San Antonio College Library

Carlson's history of degeneracy theory, the idea that certain people are biologically disposed to become socially unfit or "degenerate," examines the birth of both good and bad eugenics movements. While good eugenics movements focus on people whose needs may require intense social attention and expensive social investments, bad eugenics movements call for isolation if not eradication and genocide. He brings the history into the present day, where...

The Eighth Day of Creation is a richly detailed account of how molecular biologists came to understand the fundamental processes of life - in short, how they explained heredity. It is one of the century's most celebrated works of science writing. On its first appearance, in 1979, it received rapturous praise from scientists and the general public for the accuracy, clarity, and vivacity with which it portrays the principal figures and their remarkable...

" ... Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age ... Now Andrea Wulf brings the man and his achievements back into focus: his daring expeditions and investigation of wild environments around the world and his discoveries of similarities between climate and vegetation zones on different continents. She also discusses his prediction of human-induced climate change, his remarkable ability to fashion...

This text explores how science became increasingly important in 19th century British culture and how the systematic study of insects permitted entomologists to engage with the most pressing questions of Victorian times: the nature of God, mind, and governance, and the origins of life.

"Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) was an internationally renowned botanist, a close friend and early supporter of Charles Darwin, and one of the first - and most successful - British men of science to become a full-time professional. He was also, Jim Endersby argues, the perfect embodiment of Victorian science. A vivid picture of the complex interrelationships of scientific work and scientific ideas, Imperial Nature gracefully uses one individual's...

" ... As author Lou Rosenblatt explains, the year 1832 in Darwin's life was crucial for the development of his theory of evolution. A century and a half of study of Darwin, the man, and his work, including close readings of his books, notebooks, letters, and even the books he read, has led to a working appreciation of his genius. The "success" of this account has, however, kept us from seeing several important issues: most notably, why did he pursue...

During their lifetimes, Wallace and Darwin shared credit and fame for the independent and near-simultaneous discovery of natural selection. Their rivalry, usually amicable but occasionally acrimonious, forged modern evolutionary theory. Yet today, few people today know much about Wallace. This book explores the controversial life and scientific contributions of the Victorian traveler, scientist and spiritualist. His twelve years of often harrowing...

Charles Darwin is often credited with discovering natural selection, but the idea was not his alone. The naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, working independently, saw the same process at work and elaborated much the same theory. Their important scientific contributions made both men famous in their lifetimes, but Wallace slipped into obscurity after his death, while Darwin's renown grew. Dispelling the misperceptions that continue to paint Wallace...

"Natural history in the eighteenth century was many things to many people--diversion, obsession, medically or economically useful knowledge, spectacle, evidence for God's providence and wisdom, or even the foundation of all natural knowledge. Because natural history was pursued by such a variety of people around the globe, with practitioners sharing neither methods nor training, it has been characterized as a science of straightforward description,...

"Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most influential scientists and thinkers of his age. A Prussian-born geographer, naturalist, explorer, and illustrator, he was a prolific writer whose books graced the shelves of American artists, scientists, philosophers, and politicians. Humboldt visited the United States for six weeks in 1804, engaging in a lively exchange of ideas with such figures as Thomas Jefferson and the painter Charles Willson...