The great unknown: seven journeys to the frontiers of science

Ever since the dawn of civilization we have been driven by a desire to know—to understand the physical world and the laws of nature. The idea that there might be a limit to human knowledge has inspired and challenged scientists and functioned as a spur to innovation. Now, in this dazzling journey through seven great breakthroughs in our understanding of the world, Marcus du Sautoy invites us to consider the outer reaches of human understanding. Are some things beyond the predictive powers of science? Or are those thorny challenges our next breakthroughs? In 1900, Lord Kelvin—who gave the world telegraph cables and the Second Law of Thermodynamics—pronounced that there was “nothing new to be discovered in physics now.” Then came Einstein. Du Sautoy reminds us that again and again major breakthroughs were ridiculed and dismissed at the time of their discovery. He takes us into the minds of the greats and reveals the fraught circumstances of their discoveries. And he carries us on a whirlwind tour of everything from probability to particle physics, grounding his deeply personal exploration in simple concepts like the roll of dice, the notes of a cello, or how a clock measures time. At once exhilarating and accessible, The Great Unknown will challenge you to think in new ways about every aspect of the known world and will give you the tools to understand the riddles our most creative scientists are still struggling to solve.