Milestones of science / Curt Suplee.

Includes index.

WHY? It's the most basic question known to humankind, the query that has set us apart from all other species ever since our earliest ancestor stood erect and wondered what made the sun rise every morning or how fire could be tamed. The rigorous methods and sophisticated tools modern scientists use to investigate everything from the smallest subatomic particles to the farthest reaches of our universe all trace to our intellectual curiosity, that uniquely human trait acquired in our prehistoric past. Highlighted by more than 300 photographs and illustrations, this history chronicles the important milestones of scientific thought, each a building block for new revelations. Identifies the key ideas and discoveries that shaped our understanding of our world and ourselves and introduces the men and women whose questing intellects illuminated the very nature of reality itself.