National Academy of Sciences

Andrew Chaikin

Barbara Burke

Addison Greenwood

T.A. Heppenheimer

Anne Simon Moffat

Elizabeth J. Maggio

David Holzman

Michelle Hoffman

Marcia F. Bartusiak

A Positron Named Priscilla is a book of wonder, offering a fascinating, readable overview of cutting-edge investigations by many of today's leading young scientists. Written for anyone who loves science, this volume reports on some of the most exciting recent discoveries and advances in fields from astronomy to molecular biology. This new book is from one of the world's most prestigious scientific institutions, the National Academy of Sciences. The Academy provides an annual forum for the brightest young investigators to exchange ideas across disciplinesâ€"an exchange that was the spark for A Positron Named Priscilla. Each chapter is authored by a popular science writer who offers helpful historical perspectives, clear and well-illustrated explanations of current scientific thinking, and previews of future developments. The scope of topics and breadth of discussion ensure interest at all levels. Topics include: Planetary science and the compelling glimpse through the clouded atmosphere of Venus afforded by the spacecraft Magellan. Astrophysics and the emergence of helioseismology, a new field that allows researchers to probe the interior workings of the sun. Biology and what we have learned about DNA in the 40 years since its discovery; our current understanding of protein molecules, the "building blocks" of living systems; and the high-tech search for answers to the AIDS epidemic. Physics and our new-found ability to move and manipulate individual atoms on a surface. The book also tells the remarkable story of "buckyballs," or buckminsterfullerenes, a form of carbon discovered only a few years ago, that have the potential to be used in a variety of important applications, from superconductivity to nanotechnology. Mathematics and the rise of "wavelet" theory, and how mathematicians are applying it in sometimes startling ways, from assisting the FBI with fingerprint storage to coaxing the secrets from a battered recording of Brahms playing the piano. Geosciences and the search for "clocks in the earth" to make life-saving earthquake predictions. A Positron Named Priscilla is a "must" read for anyone who wants to keep up with a broad range of scientific endeavor.

Scientific Discovery at the Frontier

A Positron Named Priscilla

Science at the Frontier takes you on a journey through the minds of some of the nation's leading young scientists as they explore the most exciting areas of discovery today. Based on the second Frontiers of Science symposium sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, this book describes recent accomplishments and new directions in ten basic fields, represented by outstanding scientists convening to discuss their research. It captures the excitement and personal quality of these exchanges, sometimes pointing to surprising connections spanning the boundaries of traditional disciplines, while providing a context for the reader that explains the basic scientific framework for the fields under discussion. The volume explores New modifications to scientific theory as geologists probe deep inside the earth and astrophysicists reach to the limits of the observable universe for answers to some of nature's most fundamental and vexing questions. The influence of research in smog formation on the public debate about how to effectively control air pollution. The increasing use of computer modeling in science, from describing the evolution of cellular automata to revealing the workings of the human brain via neural networks. The rise of dynamical systems (the study of chaotic behavior in nature) to a full-fledged science. The search to understand the regulation of gene activity and the many biological problems--such as the onset of cancer--to which it applies. Recent progress in the quest to transform what we know about photosynthesis into functional, efficient systems to tap the sun's energy. Current developments in magnetic resonance imaging and its promise for new breakthroughs in medical diagnosis. Throughout this work the reader is witness to scientific discovery and debate centered on such common concerns as the dramatic and transforming effect of computers on scientists' thinking and research; the development of more cross-disciplinary perspectives; and the very nature of the scientific enterprise itself--what it is to be part of it, and its significance for society. Science at the Frontier is must reading for informed lay readers, scientists interested in fields other than their own, and science students considering a future specialization.

Science at the Frontier

Addison Greenwood

About

Books

Join the club