Caesar's last breath and other true tales of history, science, and the sextillions of molecules in the air around us /
A round-the-globe journey through the periodic table explains how the air people breathe reflects the world's history, tracing the origins and ingredients of the atmosphere to explain air's role in reshaping continents, steering human progress, and powering revolutions.
| Main Author: | Kean, Sam, |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Back Bay Books ; Little, Brown and Company,
2018.
|
| Physical Description: |
viii, 373 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm. |
| Edition: | First Back Bay paperback edition. |
| Subjects: |
Table of Contents:
- Introduction: The last breath ; I: Making air : our first four atmospheres. Earth's early air ; The exploding lake ; The devil in the air ; Welding a dangerous weapon ; The curse and blessing of oxygen ; Hotter than the Dickens
- II: Harnessing air : the human relationship with air. The wonder-working gas of delight ; Le Pétomane ; Controlled chaos ; Steeling yourself for tragedy ; Into the blue ; Night lights
- III: Frontiers : the new heavens. The fallout of fallout ; Albert Einstein and the people's fridge ; Weather wars ; Rumbles from Roswell ; Putting on alien airs.