Big Ideas In Science: A Complete Introduction

by Jon Evans

Overview

The ability to understand science as a totality - matter, space, energy, life, weather, information and the future - will enhance your understanding of all the challenges facing humanity, as well as allow you to go deeper into specific technologies. This book, complete with worked examples and key facts, forms a course which will take you from novice level to a competent understanding of the hottest topics in science. It includes step-by-step explanations of subjects as complex as the birth of life and plate tectonics, with suggestions for further reading and summaries to help you understand the key points.


Chapters cover: the Big Bang, the solar system, the birth of life, evolution, DNA, the genome, genetics and cloning, the structure of Earth, earthquakes and volcanoes, weather, energy, the microprocessor, artificial intelligence, space exploration, scientific fraud, scientific controversies, climate change, and the future of science.

The Complete Introduction series from Teach Yourself is the ultimate one-stop guide for anyone wanting a comprehensive and accessible entry point into subjects as diverse as philosophy, mathematics, psychology, Shakespeare and economics. Loved by students and perfect for general readers who simply want to learn more about the world around them, these books are your first choice for discovering something new.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529397956
Publisher:	Mobius
Publication date:	06/02/2020
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jon Evans is a freelance science writer who has written extensively for many science publications, including New Scientist.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the second edition vii

Introducing Homo scientificus viii

Part 1 How We Got Here 1

1 Bang, we're off 3

Expanding and cooling

Quarks and leptons

The strong force

The electromagnetic force

The first atomic matter

The force of gravity

2 We are all Stardust 13

Cosmic rays

The formation of new elements

3 Recipe for a solar system 23

Our solar system

The formation of the Earth

4 Life begins 31

LUCA

A definition of life

How were amino acids joined together?

5 Evolution and extinction 39

Beneficial mutations

The role of the environment

Sexual reproduction

The emergence of humans

Part 2 Way of All Flesh 47

6 Life in sequence 49

The proteins that make up life

The DNA molecule

The Human Genome Project

Exons and introns

Switching genes on and off

7 From the bottom up 59

The genome

How the cell functions

Different types of cells in the human body

8 Getting it on 67

Cell reproduction and mitosis

Meiosis

Fertilization

Super-charging evolution

9 Man the defences 77

The main invaders

Entry through the mouth or nose

The innate immune system

The adaptive immune system

10 Attack of the nerves 87

The neuron

How vision works

Part 3 Earth, Wind and Fire 95

11 The ground beneath our feet 97

The basic structure of the Earth

Plate tectonics

12 Shake, rattle and roll 107

Earthquakes

Subduction

Volcanoes

13 Earth rocks 117

Silicate groups

Variation within rocks

Basalt and granite

Metamorphic rocks

Sedimentary rocks

The rock cycle

14 Wet and windy 125

Convection currents

Circulation cells

The direction of prevailing winds

Circular currents in the ocean

15 Stormy weather 133

Clouds and weather

The production of rain

The formation of ice crystals

Thunder and lightning

Cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons

Part 4 We Have The Technology 141

16 Full of energy 143

Potential energy and kinetic energy

Energy and forces

From energy to heat

Loss of energy

17 Coming in waves 151

Wavelength, amplitude and frequency

Waves and energy

Electromagnetic radiation

18 Information overload 161

Boole and logical reasoning

From decimals to binary

The microprocessor

19 Material advance 169

Graphite and grapheme

Two-dimensional materials

Advanced materials

Nanomateriats

20 It's alive 177

The path to modern genetics

Cloning animals

Stem cells

Synthetic biology

The moral dilemma

Part 5 When Science Goes Bad 185

21 Fraud, fakery and fantasy 187

More cases of scientific fraud

Data manipulation

The discovery of 'cold fusion'

22 Shocks and scares 195

System 1 and System 2

GM crops

The MMR scare

23 Hot enough for you? 203

The principles of climate change

Controversy over rising air temperatures

The effect of water vapour

Solar radiation

Changes in the future

24 Apocalypse now 211

Nuclear war

Nuclear threats

Chemical and biological attacks

Long-term damage to the Earth

25 Know your limits 219

Setting restrictions on the universe

Beyond the scientific method

The use of computers in science

Quantum theory

Part 6 Science of The Future 227

26 Back to the future 229

Incorrect predictions

Why do we have rockets?

Predictions in science fiction

27 A.I. 237

Robots and intelligent machines

New types of computer chips

Computers that are able to learn

28 Innerspace 245

Treating cancer with gold nanoparticles

Smart implants for other diseases

Stimulating tissue growth

Enhancing our bodies

29 A space odyssey 253

Getting a rocket into space

Keeping a rocket travelling in space

Getting there faster

30 Things to come 263

Colonizing space

Capturing more of the Sun's energy

The death of the Sun

Index 270