The American Heritage Science Dictionarydefines the vocabulary of the sciences in language general readers will understand and enjoy. With 8,500 entries, it covers all the major fields of science, from the fundamental disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics to the applied realms of medicine, earth science, technology, and anthropology. Each entry has a clear, concise definition that gets to the meaning and importance of each term. There are 175 notes on key scientific concepts, such asrelativity, genomic sequencing, nanotechnology,andplate tectonics,as well as 320 biographies of notable scientists from ancients such asAristotleandArchimedesto modern greats likeRosalyn YalowandLeo Szilard.Illustrations accompany more than 350 entries. Fully updated for 2011, the dictionary covers the latest scientific discoveries and developments. There is information on the newest named element,copernicium,and the discovery ofelement 117.Entries encompass the latest finds in anthropology, including information onHomo floresiensis,as well as newsworthy items such as the suspected carcinogenbisphenol A. This is the perfect resource for people looking to improve their science literacy or understand the scientific breakthroughs reported in the news.