Presents a review of technological innovations and inventions, from the ancient world to the present day.

An accessible compendium of the world’s greatest scientists and the stories behind their dramatic breakthroughs From the early Greek mathematicians Euclid and Archimedes through to present-day Nobel Prize winners, this collection charts the great breakthroughs in scientific understanding. Each entry describes the story of the research, the significance of the science, and its impact on the scientific world, along with a résumé of each scientist’s career. From Roger Bacon’s revolutionary work on optics and Copernicus’s heliocentric model of the universe to Feynman diagrams and gravitational waves, this latest book in the award-winning “100” series serves as a short history of world science, illustrated with drawings, diagrams, and photographs.

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

What would life be like without cars, refrigerators, the Internet, or the omnipresent smartphone? Take an extraordinary journey through the discoveries that have transformed our world forever. They include innovations in technology, such as alternating current, plastic, and the robot; communications (cameras, radio, cinema); medicine, from aspirin to the pacemaker; and transportation. See what led to their creation and meet the exceptional figures who conceived them.

Eureka! We have it and so can you—a discovery-packed book that makes the world of physics understandable, engaging, and fun! And that’s a very good thing, because physics is all around us, responsible for everything from why balls bounce to why the stars in the sky shine—so we might as well understand and enjoy it. Chock-full of photos and diagrams, this book and its useful images further explain and expand upon the clear and informative text. (Oh, and as for who reportedly shouted “Eureka!” while sitting in his wooden bathtub, see page 7 of this engaging volume.)

It’s hard to imagine a world without Coca-Cola, Post-its, or Velcro, but have you ever stopped to wonder how and when these items came to be? Accidental Inventions reveals the fascinating stories behind the toys, foods, gadgets, and tools we now consider indispensable. From peanut butter to penicillin, roller skates to radioactivity, dozens of essential inventions are spotlighted. Fully illustrated with over 240 photos, Accidental Inventions traces the path from inception to “ah ha!” for more than 60 products, and introduces the cast of clever, hardworking inventors behind them. Engaging narrative and colorful design make these stories accessible to readers of all ages, illuminating the happy collision of accident and inspiration that would profoundly change our lives.

The world is brimming full of incredible inventions - but where did it all begin? How did these incredible inventions come about? Journey back in time, travel across the world and discover incredible inventions from throughout history. Take a ride on the very first wheel, find your way and ensure you'll never get lost again with the compass, let the lights come on with electricity, watch as the world puffs into life with the steam engine and many more astounding inventions. Written with bitesized pieces of text and illustrated with bright and engaging artwork, this is the perfect introduction to some of the most amazing inventions that have helped make history. Learn fascinating facts about the people behind these inventions and how their discoveries changed the world forever. So what are you waiting for? Let's uncover The Story of Inventions! Inventions featured: The wheel, the compass, paper, clocks, gunpowder, steam engines, vaccinations, computers, electricity, the telephone, the car, planes, plastic, nuclear weapons and the internet.

Many of the world’s most important and life-saving devices and techniques were often discovered purely by accident. Serendipity, timing, and luck played a part in the discovery of unintentional cures and breakthroughs: A plastic shard in an RAF pilot’s eye leads to the use of plastic for contact lenses. The inability to remove a titanium chamber from rabbit’s bone leads to dental implants. Viagra was discovered by a group of chemists, working in the lab to find a new drug to alleviate the pain of angina pectoris. A stretch of five weeks of unusually warm weather in 1928 played a role in assisting Dr. Alexander Fleming in his analysis of bacterial growth and the discovery of penicillin. After studying the effects of the venom injected by the bite of a deadly pit viper snake, chemists developed a groundbreaking drug that works to control blood pressure. Accidental Medical Discoveries is an entertaining and enlightening look at the creation of 25 medical inventions that have changed the world – unintentionally. The book is presented in a lively and engaging way, and will appeal to a wide variety of readers, from history buffs to trivia fanatics to those in the medical profession.

Here is a book designed to inspire the heart, challenge the mind, delight the eye, engage the armchair traveler and, yes, encourage your bootheels to be wanderin'. The editors of Time have sought out the most exciting new discoveries in the fields of geography, paleontology, astronomy and archaeology and combined them with classic tales of exploration to present a book that is vast in scope and pulsing with the energy of fresh knowledge. It includes the latest updates on the fascinating fossilized dinosaur-birds of China; reports of revelatory recent digs in Egypt; and an overview of new findings from the swarm of craft now investigating Mars, Jupiter and the moons of Saturn. The book's journey takes us from Siberia's Yamal Peninsula, where the 40,000-year-old carcass of the baby mammoth Lyuba emerged from the permafrost, to a mysterious cave on Indonesia's island of Flores, where an unusual species of miniature early humans, dubbed "the hobbits," once lived. The cast of striking characters includes the brilliant Chinese paleontologist Xing Xu, Egypt's famed tomb-raider Zahi Hawass-and nasa's plucky Martian rovers, Opportunity and Spirit. Readers will be surprised to learn how much new information has emerged in recent years about subjects we thought we knew well, from the wreck of the Titanic to the mysteries of the Pueblo cliff-dwellers of the American Southwest. In addition to its probing, wide-ranging account of great discoveries past and present, the book offers a host of arresting photographs that create a spectacular visual panorama of Planet Earth's most powerful forces and most exotic regions. Welcome aboard-and bon voyage!