Knowledge Encyclopedia

362 Pages·2013·105.96 MB·English

by  DK

E N C Y C L O P E D I A

s m i t h s o n i a n
E N C Y C L O P E D I A
LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, CONTENTS
MUNICH, AND DELHI
US Senior Editor Rebecca Warren
US Editor Kate Johnsen
Senior Editors Shaila Brown, Daniel Mills, Ben Morgan
Senior Art Editors Vicky Short, Smiljka Surla
Editors Lizzie Munsey, Sam Priddy, Alison Sturgeon
SPACE
Designers Daniela Boraschi, Tannishtha Chakraborty, Richard Horsford,
Hedi Hunter, Fiona Macdonald
Visualizer Peter Laws
Illustrators Peter Bull, Rob Cook, FOREAL™, Mike Garland, Mark Garlick,
Gary Hanna, Jason Harding, Arran Lewis, Maltings Partnership, Medi-Mation,
Peter Minister, Gerson Mora and Anna Luiza Aragão/Maná e.d.i., Moonrunner
Design, Ian Naylor, Alex Pang, Dean Wright and Agatha Gomes
DK Picture Library Emma Shepherd, Rob Nunn
Jacket Designer Laura Brim
Producer, pre-production Francesca Wardell
Producer Alice Sykes
Managing Editors Julie Ferris, Paula Regan
Managing Art Editor Owen Peyton Jones
Publisher Sarah Larter
Art Director Phil Ormerod
Associate Publishing Director Liz Wheeler
Publishing Director Jonathan Metcalf
Contributors Kim Bryan, Robert Dinwiddie, Jolyon Goddard, Ian Graham,
Reg G. Grant, Jacqueline Mitton, Darren Naish, Douglas Palmer,
Philip Parker, Penny Preston, Sally Regan, David Rothery,
Carole Stott, Paul Sutherland, Chris Woodford, John Woodward
First American Edition, 2013
Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 345 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
13 14 15 16 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001—187527—Oct/13
Copyright © 2013 Dorling Kindersley Limited
All rights reserved
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of both the
copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Published in Great
Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: 978-1-4654-1417-5
THE UNIVERSE 10
DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales
The Big Bang 12
promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact:
DK Publishing Special Markets, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York Galaxies 14
10014 or [email protected].
Star birth 16
Printed and bound in Hong Kong by Hung Hing Printing Group. Star death 18
Discover more at www.dk.com The Sun 20
The Solar System 22
Inner planets 24
Outer planets 26
The Moon 28
THE SMITHSONIAN
Established in 1846, the Smithsonian—the world’s largest museum and SPACE EXPLORATION 30
research complex—includes 19 museums and galleries and the National
Zoological Park. The total number of artifacts, works of art, and specimens Astronomy 32
in the Smithsonian’s collection is estimated at 137 million. The Smithsonian Mission to the Moon 34
is a renowned research center, dedicated to public education, national
Exploring the planets 36
service, and scholarship in the arts, sciences, and history.
EARTH NATURE
PLANET EARTH 40
Inside the Earth 42
Earth’s climate 44
TECTONIC EARTH 46
Plate tectonics 48
Volcanoes 50
Earthquakes 52
EARTH’S RESOURCES 54
Rocks and minerals 56
WEATHER 58
Hurricanes 60
The water cycle 62
SHAPING THE LAND 64
Caves 66
HOW LIFE BEGAN 76
Glaciers 68
Timeline of life 78
The dinosaurs 80
EARTH’S OCEANS 70
Tyrannosaurus rex 82
The ocean floor 72
How fossils form 84

THE LIVING WORLD 86
Plant life 88
Green energy 90
INVERTEBRATES 92
Insects 94
Butterfly life cycle 96
VERTEBRATES 98
Fish 100
Great white shark 102
Amphibians 104
Frog life cycle 106
Reptiles 108
Crocodile 110
Birds 112
How birds fly 114
Mammals 116
African elephant 118
SURVIVAL SECRETS 120
Habitats 122
American desert 124
Amazon rainforest 126
African savanna 128
Coral reef 130
Animal architects 132
Predators and prey 134
HUMAN BODY SCIENCE
BODY BASICS 138
Building blocks 140
The skeleton 142
Muscle power 144
The skin 146

FUELING THE BODY 148
From mouth to stomach 150
The intestines 152
In the blood 154
The heart 156
Fighting germs 158
Cleaning the blood 160
Air supply 162
IN CONTROL 164
Nervous system 166
Brainpower 168
How vision works 170
Inside the ear 172 MATTER 190
Taste and smell 174 Atoms and molecules 192
Control chemicals 176 Atom smasher 194
Solids, liquids, and gases 196
LIFE CYCLE 178 The elements 198
A new life 180 Chemical reactions 200
Life in the womb 182 Material world 202
Growing up 184
Genes and DNA 186 FORCES 204
Laws of motion 206
Engines 208
Simple machines 210
Flotation 212
Magnetism 214
Gravity 216
Flight 218
ENERGY 220
Electromagnetic spectrum 222
Signals from space 224
Light 226
Telescopes 228
Sound 230
Heat 232
Electricity 234
Power network 236
Radioactivity 238
ELECTRONICS 240
Digital world 242
Robotics 244
HISTORY
THE ANCIENT WORLD 248 Imperial China 294
The first humans 250 Rulers of India 296
The first towns 252
Early empires 254 THE MODERN WORLD 298
Ancient Egypt 256 The slave trade 300
The pharaohs 258 The Enlightenment 302
Ancient Greece 260 The American Revolutionary War 304
Ancient Athens 262 The French Revolution 306
The Roman Empire 264 The Industrial Revolution 308
Roman society 266 The Age of Steam 310
The Civil War 312
THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 268 World War I 314
Viking raiders 270 Trench warfare 316
Fortresses 272 World War II 318
Wars of faith 274 Modern warfare 320
World religions 276 The Cold War 322
The Ottoman Empire 278 The 1960s 324
The Silk Road 280 The 21st century 326
Samurai warriors 282
THE AGE OF DISCOVERY 284 REFERENCE 328
Voyage to the Americas 286 GLOSSARY 346
Ancient Americas 288 INDEX 350
The Renaissance 290 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 359
Shakespeare’s theater 292