The Age of Science 1900-1950
In the first half of this century man has vastly enlarged his understanding and control of nature. An introduction to the 10 articles in this issue
Features
Astronomy
The big telescopes and subtler instruments have gathered and analyzed light from within the solar system to a frontier a billion light-years away
Physics
The great experiments and heroic theories have revolutionized our view of the physical world and brought us closer to its underlying unity
Chemistry
Aided by the new ideas of physics, the chemists have welded a huge body of facts into a unified system. Many of their fundamental advances have quickly become part of technology
Geology
The search for the origin of major geological features has advanced further into the depths of the earth and time. A survey from the standpoint of physical geology
Mathematics
Pure mathematicians have become more rigorous and applied mathematicians less inhibited. The interaction of mathematics and physics continues to enrich both
Genetics
The organized study of the mechanism of heredity evolution began only with the 20th century and rediscovery of the lost work of Gregor Mendel
Biochemistry
Another young science, viewing living things as dynamic processes rather than machines, has notably investigated the intricate chemical reactions common to all organisms
Physiology
The earlier physiologists were principally concerned with the general organization of the body. Today their interest has shifted toward its physics and chemistry
Psychology
Faced with problems of discouraging complexity, its workers tried to fractionate them. Now the trend is toward placing the problems in their natural context
Anthropology
The powerful concept of culture has been extended to explain much of human behavior and to eliminate some artificial distinctions among groups of men
Departments
50 and 100 Years Ago: September 1950
Science and the Citizen: September 1950
- Letters
Letters to the Editors, September 1950
- Recommended
Books
- Amateur Scientist
The Amateur Astronomer
- Departments
Bibliography
