NP? new book: SCIENCE GOES TO WAR

[Doug Millison]

>From the press release for a new book:

Science Goes to War: The Search for the Ultimate Weapon, from Greek Fire to
Star Wars
by Ernest Volkman

Publication Date	28 June 2002	 
ISBN	0471410071	 
Cover	HardBack	 
Number of pages	278	 
Page size	239 X 159	 
Price	£ 18.50


"  In SCIENCE GOES TO WAR: The Search for the Ultimate Weapon, From Greek
Fire to Star Wars award-winning journalist Ernest Volkman chronicles the
fascinating relationship between brainpower and firepower. A comprehensive
and meticulously researched account, SCIENCE GOES TO WAR reveals why
advancements in both science and weaponry have long been linked, and why
science as we know it today would not exist without the pressures of war.
>From bronze swords to stealth bombers, Volkman traces man's 4,000-year
quest for the ultimate weapon through absorbing stories of history's
greatest scientific achievements.

Volkman provides an engaging look at why history's renowned scientists
often dedicated their talents to developing instruments of war. He reveals
the roots of modern science in ancient warfare: chemistry arose from the
search for more efficient explosives, astronomy from a naval need for more
efficient navigation, mathematics from weapons ballistics, and metallurgy
from the development of edged weapons and guns.

As Volkman explains, ever since walking upright, humankind has been in a
near constant state of warfare, contributing both to mankind's suffering as
well as its overall progress. "Science has primarily been responsible for
that progress," he writes. "And the greatest spur to science has been war;
a relationship that began from the first moment men began to think of
better ways to kill each other." From the catapult, to the invention of
gunpowder, to the world's first gun, Volkman details fascinating examples
of the scientific research and development, which ultimately led to highly
advanced nuclear and biological weapons.

Some of the many intriguing stories inside SCIENCE GOES TO WAR include:
* The Floating Time Bomb: In 1584, Dutch scientist Simon Stevin developed
an exploding merchant ship that killed more than 2,000 Spanish soldiers in
one blast.
* The Byzantine Fire Weapon: In 673 B.C., Byzantine scientists developed an
early version of napalm with petroleum and calcium phosphide to destroy
Saracen ships.
* The Development of the Longbow: Why it still stands today as an
impressive example of technological achievement.
* Operation Paperclip: A World War II plan by the U.S. government to
capitalise on captured scientific data while enlisting the help of foreign
scientists to build an American scientific-technical military monolith.
* The Manhattan Project: One of the most significant scientific
achievements of the twentieth century, it left the men responsible heavy
with the guilt of what they had unleashed on the world: the atomic bomb.

Volkman also explores how the relationship between "pure" science and
warfare has been fraught with moral dilemmas, controversy, and exploitative
practices. Though modern science is often uncomfortable in acknowledging
its role in the creation of violent, lethal weaponry, the historical facts
are undeniable. "The scientific establishment has had the bad habit of
trying to take credit for the applications of science that benefit mankind,
while distancing itself from those that more efficiently destroy it,"
Volkman writes. "However, the fact is that the relationship between science
and the soldier is a long and intimate one."

SCIENCE GOES TO WAR is a compelling look at the knotty technological
problems, pragmatic necessities, and brilliant discoveries that have
punctuated the inseparable histories of science and warfare.   "