Discovery: Science as a Window to the World

ISBN: 978-0-632-04452-8

Paperback

248 pages

November 2000, Wiley-Blackwell

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Emphasizes the process of discovery through interviews and key experiments.
Written by a best-selling author.
Provides an in-depth, conversational look at the science behind several "hot topics" in biology.
Each chapter traces the beginnings of the field with stories of how serendipity and scientific inquiry intertwine.
Presents the background to a field by including the scientific literature-so the reader does not have to do a literature search or plow through a review article.
Many essays introduce the work of overlooked scientists or "unsung heroes." Alexey Olovnikov (telomeres), Leroy Steven (stem cells), to name a few.
Also, well-known scientists are interviewed: Stanley Miller, Carl Woese, John Gearhart, and others.
The essays show how ideas interact and coalesce from different lines of research.
Highlights the role of the media in interpreting science for the public.