Seven Wonders (Lerner Publishing Group)

In every age, science and technology have advanced human civilization. From architecture to engineering, medicine to transportation, humans have invented extraordinary wonders. Over the centuries, new medicines and medical tools have cured and wiped out diseases. Medical technology has saved lives and has improved health for millions of people, increasing life expectancy for Americans from 49 years in 1900 to 77 years in 2000. In the twenty-first century, scientists continue developing new medical tools and techniques to treat cancer and other deadly diseases. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of medicine. These wonders include microscopes, which let doctors see the germs that cause disease. Other wonders are antibiotics, lifesaving drugs made from mold. We'll learn how doctors are able to take a still-beating heart from one person and place it into another. And we'll find out about nanomedicine, including tiny robot doctors" that might one day travel inside the body. From the basic to the cutting edge, we'll learn where medicine has been and where it's headed.

In every age, science and technology have played an important role in advancing human civilization. From architecture to engineering, communication to transportation, humans have invented and developed extraordinary wonders. The myriad of methods we have used to communicate with each other throughout history have changed our society. Today's tools of communication have the power to spread information across the planet in a matter of seconds. Millions of human beings are now interconnected through advancements in communication technology. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of communication, capturing the journey from the throaty grunts of our ancestors that formed our first language; to hieroglyphs and the development of written communication; to telephones and cell phones, the World Wide Web, and robot communication. Along the way, we'll see how visual technologies enhanced our communication, how the speed of communication keeps accelerating, and what challenges the future holds. We'll also learn the stories of how and why these communication advancements became important to the world.

Have you ever wondered how stars are born? Or what happens inside a black hole? Or how to safely view a solar eclipse? This book tells you the answers-and much more. See what astronomers and space scientists have discovered about the amazing wonders of the stars.

In every age, science and technology have advanced human civilization. From architecture to engineering, medicine to transportation, humans have invented extraordinary wonders. Explorers long ago and today have used technology to navigate, travel farther, and understand more about the world around them. They invented vehicles to carry people and tools to the ocean depths, high into the atmosphere, or even to other worlds. They invented scientific instruments to explore the most distant parts of the universe and the smallest bits of matter. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of exploration technology. Scientists have developed technology that takes us to the deepest parts of the oceans. Undersea explorations give us a glimpse of a world teeming with unique life and full of wonderful natural structures. Teams of researchers and engineers have also built orbiting space telescopes and interplanetary spacecraft to explore the farthest reaches of our solar system. Back on Earth, scientists have created computers, machines, and systems for studying climate change and the subatomic world. Learn about the people and the science behind these amazing advances in exploration technology.

In every age, science and technology have advanced human civilization. From architecture to engineering, medicine to transportation, humans have invented extraordinary wonders. People have been constructing buildings for thousands of years. But in modern times, people have become more interested in new kinds of building techniques. They want to make buildings that are green," or good for the environment. Some green builders make houses out of recycled materials. Others make buildings that use the sun and wind for heating and cooling. In some places, whole communities are based on green building technology. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of green building technology. We'll learn about Earthships, which collect rain for drinking water and make heat and electricity from the sun's rays. We'll visit Menara Mesiniaga, a skyscraper in Malaysia that is cooled by fresh tropical breezes. We'll explore BedZED, a green community in the United Kingdom that has gardens on rooftops, and we'll visit Samso, an island in Denmark that makes its own electricity from wind turbines. These and other buildings and communities are leading the way to a new, greener future.

From earliest times, humans have looked to the sky in wonder, and their wonder and curiosity fueled science. Ancient peoples built enormous temples and monuments to observe the sun and track the movement of stars. And as scientific knowledge expanded, technologies grew more sophisticated. Each development changed the way we viewed our place in the universe. But no technology changed our understanding more than the ability to launch scientific equipment-and human explorers-into space. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of space technology. Scientists and engineers have built vehicles and equipment to explore the farthest reaches of the solar system. Orbiting satellites and telescopes have given us everything from more accurate weather reports to glimpses back to the beginning of the universe. International teams have built an orbiting space laboratory and are working on plans for human lunar settlements and missions to other planets. Learn about the people and the science behind these amazing advances in space technology.

From earliest times, humans have wondered about the sky above them. Simple telescopes in the 1600s made possible descriptions of the wonders of Earth's Moon and the closer planets. It took the development of powerful telescopes and modern space probes to learn more about the more distant planets-Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of these four enormous planets-called the gas giants-and their moons. On Saturn, we'll examine its amazing rings and their properties. On Jupiter, we'll investigate the Great Red Spot-a gigantic storm about twice the size of Earth that has lasted for centuries. We'll also explore a moon of Jupiter with erupting volcanoes, a moon of Uranus covered with one of the weirdest landscapes in the solar system, a huge crater on a tiny moon of Saturn, as well as planet auroras much more spectacular than Earth's northern lights. We'll also consider how the discovery of water on Jupiter's moon Europa may mean that life is possible in other worlds.

In every age, science and technology have advanced human civilization. From architecture to engineering, medicine to transportation, humans have invented extraordinary wonders. Transportation technology has seen significant changes over the centuries. Ancient people traveled on foot and on the backs of animals. People invented wheels and sailing ships, which helped them travel farther and carry larger loads. Fast forward to modern cars, subways, and airplanes and we'll find that even the sky's not the limit. In the twenty-first century, people are planning tourist flights into space. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of transportation. These wonders include roads and mass transit systems, including the ancient Silk Road, the London Underground, and the U.S. Interstate Highway System. The wonders also include vehicles such as bicycles, airplanes, spaceships, and the glorious ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II. The newest vehicles are supergreen cars, which save energy and help the environment. From the basic to the cutting edge, we'll learn where transportation has been and where it's headed.

From earliest times, humans have wondered about the sky above them and have studied all visible objects. People began to identify differences between stars and planets, and as technology advanced with telescopes and space probes, they sought deeper understanding of the millions of bits of debris rocketing through the solar system. Scientists determined that most of these objects are left over from the creation of the planets and their moons. They classified these leftovers into categories such as asteroids, comets, and meteors. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of asteroids, comets, and meteors. Ceres is a huge mountain-sized asteroid that orbits with other asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. Other marvels include Ganymede, the largest asteroid in the group called Earthgrazers or Near-Earth Objects, and Halley's comet, a ball of ice, that passes Earth every seventy-five or so years. We'll also explore the amazing impact that space debris can have on planets and moons. The Borealis Basin, a wondrous crater more than 5,000 miles across, formed when an asteroid collided with Mars in the ancient past. Then we will travel to the far-off Kuiper belt, where as many as 200 million icy bodies orbit, and wonder at the mystery of planetlike objects, such as Pluto and Charon. Finally, we'll can experience a space wonder firsthand by standing outside on a night in August to watch the spectacular Perseid meteor shower fill the sky.

The universe is full of space phenomena, such as dark matter, dark energy, and the beginning of the universe. Read what astronomers and space scientists have discovered about these amazing wonders-and what they have yet to learn.

Uncover seven wonders of the four rocky planets. From Mercury, we'll watch the Sun appear to perform wild acrobatics. We'll also explore Venus, a planet full of puzzles and beauty. On Mars, we'll visit the tallest mountain and the deepest canyon of all the planets. This planet has hints of water that may be the key to identifying life forms on other planets.

In every age, science and technology have played an important role in advancing human civilization. From architecture to engineering, communication to transportation, humans have invented and developed extraordinary wonders. Architecture is a key element of every culture. From the earliest huts, humans have been building a variety of structures in which to live, work, and play. Sometimes we take our buildings for granted, but architecture impacts both the functionality and aesthetics of our world. Engineering and art come together in architects' designs to create some of the most amazing and beautiful structures that have ever existed. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of architecture, from the dizzying height of the Eiffel Tower, to the love-inspired Taj Mahal, to the heated competition that resulted in two of New York's tallest buildings. Along the way, we'll see advancements in materials, technology, and construction techniques, and we'll learn the stories of how and why these architectural achievements became important to the world.

From earliest times, humans have wondered about the sky above them. People looked at distant stars and wondered what they were made of. They wondered whether any other places in the universe were like Earth. At first people used simple telescopes to study the solar system-the Sun and all the planets that circle around it. Later, more powerful telescopes and high-tech machines allowed people to investigate worlds outside the solar system. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders beyond the solar system. We'll look at giant clouds of gas and dust called nebulae. Some nebulae are places where stars are born. Other nebulae are all that remains of stars that have died. Other wonders beyond the solar system include pulsing stars, giant stars, and giant clusters of stars called galaxies. We'll visit them all. And we'll explore the age-old question: Does the universe have any other planets like Earth? We'll learn about scientists who hunt for Earthlike planets and the tools they use. Finally, we'll look at the big picture-the universe itself. This vast network of stars, planets, and other objects is the biggest wonder of them all.

In every age, science and technology have played an important role in advancing human civilization. From architecture to engineering, communication to transportation, humans have invented and developed extraordinary wonders. Engineers take the discoveries of scientists and mathematicians to make practical things, from roads and bridges to weapons and vehicles. Electronic engineers design and build everything from television sets to computers. Chemical engineers research new uses for plastics and other materials. Other engineers design new energy sources and nonpolluting factories. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of modern engineering that allow people to travel beneath the ocean, bring power to entire cities, and land on the moon. We'll also see engineering wonders that cut though a continent and design engines too small to see. Along the way, we'll see advancements in materials, technology, and construction techniques, and we'll learn the stories of how and why these engineering feats became important to the world.