To be alive today is to be confronted by the products of science - from aspirin, refrigeration, electric light and the telephone, to the airplane and the computer - to name just a few. In addition to beneficial medicines and life-enhancing discoveries, however, scientific research also has led to many dangerous developments, such as the machine gun and the atom bomb. 'Science' explores all of these, telling the story of how observation and testing have changed daily life over the past 2500 years, along with how we understand the world, the cosmos, the body, and the mind. What is most fascinating for students first learning about scientific discovery, and what this book highlights so beautifully through presenting individual scientists, is the way in which simple observation - such as watching the weather, or an object fall - leads to a discovery that radically alters life in the world and our comprehension of how the natural world works.

An engaging and clearly explained book, full of pertinent quotations and anecdotes, 'Science' tells a compelling story, inviting its readers to pursue its subject further.