New Releases by Fred Bortz

Discover the engineering and science behind particle accelerators, the massive machines that smash the smallest atoms together to observe how they work.

Explore the history of the discovery and the properties of the proton, the positively charged subatomic particle that, with the neutron, makes up an atom’s nucleus.

Explore the history of the discovery and the properties of the neutron, the subatomic particle that, with the proton, makes up an atom’s nucleus.

Explore the history of the discovery and the properties of the quark, one of the most basic constituents of matter.

This perennial favorite is a how-to book for junior meteorologists. Dr. Fred Bortz and Dr. Marshall Shepherd (former NASA meteorologist and the 2013 President of the American Meteorological Society) show kids how to predict the weather in their own backyards - using simple, inexpensive, self-built meteorological instruments that add up to a fully operational weather station. Newly updated (2014) to include additional sources for online research.

How can we tell that meteorite ALH 84001 comes from Mars, and what is it doing on Earth?! This meteorite, found in Antarctica in 1984, provided scientists with evidence suggesting the possibility that life once existed on Mars. Dr. Fred Bortz uses the scientific process to break down what we know, and what we are still learning. Newly updated (2014) to include data acquired by the Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers.

Bortz takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the origins of the universe, the impact of comets and asteroids on the history of the Earth and the Moon, what we have learned from current research about these space rocks, and what we might expect in the future. Newly updated in 2014 to include the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteorite, as well as the latest technological developments.

Contains a history of physics providing definitions and explanations of related topics and brief biographies of scientists of the twentieth century.

Examines how the discoveries of Johannes Kepler changed the way scientists viewed the field of astronomy and how the planets moved about the solar system.

Aligned to Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, this volume helps students understand the central ideas of Mendeleyev's periodic law. Mendeleyev's major breakthrough was his arranging of the elements in sequence by atomic weight but recognizing that there were gaps where no elements had yet been discovered. This account of Medeleyev's struggling childhood in Tobolsk, Siberia, teaching in St. Petersburg, writing The Principles of Chemistry, and development of the table and how his idea was challenged by the scientific community will captivate readers and show them what it means to pursue a question significant enough to follow for a lifetime.

Widely regarded as the father of modern genetics, Austrian friar and scientist Gregor Mendel discovered that inherited traits do not blend together, as people once believed. By cultivating thousands of pea plants in his monastery garden and statistically analyzing the results, he was the first to determine how genes (which he called "heredity factors") function, and he coined the terms "dominant" and "recessive." This title traces the amazing story of Mendel's life and work, and relates Mendel's discoveries to our knowledge and application of genetics concepts today. The text supports the Common Core aims of understanding domain-specific vocabulary in science and analyzing the development of important ideas.

Recounts the Tohoku earthquake, subsequent tsunami, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

From earliest times, humans have looked to the sky in wonder, and their wonder and curiosity fueled science. Ancient peoples built enormous temples and monuments to observe the sun and track the movement of stars. And as scientific knowledge expanded, technologies grew more sophisticated. Each development changed the way we viewed our place in the universe. But no technology changed our understanding more than the ability to launch scientific equipment—and human explorers—into space. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of space technology. Scientists and engineers have built vehicles and equipment to explore the farthest reaches of the solar system. Orbiting satellites and telescopes have given us everything from more accurate weather reports to glimpses back to the beginning of the universe. International teams have built an orbiting space laboratory and are working on plans for human lunar settlements and missions to other planets. Learn about the people and the science behind these amazing advances in space technology.

Describes seven major developments in technology that make possible new discoveries about the universe, including undersea exploration devices, the Hubble space telescope, and the Large Hadron Collider.

Are we alone in the universe? Is Earth the only planet that's a suitable home for life? These questions have long motivated scientists as central issues in astrobiology, the search for life in the universe. Astrobiologists compare life on Earth to signs of life on other planets. They test meteorites for evidence of alien bacteria. They collect soil and atmospheric samples from other planets. They study photographs taken on space missions. And they listen for signals from alien civilizations on enormous radio dishes. Learn all about astrobiologists' amazing research in this fast-paced peek into the future of science.

Discusses quarks, fundamental particles that make up protons, neutrons, and other subatomic particles, and describes the process by which scientists came to "detect" them.

Presents the story of the discovery of the first subatomic particle and how it revolutionized understanding of the atom in chemistry and led to the new field of electronics.

A look into the discovery of the neutron, which completed our picture of the structure of the atom and enabled us to explain the existence of isotopes and understand how nuclear fission occurs.