More than any other era before it, the 20th century was an age of science. In this title, the former editor and publisher of "Scientific American" gives a sweeping overview of the scientific achievements of the 20th century's greatest cultural achievements.

When historians of the future come to examine western civilization in the 20th century, one area of intellectual accomplishment will probably stand out above all others: more than any other era before it, the 20th century was an age of science. Not only were the practical details of daily life radically transformed by the application of scientific discoveries, but our very sense of who we are, how our minds work, how our world came to be, how it works and our proper role in it, our ultimate origins, and our ultimate fate were all influenced by scientific thinking as never before in human history. In this title, the former editor and publisher of "Scientific American" gives a sweeping overview of the scientific achievements of the 20th century, with chapters on the fundamental forces of nature; the subatomic world; cosmology; the cell and molecular biology; earth history and the evolution of life and human evolution.