Leslie Alan Horvitz: Eureka: Scientific breakthroughs that changed the world

By MARGIE THOMSON

"Scientific progress comes in fits and starts," Horvitz tells us at the beginning of this extremely interesting book. "Years of toil in a laboratory may prove fruitless but a contemplative walk in the countryside can yield an astonishing breakthrough."

He brings to vivid life the personalities behind some of the most momentous scientific discoveries: Dmitry Mendeleyev, developer of the periodic table; Einstein, who in his Autobiographical Notes begged Newton for forgiveness as he prepared to further revolutionise human understanding of the universe with a yet more sophisticated idea about gravity; Fleming, who rescued humanity from the tyranny of microbes through his discovery of penicillin; and so on. But despite his highly personable style this is a scientific work, accessible but never dumb. Evolution, continental drift, oxygen, DNA, the TV screen - all these world-changing ideas started in someone's imagination.

John Wiley and Sons

$59.95