Every once in a while, an idea comes along that makes the entire
world sit up and take notice. From the earliest understandings
of our place in the solar system, via Darwinism, DNA, neutrons
and quarks, right up to the theories that are pushing the
boundaries of our knowledge today, we are forever propelled
forward by our most gifted scientific minds. In this fascinating
book, former "BBC Focus" magazine editor Jheni Osman explores
100 of the most forward thinking, far-reaching and downright
inspired ideas and inventions in history, each nominated by
experts from all fields of science and engineering. With
selections from established authorities such as Brian Cox,
Patrick Moore, Richard Dawkins and Marcus du Sautoy, Osman
covers topics as diverse as the Big Bang, vaccination,
computing, radioactivity, human genomes, the wheel and many
more. Each essay looks at the logic behind these great
inventions, discoveries, theories and experiments, studying the
circumstances that brought them into being and assessing t