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Science Friday > Archives > 2002 > December > December 20, 2002:
Hour Two: Ancient Roots of Modern Science

You've probably heard about the math and science of the ancient Greeks. Some ancient scientific thinkers, including Aristotle and Ptolemy, are well known. But what about people and ideas from the rest of the world?

In Asia, Egypt and the Middle East, scientific thinkers developed their own astronomy, math, and even physics. But some of those discoveries were lost, or ignored by 'Western' thinkers. In this hour of Science Friday, we'll look at the history of science from around the globe, and look at the ancient roots of modern scientific thought.

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Guests:
Dick Teresi
Author of "Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science -- from the Babylonian to the Maya" (Simon and Schuster, 2002)
Science Writer, co-author of "The God Particle" (Delta, 1994)
Amherst, Massachusetts

Jamil Ragep
Professor of the History of Science, Coordinator of Middle Eastern Studies, and Co-Director of the Center for Peace Studies
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma

Roger Hart
Assistant Professor in the Departments of History and Asian Studies
University of Texas at Austin
Chicago, Illinois

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science-From the Babylonians to the Maya" by Dick Teresi. Simon and Schuster, 2002.

(find more SciFri books here)

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Related Links:
History of Science Society
Babylonian Mathematics
Math Trek : Mayan Mars, Science News Online, March 10, 2001
Islamic Science: Useful Links
History of Science & Technology Links STS@sunyit.edu
Internet History of Science Sourcebook
History of Mathematics: China
HISTORY, INDIA, Science, Technology - Technological discoveries, applications, inventions
Ancient India's Contribution to Science and Technology
About.com: Ancient/Classical History - Science
Reno anthropologist in on `earliest writing` find
InSCIght - 6 November 1998 : Heavy Metal's Early Years
Ancient Astronomy

Ancient Astronomy
NY Times: How Islam Won, and Lost, the Lead in Science

This segment produced by Kevin Boyd

 


 

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