This bestselling overview traces the history of science through its continually changing place in society, exploring the link between the pursuit of knowledge and the desire to make that knowledge useful. The third edition includes thirteen fascinating new case studies illustrating the links between science and society--including Science and the Marketplace, Chemical War and the State, Science and Fascism, and Science and the Revolutionary Spirit. The new edition also contains non-Western material on the history of science in Japan, India, and China, as well as the Mayan and Aztec experience. The final chapter has been updated to reflect the role of science in the twenty-first century with a focus on the environment and on corporate science.