BOOKS
Joel Levy.
Scientific Feuds: from Galileo to the Human Genome Project.
London, New Holland, 2010.
€ 15.00
Bound, hardcover with original dustjacket, 224pp., 20x27cm., richly illustr. in col. and b/w., in very good condition (dustjacket with light traces of use). ISBN: 9781847735140.
Most science chronicles present a triumphant march through time, with revolutionary thinkers and their discoveries following in orderly progression. The truth, however, is somewhat different. Scientific Feuds is a collection of the most vicious battles among the greatest minds of our time. It features such contests as Huxley and Wilberforce's debate on Darwin's theory of evolution, Franklin and Wilkins' fight over the discovery of DNA, and the 'War of Currents' between Tesla and Edison (which ended with Edison electrocuting dogs and horses in a vain attempt to discredit Tesla's work). From passionate competition to vindictive sniping, these rivalries prove that the world of science is far from cold and methodical.