Unless we are brilliant at science in our teenage years, many of us put off childish things - science museums, an interest in palaeontology - in favour of art galleries, museums and concert halls. A cultured person, Natalie Angier argues, should know about the classic ideas of physics and evolutionary biology as well as the classic works of Beethoven and Picasso. Drawing on conversations with hundreds of the world's leading scientists, Angier takes us on a vivid, good-humoured and informative tour of this neglected canon. An entertaining guide to scientific literacy for anyone who wants to understand the great issues of our age - from stem cell research to bird flu and global warming - this is a joyride through the great subjects that explain the machinery of this place we call home.