Books in Great Ideas of Science series

Examines the history of the use of classification systems to organize living things, from ancient efforts to classify life forms based on appearance, to the use of DNA sequencing.

Explains how scientists' observations of the stars led to the development of the big bang theory, a theory of how our universe was formed.

Explores the history, breakthroughs, and possibilities of the field of genetics, from the work of Gregor Mendel to the discovery of DNA, including information on DNA fingerprinting and gene therapy.

Explains atomic structure and the history of atomic theory, discussing electrons, radioactivity, neutrons, quarks and other particles, and the Standard Model.

Discusses how the germ theory of disease came about, how it was applied to various illnesses throughout the years, and why this theory has become so important in the field of medicine.

A biography of Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.

Describes the uses for electricity and magnetism that stretch back to ancient times and discusses the history behind their scientific study.

Profiles the life of Galileo Galilei, focusing on his defense of the Copernican theory and his struggles with the Catholic Church

Book by Johnson, Rebecca L.

Describes how scientists explained motion throughout history and how Albert Einstein's theory of relativity completely changed our understanding of time, space, mass, motion, and gravity.

Describes how the field of cytology began, discusses how this field has enhanced others, and explores how the use of technology has impacted the field.

Profiles the life of the eighteenth-century Swedish naturalist whose scientific naming of plants and animals provided an international language of nature