Fortune or Failure
Missed Opportunities and Chance Discoveries in Science
Published on 19. October 1989
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-631-16087-8 (ISBN)
Description
From the author of the successful "False Prophets" this book brings together stories from a wide range of scientific disciplines to provide an account of some of the greatest breakthroughs in science. It offers an examination of the often neglected role of chance in discovery. The book illuminates some of the most famous discoveries from the history of science including penicillin, radioactivity and x-rays with new accounts from microbiology and molecular biology.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Illustrations
5 figures, 20 photos, table, index
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
471 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-631-16087-8 (9780631160878)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
Discoveries in physics - electricity and radioactivity; from atomic nuclei to the universe; the role of chance in chemistry and biochemistry; chance and disappointment in microbiology; the discovery of penicillin - design or chance?; antibiotics; what changes our behaviour?; medical discoveries; the incredible story of insulin; what do we call a fact?