Physicists think they have discovered the top quark. Biologists believe in evolution. But what precisely constitutes evidence for such claims, and why? Scientists often disagree with one another over whether or to what extent some evidence counts in favor of a theory because they are operating with different concepts of scientific evidence. These ......
When Cultivated Plants Mate with Their Wild Relatives
With the advent of genetic engineering, ''designer'' crops might interbreed with natural populations. Could such romances lead to the evolution of ''superweeds'', as some have suggested? But haven't crops had sex with wild plants in the past? Has such gene swapping occurred without consequences? And if consequences have indeed occurred, what ......
Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades
From shrews to blue whales, placental mammals are among the most diverse and successful vertebrates on the Earth. Arising sometime near the Late Cretaceous, this broad clade of mammals contains more than 1,000 genera and approximately 4,400 extant species. Although much studied, the origin and diversification of the placentals continue to be a ......
One of the key components of modern physics, quantum mechanics is used in such fields as chemistry, electrical engineering, and computer science. Central to quantum mechanics is Schr+Âdinger's Equation, which explains the behavior of atomic particles and the energy levels of a quantum system. Robert Gilmore's innovative approach to Schr+Âdinger's ......
Is there a universal set of rules for discovering and testing scientific hypotheses? Since the birth of modern science, philosophers, scientists, and other thinkers have wrestled with this fundamental question of scientific practice. Efforts to devise rigorous methods for obtaining scientific knowledge include the twenty-one rules Descartes ......
Is there a universal set of rules for discovering and testing scientific hypotheses? Since the birth of modern science, philosophers, scientists, and other thinkers have wrestled with this fundamental question of scientific practice. Efforts to devise rigorous methods for obtaining scientific knowledge include the twenty-one rules Descartes ......
This concise introduction offers students and researchers an overview of the discipline that connects genetics and evolution. Addressing the theories behind population genetics and relevant empirical evidence, John Gillespie discusses genetic drift, natural selection, nonrandom mating, quantitative genetics, and the evolutionary advantage of sex. ......
From quarks to quasars, this survey of the main branches of science provides readers with a scientific understanding of our fascinating universe. It explains the major facts, principles, and theories of physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy.
Magnetic Healing, Psychic Phenomena, and Other Heterodoxies
Although science attempts to draw a clear line separating its endeavors from those of ''pseudoscience,'' Henry Bauer reveals that the distinction is both equivocal and misleading. Setting aside science's snowy mantle of truth, Bauer presents pseudoscience--or anomalistics--not as the opposite of science but as something that develops parallel to ......
