Step into Harriet and Milton's time machine, bring some snacks, and investigate who the first scientists were.
Contents
Introduction 7
1 Adventures in Ancient Greece 11
2 Athens Takes to the Stage 43
3 And the Academy Award Goes to... 60
4 Have You Met the Brain? 72
5 Science on the Nile 86
6 BC to AD 102
7 The Forgotten Hero of Science 114
Julia Golding is a multi-award winning children's author who has been awarded both the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Nestle Smarties Book Prize. A former British diplomat and Oxfam policy adviser, Golding also has a doctorate in English Literature from Oxford University, and was writer-in-residence at the Royal Institution in 2019. An avid Jane Austen fan, her Jane Austen-themed podcast 'What Would Jane Do?' offers a 19th century take on modern life. Golding is the successful author of The Curious Science Quest series, The Tigers in the Tower and the Jane Austen Investigates series. Andrew Briggs is Professor of Nanomaterials in the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford. He is best known for his early work in acoustic microscopy, and his current work in materials for quantum technologies. He is co-author of The Penultimate Curiosity. Roger Wagner is a prolific artist and author, with works spanning three decades. He works across many creative genres, including portrait, illustrated books, and stained glass. He is co-author of The Penultimate Curiosity.
"A witty and accessible treasure trove of scientific discoveries
that goes to the heart of our human quest to understand who we are.
This book doesn't dumb down or gloss over imponderables but will
leave you marvelling at the science and asking for more." -
Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, Director of Medical Studies at
Trinity College Cambridge
"Has the bug bitten you? Are you curious? Curious to know how the
Universe evolved from the Big Bang? How matter arranges itself into
objects ranging from atomic nuclei to human beings, planets, and
stars? Are you curious to know why all these things are the way
they are? Science is good for the 'how' questions but does not
necessarily have the answers on the 'why' questions. Can science
and religion talk to each other? Enjoy this series and learn more
about science and the enriching dialogue between science and
faith." - Professor Rolf Heuer, Director General of CERN 2009-2015;
President of the German Physical Society and SESAME Council
"The brilliant and entertaining illustrations in this series
enliven a clear and enjoyable text that should stimulate serious
thought about the world and our place in it." - Lord Rees,
Astronomer Royal, President of the Royal Society 2005-2010
"Too often science and faith are pitted against each other. This
book breaks down that split in a creative and engaging way. It
shows the scope of science in our lives and how the study of
science and the study of God feed and magnify each other. Human
beings have always been hungry for understanding and meaning, and
this book beautifully shows how this has worked out from the
earliest time. It is a book that leaves me in awe at the 'art' of
science: for the way it unveils the magnificence of God our
Creator, who stretches out the canvas." - Justin Welby, Archbishop
of Canterbury
"Here is a wonderful and wittily written introduction to science as
the art of asking open questions and not jumping to conclusions.
It's also an amusing excursion through evolution and anthropology
which packs in a lot of learning with the lightest of touches. A
much-needed antidote to the bludgeoning crudity of so much writing
in both science and religion." - Reverend Doctor Malcolm Guite,
poet, singer-songwriter, priest, academic, and chaplain at Girton
College Cambridge
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