An unparalleled history of astronomy presented in the words ofthe scientists who made the discoveries. Here are the writings ofCopernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Halley, Hubble, and Einstein,as well as that of dozens of others who have significantlycontributed to our picture of the universe. From Aristotle's proof that the Earth is round to the 1998 paperthat posited an accelerating universe, this book contains 100entries spanning the history of astronomy. Award-winning sciencewriter Marcia Bartusiak provides enormously entertainingintroductions, putting the material in context and explaining itsplace in the literature. Archives of the Universe is essentialreading for professional astronomers, science history buffs, andbackyard stargazers alike.
Rosemary and Peter Grant and those assisting them have spendtwenty years on Daphne Major, an island in the Galapagos studyingnatural selection. They recognize each individual bird on theisland, when there are four hundred at the time of the author'svisit, or when there are over a thousand. They have observed abouttwenty generations of finches -- continuously. Jonathan Weiner follows these scientists as they watch Darwin'sfinches and come up with a new understanding of life itself.
