The Unity of Science : Exploring Our Universe, From the Big Bang to the Twenty-First Century

A journey guided by science that explores the universe, the earth, and the story of life For Irwin Shapiro, science starts with questions. This book provides a broad and entertaining survey of major scientific discoveries that have changed our views of nature and, in turn, spawned further questions. Shapiro, an award-winning scientist and beloved teacher, separates his inquiry into three parts: looking up at the universe; looking down at the earth and its fossils; and looking in at the story of life. His framework encourages readers to view science as a detective story—to observe and question nature and natural phenomena, and to base all conclusions on scientific evidence. With his knowledgeable yet conversational approach, Shapiro offers an enjoyable way for the curious to learn about the foundations of a range of scientific topics: the motions of bodies in the cosmos, the history and structure of the earth, the evolution of organisms, and the search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence. Contents 5 Preface 9 Introduction. Why Should We Care about the Unity of Science? 15 Unveiling the Universe 29 One. Motions Seen in the Sky 29 Two. Modeling the Motion of Celestial Bodies 40 Three. The Telescope and the Speed of Light 57 Four. The Law of Gravitation, the Discovery of Planets, and Special and General Theories of Relativity 68 Five. The Cosmic Distance Ladder 90 Six. The Cosmic Microwave Background 113 Seven. Dark Matter and Dark Energy 124 The Earth and Its Fossils 139 Eight. The Origin, Shape, and Size of the Earth 139 Nine. The Earth’s Innards 146 Ten. The Evolution of the Earth’s Surface 162 Eleven. The Structure of Matter 185 Twelve. The Age of the Earth 199 Thirteen. Fossils 211 Fourteen. Sauropods: A Comprehensive, yet Superfi cial, Look 220 Fifteen. The Demise of the Dinosaurs 233 The Story of Life 251 Sixteen. Story of Life: Darwin’s, Wallace’s, and Mendel’s Contributions 251 Seventeen. The Molecular Basis of Heredity 265 Eighteen. DNA: The Hereditary Molecule and Its Structure 278 Nineteen. Properties and Functions of DNA 289 Twenty. The Origin of Life, the Tree of Life, and Samples of Evolution 298 Twenty-One. Tardigrades, the Applications of DNA, and the Human Spread across the Globe 314 Twenty-Two. The Search for Extraterrestrial Life 330 Bibliography 345 Index 365