Unsolved Problems Of Science - Livres de poche

UNSOLVED PROBLEMS OF SCIENCE UNSOLVED PROBLEMS OF SCIENCE by A. W. HASLETT Sometime Foundation Scholar of Kings College, Cambridge LONDON G. BELL AND SONS, LTD 1935 CONTENTS Authors Note page ix Chapter I. THE UNENDING QUEST The ignorance of science its cost the progress of science practical achieve ments knowledge not fully applied discoveries seldom revolutionary problems can be discovered as well as facts different types of ignorance of detail of principle of the nature of things the limitations of science their relation to religion a coming difficulty page I Chapter II. THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE Difficulty of creation from nothingness an alternative approach astro nomers survey of space one universe among many the scattering of the universes all the universes once one the Relativity interpretation space itself expanding the Concertina Universe the Explosive Crea tion Universe Creation by Toppling connection with the birth of the stars a non-Relativity picture leads to similar conclusions an open choice page i Chapter III. ARE THERE OTHER WORLDS THAN OURS Martian tales discovery of the canals the requirements of life on the earth, water and oxygen temperature limitations possibilities of adapta tion when the suns heat fails conditions on Mars it undoubtedly has an atmosphere the canals discussed evidence of plant life living on Mars the mystery of Venus planets of other stars their low birth-rate connection with the expanding universe life a rare accident or a de liberate creation page 40 Chapter IV. THIS CHANGING WORLD Mountains point the way our not-so-solid earth seas on the mountain tops Scandinavia tilting perhaps England too coastal erosion mountain growth to-day a radiumfurnace within the earth earthquakes and mountain chains the forecasting problem the worlds changing geography even continents may not be fixed the Wegener theory of drift evolution and the geologist attractiveness of the Wegener picture attempted measurements of drift a new synthesis page 60 VI CONTENTS Chapter V. OUR WEATHER CAULDRON Economic importance of weather the long-range problem the scale of natures operations the ocean boiler house anti-cyclones and depressions ten million million tons of air shifted annually country omens in perspec tive the quest for cycles sunspot changes world weather relationships a gigantic survey India-South America-Siberia-Honolulu building up a forecasting formula a 4-to-i chance many records to be examined ignorance above ground level the missing control factors page 91 Chapter VI. MESSAGES FROM SPACE Messages are always being received cosmic rays meteors space not empty our own atmosphere as a border land two lines of evidence point to warmth discovery of the cosmic cloud chalk, salt and ordinary air theory that the cosmic cloud is hot meteors from beyond the sun discovery of cosmic rays welcomed in balloons pursued to the bottom of lakes more penetrating X-rays recreation in space annihilation of matter an alternative picture the earth as a magnet effect on incoming rays two international surveys both explanations may be right page 119 Chapter VII. THE ORIGIN OF MAN Evolution proved man can scarcely be an exception yet his ancestry so far irrecoverable arguments from anatomy from blood sera from embryo development search for missing links Neanderthal man Java ape-man Piltdown man in England Pekin man no single line of ascent the pro blem of Africaour ape relations difficulties of parallel evolution hopes of further finds page 147 Chapter VIII...