Publisher's Synopsis
All science begins with questions: How does that happen? What am I seeing here? Why do these birds do that? When will we have proof for this? And often the simplest questions can lead to amazing insights into our world, our universe and ourselves. Here are over 100 intriguing questions and answers from all the sciences, including medicine, astronomy and psychology as well as physics, chemistry and biology - plus one unanswered question for readers of the book to tackle! As you would expect from New Scientist, this is top-flight science at its most accessible, unpredictable and entertaining. Some of the answers may seem obvious when one reads them (of course - why didn't I think of that?); others are more surprising (wow, isn't nature amazing!); some are downright startling (can there really be that much flora in our guts?); and others are still controversial (yes, scientists do get into furious arguments sometimes...). The New Scientist books from Profile have become sure-fire Christmas bestsellers, now selling over two million copies through bookshops. Last year's Nothing was in the bestseller lists for six weeks. This new book is sure to be at least as successful.
