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The Science of Discworld Revised Edition

Page 42

by Terry Pratchett

cloning 60, 215

  Close Encounters of the Third Kind 327, 329

  coal 19, 161, 229, 232, 284

  Coca-Cola 352

  Coelacanth 286

  Cohen, Jack 41, 43, 79*, 269, 274–5, 327, 350

  coincidence 128, 170, 172, 268–75, 300*

  ‘cold dark matter’ 94

  Collar, A.R. 370

  colonization of planets 372–3

  colour 43, 57, 72, 104, 195

  Columbus, Christopher 366

  comets 93, 117, 125,159, 223, 248, 256, 259, 263, 265, 287, 296, 306, 359, 363–4, 374

  common sense 9, 13, 87–8, 91, 97, 105,108, 111–2, 175

  communications satellites 39

  compass 143–4

  competition within species 211–3

  complex minds 355

  complex organisms 202, 238

  complexity 252

  complicity

  between culture and neurophysiology 347, 349

  between intelligence and extelligence 354

  mind as example of 349

  compound(s) 72–4, 122, 141, 157, 162, 274, 307

  vs elements 72

  vs mixture 72

  computer(s) 43, 104–6, 124, 130, 147,174, 185, 214–5, 219–20, 241

  and artificial intelligence 348

  science 219

  simulations 132, 221, 230

  conduction of electricity 133, 144

  Confessions (Saint Augustine) 55

  consciousness 338, 347

  constants, fundamental 25

  constitutional rights and obligations 353

  continental drift 147–8, 231

  continental land masses 142

  convergent evolution 242

  cooling 143–4, 163, 323

  Copenhagen interpretation of quantum observations 108–10

  copper 75, 113,191, 279

  coral reefs 150

  core, Earth’s 144

  Coriolis forces 144

  cosmic background 58

  cosmic rays 83

  cosmological constant 95

  cows 36, 98, 217, 222, 229, 316, 323

  and BSE (mad cow disease) 217

  and methane 229

  crabs 167, 247–8, 238, 241, 243, 262, 264–5, 296, 315, 342, 374

  craters

  on Earth 175, 254, 306–7

  on Mercury 118, 252

  on Moon 171–3, 175, 252

  Crawford, Michael 336

  creation myth 51, 58

  Cretaceous period 198, 287, 289, 291, 293, 303–4, 307, 309

  Crichton, Michael 282

  crocodiles 283, 309

  cross-breeding algorithms (recombination) 219

  crust, Earth’s 140–2, 144, 229, 231, 305, 307

  crystals 132, 142, 232, 306

  culture 161, 188, 266, 302, 329, 339–40, 347–8, 351–2

  and extelligence 348, 352–3

  and neurophysiology 347

  culture clash 352

  curvature of spacetime 92

  cuttlefish 310

  cyanobacteria 195

  Czáki, Csaba 94

  D

  Dalton, Brad 134

  Dalton, John 74

  Damned Lies and Statistics (Best) 326

  Damour, Thibault 26

  danger, global 357

  dark 30, 94, 117,126, 131,166, 178, 180, 182–3, 186–7, 280, 298

  Darwin, Charles 10, 210–11, 213–4, 218, 222, 240, 318

  Darwin (project) 132

  Darwinism 213

  David Copperfield (Dickens) 185

  Davidovich, Luis 110

  DDT 311

  Dead Sea 165

  death 9, 54, 110,183, 186–7, 227, 232–3, 267, 300, 365, 385

  of dinosaurs 301, 305, 308

  of marsupials 321

  of species 304, 311

  Deccan Traps 307–8, 365

  debt 161, 185–6

  decoherence 110

  Deep Space 3 project 131

  Deimos 117

  Delany, Samuel R. 355

  Democritus 74, 76

  Dennett, Daniel 339

  density

  of Earth 141

  of elements 73, 82

  of Moon 172

  of stars 82

  destruction of habitat 365

  deuterium 79

  diaphragm 316–7

  Dickens, Charles 185

  Dickens, Jenny 232

  Dickinson, Dick 368

  diffusion 91

  digital orrery 124

  dinosaurs 252, 282–94

  mass extinction of 301, 305, 307–9, 379

  diploblasts 199

  Diplodocus 288–9

  disasters

  home-grown 364

  natural 227, 232, 301

  discontinuity 60, 196

  Discworld novels

  The Colour of Magic 87, 271

  Hogfather 187

  The Last Continent 209, 214, 300*, 319

  The Light Fantastic 33, 40

  Lords and Ladies 109

  Men at Arms 171

  Mort 186

  Reaper Man 186*

  Small Gods 100

  Soul Music 309

  Thief of Time 55

  Witches Abroad 109

  Disney, Walt 282–3, 289

  diversity 209, 226, 232, 241–2, 301, 309–10, 317, 322, 354–5

  DNA 10, 13, 44, 79*, 102, 196–7, 215–8, 220, 239, 275, 310, 316, 324–6, 334–6

  clock 324–5

  Döbereiner, Johann 75

  dogs 9, 66, 203, 209–10, 267, 283, 314, 316, 321, 323, 350*

  Dolly the Sheep, cloning 215–6

  dolphins 243, 285, 309, 332, 347

  domestic animals 209

  Doppler effect 57

  double stars 128

  Doyle, Arthur Conan 282

  dragons, and dinosaurs 302–3, 329

  Dragon’s Egg (Forward) 373

  drawing the line 59

  dreams 328–9, 365

  duck-billed platypus 316

  E

  ears 278, 316–7, 328

  earth, as ancient element 65, 71

  Earth 24, 25, 35, 37, 39, 44, 54, 73, 82, 87–9, 92, 116–8, 121, 123, 125, 127–8, 130–2, 134, 140–8, 156–9, 162–4, 170–9, 183, 186–7, 195, 197, 201, 209,211, 215, 226–232, 242–3, 253, 259, 301, 304–6, 316, 364–8, 378, 379

  age of 25

  atmosphere 130, 156–162

  axis 176–8

  tilt of 228, 231

  circumference of 89

  core 143–4

  crust 140–2, 144, 231, 305, 307

  gravity of 37, 82, 124, 176

  ice ages of 226–31

  magnetic field of 44, 127, 143–5, 147–8

  reversing polarity of 148

  mantle 142, 172, 175

  and Moon 172–5

  organic life on 195–201

  rotation of 39, 144, 173, 176, 197–8, 367

  roundness of 35, 88–90, 142

  shape and structure 140–8

  surface of 140–1

  earthquakes 142, 148

  East Indies 210

  echidna 316

  echoes of the Big Bang 56, 58

  eclipses 35

  of the Sun 92, 168–9

  ecology, closed 160

  ecosystems 160, 311

  Eden 379

  Ediacarans 198–201, 242

  education and ‘lies-to-children’ 43–4

  egg 59, 187, 216, 276, 300

  Egyptians, ancient 88, 187, 353

  Einstein, Albert 23, 40, 44, 54, 56–7, 87, 90–96, 127, 185

  doubts cast on theory 93–5

  General Relativity 91–4

  Relativity Theory 91–4

  Special Relativity 91–2

  eka-lead 81–2

  Eldredge, Niles 240

  electrical charge 76, 144

  electrical power plants 159

  electricity 133, 144, 229

  electrojets 145

&n
bsp; electromagnetism 57, 79, 91, 126, 368

  and Special Relativity 91

  electronic circuits 219–21

  electron(s) 60, 76–9, 109

  charge 25

  planets as model for 76

  elements 22, 24, 61, 67–9, 71–83, 99, 122–3, 141, 143, 157, 245

  ancient (fire, earth, air, water) 71–2

  vs compounds 72

  Dalton’s list 74

  five ways to create 79–81

  Lavoisier’s list of 73

  Mendeleev’s list 75, 77

  number 110 81

  number 114 81–2

  number 116 81

  stable 81

  superheavy 83

  unstable 81

  elephantigen 66, 73, 82

  elephants 33, 40, 54, 73, 87, 188, 206, 209, 238, 311–2, 316, 318, 323–4, 380

  Elizabeth II, Queen 32

  elliptical planetary orbits 90

  embryos 200, 277, 300, 325

  and people, demarcation line 59, 60, 187

  emergence, mind and 105, 349

  emergent order phase in Langton’s Ant system 104, 221

  emergent phenomena 106–7, 349, 372

  Empedocles 71

  Emperor’s New Mind, The (Penrose) 23†

  Empire Star (Delany) 355

  empty space 49, 51, 108

  End of Time, The (Barbour) 55

  energy 23–4, 37–9, 49, 58, 77, 122, 127, 158, 163, 197, 202–3, 368

  matter turned into by

  nuclear fission 23–4

  potential 37

  required to lift objects 37

  environment 102, 105, 196–7, 199, 201, 241, 267, 300, 317, 325, 351

  care and management of 365

  damage to 312

  enzymes 325

  Eohippus (now Hyracotherium) 303*

  Eoraptor 283

  epicycles 90

  epsilon Eridani 129

  equinoxes, precession of the 35

  Eratosthenes 88–9

  escape velocity of planets 157

  essential fatty acids 336

  eukaryotes 198, 251

  Europa, space probes for life on 133–4

  Europe 71, 147, 227, 321, 323, 353, 366

  European Space Agency (ESA) 131

  Everest, Mount 140, 366

  evolution 10, 32, 41, 102, 106, 158, 164–5, 178,197, 199, 203, 205–7, 209, 211–4, 218, 220–2, 231–2, 236, 238–9, 241–3, 265, 300, 302, 310–11, 315–7, 321–3, 328, 334–6, 339, 347–51, 364, 370

  of apes 334–6

  of brain 334, 336, 348

  convergent 242

  Darwinism 10, 210–11, 213–4, 218, 222, 240, 318

  of humans 324, 334–6

  of intelligence and extelligence 347–9

  of mammals 319–26

  ‘punctuated equilibrium’ theory 240

  ‘savannah’ theory of human evolution 334, 336–7

  ‘seashore’ theory of human evolution 334, 336–8

  Smolin’s theory of evolving universes 25

  ‘Tree of Life’ view of 239–42, 250

  Evolution Man, The (Lewis) 197*

  Evolving the Alien (Cohen and Stewart) 41*, 79*

  expansion of universe 57–8, 94

  exploration of space 37, 171, 364–73

  extelligence 70, 262, 348–9, 352–5, 357, 363, 372, 381

  extinction(s) 230–2, 241–2, 263, 320–1, 379–81

  of dinosaurs (mass extinction) 301–12

  extra-sensory perception 273

  eye, evolution of 213–4

  eyesight 72, 317

  F

  Fantasia (Disney) 282–3, 289

  farming 229

  Farrell, Brian 300

  fatty acids 336

  fear 187, 194, 302, 357

  feathers 291–2

  feedback loop of intelligence and extelligence, mind as 348, 351, 353–4

  female menstrual cycle 170, 179

  Fermi, Enrico 22–4

  field aligned currents 145

  field-programmable gate array 220

  fine structure constant 26

  fire 24, 32, 119, 226, 236, 279, 330–1, 345

  as ancient element 65, 71

  as process involving gases 73

  fish 134, 164, 204, 206, 241, 243, 246, 265, 267, 274, 276

  flames 63

  flocks (optical interferometer arrays) 131

  floods 159, 333

  Florida 367

  Flower J. W. 370

  fluid dynamics 103

  fluorine 251

  atomic weight of 74

  food supply and population

  growth 100

  forests 110, 161, 222, 229, 284, 312, 322, 346, 365, 381

  Forward, Robert L. 373

  fossils and fossil record 132–3, 146–7, 162,164, 195, 198–200, 238–41, 283, 285–6, 301–5, 307, 310, 318, 320–1, 323–4, 334, 336

  Fountains of Paradise, The (Clarke) 370

  four-dimensional spacetime 91

  Frail, Dale 128

  free will 338, 347

  Frentzen, Heinz-Harold 268

  friction 103, 172, 182, 265

  frogs 325, 369

  From the Earth to the Moon (Verne) 367

  fundamental constants 25

  fundamental particles 76, 78, 106–7

  fundamentalism, scientific 100–1

  G

  Gaia 252

  Galápagos Isalands 288

  galaxies 101–2, 208, 258 rotation of 94

  Galileo space probe 133

  gamma-ray burster 258–9

  garnet 142

  gases 26, 48, 72–3, 75, 84–6, 93, 98, 108–9, 112–4, 118–22, 138,141, 144, 156–7, 159,162–3, 184, 229, 232, 247

  ionized 144

  Gee, Henry 286, 290

  Geminid 257

  General Relativity theory (Einstein) 91–6

  Generation Ship 372

  genes 33, 215, 218, 222, 239, 324

  genetic algorithms 219

  genetic code 215, 217

  genomes 215, 324, 334

  Genyornis 321

  geology 36, 133, 146, –7, 158, 163, 165,172, 227, 242, 302, 306, 308

  geography 59, 106, 135,

  geomagnetic dynamo 143–4

  geometry 43, 88, 90, 100

  geostationary orbit 39

  germanium 82

  Ghostbusters 329

  ghosts 329

  giant impact 175

  giant molecular cloud 256

  ginkgoes 311

  glacial (ice age) 226, 228–9

  glaciers 226–8, 381

  remains in Sahara Desert 146

  global commerce 352

  global warming 159, 227, 229, 365

  God, and beetles 300–1

  Goddard, Robert 367–8

  Gödel, Escher, Bach (Hofstadter) 339

  gods 34–6, 69, 84, 98, 188, 193, 203, 233–4, 266, 271, 381

  gold 75, 112,114

  in alchemy 72, 76

  Gondwanaland 316

  gorillas 335–6

  Gould, Stephen Jay 240–2

  ‘Grandfather’ (unit of time) 335–6, 381

  granite 142

  gravitational constant 25

  gravitational lensing 92

  gravitational theory 25, 57, 94–6

  Einstein’s vs Newton’s 40, 92–3

  Newton’s 90–3

  gravity 10*, 37, 40, 42, 79, 82, 88, 90–96, 101, 121, 131, 142, 157, 164, 170–2, 174–7, 179, 185, 262, 287–8, 366–8

  and General Relativity 90–93

  quantum effects of 94–5, 101

  Greaves, James 129

  Greeks, ancient 71–4, 88–9, 179

  greenhouse effect 229, 232, 307

  greenhouse gases 159, 229, 232

  H

  habitat, destruction of 365

  hadrosaurs 283

  Hahn, Otto 23–4

  hair 317, 318*, 337

  Haldane, J.B.S. 300�
��1

  Halley’s comet 257

  Halstead, Beverley 282

  Hardy, Alister 336

  Haroche, Serge 110

  Harris, S. 41

  Haste, Helen 282

  Hawking, Stephen 23†, 53

  hearing 317, 328, 376

  heat 72–3, 93, 114, 121, 126, 143–4, 156, 163,178, 182–3, 228–30

  Hedges, S. Blair 324

  Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle 108

  helium 79, 80, 117, 122, 157, 259–60

  atomic weight of 74

  flash 260

  Heraclitus 71

  Hewish, Anthony 125–6

  Higgs boson 60–1

  Higgs, Peter 60–1

  High Energy Laser System Test Facility, White Sands 368

  High-Z Supernova Search Team 94

  Himalayas 148

  Hobster, William 232

  Hoffman, Paul 230

  Hofstadter, Douglas 339

  homeotic (regulatory) genes 218

  horses 303*, 323

  hot air balloon 143–4

  HSP90 servant molecule 217–8

  Hubble, Edwin 57–8

  Hubble Space Telescope 130

  humans

  brains of 336–40

  and ape family 347–50

  hurricanes 132, 198

  Huxley, Thomas 211, 213

  hyaenas 283

  hydrated salts 134

  hydrochloric acid 164

  hydrogen 72, 74, 79, 80, 117–8, 122, 157,162–4

  atomic weight of 74

  bomb 159, 306

  hypercanes 198

  hypernovas 83

  Hyracotherium (orig. Eohippus) 303*

  I

  ice 85, 118, 122, 133–4, 171, 235, 277, 301, 307, 314, 323, 330, 342, 359–60, 362, 366, 374

  ages 146, 226–231, 357, 365, 384

  cores 159, 232

  Ichthyornis 291

  ichthyosaurs 285–7, 305, 309

  imagination 12, 215

  immunity 286

  impact 253

  India 148, 366

  information 79*, 215–6, 348 processing 348–50, 352

  infra-red 57, 126

  telescopy 131

  initial conditions and rules 62

  In Search of Deep Time (Gee) 286, 290

  insects 159–60, 221–2, 241, 243, 301–2, 306, 311,318

  trapped in amber 310

  instinct 33

  intelligence 12, 32, 70, 225–6, 235–7, 262–3, 296, 330, 338–41, 347–9, 354, 357–9

  artificial 348–9

  and extelligence 70, 262, 348–9, 352–5, 357, 363, 372, 381

  human 338–41, 347–55

  on other planets 380–1

  and sex 340

  interferometry 130–2

  interglacial (ice age) 226, 228–9

  international culture 352–3

  Internet 51, 339, 348, 355

  and brain modules 339

  interpreting observational data 90

  interstellar plasma 79*

  interval between events 92

  Investigations (Kauffman) 62

  Io 177

  iodine 80

  ionosphere 144–5

  iridium 305–6

  iron 67–9, 71, 75, 79, 113,117, 133, 141, 143–4, 152, 197, 307

  Isaacs, John 370

  Isley, Ann 308

  isotopes 232

 

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