George Johnson is a science-writer for the New York Times and has also had work published in Scientific America, Time, Slate and Wired and in the collections The Best American Scientific Writing. His blog, The Cancer Chronicles, can be found at www.santafereview.com/chronicle

"Entertaining, finely crafted... there is a feast of fine science writing in this gem of a book" Sunday Telegraph "Johnson's essays balance human interest and scientific wonder in equal measure, making for a delicious succession of vignettes" Guardian "Johnson's lively book... finds beauty throughout science - even among dead frogs and drooling dogs" Scotsman "Johnson manages to convey the heart-stopping wonder of discovery" Radio 4, Today programme "In describing these beautifully simple works of genius, Johnson reveals as much about the corporatist nature of modern science as he does about early research" Scotland on Sunday

George Johnson is a science-writer for the New York Times and has also had work published in Scientific America, Time, Slate and Wired and in the collections The Best American Scientific Writing. His blog, The Cancer Chronicles, can be found at www.santafereview.com/chronicle

"Entertaining, finely crafted... there is a feast of fine science writing in this gem of a book" Sunday Telegraph "Johnson's essays balance human interest and scientific wonder in equal measure, making for a delicious succession of vignettes" Guardian "Johnson's lively book... finds beauty throughout science - even among dead frogs and drooling dogs" Scotsman "Johnson manages to convey the heart-stopping wonder of discovery" Radio 4, Today programme "In describing these beautifully simple works of genius, Johnson reveals as much about the corporatist nature of modern science as he does about early research" Scotland on Sunday

George Johnson is a science-writer for the New York Times and has also had work published in Scientific America, Time, Slate and Wired and in the collections The Best American Scientific Writing. His blog, The Cancer Chronicles, can be found at www.santafereview.com/chronicle

"Entertaining, finely crafted... there is a feast of fine science writing in this gem of a book" Sunday Telegraph "Johnson's essays balance human interest and scientific wonder in equal measure, making for a delicious succession of vignettes" Guardian "Johnson's lively book... finds beauty throughout science - even among dead frogs and drooling dogs" Scotsman "Johnson manages to convey the heart-stopping wonder of discovery" Radio 4, Today programme "In describing these beautifully simple works of genius, Johnson reveals as much about the corporatist nature of modern science as he does about early research" Scotland on Sunday