252 Index

Quarks
importance of, 203
origins of discovery, 2034
weak and strong force, 172
Quasars and pulsars
importance of, 205
origins of discovery, 2056
Queloz, Didier
existence of planets around other stars,
21516
Radiation. See Atomic bonding; Big Bang
theory; Dark matter; Electromagnetic
radiation/radio waves; Infrared (IR) and
ultraviolet (UV) light; Solar radiation
Radiation sickness, 105
Radioactive dating. See also Isotopes
importance of, 119
origins of discovery, 11920
Radioactive decay
nuclear fission, 178
weak and strong force, 171
Radioactivity
importance of, 105
origins of discovery, 1056
polonium, 1056
radium, 1056
splitting of the atom, 1056
Radio signals
quasars and pulsars, 2056
Radio waves. See Electromagnetic
radiation/radio waves
Radium, 1056
Recyclers
ecosystems, 170
Reid, Harry
fault lines, 12627
Relativity. See Theory of relativity
Reproduction. See Sexual reproduction
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
cell structure, 166
Ribosomes
cell structure, 166
Ricci, Ostilio
law of falling objects, 10
Richer, Jean
distance to the sun, 28
Ritter, Johann
ultraviolet (UV) light, 56
Roentgen, Wilhelm
X-rays, 9596

Rubbia, Carlo
weak force, 17172
Rubin, Vera
dark matter, 21112
Rumford, Count
nature of heat, 4950
San Andreas fault, 127
Sandage, Allan Rex
quasars, 2056
Schwarzschild, Karl
black holes, 14041
Seafloor spreading
importance of, 199
origins of discovery, 199200
Secretin, 110
Sedimentation
fossils, 26
Seismic waves
Earths core and mantle, 137
Seismology. See also Fault lines; Geology
Earths core and mantle, 13637
Semiconductor transistor
importance of, 183
origins of discovery, 18384
Sexual reproduction
order in nature, 34
Shadow zone, 136
Shannon, Claude
definition of information, 18889
Shipping
oceans, effects on weather, 41
Smith, J. L. B.
coelacanth, 17677
Soddy, Frederick
isotopes, 13335
Sodium
electrochemical bonding, 6162
Solar energy
fusion, 19293
Solar radiation
atomic light signatures, 8182
Solar system. See also Distance to the sun;
Galaxies
existence of planets around other stars,
21516
planetary motion, 1112
Sonar
seafloor spreading, 199200
Sound
conservation of energy, 74

Index 253
Sound waves
Doppler Effect, 7576
Space. See Light, space, and time
Spectrographs
dark matter, 21112
distance to the sun, 27
existence of planets around other stars, 216
expanding universe, 151
quasars and pulsars, 205
Spectrography
atomic light signatures, 81
isotopes, 134
quasars and pulsars, 205
radioactive dating, 120
Speed of light
black holes, 141
distance to the sun, 27
E = mc2, 11112
electromagnetic radiation/radio waves, 84
importance of, 155
origins of discovery, 15556
quarks, 2034
Sperm, 29
Spitzer, Lyman
fusion, 19293
Starling, Ernst
hormones, 10910
Stars. See Atomic light signatures; Black holes;
Distance to the sun; Doppler Effect;
Existence of planets around other stars;
Expanding universe; Galaxies; Neutron
star; Quasars and pulsars; Solar system;
Stellarator; Supernovae
Static
electricity, 3839
Stellarator
fusion, 193
Steno, Nicholas
fossils, 2526
Strangeness
quarks, 204
Stratosphere
atmospheric layers, 108
Strong force. See Weak and strong force
Subatomic particles. See also Atomic bonding;
Quantum theory; Quarks
antimatter, 16061
electrons, 1012
isotopes, 133
neutrons, 163

radioactivity, 1056
weak and strong force, 172
Sugar
metabolism, 17475
Sun-centered universe. See also Distance to
the sun; Galaxies
importance of, 5
origins of discovery, 56
Ptolemys model, 56
Sunlight
photosynthesis, 46
Superconductivity
importance of, 128
origins of discovery, 12829
semiconductor transistor, 184
Supernovae
accelerating universe, 218
quasars and pulsars, 206
Supplements. See Vitamins
Symbiosis
complete evolution, 2089
Synchrotron
weak and strong force, 172
Systema Naturae, 34
Tansley, Arthur
ecosystems, 16970
Taung skull
human evolution, 14647
Taxonomy. See also Order in nature
definition of, 33
Teisserenc de Bort, Leon Philippe
atmospheric layers, 1078
Telescopes. See also Microscopes
atmospheric layers, 108
dark matter, 21112
definition of, 14
distance to the sun, 2728
Doppler Effect, 76
existence of planets around other stars,
21516
expanding universe, 15051
planetary motion, 13
radio, 205
Temperature. See also Absolute zero temperature
atmospheric layers, 1078
Big Bang theory, 186
Earths core and mantle, 13637
fusion, 19293
infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) light, 55