Burchfield charts the enormous impact made by Lord Kelvin's application of thermodynamic laws to the question of the earth's age and the heated debate his ideas sparked among British Victorian physicists, astronomers, geologists, and biologists. "Anyone interested in geologic time, and that should include all geologists and a fair smattering of biologists, physicists and chemists, should make Burchfield's commendable and time-tested volume part of their personal library"—Brent Darymple, Quartely Review of Biology

Negationism is an irrational but useful tool for manipulation. Almost nobody supports the Flat Earth model or the geocentrism, but some European educational laws still offer a confessional education that treats as real the myth about Adam and Eve. This book recounts the struggle that human mind has maintained, over two millennia, against creationist myths. The journey takes place between cosmogonies, theological dogmas, natural philosophy, Deism and the inevitable secularism of the Age of Enlightenment.

A general introduction to the study of modern physics of the solid Earth, including how the Earth's surface operates and the workings of the Earth's deep interior. The emphasis throughout the discussion is on basic physical principles rather than intrument

The life and work of a great scientist. The mathematics and figures are there (reproduced here in their full original beauty) but it is also a life to be read, by anyone, for its delightful enjoy character - enjoy the vivid account of his teaching practices for example! - delightfully told by one of Lord Kelvin's admirers: ""His statement, which has been so often quoted, that after fifty-five years of constant study he knew little more of electricity and magnetism than he did at the beginning of his career... was, like Newton's famous declaration, an indication of his sense of the vastness of the ocean of truth and the manifoldness of the treasures which still lie within its ""deep unfathomed caves."" He had faith that in the end all that appeared dark and perplexing would stand forth in fulness of light.""

This book explains why we have such a vast array of environments across the cosmos and on our own planet, and also a stunning diversity of plant and animal life on earth.

A new and comprehensive examination of the history of the modern physical and mathematical sciences.

"Gould himself is a rare and wonderful animal—a member of the endangered species known as the ruby-throated polymath. . . . [He] is a leading theorist on large-scale patterns in evolution . . . [and] one of the sharpest and most humane thinkers in the sciences." --David Quammen, New York Times Book Review

The authors examine the enduring mysteries surrounding life's origin: did life arise on Earth or on some other planet? What did the earliest primitive organisms look like? Were they based on RNA, DNA, or on something we would hardly recognize today? They explore the latest research - in fields ranging from molecular biology to astronomy - on questions surrounding life's origins.

Presents an illustrated A to Z reference with approximately 700 entries on topics in the earth sciences including hydrology, geology, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, and more.