Quantum theory is so shocking that Einstein could not bring himself to accept it. It is so important that it underpins all modern sciences. Without it, we’d have no molecular biology, no understanding of DNA, no genetic engineering, no computers.

A century after the development of quantum mechanics, In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat tells the full story of how scientists reckoned with a truth stranger than any fiction. John Gribbin leads us into the ever more bizarre and fascinating world of the smallest particles we have discovered, requiring only that we approach it with an open mind. He introduces the scientists who developed quantum theory. He investigates the atom, radiation, time travel, the birth of the universe, super conductors and life itself. And in a world full of its own delights, mysteries and surprises, he searches for Schrödinger’s Cat – a search for quantum reality – as he brings every reader to a clear understanding of the most important area of scientific study today – quantum physics.

Featuring a new preface to mark the centenary of the field, this bestselling classic remains a fascinating and delightful introduction to the strange world of the quantum – an essential element in understanding the modern world.

‘John Gribbin is unsurpassed in his ability to convey scientific ideas in lively and accessible language. This new edition of his classic book deserves wide readership. It’s specially welcome in the year that marks the centenary of quantum theory – which revolutionised our concept of nature and underpins most of modern technology.’ Professor Martin Rees, astronomer royal

John Gribbin is known for giving us simple explanations of big concepts in science. But there is another way to probe the mysteries of the Universe and our place in it. Faced with persistent enquiries from his grandchildren, Gribbin realised that simple questions, such as ‘Why is the sky blue?’, sometimes require big answers, understandable in straightforward language.

In answering those simple questions, he discovered that he was telling the story of our place in the Universe, from the Big Bang to the evolutionary reasons why men are, on average, bigger than women. The questions may be obvious, but the answers are sometimes surprising and highlight one of the main joys of science – discovering the unexpected.

In this book, Gribbin invites the reader to join him on this voyage of discovery, where you may think you already know the answers but should be prepared to be surprised – or at least, tantalised by the truth.

A mind-warping excursion into the wildly improbable truths of science.

Echoing Sherlock Holmes’ famous dictum, John Gribbin tells us: ‘Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, is certainly possible, in the light of present scientific knowledge.’ With that in mind, in his sequel to the hugely popular Six Impossible Things and Seven Pillars of Science, Gribbin turns his attention to some of the mind-bendingly improbable truths of science. For example:

We know that the Universe had a beginning, and when it was – and also that the expansion of the Universe is speeding up. We can detect ripples in space that are one ten-thousandth the width of a proton, made by colliding black holes billions of light years from Earth.

And, most importantly from our perspective, all complex life on Earth today is descended from a single cell – but without the stabilising influence of the Moon, life forms like us could never have evolved.

Surprisingly, time travel is not forbidden by the laws of physics – and John Gribbin argues that if it is not impossible then it must be possible.

Gribbin brilliantly illustrates the possibilities of time travel by comparing familiar themes from science fiction with their real-world scientific counterparts, including Einstein’s theories of relativity, black holes, quantum physics, and the multiverse, illuminated by examples from the fictional tales of Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Carl Sagan and others.

The result is an entertaining guide to some deep mysteries of the Universe which may leave you wondering whether time actually passes at all, and if it does, whether we are moving forwards or backwards. A must-read for science fiction fans and anyone intrigued by deep science.

A scintillating collection of short essays that really does cover ‘life, the Universe, and everything’.

From the mysteries of the subatomic world to the curious property of water that makes our planet inhabitable, master of popular science John Gribbin delves into the astonishing facts that underlie our existence.

Some aspects of the quantum world really do seem impossible to ‘common sense’, but have been proved correct by experiments. Other features of the Universe appear obvious, such as the fact that atoms are mostly empty space. But this familiarity hides the truly amazing truths underpinning these observations. And some things merely seem improbable but are also hiding a Deep Truth, such as the fact that the Moon and Sun look the same size as viewed from Earth.

This book will change forever the way you view the world.

This volume brings together three of John Gribbin’s successful science books: Six Impossible Things (which was Shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Books Prize in 2019), Seven Pillars of Science and Eight Improbable Possibilities.

These ‘pillars of science’ also defy common sense. For example, solid things are mostly empty space, so how do they hold together? There appears to be no special ‘life force’, so how do we distinguish living things from inanimate objects? And why does ice float on water, when most solids don’t? You might think that question hardly needs asking, and yet if ice didn’t float, life on Earth would never have happened.

The answers to all of these questions were sensational in their day, and some still are. Throughout history, science has been able to think the unthinkable – and Gribbin brilliantly shows the surprising secrets on which our understanding of life is based.

The theory of evolution by natural selection did not spring fully formed and unprecedented from the brain of Charles Darwin. Rather it has been examined and debated by philosophers the world over for thousands of years.

This lively history traces the evolution of the idea of evolution, showing how it has changed and been changed by different societies over time. It will put ‘Darwin’s Dangerous Idea’ into its proper context, showing how it built on what went before and how it was developed in the twentieth century, through an understanding of genetics and the biochemical basis evolution. None of this diminishes the achievement of Darwin himself in perceiving the way evolution works at the level of individuals and species, but his contribution was one link in a chain that extends back into antiquity, and is still being forged today.

Echoing Sherlock Holmes’ famous dictum, John Gribbin tells us: ‘Once  you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, is certainly  possible, in the light of present scientific knowledge.’ With that in mind, in his sequel to the hugely popular  Six Impossible Things  and  Seven Pillars of Science, Gribbin turns his attention to some of the mind-bendingly improbable truths of science. For example:

We know that the Universe had a beginning, and when it was – and also that the expansion of the Universe is speeding up. We can detect ripples in space    that are one ten-thousandth the width of a proton,  made by colliding black holes billions of light years from Earth.

And, most importantly from our perspective, all complex life on Earth today is descended from a single cell  – but  without the stabilising influence of the Moon, life forms like us could never have evolved.

Quantum physics is strange. It tells us that a particle can be in two places at once. Indeed, that particle is also a wave, and everything in the quantum world can be described entirely in terms of waves, or entirely in terms of particles, whichever you prefer.