Overview

This is the story of the author's unique scientific journey with one of the most remarkable men of 20th century science. The journey begins in Sri Lanka, the author's native country, with his childhood acquaintance with Fred Hoyle's writings. The action then moves to Cambridge, where the famous Hoyle–Wickramasinghe collaborations begin. A research programme which was started in 1962 on the carbonaceous nature of interstellar dust leads, over the next two decades, to developments that are continued in both Cambridge and Cardiff. These developments prompt Hoyle and the author to postulate the organic theory of cosmic dust (which is now generally accepted), and then to challenge one of the most cherished paradigms of contemporary science — the theory that life originated on Earth in a warm primordial soup. A Journey with Fred Hoyle is an intriguing book that traces the progress of a collaboration spanning 40 years, through a sequence of personal reflections, anecdotes and reminiscences. Ideas that were thought heretical 25 years ago are now quietly slipping into the domain of orthodox science.Contents: Origins: Prelude to the JourneyCambridge and a First MeetingA Hike in the Lake DistrictBetwixt the StarsThe Route to Carbon DustA Theory Takes ShapeThe Institute of Astronomy: The Vintage YearsWinds of ChangeThe Cardiff EraThe Search for Cosmic LifeLife from Comets and Pathogens from SpaceFirst Signs of LifeBacterial Dust Predictions VerifiedLife on the PlanetsEvolution from SpaceTheories of TrialA Fossil ControversyComet Halley and Its LegacyAlternative CosmologiesThe Last DecadeReadership: General readers and students of the history of science.

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9781281877178

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