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Reading the Shape of Nature vividly recounts the turbulent early history of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard and the contrasting careers of its founder Louis Agassiz and his son Alexander. Through the story of this institution and the individuals who formed it, Mary P. Winsor explores the conflicting forces that shaped systematics in the second half of the nineteenth century. Debates over the philosophical foundations of classification, details of taxonomic research, the young institution's financial struggles, and the personalities of the men most deeply involved are all brought to life. In 1859, Louis Agassiz established the Museum of Comparative Zoology to house research on th...
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Jennifer Tucker studies the interaction of photography and modern science in late Victorian Britain, examining the role of the photograph as witness in scientific investigation and exploring the interplay between photography and scientific authority.
"Blends the scientific issues, the commercial and legal factors, and the personalities involved into a sure-footed narrative that never fails to hold the reader's interest. . . . it is difficult to imagine a more carefully documented and sensibly reasoned account of the way in which ideas on impact theory evolved. . . . of considerable, and probably lasting, value."ÑNature "This meticulously prepared and lucidly written work will surely prove the definitive account of one of the most stimulating intellectual confrontations in the whole history of the earth and planetary sciences. I can recommend it without reservation."ÑWilliam A. S. Sarjeant,Geoscience Canada "An important book by an extraordinary author, of interest to anyone fascinated by the ways in which unorthodox science becomes part of conventional wisdom."ÑEarth Sciences History
Established in 1894 in Flagstaff, Arizona by Percival Lowell, the Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill is still remembered as the site of numerous important astronomical firsts. The great recessional velocities of galaxies were first observed here in the years immediately before the first world war, a discovery that ultimately led scientists to the realization that our universe is expanding. In 1930, the dwarf planet Pluto was discovered at Lowell by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. This volume is a series of vignettes in the observatory's history, from its foundation and early years under Lowell's guidance to its more modern-day accomplishments. It is richly illustrated with photographs from the Lowell archives.
Committee Serial No. 88-23. Includes Interagency Committee on Oceanography reports "University Curricula in Oceanography," June 1963 (p. 205-368); "Oceanography -- The Ten Years Ahead," June 1963 (p. 427-492); "National Oceanographic Program -- Fiscal Year 1964," April 1963 (p. 497-565); and "National Oceanographic Program -- Fiscal Year 1965," Mar. 1964 (p. 569-620).