Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of ScienceA fascinating book on the joys of discovering how the world works, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Cosmos and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. “Magnificent . . . Delightful . . . A masterpiece. A message of tremendous hope for humanity . . . While ever conscious that human folly can terminate man’s march into the future, Sagan nonetheless paints for us a mind-boggling future: intelligent robots, the discovery of extraterrestrial life and its consequences, and above all the challenge and pursuit of the mystery of the universe.”—Chicago Tribune “Go out and buy this book, because Carl Sagan is not only one of the world’s most respected scientists, he’s a great writer. . . . I can give a book no greater accolade than to say I’m planning on reading it again. And again. And again.”—The Miami Herald “The brilliant astronomer . . . is persuasive, provocative and readable.”—United Press International “Closely reasoned, impeccably researched, gently humorous, utterly devastating.”—The Washington Post |
Contents
| 3 | |
| 15 | |
That World Which Beckons Like a Liberation | 22 |
In Praise of Science and Technology | 38 |
Sense and Nonsense at the Edge of Science | 51 |
White Dwarfs and Little Green Men | 77 |
Venus and Dr Velikovsky | 95 |
Norman Bloom Messenger of God | 151 |
Kalliope and the Kaaba | 233 |
The Golden Age of Planetary Exploration | 240 |
Will You Walk a Little Faster? | 255 |
Via Cherry Tree to Mars | 262 |
Experiments in Space | 269 |
In Defense of Robots | 280 |
The Past and Future of American Astronomy | 293 |
The Quest for Extraterrestrial Intelligence | 314 |
Science FictionA Personal View | 162 |
O U R N E I G B O R H o O D IN SPACE 10 The Suns Family | 175 |
A Planet Named George | 188 |
Life in the Solar System | 206 |
Titan the Enigmatic Moon of Saturn | 214 |
The Climates of Planets | 222 |
U L TIMATE QUESTIONS 23 A Sunday Sermon | 329 |
Gott and the Turtles | 342 |
The Amniotic Universe | 353 |
| 369 | |
| 383 | |
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Common terms and phrases
albedo ancient argument asteroid belt asteroids astral projection astronomers atmo atmosphere atoms believe brain Broca carbon dioxide celestial century civilization climatic close clouds comet cometary cosmic craters cultures Dogon Earth Einstein energy evidence example existence experience exploration extraterrestrial fact Gajdusek galaxies Galileo gravitational greenhouse effect heat human idea impact craters infrared intelligence interplanetary interstellar Jovian Jupiter least lunar magnetic Mariner 9 Mars Martian ment Mercury meteorites million missions molecules Moon nature objects Observatory observed orbit organic origin oxygen perhaps physics planet planetary polar possible problem produced proposed question radiation radio recent religion remarkable rotation satellites Saturn science fiction science-fiction scientific scientists seems Sirius skeptical solar system space spacecraft stars stories sunlight surface temperature synodic month telescope terrestrial theory thousand tion Titan ultraviolet understand universe vapor Velikovsky velocity Venus Viking volcanoes white dwarf Worlds in Collision