cover image Eureka! The Most Amazing Scientific Discoveries of All Time

Eureka! The Most Amazing Scientific Discoveries of All Time

Mike Goldsmith. Thames & Hudson (Norton, dist.), $19.95 (96p) ISBN 978-0-500-65025-7

Research scientist and science writer Goldsmith creates an entertaining and highly visual overview of more than a dozen breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and other arenas of human knowledge. Included are Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin, Darwin's formation of evolutionary theory, Galileo's work to prove that the Earth orbits the sun, and Gertrude Belle Elion's development of drugs to combat illnesses. The individuals responsible for the discoveries are introduced via an overview of their aims, challenges (Elion "found it hard to get a good education and a job in science because she was a woman"), and results, which are supplemented by humanizing details about their lives and careers, as well as sidebars, period photos, and diagrams. A rich resource. Ages 9%E2%80%93up. (May)