Scientific American Magazine

His unique evolution is largely due to his ability to turn heat to his own ends. Even before he learned to bake clay and smelt metals he used fire to change himself and the face of the earth

We deal with it by means of mathematical abstractions which rest on the notions of disorder and energy. Presenting an explanation of these concepts together with a brief account of their origins

Between the lowest temperatures and the highest is a narrow zone in which living organisms have evolved. This is the range where enzymes can exist and speed the chemical reactions of metabolism

Our principal source of intense heat is the luminous combustion of gases. The phenomenon is intensively studied to increase both the temperature of flames and our knowledge of matter and energy

The containment of heat in new industrial processes and jet propulsion systems strains the melting points of metals and ceramics. A combination of them called cermets shows promise

Between 1,000 and 3,000 degrees centigrade lies the present frontier of chemical technology. A chemical plant making nitric oxide from air heated to 2,100 degrees is already in operation

Efficiency increases with temperature in the engines that convert heat into other forms of energy. Jet engines are now approaching the limiting temperatures of flames and materials to contain them

Here solids and liquids no longer exist, molecules are disrupted and gases are ionized. The strange dynamics of these electrically conducting gases are a new concern of physicists and astronomers

They occur in nuclear explosions and in the interiors of stars. In the latter they promote thermonuclear reactions and perhaps convert hydrogen into all other elements on the periodic table