Fotosintesis

How Did We Find Out #1

by Isaac Asimov

Traces the scientific discoveries that led to our understanding of photosynthesis and how this process relates to the food supply, changing ecological balance, and threats to the Earth's atmosphere.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish I had had this book in college when I was struggling with the chemistry of photosynthesis! Oh, it wouldn’t have helped with learning the various chemicals and what each one changed into along the way, but at least I’d have understood the overall process!

As usual, Asimov had the ability to explain a very complicated process simply. Maybe if we had more like him, the USA wouldn’t have fallen so far behind in teaching science to our children.

Highly recommended as a beginning book on what is photosynthesis and how it works!!!!

[Polifemo]

Uno de los más entusiastas expositores de la ciencia de nuestro tiempo, es autor de numerosas obras, entre las cuales figuran «Introducción a la Ciencia» y, por citar otras dos entre las más importantes, «The Noble Gases» y «The Search for the Elements». En «Fotosíntesis», con su acostumbrado estilo lúcido y atractivo, Isaac Asimov nos muestra, en esta ocasión a través de los ojos del químico, el proceso del que depende la vida en todas sus formas. ¿Cómo se explica que no se agote la provisión de alimentos de la Tierra? ¿A qué se debe el que siempre vuelva a llenarse el depósito de oxígeno de la atmósfera? ¿Cómo se transforma la luz solar en energía utilizable? Al explorar éstas y otras cuestiones, el doctor Asimov explica con toda claridad el proceso vital de la fotosíntesis y describe los esfuerzos de los científicos para comprender su papel en la química fundamental de la vida.

[Juan Brines · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedioso, demasiado lento y engorroso. Buena escritura, pero pierde el impulso de la evolucion historica de los descubrimientos científicos de por ejemplo“Short history of Chemistry” otro mucho mejor libro de Asimov. En el presente libro los datos y fechas parecen estorbar más que hacer la narracion interesante, cosa extraña en los libros de divulgación científica que son los mejores de toda la obra de este autor... creo que todo es porque el texto sufre de vejes, de desactualidad en la manera en que comprendemos y visualizamos el conocimiento al principio de este siglo, aunque igual se puede aprender de él, dudo que lo pueda retomar alguna vez...

[Karel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aburridisimo, sólo lo acabé porque era obligatorio en una materia. Asimov tortura al lector páginas y páginas contando la historia de todos los experimentos, investigadores y elementos relacionados con la fotosíntesis y respiración y pasa todo el libro obsesionado con hacer cálculos a un solo carbono, el horror. Nunca me ha gustado Asimov, ni siquiera cuando escribe ficción; despues de este libro puedo afirmar que nunca volveré a abrir un libro suyo.

[Martin Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excelente y detallada explicación de este proceso, que sostiene la vida del planeta. Adoré la sencillez y claridad de las explicaciones de cada parte de este complejo proceso, por uno de los más grandes divulgadores de ciencia de la historia.

[Brújulo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me suelen gustar los libros de divulgación científica y me atraía el tema de la fotosíntesis como proceso clave en la existencia de la vida. Sin embargo, el libro de Asimov me ha parecido extremadamente aburrido y pesado de leer. Lo lamento, poque hacía tiempo que quería leerlo.

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in the How did we find out about series. As always Asimov starts at the beginning in this case with Jan Baptista van Helmont. And in fact you can read this little book as a short history of science. You will learn how we learned step by step how plants are able to turn light and water into energy. Priestley, Sachs, Willstätter, Fischer, Woodward.

And you will learn that at one point science was on the wrong track. “If, in respiration, oxygen and carbon combined to form carbon dioxide they felt sure that in photosynthesis the opposite must take place. Carbon dioxide must be pulled apart by photosynthesis, producing a carbon atom and an oxygen molecule.” It was only in 1937 when they realized that the oxygen actually came from the water. Fascinating.

The last chapter deals with the beginning, not from the beginning of our knowledge this time but from the beginning of life on earth. There is some speculation but it seems that a kind of evolutionary process was going on at a time when there was not really life on earth. Again, fascinating.

[MinotauRock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totalmente recomendable
El maestro Isaac Asimov nos muestra sus verdaderos dotes de docente en este magnífico libro de divulgación científica explicando de manera concisa el extraordinario proceso de la fotosíntesis. Su lectura es llevadera y atrapante.

[Logakave.M]

Nothing simply waste

[Robu-sensei · Rating 3 out of 5]

A non-technical history of the key experiments that revealed the crucial steps in photosynthesis. At 62 pp., with full-page illustrations, this book is a very quick read.

I've only read one of the How Did We Find Out...? series, but from Photosynthesis and Dr. Asimov's reputation as a nonfiction writer, it's clear that these books would make an excellent introduction into scientific inquiry for curious pre-teens. Adult readers, however, will likely find this series overly simplistic.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is categorized as juvenile, however when I read it I was 50 years old with a good grounding in layman's mathematics and science, and I found it fascinating and intellectually challenging.

581.1 Science Fact - An introduction to plant photosynthesis by the master science communicator. Part of his series of Juvenile science books, this one focusing on the history of the discovery of photosynthesis.