McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology [antikvár]

Preface The editors of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology believe that this first yearbook provides unrivaled coverage of the most significant scientific and technical events of the past year. Much of importance occurred during 1961. Man plunged farther into space and bored deeper into the earth. He explored his modern neuroses and his ancient origins. He built gigantic electronic systems, using micro-miniature components. Many of his more dramatic developments were widely reported in the press and therefore have been brought to the attention of the interested public. But a multitude of other advances and discoveries took place that are, in their way, just as important as these widely heralded developments. These include delineation of the structure of the chlorophyll and hemoglobin molecules, improved dating methods, significant advances in maser and diode technology, progress in understanding the neurophysiology of learning, and a host of others. Obviously, to report all events on the scientific and technological front in 1961 would require many volumes the size of this book. Therefore, the most significant events were selected from the huge wealth of material available. To achieve this gigantic selection task and leave no important event unreported, the entire staff of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology spent many months preparing the yearbook. More than 2000 contributors to the encyclopedia were consulted. Studies of the important activities in their fields were carried out with the 67 encyclopedia consulting editors. The standard abstracts and scientific, technical, and trade journals were combed. Research groups in universities, industry, and government were queried. The results were analyzed, and as the most significant events were selected, the editorial staff invited eminent specialists in science and technology to write articles on these events. Often the authors of the yearbook articles were the scientists or engineers who had actually made the discovery, had carried the research forward, or had proposed the new concept. Anyone who has an interest in what is happening in the scientific world—and where science is taking us—should find this book of great value. We believe the yearbook, used in conjunction with the Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, brings together all of the seemingly disparate disciplines of scientific pursuit in a thorough and timely way. William H. Crouse Editor-in-Chief