Chi No Rekishi (Knowledge From Nature)

Just published in Japanese, by Tokuma Shoten, Tokyo, is a collection of Nature papers describing 21 significant scientific advances of the twentieth century. Each paper is accompanied by an illustrated essay by a luminary in the field concerned, placing the development in context. The collection is topped and tailed by announcements of the discovery of Australopithecus africanus in 1925 and the cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1997. In between, among other notable events, are the discoveries of the neutron, nuclear fission, seafloor spreading, pulsars, T-cell restriction, buckminsterfullerene and extrasolar planets. There is also a proposed structure for DNA from 1953 that has stood the test of time. The book is entitled Chi No Rekishi (Knowledge From Nature) and is edited by Laura Garwin and Tim Lincoln. It will appear in English next year.