Publisher's Synopsis
Since its foundation in 1799, the Royal Institution of Great Britain has aimed to inspire enthusiasm for science, as a means to understanding the world around us. The Friday Evening Discourses of the Royal Institution, initiated by Michael Faraday in 1826, are one of the most prestigious series of lectures on science in the world. During these lecture-demonstrations famous scientists describe their work in language accessible to a general audience. Each year accounts of the Discourses are brought together in the Proceedings . These volumes provide some of the best popular writing by active scientists, and also include topics of a less scientific nature, but still of interest to a scientific audience. The latest volume of the Proceedings covers diverse areas of contemporary and historical interest. Topics covered include the use of the natural products in pharmacology, the role of the brain in art appreciation, the Hubble space telescope, the laser treatment of myopia, nature conservation, the role of alcohol in the development of human civilization, one hundred years of radioactivity, and one hundred years of radio.;This book is intended for scientists and non-scientists wishing to learn about the development of contemporary science and its relationship with the world-at-large.
