In this Book
- Science Unshackled: How Obscure, Abstract, Seemingly Useless Scientific Research Turned Out to Be the Basis for Modern Life
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
summary
Fascinating stories that describe the unlikely path from quirky idea to useful and essential knowledge.Why in the world are we paying for all this “basic” research? The answer to this question becomes clear in this romp through the “seemingly useless” world of pure science, where one thing leads to another in ways that result in major scientific advancements. With a novelistic style, C. Renée James reveals how obscure studies of natural phenomena—including curved space-time, poisonous cone snails, exploding black holes, and the precise chemical makeup of the sun—led unexpectedly to WiFi, GPS, genetic sequencing, pain medications, and cancer treatments. Science Unshackled brings both science and scientists to life and shows how simple curiosity can result in life-changing breakthroughs.Scientists engaged in basic research, funded in large part by governments around the globe and throughout the centuries, never know when exploring small questions will have big impacts. But, by following the scientific method, disciplined inquiry can lead to wondrous and practical discoveries that benefit all of us in the end. The next time someone asks you why “the government” wastes its money on weird research, recall the intriguing stories James has told and tell them the answer.
Table of Contents
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- Title Page, Copyright Page
- pp. i-vi
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xviii
- Introduction
- pp. 1-10
- Part I. Finding Ourselves
- pp. 11-12
- 1 A Brief History of Timing
- pp. 13-17
- 2 Going with the Flow
- pp. 18-22
- 3 From Principia to Principe
- pp. 23-30
- 4 The Attraction of Time
- pp. 31-35
- 5 Fine-tuning Our Clocks
- pp. 36-38
- Part II. Identity Crisis
- pp. 45-46
- 7 One Strand
- pp. 47-52
- 8 Two Strands
- pp. 53-55
- 9 The First Rungs of the Ladder
- pp. 56-59
- 10 Interchangeable Pieces
- pp. 60-62
- 11 Igniting the Fuse
- pp. 63-70
- 12 Breaking Down, Building Up
- pp. 71-74
- 13 A Curious Boy
- pp. 75-79
- 14 Copycat
- pp. 80-86
- 15 Molecule of the Year
- pp. 87-89
- 16 The Genetic Bread Machine
- pp. 90-92
- Part III. Finding a Hot Spot
- pp. 93-94
- 17 A Universal “Hot Spot”
- pp. 95-97
- 18 Classic Black
- pp. 98-103
- 19 A Tunnel to Oblivion
- pp. 104-105
- 20 Chasing Wild Geese
- pp. 106-111
- 21 Going Wireless
- pp. 112-115
- 22 Where Credit Is Due
- pp. 116-118
- 23 Anatomy of a Successful Failure
- pp. 119-120
- Part IV. Pick Your Poison
- pp. 121-122
- 24 Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
- pp. 123-127
- 25 Barking up the Right Tree
- pp. 128-133
- 26 The Inside Story on Pain
- pp. 134-138
- 27 A Bitter Sting
- pp. 139-141
- 28 A Simple Question
- pp. 142-145
- 29 The Gift of the Magus
- pp. 146-150
- Part V. Dreaming of the Star Treatment
- pp. 151-152
- 30 Ingredients of the Stars
- pp. 153-156
- 31 The Sun’s Secret Recipe
- pp. 157-158
- 32 Reading between the Lines
- pp. 159-164
- 33 Through a Star Darkly
- pp. 165-166
- 34 The Opacity Project
- pp. 167-169
- 35 The Iron Lady and the Gold Standard
- pp. 170-173
- 36 Therapy of the Stars
- pp. 174-178
- References
- pp. 183-190
Additional Information
ISBN
9781421415017
Related ISBN(s)
9781421415000
MARC Record
OCLC
965461860
Pages
216
Launched on MUSE
2016-12-10
Language
English
Open Access
No