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Synopsis From earliest pre-history up to the astonishing advances of recent years, this book traces the ever more sophisticated means employed in our attempts to understand the universe. The sundials of antiquity led on, in Renaissance Europe, to standardized measurements recorded in Arabic numerals. The modern age followed with instruments such as microscopes, X-rays and micro-processors, down to the current new devices for observing matter at zero temperatures. This vigorous and readable account of such extraordinary breakthroughs shows how our curious nature has continually pushed forward the frontiers of science and , as a consequence, human civilization. Thomas Crump’s passionate interest in science and its history has given rise to a number of books including our own Solar Eclipse (Universities Press). A mathematician and anthropologist, until his retirement in 1994 he taught anthropology at the University of Amsterdam.