Paul Fleisher

Where did our universe come from? People have been trying to answer this question for thousands of years. The twentieth century brough new discoveries in physics and astronomy that led scientists to develop the Big Bang theory-a detailed idea that describes how our universe formed. According to this theory, the entire universe began in a single instant, in an unimaginably powerful explosion. That explosion created all time and space, all matter and...

This book describes Venus, the second planet from the Sun. The text discusses Venus' distinguishing characteristics, its position in the solar system, its composition and atmospheric conditions, its moons and rings, and how scientists have learned about Venus over time.

Outraged people claimed that Darwin's theory had made humans the relatives of monkeys. Scientists were sure that species changed over time, but no one could explain how. In the 1800s, Charles Darwin's studies of thousands of specimens of living things showed that no two individuals of any species were exactly alike. He realized that over millions of years, some individuals had traits that gave them an edge to survive and reproduce. As they reproduced,...

Why does the wind blow? What does air pressure have to do with a thunderstorm? Why is a mountaintop snowy while the valley below is warm? The answers to these questions all involve the layer of air surrounding Earth-the atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere is always in motion. It moves clouds, storms, and warm and cold air from one part of the planet to another. In this fact-packed book, discover how the ever-changing atmosphere determines weather around...

Describes how tide pools are formed and some of the plants and animals that can be found in them.

Describes how coral reefs are formed, and some of the many plants and animals that live there.

Describes the physical environment of a salt marsh and the plants and animals that live there.