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Bones, Rocks and Stars: The Science of When Things Happened (Macmillan Science)

by C. Turney (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 15 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0230551947
ISBN-10: 0230551947
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Product Details

  • Series: Macmillan Science
  • Paperback: 200 pages
  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (June 13, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0230551947
  • ISBN-13: 978-0230551947
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 7.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsThe mysteries of time revealed
By Stephen A. Haines HALL OF FAME on December 29, 2007
Format: Paperback
In this series of evocative essays, Turney explains how our continually changing concept and use of time affects how we view the world and ourselves. Using a sprightly prose style, he opens with a description of various calendar systems developed by the ancients. It was difficult for them to reconcile the irregularities of lunar month, solar year and constantly changing heavens. Egypt, Babylon and Rome all struggled to maintain some control over the calendar. Many forms of adjustment were implemented but precision was difficult, if not impossible. The device of the "Leap Year" to adjust for the lack of precision was the best humans could do until the invention of the atomic clock.

The atom, with many versions and intricacies, has proven an effective tool in time-keeping. From measuring split seconds to granting us some insight on circumstances billions of years ago, "atomic clocks" in their various forms have provided many solutions to long unresolved problems. Turney's chapter on the Shroud of Turin is but one example of a practical application. Its status as a forgery went undetected for centuries until radiometric measurements revealed its true age.

A grander sweep of time, yet one with significant implications for today's world are the chapters on the eruption of Santorini in the Mediterranean and what led to the Ice Ages. Thera has been described as the cause of the elimination of the Minoan Empire. Based on Crete four thousand years ago, the Minoans operated an intricate network of trade routes in the region and were a highly sophisticated and successful people. Yet, they disappeared almost instantly around thirty-five hundred years ago. The author examines the evidence that Santorini might have been responsible.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsVery enjoyable
By David C. Brayton VINE VOICE on July 20, 2008
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
After the first two chapters, this book get really interesting. The first two chapters are about how the different calendars used throughout history are synchronized and whether King Arthur actually existed. Not much science there.

But once we get into science (as opposed to history) things get interesting. For example, the chapter on the Shroud of Turin was great and the way tree rings can be used to date things is fascinating.

Unfortunately, there is very little science here. Instead, this book talks about the stories surrounding various scientific controversies.

I was much more interested in learning about the technical details of things like potassium argon dating, thermoluminesence, and electron spin resonance. But I wasn't gonna get that. Here's the disclaimer from the author when he starts talking about isotopes: "Unfortunately, to understand the [age of the Earth], it's going to be necessary to cross to the other side. I'll try and keep [references to isotopes] to the absolute minimum."

Unfortunately? "The Other Side"? Jimminy Cricket! I learned about isotopes in seventh grade, for crying out loud. I wish someone would write about science as if I actually made it through high school. I want to know about why these methods work, their limitations and when they should be used.

And I think I have the right to be disappointed. The book is subtitled: The Science of When Things Happened." Overall, though, it is quite interesting.
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4.0 out of 5 starsWhat Do We Know, and When Did We Know It?
By William Holmes VINE VOICE on October 28, 2006
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
"Bones, Rocks and Stars" is an engaging and wide-ranging romp through "the science of when things happened." Each chapter covers a single topic, such as how the calendar evolved, when King Arthur would have lived (if he existed), when the Santorini volcano erupted in the Mediterranean, when the Shroud of Turin was forged (pulling no punches there), when (and why) the earth experiences ice ages, and when (exactly) the dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid impact. Turney's style is approachable, so even carbon 14 dating, the precession of the equinoxes, Milankovitch cycles and other challenging topics are clearly explained.

If you enjoy enlightening and surprising books like Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point" and "Blink," Cordelia Fines' "A Mind of Its Own" and Michael Leavitt's "Freakonomics," you may find this little book to be an eye opening and entertaining look at how scientists have figured out when things happened.
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4.0 out of 5 starsWho, what. where but mainly when
By C. Griffith on September 5, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Turney, a geologist, uses case studies to explore how events are dated. Topics such as whether or not the explosion of the volcano on the island of Thera destroyed Minoan Crete, when the Earth originated, whether or not the Shroud of Turin is a forgery, when King Arthur might have lived, and the extinction of the dinosaurs are discussed. The means of dating covered include dendrochronology (tree rings), carbon dating, other radioactive decay sequences such as potssium to argon and argon-argon, and uranium to lead decay. Turney takes the view that a "young earth" (6000 years) creationist viewpoint would require a lot of science to be overturned; in particular it would require the speed of light (in a vacum) to have been changing. The author keeps to prose rather than mathematical formulas, so those without a science background are unlikely to have difficulty in understanding the text.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFascinating overview of how we understand and measure time

Fascinating overview of how we understand and measure time

Published 5 months ago by R. MacDermott
5.0 out of 5 starsHow Old IS this Thing?

As published on my blog, Victoria's Reading Alcove.

As I unpack all those books we've had for years I find treasures that I meant to read but, well, never got around to. Read more

Published 9 months ago by mtgypsy
5.0 out of 5 starsRead this book!

Every one should read this book!

Published 12 months ago by evelyn lee
5.0 out of 5 starsI am also glad I found such a great deal on Amazon

This book was a very interesting read! I am also glad I found such a great deal on Amazon. The book was a really reasonable price and in excellent condition. Easily 5 stars!

Published 18 months ago by Gabrielle Genovesi
2.0 out of 5 starsOnly fair

Some of the chapters are disappointly speculative. Some of the dating methods are not clearly explained in enough detail. Not very interesting.

Published on August 21, 2011 by Barry Rucker
5.0 out of 5 starsRock your world

A brilliantly clear and interesting introduction to dating our world. Revolving the information around famous items / theories makes the book all the more engaging. Read more

Published on February 9, 2011 by Arthur Anchovy
3.0 out of 5 starsPleasant repetition

This was a pleasant little book. For the most part I've read much more deeply into the topics of each essay than presented in this book. Read more

Published on March 19, 2010 by Just a guy in Oregon
5.0 out of 5 starssimply elegant

This book covers the details of determining the age of everything from manucripts and archeological findings to the Earth and stars. Read more

Published on September 28, 2009 by E. Atkinson
5.0 out of 5 starsExciting Cases Illustrating How Science Works

In eleven thrilling chapters, the author discusses various methods by which items and events from the (extremely distant to not-so-distant) past can be dated. Read more

Published on July 10, 2008 by George Poirier
4.0 out of 5 starsExcellent story "connecting the dots" of time

Turney's book is a great easily read science book explaining how we know when historic and prehistoric events occurred. Read more

Published on January 9, 2007 by Peter Bealo

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