Welcome to The book of science. Come here each week to find poetry and commentary on another milestone of the history of science.

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This week

In 1765, Lazzaro Spallanzani disproved the theory of spontaneous generation. He pasteurized and sealed his samples to prove that microbes cannot grow without the introduction of air that carries microbial endospores.

1765

Spontaneous generation Vital principle Miracles Commentary

Lazzaro Spallanzani biology

Recently

1763	Bayes’ theorem Bayes’ interpreters Training Commentary	Thomas Bayes probability
1761	Latent heat Scotch Latent stuff Commentary	Joseph Black thermodynamics
1759, 1764	Pyrometer Relative expansion A metal Commentary	James Ferguson thermometry
1758	Euler characteristic Topological invariant Eyes Commentary	Leonhard Euler mathematics
1757	Triboelectric series Electrophorus Static Commentary	Johan Carl Wilcke tribology
1756	Leidenfrost effect The behavior of water Erratic skittering Commentary	Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost thermodynamics
1756	Pyroelectricity Infrared detection Energy harvesting Wasted Commentary	Franz Ulrich Theodor Aepinus electromagnetism

Parts of this book

You may jump to some parts of The book of science directly by selecting menu items:

• About, more about this book
• Contents, a table of milestones in the history of science, arranged chronologically
• Elements, tables for the chemical elements
  • Periodic table of the elements
  • Index of elements by year of discovery
  • Index of elements by atomic number
• Scientists, index of scientists, by last name
• Sciences, index of sciences
• Eponymous, index of milestones named after scientists
• Keywords, index of keywords in poems and titles
• Search, where you can search the book by word or phrase

Related works

You may read subsets of The book of science as separate volumes. These generally contain only the last poem on each milestone from the full book:

• Elements of elements of science
• The booklet of science

This web site also includes other works by Tom Sharp and work by other poets.