3 comments about Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age.

1. Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age, by J.A. Wheeler is a fascinating book documenting the extraordinary life of an aspiring woman scientist whose life was filled with adversity. Surviving both World Wars and gender discrimination, Meitner was a pioneer at the forefront of her discipline involving the study of radio-elements and nuclear fission. At the University of Vienna and the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, Meitner was inspired to study experimental physics with a focus on atomic structure by her two most memorable professors Boltzmann and Planck. Meitner's major discovery was her work with Hahn and the splitting of the atom (nuclear fission). This monumental discovery led to the invention of the atomic bomb, which drastically changed warfare. Besides her accomplishments Meitner was a truly inspiring woman for her strength and personal conviction. Meitner barely escaped from Nazis Germany only to be isolated in Sweden from the international scientific community. She helplessly watched her lifetime of dedication and achievement be overlooked by the Nobel Prize Committee countless times, only to have Hahn receive all the credit. In the face of the immanent destruction of her career and life by the Nazis she experienced the pain of being abandoned by close colleagues. Rising above her obstacles she dedicated her life to helping victims of the Holocaust and refusing to work on chemical warfare or nuclear bomb research, but instead working towards awareness of the moral responsibilities scientists needed to have in this new nuclear age.



2. While there has been a recent renewed interest in the life of Lise Meitner, and a number of biographies have appeared, this I believe is the first one to focus on physics, as opposed to personalities. I may add that the authors do weave together an entangled web of scientists, their thoughts (through correspondence), their ambitions, and their (in many cases) flawed judgments. And the narrative is captivating!
   
   Lise Meitner was born in Vienna in 1878, and she started her career in the turbulent times of the First World War, at a time when Germany was a clear leader in physics research, in the Golden Era of physics. Yet, Lise Meitner was the first woman German scientist; first PhD in physics. When she started her studies, German universities were almost entirely closed to women; and especially so in the sciences.
   The authors bring to life the turbulent events in modern history which shaped Lise Meitner's career. A central theme in the book is the physics community's reaction to the first use by the USA of a fission bomb over Japan in 1945.
   
   In Berlin, building on a decade of research by Meintner and Otto Hahn, in 1938, the three Lise Meitner, Hahn, and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission. The Nobel Prize went to Hahn alone, and Lise Meitner has until recently been largely forgotten. In this interesting book, the authors examine why. Readers may find that the reasons are different from what we might have guessed.
   
   Many of the German scientists in the 1930ties were Jewish, or partly Jewish, and they were dismissed by Hitler in 1933, or in the years up to the war. The year before the outbreak of war in 1939 was the last chance to escape, and the entire physics community dispersed as German scientists had to flee, --- some chose to escape. A small number went to neutral Sweden, and others who had left earlier ended up in the USA, and became leaders in the Manhattan project, the secret Los Alamos team of scientists, led by Oppenheimer, the team which built the first atomic bomb. There were some German scientists, Otto Hahn among them who didn't have to flee. They included Lise Meitner's research collaborators, Hahn, and Strassmann, plus Max von Laue, Werner Heisenberg. At the end of the war, their relationships resumed, and an examination (in the book) of private letters reveals some fascinating new insight. Palle Jorgensen, October 2005.



3. Patricia Rife has made a scientific subject meaningful in the comprehensible biography: "Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age." This is a well researched and an acknowledgement of a woman's contribution to peace and medical technology. Lise Meitner devoted her life to research and was denied many Nobel Peace Prize awards because of her sex. This book is for every young woman, public library, high school library or anyone interested in an outstanding book of historic subjects. Special accolades to the author, Patricia Rife, for her professional treatment of this manuscript.

No comments about My Father and Albert Einstein: Biography of a Department Store owner, whose thirst for knowledge enabled his close friendship with a genius who changed man's concepts of the universe.

No comments about Christian Men of Science.

2 comments about Felix d`Herelle and the Origins of Molecular Biology.

1. This textbook is a combination book, partly the biography of an exceptional individual and partly a history of scientific discovery. The author, William Summers, is eminently qualified to write such a text, being a physician, scientist, and historian at Yale University.

   D'Herelle is a renowned Canadian Scientist about whom I was totally ignorant. Born in Montreal, he traveled and lived in numerous areas around the world, although France became his eventual home. He never gave up his Canadian citizenship, however. D'Herelle was born to a wealthy family in Montreal, and after high school he traveled extensively, thanks to a gift from his mother. He never found time to return to formal schooling, but he learned enormous amounts in his chosen field, microbiology. His seminal scientific discovery was the description of bacteriophages, and their possible application in human infectious diseases. For this he received numerous awards, and at one time was a research professor at Yale University despite his own lack of formal education. Dr. Summers clearly delineates the process of scientific discovery, and the subsequent controversies over the nature of this new discovery (was it really a living organism or an enzyme?), and the determination of scientific priority. There is a fair amount of technical description, but Dr. Summers is a clear and logical writer who is able to guide the reader through the scientific process.

   This book is an incredible work of scholarship, with extensive use of primary source documents. However, because the main thrust of this book is one of scientific discovery, we get very little analysis of d'Herelle's personality. I would have been interested in some speculation on how his lack of formal education might have influenced his often-stormy relationships with other scientists. Also, why was such a distinguished scientist so poorly treated at the Pasteur Institute, his spiritual home? There would be much to learn from a biography of this highly complex individual. Meanwhile, this is an excellent book that helps us understand the nature of scientific enquiry while saluting an outstanding scientist, who just happens to be Canadian.




2. This book reviews the life of Felix d'Herelle, the man responsible for the co-discovery, naming, and popularization of bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria. From bacteriophages came molecular genetics, and from molecular genetics came biotechnology as well as much of modern biology. Bacteriophages, in the guise of the bacteriophage therapy of bacterial diseases, may even change your life, serving as the next generation of truly effective antibacterial antimicrobials. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and benefited greatly from the insight provided into d'Herelle's life and influence on bacteriophagy. Without question, any individual interested in bacteriophage therapy, or just plain bacteriophages as more than just tools at the heart of molecular biology, will want to read this book.

1 comments about Fred Hoyle's Universe.

1. Fred Hoyle was one of the most distinguished and at the same time the most controversial scientists of the twentieth century. He was also a quite popular author of science fiction novels, a popular radio announcer on the BBC -- a true renaissance man.
   
   His scientific achievements consisted of pioneering work in areas like the radioactivity in stars that produce all of the heavy elements which when subsequently blown into space and collected into planets become the stuff out of which we are all made. He also did fundamental research into some of the practical problems facing the use of Radar during World War II.
   
   The biggest controversy came from his support of the steady state theory of the cosmos rather than the Big Bang. Not only did he support steady state, he continued his support long after it became discarded by the mainstream of science. In fact, his last book, published just before his death continued steady state support and further annoyed most of the scientists with a photograph of a flock of geese blindly following one another representing the failure of the big-banger's to even consider an alternate approach.
   
   This book is essentially a biography, but it also gives a good look into the world of science in the last century. Good Reading!

1 comments about Thomas Huxley: Making the 'Man of Science' (Cambridge Science Biographies).

1. I will come back and give a more thorough review the next time I visit the site, but in the absence of any other commments I will quickly throw down some of my observations.
   
   First: This book is less of a pleasure read as it is an academic History of Science read. It feels as though this is White's dissertation papers (or perhaps his dissertation). To that extent, while it is a very thoughtful piece, it feels as though White is trying to bend history so as to create a problem that academic scrutiny can solve.
   
   Second: There is invaluable interpretation of Thomas Huxley as an idea (if not an ideologue) and as a visionary who intended to
   
   Third: This may sound like a repetition of the first point, but passages of this book feel forced. Believe me, I read this as part of honors coursework and even incorporated it into my final paper and I felt as though I was forcing things when I was referencing it (although the professor apparently did not think that my interpretation was forced and gave me an 'A' on that paper).
   
   
   That said, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in turning points in the History of Science.

5 comments about Rocket Man: Robert H. Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age.

1. Clary's Rocket Man is a fine biography of Robert Goddard. The work is eminently readable. Clary does a fine job of recounting the technical challenges that Goddard faced yet never lets the technology overwhelm the biography. The key in a biography is to get to the underlying person and Clary does this very well.
   
   Goddard sits on the transition between the age of the individual inventor and "big science". In the era of "big science" projects may be lead by a person of singular genius, but the scale and scope is too big for person working alone to achieve mastery. Thus, while Goddard achieved first success with most aspects of liquid fueled rocketry, his rockets remained small while Germany pushed ahead to the larger V-2. Clary touches on this issue but does not make it explicit.
   
   Similarly, in weapons development and post-war sounding rockets the U.S. developed solid fuel rockets. Clary writes of Goddard turning away from solid fuel, but a Cal Tech team coming back to it. More development of the changes that made solid fuel viable in the '40s or why liquid fuel was desirable for later rockets would have been welcome.
   
   These concerns are minor. Enjoy Clary's work and insight into this pioneer of rocketry.



2. Too often, the great inventors of history get lost in a cloud of myth which hides their essential humanity. Such is the case with Robert Goddard, the "father" of modern rocketry. He was a man of great vision and persistence, who substantially contributed to the development of rocket technology. After his death, his widow Esther and powerful patrons Charles Lindbergh and Harry Guggenheim fostered the image of Goddard as a solitary genius who single-handedly created the liquid fueled rocket. But he had his flaws. Greatly concerned with establishing the priority of his work, possessive of his field of research, and with a tendency to lose focus and dilute his effort, he nonetheless made more theoretical and experimental contributions to the development of rocketry than anyone else of the early twentieth century. Author Clary does a wonderful job of stripping away the myth and letting us discover the man who, as much as any individual, made spaceflight possible.
   
   Clary's book also brings out two of the essential features of technological development. It is rare that an invention is created in isolation. In the first half of the twentieth century, the idea of spaceflight was in the air. Rocketry clubs were popping up in Germany and the United States. The British Interplanetary Society was formed. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in the Soviet Union, Hermann Oberth in Germany, and Robert Esnault-Pelterie in France, among others, were laying the foundations of rocketry. Had Goddard not lived, the development of the liquid fueled rocket would have occured nonetheless, and within the same time frame.
   
   The other point is that in such a complex task as the development of the rocket, there are limits to what one person, no matter how inspired or creative, can do. Indeed, any difficult research project is greatly enhanced by the combined efforts of many bright minds. Anyone who has had the pleasure of a successful scientific collaboration can affirm how much more productive are two minds than one. Working in isolation, it is easy to follow unproductive paths or to become the victim of erroneous thinking. With another person to challenge assumptions and with whom to argue critically, great progress can be made. After reading Clary's book, one can't help but wonder how much more Goddard could have achieved had he been less concerned with priority and been willing to work with others as peers. The sad part of his story is that at the end of his life, he was no longer in the van of rocket development. Von Braun in Germany, Malina and von Karman at GALCIT, were forging ahead, while Goddard's work was becoming a backwater.
   
   Clary writes with clarity and insight, bringing the essential Goddard to light. The portrait that emerges is sympathetic, but not at all hagiographic. Clary's discussions of Goddard's flaws provide illumination, not condemnation. This book is neither a history of Goddard's technical contributions, nor a detailed discussion of his rockets. However, his contributions to rocketry are presented in a historical context, making it clear that the significance of his work was sufficient to have made his reputation, without the need for the mythologizing by his supporters after his death. Other than a couple of minor errors in the text (Clark Millikan was Robert Millikan's son, not his brother; Jimmy Doolittle was not a "World War I flying ace"), this book reflects careful, in depth research.



3. I knew about Robert Hutchings Goddard at a very early age , and read everything I could find on his work. I happened on "Rocket Development" (published by Goddard's wife after his death)in a bargain book bin in 1956 ; after reading it from cover to cover several times , Goddard became one of my personal icons. I was sufficiently impressed by his accomplishments at the time to enroll as an aeronautical and aerospace engineering major as a freshman a year later.
   
   The present work , "Rocket Man" , was very disappointing to me in several ways. Although the author has done some homework , he missed the mark by failing to include a more technical slant to the volume. He also tended to focus on Goddard's foibles and weaknesses , rather than the formidable accomplishments of his life's work. A more technical description of the problems facing this remarkable pioneer could only increase one's admiration for this solitary genius.
   
   A key point that may have eluded many of Goddard's biographers , admirers , and detractors is that the man was a physicist and not an engineer. It was pointed out that Goddard the man did not stick with the task very well and was subject to becoming diverted from what should have been his true focus. He also spent much of his time (in my humble opinion) more or less reinventing things , whereas had he employed a mechanical engineer to Provide some help , his accomplishments would have probably come closer to some of his dreams.
   
   As an overview of the book, author Cleary does give much credit to Harry Guggenheim , Charles A. Lindbergh Jr , Charles Greely Abbot and the Smithsonian , all of whom shared credit for support of Goddard and his research program. Although the author seemingly has a favorable attitude towards his subject , the book lacks warmth -- tends to be a bit too dry for my taste.
   
   A decent work , but could have been a lot more interesting had some of the text and illustrations from "Rocket Development" , and possibly more photos from Goddard's archives been included. Only 3 stars from this reviewer ; recommended , but only in conjunction with a copy of "Rocket Development" in hand.



4. This is a thought-provoking book about a genius who developed the first working rocket on Earth. Dr. Robert Goddard was a mystery man; he was a loner but had close ties with Charles Lindbergh, Harry Guggenheim, and Werner von Braun. He is credited with the raw invention of modern rocketry; although the credit may have been stolen from him with the utilization of the crude but warworthy V-2 rockets developed by the Germans.
   The problem with Goddard is that he wanted all the patents to belong to him and all the credit go to him, but when it came to sharing his wealth of knowledge, he became secretive.
   It outraged many people, including his own government.
   Goddard wanted to protect his inventions, but that cost him the credit and honor that he coveted so much during the years he lived. It was only after his death that his beloved wife, Esther secured his spot in history.
   Charles Lindbergh and Harry Guggenhiem threw in their consideable support in promoting Goddard's inventions post-humously as well, and that is why he is not just a foot note in history today.
   Dr Goddard demonstrated impressive technical skill, insight and integrity despite financial contraints and public skeptism.
   He was forced to deal with failure over and over and over. Years of his life was spent in pursuit of incorrect thinking, that modern rocketry would go in only one direction.
   In the end, he proved that he had what it takes to launch a payload into extreme altitudes.
   He was a pioneer in thinking that man would one day land on the moon - the mere mention of this idea would bring a room to racious laughter - people were incredulous of his brilliance in those days. His wife believed in him, and this was his one strongest ally in his own little islolated world of discovery.
   I found it odd and amusing that he lived many years in Roswell, New Mexico. This was before the Rosewell Alien crash in 1948, but I wonder to this day if there was any connection, and what Goddard's reaction to the legendary alien crash would have been.
   It would have been interesting to know whether or not Goddard believed in extraterrestials. This is not discussed in this fine book, but author, David Clary did a superb job in bringing back to life this mysterious scientist.
   There were bright points of Robert Goddard's life, and there were darker shades also, the man was human - after all.
   He dared to dream bigger than most scientists of his time.....he is often compared to Hermann Oberth and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky - other physicists that theorized about space travel.
   But our man, Robert Goddard was the FIRST to actually build rockets and test them and work on them until some degree of continuity was achieved.
   And for this tireless and thankless effort, Goddard is reviered today as the first ROCKET MAN of the ages.
   I enjoyed this book greatly - I actually had begun reading another book about a famous astronaught, but when I perused this book, it took command of my undivided attention.
   There is alot to know about these early men; who risked social stigma to apply what they theorized to actual science.
   We can credit Goddard with the entire US Space program; he was on the ground floor.
   Maybe Sputnik could send his estate a belated thank you card, because at the time, the only person actively developing these great flying machines was a lonely bald scientist toiling away in the hot desert in remote sections of New Mexico.
   Have a read -- this book will lift your imaginations to new heights and I guarantee, you will learn much from this great man.
   It is a really interesting book and easy to understand.



5. This biography is heightened by the great number of illustrations and understandable descriptions of what Goddard accomplished and what it means. It has received high praise from Booklist, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, the Baltimore Sun, and many others around the country. I dont know what the agenda of the preceding comment was, but it ought to be balanced. No less than Arthur C. Clarke says it is "a long overdue tribute to one of the greatest engineers..."

5 comments about Heisenberg Probably Slept Here: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Physicists of the 20th Century.

1. This book is really helpful for several reasons. If you are looking for a good story and you enjoy science, then this book is perfect. In addition, the stories are not too long, so those to tend to hyper focus will be able to take a break. This book tells of the often humorous lives of scientific legends. It shows the human behind these legends. For example, these physicists did stupid things in college, like take 6 aspirin and three cokes just to prove they could. They also had marital problems and arguments with their friends. After reading this, these physicists seem more like everyday people. (Granted, most fathers don't read bedtime stories from the encyclopedia.) Over all, this is a good book because it is about real people with real lives.
   Another good reason for reading this book is for research on these physicists and their theories. There is plenty of information on their lives and their work for research projects, and the book is very understandable. If you are simply looking to gain a simple understanding of their theories, this book is a good source. However, if you are looking to have an in depth debate on the theories or do serious research, I would not recommend it. The author, while explaining the theories, has a tendency to contradict himself a little. He seems to understand the general concept of the theories, however, upon closer observation, he doesn't make much sense. For example, when he says that scientists "cannot detect" particles in motion and then, just two lines later, says that their calculations about them are accurate, something seems to be wrong with his explanation. This is a great book if you want a good story or a simple overview of the theories; however, if you are looking for "accuracy" then you probably need to refer to the physicists' actual papers on their theories.



2. A lot of the material was similar to what I did in high school physics...but excellent presentation combined with insights into the lives of the phycisists made this a much more interesting text.



3. First of all, the subtitle of this book, "The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Physicists of the 20th Century," is a bit inaccurate. Among the 8 physicists depicted in Brennan's mini-biography is Sir Isaac Newton; obviously not a denizen of the 20th century. Granted, Newton had more influence on the present epoch of physics than anyone else up until the time of Einstein, so his presence in this work is not inappropriate. It's just that he's not a 20th century physicist.

   On the other hand, a startling omission is Erwin Scroedinger. It is understood that one's selection of who's in & who's out can never please everyone in these types of books. However, I can't imagine someone assembling a roster of 20th century physicists without including the venerable Schroedinger. Just my opinion.

   The content of the personages Brennan does write about is quite remarkable. Brennan does a reputable job of describing the major motifs of different biographical epochs of each physicist, then mixing in some nice anectdotes for good measure. He also does not get carried away & deify the scientists to make them look infallible. Rather, Brennan fairly integrates their faults into his text. As a bonus, there is also a brief synopsis of the history of Pre-Newtonian physics.

   The most informative pages are those devoted to Heisenberg. I had always wanted to believe the stories about how he tried to sabatoge the Nazi bomb effort from the inside. Unfortunately, referencing British documents which were de-classified in 1992, Brennan nullifies those arguments as nothing but wishful thinking and ad-hoc propoganda engendered by H himself.

   I would highly recommend this book as a prelude for those who wish to study the lives of these great physicists more deeply. As it is a quick read, it is an equally ideal book for physicists who have only a marginal interest in the great lives of their predecessors.




4. I thouroughly enjoyed this book for several reasons. Richard Brennan does a remarkable job of explaining each physicists' work in a manner a layperson can understand, but still involved enough that the reader appreciates the significance of each discovery. Brennan also manages to capture the character and personality of each physicist with relatively a short biography. He has also structured the book so that the implication of each of the subjects' work on his successors is clear. In short, I found the physicists' personal stories compelling and the science fascinating.



5. When I read the book at first time, I was attracted to the stories. They are not only an interesting narrative but also provide the correct attitude of life and research of science for us. When I finished reading the book, I was deeply affected by the stories. I introduced the book to my friends, and I stilly like reading the book now.

1 comments about Evariste Galois (1811-1832) (Vita Mathematica).

1. of one of the strangest chapters in the history of mathematics. For those who know of Galois' life only from E.T.Bell's telling this work will hold surprises and serve to part his overly romantic fog with the clear light of solid scholarship.

1 comments about Rachel Carson: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

1. Most readers will know of "Silent Spring", however, this biography from the Greenwood series, is an apt and well formulated summary of the epitomy of the cirumstances that created Rachel Carson's legacy.
   It is a quick read that provides cursory insight. My only criticism is that the intensity that is the persona of Rachel Carson comes off somewhat languid and apolitical, although this is understandable in the intent of composing a brief biography. Highly recommended to accompany any high school student's project on the history of environmentalism, or on the naturalist movement.