The Things that Nobody Knows

501 Mysteries of Life, the Universe and Everything

William Hartston

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English

Atlantic Books
01 December 2012

Mathematics & Sciences; Popular science

Here are many, many things that nobody knows.

Why are so many giraffes gay? Has human evolution stopped? Where did our alphabet come from? Can robots become self-aware? Can lobsters recognise other lobsters by sight? What goes on inside a black hole? Are cell phones bad for us? Why can't we remember anything from our earliest years?

Full of the mysteries of life, the universe and everything, The Things that Nobody Knows is a fascinating and unputdownable exploration of the limits of human knowledge of our planet, its history and culture, and the universe beyond.

By: William Hartston
Imprint: Atlantic Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 135mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 423g
ISBN: 9780857896223
ISBN 10: 0857896229
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 01 December 2012
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

William Hartston is a Cambridge-educated mathematician and industrial psychologist. Between 1962 and 1987 he played chess competitively, becoming an international master and winning the English chess championship in 1973 and 1975. He runs competitions in creative thinking for the Independent newspaper and the Mind Sports Olympiad. He also writes the off-beat Beachcomber column for the Daily Express and has written a number of books on chess, mathematics, humour and trivia.

Reviews for The Things that Nobody Knows: 501 Mysteries of Life, the Universe and Everything

A delightful collection for trivia buffs and browsers. * Booklist * A rigorous and playful exploration of human limits in scientific knowledge about the planet, its history and culture, and the universe beyond * Publishers Weekly * Discovering the many undiscovered things that one thought had been discovered already is one of the joys of this book... You might have thought that wallowing in ignorance is a tedious and fruitless occupation. As Hartston proves entertainingly, how wrong you would be. * Daily Express * Properly researched, and the elegance of its pop-cosmology or pop-biology mini-narratives rivals that of many specialists. It is slyly witty, and pleasingly optimistic. -- Steven Poole * Guardian * Each mystery is delightfully penned in bite-sized chunks that often includes humorous repertoire... highly enjoyable... Captivating and inspiring * New Scientist *