From the ancient world to the present women have been critical to the progress of science, yet their importance is overlooked, their stories lost, distorted, or actively suppressed. Forces of Nature sets the record straight and charts the fascinating history of women's discoveries in science. In the ancient and medieval world, women served as royal physicians and nurses, taught mathematics, studied the stars, and practiced midwifery. As natural philosophers,...

Profiles many of history's most noteworthy scientists, from Zhang Heng and Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein and Barbara McClintock, sharing lesser-known facts about their favorite activities, relationships, and eccentricities.

"In a series of poignant vignettes, a preeminent historian makes a compelling case for Machiavelli as an unjustly maligned figure with valuable political insights that resonate as strongly today as they did in his time. Whenever a tempestuous period in history begins, Machiavelli is summoned, because he is known as one for philosophizing in dark times. In fact, since his death in 1527, we have never ceased to read him to pull ourselves out of torpors....

The biography of Jeanne Villepreux-Power, whose curiosity about undersea life led her to pioneer the use of glass tanks for research.

A collection of profiles of children and young adults whose scientific inventions made an impact on the world, including Louis Braille who discovered a way for the blind to read and write.

An innovative and accessible guide to theories in technology and nature. Learning about science can be daunting, but this book makes it easier by giving you all the big ideas simply explained. Simple explanations and stylish infographics open up the world of science to even the complete novice.

"Forget the moon landing, the Nobel prizes, and the famous inventions. When the world's most brilliant scientists were growing up, they had regular-kid problems just like you. Albert Einstein daydreamed instead of paying attention in class. Jane Goodall got in trouble for bringing worms and snails in her house. And Neil deGrasse Tyson had to start a dog-walking business to save up money to buy a telescope. Kid Scientists tells these stories and more...

Benjamin Banneker was born free when most most blacks were still enslaved. He was free to wonder about the movement of the stars in the sky and the changes in the shape of the moon. And he was free to seek the answers to his questions. But throughout his life it troubled Benjamin Banneker that not all blacks were free. An accomplished astronomer and mathematician, author of the first published almanac by a black man, Benjamin Banneker decided to take...

How It All Works is a unique and unprecedented demonstration of our universe and how it works. Starting in the home, and moving through ever more complex scenes of street, city and landscape, all the way to the solar system and the whole universe, Adam Dant's exquisite illustrations reveal where scientific laws apply and where the phenomena they create are to be found. A rigorous reference section includes all these in alphabetical order for ease...