Page 18 - Boca Expsoure - August '22

Page 18, Boca Exposure
Book Review

Science Year By Year: A Visual before the ninth century. An
History, From Stone Tools To inscription dated 876 from
Gwalior, India, contains the
Space Travel first known use of a symbol
for zero in describing the
By Nils A. Shapiro dimensions of a garden.
As I recall, my very Its appearance allowed
worst classes and grades the development of a full
from elementary school all decimal system for numbers.
the way through college 1214 A.D. – Use Of
must surely have been in the Antiseptics In Italy
various sciences: physics, Hugh of Lucca, an Italian
chemistry, biology and surgeon, described how
whatever others there may wine could be used as an
have been that I do not miss. antiseptic to clean wounds
I can’t blame it all on the and prevent infection.
various science teachers – I Traditionally, doctors had
did very well on most other thought, wrongly, that
subjects – so I have always letting pus form in a wound
assumed that the part of my helped injuries to heal.
brain designed to absorb 1686 – New Term
scientific knowledge is just In Historia Plantarum,
missing some key parts, and a three-volume history of
have been fortunate instead plants, English naturalist
to enjoy a successful career John Ray used the word
by wisely focusing on the “species” to describe a
creative writing/English/ group of plants or animals
journalism corner of my sharing the same group of
cranium that always earned characteristics and able to
me the highest grades. breed with one another. It
I mention this fact about my background because I was was the first biological use
very much aware of it when I made what – to me at the of the term, and established
time, just two weeks ago – seemed a surprising purchase “species” as the basic unit of
of the book selected for this month’s review column. taxonomy (the classification
The simple truth is, I couldn’t resist it. For three reasons: of living things). His book
First, the concept and treatment of the subject are so described 18,600 species.
unique. Here are thousands of milestones in scientific 1895 – Cinema Arrives
progress presented chronologically, in a grand sweep In Paris, France, 33
beginning three million years ago with the first use of people formed the first
fire and stone tools through to the present day’s space paying audience as they
travel and wearable computing, each described in brief watched 10 short movies This volume’s profusely illustrated pages are organized in two ways: by time periods and by
explanatory text and all accompanied by color photos, projected onto a screen by subject. On top, a double spread reveals that the years from 800 to 945 A.D. saw such scientific
illustrations and diagrams – a treasure trove of fascinating a cinematographe. This achievements as the birth of algebra; the development of the concept of zero; the Chinese
facts in a handsome volume that you can turn to at any device, invented by French invention of the technique of printing books; the creation of a device called an astrolabe that
page – no need to read from first page to last – and learn brothers Auguste and Louis enabled ancient astronomers to calculate the positions of stars and other objects in the sky;
something new every time. Lumiere, projected 16 the discovery of gunpowder, and more. On the bottom, the dramatic double spread photo of
In addition to the thousands of famous, historic photographs per second, the head of an insect 80 times its actual size focuses on a single scientific achievement: the
inventions and discoveries, here are just a few of the very giving the illusion of development of the scanning electron microscope.
many lesser known examples, each also illustrated: movement. The photos were
7400 B.C.E . – Earliest Town taken on a 1.377-inch (35mm) wide film. The second reason I couldn’t resist this book is that it
Built on a mound in what is now southern Turkey, 1899 – First Flashlight bears the imprint of the Smithsonian on its front cover.
Catalhoyuk was the world’s earliest town. It was home to English inventor David Misell created the first tubular So, while it is published by the DK division of Penguin
between 3,500 and 8,000 inhabitants, who lived in tightly flashlight by enclosing three “D cell” batteries in a fiber Random House, it has been prepared editorially under
packed mud-brick houses. There were no streets between paper tube. When the contact switch was pressed, an the supervision of the venerable Smithsonian Institution,
the houses and people moved around on the rooftops, or electrical circuit was completed and the batteries lit up the which supports the accuracy of the book’s content.
by using ladders. small bulb, but only for a short time, hence the nickname (I should point out that the edition I purchased was
876 A.D. – Development Of Zero “flashlight.” published in 2017, so the scientific progress it covers does
Although mathematicians had worked out problems 1945 – Microwave Oven Invented not include the most recent five years – although three
involving the use of zero, there was no symbol for it While working on RADAR (RAdio Detection And million years of science satisfies me just fine! Perhaps a
Ranging) technology at a company called Raytheon, new edition is in the works, or already available.)
American physicist Percy Spencer discovered how Finally, as I have noted more than once in this column
high-powered vacuum tubes called magnetrons gave off over the past 15 years, one of the great joys of having an
microwaves (a type of electromagnetic wave). These opportunity to read and review another book each month
waves cause the molecules in food to vibrate and heat is the gift of attaining so much new knowledge about the
up. Spencer and Raytheon developed the first commercial subjects that interest me most.
microwave oven, the Radarange. But this time it was different.
2016 – Oculus Rift In this rare instance, when I saw the front cover and
The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset was released title of Science Year By Year, something driven by my
Southern Exposure Technologies by an American company named Oculus. Designed to ever-present thirst for knowledge in my retirement years
Computer Install/Setup/Repair offer an immersive experience for gaming, architecture compelled me to make some effort to overcome the
science failings of my school years.
and design, the headset displays two 1,080 x 1,020-pixel
(561) 315-0144 high-resolution images that a set of lenses focus and This book has gone a long way to helping me on that
getsetgo.annie@gmail.com reshape for each of the user’s eyes to create a 3-D picture. path. And a fun journey it is. Join me.
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