The Science Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

This illustrated overview of science covers astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, maths and physics in one volume. It is a non-fiction reference guide for adults with an interest in the subject and for students who want a broad view before going deeper.

The book is built around 80 ideas that underpin the modern world. They lead to antibiotics and gene therapy, electricity and space rockets, batteries and smart phones. Questions such as what string theory or black holes are, and who discovered gravity and radiation, get plain answers.

The history of science runs through the entries. Readers learn why the ideas of Copernicus caused controversy, how Einstein arrived at general and special relativity, and what structure Crick and Watson proposed for DNA.

The approach is visual. Facts sit beside charts, timelines, graphs, diagrams, mind maps and step-by-step summaries, and the text is kept simple so that a newcomer can follow it. A reader who already knows the subject can use it as a quick refresher. It belongs to the Big Ideas series from DK, and it is designed for browsing and dipping into rather than reading straight through.