarus Ursus (1551–1600) and Tycho Brahe: causality and physicalization of astronomical theories, the concept and status of astronomical hypotheses, the polemic “realism-instrumentalism”, his criticism of scepticism in general, the epistemological role of history, etc. Jardine has pointed out that it would be sounder to read Kepler's CU more as a work against scepticism than in the context of the modern realism/instrumentalism debate. On the one hand, "causality" is a notion implying the most general idea of "actual scientific knowledge" which guides and stimulates each investigation. In this sense, Kepler already embarked in his MC on a causal investigation by asking for the cause of the number, the sizes and the "motions" (the speeds) of the heavenly spheres. On the other hand, "causality" implies in Kepler, according to the Aristotelian conception of physical science, the concrete "physical cause", the efficient cause which produces a motion or is responsible for keeping the body in motion. Original to Kepler, however, and typical of


id: narratio-prima-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narratio_Prima-0.md
category: reference
title: Narratio Prima
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narratio_Prima
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:01.073879+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: narratio-prima-20260505-0
summary:
De libris revolutionum Copernici narratio prima, usually referred to as Narratio Prima (Latin: First Account), is an abstract of Nicolaus Copernicus' heliocentric theory, written by Georg Joachim Rheticus in 1540. It is an introduction to Copernicus's major work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, published in 1543, largely due to Rheticus's instigation. Narratio Prima is the first printed publication of Copernicus's theory. == History == Copernicus, born in 1473 and already well over 60 years old, had never published any astronomical work, as his only publication had been his translation of poems of Theophylact Simocatta, printed in 1509 by Johann Haller. At the same time, he had distributed his ideas among friends, with manuscripts called Commentariolus. In the 1530s, he was urged to publish by many, yet still hesitated when in 1539, Rheticus arrived in Frauenburg (Frombork) to become Copernicus' first and only pupil. Philipp Melanchthon had arranged for Rheticus to visit several astronomers and study with them. In September 1539 Rheticus went to Danzig (Gdańsk) to visit the mayor who gave Rheticus some financial assistance to publish the Narratio Prima. This Narratio Prima, published by Franz Rhode in Danzig in 1540, is still considered to be the best introduction to Copernicus'


id: newcomb-s-tables-of-the-sun-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomb's_Tables_of_the_Sun-0.md
category: reference
title: Newcomb's Tables of the Sun
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomb's_Tables_of_the_Sun
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:02.228981+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: newcomb-s-tables-of-the-sun-20260505-0
summary:
Newcomb's Tables of the Sun (full title Tables of the Motion of the Earth on its Axis and Around the Sun) is a work by the American astronomer and mathematician Simon Newcomb, published in volume VI of the serial publication Astronomical Papers Prepared for the Use of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. The work contains Newcomb's mathematical development of the position of the Earth in the Solar System, which is constructed from classical celestial mechanics as well as centuries of astronomical measurements. The bulk of the work, however, is a collection of tabulated precomputed values that provide the position of the sun at any point in time. Newcomb's Tables were the basis for practically all ephemerides of the Sun published from 1900 through 1983, including the annual almanacs of the U.S. Naval Observatory and the Royal Greenwich Observatory. The physical tables themselves were used by the ephemerides from 1900 to 1959, computerized versions were used from 1960 to 1980, and evaluations of the Newcomb's theories were used from 1981 to 1983. The tables are seldom used now; since the Astronomical Almanac for 1984 they have been superseded by more accurate numerically-integrated ephemerides developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, based


id: on-sizes-and-distances-hipparchus-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Sizes_and_Distances_(Hipparchus)-0.md
category: reference
title: On Sizes and Distances (Hipparchus)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Sizes_and_Distances_(Hipparchus)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:03.519801+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-sizes-and-distances-hipparchus-20260505-0
summary:
On Sizes and Distances (of the Sun and Moon) (Greek: Περὶ μεγεθῶν καὶ ἀποστημάτων [ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης], romanized: Peri megethon kai apostematon) is a text by the ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus (c. 190 – c. 120 BC) in which approximations are made for the radii of the Sun and the Moon as well as their distances from the Earth. It is not extant, but some of its contents have been preserved in the works of Ptolemy and his commentator Pappus of Alexandria. Several modern historians have attempted to reconstruct the methods of Hipparchus using the available texts. == Sources == Most of what is known about Hipparchus' text comes from two ancient sources: Ptolemy and Pappus. The work is also mentioned by Theon of Smyrna and others, but their accounts have proven less useful in reconstructing the procedures of Hipparchus. === Ptolemy === In Almagest V, 11, Ptolemy writes: Now Hipparchus made such an examination principally from the sun. Since from other properties of the sun and moon (of which a study will be made below) it follows that if the distance of one of the two luminaries is given, the distance of the other is also given, he tries


id: on-sizes-and-distances-hipparchus-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Sizes_and_Distances_(Hipparchus)-1.md
category: reference
title: On Sizes and Distances (Hipparchus)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Sizes_and_Distances_(Hipparchus)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:03.519801+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-sizes-and-distances-hipparchus-20260505-0
summary:
S = s ℓ L ≈ 12 + 1 / 3 1 / 3 ( 67 + 1 / 3 ) = 2491 + 1 / 3 ≈ 2490 {\displaystyle S={\frac {s}{\ell }}L\approx {\frac {12+1/3}{1/3}}(67+1/3)=2491+1/3\approx 2490} This result was generally accepted for the next seventy years, until Noel Swerdlow reinvestigated the case. === Book 2 reconstruction (Swerdlow) === Swerdlow determined that Hipparchus relates the distances to the Sun and Moon using a construction found in Ptolemy. It would not be surprising if this calculation had been originally developed by Hipparchus himself, as he was a primary source for the Almagest. Using this calculation, Swerdlow was able to relate the two results of Hipparchus (671⁄3 for the Moon and 490 for the Sun). Obtaining this relationship exactly requires following a very precise set of approximations. Using simple trigonometric identities gives ℓ = L tan ⁡ θ ≈ L sin ⁡ θ {\displaystyle \ell =L\tan \theta \approx L\sin \theta } and h = tan ⁡ φ tan ⁡ θ ℓ ≈ φ θ ℓ ≈ φ θ L sin ⁡ θ {\displaystyle h={\frac {\tan \varphi }{\tan \theta }}\ell \approx {\frac {\varphi }{\theta }}\ell \approx {\frac {\varphi }{\theta }}L\sin \theta } By parallel


id: on-sizes-and-distances-hipparchus-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Sizes_and_Distances_(Hipparchus)-2.md
category: reference
title: On Sizes and Distances (Hipparchus)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Sizes_and_Distances_(Hipparchus)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:03.519801+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-sizes-and-distances-hipparchus-20260505-0
summary:
A H = t Crd ⁡ ∠ A O H R = t Crd ⁡ ( φ H − φ A ) R {\displaystyle AH={\frac {t\operatorname {Crd} \angle AOH}{R}}={\frac {t\operatorname {Crd} (\varphi _{H}-\varphi _{A})}{R}}} Crd here refers to the chord function, which maps an angle in degrees to the corresponding length of a chord of a circle of unit diameter. Also, R is the radius of the base circle that Hipparchus used to compute the chord function and t is the radius of the Earth. Since the Moon is very distant, it follows that ζ ′ ≈ ζ {\displaystyle \zeta '\approx \zeta } . Using this approximation gives ζ = φ H − δ {\displaystyle \zeta =\varphi _{H}-\delta } ∠ Z H A = 180 ∘ − ∠ O H A {\displaystyle \angle ZHA=180^{\circ }-\angle OHA} ∠ O H A = 180 ∘ − ∠ A O H 2 = 180 ∘ − ( φ H − φ A ) 2 {\displaystyle \angle OHA={\frac {180^{\circ }-\angle AOH}{2}}={\frac {180^{\circ }-(\varphi _{H}-\varphi _{A})}{2}}} Hence, ∠ Z H A = 90 ∘ + 1 2 ( φ H − φ A ) {\displaystyle \angle ZHA=90^{\circ }+{\frac {1}{2}}(\varphi _{H}-\varphi _{A})} ∠ M H A


id: on-the-heavens-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Heavens-0.md
category: reference
title: On the Heavens
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Heavens
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:04.703836+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-the-heavens-20260505-0
summary:
On the Heavens (Greek: Περὶ οὐρανοῦ; Latin: De Caelo or De Caelo et Mundo) is Aristotle's chief cosmological treatise: written in 350 BCE, it contains his astronomical theory and his ideas on the concrete workings of the terrestrial world. It should not be confused with the spurious work On the Universe (De Mundo, also known as On the Cosmos). This work is significant as one of the defining pillars of the Aristotelian worldview, a school of philosophy that dominated intellectual thinking for almost two millennia. Similarly, this work and others by Aristotle were important seminal works from which much of scholasticism was derived. == Argument == According to Aristotle in On the Heavens, the heavenly bodies are the most perfect realities, (or "substances"), whose motions are ruled by principles other than those of bodies in the sublunary sphere. The latter are composed of one or all of the four classical elements (earth, water, air, fire) and are perishable; but the matter of which the heavens are made is imperishable aether, so they are not subject to generation and corruption. Hence their motions are eternal and perfect, and the perfect motion is the circular one, which, unlike the earthly up-and down-ward


id: on-the-sizes-and-distances-aristarchus-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Sizes_and_Distances_(Aristarchus)-0.md
category: reference
title: On the Sizes and Distances (Aristarchus)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Sizes_and_Distances_(Aristarchus)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:05.903361+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-the-sizes-and-distances-aristarchus-20260505-0
summary:
On the Sizes and Distances (of the Sun and Moon) (Ancient Greek: Περὶ μεγεθῶν καὶ ἀποστημάτων [ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης], romanized: Perì megethôn kaì apostēmátōn [hēlíou kaì selḗnēs]) is widely accepted as the only extant work written by Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer who lived circa 310–230 BCE. This work calculates the sizes of the Sun and Moon, as well as their distances from the Earth in terms of Earth's radius. The book was possibly preserved by students of Pappus of Alexandria's course in mathematics, although the evidence for this is sparse. The editio princeps was published by John Wallis in 1688, using several medieval manuscripts compiled by Sir Henry Savile. The earliest Latin translation was made by Giorgio Valla in 1488. There is also a 1572 Latin translation and commentary by Frederico Commandino. == Symbols == The work's method relied on several observations: The apparent size of the Sun and the Moon in the sky. The size of the Earth's shadow in relation to the Moon during a lunar eclipse The angle between the Sun and Moon during a half moon is 90°. The rest of the article details a reconstruction of Aristarchus' method and results. The reconstruction


id: on-the-sizes-and-distances-aristarchus-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Sizes_and_Distances_(Aristarchus)-1.md
category: reference
title: On the Sizes and Distances (Aristarchus)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Sizes_and_Distances_(Aristarchus)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:05.903361+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: on-the-sizes-and-distances-aristarchus-20260505-0
summary:
The error in this calculation comes primarily from the poor values for x and θ. The poor value for θ is especially surprising, since Archimedes writes that Aristarchus was the first to determine that the Sun and Moon had an apparent diameter of half a degree. This would give a value of θ = 0.25, and a corresponding distance to the Moon of 80 Earth radii, a much better estimate. The disagreement of the work with Archimedes seems to be due to its taking an Aristarchus statement that the lunisolar diameter is 1/15 of a "meros" of the zodiac to mean 1/15 of a zodiacal sign (30°), unaware that the Greek word "meros" meant either "portion" or 7°1/2; and 1/15 of the latter amount is 1°/2, in agreement with Archimedes' testimony. A similar procedure was later used by Hipparchus, who estimated the mean distance to the Moon as 67 Earth radii, and Ptolemy, who took 59 Earth radii for this value. == Illustrations == Some interactive illustrations of the propositions in On Sizes can be found here: Hypothesis 4 states that when the Moon appears to us halved, its distance from the Sun is then less than a quadrant by


id: pale-blue-dot-book-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot_(book)-0.md
category: reference
title: Pale Blue Dot (book)
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot_(book)
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:07.111673+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: pale-blue-dot-book-20260505-0
summary:
Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space is a 1994 book by the astronomer Carl Sagan. It is the sequel to Sagan's 1980 book Cosmos and was inspired by the famous 1990 Pale Blue Dot photograph, for which Sagan provides a poignant description. In the book, Sagan mixes philosophy about the human place in the universe with a description of the current knowledge about the Solar System. He also details a human vision for the future. In 2023, the audiobook of Pale Blue Dot, read by Sagan, was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." == Summary == The first part of the book examines the claims made throughout history that Earth and the human species are unique. Sagan proposes two reasons for the persistence of the idea of a geocentric, or Earth-centered universe: human pride in our existence, and the threat of torturing those who dissented from it, particularly during the time of the Roman Inquisition. However, he also admits that the scientific tools to prove the Earth orbited the Sun were (until the last few hundred years) not accurate


id: a-passage-to-infinity-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Passage_to_Infinity-0.md
category: reference
title: A Passage to Infinity
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Passage_to_Infinity
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:08.238458+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: a-passage-to-infinity-20260505-0
summary:
A Passage to Infinity: Medieval Indian Mathematics from Kerala and Its Impact is a 2009 book by George Gheverghese Joseph chronicling the social and mathematical origins of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. The book discusses the highlights of the achievements of Kerala school and also analyses the hypotheses and conjectures on the possible transmission of Kerala mathematics to Europe. == An outline of the contents == Introduction The Social Origins of the Kerala School The Mathematical Origins of the Kerala School The Highlights of Kerala Mathematics and Astronomy Indian Trigonometry: From Ancient Beginnings to Nilakantha Squaring the Circle: The Kerala Answer Reaching for the Stars: The Power Series for Sines and Cosines Changing Perspectives on Indian Mathematics Exploring Transmissions: A Case Study of Kerala Mathematics A Final Assessment == See also == Indian astronomy Indian mathematics History of mathematics == References == == Further references == In association with the Royal Society's 350th anniversary celebrations in 2010, Asia House presented a talk based on A Passage to Infinity. See : "A Passage to Infinity: Indian Mathematics in World Mathematics". Retrieved 3 May 2010. For an audio-visual presentation of George Gheverghese Joseph's views on the ideas presented in the


id: planisphaerium-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planisphaerium-0.md
category: reference
title: Planisphaerium
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planisphaerium
date_saved: 2026-05-05T08:34:09.423503+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: planisphaerium-20260505-0
summary:
The Planisphaerium is a work by Ptolemy. The title can be translated as "celestial plane" or "star chart". In this work Ptolemy explored the mathematics of mapping figures inscribed in the celestial sphere onto a plane by what is now known as stereographic projection. This method of projection preserves the properties of circles. == Publication == Originally written in Ancient Greek, Planisphaerium was one of many scientific works which survived from antiquity in Arabic translation. One reason why Planisphaerium attracted interest was that stereographic projection was the mathematical basis of the plane astrolabe, an instrument which was widely used in the medieval Islamic world. The Suda lists a work of Ptolemy titled Simplification of the Sphere (Ancient Greek: Ἅπλωσις ἐπιφανείας σφαίρας) which is presumed to be Planisphaerium. In 1143 the work was translated from Arabic into Latin by Herman of Carinthia, who also translated commentaries by Maslamah Ibn Ahmad al-Majriti. The oldest known translation is in Arabic done by an unknown scholar as part of the Translation Movement in Baghdad. == Planisphere == The word planisphere (Latin planisphaerium) was originally used in the second century by Ptolemy to describe the representation of a spherical Earth by a map drawn in


