Book review: "The Science of Leonardo" by Fritjof Capra

I'm not absolutely certain about this, but I think I have a similar basic understanding of Leonardo Da Vinci as your typical educated U.S. citizen. I know he was a brilliant artist during the Renaissance and dabbled a bit in science and engineering endeavors. While "The Science of Leonardo: Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance," reaffirmed these beliefs, it provided much, much more information that it nearly hard to believe about the great Da Vinci.

The most important thing, in my opinion, is that the man essentially invented the scientific method. This, as you may already know, is the process by which all scientists conduct research in our world. It seems bizarre to even consider that a method could be invented. However, before Da Vinci's time, no one was attempting to study nature and the elements in this manner.

Through the scientific method, Da Vinci made many amazing discoveries ... in fact, way too many for this short article. With the power of artistry, he was able to create detailed anatomical drawings of the human body, sketches of types of water flows and pictures of many trees and plants. His work led to advances in cognitive science, hydraulics and botany many years later.

And this doesn't include his research within the engineering and math (specifically geometry) fields, as well as general urban planning. The man somehow made advances in all of these fields, and of course, had time to whip up the "Mona Lisa."

The sad part in Da Vinci's work is that most of it lie hidden for centuries before being published. Most of what we know today about Da Vinci's studies remained a mystery until the 1700s. It's reasonable to think that if civilization would have known more about his discoveries during his time, or even immediately after his death, we would already be a more advanced civilization than we are today.

This book would appeal to a large group of people, especially history buffs and anyone with affection for science, math and engineering. Basically, people interested in knowledge should be intrigued by the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, history's greatest life-learner.