Vast display of modern science

Press, 11 January 1986, Page 18

Vast display of modern science

Asimov’s Now Guide to Science. By Isaac Asimov. Basic Books, 1984; Viking, 1985. 940 pp. $5O. (Reviewed by John Hearnshaw) So vast is the extent of scientific knowledge in the late twentieth century, that the title of this book may at first seem rather daunting. How could one author have the audacity to summarise the whole of scientific knowledge in one volume? And not merely the present-day state of that knowledge, but also to cover its historical development from the time of the ancient Greeks? And in any case, in this age of ultra-specialisation, who might need such a work? In the early nineteenth century there was an accepted tradition that true erudition implied mastery of all knowledge. Such intellectual giants as Alexander von Humboldt, William Whewell, or Sir John Herschel were scientists in the broadest sense — in Whewell’s case his expertise is said to have embraced literature, philosophy, classics, history, architecture, divinity and law, as well as all branches of science. In contrast, the exigencies of scientific research today have practically rendered such intellects an obsolete species. Asimov is perhaps among the last of this dying breed, and when one ponders how much more extensive scientific knowledge is today than even a decade or so ago, so much more impressive is this book. For Asimov, the motivation for knowledge is curiosity, or the overwhelming desire to know. This is the theme of the introductory chapter which emphasises the historical and philosophical aspects of science. Here the reader is told that the human being in a lifetime can learn up to 15 trillion items of information as part of his acquired knowledge (the figure seems improbably high). Then follow two main parts of the book, which deal with the physical and the biological sciences, each in eight chapters. Asimov begins Part I (Physical Science) with cosmology and the size of the universe. Then follow in quick succession quasars, galaxies, neutron stars, black holes, and supernovae. Astronomy is also the subject of chapter three, which gives a concise summary of the solar system, including sections on planets, comets, and asteroids. Next come the earth sciences, geology, geophysics, oceanography, and aeronomy. For example, those readers requiring instant information on earthquake disasters will learn that an earthquake in Tokyo in 1703 killed 200,000 people; another in 1737 killed 300,000 people in Calcutta. Perhaps such statistics help us view the recent much smaller Mexican earthquake in perspective.

Chapter six is entitled “The Elements” and covers a large part of the physics and chemistry of inorganic matter. One gem of information here is that pressures of 1,500,000 atmospheres have recently been obtained in the laboratory, which is almost half that prevailing in the centre of the earth, and far more than the mere 200,000 atmospheres needed to convert graphite directly into diamond. The next chapter on atomic and nuclear physics is an especially lucid exposition for those who wish to have a basic understanding of the fundamental particles of nature such as mesons, neutrinos and quarks. Nor does Asimov shy away from such complex topics as Einstein’s theories of relativity and gravitation. His approach is at all times non-mathematical, yet the clarity with which these subjects are treated is exemplary. The reactor is the subject for the final section on physical science, and for those in New Zealand who wish to be well-informed on the scientific aspects of the current nuclear debate, this would be an excellent introduction. Finally, the prospects of solving once and for all the world’s energy shortage by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium receive the mention this important topic deserves. The second part of the “New Guide to Science” is devoted to the biological sciences. Asimov begins with a chapter on organic chemistry which leads into a review of the biochemistry of C roteins. As a professor of iochemistry at Boston University, the author is here more than qualified for the task. Next comes a chapter on the cell with an especially well written account of genes and chromosomes. Even such well-known stories as that of Gregor Mendel and the genetics of pea plants are related with a delightful freshness. An account of the double helix structure of DNA as the key to the genetic code then follows, based in part on the work of the New Zealandborn biochemist Maurice Wilkins, which was taken up by Watson and Crik in Cambridge, when they deduced the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. Bacteria, viruses, viral diseases, vaccines, and cancer are the next major topics. For readers who wish to be up-to-date with the latest on mutagens, oncogenes, and carcinogens, this section is to be recommended. If science to some laymen seems a rather impersonal and detached pursuit, the chapter on the human body must surely be a mine of information of personal relevance to all of us. One fascinating statistic is that the average life expectancy of most mammals is about a billion heartbeats,

ranging from the shrew that lives about one and a half years with a 1000 heartbeats per minute, to the elephant that lives up to seventy years with a heart that beats only 20 times a minute. But human beings are an astonishing exception to this rule; our hearts beat about 2% billion times in a typical lifespan. The next chapter is on “The Species”; some one and a half million species of living things have been catalogued but, conservatively, at least ten million are thought to exist in the world today, while perhaps another 100 million or so have existed but are now extinct. The anthropological work of the Leakeys and others in East Africa is especially enthralling, with the finds of fossilised remains of early hominids which have been dated back several million years. Refreshingly, Asimov concludes this chapter with a discussion of humanity’s future. Of the 77 thousand million individuals of the species homo sapiens born so far, as many as 6 per cent are alive today. In 1600 the world’s population was five hundred million; today it is nearly 10 times that figure, and increasing by about 220,000 a day. Asimov is optimistic we can survive this population explosion, even if it means adapting to living in the sea or settling in outer space. A chapter on the mind concludes this mammoth book. Neurophysiology, psychology, dreams, drugs, memory and artificial intelligence are all part of the material covered. Anyone who reads the “New Guide to Science” must be impressed by the vast erudition of this author, who has already written some 250 books. There must be very few readers who could pick up this work and not fill in at least a few gaps in their general knowledge, while the great majority will find that wide chasms in their understanding of modem science can be at least partially eradicated with this guide, which is written with such masterful clarity. There is one danger to which the. reader should be forewarned before becoming too engrossed in this book. This is the danger of believing that what is not in the “New Guide to Science” is not worth knowing, and that all basic scientific facts have been mentioned. Nothing could be further from the truth. The “New Guide to Science” merely summarises the main developments in scientific discovery. Even the reader who fully assimilates all 940 pages will not become an expert in any branch of science, but he will become a layman who is considerably better informed about science today than the average man in the street.