The World's Best Book Summaries
What is normal science? How do the methods of normal science differ from those of revolutionary science? Normal science means study based on previous scientific knowledge. In contrast to revolutionary science, normal science doesn’t try to find new information, but only to confirm and refine current beliefs. Read more to learn about normal science and its methods.
What are the causes of amphibian extinction? Which amphibian species have and are becoming extinct? Amphibian extinction has come to the attention of scientists in the late 1980s. According to experts, however, we are not only witnessing the amphibian extinction event, we are also causing it. Keep reading to learn about amphibian extinction, which species are affected, and what is causing it.
What is the cause of megafauna extinction? What role did we—humans—play in the decline of biodiversity in the supersized animal kingdom? The causes of megafauna extinction have puzzled scientists dating back to Cuvier’s day, when the fossils of huge unknown creatures began turning up. Researchers have debated whether megafauna disappeared due to climate change or was killed by humans. But most scientists today lean toward blaming humans. Keep reading to learn about megafauna extinction: which species have gone extinct, and what were the causes.
What is the Thomas Kuhn paradigm shift theory? What are the processes that make scientists revise their existing frameworks and make a paradigm shift? According to the Thomas Kuhn paradigm shift theory, when scientists make a discovery that doesn’t fit into any of the existing models, there’s a shift. Establishing a new paradigm is what cements a field of study as a science. Read on to learn about Thomas Kuhn’s paradigm shift theory.
Who is Walter Alvarez? How did he come to the conclusion that it was an asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago? Walter Alvarez was an American geologist who is best known for his asteroid strike theory. In the late 1970s, Alvarez discovered a large amount of iridium in the rock layers in the Gola Del Bottaccione gorge and theorized that there was an asteroid strike 65 million years ago. Keep reading to learn about Walter Alvarez’ asteroid strike theory.
What is the white-nose syndrome? Where did it originate and how did it spread? How does it cause death in hibernating bats? White-nose syndrome is a disease caused by a cold-climate fungus that affects hibernating bats. Researchers are not sure how exactly the white-nose syndrome kills bats, but they came up with two hypotheses. Read about the white-nose syndrome, its origin, effects, and how it is implicated in the deaths of bats.
What is a racial caste system? How did an arbitrary trait such as the color of skin come to shape the destinies of millions? Racial caste system is a hierarchical social order where skin color is used as a tool to designate people’s rank in society. However, race is an arbitrary characteristic because it was invented as a means to stratify society and justify different standards of living. Keep reading to learn about how the racial caste system was created.
What are scientific paradigms? What functions do they serve and how do they get established? Scientific paradigms are the overarching frameworks within a scientific discipline that determine what constitutes legitimate contributions to the field. In that sense, paradigms dictate the problems to be solved and provide the tools with which to solve those problems. Read on to learn about scientific paradigms, how they get established, and what role they play in the development of science.
What happened to the great auk? What role did humans play in the disappearance of the giant seabird of the North Atlantic? The extinction of the great auk is attributed to several causes. There was a volcano eruption on one of the breeding islands. However, the major factor is considered to be the mass killings of auks for egg collection in the 1800s. Read more to learn about the factors behind the great auk’s extinction.
What is racial superiority in the context of casteism? How has the belief in the inherent superiority of the white race been used to legitimize racial discrimination? According to Isabel Wilkerson, the author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, racial superiority is one of the eight tenets of the caste system. This belief is still at the heart of every interaction between the dominant caste and subordinate caste in America. Read about how the belief in racial superiority is enforced and perpetuated in a caste system.