Many of the things discovered by accident are important in our everyday lives: Teflon, Velcro, nylon, x-rays, penicillin, safety glass, sugar substitutes, and polyethylene and other plastics. And we owe a debt to accident for some of our deepest scientific knowledge, including Newton's theory of gravitation, the Big Bang theory of Creation, and the discovery of DNA. Even the Rosetta Stone, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the ruins of Pompeii came to light through chance. This book tells the fascinating stories of these and other discoveries and reveals how the inquisitive human mind turns accident into discovery. Written for the layman, yet scientifically accurate, this illuminating collection of anecdotes portrays invention and discovery as quintessentially human acts, due in part to curiosity, perserverance, and luck.

About the Author

Royston M. Roberts is the author of Serendipity: Accidental Discoveries in Science, published by Wiley.

Book Information
ISBN 9780471602033
Author Royston M. Roberts
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint John Wiley & Sons Inc
Publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc
Weight(grams) 358g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 152mm * 21mm