
The Frontiers of Science
Benjamin Lewin(Author)
Royal Society of Chemistry (Publisher)
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 12. January 2026
Book
Hardback
718 pages
978-1-83767-967-6 (ISBN)
Description
Science dominates modern intellectual life, yet few fully appreciate the path by which science evolved into such a driving cultural force. The Frontiers of Science traces the centuries-long development of science from an endeavour intertwined with other disciplines into an independent field with its own procedures and principles.
Spanning key discoveries from 500 BCE to the modern day, including all areas from astronomy, physics, biology, neuroscience, computing and AI, it reveals how science advances, not in a straight line, but through a zigzag of progress and dead ends.
Along the way, The Frontiers of Science explores pivotal junctures where pioneering thinkers took wrong turns, faced resistance from contemporary beliefs, and navigated challenging notions of truth. It analyzes how novel scientific ideas struggled to gain acceptance among scientists and in society until evidence and corrections hammered out their validity.
The book considers how AI may change the nature of science, assesses the limits of science today, and discusses the dangers that pseudoscience and the rejection of science pose for society.
Instead of viewing science through a societal lens, this book uniquely examines breakthroughs from the scientist's perspective. It ultimately illuminates why the self-scrutinizing, self-correcting nature of science underpins its success in understanding the natural realm.
For readers intrigued by science's influence on modern times, this is an unparalleled guide to how it assumed a transformative role through a turbulent, obstacle-strewn evolution.
Spanning key discoveries from 500 BCE to the modern day, including all areas from astronomy, physics, biology, neuroscience, computing and AI, it reveals how science advances, not in a straight line, but through a zigzag of progress and dead ends.
Along the way, The Frontiers of Science explores pivotal junctures where pioneering thinkers took wrong turns, faced resistance from contemporary beliefs, and navigated challenging notions of truth. It analyzes how novel scientific ideas struggled to gain acceptance among scientists and in society until evidence and corrections hammered out their validity.
The book considers how AI may change the nature of science, assesses the limits of science today, and discusses the dangers that pseudoscience and the rejection of science pose for society.
Instead of viewing science through a societal lens, this book uniquely examines breakthroughs from the scientist's perspective. It ultimately illuminates why the self-scrutinizing, self-correcting nature of science underpins its success in understanding the natural realm.
For readers intrigued by science's influence on modern times, this is an unparalleled guide to how it assumed a transformative role through a turbulent, obstacle-strewn evolution.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
With printed dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 165 mm
Width: 238 mm
Thickness: 52 mm
Weight
1244 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83767-967-6 (9781837679676)
DOI
10.1039/9781837679690
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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Benjamin Lewin
The Frontiers of Science
E-Book
01/2026
1st Edition
Royal Society of Chemistry
€40.99
Available for download
Person
Benjamin Lewin is a molecular biologist by background. He obtained his undergraduate degree and PhD at the University of Cambridge, and was founding editor of the international science journal Cell at MIT. He has written widely on genetics and on science in general, and has also authored a series of books on wine.
Content
Prequel: Aristotle's Doctrines: 600-300 BC
Saint Augustine's Legacy: 500-1300
Science in the East: 750-1458 CE
Copernicus' Revolution: 1543-1609
Galileo's Movement: 1610-1659
Newton's Laws: 1659-1687
Lavoisier's Chemistry: 1750-1870
Industrial Revolution: 1760-1840
Maxwell's Demon: 1820-1890
Popper's Legacy: What is Science?
Kuhn's Paradigms: Changing Science
Darwin's Evolution: 1859-1980
Rutherford's Atom: 1897-1945
Bohr's Quantum: 1926-
Heisenberg's Uncertainties: 1927-
Einstein's Universe: 1905-
Lemaitre's Big Bang: 1931-
Science and War
Crick's Double Helix: 1953-
Watson's Genomes: 1990-
Science and Medicine
Cajal's Neuron Doctrine: 1898-
Turing's Intelligence: Now
Communication in Science
Rabbit Holes in Science
Science and Society
Epilogue: Science and Modernity
Saint Augustine's Legacy: 500-1300
Science in the East: 750-1458 CE
Copernicus' Revolution: 1543-1609
Galileo's Movement: 1610-1659
Newton's Laws: 1659-1687
Lavoisier's Chemistry: 1750-1870
Industrial Revolution: 1760-1840
Maxwell's Demon: 1820-1890
Popper's Legacy: What is Science?
Kuhn's Paradigms: Changing Science
Darwin's Evolution: 1859-1980
Rutherford's Atom: 1897-1945
Bohr's Quantum: 1926-
Heisenberg's Uncertainties: 1927-
Einstein's Universe: 1905-
Lemaitre's Big Bang: 1931-
Science and War
Crick's Double Helix: 1953-
Watson's Genomes: 1990-
Science and Medicine
Cajal's Neuron Doctrine: 1898-
Turing's Intelligence: Now
Communication in Science
Rabbit Holes in Science
Science and Society
Epilogue: Science and Modernity