Science at the Extreme: Scientists on the Cutting Edge of Discovery

by Taylor, Peter Lane

• ISBN13: 9780071354196
• ISBN10: 0071354190
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-08-21
• Publisher: MCG

Summary

Whether hanging from suspension bridges to track the flight of raptors, scuba diving into the crushing cores of moving glaciers, or exploring the burning cauldrons of active volcanoes, there is a special breed of scientist willing to go wherever they must and do whatever it takes to get the data they need. In the tradition of the great naturalist-explorers, these daring men and women of science are working at nature’s harsh extremes, where there is no substitute for first-hand experience, no computer models or controlled experiments that will give them the data they need—and no room for mistakes.Science and nature writer and photojournalist, Peter Lane Taylor, accompanied 9 of these “extreme scientists” and experienced first-hand the rigors of their special brand of research. In Science at the Extreme, he combines stunning original photographs with gripping narrative accounts to take readers on a thrilling adventure—with a purpose—to the very frontiers of

Author Biography

Peter Lane Taylor, a writer, photographer, and explorer, has contributed articles and photographs to numerous science, nature, and adventure magazines. When not exploring the remote corners of the world, Taylor lives in the Adirondacks and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Thomas E. Lovejoy
Smithsonian Institution
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction: The Next Frontier	1	(6)
Earth: The Timeless World	7	(54)
The Comeback King	11	(26)
This Is Your Brain.... This Is Your Brain on Sulfur	37	(24)
Air: The High Frontier	61	(86)
Are You My Mother?	65	(28)
Sitting on Top of the World	93	(26)
Bridge over Troubled Waters	119	(28)
Fire: The Infernal Planet	147	(28)
Too Hot to Handle	151	(24)
Water: Planner Water	175	(84)
One Small Step for Inner Space	179	(26)
It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Munched	205	(26)
The Ice Man Cometh	231	(28)
Sources	259