Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
  1. Home
  2. Browse subjects
  3. General Science
  4. Content listing

Refine search

Refine search

Access:
Content type:
Publication date:
Apply   From and To filters
Subject: Show more
Journals Show more
Publishers: Show more
Societies Show more
Series: Show more
Collections: Show more

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

17504 results in General Science

Page 236 of 876

The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex
  • Volume 2
  • Charles Darwin
  • Published online:
    05 October 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1871
  • In his introduction, Darwin reveals that for many years he had no intention of publishing his notes on this topic, 'as I thought that I should thus only add to the prejudices against my views'. By 1871, he felt that his fellow scientists would show a greater openness of mind to his arguments, even when taken to their logical conclusion and applied to the descent of man from the apes – the aspect of his theory which had been so widely mocked since the notorious question asked by Bishop Wilberforce at the Oxford debate of 1860: was it through his grandmother or his grandfather that Thomas Huxley, Darwin's champion, considered himself descended from a monkey? However, the book's focus on the area of sexual selection and the evolutionary importance of secondary sexual characteristics across the animal kingdom meant that the book was received without the public outrage that Darwin had feared.

Biographical Memoir of James Dinwiddie, L.L.D., Astronomer in the British Embassy to China, 1792, '3, '4,
  • Afterwards Professor of Natural Philosophy in the College of Fort William, Bengal
  • William Jardine Proudfoot
  • Published online:
    05 October 2010
    Print publication:
    10 June 2010
    First published in:
    1868
  • This is an account of the career of James Dinwiddie (1746–1815). First published in 1868 by Dinwiddie's grandson William Jardine Proudfoot, the work is based on Dinwiddie's own autobiographical notes, travel logbook and personal correspondence. The biography traces Dinwiddie's career from the scientific lectures he gave from 1781 and the journal series Queries and Hints, which he began in 1779, to his visit to the Chinese imperial court as official astronomer in Lord Macartney's mission (1792–1794); his residence in Beijing and Canton; and his move to India, where he was appointed Professor of Mathematics, Natural Philosophy and Chemistry at the College of Fort William, Bengal. Dinwiddie's career was marked by passionate commitment to the dissemination of scientific knowledge – his travels, lectures and publications were undertaken for this cause. His life is a fascinating account of a polymathic mind which will fascinate and entertain a modern-day readership.

The Life and Letters of Faraday
  • Volume 1
  • Bence Jones, Michael Faraday
  • Published online:
    05 October 2010
    Print publication:
    24 June 2010
    First published in:
    1870
  • Michael Faraday (1791–1867) made foundational contributions in the fields of physics and chemistry, notably in relation to electricity. One of the greatest scientists of his day, Faraday held the position of Fullerian Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain for over thirty years. Not long after his death, his friend Henry Bence Jones attempted 'to join together his words, and to form them into a picture of his life which may be almost looked upon as an autobiography'. Jones' compilation of Faraday's manuscripts, letters, notebooks, and other writings resulted in this Life and Letters (1870) which remains an important resource for learning more about one of the most influential scientific experimentalists of the nineteenth century. Volume 1 (1791–1830) covers Faraday's earliest years as an errand boy and bookbinder's apprentice, his arrival at the Royal Institution as an assistant and his early publications on electricity.

The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication
  • Volume 1
  • Charles Darwin
  • Published online:
    05 October 2010
    Print publication:
    03 June 2010
    First published in:
    1868
  • Charles Darwin (1809–1882) first published this work in 1868 in two volumes. The book began as an expansion of the first two chapters of On the Origin of Species: 'Variation under Domestication' and 'Variation under Nature', and it developed into one of his largest works; Darwin referred to it as his 'big book'. Volume 1 deals with the variations introduced into species as a result of domestication, through changes in climate, diet, breeding and an absence of predators. He began with an examination of dogs and cats, comparing them with their wild counterparts, and moved on to investigate horses and asses; pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats; domestic rabbits; domestic pigeons; fowl; and finally cultivated plants. The work is a masterpiece of nineteenth-century scientific investigation; it is a key text in the development of Darwin's own thought and of the wider discipline of evolutionary biology.

John Ray, Naturalist
  • His Life and Works
  • Charles Raven
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1942
  • This biography of John Ray, the seventeenth-century naturalist, was first published in 1942 at the height of the Second World War. It was written by Charles Raven, an eminent theologian who shared Ray's deep respect for intellectual integrity, honest exploration of the natural world, and the value of both theology and scientific endeavour. More than a superb history, this offers an opportunity to reassess the pivotal contributions of a brilliant but often undervalued scientist. Ray's major publications were written in Latin; Raven's linguistic skills – coupled with his passion for natural history – made him ideally suited to interpret Ray's scientific legacy. Raven reviews Ray's academic and scientific careers in the context of the dramatic social upheavals of his time. He evaluates the remarkable long-term and widespread influence of Ray's work on the development of science, alongside the significance of his final book, The Wisdom of God.

The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
  • 2nd edition
  • Charles Darwin
  • Edited by Francis Darwin
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1890
  • This second edition of The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals was edited by his son Francis Darwin and published in 1890. As Sir Francis notes in his brief preface, because the first edition did not sell out in Charles Darwin's lifetime, 'he had no opportunity of publishing the material collected with a view to a second edition.' This material, in the form of 'a mass of letters, extracts from and references to books' was utilised in the second edition, as were Darwin's pencilled corrections in his own volume of the first. The book is a study of the muscular movements of the face (both human and animal) triggered by the emotions being felt - a 'physical' response to a 'mental' sensation. Darwin's detailed analysis of what actually happens to a body in a state of fear, or joy, or anger is illustrated by photographic images.

The Cambridge Medical School
  • A Biographical History
  • Humphrey Davy Rolleston
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1932
  • In the original statutes of the University of Cambridge, the Faculties of Physic, Theology and Law had the same formal status. The development of the teaching of medicine at Cambridge over the next 700 years was, however, neither rapid nor smooth. The first recorded medical degrees were awarded in the 1460s; a Professorship of Physic was finally endowed in 1540 by Henry VIII. Sadly, early holders of this Regius Chair generally gave priority to the pursuit of their own interests over the burden of educating medical students. It was the 1817 appointment of Dr John Haviland that ushered in the modern era of medical education and research at Cambridge. This history, first published in 1932, describes the stages in this process, focusing on the individuals who were key to its success and who laid the foundations for the respected clinical school and leading medical research laboratories of Cambridge today.

Science and Music
  • James Jeans
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1937
  • Sir James Jeans has used his remarkable gifts of exposition to set out all that is relevant in the science of acoustics to the art of music. He offers a simple but precise account (illustrated with well-chosen photographs and diagrams) of the anatomical origin and workings of the human ear; the nature of sound vibrations; simple tones and complex sounds; the principles and operation of musical instruments; harmony and the musical scale; the effects of music on men and animals; and the practical problems of acoustical design. Scientists who appreciate music, musicians with an interest in science and laymen who care for both, will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Physics and Philosophy
  • James Jeans
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1942
  • Originally published in 1942, this book discusses an emerging physical science that brought with it a fresh message as to the fundamental nature of the world, and of the possibilities of human free will in particular. The aim of the book is to explore that territory, which forms a borderland between physics and philosophy. The author seeks to estimate the philosophical significance of physical developments, and the interest of his enquiry extends far beyond technical physics and philosophy. Some of the questions raised touch everyday human life closely: can we have knowledge of the world outside us other than that what we can gain by observation and experiment? Is the world spiritual and psychological or material in its ultimate essence; is it better likened to a thought or to a machine? Are we endowed with free will, or are we part of a vast machine that must follow its course until it finally runs down?

The New Background of Science
  • James Jeans
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1931
  • Published in 1934 as a second edition to James Jeans' popular work on the general understanding of the physical universe, The New Background of Science took advantage of a comparatively 'quiescent' period in physical investigation when fundamental theories and findings gained wide acceptance. Jeans' aim in writing this book was to depict this 'situation in broad outline and in the simplest possible terms. I have drawn my picture against a roughly sketched background of rudimentary philosophy... because I believe, in common with most scientific workers, that without a background of this kind we can neither see our fresh knowledge as a consistent whole, nor appreciate its significance to the full.'

The Growth of Physical Science
  • James Jeans
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1947
  • The Growth of Physical Science is a detailed but very accessible survey of what began as natural philosophy and culminated in the mid-twentieth century as quantum physical science. From the earliest physical investigations of nature made by the various civilisations of Babylonia, Phoenicia and Egypt (a period covering 5000–600 BC), through the remarkable mathematical and philosophical achievements of the ancient Greeks, to the ages of Newton and then Einstein, Rutherford and Bohr, Jeans has written a comprehensive history of this tremendous advancement in our understanding of the universe, one that will appeal to a broad range of readers interested in this subject.

Atomicity and Quanta
  • James Jeans
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1926
  • This is the full text of James Jeans's Rouse Ball Lecture given in 1925 at Cambridge University, and surveys the field of atomic and subatomic physics in the early days of quantum mechanics, with a brief historical perspective on measurement.

Emma Darwin, Wife of Charles Darwin
  • A Century of Family Letters
  • Volume 2
  • Edited by H. E. Litchfield
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    22 April 2010
    First published in:
    1904
  • This remarkable collection of private correspondence between Emma Darwin and members of her family, published in 1904, provides the reader with an enjoyable and informative account of prosperous middle-class life in the Victorian period, as well as a picture of an amusing, educated, and caring woman. Emma Darwin (1808–1896) was especially remembered for her patience and fortitude in dealing with her husband's long term illness, which became apparent shortly after their marriage. In nursing and humouring Charles through his many ups and downs, she was a crucial factor in her husband's scientific accomplishments. She was responsible for bringing up their large family, running their household, and hosting visits from relatives and scientists. This, the second of two volumes edited by her daughter Henrietta, covers the period from 1839 until Emma's death in 1896. The letters are organised chronologically, and the book includes delightful illustrations from the family archives.

The Foundation of the Origin of Species
  • Two Essays Written in 1842 and 1844 by Charles Darwin
  • Charles Darwin
  • Edited by Francis Darwin
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1909
  • The development of Charles Darwin's views on evolution by natural selection has fascinated biologists since the 1859 publication of his landmark text On The Origin of Species. His experiences, observations and reflections during and after his pivotal journey on the Beagle during 1831–36 were of critical importance. Darwin was not, however, a man to be rushed. While his autobiography claims that the framework of his theory was laid down by 1839, its first outline sketch did not emerge until 1842. That essay was heavily edited, with many insertions and erasures. It formed the vital kernel of his more expansive but also unpolished and unpublished essay of 1844. Following careful editing by his son Francis, both essays were published in 1909, and are reproduced here. Reading these side by side, and together with the Origin, permits us to scrutinise selection and evolution truly in action.

Catalogue of the Osteological Portions of Specimens Contained in the Anatomical Museum of the University of Cambridge
  • William Clark
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1862
  • William Clark was Professor of Anatomy at Cambridge for nearly fifty years, collecting many specimens of bones for use in the study of comparative anatomy, physiology and osteology. These formed a principal part of the collection that eventually became the university's Museum of Zoology. He wished to support students of natural sciences in acquiring knowledge from direct observation of well arranged and accurately identified specimens. The 1,289 items, catalogued in 1862, include 128 from humans of various races and dates. These include masks of the faces of Isaac Newton, William Pitt and Benjamin Franklin. This focus reflects, in part, the nineteenth-century fascination with phrenology. A regular participant in the influential Cambridge Philosophical Society, in May 1860 William Clark made there what Darwin perceived to be a 'savage onslaught' on his recently published On the Origin of Species. This book reveals Clark's very different approach to studying the tree of life.

Planning, Proposing, and Presenting Science Effectively
  • A Guide for Graduate Students and Researchers in the Behavioral Sciences and Biology
  • 2nd edition
  • Jack P. Hailman, Karen B. Strier
  • Published online:
    01 September 2010
    Print publication:
    02 November 2006
  • This concise guide to planning, writing, and presenting research is intended for biology students of all levels, especially those in behavioral ecology, The reader is guided through a discussion of the nature of scientific research, how to plan research, and how to obtain funding. The authors give advice and guidelines for presenting results at research seminars and scientific meetings, and also provide useful tips on preparing abstracts and posters for scientific meetings. They discuss how to write an effective C.V. and give general tips on how to write clearly. The book is illuminated throughout with personal examples from the authors' own experiences and emphasis is placed on problems associated with field studies. All biologists will find this a valuable resource and guide for the early years of their scientific careers and established faculty will find it an essential instructional tool.

Principles of Mental Physiology
  • With their Applications to the Training and Discipline of the Mind, and the Study of its Morbid Conditions
  • William Benjamin Carpenter
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1874
  • William Carpenter (1813–85) was trained as a doctor; he was apprenticed to an eye surgeon, and later attended University College London and the University of Edinburgh, obtaining his M. D. in 1839. Rather than practising medicine, he became a teacher, specialising in neurology, and it was his work as a zoologist on marine invertebrates that brought him wide scientific recognition. His Principles of Mental Physiology, published in 1874, developed the ideas he had first expounded in the 1850s, and expounds the arguments for and against the two models of psychology then current – automatism, which assumed that the mind operates under the control of the physiology of the body for all human activity, and free will, 'an independent power, controlling and directing that activity.' Drawing on animal as well as human examples, his arguments, especially on the acquisition of mental traits in the individual, are much influenced by Darwin.

Views of the Architecture of the Heavens
  • In a Series of Letters to a Lady
  • John Pringle Nichol
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1837
  • John Pringle Nichol (1804–59) was a Scottish polymath whose major interests were economics and astronomy; he did much to popularise the latter by his writings. He became Regius Professor of Astronomy at Glasgow in 1836, and in the following year published Views of the Architecture of the Heavens which was immediately successful. George Eliot wrote in a letter of 1841, 'I have been revelling in Nichol's Architecture of the Heavens and Phenomena of the Solar System, and have been in imagination winging my flight from system to system, and from universe to universe ...' Nichol was a supporter of the nebular hypothesis – that stars form in massive and dense clouds of molecular hydrogen which are gravitationally unstable, and coalesce to smaller denser clumps, which then collapse and form stars – which in modified form is the model most widely accepted today.

The Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man
  • With Remarks on Theories of the Origin of Species by Variation
  • Charles Lyell
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1863
  • Sir Charles Lyell (1797–1875) is remembered today as much for his profound influence on the young Charles Darwin as for his own work as a geologist: Darwin read the three volumes of his Principles of Geology (1830–3) as they came out, and was greatly interested in Lyell's theory of the huge effects over geological time of an accumulation of tiny, almost unobservable changes. The Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man was published in 1863, and went into three editions in that year alone. The work synthesises the then existing evidence for the earliest humans in Europe and North America and – as indicated by its subtitle, With Remarks on Theories of the Origin of Species by Variation – discusses Darwin's theory and 'the bearing of this hypothesis on the different races of mankind and their connection with other parts of the animal kingdom.'

Page 236 of 876