The Candle Revisited: Essays on Science and Technology Book

This book is concise sampler of the many wonderful and insightful essays that appear in the compendium Proceedings of the Royal Institution, Volume 65. The Friday Evening Discourses of the Royal Institution, initiated by 1826, form one of the most prestigious series of science lectures in the world. Chapters include The Candle Revisited, by P.W. Atkins, Supernovae: The Death of Stars, by Paul Murdin, and Our Genes Under the Microscope, by H.J. Evans, among others. Taken together, the chapters make for fascinating reading for all readers interested in scientific discovery and technological progress. scientists, like P. W. Atkins and Peter Day, present their work at these lectures in a language accessible to a public audience and this has resulted in some of the best ever popular writing by active scientists. Topical issues covered include microbiological approaches to cleaning up oil-spills, the construction of the Channel Tunnel, and the nature of the human genome.Read More