This is one of those books that you pick up from a science museum gift shop and then never read and wonder why you bothered with the gift shop at all. However, this time I actually read it and it was quite an enjoyable read. The only reason I read it to be honest was because I was low on money and had to find a book in the house, so it was a nice little gem lying around.

The book is really well written just like the other NewScientist book I read, How Numbers Work. It covers so much across all realms of science, with the subtitle being ‘Journeys at the Extremes of Science’, so they’ll definitely be something to learn from this book.

Some parts did go over my head such as some of the stuff on quantum mechanics but overall, the book is very good. These broad books always allow you to discover things of interest which you can explore in more detail later. For instance, some of mine were high-entropy alloys, time crystals, and arguments about inclusivity.

I’d recommend it if you want a good overview of science and modern problems facing the world today and what’s been achieved. The questions are proposed and answered in such an accessible way so I don’t see how you couldn’t enjoy just a little bit.