bryson reading guide-3

8/16/2019 Bryson Reading Guide-3

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A Short History of Nearly Everything

Complete with nightly reading. Each Chapter is due following the completion of a Chapter.

As you read this book, there are many general uestions to ask yourself about the nature of

scientific knowledge, the nature of the scientific endeavor and the human side of science. !hese

include"

#. How does a scientific discovery$theory relate to the discoveries$theories that preceded it%

&oes the new discovery$theory build on the old one% &oes it completely replace the old one%

'. (any science te)tbooks start with a chapter describing !HE scientific method. *ased on the

do+ens of stories in this book, is there one scientific method% &id every scientist work the same

way% Are there many similarities between the methods each scientist used% Some% None%

. Humans are competitive. How has this competitive nature helped the progression of

science% How has it hindered the progression of science% -ou should be able to find e)amples of both in this book.

. /hat is the role of a scientist in promoting her own or his own cause% Should they be

aggressive advocates, pushing their work no matter what% 0r, should they let the scientificcommunity decide on the importance of their work% Should the government or the general populace

decide which scientific ideas or theories are to be supported%

1. !he author is a master at numerical analogies. 2or e)ample, on page #1 he notes that one

atom is to the width of a millimeter line as the thickness of a piece of paper is to the height of the

Empire State *uilding. How do these analogies help you learn the content they are trying toe)plain% Can you think of any others% /riting one of your own is great practice for proportional

reasoning.

How to use this chapter guide

#3 Lead questions. !hese ask for specific information found within each chapter. !heir purpose is

to guide the reading, draw the reader4s intention to important points, and provide evidence to the

instructor that the student has read the assigned chapter.

'3 Notes. As is to be e)pected with a popular science writing piece, A short history containsinaccuracies, omissions, and over5generali+ations. (ost of these are trivial but some merit

clarifying comments or corrections.

3 Food for Thought. !hese uestions seek to move the reader beyond the book and seek to

stimulate critical thinking about the scientific endeavor. !hese uestions should aid in classroom

discussion about the ethics, culture, and methodology of science.3 Explore Further. Suggested readings that cover the topics discussed in each chapter in greater

detail. (ost of these are written for the general public. !he goal is to have the campus library, the

C/6 bookstore, the Ellensburg library, and 7erroll4s *ookstore provide advertising for and accessto these readings throughout the coming year.

8f you have any additions to this guide, please email them to *ruce 9almuist at

palmuis:cwu.edu.


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Chapter 1: How to Build a Universe

!his chapter describes the evidence for how the universe was formed. *e on the lookout for some

very large ;#3 and very small ;#


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Chapter 2: Welcome to the Solar System

&iscussion ?uestions#. &escribe 9ercival owells contributions to astronomy. Classify each as important or

unimportant to furthering the study of astronomy. &efend each classification.

'. /hat are some characteristics of 9luto that may have led to its reclassification as a dwarf

planet%

. 8f the earth were reduced to the diameter of a pea, how large and how far away would

7upiter be% How large and how far away would 9luto be% !he E)ploratorium website is helpful for

these uestions.

. /hat are some problems that must be solved before people can travel to (ars%

1. /hy is it unlikely that aliens have visited Earth%

D. /hat are some arguments for or against 9lutos status as a planet%

F. /hat is the current thinking about obGects beyond Neptune that belong to the solar system%

;How are they classified% /hat characteristics do they share%3

=. How long did it take for the oyager craft to reach Neptunes orbit%

>. How much farther from the sun is 9luto compared with earth% ;/hat unit of distance easilye)presses this comparison%3

#


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Chapter 3: The Reverend van!s Universe

&iscussion ?uestions

#. /hy is this chapter named after Jeverend Evans% ;!ry to think beyond the obvious answer.3

'. /hat is a supernova% /hat is the closest supernova% Are we in danger of being harmed by asupernova% /hy or why not%

. &escribe the skills and discoveries of 2rit+ Kwicky. ist some personal characteristics that

led to his success. How were Kwickys skills similar to Evans skills%

. *riefly describe the formation of our solar system.

1. /hat are the advantages of looking for supernovae using a CC& camera% 6sing the naked

eye like Jeverend Evans does%

D. /hat is a neutron star% /hy is it so dense%

F. Appro)imately how many stars are visible to the naked eye from earth% ;Another way to phrase this uestion would be @How many stars are class D or brighter%3

=. How often can we e)pect supernovae to occur in our gala)y%

>. /hat sort of information do we gain by ;searching for, but3 not observing any supernovae%

#


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Chapter ": The #easure o$ Thin%s


#. Summari+e the accomplishments of Edmond Halley. /hy do you think his scientificcontributions were so diverse compared to todays scientists%

'. /hat are Newtons three laws of motion% /hat is the formula representation of his law ofuniversal gravitation%

. 0f what significance is it to navigators if the Earth is not a perfect sphere%

. /hat was Jichard Norwoods main contribution to science% /hy can we say, with a great

deal of confidence, that Norwood was a very careful worker%

1. &escribe one way to determine the mass of the earth.

D. /hat was historys first cooperative scientific venture%

F. How did the discovery of contour lines relate to determining the mass of the Earth%

=. /ho was @the most gifted English scientist of his age% 9rovide evidence of why this

person was awarded that @title.

>. &escribe the chain of events leading from a wager to the foundation of modern physics"

Newtons Principia.

#


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Chapter &: The Stone'Brea(ers

#. /hat particular weakness did 7ames Hutton have and how did this slow the dissemination

of his groundbreaking geological ideas%

'. /hat particular geological phenomenon intrigued scientists of the day%

. E)plain the difference between plutonists and neptunists.

. /hat e)planation did 7ames Hutton propose for the phenomenon above ;uestion 3%

1. /hat role did 7ames 9layfair play in disseminating Huttons ideas%

D. /hat prereuisite was evidently reuired to Goin the Ieological Society in the early #=th century different from the biblical view that the rock record

was due to a single world5wide flood%

#


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Chapter ): Science Red in Tooth and Claw

#. /hy was late #=th century America so interested in documenting its large animals%

'. /hy did the idea of animal e)tinctions raise religious uestions in the mind of #>th century

naturalists%

. Ieorge Cuvier argued that animals had actually gone e)tinct. /hat did the opposition argue

was the case with these allegedly e)tinct animals%

. /illiam Smith discovered that fossils occur in an ordered fashion in the rock layers of theEarth. !his insight made him the father of biostratigraphy and laid the foundations for the

construction of the geological time scale. /illiam Smith did not know why fossils occurred

in this ordered succession throughout the rocks. 8ndeed, most of the geological time scalewas constructed ;it was rocks in Europe that were first ordered based on their fossil content3

before anyone could e)plain this phenomenon. /hy &0 different species appear at

different times ;different aged rocks3 in the rock record%

1. /ho was (ary Anning% /hat three e)tinct groups of ancient reptiles did she discover

along the cliffs of the English Channel%

D. /hat does the name Iguanadon mean%

F. How are the teeth of dinosaurs different than those of modern li+ards%=. How was Iguanadon reoconstructed in Crysal 9alace Iardens% How is this reconstruction

incorrect%

>. /hat does the label @dinosaur mean% /hat is unfortunate and potentially misleading

about this descriptor%

#


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Chapter *: lemental #atters


#. /hat is alchemy% How does it differ from chemistry% How is it the same as chemistry%

'. Summari+e the discoveries of Larl Scheele. How did the nature of Scheeles work lead to

his death%

. /ho is Antione5aurent avoisier% How did his wealth influence his contributions to

science%

. /hy did chemistry lose its bearings in the first decades of the nineteenth century% Iive ane)ample of twenty first century science potentially losing its bearings in a similar way%

1. 8n what ways is the periodic table of the elements periodic% /hat did call the periodic table%

D. How do we know that early twentieth century scientists did not understand the dangers of

radioactivity% /hat is a modern day e)ample of this cavalier attitude something that was eventuallyconsidered dangerous%


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Chapter +: instein!s Universe

&iscussion ?uestions#. /hat is the luminiferous ether% How does it relate to e)periments about determining the

speed of light%

'. Some writers classify (a) 9lanck as the first uantum physicist. 9rovide evidence tosupport this classification.

. &escribe the meaning of Emc'.

. Einstein reported that he seldom had a good idea. &o you agree with this% /hat do youthink is Einsteins classification of a @good idea% /hat is your classification of a good scientific

idea%

1. 8n what ways are Einsteins relativity theories nonintuitive%

D. How does a train traveling at D< percent of the speed of light illustrate Einsteins theory ofspecial relativity%

F. How is spacetime like a sheet of stretched rubber%

=. &escribe the contributions of Henrietta Swan eavitt and Annie 7ump Cannon to our

understanding of the universe.


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Chapter ,: The #i%hty -tom


#. 8f you had to reduce scientific history to one important statement, what would it be% /hy%

'. (ake an argument to support the statement that each one of us is billions of years old.

. How can &alton be considered the father of atomic theory even though the idea of the atom

was invented by ancient Ireeks%

. &escribe the e)periment that Ernest Jutherford and Hans Ieiger did with ioni+ed helium

atoms. /hat did it teach them about the structure of the atom%

1. 8n what way is it correct to say that obGects never really tough each other%

D. Electrons are negatively charged and protons are positively charged. Negative and positive

charges attract. According to Niels *ohr, why dont electrons fall into the nucleus owing to thisattraction%

F. /hat is uncertain in the Heisenberg 6ncertainty 9rinciple%

=. Einstein did not believe that Iod @played dice. /hat did he mean by that statement%


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Chapter 1.: /ettin% the 0ead ut


#. ist some health problems associated with lead poisoning.

'. /hy are C2Cs so harmful to the Earth%

. /hich of !homas (idgleys two inventions do you think is the most dangerous% How does

your answer differ if you are considering long term effects rather than short term effects%

. /hat is carbon5# dating% /hat are some problems with this method%

1. /hy did 9atterson use meteorites to determine the age of the Earth%

D. How can the ice in Ireenland help us determine how the concentration of atmospheric lead

has changed%

F. Now that leaded gasoline and C2Cs are banned in the 6nited States, are the threats from

these items over% /hy or why not%


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“A Short History of Nearly Eerything!

"e#ate Assign$ent a#out %hapter &'( )etting the Lead *ut.

8n this assignment, you and your classmates will discuss an important case study on the relationship between science, economics, ethics and public policy. 8 will divide the class into three groups"

!homas (idgley ;the inventor of leaded gas3, Claire 9atterson ;the lone early voice against leaded

gas3 and the president of Ethyl Corporation ;who benefits financially from leaded gas3. After eachgroup has summari+ed, all students, staying in character, will get into groups of three and have a

discussion about their points of view. After about #< minutes, you will summari+e the main points

of the debate.

#. (eet with classmates who play the same role as you ;either (idgley, 9atterson or the president

of Ethyl3. &evelop a list of points supporting your point of view as either the inventor of leaded gas,

the crusader against leaded gas or the businessperson who depends on leaded gas to make money.2ormulate or main points that support what you must do or have done in your role. !hese points

should support why your actions are right or the other peoples actions are wrong. ;!ake about #<

minutes for this.3

'. Iet into your group of three. 2or one minute each, (idgley, 9atterson or the president of Ethyl

will present their main points to the other two people. After each person has presented their main points ;uninterrupted3, debate the relative strengths and weaknesses of each argument for about five

minutes.

. /hen you are done debating, your group should decide the best way to resolve the issues aboutleaded gas. 2or e)ample, how can the problem be resolved without Ethyl going out of business%

How can 9atterson get people to listen to him% /hat responsibilities does (idgely have as the

inventor of leaded gas% /rite a one to two paragraph response to these and related issues as a smallgroup.

*y the end of class, you will turn in your individual list of or main points and your small group paragraph.

Homework assignment" Nuclear energy has similar ethical issues. Scientists, environmentalists, and

business leaders continue to debate the plusses and minuses of nuclear energy. *y ne)t !hursday,write a one page paper about the following. /hat are the benefits of nuclear energy% /hat are the

detriments of nuclear energy% /hat are the ethical issues involved with nuclear energy for the

inventors% 2or the power companies% 2or the users% How does the argument for using nuclear energy differ from the argument for using leaded gasoline%


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Chapter 11: #uster #ar(!s uar(s


#. How do scientists trap neutrinos% /hy are they so difficult to trap%

'. /hat do you think eon ederman meant when he said, @!here is a deep feeling that the

picture is not beautiful%


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Chapter 12: The arth #oves

#. /hich @genius scientist wrote a critical review of plate tectonics in #>11%

'. How did the @baked apple theory of Eduard Suess e)plain the formation of mountains on

Earth% /hat weaknesses did this model have in e)plaining this phenomenon%

. How did biologists e)plain the occurrence of identical fossil species on separate continents

before plate tectonics%

. According to Alfred /egener, how fast was Ireenland moving away from Europe%

1. /hat role did convection currents play in Arthur Holmes model of continental drift%

D. 8f the oceans had e)isted in their current place and state since the beginning of Earth history

what would one predict about sediments on the ocean floors% /hat did geoscientists

actually discover about the ocean floor%

F. /here is the highest and longest mountain range on Earth located%

=. &uring what kind of impressive engineering feat of the #>th century did people first reali+e

that the ocean floor was not Gust a smooth surface%

>. /hat was discovered about the age of the ocean floor by drilling operations in the #>D


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Chapter 13: Ban%

#. 6pon discovery of the (anson Crater geologists attributed it to volcanic action. /as this an

irrational conclusion at the time% /hy or why not%

'. /hy is the (anson Crater @invisible at the surface of 8owa today%

. /hy did &aniel (. *arringers mining operation in (eteor Crater, AK fail%

. 9opular depictions of the asteroid belt between (ars and 7upiter show a dense accumulation

of craggy rocks that are reminiscent of scenes from Star Wars movies ;remember those !8E52ighter chases%3. 8n reality, what is the average distance between asteroids in the belt%

1. /hat is the current hypothesis that e)plains the e)istence of the asteroid belt%

D. How many asteroids large enough to @imperil civili+ation regularly cross the orbit of our

Earth%

F. /hat is the closest recorded distance that an asteroid has come to the Earth% /hat is

unnerving about the timing of its discovery%

=. /hat is the L5! boundary% /hy is it not called the C5! boundary%

>. How much space dust falls to Earth annually% *ryson isnt clear how this space dust getshere O what do you think%

#


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Chapter 1": The 4ire Below Us

#. How deep are the worlds deepest mines%

'. /hat did AndriGa (ohoroviĉić discover using seismic analysis%

. *ryson states that @the Jichter Scale has always been widely misunderstood bynonscientists. /hat two aspects have been misunderstood%

. /hat factors other than energy ;force5released3 influence the amount of damage a uake

causes%

1. /hat destroyed the town of Hilo, Hawaii in #>D. /hat was the largest intraplate earthuake ever to hit the 6nited States ;hint" the uakecaused church bells to ring in *oston but that city is over #


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Chapter 1&: 5an%erous Beauty

#. /hat e)pected feature was conspicuously absent in -ellowstone 9ark%

'. /hat is a hot spot% ist at least three volcanic centers on the Earth that are caused by suchfeatures.

. /hat is peculiar about the hot spot below -ellowstone%

. /hy would another super eruption at -ellowstone spell economic disaster for the 6nited

States ;and likely parts of Canada as well3%

1. /hat evidence is there that the magma chamber below -ellowstone is still active and

@restless%

D. According to the 6nited States Ieological Survey, -ellowstone 9ark is the most seismically

active piece of real5estate in the world. 0n average how many earthuakes occur in the park per year%

F. Old Faithful is -ellowstones most famour geyser O its name reflecting its regular eruptions.

*ased on what *ryson says about geyser eruptions in -ellowstone, is Old Faithful reallysuch a good name% Are the eruptions of Old Faithful really that faithful% /hat is theaverage interval between eruptions% 2ind out at by taking the virtual tour of the Old

Faithful Geyser Basin at http"$$www.nps.gov$archive$yell$oldfaithfulcam.htm.

=. /hich five 6S states have an official Volcanic Observatory%

>. How are the eruption of (ount St. Helens in #>=< and the Hebgen ake Earthuake of #>1>

similar to one another%

http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm


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Chapter 1): 0onely 6lanet


#. /ould the human body get crushed if left unprotected at the bottom of the ocean% /hy orwhy not% /hat is the biggest danger to the human body at the bottom of the ocean%

'. /hat is @the bends%

. 9rovide three e)amples of dangerous e)periments that 7. *. S. Haldane performed on people.

. /hat are the four principal characteristics of Earth that lead to it being a habitable place for

humans%

1. /hy is enus inhospitable for life%

D. How does the molten interior of the Earth facilitate life on the surface of the Earth%

F. 8n what way is the carbon atom @shamelessly promiscuous%

=. (ake a #


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Chapter 1*: 0onely 6lanet

#./hy is it a good thing that we have an atmosphere%

'./hat is the danger of living at high altitudes%

./hat are the layers of the atmosphere%

./hy does it get colder as you climb a mountain%

1./hat influences air movement in the atmosphere%

D.How are clouds classified%

F./hat was the @salinity crisis%

=.How do the oceans influence climate and weather%

>.How does the Iulf Stream influence weather%

#


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Chapter 1+

#./hat are the uniue properties of water% /hy are we looking for water on other planets%

'./hy shouldnt you drink seawater%

./here is most of the water of the world located%

./hy should our world be called @/ater instead of @Earth%

1./hy do we know so little about the 0ceans%

D./hat were some of the earliest deep ocean e)ploration vessels% !he most recent%

F./hy is it so much harder to build a deep ocean e)ploration vessel than a space e)plorationvessel% /hat are some difficulties involved in each%

=.Are the depths and floor of the ocean @lifeless flat and uninteresting%

>./hy do you think we seem to be more interested in space e)ploration than ocean e)ploration%

#


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Chapter 1,

#.&escribes (illers e)periment. /hat does it have to do with the origin of life%

'./hat is a protein% /hy is it hard to make them% /hat is so strange about protein synthesis%

.&iscuss the statement" @8t is little wonder we call it the Pmiracle of life.

./hat makes something @life%

1.&iscuss the statement" @iving things are collections of molecules, like everything else.

D./hat makes life @miraculous%

F./hen did life begin on Earth%

=./hat is the theory of @panspermia% /hat are some issues with it%

>./hy does Jidley state" @All life is one.

#


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Chapter 2.: Small World

#. *acteria are everywhere and in great numbers. !hey cover our body and are found in

massive numbers in our gut. *ryson discusses their numbers in such terms as uadrillionand tons. Iiven their ubiuitousness and great numbers, why does the general public not

think much about these organisms%

'. /hat organisms are classified as fungi% /hat role do they play in an ecosystem% How

have humans come to use fungi such as yeast%

. /hat are some of the unusual characteristics of slime molds% Are they best classified as

bacteria, fungi, plants, or animals%

. 8n #>D>, all living organisms were classified into five kingdoms. /hat are they%

1. /hat did Carl /oese discover that uickly suggested that the five5kingdom system was notthe most appropriate way to classify living organisms% /hat groupings did he suggest%

D. /hat is a virus% /hy is it debatable as to whether viruses should be considered livingorganisms%

F. !he final section of this chapter e)amines microbes as the cause of many human diseases.

*ryson mentions several historical epidemics caused by microbes O English sweating

sickness, encephalitis lethargica, and the Ireat Swine 2lu. /hat are some microbial causeddiseases we are currently dealing with% /hy is the current avian ;bird3 flu outbreak in Asia

of such great concern%

=. /hat are antibiotics% /hy does you doctor not prescribe antibiotics for viral infections

;e.g. colds and most flus3% /hy are antibiotics becoming less effective% /hat can be

done%


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Chapter 21: 0i$e /oes n

#. *ryson discusses three reuirements needed to make a fossil. ist them.

'. /hy are terrestrial animals ;@land animals3 so rare in the fossil record%

. /hat percentage of the fossil record consists of animals that lived under water%

. How long did the @reign of trilobites last% 8n comparison, how long have humans beenaround%

1. /hat @fact of the fossil record seemed difficult or impossible to e)plain with &arwinsevolutionary ideas in the #>th century%

D. /hat does *ryson call the @holy grail of paleontology%

F. How were the creatures in the *urgess Shale preserved%

=. According to Stephen 7. Iould could the animals of the *urgess Shale be readily assignedto known animal phyla%

>. !he term @Cambrian E)plosion implies a sudden appearance of diverse organisms in a veryshort period of time ;#


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Chapter 22: /ood'7ye to -ll That

#. How are lichens actually a partnership between two different kingdoms of life%

'. How long does it take some lichens to reach the si+e of a shirt5button%

. /hat maGor challenges does dry land pose to water5dwelling creatures%

. /hat was one QincentiveQ or better, Qevolutionary pressureQ that might have played a role in

favoring and driving the invasion of land%

1. /hat were the first land5dwelling organisms%

D. /hat were the first land5dwelling animals% ;be specific3

F. /hat likely allowed animals to remarkably large during the &evonian and Carboniferous periods%

=. /hat group of animals first evolved flight% Can you name three other groups of animals that

evolved flight independently% ;hint" one of these groups is unfortunately e)tinct today3

>. How did Erik 7arvik stall our investigations of early terrestrial vertebrates% /hat do you

think were 7arvik4s motivations%

#


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Chapter 23: The Richness o$ Bein%

#. 8t is not unusual for ta)onomists ;biologists who classify and name organisms3 to change the

scientific name of an organism. /hy do you suppose such changes are considerednecessary% /hy do you think such name changes often seem upsetting to both biologists

and non5biologists%

'. 7oseph *anks e)pedition that began in #FD> was e)traordinary in the number of biological

specimens collected, but it was not unusual in that many other such e)peditions weremounted in the late #F


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Chapter 2": Cells

#. *ryson emphasi+es the smallness of cells and the ama+ingly large numbers reuired to make

up individual organisms. /hy do you think cells are so small, or put another way, why arethere no really big cells%

'. 0ne large cell you are familiar with is the yolk of a chicken egg. !hat cell is large because

of the tremendous amount of nutrients stored in it for use by a developing chick. /hy do

you think the human egg cell is so much larger than the human sperm cell ;p. F3%

. /ho first described and named a cell% /hy did he use the term @cell%

. !he Cell !heory is simply the idea that all living organisms are made up of cells. Although

this seems so obvious today, it was not widely accepted by biologists until the mid #=


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Chapter 2&: 5arwin!s Sin%ular 8otion

#. &arwin, like many of the scientists in this book, was from a well5to5do family. /hy do you

think most of these historical figures of science before the '< th century were from wealthy backgrounds%

'. *iological evolution was not an idea newly formed by &arwin. 8n fact, a number of

naturalists during and before &arwins day were intrigued with the idea of organismal

change over generations. &arwins formulation of natural selection gave science amechanism that could e)plain such change, a mechanism others had failed to fully reali+e.

/hat is natural selection% How does it cause evolutionary change%

. Evolution by natural selection occurs at the level of populations of organisms. /hy dont

individuals evolve%

. !he change from non5evolutionary to evolutionary thought can be seen as a paradigm shift.

/hat is a paradigm shift%

1. 8n terms of our scientific knowledge, the ideas and views of /illiam 9aley and Samuel/ilberforce seem simplistic and out5of5date. Nevertheless, however scientifically naRvethese views may be, they are far from forgotten. Compare 9aleys idea of the pocket watch

with the current concept of @intelligent design. /hy do you suppose biological evolution

remains so misunderstood and controversial in America today%

D. After the publication of !he Origin of Species, &arwin was revered by most within the

scientific community and despised by many outside of science. He was both famous andinfamous. 0n the other hand, Iregor (endels work was never recogni+ed by his

colleagues or the general public. /hy was (endels work not known and appreciated%


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Chapter 2): The Stu$$ o$ 0i$e

#. /hat do the letters &NA stand for%

'. *ecause of (endel, scientists knew that some sort of @packets of hereditary informationwas passed from one generation to the ne)t. /hat do we call these packets today% /here

are they located in your body% /hat are they made of%

. /hy has the fruit fly ; "rosophila elanogaster 3 proved to be so important for much or our

understanding of genetics%

. !he uest to discover and define the molecule responsible for inheritance is filled withmuch of what scientific progress is really like O building on previous discoveries,

e)perimental evidence, theoretical hypotheses, as well as competition, desire for recognitionand fame, conflicting egos and personalities. Science as a @pure process is carried out by

people, and people are emotional beings. !his combination of a logical process practiced by

emotional beings both helps and hinders the progression of knowledge. 8dentify the various

logical and emotional events leading to the discovery of &NA ;pp. >.> similar. /hencomparing human and chimp &NA, scientists estimate that anywhere from >15>=.=

similarity. Even humans and fruit flies share appro)imately D


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Chapter 2*: 9ce Time

#. /hat caused the @year without a summer in #=#D%

'. /hat was the average global temperature drop following this event%

. /hat creative e)planation did de uc propose to e)plain the presence of large erratic granite boulders atop high limestone mountains%

. /ho was Larl Schimper and what did he fail to receive credit for%

1. /ho is generally known as the father of glaciology today%

D. /hy was Agassi+s glacial theory met with skepticism in England%

F. /hat discovery in #=1' lent great support to Agassi+s view that large continent5si+ed ice

sheets had once covered much of Europe and North America%

=. /ho first proposed that orbital changes could produce ice ages% /hat was peculiar about

this fellow% ;hint" why does this remind you of the movie Good Will #unting %3

>. (ilutin (ilankovitch suggested that obliuity, precession, and eccentricity affect the Earths

climate. Io online to figure out what each of these actually means in terms of the Earths

motion. E)plain.

#


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Chapter 2+

#./here did @humans come from% /hat do we know about human ancestry%

'./hy does *ryson say, @&id you have a good ice age%

.How did the ice age influence human development%

./here and how were the first human fossils found%

1.*ryson states, @8n their eagerness to reGect the idea of earlier humans, authorities were willing to

embrace the most singular possibilities. /hat are some e)amples%

D./ho were @7ava man and @Neanderthal man and @9eking (an%

F./ho was &art and what was the @!aung child%

=./hy was there such confusion of human fossils and identification in the #>1./hat are the classifications of human fossils%

#


31/32



Chapter 2,

#./hat were the first human made tools% /hats strange about them%

'.How did humans get to Australia D


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Chapter 3.

#./hat is the connection between humans and e)tinctions%

'.How did the dodos and passenger pigeons become e)tinct%

*ryson summari+es this section, and indeed the whole book, with these two statements"

@8ts an unnerving thought that we may be the living universes supreme achievement and its worstnightmare simultaneously.

@/e enGoy not only the privilege of e)istence but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even

to make it better.

#./hat do you think about these statements%

'.&oes this chapter ;or book3 influence how you feel about being human% 0ur responsibility to theworld% 0ur ability to influence the world%

bryson reading guide-3

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