Basic Nature

Modern scientific research moves at a bewildering pace, dramatically changing our understanding of the fundamental fabric of the universe. Basic Nature offes a revealing view of the essential concepts on which all science is based. It describes the crucial facts and theories that underpin the scientific view of nature. Its broad scope, allied to its brevity of description, make it a unique guide to the natural world.

Throughout the book Andrew Scott builds up a wide-ranging view of nature, starting with the foundations of physics and continuing through the principles of chemistry to the biochemical and biological forces that lie at the heart of life. A consideration of the fundamental physical phenomena - specetime, mass, forces, gravity and energy - reveals the few simple things required to create the complexities of the universe. From this Andrew Scott moves to explain the particles from which everything is made, to survey the sometimes bizarre view of the microcosmos provided by quantum mechanics and to examine why physicists are increasingly confident about their understanding of the 'big bang' that many consider to be the actual moment of creation. The focus then shifts to the world of chemistry, to the atoms, molecules and ions that participate in chemical life and reveal the simple assence of chemical change. The author then considers living things, how natural selection powers evolution, and the vents within our brains that somehow create our minds and memories. Finally, he provides a summary of some of the most important mysteries that remain to be solved: the origin and fate of the universe, the origin of life and the true nature of consciousness. A glossary of scientific terms and a list of suggestions for further reading complement the text.