Four years in the making, the Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology is a 2,400-page work covering 124 fields of science. Containing complete, up-to-date definitions for all areas of science and technology, the Dictionary is distinguished by its "Windows." For each of the 124 disciplines covered in the Dictionary, a recognized leader in the field offers a brief overview of the area - including its meaning, history, and implications for the future. Boxed and shaded for easy reference, these "Window" essays offer practical, concise synopses that make the terminology of each field easier to understand. Some of these "Windows" and their distinguished contributors include Astrophysics by S. Chandrasekhar; Biochemistry by Arthur Kornberg; Biology by R.C. Lewontin; Chemistry by Glenn T. Seaborg; Crystallography by Linus Pauling; Electromagnetism by Arno Penzias; Endocrinology by Rosalyn Yalow; Entomology by Edward O. Wilson; Evolution by Stephen Jay Gould; Geography by Gilbert Grosvenor; Microbiology by Joan W. Bennett; Oceanography by Roger Revelle; Plasmids by Joshua Lederberg; Surgery by Michael DeBakey; and Vaccinology by Jonas Salk. The Dictionary is designed for use by practicing scientists and professionals in all scientific fields - consultants and technical personnel; high school, college, and graduate students; writers, researchers, or educators working with a scientific vocabulary; and general readers interested in science. If your corporate, academic, or institutional library serves any of these, then the Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology is the only scientific dictionary you need. The definitions are clear and accessible to the nonspecialist, yet they provide all the technical information that the specialist needs. Traditionally, dictionaries have been prepared by compiling a single alphabetical word list. A given definer or editor is assigned a certain section of the alphabet and deals with all the words in that section. Th