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  • © 2019

The Dawn of Science

Glimpses from History for the Curious Mind

  • Presents an entertaining exposition of the early history of all branches of science intended for a lay person

  • Ample illustrations enhance the narrative and supplement the text

  • Authors stand out for both their scientific and pedagogical skills

  • Useful "Where" and "When" illustrations help readers to gain insight into the "bigger picture"

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Table of contents (24 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
  2. In the Beginning …

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 1-9
  3. The Athenian Contribution

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 11-19
  4. From the Ishango Bone to Euclid

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 21-30
  5. Archimedes — the Giant Among the Ancients

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 31-42
  6. The Healing Art and Its Science

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 43-51
  7. The Legacy from the Arab World

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 53-67
  8. The Indo-Arabic Numerals

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 69-78
  9. The Printing of a Page

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 79-88
  10. Exploring the ‘Seven Seas’

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 89-104
  11. The First Steps of Modern Medicine

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 105-116
  12. Making the Earth Move

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 117-126
  13. The Logarithm — An Unsung Hero

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 127-136
  14. The Way of the Wanderers

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 137-150
  15. Galileo and the Dynamical World

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 151-160
  16. Affairs of the Heart

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 161-170
  17. The Weight of the Intangible

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 171-181
  18. Geometry without Figures

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 183-191
  19. Life’s Infinite Variety : Finding Order in Species

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 193-204
  20. A Measure of the Heavens

    • Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan
    Pages 205-212

About this book

This lucid and captivating book takes the reader back to the early history of all the sciences, starting from antiquity and ending roughly at the time of Newton — covering the period which can legitimately be called the “dawn” of the sciences. Each of the 24 chapters focuses on a particular and significant development in the evolution of science, and is connected in a coherent way to the others to yield a smooth, continuous narrative. The at-a-glance diagrams showing the “When” and “Where” give a brief summary of what was happening at the time, thereby providing the broader context of the scientific events highlighted in that chapter. Embellished with colourful photographs and illustrations, and “boxed” highlights scattered throughout the text, this book is a must-read for everyone interested in the history of science, and how it shaped our world today.




Authors and Affiliations

  • Pune University Campus, IUCAA, Pune, India

    Thanu Padmanabhan, Vasanthi Padmanabhan

About the authors

Prof. Thanu Padmanabhan, a gifted theoretical physicist and cosmologist, is currently a Distinguished Professor at IUCAA, Pune, India. An internationally acclaimed researcher and teacher, he has published nearly 300 technical papers and authored eleven books which have made significant impact. His research has won prizes seven times in recent years from the Gravity Research Foundation, USA including the First Award in 2008. He was the Chairman of the IUPAP Astrophysics Commission (2011-14), the President of the IAU Cosmology Commission (2009-12) and a Sackler Distinguished Astronomer of Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge. He has received numerous national and international awards including the Padma Shri, the presidential medal of honor in India.

Dr. Vasanthi Padmanabhan obtained her Ph.D in astrophysics from TIFR, Mumbai working in the field of dark matter and structure formation in the universe, establishing constraints on decaying dark matter scenarios. An expert in scientific computing, writing and production, she has been actively involved with the end-to-end editing and formatting of the books authored by her spouse, Thanu Padmanabhan, over several decades, including the preparation of most of their technical and scientific figures. She is keenly interested in the history of science.


Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access