Lost Discoveries: The Multicultural Roots of Modern Science from the Babylonians to the Maya - Hardcover

Teresi, Dick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684837188 ISBN 13: 9780684837185

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2002

Synopsis

Documents scientific investigations and discoveries that were made by ancient civilizations, including the lowest common denominator, negative numbers, eclipses, the awareness of a round planet, geocentric cosmology, and rubber vulcanization. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

Review

Leon Lederman Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and coauthor of "The God Particle" Wow, Teresi's "Lost Discoveries" is a romp through the history of mathematics, astronomy, cosmology, physics, geology, chemistry, and technology. Teresi must have pored through tons of ancient manuscripts and scholarly compendia to unearth a rich mine of historical achievements of largely non-Western civilizations that preceded and enabled the Golden Age of Greece. For science buffs who are curious about 'How do we know?' and 'How did we learn?' this is a spectacular canvas, and it illuminates the power of cultural diversity. Yes, there were peaks in the progress of science, but today science is the only universal culture, the same in the West, East, North, and South. Teresi's important book helps to explain why.

About the Author

Dick Teresi is the author or coauthor of several books about science and technology, including The God Particle. He is cofounder of Omni magazine and has written for Discover, The New York Times Magazine, and The Atlantic Monthly, and is a frequent reviewer and essayist for The New York Times Book Review. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0684837188
• ISBN 13: 9780684837185
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 453